Dreamcast Reviews F

F355 Challenge tries to straddle the line between simulation and arcade, coming up short on both counts. I pulled this one out on a game night with two gearheads (Brent and Brian) in attendance. They seemed enthusiastic at first but came away feeling somewhat ambivalent.

The Ferrari F355 was a fancy sports car manufactured during the late 90's. F355 Challenge is billed as a "true Ferrari racing simulator", and its photo-realistic graphics put you right in the driver's seat. There's only one viewing angle, which is straight out your windshield. If you own a steering wheel controller, you may want to dig it out of the closet.

You can select between six actual courses, and my friends actually knew a few of their layouts by heart! Without that knowledge however it's hard to anticipate turns because your view is so close to the road. It's even more of an issue with the two-player split-screen mode, especially with so many hairpin turns.

Also problematic is the hamfisted way the game tries to cater to novice players. Baked into each skill level is a certain number of "assist functions" like stability control, traction control, and automatic braking. While meant to make things easier, it feels like you're fighting against them. Why am I slowing down? Oh yeah - the automatic braking.

It's possible to toggle these off, but not in the set-up screens; you have to dig through the option menus. There's also a car settings screen where you make fine-grained adjustments to your ride height, spring, stabilizer, camber, toe, LSD lock rate, and wing. If you're like me, you're afraid to touch anything.

Though rich with features F355 Challenge proved less than satisfying for a casual racer like me. The assist options are a double-edged sword. Sure they help you stay on the road, but you can't win a race without taking chances. I think this game is best suited to car lovers who enjoy tinkering. Bump up the grade by a letter if you like to get your hands dirty. © Copyright 2024 The Video Game Critic.

It's good to know that people are still making quality Dreamcast titles. Somebody's got to keep this thing going for Pete's sake! While it might look like a garden-variety vertical shooter, Fast Striker has extraordinary depth. The game also has a fine sense of humor, evident by the load screens warning of "Huge load times ahead!"

Unlike many other vertical shooters, Striker consumes the entire screen. The action is 2D in nature, but objects are very large and rendered in full 3D. Enemies tend to rotate and bosses sometimes reassemble themselves as if they were Transformers. The backgrounds are nearly photorealistic, but the repetitive gray industrial scenery is pretty bland. It's easy to spot danger, but enemies lack distinctive forms, looking like blobs of flying metal.

What makes Fast Striker intriguing is its rich control scheme, which allows for plenty of technique. You spray missiles when you tap the fire button, and unleash a concentrated stream when you hold it down. When not firing, bonus pods gravitate toward you, giving you reason to let off every few seconds. Another button lets you fire behind your ship, which is unusual but not particularly useful.

There's also a shield button that comes in handy when faced with a barrage of missiles with no escape in sight. Actually, escape is usually possible thanks to some extremely forgiving collision detection. Unless your ship takes a hit dead center, you can often weave your way through a torrent of missiles with miraculous results.

Fast Striker isn't easy, but it's possible to get into a zone. The less thinking you do, the better! The game is designed to be played for high score, and when I say high, we're talking 12 digits long. Continues are available, but they reset your score (as they should). There are four game variations, each with its own ship and difficulty level.

Fast Striker is designed for shooter enthusiasts, but you don't need to understand advanced techniques to enjoy the game, and figuring it out is half the fun. The upbeat techno music is appealing but not particularly catchy, and it tends to cut out on occasion. High scores are saved to VMU for each skill level, and codes are provided so you can post your high scores on-line. First Striker is fun to play for score, and its depth is sure to intrigue hardcore fans. Note: This is a region-free CD. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

This one was originally released for the Neo Geo as Garou: Mark of the Wolves (Neo Geo, 1999), which is pretty rare. Fortunately this Dreamcast version is almost identical. The only difference is the "how to play" option has been replaced by a gallery of unlockable artwork.

The Fatal Fury series is known as "Garou" in Japan. The only fighter I recognized was Terry Bogard. Most of the other 12 characters are new. I appreciate the fact that they are normal human martial artists. It keeps things grounded in reality.

Before each bout you position a Tactical Offense Position (TOP) gauge over your health bar. It covers one-third of the meter, giving you the ability to increase attacks and regenerate life when your health falls within that range. It's a cool feature I can't say I've ever seen before or since. When in effect, your fighter casts a distinctive "glow".

The animation is superb and I love the entertaining into and outro animations. The pacing and length of the matches are ideal. Despite your ability to deal some devastating hits, the balance feels about right.

There are two punch and two kick buttons, but the gameplay offers a few twists on the standard formula. "Just defend" moves lets you regain life by successfully blocking a series of attacks, and "guard crush" wears down your opponent's ability to block.

The beautifully-rendered stages are a showcase of 2D eye candy. The scenery is just oozing with charm and personality! Highlights include the bell tower, train station, and the exterior of a jazz club. Although not especially catchy, the upbeat music calls to mind the heyday of SNK fighters.

Play mode include story, survival, versus, and practice modes. The save system is a bit confusing, and the game offers unlimited continues, which I frown upon. But these are minor quibbles because when it comes down to hardcore 2D fighting action, Mark of the Wolves represents the cream of the crop. © Copyright 2026 The Video Game Critic.

Playing Fighting Force 2 is like participating in an experiment to see how much pain the human body can endure. I haven't had this much fun since being kicked in the groin in the eighth grade. The first Fighting Force (Playstation, 1996) had its share of issues, but at least it didn't take itself very seriously. Fighting Force 2 has no sense of humor and its uninspired gameplay blows enormous chunks.

