Isn't it crazy how big Japanese anime has become in the US? We see speciality shops that issue all sorts of items of interest along with countless DVD's and VHS tapes loaded with it; we see specialized import shops that offer everything from customized action figures to oven mitts that have the likelinesses of the heroes of the show (because, let's face it, Goku knows how to handle a microwave pizza), and we have Bandai, a company known worldwide for producing anime-based video games, showing just as much love for the US market as it does in Japan. Sure, the games seem to be aimed at a younger audience, but there's still enough "wink-in-the-eye" stuff to keep older fans happy. The company's begun their fall release line-up already with last week's Inuyasha game, and, although the game didn't strike a full chord with our critic here at GameDaily, it still manages to capture the atmosphere of the show in mind. Now all we needed is something to bring some chaotic fun into the mix.

Enter One Piece Grand Battle, a delightfully insane brawling game that allows one or two players to simply enter one of seven given areas and pummel the hell out of each other using a series of attacks, ranging from your typical three-hit combos to the much-adored "Secret Attack", which I'll get to shortly. It's not a bonafide classic like the games it mimics, such as Capcom's Power Stone games or even Nintendo's Super Smash Brothers series, but it does a respectable job capturing the energy of the anime show and putting a fun twist on the proceedings. Fans are sure to love it.

The game focuses on a number of characters, including stretchy hero Monkey D. Luffy (love the name) as they begin a quest for the legendary One Piece treasure, hidden long ago in pirate legacy. The game's Story Mode best explains the plot details for each character, even if you have to put up with some laughable dialogue and some voice acting that's just as ridiculous as it is on the Cartoon Network show of the same name. But real brawlers will just want to jump into Grand Tourney or Grand Battle and fight, and for good reason- that's the game's nature.

If you need an introduction to the game's controls, you can tackle Training Mode, which walks you through most of the essentials in the game. The control scheme may be a bit simple for some, but it's more loaded than a machine gun. You've got your barrage of distanced and up-close combos, both of which can eat away at an energy meter. Then you have the ability to pick up numerous items during a match and throw them at enemies, which has a Power Stone-esque feel to it but still manages to work. (And it's also worth mentioning you can dramatically throw enemies around up-close as well, adding a little humiliation to the proceedings.) There's also destructible environments in each stage, where you can use the surroundings to your advantage and occasionally trap your foe. Then you've got three Attack schemes that come into play.

The first is Support Attack, where, as one of sixteen different fighters, you can summon up one of sixteen other characters to assist you in the fight. Granted, your opponent can do the same thing, so some fights can get really out of hand. Then you have a Super Attack, which is sort of a level-one combo where your character can get off a multi-hit move and knock their enemy clear across the screen. And even THAT isn't anything compared to the Secret Attack, a complex move where, if caught, will completely wipe out your opponent, supported by a cinematic that shows you in total victory. You'll know when a Secret Attack connects, as the screen will turn dark blue and then you'll let them have it. All of these, combined with the gameplay, makes it a lot more fun than most games of this variety.

The presentation is on the mark, if you consider "on the mark" to be capturing the essence of the anime show. The environments look fantastic, ranging from a small village complete with a gigantic octopus to a nighttime castle roof, where you can actually see the room below you via a well-lit skylight. The animation is also on par, with lots of super-deformed goodness and wacky animations. Luffy alone is a peculiar character, able to stretch his limbs. If Dhalsim from Street Fighter II had any siblings, it'd probably be this kid. Sometimes the frame rate's a bit jumpy, but nothing incredibly noticeable. As far as sound, the music moves along fine and the voice samples, while annoying to some effect, matches up with the show, thanks to the same voice cast being used.

Story Mode's a bit easy for its own good, so my recommendation is to jump right into a versus match. It's in two-player action that One Piece Grand Battle reveals its finest satisfactions, as the matches can get downright chaotic and unpredictable. Now here's where I express my biggest disappointment with this game, and it's in the multiplayer. Would it have been so wrong to include some kind of four-player mode for grand supremacy? And, for that matter, the Japanese version contains more controllable fighters than the US one, so what gives? I think including more in this department could've easily made this a must-own. As is, it's knocked down a notch, even though the fights remain a treat.

After suffering through Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3 and some other disappointing anime efforts, it's nice to stumble across something like One Piece Grand Battle. The game surprised me with its creativity and excitement, and has a few unlockable goodies that keep it from just being a flash in the pan. It could've used a little fixing up in its presentation and multiplayer, but, hey, the fact it's so much fun in this form is cause for celebration. Hooray for One Piece indeed.

Our Final ScoreGood

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