Ehrgeiz

Sony Playstation (Japan)

1-2 players

Analog and Dual Shock Compatible

With the list of 3-D fighters growing ridiculously larger and larger everyday, it gets harder for a developer to make an original fighting game anymore. SquareSoft has always been known for its originality in the past with it's hugely successful Bushido Blade series and Tobal No. 1 and 2. This is why Ehrgeiz is such an anticipated release here in the US. I have been playing the game now for over a month and it seems every time I turn it on I learn something new and get better at figuring out Japanese..heehee.

You are first graced with a gorgeous CGI intro, yes it is better than Soul Blade's even! Then you come to a screen with four options. The first of course being the actual game, with the others being, mini games, A New Quest, and memory card menu. The mini games are very cool and add even more replay to this stellar title. The new quest is very similar to the ones found in the Tobal series and seem like it could have been a game in itself. Then you choose the game logo and we are off to experience that is called EHRGEIZ!

The game menu is standard stuff, Arcade, Options, Vs. Battle, and Training. In the options menu is a screen to view all of the endings that you have unlocked. There is also controller configuration and the ability to turn on and off the dual shock feature. Now it is time to start a game, you start off with several unique characters and some familiar faces. The coolest thing about Ehrgeiz is that you can play as characters from Final Fantasy VIII. You can choose Cloud, Sephiroth, and Tifa from the start and Vincent and Yuffie are hidden. The game's original characters are no slouch though, there is one guy called GodHand, with a name like that he has got to be a bad ass!

The game plays like nothing I have ver played before. The controls are laid out in such a unique fashion, for instance there is sort of like a defense button that puts your character into a positon when held down. In this new form your character can perform moves only availabe in that stance. This adds major amounts of moves to each character. There are holds and reversals as well along with the ability to use a special power. The special power i.e. Cloud's sword, does major damage if landed but also takes energy away from it's user. There are so many unique styles in Ehrgeiz; I could sit here and talk about them for hours, but I wont heehee.

This game recieves high approval from all of the staff at ZT's Game Domain, and should definitely be checked out when it hits US shores sometime this fall. Let's hope that Square doesn't can this one like they did Tobal 2, because Ehrgeiz is a great addition to any fighting game fan or die-hard SquareSoft nut!

Graphics--9.0

Sound--9.0

Control--8.5

Replay--9.5

OVERALL--9.0

This game deserves to be brought over here, please Square dont deny us our Ehrgeiz!!

ZeroTolerance