Project X Zone

 3DS
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 154 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 96 out of 154
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 154
  3. Negative: 23 out of 154
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  1. SubstanceTV
    Jun 28, 2013
    10
    Narrative:

    Be warned, do not attempt to wrap your brain around Project X Zone’s fractured fairy tale. Stringing together a cohesive plot with hundreds of characters from multiple franchises across three companies is a train wreck waiting to happen. While the narrative might not make much logical sense, I doubt even the likes of Hideo Kojima could turn this mess into a masterpiece. The    Narrative:

    Be warned, do not attempt to wrap your brain around Project X Zone’s fractured fairy tale. Stringing together a cohesive plot with hundreds of characters from multiple franchises across three companies is a train wreck waiting to happen. While the narrative might not make much logical sense, I doubt even the likes of Hideo Kojima could turn this mess into a masterpiece. The overarching story is your standard save the world trope. How exactly does this diverse cast find themselves in the same game? Simple: A mysterious stone has been stolen by a group of baddies which has the ability to merge these realities into one world.

    To Monolith’s credit it’s evident a genuine effort was put forth to relate the characters, however different, to one another. For instance, when Ling Xiaoyu of Tekken bumps into Pai of Virtua Fighter, she instantly recognizes her as a martial arts action movie star. Just one of the little exchanges of dialogue between characters that adds to the charm of the game. It helps elevate an otherwise average narrative and is the kind of humorous banter which truly makes the game endearing.

    Audio:

    Monolith also took advantage of the rich soundscape afforded to them because of this team up. The music of each franchise is almost as iconic as the characters themselves. There are a few original tracks, but for the most part the soundtrack is filled with memorable remixed versions of these classic melodies. There is something indescribably amazing about doing battle as the opening stage music to Mega Man X4 blares through your speakers. Even obscure songs, such as ‘Primitive Force (Theme of our Hero)’ from Sega’s Gain Ground, make it in the mix. This all adds to the previously mentioned fan service found in the story.

    The original Japanese voice overs have been kept intact for the American release. This is much preferred over an English dub which would have been expensive and unnecessary.

    Visuals:

    As an avid fan of all things 2S, PXZ is a testament to the goodness of sprite artwork. Considering the hundreds of characters which had to to be individually translated into sprites then animated, it’s an impressive feat. Each character is drawn in a similar style to fit within the world of PXZ. For the most part this translation works well with just a few exceptions (I’m can’t put my finger on it but sometimes the polygon characters look a tad off).

    Beyond the fidelity of the sprites is the fluid animation. Every character has dozens of unique animations along with a handful of special/super attack animations. Four to five characters on screen at once showering the enemy with a flurry of attacks looks awesome if not rather visually assaulting.

    Gameplay:

    This is where the game distances itself from other tactics based RPGs. If you’re familiar with the Super Robot Wars series you’ll be fairly comfortable with the controls from the word go. Like its brethren, battles take place on an isometric grid. Though it’s when a your hero faces off against an enemy that the perspective changes to a side scrolling, dare I say, fighting game style. Dubbed the “Cross Active Battle System”, you control a single hero or a pair of heros who can utilize different button combinations to attack the enemy in real time. Not only are the number of attacks limited but juggling baddies becomes integral. Juggled enemies cannot block which then allows you to continue your barrage of attacks giving you the ability to pull off the aforementioned seizure inducing super moves.

    You also have control of support allies who can join the fray by attacking the enemy via the “Support Hit” and “Cross Hit” abilities. If your hero of choice happens to be in close enough proximity to another hero, you can call on them to inflict a special attack on the enemy in the middle of the battle. Therein lies part of the depth and strategy. Timing is absolutely essential to pulling off massively damaging combos.

    There were a few small lingering issues. Such as the way the in game scenery seems to get in my way from time to time when I’m trying to plan my attack. Lastly there will always be the complaint of “Why isn’t character “X” in this game?!” To that I say deal with it. You can’t make everyone happy. I feel the characters selected for the game are a healthy mix of the iconic to the obscure.

    Conclusion:

    In the end you pretty much already know if you’re going to like this game or not. There’s no deep underlying themes or story line. It’s an addictively fun Japanese action RPG with all the fan service any Namco, Sega, or Capcom fan could want. It trades long winded exposition for pulse pounding exhibition. For that I absolutely love it. You can tell the Monolith loves these franchises as much as their respective fans.

    If you can appreciate Project X Zone for the highly tuned experience it is, you’ll find yourself lost in a game with few equals in terms of both gameplay and fun.    … Expand
  2. kiwijinxter
    Jan 7, 2014
    10
    Nuts. Pure Japanese nuts. In a VERY good way!

