Back when I was active in the FGC I used to run mystery game tournaments. Jank ass 3D fighters in particular are a weakness of mine; you haven't seen the height of competitive spirit until you've seen a room full of Street Fighter and Blazblue players get way too heated over Ready 2 Rumble Boxing. Yet despite my affinity for its ilk I had never played Kakuto Chojin until embarking on my Xbox Quest. I'm glad I did!
You can feel the Dream Factory influence in this one. Very Tobal-esque, albeit with more fluid animation, and high/mid/low buttons instead of attack types like most games. The roster isn't as varied as I'd like but we still have a few fun freaks here, like a luchador who can't stop screaming or an overweight kung fu guy in his late 30s who also can't stop screaming.
In terms of gameplay it's a pretty standard 3D fighter, but with a mechanical hook that gives it some sauce. You have a meter that constantly refills as long as you're not blocking, and it tops off quickly. When you pop it you can do a super (mostly pretty bad as they often have long startups) or go into a Yun-from-Third-Strike Genei Jin mode (complete with turning blue!) where everything's faster and new combos are possible. The latter allows every character to get up to some heinous shit, and because you can even pop it while in hitstun (!!!) you always have to be ready for your opponent to suddenly become way more dangerous.
Turns out that makes for a pretty fun dynamic! It's not as approachable (or as good) as DoA3, but it's easier than 6th gen Mortal Kombat and not irredeemably ass like Tao Feng. Given recent events it's also kind of funny to remember that Microsoft was always hanging games out to dry even when they first showed up to the industry, what with this getting pulled from shelves and all. This one really deserved better, if only a little.
You can feel the Dream Factory influence in this one. Very Tobal-esque, albeit with more fluid animation, and high/mid/low buttons instead of attack types like most games. The roster isn't as varied as I'd like but we still have a few fun freaks here, like a luchador who can't stop screaming or an overweight kung fu guy in his late 30s who also can't stop screaming.
In terms of gameplay it's a pretty standard 3D fighter, but with a mechanical hook that gives it some sauce. You have a meter that constantly refills as long as you're not blocking, and it tops off quickly. When you pop it you can do a super (mostly pretty bad as they often have long startups) or go into a Yun-from-Third-Strike Genei Jin mode (complete with turning blue!) where everything's faster and new combos are possible. The latter allows every character to get up to some heinous shit, and because you can even pop it while in hitstun (!!!) you always have to be ready for your opponent to suddenly become way more dangerous.
Turns out that makes for a pretty fun dynamic! It's not as approachable (or as good) as DoA3, but it's easier than 6th gen Mortal Kombat and not irredeemably ass like Tao Feng. Given recent events it's also kind of funny to remember that Microsoft was always hanging games out to dry even when they first showed up to the industry, what with this getting pulled from shelves and all. This one really deserved better, if only a little.