Vampire Chronicle: For Matching Service Review

Original Release

Japan: ???

Game Details

1-2 Players

VMU enabled

Standard Controller, Arcade Stick

VGA Box

Gameplay

As many fighting fans on the DC platform are well aware, many of Capcom’s Dreamcast import selection that bears the “Matching Service” moniker simply indicated a game with the distinct feature to play online against other Dreamcast players via a dedicated online server. Just about all of these Matching Service releases were released exclusively through Sega’s infamous “Dreamcast/Sega Direct” online store, making their initial run a rather limited endeavor (This particular game rumored to have had a production of only a meager 5000 units worldwide). Vampire Chronicle (released only in the US for the PSP as Darkstalkers Chronicle: Chaos Tower), was the first in a many attempt by Capcom to release games of this proposition (reproduced later over the years with the likes of Hyper Street Fighter 2, and Hyper Street Fighter Alpha) The concept of these 3 particular fighting games is simple, collect all of their subsequent updates into one cohesive game that gives players the ability to select various versions of a character. For example Hyper SF2 collects all of the SF2 series (World Warrior, Champ Edition, Turbo, Super, Super Turbo), So if your favorite version of Ryu (which hypothetically would be Turbo version) and you wanted to go up against a friend who’s favorite version of Guile (from World Warrior version), this game allows you have that match, thus creating countless match combinations that were never before possible. This is what Vampire Chronicle encompasses. It collects all 5 releases (we only got 3 of those 5 releases here in the US mind you) in the Vampire/Darkstalkers series (Vampire, Vampire Hunter, Vampire Savior, Hunter 2 and Savior 2). The format is a bit more elaborate in Chronicle than the example used for Hyper SF2. The game first gives you the option to select from the 3 main match formats used throughout the series (Vampire/Hunter/Savior). These selections will determine Life Gauge type as well as ES Gauge system type. After making that decision, you are then allowed to pick your character and finally the selection of game version of that particular character (Vampire, Hunter, Savior, Savior 2) which will determine your characters special move list, magic series combos as well as additional system mechanics. This all may sound a bit daunting at first but it becomes clear especially for anyone who has followed the series.

Story

Who cares really...

Graphics

The entire Vampire/Darkstalkers series was conceived from the CPS2 arcade hardware. For its time the game was a true showcase for the arcade hardware that gave it life. The games visuals were so unique and well received that Capcom adopted a similar style to use in the Street Fighter Alpha series and even the Marvel Vs. series. The game sports vivid and lush colors, beautiful sprite design and some impressively fluid animations that still hold up quite nicely even by today standards (Lei Lei’s advancing, retreating, and idle animations are what made me love with the character when first saw her in Night Warriors on the Sega Saturn). Capcom really took their first major step forward in the sprite art department with this series and created a fighter with such flair that it could visually compete with their rival SNK, who at the time was tearing it up with their awesome sprite animation and character designs in their stable fighting game franchises. It appears that the RDC release of this game IS fully compatible with the sublime VGA accessory (much like the actual GD Rom release) for total enjoyment of this wonderful release.

Sound

Audio wise the game has some very memorable and quite catchy tunes. Sound effects and dialogue are also very crisp and as a bonus, match type selection not only determines health and ES gauge type, but also will determine the games soundtrack which is a wonderful perk (I personally always loved the soundtrack for Vampire Hunter over the rest!).

Conclusion

While Vampire Chronicle is (at moment of this review) the final entry in the franchise, it unfortunately has not caught on with the fighting game community. If it ever did at some point, many have eventually gone back to Vampire Savior. I think it’s mainly due to the fact that while the concept of meshing multiple fighting updates of a particular installment into one actual game might sound good on paper, the end result is a recipe that makes for one very unbalanced game for competitive play. It is true for games of this nature, Hyper SF2 had a VERY short competitive time in the sun before everyone eventually went back to ST and Hyper Alpha was just played for shits and giggles, not to be taken seriously. For what Vampire Chronicle lacks in overall polish, it makes up for in sheer fun among die hard Darkstalkers fans.   

