"Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer" (known in Japan as "Choujin Gakuen Gowcaizer) is an outlandish, mostly traditional hero-themed 2D versus fighter developed by Technos Japan Corp. in 1995 for Arcades and released on the Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, and the Playstation over the next two years. The characters were designed by Masami Ōbari, an accomplished director and character designer whose work ranges from the "Fatal Fury" and "Battle Arena Toshinden" franchise to "Detonator Orgun" and "Virus Buster Serge" to even "Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Inspector". Of course, he is well known for Gowcaizer, but also for becoming an accomplished hentai and erotic content producer (with works such as "Angel Blade", "Prism Ark", etc.). Gowcaizer also has several anime OVAs (which are... interesting) drama CDs, an image song collection, and several manga. Gowcaizer is the second fighting game developed by Technos Japan (after the Neo Geo version of "Double Dragon").

While the Playstation version is terrible (missing loads of animation frames, low framerate, collision issues, lackluster soundtrack, just a baffling port in general with few redeeming qualities) the Arcade and Neo Geo versions are pretty cool, but the Neo Geo CD version is terrific and the best iteration of the game, load times aside. It's also intelligently programmed for what it's worth, making it one of the best conversions of any game to the system (mainly due to options to reduce the load times like changing the character selection to a list, proper optimization for quicker loading in general, a generally perfect conversion with all its zoomy glory, the ability to save your settings and progress, etc.). It also takes the soundtrack to a whole other level with many quirky and great arrangements of the original tracks, many with singing! It really adds to that hero / tokusatsu vibe that the game goes for. I hope Technos took a bow for their efforts on this one.

The game does have a story, but it's a little convoluted and you're better off watching the anime and checking out the other associated media to learn about the game's world. Basically, an academy of superhuman heroes is formed after events are set in motion by a once pious man, Shizuru Osaki, who goes mad from a dark ritual known as the "Slaughtering of the Self", seeking the powers to achieve Godhood. In an attempt to not be completely consumed by an evil entity known as "Omni Exist", he sends someone to distribute "Kaizer Stones", holy artifacts that bless their bearers with special powers. Several gifted people gain enhanced powers as they come across the Kaizer Stones and fight small time bad guys as super heroes as they gradually come to understand the true purpose of the stones. The fighting game doesn't give too much reason for the characters to be fighting each other, but there's a little plot interspersed here and there (with the big bad wanting to fight the strongest opponent).

As for the gameplay itself, while most fighters were gradually innovating, Gowcaizer decided to go backwards with a simplistic combo system akin to Street Fighter 2 with a few mechanics sprinkled in from titles like Fatal Fury 2 (desperation attacks at low health) and a system to learn one of your opponent's skills upon their defeat (not unlike BloodStorm). There's no hit counter, super gauges, or any of that fancy stuff, and the game plays slower as a result, but that's not to say it lacks depth; I actually like that you can choose which moves you want to use for characters you defeated as you can give a character who doesn't normally have a projectile a ranged attack or enhance a long-range fighter's melee game -- it keeps things interesting. Characters have a decent set of moves at their disposal as-is, several throws, a stepping maneuver to get in and out quickly, and most characters are fairly unique in their abilities. It's not every day an intergalactic idol can face off against a heavy metal devil after all.

This game will appeal to most old-school fighting fans, but if there was anything I took offense to, the final boss is cheap to no end. He can do an 100% damage combo from a inconsequential starter blow, has beefed up stats, and even deals a good 50% damage with his shoryuken-esque move alone. While he's not specifically designed by SNK, he qualifies for "SNK Boss Syndrome" as he makes some of our favorite SNK bosses green with envy. Ultimately, as the default high scores state, "Gowcaizer is fun!". In any event, this is a video of the game in action. Enjoy.

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