[PSP] 一騎当千 XROSS IMPACT

Side-scrolling beat-em-ups are the last resort for fighting-game inept people like me. While most people would scoff at the thought of banging an attack button over and over like an amphetamine-crazed monkey just to fend off repetitive palette-swapped thugs, it can really serve as a great stress reliever. I remember the days when Nekketsu Kouha: Kunio-Kun, Double Dragon and Final Fight were the best things to ever come out of the genre, but it eventually grew stagnant and pretty much died with the advent of 3D.

Marvelous Entertainment's Ikki Tousen: Xross Impact (pronounced "Cross Impact") is a more recent side-scrolling beat-em-up I truly liked. Emerging from the shadow of a couple of lackluster games that came before it (Shining Dragon for the PS2 and Eloquent Fist for the PSP), the game features several new mechanics that correct the flaws of the aforementioned predecessors while keeping the things that actually worked intact.

Ryomou gives the grunts "the business" after they used the forbidden word in Sonsaku's presence.

First off, Story and Arcade Mode now each have separate saves, so you may switch between either mode when you feel like it. Taking a page from Capcom's crossover series, you can now pick 2 characters; so if one is in low health, you can make a substitution on the fly to let the weaker character recover. Next up, the fact that playable characters can now run (using the time-honored left/right x 2 instead of a cumbersome dash button) means that you will be able to continue combo strings after knocking the enemy away or simply move faster. A tertiary member called a "striker" is also introduced and can be used three times to interrupt mobs. If both members of your team have at least one level in their respective super bars, then a team-up attack can be executed. Finally, the annoying talking head cut-ins when doing a super move back in Eloquent Fist were thankfully taken out, replaced with an imposing static image for dramatic effect. On a related note, the succumbing moneyshots are now less intrusive in Xross Impact, though it still kinda slows the action down.

 Ryuubi Gentoku encourages the scum of society to read by smacking a book in their faces. Whether or not it gets the message across is anybody's guess.

Like with the prior titles, Xross Impact introduces a new game-exclusive character to the mix. The devilish Chousen from Shining Dragon and the flighty Kanpei from Eloquent Fist are joined by Ato, a Seito Junior High student clad in a cape, wears her uniform top with bra exposed, and has a strong (albeit misguided) sense of justice. Her specials involve cosplay, so you can expect the fanboys to be foaming at the mouth already with just her description(sorry, couldn't find a good Ato screencap).

Now that's one hell of a migraine... hurts so bad that others feel it too...

The game takes a few liberties with the title's convoluted storyline involving the Romance Of The Three Kingdoms, doing away with the confusing whatsits of what is destined to happen with a particular Toushi and all that jazz. Instead, you pick one of the three major schools in Story Mode and lead their respective Toushi to victory. It's worth mentioning that since the game tried to cast mainly the female characters of the series, Nanyou became severely shorthanded. Eloquent Fist used to have Ouin Shishi (and later, the real Saji Genpou as an unlockable character), but he got demoted to just being a striker (and target-practice in a certain bonus game). The game-exclusive characters were put in the more populated factions, adding to the imbalance. Even if he's a total milquetoast, I would have wanted to play as Shuuyu Koukin at least once; unfortunately, he remains just a mere decoration for storyline purposes. The only male you'll still get to use in this game is the dragon-possessed Sousou Motoku, and he has to be unlocked first, too.

Sonsaku warns Koukin that unless he becomes cute and grows a pair of D-cups, he'll never be considered as a playable character in future Ikki Tousen games ever.

In the tradition of any old beat-em-up, Xross Impact requires you to get through a stage and beat the boss at the end to win. While that sounds like something that you can quickly finish in theory, it's not the case in practice. Characters come with levels like in RPGs. The points you earn in battle serve as experience, and certain level-ups will not only grant stat boosts, but also improve proficiency in combat by either adding a segment to the main combo string or an alternate attack that may link to an air launcher strike. 

 Chuubou stares aghast as Mou-chan grants some random dude a nice view of her pantsu.

Combo strings and attacks differ between Toushi because each has their own unique methods of fighting. Some characters go against the usual beat-em-up formula and apply their own style into the mix. For example, Shiba'i Chuutatsu is the only character in such a platform who's on a wheelchair. Moreover, she attacks exclusively with soundwaves from her electric guitar and is rather poor at close-quarters combat. Other Toushi that prefer distance fighting are Saji Genpou and Ten'i. If you want to excel at using any of these characters, you have to learn to think a bit outside the proverbial beat-em-up box.

See? No cuts, bruises or scars. The flashy martial arts techniques in Ikki Tousen can only hurt fabrics... not that I'm complaining.

Aside from experience, technique points are also tabulated, and when a Toushi gains a sufficient amount, it can be used to awaken a dormant ability, ranging from a new super move, stat bonuses, and other enhancements. Story and Arcade mode disperse these in meager increments, so the only way to get a lot of technique points is by playing the Challenge Mode, which involves completing specific tasks like defeating 500 grunts, finish a stage while poisoned, or defeat a pair of Toushi simultaneously.

 

 Chouhi: Call me ugly, why don'tcha? Ever hear of busu kawaii!?!

Despite seemingly lacking a strategic aspect, Xross Impact does not take the Ikki Tousen title lightly. Since it practically means "the power to overcome a thousand", it's possible to actually face a thousand enemies at any given level. It takes a long time, but doing so will give you a very big bonus in experience. How can it be performed, you ask? Simple. Among the waves of grunts, there will be one of them glowing blue, but that's not because of a speed-up item. The aforementioned enemy is the gang leader (部隊長). If you defeat all the other grunts while keeping the leader alive, reinforcements will appear in waves. You can keep it up until you reach the target body count or lose all your lives, whichever comes first. Don't fret though, there are several locations where a leader pops up; so if you need an item to restore health, you can move on to another area.

Chinkyuu haets two things: Overdressed hot spring patrons and sukumizu.

Sadly, Marvelous Entertainment didn't do much regarding the unlockable alternate costumes. Majority of them are still school swimsuits, with just a few characters getting unique threads (Chinkyuu's tiger bikini, Koumei's uniform top with gym shorts, etc.). Even more disappointing is the fact that very few of them get the cool succumbing moneyshot with ripped clothes when wearing the alternates. Here's hoping that if and when they decide to create another sequel to tie in with the latest season of the anime, there can be another costume aside from (or instead of) the school swimsuit. No offense to the fetishists out there, but school swimsuits just aren't my thing.

Ryuubi shares a good book with a Nanyou ninja while Kan'u  thwarts an ambush from behind.

All things considered, I'm glad that this happens to be yet another niche import game which might never be released stateside. Just seeing "Battle Vixens" and hearing doped-up NA voice actors in the game is truly a frightening scenario. Xross Impact proves itself to be a very dynamic game compared to it's predecessors, but needs some more improvements (especially in the fanservice department) to make it flawless. Even so, diehard fans of side-scrolling beat-em-ups will be in for a real treat, and I mean that in several different contexts. ^_~