    Project X Zone simply showcases how crazily imaginative Japanese game designers can be. Simply put, this is a fighting game. Yes you walk around a chess-board grid like, but as soon as you meet an enemy, it turns into a fighting game. It’s a bit like Street Fighter 2 Plus Plus on steroids and features characters from not one, not two but    Nuts. Pure Japanese nuts. In a VERY good way!

    Project X Zone simply showcases how crazily imaginative Japanese game designers can be.

    Simply put, this is a fighting game. Yes you walk around a chess-board grid like, but as soon as you meet an enemy, it turns into a fighting game. It’s a bit like Street Fighter 2 Plus Plus on steroids and features characters from not one, not two but get this, THREE of Japan’s larger gaming companies, namely Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega. Can you imagine all these characters from famous franchises all coming together in a crazy brawl, Japanese style? Street Fighter’s Ken & Ryu fighting alongside Resident Evil’s Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, Virtua Fighter’s Pai & Akira, Dead Rising’s Frank West, Tekken’s Jin & Ling Xiaoyu

    Expect a frantic, chaotic, funny over-the-top fighting game. In some scenes there are up to 5 characters beating up a single enemy onscreen (but don’t feel sorry for the enemy, some of these enemies have about 10 times your HP anyway!). Couple that with crazy kung-fu swordfights gunfights and pyrotechnics coming out of the hand machine guns missile launchers exploding armours etc, and you’ve got the gist of the game. There are some real funny action sequences like a character breaking out in a catsuit to scratch the enemy, or a character whose armour explodes resulting with the character in his boxer shorts! These crazy as Japanese stuff made me chuckle a couple of times.

    While one could easily mistake this as a simple, dumb button-mashing fighting game, one can’t be further from the truth. While you can theoretically button-mash (your battles won’t be as effective though), there’s actually quite a bit of strategy you can employ involved in the game. Here are just some examples:
    1) Critical hits are gained from a very precise timing of your button-press just before the enemy lands on the ground, if you hit “A” just at the right second, you land critical hits, resulting in more damage caused.
    2) Like RPGs, you acquire new skills after every few levels and you actually need to use some of these skills to more easily complete some levels or you can do it the hard way ;)
    3) Different characters have different traits e.g. you should use characters with longer move range if it’s a level where you have a time limit to reach a destination within a certain time period
    4) Your fighters always fight in pairs against the enemy. However, you can add a 3rd fighter to your arsenal to add that extra bit of damage.
    5) There’s items you can assign to each team to boost certain characteristics.

    I found this game really addictive so even though each level could take up to an hour to complete depending on how many monsters there are on the battlefield, I still enjoyed every moment of it. Fortunately, you can Quick Save in any level so you don’t lose your progress should you need to stop.

    I’ve spent countless hours playing this game, due to its fun factor. If you haven’t given it a go, really you should! I LOVE this game!    … Expand
  3. darkziosj
    Jan 28, 2014
    10
    Are you looking for a fun jrpg that isn't really that hard but fun all the way? looking for a game that has some of your favorite characters from gaming? great art work and awesome remakes of classic and new music? well this game is for you i highly recommend it for people that likes srpgs in general.
  4. Donelwero
    Jun 26, 2013
    10
    The game is not perfect, yeah. But it is great. I followed this game since they announced it was coming out overseas, I was really excited about it, but a lot of people kept saying that the game had low sales on Japan, that the games is awful, etc.

    Well, they couldn't be more wrong. The game is great and can provide lots of fun, and a ton of hours of gameplay. It you are expecting    The game is not perfect, yeah. But it is great. I followed this game since they announced it was coming out overseas, I was really excited about it, but a lot of people kept saying that the game had low sales on Japan, that the games is awful, etc.

    Well, they couldn't be more wrong. The game is great and can provide lots of fun, and a ton of hours of gameplay. It you are expecting something like Fire Emblem, don't be stupid, I mean, you see those characters you get to use, don't you? I would you expect a game like Fire Emblem (I love FE). But this game is different. This game was made for amuzement, you get to play with some of your greatest characters and see them in action.

