~ KABUKI ITTOURYOUDAN ~
Hudson Soft / Red
Arcade CD-ROM
1995
I've seen Kabuki Ittouryoudan criticized for being too much of a Street Fighter II clone--and indeed, its action is of the adheres-to-an-archetype sort, with Kabuki slipping into the role of Ryu and SF2's fireball and sonic-boom button-press strings found up
and down its moves list. But with gorgeous background visuals and slick, responsive controls, KI makes it easy for us to forgive and forget about its blatant concept swiping.
Hard-to-perform desperation techniques like mad sword-swipe flurries and all-out gang attacks add a little spice to the effective-if-derivative gameplay.
And for big Kabuki Den fans like me, seeing the old gang in action again is a blast.
The game disappoints only in that it offers so few cinemas and does little with the ones that are present.
Lack of fancy interludes is hardly a big deal, though, when a fighter offers great action, graphics, and characters to occupy the player's attention. KI is by no means unique, but it impresses and entertains nonetheless and is a must-buy for those who own an
Arcade Card.
