Tatsunoko Fight
If there can be a collective of Super Friends, why not a cabal
of supervillains? The forces of evil from the various
animè series created by Tatsunoko Studios have merged
their powers, so the heroes of those same universes must
join forces to save us all. This saving takes the form of a
lot of unarmed combat - you can probably figure out what to do
from here. You must do battle with the great villains of
those various shows - or even other heroes, in Vs. mode.
Series whoses characters are included are Gatchaman (better
known as Battle Of The Planets in the U.S.), Tekkaman, Casshan,
and Polymer The Ha-Ri-Ken Fighter. A new character in the classic
Tatsunoko Studios mold, Volter The Lightning, is introduced here
for the first time.
(Takara Toys, 2000 - for Playstation)
When you think of Tatsunoko Productions, what's the first thing that springs
to mind? For me, it's visions of armor-and-spandex-clad superheroes wearing
helmets with transparent visors! No, seriously - virtually every
Tatsunoko superhero has a helmet with a transparent visor. Check the screen
shots below, see if I'm lying to you. I swear, they all do.
Seriously, though, the Tatsunoko charatcers inhabit one of the least-known
(but simultaneously best-loved) almost-shared universes since the golden age
of Marvel Comics. The plotlines are all shockingly similar, and have since
been co-opted by the likes of Haim Saban and recycled into the umpteen-dozen
Power Rangers series. Of course, most U.S. viewers will be most familiar
with Gatchaman, the series which was
heavily re-edited and rewritten to become the Sandy Frank after-school
favorite, Battle Of The Planets. From
that series, Ken, Jun and Berg Katse (or, in Battle Of The Planets-ese:
Mark, Princess and Zoltar) are featured. Similar
main character/heroine/villain troikas are lifted from other Tatsunoko
animè for the game.
The first thing that strikes me about this game is the sheer
beauty of the graphics. No clunky polygons wrapped around 3-D
models. This game is built on some of the slickest cel-style
animation I've ever seen come from a computer of any kind. I'm
glad Takara took this approach to the look of the game - it's
almost like watching the shows themselves!
And speaking of the shows, not only are the sound effects
and music spot-on, but when you pick the hero you're going to
play, the game begins with a sharp-as-DVD playback of the original opening
titles of the series in question. Being the Battle Of The Planets fan
that I am, I tend to play as the Gatchaman
characters, and that intro is almost enough to bring tears to my eyes, even
though it's the original Japanese intro and not the sanitized Battle
Of The Planets intro I used to see every day after school.
The controls are slick and not too complicated, with even the characters'
"power moves" not requiring a 53-key "chain starter"
command. Normally, I hate Street Fighter variations like this
with a passion, but perhaps Takara knew that the Tatsunoko properties would be
most appealing to those in their late 20s and 30s - not really the target
demographic for fighting games with complicated controls. Tatsunoko
Fight is just about my speed - and the head rush of pure nostalgia is
phenomenal.
Rating: 
Four quarters - a couple of minor irritants, but mostly a compelling and
addictive game.
Reviewed by Earl Green
theLogBook.com editor/webmaster
