I, unapologetically, like this game.

Its story is laughable, its combat is a tad nebulous, its ragdoll physics are hysterical and kind of awful, its difficulty can get a bit frustrating, it REEKS of early 2000's punk edge...

But, I like this game. I like Sion, Volt, and Kou, their dumb shinannigans, and their quest to save a kidnapped girl. I like the cheesy, corny writing that's trying WAY too hard to be a relatively serious action movie filled with cliches. I like how enemies get tossed around like wet towels or slide down the stairs in the funniest ways. I like how the game can be relatively difficult as the game goes along.

I also like that the game has multiple different paths and endings, depending on what character you played as at what time, not necessarily changing the main beats, but definitely re-writing certain scenes or certain details, or including extra lore tied to the character being played. I like that story completion unlocks characters in Vs./Survival mode. I like that upgrading your character through the story will raise the characters rank, which will also affect difficulty of the game as well as upgrade Vs./Survival versions of the characters in the game.

I played and beat this game so much I've seen every cutscene and varient and I've also unlocked almost every character, including the True Final Boss with the devestaing 10 hit special attack that obliterated anyone caught in it. Survival mode is the mode I haven't beaten yet, which has the last "character" to unlock.

If you're looking for a really good beat-em-up, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a good RPG, look elsewhere. If you want to check out an interesting experiment of an experience done by Squaresoft, you could do worse. Even if you don't like it, I'm sure watching Sion slide down the stairs after being sent flying with an uppercut would give you more than enough entertainment for an afternoon or two. Best played with a like minded friend, either through couch Vs. or taking turns in the story.

Absolute piece of trash. I like the idea of a short action movie romp of a video game, but this just feels bad from start to finish. The combat, which is all the game has to offer outside of incomprehensible cutscenes is so sluggish and unresponsive, and every single encounter (outside of the bullshit final boss) can be beaten with a single move. If one of them doesn't work on a certain type of enemy, just cycle through all the available moves until you find the one that can stunlock that punk in a corner. I was initially charmed by its goofy character designs and awful dialogue, but as the two hours went by it all started feeling a little like I'd been playing it for two weeks. Even for an older game it has some baffling design decisions, and almost feels a little unfinished. I don't recommend this, even as a curiosity. It's bad... BAD-bad.