I can understand why Eidos dropped the two-player mode from the first game (the camera was unwieldy), but there's no excuse for such a lackluster single-player mode. The opening sequence explains how you are a super-cop trying to infiltrate evil corporations. You get a tantalizing glimpse of a Blade Runner-style futuristic world, but don't get too excited because you'll be relegated to exploring concrete bunkers. These rooms look so similar that it's hard to tell if you're forging ahead or backtracking.

The awful graphics feature chunky characters and unsightly pixelation. Some of the henchmen look like Power Ranger rejects and they don't put up much of a fight. There are weapons all over the place, but who needs them? The controls are terrible. Your character will sometimes refuse to grab a ladder right in front of him, and he'll sometimes turn in the wrong direction while engaged in hand-to-hand combat. There were times when I couldn't interact with a computer system just because I couldn't figure out how to put my [expletive] weapon away!

The touchy analog controls make it nearly impossible to navigate narrow walkways, and the collision detection is an absolute joke. At one point a conveyor belt sucked me into a grinding wheel where I was helplessly stuck as I watched my life dwindle to nothing. Not my idea of a good time! A cheat code let me preview advanced levels with labs, factories, and prisons, but it was basically just more of the same. When Eidos began releasing throwaway titles like Fighting Force 2, it became obvious that the once-respected company had officially entered free-fall mode. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

The original Fighting Vipers (Saturn, 1996) was a showcase title, so it's a shame this fine sequel never saw an American release. Fighting Vipers 2 retains all the spirit of the original, only with crisper graphics, tighter controls, and a few new additions. The character models are chunkier than those in say, Soul Calibur (Namco, 1999), but that's partly due to the game's armor system. It's possible to weaken portions of your opponent's armor, but considering how quick the matches are (45 second limit) that's rarely a factor.

The vibrant visuals, fast action, and dramatic camerawork really have the feel of an arcade coin op. I highly recommend using a sturdy joystick, as you can expect a lot of aggressive button tapping. The fighting action is wild and it's possible to jettison your foe right out of the enclosed arena. It's especially satisfying to send his ass off a building, although you never see where he lands. Apparently it was on an awning or in a dumpster because he's right back for the next round.

Arcade mode offers a string of eight battles, and there seems to be some kind of branching stage mechanism I couldn't figure out. I hate it when I need to face "myself" in battle. Even with different color palettes I always find it confusing. Like the original Fighting Vipers the stages boast magnificent skylines with soaring skyscrapers against the night sky. I love that! Even more spectacular views can be seen in the cinematic intro.

It's a shame that the scenery in stages like the museum is obstructed by ugly fencing. And why aren't the characters rendered on the character selection screen? Did they expect players to know them all by name? But these are minor issues. Fighting Vipers 2 follows the tried-and-true formula of the original and the results are every bit as good. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.

Just when I thought Hasbro was in way over their head in the video game business, they actually released a half-way decent Frogger game. Don't get me wrong, Frogger 2 is not great, but it's a frickin' masterpiece compared to their first Frogger game (Playstation). The biggest improvement is in the control department. Unlike the slow, lazy frogs in the last game, these frogs are quick and responsive. Sometimes they're too responsive, causing you to accidentally take that extra hop into the abyss.

The graphics are nice, and the stages are simple enough that you can easily tell where you're going. It's that simplicity that gives this game a tiny bit of the flavor of the original classic game. In addition to the adventure mode, there's an "arcade mode" with some "retro-inspired" mini-games. Although these mini-games feature bits and pieces of the original Frogger, a true emulation of the original game is nowhere to be found. The multiplayer mode, which consists of a series of frog races, isn't much fun at all. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

Fur Fighters will always be a sentimental favorite to many Dreamcast faithful. It stars a cast of loveable animals blasting each other to hell with automatic weapons. To be fair, this game contains about as much violence as a Bugs Bunny cartoon, so the "teen" rating is an absolute joke.

Played from a third-person point of view, Fur Fighters lets you switch between a number of animal characters. Naturally, each possesses a special ability. The hound can burrow, the cat can climb, the penguin can swim, the kangaroo can jump - you get the idea. Unlike most adventures which feature an evil scientist seeking world domination, Fur Fighters features an evil cat seeking world domination.

Your main goal is to rescue baby animals scattered throughout seven enormous stages, including New Quack City, a jungle, and a futuristic dinosaur metropolis (huh?). The stages are surprisingly well crafted, and when you see the towering buildings and beautiful falling snow of New Quack City, you'll realize the designers actually put some effort into this game. The stages are generally fun to explore, and while the graphics aren't the best you'll see on the Dreamcast, they have a certain charm.

The controls on the other hand take some getting used to. Using the four face buttons to move is not intuitive, and aiming using the analog stick is touchy (although the auto-aim feature helps a lot). The initial training stage is so painfully boring that it actually gave me a headache. Once the action is officially underway, not only do you need to switch animals often to reach new areas, but the babies can only be saved by animals of their same species. For the life of me, I can't think of any good reason for this stupid rule, and it makes the game all the more tedious.

Shooting cuddly animals is satisfying however, and I enjoy the dramatic "death" animations. The puzzles make sense, but the game is definitely slow, lending itself to brief play sessions. Fur Fighters really falters in its four-player split-screen mode. It should have been a good time, but the overly-complicated, maze-like arenas are a confusing mess.

Without a doubt, Fur Fighter's best feature is its outstanding soundtrack, which won me over in a big way. Not only are its unique, jazzy numbers easy on the ears, but they actually give the game a distinct personality. For the most part Fur Fighters is an average platformer, but more patient gamers will find a lot to like. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.