Ultraman Fighting Evolution Rebirth

The Ultra Series is one of Japan's pride and joy, created by Tsubayara productions, the legendary Ultraman has been around since 1966. In America, superheroes are some of the most popular stuff, but in Japan, the Super Sentai is kinda like the equivalent. Believe it or not, these super sentai are popular even in America, but we got them as Power Rangers actually. Anyway, here we will talk about Ultraman Fighting Evolution Rebirth. For many people, the name Ultraman maybe doesn't ring a bell, but we are actually talking about one of the most popular heroes of Japan. So when you make a game about such a popular character, you have to make sure you're doing it right. Let's see if they made things right here!

About the game

This is the third entry in a series of 3D fighting games based on the Ultra series and starring, of course, Ultraman. Coming from Nebula M.78, Ultraman enters the Earth's atmosphere and accidentally crashes with a ship of the Scientific Patrol. To save the life of the pilot, Ultraman gives out its vital energy to the pilot, hoping to repair the damage. Now the brave pilot from the Scientific Patrol can transform into the super-powerful warrior known as Ultraman.

The most popular characters from the Ultra series are available in the game, and that means a lot. If you ever thought that there were a lot of different Power Ranger versions, you haven't seen Ultra Man. All the crazy moves and poses from the original Ultraman are here, and there are plenty of references too.

Does it measure with other fighting games?

Sure, Ultraman is super cool, and pretty much everybody in Japan and many other parts of the world love the series, but that doesn’t ensure it to be an equally loved game. And we have to remember that this game came out in 2004 in Japan, the very same year Dead or Alive Ultimate came out. It’s a tough comparison, but Dead Or Alive Ultimate features much more advanced fighting mechanics and better modes overall.

Sure, Ultraman is one of the best-known characters and one of the most popular franchises in Japan, but it is still far behind other names in terms of video games. And This title is no exception.

Review

• Graphics and visuals: The visuals are ok, they represent the characters from Ultraman nicely, and the poses and animations look great. The designs from the characters are accurate to their live-action counterparts.

• Gameplay: In fighting games, the gameplay is pretty much the single most important element. This game has some issues with that, and while it may present the basics of a great fighting game, for some reason it doesn’t fully develop them. Still, you can have tons of fun playing this game, especially if you’re a fan of the Ultra series.

• Sound: THe soundtrack is a great homage to the entire Ultra series, but there’s little new or original music that stands up to the level of the original series soundtrack. The sound effects during the fight are great and add some more life into an otherwise blocky fight.

Ultraman Fighting Evolution Rebirth is the fourth game in this series that was released on the PlayStation 2 in the mid-00s. I have had an interest in Ultraman since I was a kid as I rented the Ultraman game for the SNES back in the early 90s. Since then I have always checked out his games including this one, we are taking a look at today.

What Is Going On?

There is a story being told here and from what I understand (the game is all in Japanese) the story follows the Ultraman lore pretty well. What you basically need to know is that there are a bunch of monsters and bad guys causing trouble and Ultraman (or one of the Ultras) needs to put these guys in their place. There is a lot of text in the game, but it is not exactly hard to follow what is going on.

Close Combat

I really like the presentation of Ultraman Fighting Evolution Rebirth. The game has a rather close view of the fighting action and some might not like this, but I think this works very well with the characters we have on offer here. It makes them feel like they are massive and while most of the areas are not as fully detailed as I would like it does have that Ultraman look that many of the cheesy Japanese movies had.

There is a great selection of characters here on offer for you. You can play as Ultraman and many other Ultras as well as some of the bad guys including some really cool looking monsters. If you like these characters then I am sure you will be happy with the way they are represented here.

Smash, Smash, And Smash Again!

The gameplay that is on offer in Ultraman Fighting Evolution Rebirth is that of a one of one fighter. The game mostly plays like a 2D fighter, but you can sidestep a bit. There are some great combos that you can dish out and the game has this system where if you perform what is called a Nebula Combo you are rewarded with an attack and defense boost for a short while.

The matches are quite fast-paced and the AI is not the smartest so you can win with a lot of button mashing. It is the kind of game that is best played and not taken too seriously. I actually fired this up and played with my son and we had a great time smashing each other with different monsters. Speaking of smashing, the game has your standard story and vs mode, but you also have a fun destruction mode. Here you get to play as Gomora and you need to cause as much destruction as you can before being stopped by Ultraman.

Pros:

• The characters look great
• The characters are nice and large
• Playing as giant monsters is always cool
• The fighting is very easy to get the hang of
• I enjoyed the destruction mode a great deal

Cons:

• The story is in Japanese
• It is a pure button masher which some people may get bored with