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Dreamcast Project Justice Developer: Capcom | Publisher: Capcom
Rating: BPiku
Type: Fighting Skill Level: Intermediate
Players: 1-2 Available: Now

If there's something I would say Capcom hasn't truly mastered, it would be developing a great 3D fighter. Sure, games like Powerstone pushed the envelope of design further than they've ever been before, but when looking at recent efforts such as Street Fighter EX 3, it's not hard to imagine that it maybe a while until we get a traditional-playing 3D Street Fighter that's actually...y'know, good. However, for those who don't mind over-the-top team supers saddled with aerial raves and the craziest bunch of school kids this side of River City Ransom, Project Justice (aka Rival Schools 2) might be the title for you.

Kurow, an up and coming student from the school Justice Gakuen is ordered to destroy Daiyou Academy's principal (who just happens to be Batsu's father). Kurow is part of the Dark Side Student Council along with his sisters Momo (a freshman tennis player) and Yurika (a sophmore music student), who assist their brother in attracting the attention of the other schools in the city. Kurow then faces Hyo from the original Rival Schools in a battle that leaves Hyo as the winner, but not without a price; he transforms into a demonic version of himself called Demon Hyo (wow, creative!). Now the stage is set for any and all challengers to face the wrath of Demon Hyo.

While the story itself may not seem too exciting (this is a fighting game, remember?), it does lend itself to introduce some outrageous characters. Some of the new fighters that you can control are Ran, a photographer who attacks with camera flashes, Nagare, a highly built swimmer who wears flippers (?) and Iincyo, who seems as normal as a girl can get in this game...until you realize she's more ferocious than she looks. Of course, returning to the scene are old favourites such as Batsu, Hinata and Hideo, while other characters such as Tiffany and Roy are accessible after you have unlocked them by finishing Story Mode a couple of times.

Speaking of the graphics, Project Justice gets a major facelift thanks to the Naomi board. While the System 11-based Rival Schools looked 'okay', Project Justice is on a whole different level of visual splendor. This time both the characters and backgrounds are in full 3D. From cars passing by on the highway, stadiums transforming from a baseball field to a tennis court to lightning will illuminate the dark skies, the amount of detail that went into the backgrounds is startling.

A lot has changed since the first Rival Schools, but then again.. a lot has stayed the same. Gone are the 1 vs 1 battles with a partner to assist for tag moves, and we are now graced with the same 1 on 1 combat but with 2 partners! Feel the excitement! Players can choose which partner they want to use a Team Up Attack, or they can (if they have 5 levels of super meter) choose to bring in both partners for an especially painful triple team super. Not only do these triple team attacks put some serious hurt on your opponent, but they're always great for a laugh. Marvel at your team as they join together to form a human wheel to crush your rivals, or attempt to contain your laughter as your two partners fling you and your opponent headfirst into each other! Returning are the Burning Vigor Attacks, which are just as comical as they were in the first game, such as Shoma's returning with his best impression of Sammy Sosa or Nagre attacking you with his flippers. While standard features such as Tardy Counters and Vs. style air combos make their return to the game, one welcomed addition to the system is the ability to counter Team Up Attacks by pressing the same buttons that your opponent used to execute their Team Attacks. When you do this, you do use up a bar from your super meter, and you are timed when you execute this counter. When you successfully stage a counter, you are given a set amount of time to hit your opponent before they execute their Team Attack; at the same time, your opponent can also hit you to cancel the counter and make you waste a super bar. It's definitely a welcomed addition to the game, since I thought that the first Rival Schools revolved greatly around building meter for Team Attacks and then unloading them without penalty.

While the gameplay isn't exactly what some people might be looking for, the amount of play modes in the game is definitely something that will increase the longevity of this title. You can choose between Arcade Mode and Story Mode for 1 player games. Arcade Mode is pretty self explanatory, while Story Mode restricts you to choosing between the different schools to solve the mystery behind Hyo's transformation. Beyond these two modes, we also have the standard Vs and Training Modes, as well as League and Tournament modes. Project Justice also comes complete with a Edit Character mode and Omake mode, which allows you to view levels and listen to the various voices and background soundtracks in the game, as well as an ultra slick board game.

Project Justice definitely isn't for everyone, but despite its wackiness, it is definitely a fun game to play that will keep you playing for a couple of months, if not longer. With a solid bunch of mechanics, off the wall humour, great looking graphics and more secrets than most fighters today, Project Justice is definitely a game that any gamer looking for some fun should consider picking up.

· · · Reno


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Rating: BReno
Graphics: 8 Sound: 8
Gameplay: 7 Replay: 7
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