7/10

Dynamite Cop Review

Original Release:

Japan: June 1, 1998

North America: November 3, 1999

Europe: October 14, 1999

Game Details:

1-2 Players

VMU enabled

Standard Controller, Arcade Stick

VGA Box

Gameplay

Dynamite Cop is a Beat Em Up sequel to the arcade and Sega Saturn release of the aptly titled “Die Hard Arcade”.  The only thing that separates the sequel from its precursor is the lack of the “Die Hard” license. Dynamite Cop builds upon the formula set by its predecessor and further builds upon the gameplay mechanics with rather commendable results. Players can now select between 3 distinctly unique protagonists before selecting 1 of 3 missions (of various length and difficulty) to journey through, ultimately leading to the same final boss of the game (Wolf Hongo!). The games control system is what to be expected from the genre with 3 buttons that control Punch, Kick and Jump actions. With this simple button configuration at your fingertips lies a wealth of options to which you can execute various moves and techniques. This is where the games true charm of DC lies! The amount of ways to deal damage onto your enemies is rather impressive. There are extensive amounts of combos, holds, throws and various advanced maneuvers to explore as you tear a new one onto any pirate dumb enough to stands in your way. Weapons and interactive objects set about each area only sweeten the deal to this aspect of the game. The games controls are practically perfect making all such actions at your disposal a breeze to do.  

Story

You have to invade the ship! Clear the pirates and rescue the hostages, especially the presidents (ugly) daughter!

Graphics

Originally released in the arcade using Sega’s Model 2 hardware, the games visuals, while state of the art perhaps for its time, wasn’t up to the standards that can be seen on the Dreamcast console. Graphical enhancements were in fact made to the Dreamcast port which include full CG cut scenes to the cinemas (as opposed to the in game graphics that were utilized in the arcade version) a more vibrant color palette to the games 3D environments and slightly refined character models. Even with these improvements, the Dreamcast port still looks dated and does not harness the power of the console. Still, while the games visual presentation won’t wow even the most jaded Dreamcast gamer, it still manages to get the job done. With that said, I would like to note that game visuals look vastly more appealing through the use of a VGA adapter. The games color and sharpness looks SO improved, you’ll never want to go back to standard video connections again. Trust me on this, the game looks way better than it should on a VGA signal for some reason! 

Sound

Nothing special but all the audio that you were treated to in the arcade version has been reproduced on the Dreamcast version flawlessly which is always a positive in these arcade to home conversions!

Conclusion

No bones about it, I love this game! Perhaps it’s simply due to my undying love for the under-appreciated genre. Perhaps it’s because it’ll be the closest thing I’ll ever get to a Street of Rage 4 on my Dreamcast. Or maybe because it takes the fundamentals which make up the genre, and crafts it to perfection so well with flawless intuitive control, a very deep fighting engine, and weapons galore to explore as well as exploit, creating a Beat Em Up so perfectly sound, it makes me wish all others in this territory were as solid as this offering. The game is not perfect! Much of its apparent flaws are a result of the genre it represents as well as its arcade heritage. Even with these setbacks, the masters at AM1 threw in enough extras to keep you coming back for more if the heart of the game doesn't already evoke that.

8/10

Dreamcast Scene Bullshittery

I really wish I had more positive things to blog about but unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there's anything positive that comes out of the Dreamcast scene anymore.

Today, we have more money grubbing, coming from dc4you.ru. They've decided to start charging money for each download of "rare" Dreamcast releases. This isn't a direct download either, this is a torrent site, where peers have to share the files. In other words, stay the fuck away from this site.

Even if there's something there you for some reason think that you absolutely can't find, look harder. It's out there. They got it from somewhere. Hopefully ReviveDC stuff is spread around well enough that they don't decide our releases are rare, because we do this stuff for free. We don't make any money, some asshole running a tracker shouldn't either.

So, there's your heads up. Stay smart and don't waste your money.