    The fights are super fast, and it is not just button mashing, you have to time up your actions very well to chain your combos right. There's gear and special equipment for your characters. Don't let reviews make you put this one down. Watch a gameplay of the game in youtube and be honest with you, if you like what you see, you will like the game, if you don't then maybe it's just not for you.    … Expand
  5. WoodenToaster
    Jun 25, 2013
    10
    This game is nearly perfect, it has lots of creative and cool ways to dismember enemies and has a huge roster of awesome characters. The soundtrack to this game is fantastic as well.
  6. dreamgod247
    Jun 25, 2013
    10
    The game is pure fun and very addictive, a must for rpg fans. I love the cross combination of the different characters from Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega. The easy controls makes the game even better. Another great RPG for the 3DS. Highly recommend.
  7. ThirtySix
    Jul 14, 2013
    10
    After seeing these negative reviews, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if they had never played the game in the first place (which if you look into it you will find that's the case with alot of negative reviews), Look at some gameplay, it's the text book example of simple to play, hard to master, an amazing game made for what they call amazing fans!
  8. Gyroexe
    Jul 11, 2014
    10
    Great game, very addictive, and as far as I know it is not necessary to compare with the super JRPG's... I think this is like a mix between Final Fantasy Tactics and the Combo-like moves from Tekken, SF, KoF... Well done, and very fun for the old school gamers. Recommended 100%
  9. Zachatastic117
    Jul 3, 2015
    10
    This game. It's odd, but good. Essentially, the game is a crazy mix up of Namco Bandai, SEGA, & Capcom characters that allows for a lot of variants in combat, that can create various scenarios. In addition, the game has plenty to offer in terms of fan-service, references, and the story is pretty good considering the standard set by most cross overs is pretty low. Finally, there's theThis game. It's odd, but good. Essentially, the game is a crazy mix up of Namco Bandai, SEGA, & Capcom characters that allows for a lot of variants in combat, that can create various scenarios. In addition, the game has plenty to offer in terms of fan-service, references, and the story is pretty good considering the standard set by most cross overs is pretty low. Finally, there's the music. It is amazing. While all of it is 16/32 bit it does the originals justice. Over all, it is pretty long, being around 45-50 Hours long. So it deserves a 10/10. Here's hoping the sequel is just as awesome.… Expand
  10. criticguy22
    Nov 26, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love it when a game is so eccentric and wild, It's hard to put down. And Project X Zone reached that goal! The game is a huge RPG/Fighter style mixup and it takes on a very engaging storyline! I seriously can't tell you how fun it is to unleash devastating combos on your enemies! With great graphics and essential gameplay, this game stands out from the rest.… Expand
  11. FossArchangel
    Jun 28, 2013
    9
    Opening Statement:
    When I brought this game, I thought that I would be able to blow through it in about two days. Boy was I wrong! I don't think that I got through, half the game yet, and I clocked in about 17 hours. It is really fun, and really addictive. I have a really hard time putting it down. I think that this is a game that I will be playing for a long time. It have a bunch of    Opening Statement:
    When I brought this game, I thought that I would be able to blow through it in about two days. Boy was I wrong! I don't think that I got through, half the game yet, and I clocked in about 17 hours. It is really fun, and really addictive. I have a really hard time putting it down. I think that this is a game that I will be playing for a long time. It have a bunch of characters from games, that I love. Like Tekken, Street Fighter, Mega Man, just to name a few. It also has a lot, and I MEAN A LOT of fan service. Kept in mind, it's not perfect.

    This game has a total of 200 characters from different franchises (both ally and enemy characters). It makes me question something though. Like, why didn't Sega include characters from Sonic, and Capcom didn't include Vergil, or Trish from Devil May Cry? It's just a little nitpick honestly, if felt like mentioning it.

    Plot Summary:
    It's a little confusing honestly. It's about time and space, different dimensions, how they connect with each other, stuff like that. That is about how simple I can make it. It gets really confusing as you go on. You have to play the game yourself to know what I mean, cause I don't know how to explain any better then this.

    Gameplay:
    If you played any of the Super Robot Wars game, Namco X Capcom, or Endless Frontier, then you know what to expect here. However, unlike those games, you have a unit of two characters. You have to your characters moves, to juggle your enemy into the air, and get a lot of hits. The more you juggle your enemy, the more it counts towards your XP gauge, which is pretty much your Limit Break of this game.

    If you are close enough to one of your ally units, then they join in while your attacking as support characters. There are also characters, that you can have in your as a third character in your main unit, known as a solo unit. You can call your solo, and support characters in by using the L and R triggers. If two units (counting the solo characters) hit your enemy at the same time, then they freeze in the air, and you don't have to worry about them landing on the ground, and ruining the number of hits, that you got.

    Music and Voice Overs:
    Is the Music good? Well let's see: It has music from a lot of star franchises, that is really good, and something that a lot of people love and enjoy, so of course.

    As for the voice overs, they kept the original Japanese voice actors in the game. I would have liked the choice to chance from Japanese to English, but again, it's just a little nitpick.

    Final Thoughts:
    What this game lacks in story, it more makes up from it, with it's awesome soundtrack, addictive gameplay, and the fan service. (What? I'm a guy).

