Publisher: Sammy
Developer: Sammy
Size: 1 CD
Memory Usage: None
No. of players: 1
Got it for: $11.95, complete.

Click here for Neo Geo CD box
A few of the pics can be clicked on for a comparison shot from the Neo Geo CD version. NOTE: PC IE users, once a new window has been opened, the gifs will no longer animate until the page has been refreshed.
Ok, I won't lie to you....I didn't understand what was going on in the Neo Geo CD...I don't understand what's going on now. Apparently a floating castle has appeared in the sky, these two guys(who were, most likely, getting drunk on the roof of their apt.) saw it....they decided to check it out...and all Hell breaks loose(literally). Granted, I'm sure that's not even remotely the plot line...but it's close enough...trust me...

What's it all about?
It's a side scrolling beat'em up with an extreme emphasis on fast hits, quick kills and pure action. Fighting takes place on various "planes" that you'll constantly be transported back and forth from. Travel a bit on the Earth, whoop some ass, then(all of the sudden) a portal opens up and you are either sucked up into the sky to fight on the island of the floating castle or are cast down into the pits of, what appears to be, Hell. Along the way, after successfully defeating hordes of enemies you'll come across power-ups that will equip you with a variety of swords or add projectiles to your normal attacks. Also, defeating certain enemies will unlock a spirit(of sorts) that will merge with your character. Once you have successfully released a spirit from its captor, you can morph into that spirit's form and continue to fight. This effectively raises the game's character total from two to five. One huge bonus to the Mega CD version is that both character's attack SO MUCH FASTER than they did on the Neo Geo original. This is most likely due to the difference in the number of frames of animation, but it's a huge plus and really helps you kick the fuck out of the cheap-ass AI.
Ryo has nothing on me!
Anyone that makes fun of these clothes...so help me...
Graphics - Solid. Nicely detailed characters go well with the colorful and imaginative backgrounds. The animation, though a bit sparse on the actual levels, is quite good for your characters, various enemies and the bosses. The MCD even gets a chance to show off some of its hardware scaling ability as enemies will approach from far in the background, running until they reach you as the hardware scales their sprites. It's a nice, little effect.

Sound - The music is odd mix of fast paced, rockin' "action" themes(for the Earth-based sections) and very cool, eastern-sounding(think the Samurai Shodown soundtrack) set of selections(for the upper and lower planes). The sound effects consist of your various grunts and power screams, usually followed by a slick sword swiping noise and some solid hit effects.
Control - Smooth. Your characters do any and everything you tell them to...and fast.
AI - Well, it's a Neo Geo game...so it's pretty cheap, but due to the fact that the characters attack faster in this version, it won't piss you off quite as badly as the Neo Geo original did. Your character's ability to attack multiple times in the air and perform ultra-powerful charge attacks will generally get you past any boss or enemy you're having problems with.
Replay value - High. It's an arcade-style fighter: Fast, furious...and most importantly, fun.
Tips for better gaming experiences:
Just jack your "lives" reserve up to five and you'll be fine. The game gives you an overly-generous six continues that empowers you with a total of *thirty* lives to beat the game. Also, remember that most characters can attack multiple times in the air. Initiating an air attack as soon as you get off the ground and continuously hitting the attack button throughout your entire jump can yield you as many as *seven* hits before you touch down again. This is, generally, enough to totally devastate almost *any* boss.

My rating: 90(out of 100) - An awesome, fast-paced arcade-style beat'em up with a shitload of action and some nice graphics. It only looses points due to the viciously cheap AI...
(quick note on the character gifs: They do *not* accurately reflect the game's animation...it was just really hard to capture the frames for some reason. In the game, the animation is MUCH smoother)

Cat's review: Not too bad, not too bad at all. Though not nearly as deep as about any other fighter out there, this is still a great, arcadey action game.
Back, savages!
The samurai spirit.
The overly-flippy ninja.
Yeehaw....purple cowboy...?
Two is too much!?:
In the arcade, this was a two player game....why Sammy dropped it down to one player for the Mega CD conversion is beyond me...but they did. Also, notice how they decide to spell the game's title on the spine....as opposed to the way it is on the title screen...now that's quality!
The ninja's charge move isn't all that it could be...
Senpu.....WOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFF!