Project Justice Preview

Get ready to mix it up and show your school spirit, as the sequel to Capcom's Rival Schools will be heading to the Dreamcast soon. Project Justice (the development team's moniker for the series) brings three-on-three tag-team action into 3D with Japanese manga/anime flair and typical Capcom style. The arcade version was voted favorite of the show by attendees of the 38th Amusement Machine Show in Japan and gave a good idea of what to expect from the Dreamcast version.

Players who got to take a turn at the game during the AM show had a choice of story mode or free mode. In story mode, you first choose a school and take three fighters through a stage-by-stage brawl, punctuated by story scenes that unfold into a high school drama. Free mode lets you pick any combination of characters from any school and play alone or go head-to-head with another player. While the story mode is nice for breaking up the standard "mysterious martial arts tournament" plot, the personality of the game is what really sticks out.

The game's visual appeal is much stronger than the previous titles in the series, and the NAOMI hardware seems to have been put to good use. Character graphics are full of anime style but aren't that impressive when compared to other NAOMI/DC titles like Soul Calibur and DOA2. However, gameplay looks speedy and having up to four large characters on screen at once is nothing to scoff at. The overall visual style does give an indication of the games quirkiness and originality.

The 22 fighters in Rival Schools are a unique bunch of characters, which includes six newcomers to the series. Each school has its own theme. One school brings its sports skill (and equipment) into the fight, while another school offers a group of roughnecks who break all the rules - and with students like these you can bet the faculty have to be as tough as nails too. The personality of the characters translates to humorous attacks - tennis players whack opponents with rackets, photographers take painful pictures of their rivals, and so forth.

Tag-team play found in Rival Schools is quite different from that found in Marvel vs. Capcom. There are three members on each side: The first in the lineup does the fighting for that round, the second assists in performing team attacks, and the third can come in to break up a team attack or join in for the party-up attack. When countering a team attack, your third character goes up against your opponent's third character in a five-second sudden-death situation. If you land the first hit, you break up the attack. However, if your opponent hits you or the timer runs out, get ready to eat that team attack. These team and party-up attacks are joint assaults that range from an impromptu violin recital to a beautifully choreographed beating.

If the PlayStation's version of Rival Schools is any indication, there's likely to be a lot in the way of extras when the title does hit the DC. The game's release is currently targeted for November, although this date is by no means permanent. We'll keep you updated, as more info becomes available.