Playstation 2 Look - Ultraman

Not too long ago, I covered Hissatsu! on the Sega Saturn, a side-scroller that resides in "licensed game hell". Okay, maybe it's not curdling in the lava-filled bowels alongside the worst of the worst, but it's still in a place I'd prefer to avoid. Anyway, I'm dedicating this article to three titles that deserve a place in licensed game heaven. Going by the header image, you'd assume that at least one of them is Ultraman, and you'd be right. Released in 2004, this cinematic brawler revisits the series that started it all. Taking control of the very first Ultras, players relive classic moments from the 1966 TV series. Challenge Bemular, Alien Boltan, and twenty other Kaiju in vicious 1v1 (or 1v2) battles. More fighting action awaits in Ultraman Fighting Evolution 3. Legendary heroes and villains from across the Ultra universe battle it out across the standard array of arcade, versus, and mission modes. Last but not least is Ultraman Nexus, the customary tie-in with the 2004 TV series. It's another fighter, one with a different style and feel to it than either of its compatriots, but still very ultra.

What does it mean to be ultra? That's a question I had never considered before. Ultraman video games have been around since the MSX and Famicom Disk System, yet none save Towards the Future (SNES) ever reached the west. When I played TTF and wrote it off as a bad Street Fighter 2 knockoff, the thought that it wasn't trying to be SF2 never crossed my mind. The Ultraman franchise is nothing if not committed to its own ethos. Its games embrace absurdity by adapting all the parts that "cooler" video games would try to hide. If a fight looks it's just two actors in rubber costumes throwing goofy punches and rolling around, then it's exactly what the developers were going for. An Ultraman game that played like a Tekken or Virtua Fighter might sound neat, but it wouldn't be authentic. The authenticity is what matters most. The games I'm about to spend the day discussed are lifted to heaven by not just being quality products, but also by being true to themselves.  

Ultraman (2004)

Upon starting this, you'll quickly notice that most of the game modes are hidden behind a wall of question marks, leaving just Story, 2P Versus, and Options available from the outset. Before trying out the Story mode, you might want to change the difficulty, as the default setting is the hardest. The Story combines still-frames from the TV series, in-game cinematics, and ends with climactic kaiju encounter. Besides a couple sequences that feature the Jet VTOL blasting kaiju with missiles or Hayata firing a laser pistol, this mode is all about Ultraman. You have three minutes to wear down the opponent while building up power for legendary techniques, such as the Ultra Beam or Ultra Slash. 

While there's no tutorial, controlling Ultraman isn't difficult at all. Rapidly tap the square button to perform a punch & chop combo. Kicks are performed with the X button. While there isn't a wide array of combinations, following up a series of jabs with a powerful drop-kick is always fun. Circle is the all-purpose button that provides defensive and offensive functions. For example, if the Kaiju is about to perform a breath or laser attack and the player hits the button fast enough, then our hero will create a barrier that blocks the blast. Well-timed circle presses can also grab adversaries out of their melee attacks, leaving them disoriented or sprawled out on the ground. Actions tend to be context-sensitive and are extremely rewarding if Ultraman is in the right position. Grab a kaiju by their tail to unleash a tremendous giant swing. 

Like a good pro-wrestling match, drama is the most important part of Ultraman. It's not enough to rush straight at the enemy and attempt to slap them to death. Ultra's techniques are governed by a power meter. Any counters or special actions (like the giant swing) will fill the meter much faster than basic strikes. This means that kaiju must be allowed opportunities to attack. Obviously, taking damage is going to make things harder on the player. Successful hits drain time, and the game ends after three minutes are depleted. There is a comeback mechanic though. When Ultraman's timer is in the red, the tech meter fills at a faster rate. True to the TV series, a lot of fights will come down to the wire. Effectively balancing offense and defense is essential, as it puts the player in a better position to eke out a victory, no matter how dire the straits may be. This game's fighting system is extremely solid. It makes the most of a limited move-set by keeping each encounter close and dynamic. The swings in momentum will take time to adjust to, but it's hard not to love that rush when everything clicks into place.

The game also does a great job of giving each kaiju its own identity. Antlar spends most of the fight burrowing through the ground in the hopes of landing a sneaky attack. Overly aggressive players might get punished by Alien Boltan II's tendency to split into tinier versions of itself. The feathers of Geronimon are a constant nuisance, so pulling them straight from the monster's back could save Ultraman some trouble. Then there's Zetton, the "final boss" of Story Mode, whose talent for teleportation leads to a very unique encounter. Some foes have unique death animations depending on the tech used to finish them, which is always a treat to see. 

A successful run through Story Mode will unlock Monster World. Here, players choose one of the unlocked kaiju and attempt to win a short series of fights, culminating in an encounter with the Man himself. This is very much the equivalent of smashing action figures against one another, with the winner often being whomever has the best, most spammable attack. The extent of the strategy involves meter management, and learning the best times to perform a meter-replenishing taunt (X button). Just one playthrough is enough to unlock the next mode, but I still revisit occasionally to try out different kaiju. This isn't deep nor balanced, but it's fun.

You can even be Pigmon (it dies in a single hit).

The next couple modes are mostly just cute extras. Monster Grave allows players to check out the stats of various kaiju, but only after they've been defeated in Story Mode. Violence Rock is a bit like shot put. Red King, the rock expert, must hurl a large stone as far as possible. There's a "sweet spot" that'll take several attempts to discover, but doing so is necessary to achieve the world record. You'll play this to unlock the next set of features, and potentially never return. Still, the failure animations are fun to see.

Eventually, the main menu will make mention of the NEW Story Mode. This alternative route features several new Kaiju battles, including one with the aptly named Pester. I don't get this weird bulky bat-thing, but whatever. More battles are always nice to have. Also, this might be a good time to try for the non-canon ending. Beating Zetton without the Ultra Beam is one of the requirements for "Ultraman Returns" mode. If you can't seem to unlock it even after doing everything else, then you might have to quit the game and "return" to it later (that's seriously how it worked for me). This leads to even more Kaiju, with the added caveat that players will have to start from the beginning if Ultraman is defeated by any of them. 

Survival Mode is the final unlock. Here, players can choose from four Ultramen. Then they're given the usual three minutes to defeat as many monsters as possible. Consider this the final test. Meter is very easy to come by, but getting hurt will drain it. The basic idea is to land just enough attacks on a Kaiju so that the Ultra Beam will finish it off, conserving precious seconds for the next bout. Spacing and positioning matter a lot here, so there's plenty of optimization for the professional Ultras out there. 

All in all, this is just a wonderful tribute game. I love how weighty every action feels, and the fights still look fantastic over 20 years later. High impact moves are always thrilling to land. This just might be the ultimate evolution of earlier titles like Towards the Future; a cinematic action-packed extravaganza with just the right amount of depth. A must-play for tokusatsu fans.