NCS Game Notes
» When the title screen of the game appears, little Reborn the Hitman reads out the title of the game in his squeaky little munchkin voice. Jazzy music proceeds to play while whorls of orange fire rotate in the background of the otherwise static title screen.
» Press START on the title screen and the following options appear
EPISODE / Interactive story mode where players take on the persona of Tsunayoshi.
DREAM HYPER BATTLE / 1P vs COM or 1P vs 2P fighting action.
MAFIA RANKING / Rise through the underworld by defeating opponents.
VONGOLA ART / View character profiles and saved Mafiosi fighting statistics. There's also a BGM section which is shaded and needs to be unlocked before it can be accessed.
» Hitman Reborn is 3D fighting game goodness where cel-shaded characters from the Hitman Reborn series bout it out on city streets, construction sites, modern ruins, and on other impromptu venues. In addition to conventional attacks, each character is armed with bombs, spraying shards, and other exotic weaponry that serves as a projectile attack for distance.
» Either the D-pad or L-analog thumbstick may be used to control the fighters. The button controls are as follows:
R1-TRIGGER / Guard
L1-TRIGGER / Guard
X-BUTTON / Dash
TRIANGLE / Strong Attack
SQUARE / Standard Attack
CIRCLE / Call upon supporting character
» At the outset of a match, players select a hero and then two supporters who make up a "family." The family members provide offensive support during a match to perform a combination attack of which there are 100 different types in the game. The selection of available characters is sparse in the beginning but additional fighters are unlocked during the course of playing the game.
» When the fighters smack and punch, they'll make little intonations and sounds that accompany their anguish or fighting fever.
» When the computer uses Tsunayoshi, it'll throw constant barrages of big rocks. To counter this tactic, put up your guard and then mosey next to Tsuna and attack him up close where he's less apt to throw rocks and throws punches instead.
» A "Dying Will" gauge on the bottom of the screen fills up when characters take hits and attack foes. It's sort of like an "overdrive" gauge that changes the characters into their more powerful alter-egos when at full capacity.
» In the EPISODE MODE of the game, players basically watch Vongola interact with cohorts. After an interaction sequence, choose a path that'll take him to another character and then watch that play out until an encounter against an opponent is reached and a battle ensues. The dialogue during the interaction sequences is accompanied by voice acting.
» At the outset of the game, only four characters are available for use in the Dream Hyper Battle and Mafia Ranking modes - Tsunayoshi Sawada, Hayato Gokudera, Ken Joshima, and Chikusa Kakimoto. Note that the latter two are former members of the Estraneo Family where they were experimented on and given special abilities. There are also 8 different stages are available to fight on. The game features over 30 characters who provide supporting roles or serve as opponents.
» If you play the MAFIA RANKING mode with Hayato Gokudera, the first opponent is Tsunayoshi followed by Takeshi Yamamoto who attacks with a baseball bat. Takeshi tends to bop opponents squarely on the forehead with the bat and can perform a forward slide move as if he was headed for second base. The third opponent is the animal-like Ken Joshima who's a natural born brawler with speed and powerful attacks. Continue onwards and you'll face off against the whip-wielding Dino of the Chiavorone Family who can attack from afar with his lashing attacks. Hayato then faces his own alter-ego before fighting a slickster named Kyoya Hibari who fights with a pair tonfas which are attached to his forearms. After defeating Kyoya, a short animation sequence plays and Hayato goes on to battle Mukuro Rokudo who's the leader of the fearsome Kokuyo Gang and is armed with a bo staff instead of the trident that he uses in the manga/anime. The next challenger that appears is Tsunayoshi in his "Dying Will" form.
» Hayato Gokudera throws out armfuls of dynamite sticks at opponents and mixes it up with melee attacks. The explosions that sound off when Hayato's bombs are thrown are pretty loud and will drown out the background music.
» In the "NOW LOADING" screen, Lambo may be seen dancing across the screen. When he reaches the middle, he crouches down and blows out some serious gas which morphs into the words "NOW LOADING" before continuing on his way.
» Hit combos are tracked by the game when attacks are chained together. When a Guard Break occurs, you can see what looks like ice cubes wafting in front of the opponent before they disappear from view.
Region Lock-out
Please note Japanese Playstation 2 games will not boot on USA or European PS2 consoles due to the inherent region-lockout on Playstation 2 game discs.