I’m beginning to see a startling
trend occurring, it seems anytime there is a new cartoon debuting on the
Cartoon Network, there is a game not very far behind. Inuyasha, Zatch Bell,
Dragon Ball Z and Fullmetal Alchemist to name a few, and now we have the
honorary bow of a fighting game wrapped around a peculiar cartoon; One Piece.
One Piece involves a goofy pirate name Monkey D. Luffy, who can’t swim worth a
crud, but has a bendable rubber body that would make Mr. Fantastic proud.
Monkey and his friends are trying to find the legendary "One Piece" treasure,
a treasure so great that literally everyone with a ship is trying to locate
it. Luffy ends up captaining a ship filled with other strange and colorful
characters that routinely does battle against other evil pirates. So naturally
any show with as many characters as this one would be a glove-like fit for a
fighting game. The end result is interesting to say the least.
Since the show is filled with
over-the-top characters who routinely get into bone-busting battles with one
another, I had high hopes for this title. There is enough comedy and
oddball action that falls just left of center that I thought the game might
involve some really cool gameplay. Well, I wouldn’t call it "cool," but the
game certainly comes at a frantic pace. Players select which character they
would like to play and, in some cases, a support character (more on this
below) and then go at it tooth and nail in one of the game’s
environments. Like any fighter, each character has strange attacks and
fighting ability that has been represented from the cartoon itself. Luffy can
punch far distances because he’s made of rubber and Zolo, the three-sword
wielding warrior, has vicious blade attacks, so on and so forth.
These whitening strips really do work!
Now the game can be compared to
the Sega Dreamcast hit Powerstone, and I say that because the game constantly
has items falling out of the sky that can either be used to help you
(power-ups, health) or as weapons, since you can throw them at your opponent.
The levels are varied with different grades of fighting platforms and they
even cause damage to all involved when certain traps are activated – giving
the levels a whole other dynamic when played. In my opinion some of these
levels were amongst the highlight of the game. Doing combat on floating bamboo
rafts that are constantly sinking (with damage to you) or trying to dodge a
massive log that’s rolling back and forth as you engage in combat, these are
the kinds of extras I like to see in my fighting game.
As I stated before, the game
allows you to pick a support character, and if you know the series, that means
selecting from 32 support characters. What this means to you, though, is that
while battling, you can summon your support character and they will join the
battle in your favor. The character will methodically attack your opponenent
until they are either stopped or the round is won by either player. It adds
another dimension to the game and will be a fan boys’ dream if they happen to
be One Piece crazy. Otherwise, players won’t know who they select and what
they can do until trial and error is implemented. Still, its a cool idea
having a sidekick be able to appear and bail you out if you are on the losing
end of a fight.
It slices, it dices, it makes dozens of
Julianne fries!
Unfortunately, One Piece does have
it’s flaws, the first being, it may be too wacky for the casual gamer. The
characters are direct copies from the cartoon and even the cartoon can be a
bit much. This is the kind of title that at least one parent will rip out of
the PlayStation and gladly hurl across the back lawn due to it’s constant
repeat phrases that the characters will say. That and the more difficult
moves, I found, were too difficult to pull off. More often then not, I found
myself doing the same three or four moves, which of course generated the same
voice acting. So to say that this fighter is anything but smooth would be
correct, and when I say that, I want you to think of one of the DOA fighting
games, that is a good example of a smooth-playing fighting game. One Piece is
more like a 1978 Ford pickup with only one shock, not smooth.
One Piece does feature a couple of
different modes which does give the game some legs, and if you do stick with
playing ultimately there is 16 combat characters and 32 support characters
which does give those gamers out there that have to unlock everything a pretty
decent challenge. It is rated T for teens, but clearly is aimed at the nine
and ten year olds out there.
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Gameplay: 6.2
It feels pretty clunky for a
fighting game, and only those die-hard One Piece fans will claw their way
through this title.
Graphics: 7.5
The game really borrows heavily
from its cartoon mother, and has a cel shaded feel to it. The craziness of the
title can get to be a lot on the screen but never bogs down. Most of the
levels are a hoot to play.
Sound: 6.0
The voices seem to be the same
from the cartoon, and yes I do watch it occasionally with my boys, but trust
me when I say they will begin
to annoy you within 10
minutes of playing.
Difficulty: Medium
Using the same few moves I managed
to complete one of the characters story mode the first time I tried. Now I can
brag and say, I am awesome at fighting games, but still, that seemed to me
like it was really too easy.
Concept: 6.5
A game made from a show on Cartoon
Network and developed by Bandai? What a novel idea.
Multiplayer: 6.0
It only has two-player
multiplayer, so I guess it really is a traditional fighter. The only person I
could get to play against me was my wife and she tired of it, quickly.
Overall 6.8
If you were to give this a grade
based on our current school grading system, this would be a D+. But since we
aren’t in school, then it’s considered Ok. I can’t say that this is one for
the fighting fans out there, more like the fans of the show only. But still,
it can offer some enjoyment and fighting games are typically the best
shared-screen games out there. Good luck.
