Review: Dragon Ball Z – Ultimate Tenkaichi (PS3)

Have you ever wanted to use Pac-Man to eat a space invader while listening to the music from Spy Hunter? Who could resist the opportunity to slash apart an asteroid with Link? If you find yourself having unusual videogame cravings, ROM CHECK FAIL might be just the game for you. Combining classic games into chaotic bliss, ROM CHECK FAIL will leave you confused and strangely satisfied.

Upon first glance, RCF appears to share some common ground with Warioware. The game dynamics change every few seconds in what appears to be a random fashion. One might even get the impression that the game has no structure at all. However, the goal of the game quickly becomes apparent.

You are placed in the environment of a classic Atari 2600/NES game and given the movement and attack characteristics of yet another classic game while fighting enemies from yet another classic game. You are given a set number of enemies to kill for each level, but the catch is that the way you have to kill them changes every few seconds. You might find yourself using the ship from Asteroids to shoot a goomba one second and then find yourself eating a power pellet with Pac-Man to transform a space invader into a much more edible blue ghost.

I found this game to be quite enjoyable for the five minutes I gave it. Unfortunately, it runs at an extremely low resolution and has a few graphical glitches. It can also be a little cheap with some of the gameplay switches. For instance, you’d better hope you weren’t near the top of the screen when you switch to the ship from Space Invaders, as you will only be able to move left to right. This is understandable, of course, as this is exactly the way you move in the real Space Invaders. You will also occasionally find yourself dying instantly from an enemy above you transforming from a floating asteroid into a rapidly descending goomba.

The game does have a few problems but it is worth checking out all the same. Give it a look and be sure to tell us what you think.