Project X Zone
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3DS
| Project X Zone

Video game crossovers can be incredibly good fun - especially when given the care and attention that the games their characters are pulled from are afforded. Just look at how massive the Smash Bros. series has become.

Project X Zone is essentially a simple strategy game combined with a simple fighting game, with tons of Japanese video game characters thrown into the mix from popular Namco Bandai, Capcom and Sega titles.

And while there isn't much depth to the experience, the sheer entertainment factor of seeing, for example, Chun-Li from Street Fighter and the knight from Ghosts 'n Goblins double-teaming baddies is well worth the admission fee.

X-rated

There are some weird happenings across various video game worlds, with enemies moving through dimensions and the good guys getting sucked into fountains.

By teaming up some big-name video game characters from franchises like Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and Darkstalkers you can take on waves of enemies in a sort of Final Fantasy Tactics-style turn-based strategy game.

When you choose to attack an enemy, the action then jumps to a side-scrolling perspective as you tap out combos to juggle the enemy in the air. It's like a very one-sided, simplistic fighting game, there more for show and over-the-top visuals than for actual challenge.

In fact, you can apply that to most of what Project X Zone has to offer. This is an experience that's very simple, and rather easy. You'll rarely have to try very hard to win, and each of the game's separate ideas is pretty shallow.

When you're attacked, for example, you simply choose whether to counter or defend, with no skill necessary. Combos are just a case of hitting the 'attack' button alongside a Dpad press. None of the strategy, RPG, or fighting elements is going to win awards for innovation.

In the zone

But if you take Project X Zone as a whole rather than the simplistic sum of its parts, you'll have a ridiculous amount of fun.

The fighting sections feel powerful, exciting, and wonderfully ridiculous - especially when you save up enough XP to pull off a special move.

And the game has oodles of charm, from the 2D sprites against the 3D backdrops to the style that seeps through the animations, the menus, the environments, and pretty much everything.

The game isn't completely devoid of strategy, either. Groups of characters can team up to deliver massive damage, while solo characters can be shunted into specific pairings for experimental grouping action.

And there's a whole levelling system and inventory system too, to keep the RPG fanatics happy.

A lot of character

Project X Zone features a plethora of Japanese video game characters, and it's great fun unlocking them throughout play, whether you recognise them or not.

Seeing Chris and Jill from Resident Evil tag-teaming with the likes of Frank West (Dead Rising), Mega Man, Arthur (Ghosts 'n Goblins) and Ulala (Space Channel 5) is pretty enjoyable.

And that's just one example - the possibilities for potential crossovers is immense, and hugely entertaining throughout.

This is what it all comes down to: Project X Zone isn't going to challenge you, and those players looking for an in-depth strategy game or RPG are going to be disappointed.

But anyone looking for a back-to-the-wall button-mangler with plenty of bells, whistles, and explosions will be thoroughly entertained.

Project X Zone

Project X Zone excites through the use of OTT animations, crazy crossovers, and easily accessible action that will hook you time after time
Score
Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.