Gaming Target - Dreamcast: Tech Romancer

Written by Eric Terrell on July 12, 2000

Review: Why don't robots wear pants?

Tech Romancer, the first thing that probably comes to mind is Sega's own Virtual On 2, but actually this fighter is FAR from it! If Virtual On 2 were L.A. then Tech Romancer would be New York! Just because it's different doesn't mean it's not fun, this is one of the most unique and fun fighters I have played in ages.

The visuals just scream anime. The art is beautiful as all the characters are wonderfully drawn in that distinct anime style. For an anime fan like myself it was a treat because the U.S. doesn't see too much of this type of game.

As for the fighting engine, it's both 3D and is wonderful. There is no slowdown when I played through the game at all, if there was it was not noticeable. The backgrounds are great as the playing fields are varied to the max. It switches from volcanos to cities, to space all done in wonderful 3D. It's no Shenmue but for this type of fighting game it was appropriate. I would have liked to have seen more detailed textures given to the buildings and backgrounds but besides that the visuals are good.

Also, the audio is great, as the music takes me back to the day of the old school games. They decided to keep the original Japanese voices and it definitely helped to maintain that anime feel tremendously. The voice-overs were very distant and clear with no muffled sound at all, extra props to the voice actors for putting so much emotion into a lackluster story mode script.

The actual gameplay is very tight. The controls are dead on, and I found no problems controlling my mech with ease! The numbers of the mechs movements are not numerous but there are enough moves to make it challenging and rewarding for those who spend time with it!

The story mode contains a few redeeming features such as branching pathways. Depending on how you win the match, the story can move in one way or another, which provides MULTIPLE ENDINGS. This is a great feature that I hope more fighting games choose to include! The script for the story mode I have to say was very weak and uninspiring, if not for the voice actors who put a lot of effort into it, it could of easily been the games Achilles heel.

You will get great amount of replay due to the a few things; one is the previously mentioned branching story mode in which depending on your actions during the fight affects the ending. Another is that every time you beat the game you unlock things like VMU games, and other treats via the secrets menu. This title will make it in the long run and will still be fun to play if you dig it out of the closet 6 months from now.