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Jul 01 2005
Tenchi no Mon Review
PSP Game Review | Action
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| Summary: Incredibly fun
97
It's true -- Japanese gamers do get all the good games. Thanks to the preview disc of Tenchi no Mon available in a recent issue of Famitsu magazine, we get to test out this 3D action RPG and are ecstatic with the findings. Tenchi no Mon puts to shame the PSP catalog of games with long loading times, bad gameplay and that overall bad taste in your mouth that comes with games rushed to market. This title truly shows off the capabilities of the PSP and is hopefully a sign of things to come.
The disc starts out by introducing you to the character. While travelling to the next town, you are interrupted by a girl running away from a few attackers. This is your first chance to test out the fighting style of the game. In the beginning you can tap out simple combos, but over the course of the game you learn much stronger techniques and even magic attacks. After dispensing of the baddies, you find out that the girl you just saved happens to be looking for someone in your hometown. Upon arrival, the girl reveals the sad state of events that have brought her here and your mission unveils. When your Sensei overhears, you discover pieces of your ancestry and are given your father's blade. And so beings your mission.
The screen has 4 windows -- an item bar, a weapon bar, a map in the lower right corner and your HP/magic guage. Pressing the Right shoulder button flips through your magic, while pressing the Left shoulder button you can flip through items that can then be used with the Triangle button, such as health potions. The Start menu reveals the true depth of stat building and upgrading that can be done in the game. In this area, Tenchi feels like a true RPG and not the action RPG that it is. There is a large number of combo moves to learn and customize, weapon level and magical level upgrading and more.
The camera in the game can't be changed, it simply moves around you to give the best viewing angle on the action. In our bit of time with the game, we never found it to be obstructive or get in the way of the game.
The graphics in Tenchi are beautiful. Animation is fluid, characters are modelled realistically, landscape and draw distance are long and breathtaking. You really get a sense of being drawn into an ancient world of martial arts, with rolling green hills, immense bamboo houses, and the swordplay and magic spells are great. Graphically it is comparable to PS2 quality. Prepare to be impressed.
Forget the repetitive sounds and music of Untold Legends, Tenchi's audio is varied and rich and never gets boring. At important points the game even has voice acting, which perfectly brings you into the game and its characters.
While some games force you to sit through 20-40 second loading times, Tenchi at most takes 5-8 seconds to load up the next part of a town. Considering the detail and dialogue within each area, this is a great accomplishment. This is just enough time to flex your fingers in preparation for the next area.
There are 5 sprawling areas in the game, encompassing towns, temples, mountains and more. The depth of scale in some of the environments is truly awe inspiring. Along the way you'll meet trainers which help you learn new moves and improve your character to the max. If you've seen any movies with Shaolin fighters (Hero, etc) you'll recognize some of the moves your character is capable of pulling off. This game is nothing short of breathtaking in its scope and beauty.
It's criminal to think that Tenchi no Mon may not see an English release. The incredible graphics, rich story, engrossing environments, great music, stat building and rewarding gameplay truly deserve to be experienced outside of Japan. If you can afford it, at least buy the demo disc to see the true capabilities of PSP gaming, or at the very least watch the trailer.
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Comments
captain - have you gotten the demo disk as well. If so, did the included web browser work off a Canadian ISP?
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Is this going to be available stateside?
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this game looks fantastic.i really hope they bring it to the US
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How much is shipping from Lik-Sang for this demo/magazine? Also, does the game look like it needs anti-aliasing or is it smooth? And do you NEED to know Japanese to enjoy this game? THANKS,
Kyle
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just ordered thanks for the link captain!edited: Jul 01 2005
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The game will come to the US on 11/8/05
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Smiles said: "The game will come to the US on 11/8/05"
How do you know? Source?
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i think thats a japanese release date
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If you got to gamestop.com and go to upcoming title's then click psp you'll see its US release date.
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nope it the release for jap someone know you can still play it if it jap version or there not english in it
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That is the US release date. In Japan was realeased some time ago. I know because I own it. And of course it is all in Japanese. But if you don't care too much about the story and the dialogues, then you can enjoy it very much even if you don't understand Japanese.
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