First Impressions: Kikaioh

Kikaioh: Tech Romancer is scheduled for release in Japan toward the middle of this week, but we got the game today, and we've got our first impressions and screenshots for you to ogle over. Unlike Capcom's lackluster port of Star Gladiator 2: Nightmare of Bilstein, Tech Romancer is actually kick-ass in both terms of graphics and gameplay. While not exactly Soul Calibur, Tech Romancer functions more like a traditional 2D Capcom fighting game, although it gives you the ability to run in and out of the third dimension.

Originally programmed and developed on the PlayStation-based System 12 hardware, Tech Romancer seems to have been visually enhanced for the Dreamcast, unlike Star Gladiator 2. The game features characters with increased polygon counts, light sourcing displayed in eye-melting abundance, and 30 frames per second speed.

We'll have a full review in the near future, but take a look at these awesome shots in the meantime. Tech Romancer (out in Japan) will be heading Stateside this spring.