Life in the projects ain’t so bad. Review

Life in the projects ain’t so bad.

I was about to start this review by discussing the history of Capcom and its famous

fighters. Then I was going to mention something about Project Justice’s

(aka Rival Schools 2) roots in the original Rival Schools and how

it took 2D fighters into the 3D realm. But mere moments ago, I came out of my

24/7-video-game-playing-induced bout of brain dead activity and was shocked with

inspiration.

Project Justice may look like “just another Capcom fighter” that deserves

“just another review,” but that would be like calling green "just

another color" for ketchup. In fact, this game is something really

special and is definitely a much tastier treat than the aforementioned condiment.

How many fighting games out there allow you to (a) fight a

guy wearing Speedos, (b) fight AS a guy wearing Speedos, or even

(c) beat up a guy wearing Speedos as the school

nurse? None. No other game can bring you crazy characters like Project

Justice can.

In addition to the infamous swimming coach, there are a ton of other schoolyard

fighters including the baseball player, the yearbook photographer and the Phys

Ed coach. This wild and wacky band of characters gives a whole lot of personality

to a game chock full of goofy fighting..

Just wait until you see some of the hilarious team attacks. As you lead your

team of three, you’ll build up a power meter a la Street Fighter. Since

you can’t tag out in the middle of a match, your partners act as support, causing

bad things to happen to your opponents. Maybe your team will engage in some

synchronized swimming – martial style – or even force the enemy into a deadly

Kodak moment. You never know what could happen with this group of heroic high

schoolers.

Performing these feats of lethal silliness with your fighter is easy for fighting

veterans because Project Justice uses the exact same scheme as all other

Capcom fighters. Quarter-circles, half-circles and all of the familiar button

combos make this game a snap to pick up and play. Even the fighting newbie won’t

have a whole lot of trouble learning the ropes here.

One cool aspect of the gameplay is the unique counter system. Pretty much

every move in the game can be countered, including the team attacks. When a

team attack is initiated, it can be countered with the simple press of two buttons.

Don’t relax just yet, because now you’ve got to earn your counter. One

fighter from each side will run onto the screen for a quick five second round

of sudden death. Get the first strike and the move is cancelled, but lose and

your character is schooled in the fine art of smackdown. Ouch.

Surprisingly enough, Project Justice actually has a coherent storyline…sort

of. Back in the original Rival Schools, a group of super-powered high

school students stopped a plot for world domination. One year later, bizarre

events are beginning again and some of the kids are acting strange. Our group

of super students must solve the mystery before it’s too late! Okay, so it’s

no Scooby Doo, but you’ll actually

be able to understand what’s going on (unlike some other fighting games).

As the Story mode begins, players will choose from a handful of schools and

set off to solve the mystery. Along the way, you’ll notice that decisions have

to be made about which character to control. These choices sometimes lead down

different story branches, adding an element of replay value to the game.

If the different stories aren’t enough to get you to play the game again,

then the unlockable characters are. Over 10 characters, including the lead villains,

are up for grabs, giving Project Justice a huge roster to play with.

The biggest bump in the road is the game’s plain graphics and areas. While

its isn’t really flawed, the ho-hum visuals could use a touch up and a little

bit of love.

But wait – we’re not done yet! You’ll experience one of best things about

Project Justice before you even get the disc into your Dreamcast. Surprisingly,

the game has a suggested retail price of $19.95! If that isn’t a good

deal for a top-notch game, I don’t know what is.

So there you have it. The Dreamcast isn’t buried yet. The life force still

trickles through Sega’s machine and is strengthened with the release of a great

deal like Project Justice. This fighter definitely earns a spot in any

Dreamcast library.