    It also mind me smile a couple of times. If you pair certain characters up, with solo characters then you are really funny, and creative dialogue. Which I love!

    Overall, if you have a 3DS, and if your a fan of RPGs, then you should pick this up. If your not sure the game is right for you, download the demo on the 3DS eShop.

    Now I would give this game a 9.3/10, but because I can't, I have to give it a 9.    … Expand
  12. YoSahop
    Sep 25, 2013
    9
    This game definitely kills time. I spent about 70 hours playing this game after reading the text. This game can bring an emotional side out of you as you spend 2 hours to complete one chapter and then die. So utilize saving the game. Only thing that made no sense about this game was the story. Just a bunch of yapping. This game brings a lot of challenge to the real gamer. Makes you say,This game definitely kills time. I spent about 70 hours playing this game after reading the text. This game can bring an emotional side out of you as you spend 2 hours to complete one chapter and then die. So utilize saving the game. Only thing that made no sense about this game was the story. Just a bunch of yapping. This game brings a lot of challenge to the real gamer. Makes you say, "There goes that real gamer in me right there." After beating the game.… Expand
  13. Hockeyhacker
    Nov 10, 2013
    9
    Fairly fun RPG with a lot of different characters from different games in it. While as far as Tactical RPGs goes Fire Emblem is one of the best of such a great genre, this game is fairly fun in it's own rights. While it may have fights that are just a major time sink because of being waves of nearly 50 units at a time the combat system in it makes it slightly more enjoyable to do all thoseFairly fun RPG with a lot of different characters from different games in it. While as far as Tactical RPGs goes Fire Emblem is one of the best of such a great genre, this game is fairly fun in it's own rights. While it may have fights that are just a major time sink because of being waves of nearly 50 units at a time the combat system in it makes it slightly more enjoyable to do all those fights since the difference between doing 500 damage in an attack phase and 3,000 damage in an attack phase comes down to timing your attacks right to keep the enemy juggled so it can not defend, while the controls are highly simplistic and easy to learn the having (on average) 2-4 basic attacks, a special attack and a support attack and figuring out at what time to use which of the 3-4 different basic attacks in combination with your special attack or support attack in order to juggle the enemy and have minimal misses (due to enemy being to high or to low for a certain attack to hit) adds a bit more to the combat then just sword beats axe beats polearm beats sword.

    If you have to choose between this game and Fire Emblem for the 3DS, I would say Fire Emblem hands down, but if you finished Fire Emblem and are looking for another tactical RPG to play this game is not to shabby for what it is. All in all I would call it an average game, nothing that stands out as a must play title, but nothing that makes you not want to play it either, if your wanting a tactical RPG you can definitely do worse then this, but with how many good games have been coming out in this genre of late I can see it getting lost in the flood.    … Expand
  14. Zemeckis
    Feb 9, 2014
    8
    The last crossover game that I've played before Project X Zone was Cross Edge. I was able to notice that mixing a lot of characters from different worlds is not an easy task, so I was kinda worried when I decided to play this game. Fortunately, I've enjoyed the experience, specially because I'm a huge fan of the SRPG genre.

    The real challenge about making a game with such different    The last crossover game that I've played before Project X Zone was Cross Edge. I was able to notice that mixing a lot of characters from different worlds is not an easy task, so I was kinda worried when I decided to play this game. Fortunately, I've enjoyed the experience, specially because I'm a huge fan of the SRPG genre.

    The real challenge about making a game with such different worlds, characters and rules is to find a balance that makes you believe the crossover is acceptable. I didn't play all the games that the characters belong to (some of them weren't localized). But I think the story worked okay even knowing that, for instance, Resident Evil and Shining Force are completely different. The real problem is that there's too many characters and it's impossible to focus individually on them. The script had to be made in a way that each character speaks a little to give a chance to the others speak too. We choose our favorite characters but they don't get focus.

    The battle system is the real thing to be highlighted. I personally prefer 2D over 3D, and since most games are made in 3D nowadays I can say that I really had a great time watching all the excellent and well made hand draw animations. The moves, specially the finishing moves, are awesome. Some battles have around 50 enemies on the field, which is a considerable number since it's turn-based.

    Unfortunately, at some point in the game everything starts to be repetitive because there's no more attacks and skills to be unlocked. Another thing that I didn't like and it's the same mistake of Endless Frontier is fighting against the same bosses over and over again, which makes the game even more repetitive. It's not cool to defeat a boss many times wondering how he manages to escape every time and watch the heroes do nothing about it. The skills have nothing special due to the fact that they basically do the same things: heal, increase range, general buffs... It would be cool if the characters had unique skills.

