Aw, yeah! Anime fans of the world, unite! Okay... now, on with the review. The graphics in Evil Zone are 3D, modeled after anime characters (very well). The Full Motion Video is perfectly anime (cheesy, but in a yummy way). For all those of you out there who know just which part of a Japanese schoolgirl’s uniform is most often shown in an anime movie, you won’t be disappointed with Evil Zone. (If you don’t get it, it wasn’t for you.) Also, the sound is pretty good, the voices are fun (if maybe too repetitive), and the narrated plot(s) in the story mode are just TOO much! And then there are the really GREAT special moves, which involve the uncanny ability to divide into multiples of yourself and attack your opponent in a barrage of attacks, doing major damage (I love this game). There’s even a really cool effect when a character takes damage... part of the character’s power gauge shatters like glass. Damage an opponent enough, and some of the characters even show that they’ve been injured (cool).

This game is a blast to play. The way that the moves are executed is novel, and is not difficult to understand. It involves primarily two buttons (a fight and a block), both of which have different outcomes based on the number of times and duration that they are pressed, the distance between the opponents, and circumstances such as whether an opponent is in the air at the time of an attack. There is a training video series included on the game disc, and a practice mode which allows you to work on different moves. The best time to be had, however, is beating up on a second player (especially one who’s never played Evil Zone before... hehe). Including the training session, there are five different modes to play in: Story, 1P Battle, VS. Mode, and Survival Mode.

The controls for Evil Zone are unique, but not hard to learn. In addition, there is a built-in set of training videos (FMVs) which demonstrate individual moves and techniques. Evil Zone has three difficulty settings: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Also, you can set how many lives you have from one to five.

Evil Zone has broken away from most fighting games in the way the moves are executed. The fighting control system is very simple. You can jump, sidestep, and block, as in most 3D fighting games. But there is really just one ‘attack’ button. The different attacks are executed by having the proper distance between you and your opponent, holding the button an appropriate length of time, tapping it the correct number of times, and holding the correct direction on the D-pad. Each of these factors come together to provide a nice variety of different fighting moves. Another noteworthy aspect is the unique ‘Power Gauge’ crystal factor. When you hold down the Triangle button, your power gauge builds. When it is full, a crystal appears next to it. (You can collect up to three at a time.) These power crystals are necessary to execute your special, high-powered move. Only one crystal is needed per attack, but these attacks can be blocked, in which case, another crystal must be earned. This factor tends to help even things out a little, since the less power (life) you have left, the faster you can earn crystals. I have come back from the brink of losing by executing my special move a couple times in a row. This was only possible because my power was so low that I could gain crystals very quickly. This not only levels the playing fields, but also adds a bit of strategy into the fight.