Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story by Virgin

You got a bunch of options, that's the first thing I noticed. 2-player battle, 1-player story line, just whatever you could wish for, except, you wonder why there is no player select screen. Well, you can only pick Bruce. That's pretty sad, just Bruce. Two-player battle is Bruce against bruce. Two-player vs. CPU is Bruce, against Bruce, against Bruce. That disappoints.

Control is sluggish. Actually, the first thing I said when I started playing was, "Sheesh, why is the control so sticky?" It's not very good. In fact, you almost always's get a sore thumb after playing it. Once you get over the control (and you *do* get over it), you might start having some fun. You, as Bruce, has 22 moves at your disposal. A few of them are almost useless, and a few are pretty cool. You have a 'chi' bar. Which is actually quite similar to the power meter in Street Fighter Alpha. You gain some and lose some by hitting and being hit. When your chi is half way full, you can enter fighter mode. In this mode you move about 5 times faster (which is a delight, since you normally move as if you were moving through molasses), and you can flip across the entire screen. You also have lightning fast attacks. When the bar is 3/4 full, you are awarded with nuchaku's. These are cool. You can show off by swinging them and gain chi. Fighting two enemies sounds cool, but it can get really annoying. If you're surrounded, you're gonna lose a bunch of energy. You get hit on one side, then another. Not good.

Every two rounds you get to fight pete the dummy, and when you lose all your (3) lives, you fight a phantom. If you can best him (which is no easy matter) you are granted your 3 lives back.

Graphics aren't very good. I haven't played any other fighter's for the Jag, so I don't know what to compare them to. Most of the backgrounds look great. Lot's of color and flawless scrolling. Some backgrounds are drab, but the cooler one's make up for it. Some have animated backgrounds (and foregrounds). The characters themselves look better then 16-bit, but not by much, and definitely do not show what 64-bit's can be. The cloths look good, all have shading, and a bit of texture. The character's skin look's just no better than 16-bit. There are some good touches. Bruce's nunchaku's move smoothly and swiftly, and there is no slow-down. Plus, there are more frame's of animation then your average 16-bitter.

Sounds aren't any better. Music is usually good. At least not annoying. Some are action paced, some not. Sound FX aren't any thing to write home about either. Average thud's, thump's, and whacks dominate. Sound's are totally average.

I think this was the first fighter for the Jag, so some are the mistakes are acceptable, I suppose. I like the game, but it is not my favorite, by far. If you're a fighting fanatic, then this is a pretty good choice, other wise, leave it alone.

Graphics-7

Not anything special. Scrolling looks nice, character's look cool. Backgrounds are eye-pleasers. Everything is sub-standard.

Sound/Music-7

Most music is good. Some impressive, other's not. definitely not anything to get excited about. Sound FX is average. Again, everything is sub-standard.

Control-6 1/2

Unnecessarily sticky. Your thumb will get red, and after extensive play, can get cramped. You're not going to lose control, you're just not going to have much. Not very good.

Power-6 1/2

Better than the 16-bit versions, but not by much. Most of the backgrounds are full of color, and there are a lot a frames of art-work. Not something to show off.

Fun Factor-7

This game can be fun if you make it fun. If you're not looking hard enough, the game is gonna become a bore, real fast. Three character's fighting at the same time can be enjoyable, but still, it's not what we were hoping for.