THESE ARE NOT POWER RANGERS. A solid fighting game for battle aficionados, a great game for US Kamen Rider fans.
And just with any Saturday Morning shows, it gets a game to go along with it for all the children out there.
The game itself is actually quite fun. It's pretty fast paced, a decent pick up and play. You select your favorite Rider from the TV show (or just who looks coolest if you aren't familiar with it) and you just beat up all the opposing Riders to reach the final boss.
Quite formulaic. The battles are done well. The specials are done in "Advent Cards" where you select what card you wish to use your special meter on. Each card has it's own special ability. Some cards give you a new toy to play with, others protect you from harm and others mess around with your opponent. The one you start with "Final Vent", is a deadly move that takes of a huge chunk of life. Think Guilty Gear's "DESTROY" moves.
For the other cards, you have to play through Mirror Mode. A combination beat-'em-up and fighting mode. This is the game's "Story Mode", only in that you get a little short text for your chosen Rider's backstory and a little more text for his/her ending. The beat-'em-up portions aren't too bad. They're rather short but they can get repetitive as you only face 2 different enemies through the whole thing and there isn't much stages for the smackdowns to occur.
The controls are well done, even though you can't use the GCN controller. The Wiimote/Nunchuck controls are good though. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of waggling required. (In fact, you only have to briefly flick the Wiimote to use your Advent Cards, and the Nunchuck to sidestep). They're done so that those inexperienced fighters can get into this no problem, but the more veteran combattlers have a little something to sink their teeth into.
The graphics however, are subpar. They're more reminiscent of last generations graphics. In fact, the whole game is a port of a Japanese Kamen Rider fighting for the PS2 known as "Climax Heroes", but with the characters changed and the Mirror Mode added. So do expect PS2 level textures when you play.
Replaybility isn't too much. You can unlock all the Riders in a single day. But if you have friends who are also Rider fans, then this could last a little while. Plus it's rather fast to get into in terms of pick up and play.
My final verdict: If you're a US Kamen Rider fan and you're looking for a little video game action, I recommend picking this up. If you aren't however, I'd say give it a rental first, see if it's something that's up your alley.
So, grab your Advent Decks and Let's Ride!