    In short, Project X Zone is a great Japanese SRPG to be played if you enjoy the genre and at least some of the characters. Also, be aware that the game is very extensive, specially if you don't skip the animations. Some chapters could have been easily cut out to shorten the story. Be aware also that the last boss can be difficult if you don't have strategy or sufficient level. I recommend that you defeat as many enemies as possible before doing the requirements of each chapter in order to be strong in the last chapter.    … Expand
  15. LostAnkh
    Jun 28, 2013
    8
    One word can simply sum up this game perfectly:

    Fan service And an overly crazy game where you have no idea what is going on. This triple crossover of Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega proves that there are still games to look forward to from other companies beside Nintendo for the 3DS. It isn't an overly complex game that is incredibly deep as Fire Emblem, but a straight forward    One word can simply sum up this game perfectly:

    Fan service

    And an overly crazy game where you have no idea what is going on.

    This triple crossover of Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega proves that there are still games to look forward to from other companies beside Nintendo for the 3DS. It isn't an overly complex game that is incredibly deep as Fire Emblem, but a straight forward Strategy RPG that is fun to play and great to see in action. The sprites and the animations for this game are so crisp and clean, not to the mention that they look really good. A very simple battle system that only requires timing when it comes to combos that could end the battle sooner and leave time to build meter (plus show off). The music is a great homage to the way video game music sounded back in the day, and hearing new mixes of classic songs are still great too.

    Fun game nonetheless.    … Expand
  16. boredasfook
    Jun 28, 2013
    8
    Project X Zone is a fun SRPG that should not be missed. Worth a look if you enjoyed Fire Emblem Awakening. Try the demo if you like it buy the game and hopefully we will see more of these types of games come to the states.

    PS.
    Be sure to get the limited edition to get the extra goodies.
  17. caffeine305
    Jul 25, 2013
    8
    The game mechanics is quite simple for a Tactics-RPG. Still, the battle system is where the game bests. The story... wait, is there a story? I was so immerse into the game that I completelly forgot there was a story. That's how great this game is: A totally non-sense story that just gives flavor to the frantic battles of this marvelous mash-up.
  18. TheNobleProdigy
    Jul 8, 2013
    8
    Now I know this game isn't the next Fire Emblem, but it's still a damn fine game. Now true the combat system can get repetitive it's still a very unique take on how most SRPGs are played. Rather then moving your character over to an enemy and watching a battle scene play out, Project X Zone actually gets the player involved by bringing in a combo system you use to maximize damage. Your'eNow I know this game isn't the next Fire Emblem, but it's still a damn fine game. Now true the combat system can get repetitive it's still a very unique take on how most SRPGs are played. Rather then moving your character over to an enemy and watching a battle scene play out, Project X Zone actually gets the player involved by bringing in a combo system you use to maximize damage. Your'e not going to win by just mashing A, you need to time each attack, solo attack, or team assist in order to keep a combo going, and with each character having different ways of attacking your'e always going to be on your toes when it comes to which one your'e going to pick next. The amount of characters in this game is massive, the combination of Capcom, Sega, and Namco worlds all coming together ensures players that they will see characters from their favorite franchises, and maybe even discover ones they have never heard of that they would enjoy playing, and each character has their own beautiful sprite design that comes with smooth and fun to watch animations. However this game has its faults, probably the most glaring issue with this game is it's story, they basically made it a confusing mess. Often times I found myself getting bored of listening to every character put their 2 cents in on the situation which lead me to skip most of the dialogue, and miss something crucial to the storyline. Thankfully they included a profile viewing system which shows each character and main enemy and what exactly they're doing here (however this is only if your'e willing to even look at this). Another issue is that some characters aren't even seen until half way through the game (the case with X and Zero), or you get play with them a little bit in the beginning but they disappear soon after and aren't found again until god knows how long (the case with Ryu and Ken, and Jin and Xiaoyu). Even with these issues however this game still manages to stand out from other SRPGs, and if your'e a fan of these kinds of games, or game companies it's a must have for your 3ds library.… Expand
  19. Ross5000
    Jul 17, 2013
    8
    This is not Fire Emblem but that's fine, it's ridiculous to compare it really. It's supposed to be a completely different animal and it is. It's not as deep and well rounded but it's a hell of a lot of fun! If you have any interest in the franchises involved or SRPGs at all then it's worth a look.
  20. MW1AA2Gs
    Aug 15, 2013
    8
    This game is very boring but it is still very good with beautiful graphics (even though there are 2D sprites), Great game play, and a solid musical score.
  21. jodmk2
    Mar 3, 2014
    8
    Project X Zone is all round a very good game though it is not without flaw.

