Project Justice

Year: 2000
Alternate Title: Moero! Justice Gakuen (Japan)
Platform: Dreamcast
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: 3D fighter
Rating: ***

This is a sequel to the fun and zany "Rival Schools" (1997), that adds a bunch of new characters and introduces a new "party-up" team attack technique where three characters can gang up on someone else. As you would expect, the graphics are remarkably better than the original PlayStation game, but the character models are still overly simplistic and tend to lack detail. Another annoying graphic feature is that many of the stages aren't truly 3D, using an infinite 3D "ring" with a wrapping 2D background image (similar to how "Rival Schools", "Dead Or Alive", and "Tekken 2" work). The effect is distracting at best. The game is still fun and zany, but overly frustrating. As usual, Capcom has created a game that's WAY too hard for the casual gamer to play. Even on the easiest settings it's impossible to win the game. There are at least nine secret characters that I'll never get to play because they're too difficult to unlock. One of these is Tiffany from the original game, whose laughably huge jiggling breasts would give the girls from "Dead Or Alive" some serious competition. (but unlike the girls from "Dead Or Alive", she actually uses her breasts to fight with) Also typical for a Capcom fighter, the controls are nearly impossible to manage. The traditional dial-a-combo techniques are bad enough, but this game uses double-dialing techniques which are downright diabolical to perform. The immense frustration level of the game makes it nearly unenjoyable, except in the safe haven of training mode.