Ikkitousen fans rejoice.Finally a game worth waiting and playing.
Story : 7/10
Eh...it's okay for an all original story for an anime video game.Although many off us don't understand written japanese,it's no matter.Think of it like final fight one,an okay story despite not paying much attention.
Sound : 9/10
Don't get me wrong on that one.The sound is excellent,the music is fine, matching with the stage you scroll through(even the great wall) and the voice acting is excellent too.The old VAs reprise their characters in this game,and they do it better than ever as well as the in game sounds and dialogue,along with the various battle sounds.Yet there seems to be a glitch with the sound when scrolling to fast in story mode.If it wasn't for that it would get a 10/10.(Ok and the fact that lip-sync is really bad in this game.)
Graphics : 10/10
Some might say [wth is this?Yes the game's graphics are good but not perfect.]And it's true.There are many of games out there with better graphic engines and stuff,BUT for an action/(anime)beat'em up game,the character sprites,the hand-drawn backgrounds and the gallery along with the dialogue and selection character drawings derived directly from the respective anime and drawn better for the game,yes the graphics not only match the score,they are worth it.
Gameplay : 10/10
Classic action beat'em up like the old arcades,but with many tweaks making it very fun and pretty enjoyable to play.It has a story mode and an arcade mode.It has a nice variety of characters,everyone unique with his/hers(mainly) moves and stats.Also it derives from the typical button mashing for some characters.The game features an "infinity combo/juggle"system.Some characters can keep their enemies above the ground and juggle as much as they want.Also every character derives in style by his moves.For example : Ouin Shishi is a great defensive yet hard attacker with an attribute to "infinity combo",while Sousou Motoku has stats that skyrocket and plays in a dodge/attack style with his great attack and speed,making him great for bosses and an okay character for crowds of enemies.All characters can enter a "magatama rage"mode where they have a small boost in their stats for a little while and can execute their respective ultimate techniques.And that's about it.As for replay value it depends with the player.Need i say more.(Better not let's make it pg here)
Other issues : The game features a gallery which pretty fun and worth watching/hearing.Every character also has four different costumes(apart from Sousou and the dragon versions of Hakufu and Ryubi.)The options have the selection of the voice that explains the modes as well as the time to move while playing.The selectable voices are those of the playable characters + 2 more.Also you can adjust the difficulty/controls/sound to your licking.
Story : 7/10
Sound : 9/10
Graphics : 10/10
Gameplay : 10/10
Overall score : 9/10
It's a great game and worth getting.If you like arcade style games,or you're a fan of Ikkitousen this game is a must-buy,and it's much better than the previous game despite being reduced to 2-d.Don't let the replay value of the game get you down,because from time to time you'll find yourself playing this game again and again,like the gundam vs series.