    The pair units have their own "individual" stats. The reason for the commas is that the stats are so near to each other with every character there isn't even a need for them. The only stat I found was used correctly was HP where there were some noticeable gaps that I needed to fill with items. Next are the    Project X Zone is all round a very good game though it is not without flaw.

    The pair units have their own "individual" stats. The reason for the commas is that the stats are so near to each other with every character there isn't even a need for them. The only stat I found was used correctly was HP where there were some noticeable gaps that I needed to fill with items.

    Next are the solo units and equipment. With the equipment there is very little noticeable change and with the solo units while they all had their own unique skills I never found myself wanting to experiment with combinations. I just wanted to keep characters from the same games together. They did not flesh these and so the customisation just ends up a bit gimmicky.

    The story. Don't try to follow the story too closely as you will get lost. Dragging in so many characters and so many environments from each area was ambitious and I don't think anyone could have made a perfect story with all of this information.

    Finally is the characters themselves. It is great to see some fan favourites in there but nobody will know everyone in depth as there are some from series that have never made it out of Japan and technically this is game number 2. The first was only released in Japan so there will be references that you simply won't understand unless you read up on it.

    Having said that the combat is interesting and the writing for the game is clever in terms of the humour. The game doesn't take itself too seriously. This is very helpful as the sheer amount of information can be overwhelming so it is nice to see them take a light hearted approach. Everyone's first line after seeing Kaguya for the first time does make me chuckle and Frank always taken photos at the most inappropriate time is also funny.

    The battle system is fairly easy to master; it's all about timing to ensure you don't drop the enemy mid combo. The interesting thing from a tactical point of view is the XP (not EXP) gauge. Nearly every action revolves around using it, both offensive and defensive. Your skills, defend and counters, special and multi attacks all cost XP so you have to think carefully on whether to let an attack through to go all out of whether to block and save up for next time.

    The best thing about the game is the design. Visually it is great and the locations are always different thanks to them exploiting everyone’s games for maps. I love what they have done with the music. The music that plays depends on the last unit that had a turn. Each pair’s music is remastered versions of soundtracks from their individual games. The only issue I have is the voice acting. I personally prefer English. I can understand keeping the Japanese as many people like this but I think it would have been nice to give you an option of which to use.