Capcom vs. SNK Millennium Collection Review

Game Details:

1-2 Players

VMU enabled

Standard controller, Arcade Stick

Jump Pak enabled

VGA box

In honor of Revive DC’s impressive 100^th release run, the group is at it once again, making an attempt to outdo themselves with an offering that can only be found within the ambitious efforts of RDC. “Capcom Vs. SNK Millennium Collection” chronicles Capcom’s entire legacy of one of the industry’s most monumental crossovers. On this disc you’ll find the likes of Capcom Vs. SNK Millennium Fight 2000, Capcom Vs. SNK PRO and Capcom Vs. SNK 2 Millionaire Fighting 2001 as well as few little extras thrown in for your enjoyment. Considering that Comrade Snarky and I have already reviewed each of these games individually thru their respective RDC release, I will attempt to shed additional info to the games provided on this collection to the best of my ability.

Gameplay

The CVS series was an attempt to fill the void of the exhausted Street Fighter Alpha series which was making its rounds in the arcade industry prior to the release of the CVS franchise. CVS1 as a whole seems to have a very clear cut, old school approach to gameplay. At its core, the fighting mechanics in this first installment are very barebones and limited in scope to what many became accustomed to in the Alpha series and the Marvel Vs. series. This intentional approach to fighting provided many with a return to basics of fundamentals of the genre, giving it that real nostalgic feel hearkening to fighting games of the early 90’s (gotta love that intentional slowdown as fireballs hit their foes!). CVS1 also appears to take cues from both company rulebooks, opting for an SNK button layout and an emphasis on KOF team structure as oppose to Capcom’s 1on1 or tag team battles, all the while adding some rather interesting features for the tried and true genre. The series trademark “Ratio” system was added to compliment team based battles with some added strategy while providing balance. The 30 plus roster is divided into 4 categories: Ratio 1, 2, 3, and 4. Higher the ratio the stronger the fighter. The kicker here is that a player has a maximum of only 4 Ratio points to build a team as they see fit. While very restrictive in allowing players the freedom of creating their own teams, it certainly calls for interesting decision making and promotes having to learn new characters that perhaps you would never have bothered to if it were not for the constraints of the Ratio system. All these features mentioned are also directly applicable to its successor CVS PRO! Less of a sequel and more of a minor upgrade, PRO is a very minor attempt to further tweak and balance its predecessors shortcomings. Alas it fails to achieve its goals. The only worthwhile additions made to PRO were the inclusion of Dan Hibiki and Joe Higashi which by default are thrown into the Ratio 1 category. With the true sequel, CVS2 took a different approach to just about every feature introduced by the first game. The 4 button layout was thrown out in favor of the more traditional Capcom 6. The games Groove system was greatly expanded with 4 additional grooves which allow you to play in styles similar to other popular fighting titles offered by both companies. The controversial Ratio system of old was replaced with a “Free Ratio” system allowing players to distribute those 4 Ratio points into teams of 3, 2 or just one character. All these additions and changes (as well as an expanded roster) give CVS2 a more up to date approach of the mechanics of the game and provide much broader possibilities than what its prequel could ever offer.

Storyline

The supposed legend behind the creation of such a dream match was due to a popular Japanese video game magazine which was reviewing at the time SNK’s superlative KOF 98 release and Capcom’s ambitious Street Fighter Zero 3. The publication sported on their front page “King Of Fighters Vs. Street Fighter” in an attempt to pit each respective publisher’s offering against the other in the market. It appears that many readers misinterpreted the magazine header for an actual game which created an uproar of positive reaction among fans everywhere. After witnessing the fan clamor, both Capcom and SNK made a deal which then led to the creation of a handful of titles pitting both companies’ mascots against each other.

