  Do you remember the 2000 blockbuster, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? It was known for a plethora of special effects, such as characters wall walking, running up trees, flying, and the lot. Yes, quite a good martial arts movie, if you are into that kind of stuff. Well, this year, they made a game under the same title. It features a story line that follows the story from the movie, beautiful hand drawn animations, and voices in original mandarin, with subtitles of course. Well, today, i purchased that game for $14.98 used at EB Games. (I really love cheap games, can't pass up an offer like that. ) When i got home and popped the CD (or would it be DVD? ) into my PS2 and started watching cut sequences from the movie, i was awed by the special effects.
Then, getting into the game, i was awed by the style of combat they used, and the sheer beauty of the graphics. (Very life like) The controls are quite sharp and responsive, although the blocking system could use a little work. The game gives you tips along the way, and that is quite helpful. Some of the things that i have problems with, first of all, is the camera angles. Some of the worst i have ever seen. I am constantly fighting with the analog stick that controls the camera, to actually see around me. I lose sight of the people who i'm supposed to be fighting, and if they come up behind you, you're in trouble. Even with the right analog stick controlling the camera, it doesn't move around enough. Some angles are just set, and you can't do anything about it.
I also would have enjoyed a training session, not just getting into the fighting without knowing what to do. That's not such a big deal, but it would have been helpful. The game's difficulty level is also stuck on "super-hard-in-the-first-scene-and-we-promise-you-to-give-you-even-harder-enemies". Yes, even in the first scene, it is almost unbearable hard. But once you get used to the controls, it gets easier, and they usually tend to give you enough health drinks to get you through the scene. High difficulty is not a bad thing, but i think if they were going to do that, a training mission would have been greatly appreciated.
The slogan of the game is: "Furious Martial Arts Action. " and it does deliver on that aspect. I am quite pleased that i found this game at such a good price. All i hope now is that Gundam: Encounters in Space is at EB so i can get it for my birthday. Lates 
