Being an Xbox guy, I don’t get the chance to play many crossovers. So go figure my 3DS is the title that gets me my first ever crossover game. The game is called Project X Zone and that left me confused what games were being fused together. Even the back of the case was vague in terms of who you got to use.
Once I started the game I waited with a lot of curiosity to see who all was in Project X Zone. I expected an average roster. What a surprise I was in for. By the time everything was said and done it was by far the best roster I have ever seen. Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Tekken and Mega Man characters are all included, and that is to name a few. Turns out this title is the best of Sega, Capcom and Namco Bandai. So Project X Zone is a massive strategy RPG featuring characters from all those companies fighting it out with each other.
I was shocked to see the three characters from Resonance of Fate too, and they became my favorites. Granted more than half of the characters I didn’t know due to them being in PlayStation only titles or Japan only releases. However I was intent on keeping track of the amount of characters. By the time I stopped accumulating people, I had a grand total of sixty three on my side. That’s got to be a record.
So after I picked my jaw off of the carpet, I paid attention to the story. The main characters are two Project Cross Zone originals named Mii and Kogoro. As Mii is outside of her house, she is attacked by weird monsters. Her and Kogoro team up and fight their way out. This was the point I got to learn the combat system.
I have played strategy games for the vast majority of my life and I have never seen anything like this. Along the bottom of the screen are a list of commands. Normally it involves pushing in a certain direction and hitting the A button. In other words it seemed like a fighting game mixed with a strategy game.
The system is easy to learn and took very little time to master. After the battle the game went to many different locations where favorites like Dante from Devil May Cry and Frank West from Dead Rising were located. While the setting jumped constantly, the story remained well intact. Despite the many different worlds brought in to this one title, the story really held together.
Game length is not a problem in Project X Zone either. I figured this would be a haphazardly thrown together game banking on the all star cast. In fact, once I hit chapter forty five, I was speechless. Granted more often than not the same bosses floated in repeatedly, but with the powerful story behind it, that was a minor issue.
Audio in this game was amazing and accurate. Most of the characters spoke in Japanese with English subtitles. But the few words that were understandable were well worth it. Mainly Ryu and Ken’s special moves captured their characters perfectly. Music was also brilliantly composed and complemented the game very well.
All in all, if you own a 3DS you have to buy Project X Zone. Very rarely does a game hit the shelves with a great roster and great story. The graphics may be very throwback like, but it only enhances the overall experience and nostalgia. I grant Project X Zone a perfect 5 GiN Gems.