I have no idea how to start this "review." I'm trying to think of something to interest you, so you might be progress to reading the body of this post...but my creative juices are failing me at the moment, so pardon me if I simply fall back on typing the simple facts of the situation.
Fact number ONE: The reason I purchased this game was due to it's fabled rarity. I thought to myself, "I might never again have the chance to purchase this game, much less mint/factory sealed, if I don't act now!" Acting now required $150 US dollars. I had the buckage, so I dove in head first, after collecting a teeny-tiny bit of info on the game, curtousy of bbobb and Kidnemo.
Fact number TWO: FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When I got the game, I didn't feel as though it was worth what I payed for it. The excitment had mounted for three days, and when I shoved it in my PS2, it was lackluster at best. The art is amazing! I love the cardboard cut-out animation style...but the game...left something to be disired.
Fact number THREE: I'll be damned if I'm going to spen $150 on a game and not like it! I sat down with it over the course of the weekend, and forced myself to like it...however, much to my amazement, there was no forcing to be done. Much of my initial impressions had melted away, and I was in the perfect position to enjoy this quirky, brilliant, though pricey game.
I have already mentioned the art style, and how much I love it. The only other game that comes to mind that uses this style, or a variant there-of, is Twisted Metal 2. The first time I saw Twisted Metal 2's cut scenes and endings, I was hooked! Two dimentional, static "cut-outs" which slid into place and moved almost not at all. I loved it! Rakugaki revisits this style, but twists it a bit. Each character is drawn on a tiny piece of scrap paper that vaguely resembles the outline of that particular character. As the character moves, the paper he/she is drawn on stretches and contorts to fit the characters movement paterns and such. I imagine not everyone will like this style, but I'm a huge fan of it. Score one for the animation and design!
As far as gameplay is concerned, I believe Kidnemo said it best when he said, "it's like Power Stone." It really is. No really. It's nearly exactly like Power Stone, except for instead of collecting "power stones" to power up, you beat the living Hell out of a smilie-faced pick-up present in every battle. You do this by throwing it at the other computer controlled players. It goes from happy, to annoyed, to angry, to SUPER-DOOPER! Upon picking up this super-dooper, glowing smilie (which now looks like the "blow-job" smilie you're all fond of around here), you're character launches a special attack which utterly destroys a single character, or rains death on the entire play field, or a number of other effects (it varies with the character). This effectivly makes every battle a race for the glowing smilie, al-la Power Stone's "race for the stones." There are other items to be had as well, among them are bombs, missles, rather large warheads, and boulders.
The music is perfect. Playful, poppy, and quirky, like the game itself. Much happyness is expressed in these notes, and in the game overall.
Was it worth paying through my anus for? Not at first. Now, however, it most certainly is.
