Super Momotarou Dentetsu

~ SUPER MOMOTAROU DENTETSU ~

Hudson Soft

HuCard

1989

Roll a die and move a train around a board. Wonderful.

Timeball (Blodia)

~ BLODIA ~

Hudson Soft / Manuel Constantinidis / Broderbund Japan

HuCard

1990

Unless this sort of thing is really, really up your alley, you'll probably find that the underlying concept grows tiresome really, really quickly. And by "this sort of thing," I certainly don't mean puzzle games in general. I like a number of PCE puzzlers, from well-fillers like Puyo Puyo to block-shovers like Tricky Kick. But this one is part of a separate breed, the Pipe Dream type that most players are able to sit with for only a short period and don't ever feel like returning to once that period has passed.

Each of Blodia's puzzles consists of tiles depicting a maze of pipes. Traveling through these pipes is a tiny crystal ball that takes all the time in the world as it dilly-dallies along from point A to point B. Meddle with the tiles--switch them around, slide them over, do whatever it takes to ensure that our slow-moving sphere never runs out of corridor to traverse. Once every inch of a stage's tubing has been graced by the sacred orb, the level concludes and a new trial commences.

Some boards contain vast stretches of open space, indicating that only the slightest bit of pipe tinkering is in order. Other setups present tortuous tube segments that wind their way about the playfield and converge in intricate bunches. While some problematic areas can be fixed up long before the ball even heads their way, many require that you repair them as the sphere is in their very midsts. These on-the-fly jobs demand quick thought and finger work and constitute Blodia's most “intense” moments.

The game is fairly inoffensive at first. Both of its selectable tunes are listenable; and eliminating the final bit of pipe in a given stage always evokes a little surge of pride, as this is one of those puzzlers that make the player feel extraordinarily clever whenever a board is cleared.

But there came a point when I just couldn't stand it anymore, even though I tend to tolerate intolerable concepts for a lot longer than most other players do. Some superior puzzlers like Tetris and Adventures of Lolo are immeasurably clever in concept and design, and the challenges they present are exciting and intense. Blodia doesn’t come off as the masterwork of a genius, nor does it ever really get my blood pumping, even during its “close calls.” Countless twisty pipe segments, monochrome game boards, and an indifferent little ball are not going to hold the attention of most folks who have Gate of Thunder resting on their shelves.

Maybe if the designers had found some way to incorporate the bottom-of-the-board artwork themes into the action, the overall product would've held more appeal.

Probably not.

Sweet.

Kabuki Ittouryoudan

~ KABUKI ITTOURYOUDAN ~

Hudson Soft / Red

Arcade CD-ROM

1995

I've seen Kabuki Ittouryoudan criticized for being too much of a Street Fighter II clone--and indeed, its action is of the adheres-to-an-archetype sort, with Kabuki slipping into the role of Ryu and SF2's fireball and sonic-boom button-press strings found up and down its moves list. But with gorgeous background visuals and slick, responsive controls, KI makes it easy for us to forgive and forget about its blatant concept swiping.

Hard-to-perform desperation techniques like mad sword-swipe flurries and all-out gang attacks add a little spice to the effective-if-derivative gameplay.

And for big Kabuki Den fans like me, seeing the old gang in action again is a blast.

The game disappoints only in that it offers so few cinemas and does little with the ones that are present.

Lack of fancy interludes is hardly a big deal, though, when a fighter offers great action, graphics, and characters to occupy the player's attention. KI is by no means unique, but it impresses and entertains nonetheless and is a must-buy for those who own an Arcade Card.

World Heroes 2

~ WORLD HEROES 2 ~

SNK / Hudson Soft

Arcade CD-ROM

1994

World Heroes 2 can't hold a candle to its Fatal Fury ACD brothers graphically. Its soundtrack, while decent, boasts nothing that can compare with the best FF numbers. It does play a bit better than the Fatals, but there's no chance anyone will ever confuse it with Street Fighter II. And now that I've sufficiently ragged on what one would think are the game's most important elements, let me say that I do enjoy WH2, mainly for its crazy cast. Among the psychotic pugilists who broke free of the nuthouse to join said cast are a viking, a fencer, a pirate, a witch doctor, a magician, a wrestler, and a gigantic football player.

WH2 bolsters its acceptable SF2-style gameplay with neat "counter" techniques that allow you to deflect projectile attacks (and damage your adversaries in the process).

And to further separate itself from the crowd, it presents a "Death Match" alternative mode in which you must claim the balance of a single life meter while avoiding hazards like razor blades and land mines.

World Heroes 2 isn't a special fighter, but it's a likable one. Fans of the genre should get their ten bucks' worth out of it.

Garou Densetsu Special (Fatal Fury Special)

~ FATAL FURY SPECIAL ~

SNK / Hudson Soft

Arcade CD-ROM

1994

Well, I'm not the biggest fan of Fatal Fury 2, so I knew that this revamp wouldn't blow me away or anything. If nothing else, it proved reliable, as the things I like about it are the same things I like about 2:

Incredible graphics. If you're looking for the "arcade experience" from your PCE, this is your game.

The music is pretty good, especially in Terry's stage.

Mai.

As far as improvements go, it's nice to have more characters to play as, and some interesting match-ups arise...

...but I didn't find FF2's cast all that appealing to begin with, and the "new" stars are just as hit or miss as the original folks. Geese Howard is awesome; other bums, not so much...

And while many people have commented on how much more tolerable the loading times are here than in 2, I really don't have a problem with 2's anyway. (Art of Fighting has been the Neo port with the loathing-worthy loading times in my experiences.)

Special is pretty much the same story as 2 for me: it doesn't offer the greatest gameplay, and there's little distinct about it aside from a pointless two-plane system. The consensus seems to be that this is the best of the PCE's Neo Geo ports, but I prefer both Art of Fighting and World Heroes 2. In fact, I rate quite a few other PCE fighting games higher than this one, with Asuka 120%, Kabuki Ittouryoudan, and Street Fighter II' CE among them.

Garou Densetsu 2 (Fatal Fury 2)

~ FATAL FURY 2 ~

SNK / Hudson Soft

Arcade CD-ROM

1994

It must be said right away that this fighter has some awfully nice graphics.

Its music also has some quality moments, with the catchy tune in Terry Bogard's stage being a highlight. And while I'd heard a lot about how horrible the load times are, I don't find them particularly annoying except for when the occasional brief hiccup occurs on the CONQER THE WORLD match-up screen.

Unfortunately, as far as the actual fighting goes, FF2 is just okay. It's more challenging than most PCE fighters, but the higher level of difficulty is due more to the game not playing as smoothly as its alluded-to peers (titles such as Street Fighter II' CE and Kabuki Ittouryoudan) than to the ferociousness of the opposition.

And there isn't really anything all that interesting about the action except that the fighters can fight on two separate planes in each area (which is pretty stupid and inconsequential if you ask me).

The characters are a so-so lot overall, with famous folks like Terry and Mai Shiranui flanked by forgettable also-rans.

I'm by no means a fighting-game connoisseur, so my comments here might be even "more worthless" than usual. But as far as SF2 knock-offs go, I'd rather play something with its own distinct flavor, like the aforementioned Kabuki title.