Update: September 15, 2003
«©NCSX» When an evil and heavily armed force called the Army of Zin awakens once again, their mechanical legions of warriors take over the land. That, of course, won't do. Enter Maximo, the hearts-underwear wearing knight, who returns to clang swords, lose his armor, and battle half-naked across wide expanses. He's still searching for his love Sophia but the Army of Zin must be attended to first... Nearly two years after the original Maximo hit the market, Capcom crew listened to their fans in the interim and implemented some suggestions in the sequel. Those who found the first game a bear will be pleased to know that Makai Hero is very easy to get into and play. Another improvement is the end-of-level save feature where gold coins are no longer required to record your progress. Movement is simple and intuitive; Maximo performs a number of special moves and combo attacks with button combinations and other joypad tricks. There's a spin attack which knocks damage into anything close enough for him to hit. Max also performs the standard double jump for grabbing air and distance. When battling through the levels, Maximo may rescue townfolk and they'll reward him with special items or gold. A few will open up shop and sell Maximo new weapons to use. When the hordes of Zin are too much to handle, one special weapon in Max's favor is Grim, the specter of death, whom he may call upon to dispatch a group of warriors. The animation quality and sound effects in the game are rather good and we're impressed with Capcom's latest effort. The musical score is largely reminiscent of what one might find in a theatrical release with rousing wind instruments blowing for all they're worth. The cinemas in the game are in English but the menus and the remainder of the game are in Japanese which makes it fairly import friendly if you're interested in understanding the story. Famitsu gave Makai Hero Maximo a 9, 8, 8, 8 in this week's issue which is good enough for Gold. NCS Game Notes
* The intro to the game shows Maximo attepting to save Sophia from Achille, a mad wizard who blasts Maximo with a light from his wand. * The options to the game are depicted on gravestones which Maximo cleaves in half when chosen. At the outset, only "Start New Game" and "Options" are available. * The first level is called "Grave Danger" and players get to get a feel for the controls. Maximo jumps when the X button is pressed and double jumps when it is pressed again . "SQUARE" is for a side arm attack while "TRIANGLE" is for an overhead blow. L2 is for crouching and R2 is for guarding against blows with a shield that is strapped to his left arm. Maximo may destroy grave markers for energy and there's a rotating object which holds "Foot Cheese" which costs 500 Koins. The chests scattered around the level contain armor and other bonuses. Some chests cannot be kicked open and require a key that is found in the level. * When Maximo isn't being moved, he'll occasionally turn around quickly and mutter "huh?" and throw his sword up in a flippy move. * Some chests become JAWS when opened which attack and attempt to chomp up Maximo. After Maximo loses his suit of armor from damage, he'll run around in his underwear. * In Level 5 Bad to the Bone, Maximo attacks a graveyard full of skeletons who crumble into a mess of bones when broken. Similar to the first level, he'll also have to double jump through a fiery platform area to reach the other areas of the graveyard. Jan Code: 4976219955898 This document is ©NCSX 2003. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of this document may be made without express written consent of National Console Support, Inc.
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