Graphics

All CVS games where developed under the SEGA Naomi hardware tech which led to an assured port on the Dreamcast platform in an effortless arcade to home translation. CVS1 and PRO sport amazing pre rendered backgrounds with some amazing lighting and dynamic effects. All backgrounds are complimented with real cool intro sequences that are reminiscent of SNK’s prior efforts in their past games. The game also sports some real cool monitor and arrow motifs that really elevate the crossover dream match it envelops throughout the presentation! CVS2 feels slightly less ostentatious in this regard over its prequel but by no means a slouch in any respect. CVS2 has a more tournament gathering presentation going for it alongside a news broadcast theme. All backgrounds are redone and put the NAOMI hardware to good use by creating battlegrounds with 3D polygons. While they look nice enough, they appear to visually hurt the character sprites more than the former backgrounds that used a different graphical technique in their creation. While on the topic, the 2D characters sprites are a real mix of good and bad. The entire SNK cast has been beautifully redone from the ground up while the same cannot be said for a majority of the Capcom roster. For the best graphical results I would suggest an S-video connection to retro CRT TV or the purchase of a VGA adapter if you plan to play on at modern TV set or monitor! These games may not looks as gorgeous as say Guilty Gear X, but they still manage to look good enough thanks to some cool looking effects and 640x480 res backgrounds!

Sound

CVS series rocks out it this area and hits all the right notes for those that can appreciate the musical genres that are represented in this series! I implore fans of video game music to listen in on some of the tracks for these games via the options menu. You are sure to find some real catchy and downright awesome tunes! Audio effects also impress. Character speech and dialogue is spot on and everything sounds great thanks in part to the hardware’s modest audio capabilities.

Conclusion

The final part which deserves some mention are the extras that are packed into this collection. Much like RDC’s previous compilation, this one also offers some kick ass knowledge for all you young grasshoppers of the genre. All titles contain acceptable “How to Play” tutorials and “Command Lists” although the latter can be also accessed through each respective game via pause screen. Last but not least this dream collection also contains the much useful (and thankfully translated) “Capcom Taisen Fan disc” which was given out in Japan for those who preordered CVS2 for the Dreamcast. In this disc you’ll find some real cool character artwork galleries, VMU save files of some really sweet high caliber matches among Asia’s best “during CVS2s early days” and most importantly, unlockable save content files for nearly every Capcom JPN release on the Dreamcast with exception of Capcom/Psykyo collaborations, Resident Evil titles and a few other offerings that appeared on the platform before this fan disc was originally conceived. Regardless of the fact that these are save files for JPN Capcom releases, a few of them are cross compatible with their respective US versions! Here a convenient list of those games:

Power Stone

Power Stone 2

Spawn ITDH

SF3 Third Strike

SF Alpha 3

Marvel Vs Capcom

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (use FMS version save and never overwrite!)

While the first CVS has long been forgotten by many, its sequel still enjoys some healthy tournament life in many parts around the globe even after all these years. Regardless of their positions today, these games are well deserved of your attention if you have a passion for fighting games.

8.5/10

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: For Matching Service Review

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: For Matching Service

Original Release

Japan: 1999

Game details:

1-2 Players

VMU enabled

Standard controller, Arcade Stick

Jump Pak enabled

VGA Box (FMS ver. ONLY!)

Gameplay

“Jojo’s BA” is a collection of 2 fighting games by Capcom based on the manga series by Hirohiko Araki. The finished product makes a real great effort in translating all the craziness of the source material and blending it with Capcom’s signature fighting gameplay much like how the company did with the Marvel license (speak of which, Jojo’s mechanics seem to have a very “Marvel Vs. Series” feel to it albeit with a more heavily grounded approach). The end result is a surprisingly refreshing and creative effort (from such a stagnant developer of the genre no less) that 2D fight fans should try out.  The game utilizes a 4 button mechanic that’s mapped out to dictate weak, medium, and fierce attacks as well as the main feature that makes this game truly unique among the rest... the “Stand” button. This feature controls your characters "Stand", an inner persona or alter ego. This feature varies from character to character in accordance to the manga. Some fighters wield a spirit, while others supernatural ability lies within a simple object like a gun, sword or even a possessed doll! When turned ON you gain access to special abilities like chain combos, double jumps and immunity to chip damage in return to whittling down the Stand gauge instead. If said gauge gets completely drained down, your Stand will crash and your main character will be open to free damage. Going back and forth into battle with your Stand on and off is key to the games mastery. While it seems like a tedious endeavor for a feature, it's a very interesting and fresh concept to the genre that adds a bit of flair to the fight.    

