RETRO REBOOT | Psychic Force 2012 (Sega Dreamcast)
Taito's aerial 3D "arena" fighter has a promising idea, but feels underbaked
RETRO REBOOT
"ColonelFancy" Mike Lind
6/2/20265 min read
Developer: Taito
Published by: Taito
Release Date: June 25th 1998 (Arcade), November 9th 1999 (NA, Dreamcast)
Taito's influence and presence in the realm of video games needs no introduction from me. Their track record speaks for themselves. They have had a hand in many genres of interactive software, including one of my areas of strongest affection, fighters (one of these days, I have to write about Violence Fight). Their tournament fighting does not run as deep as their puzzlers and space shooters, so I never held them too high in regard on that front. Even Psychic Force 2012, I only heard about from magazine publications like Gamers Republic. I'd later find it searching used stores in the mid-2000's to add to the growing collection.
The modern definition of "anime fighter", while it can be an IP licensed product, usually refers to fighting games that emulate the high-paced acrobatic combat and over-the-top flair generally seen in manga and TV shows that pioneered the modernized action, preferably shonen titles like Bleach, Dragonball Z, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Naruto. So games like Melty Blood, Guilty Gear, and Under Night In-Birth embody this. I feel like it can also be the attitude, tropes, or aura the game emits through its narrative, or even the character designs. This would include early 90's examples like Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer and Battle Arena Toshinden. Those games LOOKED like the OVAs I heavily indulged in during my youth. And Psychic Force 2012 fits that bill. As a fighter, though, it was definitely going for something different. I just don't think it was good enough to captivate my attention.
So 2012 is technically a sequel to the 1996 Psychic Force, which admittedly I have never played before. I just assumed a seemingly superficial date was added to this as a subtitle, because that was style through the 80's and 90's. In 1998, 2012 sounded so far out of mind, the world could be a completely different place! With flying cars and holographic telecommunication devices! Or wildly illogical haircuts, bright colored leather, all taking place in a technologically dystopian wasteland ran by oligarchs...okay, it was more accurate than we took for granted. And it isn't fun. What was I talking about? Oh, OH YEAH, Psychic Force 2012. I gotta say that this certainly was ambitious, and it has a visual style to it, if you have nostalgia for the overly gaudy hues anime around this time period utilized. the gameplay, however, does not really do what I think it intended.
The fighting takes place in a 4x4 cube and sort of plays like an arena fighter, while on a faux 2.5D means. The two combatants are airborne throughout, and you're capable of performing Slide Dashes, which act as sidesteps, giving Psychic Force a sense of depth. Your light and heavy attacks launch projectiles from far distances, depleting your Psycho Gauge, and when you close the distance, the energy volleys become light and strong melee attacks, respectively. This isn't all too different from the Technos Japan produced Double Dragon fighting game based on the motion picture, where depending on far away you are from your opponent, certain moves change. It takes some getting used to, especially when trying to play defense.
General movement is fast enough, but it feels a little bit stiff. Granted, the airborne action is nowhere near as deplorable as Dragonball GT: Final Bout, there is still a counter-intuitive nature that makes the experience more work than fun, especially when it comes to playing defense. And to Psychic Force's credit, this is a little ahead of its time. Getting the hang of Psy-Impulses, the game's counterattack system, is crucial in some fights, because the CPU would wipe the floor with me. It gets tough to not get stuck in a corner or plastered against the wall.
There's barely any real balance. Rounds can be over in under ten seconds, and the time window to juggle opponents off splat damage is incredibly iffy. Some attacks will either hardly scratch, or completely annihilate. Grabs come out of nowhere, and the throw range is totally suspect.
I'll admit, and this may be a fairly snobby take, I am not a huge fan of arena fighters, they don't seem to be designed with good variables in its design. Nothing wrong with a game that exists for the sake of pressing buttons, mind you. But Psychic Force 2012 rewards brainless mashing, and it seldom feels satisfying, despite the many elements it incorporates to diversify its gameplay. revisiting this, there was never that moment where the lightbulb went off over my brain. Instead, I would just exploit the one way to defeat each opponent.
The character designs are fairly good. I consider it a blend of very commercial anime 90's and that signature Taito style. Even the in-game character models, I don't mind at all that much. The stages and backgrounds can be a touch on the darker side, as some locations are in a city skyline or in between buildings. Certainly scenic, with a combination of 2D mapped environments and 3D models.
Kinda busy? Eh, a little. The issue lies in knowing where the hell you're facing on the screen in relation to boundaries. As stated earlier, it can become quite easy to get stuck in a corner seemingly out of nowhere. It does everything possible to not be disorienting, but the irregular zoom-ins and energy clashes, I get lost on how close to the wall I am, and it can become too late to avoid touch-of-death combos.
Music is fine as well, it does feel very energetic. Though admittedly it does not reflect the relatively heavier tone this setting is going for, so it comes off inadvertently funny. It sounds more like OST I'd hear in Puyo Puyo, if I'm being frank. There isn't an English localization, which surprises me a little bit. More often than not, a game like this is asking to be dubbed by a union group putting in nasally performances. Or ask Lisa Ortiz and Jessica Calvello to voice the entire female cast.
Psychic Force 2012 is...underwhelming, I find. There's a little bit of charm at the surface, but beyond the vibes, what lies beneath is a fairly generic arena fighter that does little to command my attention. I don't particularly find it too amusing, but it's not awful enough to be considered terrible. It was also released on the PlayStation, which means that you're likely in reach of much more satisfying 3D fighting game offerings like Tekken 3, Soul Calibur, and Dead or Alive.