If you caught my preview a few weeks ago of Fate/unlimited codes, I was confused who was actually in the market for a PSP-only fighting game. Small screens and even smaller buttons cramp any sort frantic play style that most fighting games are accustomed to. Well, now that I have spent a bit more time with Fate/unlimited codes, I think I should change my outlook. It probably didn't hurt that Final Fantasy and Soul Calibur came out with excellent entries on the PSP during the wait, but let's assume those didn't sway my decision.

I brought up that fans of anime like Bleach or Naruto would feel right at home with the look of Fate/unlimited codes. The overall design and style of Fate/unlimited codes seems aimed squarely at that sort of crowd. The art style is simple but still manages to express all the subtle details that makes it worth it to look at the screen occasionally, instead of staring at your next button input. Faces squint and cringe with every hit but you might not notice on the tiny LCD. Story elements are narrated through a series of exquisitely hand drawn cut scenes, but unfortunately there aren't any animated movies in that style. Most of the movies I have unlocked are just stock footage of actual gameplay edited around some J-pop. While it is nicely done, I would have liked to have seen much more animation to tell the story (at least as a special bonus for people buying a thirty dollar downloadable game!)

All of the dialogue spoken throughout Fate/unlimited codes is in Japanese, so I can't really comment on the voice acting, but using my limited anime knowledge from years long past, it all sounded just fine to me. There are still some translation errors and a bit of "Engrish" here and there, but you always get the gist of what's going on. The music is incredibly generic consisting mostly of techno-rock or dance club J-pop, but I am sure that isn't really a deciding factor for many fighting fans out there.

I remember a time when fighting games existed only so people could challenge each other with global stereotypes to see who was the top dog of the arcade scene. There wasn't a need for backstory for each character. They were in a tournament and they had to overcome everyone else for the title. Simple. Elegant. Perfect.

Fate/unlimited codes has the unfortunate burden of not only having an extremely complicated story, but also being attached to an existing license to pull story ideas from.

The license in question is a hit Japanese anime series called Fate/ stay night. From what I understand, the series is a long, ongoing action/drama that intertwines the stories of all the characters and has been running for a few years now. The main story is about an item of unlimited power called the Holy Grail that every political figure wants to obtain to either control the world or to keep it safe. There is a colorful cast of characters as I mentioned in the preview, each with their own story and bonus art gallery.

Arcade Mode is where most people will spend a lot of their time, but the Missions Mode is the most useful by far. A series of character specific challenges become available like mastering a certain combo or beating their arch nemesis before time runs out. Completing all of the challenges in each character's missions unlocks a cool mini-game that ranges from the bizarre, like Rider's where you are racing up the side of a never-ending building, to the somewhat polished sub-game, like main character Saber's Devil May Cry styled brawler. All of the characters have a pretty robust Mission Mode and I suggest checking those out as soon as possible.

At the end of the day, a good story isn't why you would keep playing a fighting game, it's the multiplayer. Fate/unlimited codes supports ad-hoc multiplayer as well as a new feature for the U.S. that uses the PS3 as a network hub to challenge other PSP and PS3 owners to a match anywhere in the world, but it still remains to be seen when Sony will implement that piece of awesome tech. But to keep you occupied, there is still a Practice Mode along with quick matches against the CPU until you can get a good online match going.

Since Fate/unlimited codes is in the fighter genre, difficulty comes at the expense of the player. How good are you at beating up the enemy? Are you devoted enough to learn all the complexities and lengthy combo strings of series stand-out Archer? The actual fighting system is straightforward and anyone that has played a fighting game before won't have any trouble picking this one up and finding a character that clicks for them. For what it's worth though, I played through the Arcade Mode with nearly everyone and I rarely lost with any character on the Normal difficulty. Cranking it up a few notches though, proved that I was a novice in comparison to the almighty cheating computer.

Fate/unlimited codes seems like a 2-D game at first glance, but it is actually a fully 3-D fighting game in line with Soul Calibur or Tekken. Match ups appear on a 2-D plane, but when the need arises to side-step and enemy attack, the swift click of a button keeps you out of harm's way. It may not seem like it at first, but on the higher difficulties, mastering the side-step is key to winning a lot of end-game brawls.

At its core, Fate/unlimited codes is a four-button fighter, which means there are four buttons that you need in order to play any match. There are three attacks, the typical weak, medium, and fierce respectively, as well as one guard button. Guards work a little differently in Fate/unlimited codes. While most games force you to stay in place while you guard an enemy attack, Fate/unlimited codes allows you to reflect enemy attacks as you dash forward, which is called "Reflect Dashing." As you dash forward, you press guard and it acts a sort of parry so you can gain an advantage. You aren't allowed to use it at will - it is often a last resort - but it is governed by a super meter at the bottom of the screen. Special moves and reflect dashing eat away at this bar, so it is better to have a clear strategy before going into an all-out brawl. Seeing as Fate/unlimited codes is made by Capcom, any Capcom fan will be right at home with the fast-paced fighting system in place here. The only new thing is the 3-D plane, but that adjustment comes naturally over time.

Fate/unlimited codes was released in Japan over a year ago. Granted, they have an arcade, PS2, and PSP version as well, but it seems quite popular with our fellow fighters in the East. It has even managed to be added to many high profile tournaments as well. So, it is really odd that the American release is a thirty dollar download only PSP game. I hope that there are plans to release the PS2 versions later and this is simply a test of the waters, but I really can't justify this game at the price point. While it is a great fighting game, Fate/unlimited codes suffers from a steep price point and a limited appeal. Fate/unlimited codes would be a great offer if the price goes down, but right now it is egregiously/overpriced on PSN.