Storyline
N/A?

Graphics

Jojo’s visuals are a result of the short lived in-house CPS3 arcade circuit board of Capcom. With that said, this series (in a graphical sense) doesn’t seem to fully tap into the hardware when compared to the 2 other franchises that saw life on this arcade hardware (one being “Red Earth” and the other being the SF 3 trilogy). The sprite work looks very reminiscent of the Darkstalkers series. These games seriously look like they could’ve been produced with the CPS2 arcade board (hell, X-men COTA and MSH look more impressive to me!). Animations look solid enough, but no where near on par with what those other 2 franchises that were able to muster more from the hardware. The backgrounds are another problem. Throughout they look pale and lifeless compared to what is seen on other Capcom 2D titles. It’s not all bad in the visual dept though. The game does have some spectacular visual effects are downright insane as they are awesome! We’re talking about falling Steamrollers, resurrecting Cadillac’s, Screen size teeth munching on your opponents and awesome gunfire shooting straight through the TV screen. There’s some wacky visual eye candy in this series for sure that demands mentioning.

 Before we move on from this category, there is another major bone to pick with the original U.S. Dreamcast release which I’d like to address and get the facts straight… and that is the games lack of VGA compatibility. Before I get the whole bit of “Hey CD ages, there are other DC titles that don’t support VGA”, please consider that. . . THOSE OTHER GAMES THAT AREN’T VGA COMPATABLE DON’T ADVERTISE THAT THEY ARE LIKE THIS DAMN GAME! History repeats itself here as yet again Capcom has packaged their products with very ridiculous errors in which they don’t seem to care how their consumers are affected as a result.

RDC has once again stepped up to the plate and provide DC owners everywhere with “FMS” version of Jojo’s that was released exclusively in Japan via DC Direct online service. This Japanese re-release is indeed VGA compatible right out the gate (fixing what the original release lacked) and ready to be enjoyed the way it was meant to be played!    

Sound

The games sound dept is somewhat weak where it counts. The music is quite honestly awful. Many of the characters themes sound very dull and boring, thus doing little to compliment much of the action that appears on screen between these BIZARRE characters. On the plus side though, vocals and character dialogue are excellent and very coherently powerful. Characters have very lengthy dialogue before, after and in between matches giving it that crazy Japanese anime feel. Sound effects are nothing special, your typical Capcom fare.

Conclusion

Anyone remember Capcom's advertising campaign for this game in various publications?

Resident Evil

Dino Crisis

Jojo!?

It seems Capcom brought over this series from overseas without putting much thought into its marketing. I suppose it makes sense when this particular brand had very little exposure to the western audience at the time. I have a feeling that if this game was re-released in today’s market, it would gain slightly more recognition and appreciation then it did back then solely on how much of its game mechanics innovated at the time and paved the way for other hit fighting titles that borrowed from this sleeper hit (I’m looking at you Arc sys GG and BB!). I personally felt very conflicted reviewing this release mainly due to how much I respect this game from the perspective of a fighting game fan. I honestly wish I gave the game more of an opportunity as a kid (I bought this back on release day for the PS1 and eventually purchasing the superior DC port). On the other hand, the game really had no dedicated scene out here in the states for the game to grow and as a result warranted little reason to play the game to learn its intricate features. Furthermore, the mere fact that I cannot play the game via VGA really kept me from playing it more than I would like to if it was. Instead, I spent quite a while trying to understand why this game would not work via VGA. Little did I know as a kid that it simply came down to a company that would be so inept, to release a product with an advertised feature it wasn’t meant to fulfill… for shame. With this version being released for many to enjoy for the first time, my compliments go out to RDC for another superb effort! 