    All in all it is a good light hearted approach to tactical RPG's that just about pulls it off and it is definitely worth a try.    … Expand
  22. Kenmei
    Sep 13, 2013
    7
    Usually I hate games like this. Games that sacrifice story, character development, and anything else revolving around the plot for great gameplay usually aren't what I go for. But that's exactly what this game does and I love it for some reason. First off, the plot is pure nonsense. I honestly stopped trying to pay attention to what was going on because it was so convoluted that it wasUsually I hate games like this. Games that sacrifice story, character development, and anything else revolving around the plot for great gameplay usually aren't what I go for. But that's exactly what this game does and I love it for some reason. First off, the plot is pure nonsense. I honestly stopped trying to pay attention to what was going on because it was so convoluted that it was almost pointless to keep following, especially since they add a new character every chapter, with your final party being somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40 separate characters to play. But the game is just so much fun. The fighting system was made for handhelds and I can't think of a system that was more perfectly designed for the handheld market than this one. Do I think it would work on a console? Yes but not nearly as well. I do feel like I overpaid for this game when I bought it for 30 bucks a few months back but I don't exactly regret my decision as it's given me hours of fun going around and playing with the fighting system. It definitely won't win any awards this year but there's something to be said about the value that fun brings to a game sometimes. If you can overlook the fact that pretty much everything else about the game is mediocre/below average, then you'll really enjoy this game.… Expand
  23. TheRavingTimes
    Jun 25, 2013
    7
    Project X Zone is simply a straight forward Tactical-RPG with emphasis on a Capcom styled fight sequence for each of it's battles. Though it can seem immersive at times, the gameplay can feel a little shallow considering that combos can be easily pulled off easily and one of the main strategies for clearing each stage revolves around keeping your units together and either clearing out theProject X Zone is simply a straight forward Tactical-RPG with emphasis on a Capcom styled fight sequence for each of it's battles. Though it can seem immersive at times, the gameplay can feel a little shallow considering that combos can be easily pulled off easily and one of the main strategies for clearing each stage revolves around keeping your units together and either clearing out the weaker units before sending them on an all-out assault. Roster wise, it's amazing to see Megaman X gain recognition after Megaman's horrendous appearance in Street Fighter X Tekken and each and every character have some amazing voice acting followed up. Though I can understand why a majority of characters are Japanese anime stereotypes, but I find it questionable why Sega excluded characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Nights, Ryo Hakazuki, and not a single character to Skies of Arcadia. The story can prove to be another weak point since most of the characters seem to be easily swallowed up into the plot due to the large cast of characters. Though I've only register a few hours, Project X Zone is an amazing title, though it could have had some additional gameplay elements. If you're a huge fan of any of the four developers who helped out with this game or simply need a RPG for the summer then look no further.… Expand
  24. asjklasjklas
    Jul 21, 2013
    7
    Project X Zone is targeted at very specific gamers and is overwhelmingly limited beyond that; while the crossover concept is overall excellent and has a variety of characters from franchise favorites such as Mega Man, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Tekken, etc., the stories and dialogues of the characters become far too confusing to make it all worth viewing. And gameplay becomesProject X Zone is targeted at very specific gamers and is overwhelmingly limited beyond that; while the crossover concept is overall excellent and has a variety of characters from franchise favorites such as Mega Man, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Tekken, etc., the stories and dialogues of the characters become far too confusing to make it all worth viewing. And gameplay becomes horrendously repetitive with very limited tactic settings and special attacks that are all style, no substance. But that being said, the anime/16-bit style visuals throughout the game will pleasure many of the franchise's fandoms and maybe even some of those unfamiliar with the lesser known ones (ahem, Sega's).… Expand
  25. ThePokeRalls
    Jul 7, 2013
    7
    As a quirky, fan service-y type game, Project X Zone achieves what it sets out to do. It's a fun, throw together type of game that's a real treat for fans. It unfortunately falls into the shadow of superior strategy RPGs like the recent Fire Emblem Awakening, which is unfair because although PXZ appears to be a strategy RPG, it's a very different type of game that focuses more on theAs a quirky, fan service-y type game, Project X Zone achieves what it sets out to do. It's a fun, throw together type of game that's a real treat for fans. It unfortunately falls into the shadow of superior strategy RPGs like the recent Fire Emblem Awakening, which is unfair because although PXZ appears to be a strategy RPG, it's a very different type of game that focuses more on the action side of combat than the actual strategy. It's cheap for a reason and well worth playing for fans of any of the many series that are represented in the game (of which there are around 30). Project X Zone is a rare treat for Japanese gaming fans and it's great that Namco Bandai went to the trouble of translating the game for the Western audiences. It's not supposed to be the best game ever, just a bit of fun for the fans and damn is it fun.… Expand
  26. AKthaBeast
    May 24, 2018
    7
    Game play mechanics are easy to learn and fun when it comes to an tactical RPG, style is excellent and seeing combo moves between characters you might have played in their original franchise is dope but what it lacks in is variety. There are just way too many levels with you doing the same thing over and over again instead of a variety of different objectives. The story is way tooGame play mechanics are easy to learn and fun when it comes to an tactical RPG, style is excellent and seeing combo moves between characters you might have played in their original franchise is dope but what it lacks in is variety. There are just way too many levels with you doing the same thing over and over again instead of a variety of different objectives. The story is way too repetitive with the characters not knowing wtf is going on in each level. Overall the game is fun but you can get easily tired of it after 5+ hours of it....… Expand
  27. tukumalu
    Nov 27, 2020
    7
    Engaging visual with interesting crossover concept, however, held back by its repetitive gameplay and mediocre story
  28. GamErin8622
    Aug 2, 2020
    7
