It's unfortunate the AI just isn't up to par with the rest of the game.
Okay. First let me inform you about the good traits of the game, before I'll tell you about its only negative, which is a BIG one.
The graphics are great and follows the anime visual look. The story mode is very well done, following the manga more than the anime. The music is tecno type, but catchy and blends well with the material. Its gameplay and fighting engine is very well designed, with great, distinct moves and many spectacular specials for each character that defines their personality, with a couple of ultimate moves.
The ultimates are always pulled off when launched, but their degree of damage is determined by how well you time the input of the button commands that are displayed on the screen. Since the ultimate move is based on the fighting character and their support/weapon character singing their magic chant in unison, mistiming the specific button command input means their singing or chanting will be miscued, leading to a low level in the ultimate's degree of damage. Perfectly executing the button inputs leads to a high level damage count, but the opponent can still defend against it by either blocking the incoming ultimate attack, or by sidestepping away, effectively dodging the attack.
Now....the one bad aspect, which ruins everything about the game, and why I didn't give this game a better score.
The artificial intelligence is somewhere between infantile to mentally handicapped. To play on hard difficulty mode is like playing on easy difficulty, in ANY other fighting game.
It's just too darn easy. The AI doesn't produce any sort of challenge in any sort of way, to your playing. That is this game's only major faw, but it is a big one. It is literally impossible to enjoy the arcade mode because of it, and if wasn't for the cinematic scenes during the story mode, that too, would be impossible to enjoy.
That being said, the game gives you the option of playing against a human opponent in the 1st player versus 2nd player mode, and that is what saves the game from being at the bottom of a bargain bin can.
Playing against someone else, lets you truly enjoy the game...and you realize how much of a well made and fantastic game it is.
If you don't have anyone to play this game with, don't get it.
By the way, it is a CD-R game, so you will need a CD-R decoder disc to play this japan only game on your ps2.