Ehrgeiz

Product description ------------------- The game comes in plain plastic black case, disk is in very good condition and works perfectly. .com ---- With a fighting mode, four mini-games, and a stand-alone role-playing game (RPG), Ehrgeiz is essentially six games for the price of one. First, duke it out as one of 10 playable characters (3 of which are from the popular RPG Final Fantasy VII) in hand-to-hand and weapons-based combat. There are 11 different fighting environments to tackle, including a moving train and a hovering airship. Ehrgeiz scores points for diversity. The arsenal of warriors is comprised of various ages, nationalities, and sexes--all of whom are eager to win the ultimate fighting championship. The prize is a mysterious weapon (the strangely dubbed Ehrgeiz). There are a gazillion moves to memorize, and the fluid movement and fantastic secret weapons provide great eye candy. In addition to fighting, players will also encounter mini-games, such as the foot race "Battle Beach" and strategy game "Battle Panel" (think Othello). This game also contains several elements that will be instantly familiar to RPG fans. Ehrgeiz may not satisfy gamers who want a dedicated RPG or fighting game, but it does offer a diverse range of gameplay for the casual gamer with a limited attention span. --Carrie Bell Pros: * Fighter movement animation is impressive * Final Fantasy connection will appeal to RPG fans * Diverse gameplay Cons:* Numerous special moves impose a steep learning curve, and demand a good memory P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review ------ Ever since its announcement in late 1997, Ehrgeiz has been one of the most eagerly awaited fighting games for the PlayStation. The collaboration of Squaresoft, Dream Factory, and Namco was a formidable pool of talent that could have rocked the fighting game genre. An earlier marriage of Square and Dream Factory had produced two of the best-looking and innovative 3D fighters for the system, while Namco's prolific console and coin-op record continues to speak for itself. If there ever was a dream team of developers for any one platform, this was it. Unfortunately, by the time Ehrgeiz was officially released in the arcades, much of the graphics, gameplay, and control mechanics did not live up to expectations, and a lot of fighting aficionados found themselves spurned and disappointed. One of the advantages in having the creative forces of Squaresoft behind the design of Ehrgeiz is the accessibility of popular franchise characters such as the protagonists from Final Fantasy VII. Often dubbed "Final Fantasy Fighter," Ehrgeiz allows you to duke it out with Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Vincent, and the enigmatic Sephiroth. All things considered, Squaresoft and Dream Factory do a fair job of integrating elements of Final Fantasy into the storyline of Ehrgeiz, which stands alone as an ambitious and intriguing premise. In the distant future, a containing an unknown material (hint: materia) was unearthed amidst the rubble of an ancient German castle. The weapon became known as Ehrgeiz, a symbol of power that would represent the strongest fighter in the world. Meanwhile, a sinister organization known as Red Scorpion was assiduously excavating the ruins of an old temple in hopes of finding ancient technology that would give them the edge in biological weapons development. The key to this locked temple, of course, lies with the Ehrgeiz and the mysterious materia engraved on its handle. Like Tekken 3, the subplots for each of the characters are beautifully rendered in high-quality motion-captured FMV during the intro and endings. While the notion of a fighting game with a storyline may seem trivial, no one can deny the impact that plot has had on games like Tekken 3 or any of SNK's family of fighters. The more ed out the characters, the more likely gamers will become attached to their identities. Unfortunately, none of the Final Fantasy characters has its own unique FMV ending sequence. This makes their inclusion appear somewhat haphazard and irrelevant. When Ehrgeiz was first announced and subsequently beta-tested, it was safe to assume that its gameplay was going to be based on Dream Factory's Tobal series. And indeed, as the game took shape and form in the early days, Tobal's trademark stood dominant in the design of Ehrgeiz's fighting system. The developers also added extras to the fray including the strategic use of boxes for offense and defense, multitiered 3D arenas, and weapons that could be picked up during fights. By moving the controller, players could run freely about the stage in an attempt to gain higher ground or just avoid a corner trap. While all of these innovations made their way to the final arcade release and subsequently the PlayStation version, much alteration was made to the heart of Ehrgeiz. For one thing, emphasis was taken off the boxes and items on each of the stages in order to make gameplay more straightforward. Furthermore, a puzzling modification was made to the game's blocking system. By some bizarre twist of design that flies in the face of commonsense, Ehrgeiz requires you to leave the joystick neutral in order to block high, while pressing guard makes your character crouch and block low. This is by far the game's biggest and most glaring control issue. Be prepared to spend the first hour of the game just getting used to this incredibly unintuitive way to block incoming attacks. To make matters worse, since the game stresses movement in 3D space a la Bushido Blade or the Tobal series, you will find yourself constantly facing away from your nents and caught with your guard down since the "auto-block" is only effective when facing your foe. Luckily, an easy technique to quickly face your nent is to just tap the guard button. Holding down the guard button and moving about with the controller will allow you to circle your nent while facing him at all times. This is useful for getting some distance from your nent by walking backwards or sidestepping without leaving your back open for any attacks. --Chieh Chou --Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc. -- GameSpot Review See more ( javascript:void(0) )

• Fighter movement animation is impressive.