Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness

Nice graphics and control have become the hallmark of Capcom fighters, and that's exactly what you get with this Saturn version of Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness. Cyberbots is a cyber-mech twist to the usual one-on-one combat; while it plays similar to games like Street Fighter II and Darkstalkers, this forgotten Capcom fighter is unique enough to stand on its own. And best of all the game looks and feels good with and without a RAM cart.

Getting the Japanese import is the only way to go. It's a good thing most of the game is already in English, so Cyberbots' importability rating is perfect. About the only thing in Japanese is the text and speech during the "story cut-scenes." Which are terribly useless in my opinion.

The hand-drawn characters look great, as do the backgrounds. Animation is very good alone, but add in the RAM cart and it really shines. Special effects are cool too, especially the jump jets.

Capcom standard issue -- tight control. Easy to learn and execute a myriad of moves. A standard 5 button layout is offered, but you can customize that to your preference. The jump jets add a little bit of strategy to an otherwise mindless fight fest.

The soundtrack consists of a nice selection of guitar rock, but overall it's kind of generic. I'd say the sound effects are standard issue as well, since nothing really stands out as being good or bad. It's not the best fighting soundtrack you'll hear, but decent overall.

Fighting games are the most fun when you play against a human opponent. Cyberbots is no different. There are two modes: Arcade and Versus (with or without "story cut-scenes"). Choose your character (1 of 9 mech-pilots), next your manufacturer (1 of 4), then the actual mech your character controls (3 per manufacturer for a total of 12).

Cyberbots takes Capcom's hand-drawn graphics, animation and control, then whips it up into a nice package. Whether you get the standard or Limited Edition, it's a must buy for 2D fighter fans. Truly one of the best mech fighters (especially 2D) available.