6/10

Want to pay money for what ReviveDC gives you for free?

Here's your chance!

Game Case World is offering you the Sonic Adventure Limited Edition cover for six dollars!

That's right, buy now and NONE of the money comes back to us!

"The covers on Game Case World’s web site are derived from a community developed cache of free, publicly available covers which we contribute to, as well as do hundreds of members of various communities namely The Cover Project. Game Case World has our own in-house graphic designer, so if you can’t find what you are looking for please contact us."

That's all good and well, but I don't remember posting that to The Cover Project, or having their "in-house graphic designer" contribute to the RDC project at any time.

So, thank atreyu187 who has put a lot of money into our project buying games and equipment and gotten nothing back.

 I hope you're enjoying your pure profit, Game Case World!

Capcom vs. SNK Review

Original release:
Japan: September 6th, 2000
North America: November 6th, 2000
Europe: December 15th, 2000

Game details:
1-2 Players
Standard Controller
VMU Compatible
Arcade Stick
Jump Pack Compatible
VGA Compatible

I'm sure back in 2000, people were frothing at the mouth for Capcom vs. SNK. A chance to finally have the characters from two opposing games duke it out, and to prove superiority of one brand over another. Even now the idea is an appealing one if you know someone who is a fan of that other company from your preferred one. Well, leave it to Capcom to screw it all up.

Gameplay
The first thing you'll notice about Capcom vs. SNK is that it's completely unremarkable. Capcom vs. SNK utilizes the 4-button play style from SNK and a generic engine utilized by neither company. The game is stupidly simple, and plays like a 14-year-old's MUGEN wet dream. It's like Capcom went running out of their meeting with SNK where they hammered out the details and put the game together in a week with cartoon dollar signs (yen signs?) in their eyes. There's a decent line-up of Capcom and SNK fighters here, and you can play with a Capcom or SNK play style that affects the way your super bar is filled. It feels like a missed opportunity that a Capcom play style wouldn't let you use the 6-button layout, but I'm sure Capcom went with 4-button because 6 would have required them to get some new animations for the SNK characters, and doing new things requires effort. This is a cash grab, remember?

One new, sort of creative, feature that didn't work out at all is the Ratio System. In theory, this should let you build teams of different size that should be about evenly matched with other teams of different sizes. In practice, this immediately goes out the window because it seems like absolutely no balancing was done to the game. So, don't let the different numbers of characters fool you into thinking you may have an advantage, because it's not going to change a thing. Characters feel floaty, adding to the MUGEN feel, and the lack of any unique gameplay aspects (unless you count choosing an SNK or Capcom play style unique) just kill the game.

Storyline
Two companies are having a dispute.. blah, blah, oh fuck. Spoilers. Joe and Dan are the tournament winners at the end. The joke characters. This would be sort of funny if Capcom didn't release an enhanced version in Capcom vs. SNK Pro a short time later that rebalanced the game and added Joe and Dan as playable characters. I guess the message is that Capcom is the real winner when it comes to your money.

Graphics
This game has some seriously nice looking stage backgrounds. They're all newly drawn and they look excellent. There are also some really, really cool stage intros. Then there's the fighter sprites which are absolute garbage. A few are newly drawn (gasp) but most are ripped from some pretty damn old games. This negates the effort put into the stage backgrounds and just makes the game look like a mess. With the quality of the stage backgrounds, you'd think Capcom would realize they should step up their sprite quality as well. The Dreamcast was very capable of smooth sprites, as shown by Guilt Gear X, but this would require time, effort and money from Capcom.

Sound
This is surprisingly good. It's really good. The menu music has a cool vibe, the tracks have energy to them, and it's the lone high point of the game. Instead of playing the game, you could just find an OST and imagine a better game.

Conclusion
If you thought Capcom are bad about shaking down customers now, you've never played Capcom vs. SNK. This is a sorry excuse for a game, especially one that should have been a massive undertaking since it was pitting two companies against each other.

5.0/10