When you mix a fighting game with an RPG, you get Flying Dragon.
Flying Dragon is like no other fighting game I've ever played. It has a different kind of fighting style that kind of mixes in some characteristics of an RPG. Stat and item wise. It has 2 different modes of play as well. It has a kid mode of the characters and an adult mode that is more rich in graphics but doesn't have the RPG like gameplay that kid mode has.
It's a fairly addicting game that you continue to play through the tournaments numerous times to attain new items and weapons. Unlocking a lot of them is quite a feat might I add. I've played this game well over 50 hours and still haven't unlocked probably half of them and I tried every trick like changing the time limit and handicap settings. Still plenty to do none the less.
Gameplay - 10/10
For a fighting game this has some of the best gameplay ever. Most fighting games are just a few characters of beating the crap out of each other and becoming top dog. Flying Dragon has a different kind of environment that includes many types of games.
Kid mode is my favorite out of the two just because there is a lot more to do. You can choose from about 10 or 12 characters along with the addition of a few hidden ones. Your characters do level up as you fight in tournaments and gain experience. You get items for winning battles and the tournaments. Stats of all your characters and their fighting records are kept as well. A bank to store your items and an item list of everything, but it's numerical so it doesn't spoil the fun of wondering and striving to acquire the item or weapon.
The options are pretty nice. You can do things from setting the fighting clock to the game speed. Which is a pretty useful thing if you've mastered a characters moves down pretty nicely a fast game speed can provide you with a huge advantage. Difficulty is ranged from very easy to very hard. Very difficult if you don't pay attention and keep guard mind you.
There is also a practice option in which you can train and better your skills with characters and master their moves. The moves list is very broad. Dozens of moves and grapples, along with special techniques they can use when they have special points. There's another interesting extra in the game that includes mind training. Basically key attack points that show you the weakness of the enemy at the current moment. If the right attack is executed you can deal a massive amount of damage. Items can be equipped that help train your mind eye and make this a much larger advantage.
I can't say much about adult mode since I didn't really spend much time with it. It has a different kind of records track that bases off the match and what you've done. I'm sure most things apply for the tournaments and reaching the top but for the most part adult mode seemed like Tekken all over again.
You can go head to head with a friend in multi-player mode. Which is pretty fun to test your skill against the same character, but possibly different weapons and items to find out who's the better player. Not much else to do. You can do huge tournaments with up to 64 computers and set as many of them to your control as you want to fight it down to the last match. Pretty fun, but that's about it for multi-player.
Control - 7/10
The controls are pretty iffy at times. Being a fighting game you have your combo's and special attacks that usually require a billion button presses to put them in action. That's kind of how Flying Dragon is. It's not so hard to the point it frustrates you, only if you don't have patience then it might. The menu's are pretty weird to handle. It can get annoying scrolling through somethings and accidentally exiting it, but the more you play the better you'll get used to them.
Story - 6/10
Being a fighting game, there's not much storyline to this game. However all the obtainable items provide input to the history of the characters, the tournaments and how things have happened, etc. Most items have secrets to them and give you hints to things that can help you obtain rarer items.
Graphics - 7/10
The graphics are nice in Flying Dragon. Adult mode is more realistic with nice backgrounds and character detail. Some nice special effects with moves and projectiles, but not much. Kid mode is more colorful and vivid with animations and what not.
Sound - 9/10
The music is very nice and relaxing. It gives you a kind of cliffhanger movie type feel as you fight and strive for victory. Nothing annoying or too over excessive. The sound effects are awesome. Punching, kicking, special attacks, projectiles and item abilities give it all a nice environment.
Replay Value - 8/10
The replay value is surprisingly high aside from the fact it is a fighting game. With 2 different game modes, a dozen or so characters and the plethora of items and weapons, hidden specials and what not obtainable, it puzzles your mind to figure out how to get them. And you don't realize how many hours you've spent playing the game.
Overall - 8/10
I would recommend this game to people who look for something different. A new kind of experience from the type of game you wouldn't expect.