One Piece: Grand Battle

I'm beginning to see a startling trend occurring, it seems anytime there is a new cartoon debuting on the Cartoon Network, there is a game not very far behind. Inuyasha, Zatch Bell, Dragon Ball Z and Fullmetal Alchemist to name a few, and now we have the honorary bow of a fighting game wrapped around a peculiar cartoon; One Piece. One Piece involves a goofy pirate name Monkey D. Luffy, who can't swim worth a crud, but has a bendable rubber body that would make Mr. Fantastic proud. Monkey and his friends are trying to find the legendary "One Piece" treasure, a treasure so great that literally everyone with a ship is trying to locate it. Luffy ends up captaining a ship filled with other strange and colorful characters that routinely does battle against other evil pirates. So naturally any show with as many characters as this one would be a glove-like fit for a fighting game. The end result is interesting to say the least.

Since the show is filled with over-the-top characters who routinely get into bone-busting battles with one another, I had high hopes for this title. There is enough comedy and oddball action that falls just left of center that I thought the game might involve some really cool gameplay. Well, I wouldn't call it "cool," but the game certainly comes at a frantic pace. Players select which character they would like to play and, in some cases, a support character (more on this below) and then go at it tooth and nail in one of the game's environments. Like any fighter, each character has strange attacks and fighting ability that has been represented from the cartoon itself.  Luffy can punch far distances because he's made of rubber and Zolo, the three-sword wielding warrior, has vicious blade attacks, so on and so forth.  

These whitening strips really do work!

Now the game can be compared to the Sega Dreamcast hit Powerstone, and I say that because the game constantly has items falling out of the sky that can either be used to help you (power-ups, health) or as weapons, since you can throw them at your opponent. The levels are varied with different grades of fighting platforms and they even cause damage to all involved when certain traps are activated - giving the levels a whole other dynamic when played. In my opinion some of these levels were amongst the highlight of the game. Doing combat on floating bamboo rafts that are constantly sinking (with damage to you) or trying to dodge a massive log that's rolling back and forth as you engage in combat, these are the kinds of extras I like to see in my fighting game.

As I stated before, the game allows you to pick a support character, and if you know the series, that means selecting from 32 support characters. What this means to you, though, is that while battling, you can summon your support character and they will join the battle in your favor. The character will methodically attack your opponenent until they are either stopped or the round is won by either player. It adds another dimension to the game and will be a fan boys' dream if they happen to be One Piece crazy. Otherwise, players won't know who they select and what they can do until trial and error is implemented. Still, its a cool idea having a sidekick be able to appear and bail you out if you are on the losing end of a fight.

It slices, it dices, it makes dozens of Julianne fries!

Unfortunately, One Piece does have it's flaws, the first being, it may be too wacky for the casual gamer. The characters are direct copies from the cartoon and even the cartoon can be a bit much. This is the kind of title that at least one parent will rip out of the PlayStation and gladly hurl across the back lawn due to it's constant repeat phrases that the characters will say. That and the more difficult moves, I found, were too difficult to pull off. More often then not, I found myself doing the same three or four moves, which of course generated the same voice acting. So to say that this fighter is anything but smooth would be correct, and when I say that, I want you to think of one of the DOA fighting games, that is a good example of a smooth-playing fighting game. One Piece is more like a 1978 Ford pickup with only one shock, not smooth.

One Piece does feature a couple of different modes which does give the game some legs, and if you do stick with playing ultimately there is 16 combat characters and 32 support characters which does give those gamers out there that have to unlock everything a pretty decent challenge. It is rated T for teens, but clearly is aimed at the nine and ten year olds out there. 

Gameplay: 6.2
It feels pretty clunky for a fighting game, and only those die-hard One Piece fans will claw their way through this title.

Graphics: 7.5
The game really borrows heavily from its cartoon mother, and has a cel shaded feel to it. The craziness of the title can get to be a lot on the screen but never bogs down. Most of the levels are a hoot to play.

Sound: 6.0
The voices seem to be the same from the cartoon, and yes I do watch it occasionally with my boys, but trust me when I say they will begin to annoy you within 10 minutes of playing.

Difficulty: Medium
Using the same few moves I managed to complete one of the characters story mode the first time I tried. Now I can brag and say, I am awesome at fighting games, but still, that seemed to me like it was really too easy.

Concept: 6.5
A game made from a show on Cartoon Network and developed by Bandai? What a novel idea.

Multiplayer: 6.0
It only has two-player multiplayer, so I guess it really is a traditional fighter. The only person I could get to play against me was my wife and she tired of it, quickly.

Overall 6.8
If you were to give this a grade based on our current school grading system, this would be a D+. But since we aren't in school, then it's considered Ok. I can't say that this is one for the fighting fans out there, more like the fans of the show only. But still, it can offer some enjoyment and fighting games are typically the best shared-screen games out there.  Good luck.