Although the Playstation Vita has barely been on sale two weeks, it already a fine fighting game option in the form of Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3. Should Reality Fighters be worried?
By Leo Stiles
Along with launch window stablemate, Little Deviants, Reality Fighters has the unenviable task of acting as a showcase for everything the Playstation Vita has to offer and while its fortunes are not helped by being released alongside the peerless Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, its feature box checking nature is crushingly apparent.
Obviously the hook here is that you can create your own fighters in the image of anyone you please using the Vita’s two cameras and initially, there is a fair amount of amusement to be had. Scanned likenesses are uncannily accurate in the right lighting and once you have captured your friends, relative or your dog, further laughs can be had by tinkering with body types, clothing and fighting styles.
The laughs do wear thin quickly but any game that allows me to scan in Brian Cowan and Bertie Ahern to recreate a deathmatch dream I once had, deserves a smidgin of praise. The game also leverages the Vita’s augmented reality capabilities to lets you brawl wherever you want complete with terrain distorting special effects although the constant need to adjust my viewing angles as the fighters tumbled off screen became a minor annoyance
While the customisation options are fun, the actual fighting leaves too much to be desired with a simple combo system further hobbled by a sparse moves list. This wouldn’t be too much of a problem but for the fact that the story mode is so easy. In fact, single player options exist just to grant a steady supply of new unlockables, with each bout showering you with stars which can be traded for ever more ridiculous items of clothing and fighting styles.
Score attack and survival mode are also included but do little to inspire replays, so thank heavens for the online modes which pit you against the masses on PSN. The shonky fighting mechanics are still present in the online matches but I’d be lying if I didn’t return to this mode just to see what kinds of fighters that others have created.
Given the fact that a decent likeness can be scanned in from even newspapers and magazines, the results are both predictable and hilarious. Add in the options to create your own vocal intros and win taunts and the jokes just keep on coming. Special mention has to go the mutant versions of Lady Gaga and Wayne Rooney.
Unfortunately, Reality Fighters is like the one good joke in an Adam Sandler movie. Yes, you might laugh but then you have to sit through the rest of it and as anyone who saw Jack and Jill can attest to; it’s just no fun at all.
As a display of the Vita’s kitchen sink approach to function the game succeeds with a small amount of charm but as a launch title on the world’s most advanced (and expensive) gaming handheld, we simply can’t recommend it, especially when there are so many other launch titles more deserving of your cash.
Format: Playstation Vita
Developer: Novarama; Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
