Story:
The story of Rival Schools is set in the
Japanese
city of Aoharu. Several local schools have recently become the victims of unknown
attacks, including kidnappings of students and staff. Various students and teachers set
out to find who is responsible for the attacks on their respective schools.
Later in the storyline, it is revealed that an elite school in the city called
Justice High, is responsible for the attacks.
Enter the world of Rival
Schools...
Review:
Rival
Schools is a 3D fighter from Capcom featuring gameplay that resembles Capcom's Street Fighter series and the Marvel VS series.
Rival Schools' control scheme is different from other Capcom fighting games
however, as it features only four buttons (two punches and two kicks) rather than the standard six.
Rival Schools also introduces several unique gameplay elements that make
it stand out from the rest, which include: Team Up Attacks, Tardy Counters (much
like Alpha counters from SFA), Attack Cancels, and high-flying Air
Combos similar to what you'd see in the VS Series!
In Rival Schools, players choose a team of two characters. The gameplay is
1-on-1, with a "partner" character getting into the action when a
"team up" attack connects. Depending on who the partner character is,
they will either deal out a hearty dose of additional ass-kicking to their victim,
or
offer a "health up" while
you'll be treated an awesome (and sometimes hilarious) tag team sequence. Players can also switch
out their "main" characters between
rounds, which adds a unique and strategic element to the gameplay.
Edayan filled this game
with amazing artwork.
Rival School's character
roster includes all sorts of different high school "stereotypes." To name a
few: Shoma the baseball player, Edge the punk, Roy the American jock, Tiffany
the busty blonde cheerleader, and
Hayato the gym coach. Sakura from Street
Fighter Alpha also makes an awesome guest appearance to play the role of the Japanese schoolgirl!
All characters have unique play-styles, some of which "resemble" other
more famous fighting game personalities; which means any 2D fighting game
fan should feel right at home!
The diverse characters of Rival Schools
have a great variety of special moves and some truly epic super moves and tag team moves, which
never fail to make you cringe when they connect... the ouch factor
is certainly in full effect in this game!
Fighting is allowed in this
school.
The attack animations, throw animations, and
hit animations are all very well done and have oomph... however, the same walking forward/back
animation is shared by all characters and looks a bit awkward... which is
possibly one of my only gripes about this game, because everything else is in
check. The Playstation version of Rival Schools is jam packed with an
engaging story mode, an awesome anime intro (and ending), satisfying sound effects
and voice acting, nearly 100 awesome loading screen artworks, bonus characters,
mini games, and a catchy soundtrack. That said, Rival Schools is a
must play for any fighting game fan, and a must have for anyone who calls
themselves a Capcom fan.
.... .... ..
Last Updated:
8/14/2010
Developer(s):
Capcom
Publisher(s):
Capcom
Designer(s):
Hideaki
Itsuno, Makoto Otsuki, Tatsuya Nakae
Platform(s):
Arcade,
Playstation
Release Date(s):
November
1997 (Arcade), July 30th 1998 (
PS1), September 30th 1998 (
PS1), November 1998 (
PS1)
- Review is for Playstation version
of Rival Schools -
Gameplay
Engine
8.5 / 10
Story
/ Theme
10 / 10
Overall
Graphics
7 / 10
Animation
7.5 / 10
Music
/ Sound Effects
8.5 / 10
Innovation
9 / 10
Customization
8 / 10
Options / Extras
9 / 10
Intro / Presentation
9.5 / 10
Replayability / Fun
8.5 / 10
"Ouch" Factor
9 / 10
Characters
9 / 10
BOTTOM LINE
8.5 /
10
Final
Words:
Surely,
Rival Schools was an instant Capcom classic, just based on the awesome
artwork and personality of the characters alone! Capcom brought us a new king of
fighting game which is a nice break from the Street
Fighter series. The gameplay was great for the time, the character designs
speak for themselves. The sequel, Project Justice, was released in
2000. ~F.Yagami,
Webmaster
of TFG
The diverse characters of Rival Schools
have a great variety of special moves and some truly epic super moves and tag team moves, which
never fail to make you cringe when they connect... the ouch factor
is certainly in full effect in this game! 
.
PS1), September 30th 1998 (
PS1), November 1998 (
PS1)
