Square had a tough time making a decision whether or not they would release Ehrgeiz here in the states. The game had been around since late 1997, and dominated the arcades. People were eager to play the game on their Playstation. After about a year and a few months they released the game in Japan then in the U.S. The game got a mixed bag of ratings, some gave it good ratings some gave it bad ratings. Many call this game a "Final Fantasy Fighter" which what it sort of is, because the game features 5 FF7 characters, including Sephiroth, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie (secret) , Vincent (secret). The game features over 15 characters, multi level stages, mini games, an RPG mode a'la Tobal no.1 but a lot better.

       One of the biggest points in the game are it's super smooth and super detailed graphics. There is no slowdown or any show of polygonal break-up. The Arena's are excellently designed and as mentioned before have multi levels that can be used to your advantage. The FMVs look really great and the opening intro of the game is one of the best intro's I've ever seen.

       Gameplay in Ehrgeiz, is phenomenal the game is a lot of fun, and very addictive. And playing with your favorite FF7 character can just make your day.  All of the characters have their moves like Cloud has Meteor Rain, Tifa has her Somersault and etc. Except for some reason Sephiroth has Meteor Rain too, but other than that the gameplay area doesn't have any rough spots.

       What can be said about the sound, it's very very good. It has all of the songs from the Arcade, and all the effects are there too. The game also has a few familiar themes re-mixed from FF7, like the victory theme and more. The sound has no break up or anything else wrong with it.

       Now the control could take some time to get used to since this is a 3D fighter, but when learned the game can become a lot more easier and fun. The game also features specials. They are easy to pull of, al you have to do is hold O until the super is released but it takes time, so if you are hit while charging up, the move will be canceled. Also note that you have a limit for your specials you don't have an infinite amount. Block is R1or R2. Jump is L1 or L2 (these are the default controls). Triangle is High, Square is also High, X is Low, and O is the special.

       The game has tons of modes, like an RPG mode, which is like the Quest mode featured in Tobal no.1 and Tobal no.2. But in this quest mode you have the ability to save anywhere, you can bye and equip weapons, you can bye items etc. There are also 4 pretty cool mini games, Battle Runner game, that is where you have to run around the stage a number of times. Infinity battle, which is a lot like a survival mode. The battle panel game is kind of confusing and I don't know what to do there. But the most fun of all is the the Battle beach game, that is where you have to compete against the opponent in a series of running stages where you have to run by tapping O or X, and you have to jump over obstacles and so on.

       In conclusion Ehrgeiz and SFA3 are one of the best   fighting games yet.   

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Graphics: 9.6
Gameplay: 9.3
Sound: 9.4
Control: 8.9
Replay Value: 9.6

Rating: 9.4