Considering the fact that Plasma Sword was originally a System 12 arcade game, the same board used for the Rival Schools titles, the graphics are not the drool inducing wonders we have come to expect from the Dreamcast. To make matters worse, Capcom did not even take the time to improve the game from its arcade original. We still have plenty of jaggy edges and block like appendages throughout this title. In Plasma Sword's favor, the graphics do run at a smooth 60fps with little notice of slowdown. Also, the effects given to all of the character's super and special moves shine and sparkle for that extra bit of flare. It's just unfortunate that most of the eye candy lies solely in the special moves and not the character models or backgrounds. I hate to admit it, but the rotating 2-D background is starting to get a tad annoying. It seems that for every fighting title that uses the 2-D background, it starts looking worse than the last. If we have a 3-D fight taking place, please give us a 3-D environment to interact with instead of a sparse open arena surrounded by a wrap-around picture. The graphics are passable, but knowing that Capcom is capable of so much more is a whopper of a disappointment.

At its roots, gameplay in the Plasma Sword universe will seem no different than most other Capcom titles. Basically, you only use 4 buttons to fight. You have a horizontal attack, a vertical attack, a kick, and a sidestep. Even though the game engine isn't as shaky as say, Rival Schools, you won't find the solid play experience in such titles as Soul Calibur or Dead or Alive 2. To no surprise, you'll still be performing plenty of dragon punch and fireball motions to take down your opponent. But, the main draw of the game is the plasma field that each character can generate for a limited amount of time. Your plasma field gives you an incredible fighting advantage while your opponent is trapped in it. While the plasma field idea seems like a good feature, it reminds me more of the cheap and overpowering attacks you could pull when you collected all the gems in Power Stone. In addition to your plasma field, you are also given the plasma revenge and plasma stun maneuvers, both of them being simple counter attacks. Overall, Plasma Sword is easy to pick up with a simple combo system easily laid out for you in the training mode. Although, quick improvisations to each of the character's moves can reveal some high ranging, and incredibly damaging combos, its still the old system of combo + special moves. Yet, Capcom is still able to tweak the play just enough to keep it from being a total repeat for each new game.

So, is Plasma Sword worth your hard-earned money? In the end, not really. I would only recommend this title to fans of the original Star Gladiator or those of you who are die-hard Capcom fans. I've been a follower of Capcom since the days of Street Fighter II and I have to admit that this game didn't hold my attention for very long. If you were going to purchase a Capcom game, I would save up for the domestic release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 or The Misadventures of Tron Bonne because Plasma Sword is one of those titles you can wait to purchase once it hits the bargain bin.