    Project X Zone is a quirky and fun SRPG. Combining the animesque characters across Sega, Capcom, and Namco, this game’s full of fan service (the reference kind and the... women kind). I’ll start with the gameplay: duos (and added singular units) move across a chess-like board to fight enemies. You press the A button and a directional input in an effort to chain all of your attacks toProject X Zone is a quirky and fun SRPG. Combining the animesque characters across Sega, Capcom, and Namco, this game’s full of fan service (the reference kind and the... women kind). I’ll start with the gameplay: duos (and added singular units) move across a chess-like board to fight enemies. You press the A button and a directional input in an effort to chain all of your attacks to prevent the enemy from hitting the ground. Nearby duos can also join you in attacking, plus the assigned solo unit, so up to five characters can be smacking an enemy around. It’s very involved and quite creative; I never get sick of it, even after my dozen or so replays. Even with the interesting battle system, the later levels start to get very tedious, pushing on an hour per chapter (out of 41, plus the four or five prologues), as enemies start to push crazy levels of HP and your item supply starts to drain. There’s no place to grind and no place to purchase items, and even I struggle to beat the later levels at times (mostly because of the tedium; it’s not really a hard game). Shoutouts to the last two chapters of the game, where you fight a ton of clones of bosses for both of them. All with (or over) 100,000 HP. In a game where you can do ~3,000 damage in a battle (without special attacks), it’s absolutely brutal, and I always want to give up when I get to the last few chapters. The humor, though, is wonderful. It’s a ton of reference humor and characters bouncing off each other: the silly ones, the comedically serious ones, the straight-up edgelords... The mass of character types all have interactions with each other and they’re all hilarious. There’s multiple references to quotes, mostly from Capcom games, that get a chuckle out of me, like the classic “Jill sandwich”, but sometimes to a detriment (I still can’t take a certain someone’s anguished question seriously, even without the terrible voice acting). There’s a lot of meta humor, but no fourth wall breaks. Onto the plot, then. The plot is probably the least important thing about this game. It’s a total excuse plot that only serves to get all these characters together and to bring back villains. Something about a magic stone being stolen that keeps all the worlds together...? I think? Nothing the characters do, the villains or the heroes, has much of an effect on the plot. Everyone just runs around and they all eventually end up together fighting the other side. The plot’s also kind of unbalanced; there’s really only a couple villains that do anything and a couple heroes who get focus. A couple don’t even get villains. Only one of the villains does anything remotely smart; he says, “Hey, I was dead, but now I’m not. I hate that one guy, so I’m gonna revive his best friend’s dead girlfriend and laugh maniacally about it in front of them.” Paraphrased, of course, but accurate. Yeah, it’s really only that one guy (no names for spoiler reasons) and the main villain (who steals the magic stone) who do anything. Most of the others just fight the heroes a couple times and die at the end of it. They’re not too dead to return for the sequel, though.
    Another minor problem I had with the game was the translation. There are a lot of points where punctuation wasn’t used when it needed to be or something just wasn’t right (“an knight” with Flynn).
    Overall, this game is pretty good. The gamplay in engaging, the characters all get a chance to shine, and the humor is on point. It gets tedious in the later chapters, though, and the story isn’t much. It’s still a pretty good experience.    … Expand
  29. RyanA
    Jul 19, 2013
    6
    I can definitely say that the story mode is long enough, and makes enough sense. Maybe one of the things that isn't very good in this game is the limited number of moves on the map. This along with the fact that you can beat your opponent without doing any fancy shcmancy combos, that are definitely necessary in regular fighting games. The element of randomness also helps the score, somehowI can definitely say that the story mode is long enough, and makes enough sense. Maybe one of the things that isn't very good in this game is the limited number of moves on the map. This along with the fact that you can beat your opponent without doing any fancy shcmancy combos, that are definitely necessary in regular fighting games. The element of randomness also helps the score, somehow both suffer and stay relatively high. Overall, 6.4/10… Expand
  30. Mattiator
    Aug 11, 2015
    5
    After two years I finally mustered the willpower to slog through the last of Project X Zone. Really, the game has a major issue with dragging on well past the point where it stops being enjoyable. The first half of the game is a pleasure, as you meet new characters and learn new moves while honing your skills with the battle system. The next ten missions have the story starting to come toAfter two years I finally mustered the willpower to slog through the last of Project X Zone. Really, the game has a major issue with dragging on well past the point where it stops being enjoyable. The first half of the game is a pleasure, as you meet new characters and learn new moves while honing your skills with the battle system. The next ten missions have the story starting to come to a head. The adrenaline rush of the first twenty missions keep you pushing towards the ending, even as the novelty of the battle system has worn off. Then... the story doesn't end. It keeps going. For another fifteen missions that get increasingly long. Level design is awful even early on, as the game seems to have no way to ramp difficulty up besides "throw more dudes in with more health", and the game completely falls apart into menial busywork as you repeat your perfectly honed moves on enemies that have no difference from one another besides appearance, all the way through until the finale. Project X Zone was a game I was fully ready to give a nice positive rating to, but the story went nowhere, the battles became boring, the characters never evolved, and I honestly couldn't play much more than a level at a time without throwing the game down and playing something else for at least a few weeks to refresh the novelty a little. Positives? Well, the music's good, though a bit low quality for the 3DS. The spritework is gorgeous, and it helps a lot with snagging your interest with just how amazing it all flows. At 60 hours it's a long game (though really I would have preferred a tighter, shorter game, maybe around 30 hours instead). If you can find it cheap the first half might be worth the price of entry.… Expand
  31. violentvito
    Sep 9, 2013
    5
    Fun at first but drags most of the way through. The main characters of the game are Kite and BlackRose, if those are not the characters you like too bad. The actual main characters Mii and Kogoro take a back seat to these boring .hack characters. Despite people saying the story is confusing, its not. Its just so simple, and the characters are so stupid it confuses people. Its like aFun at first but drags most of the way through. The main characters of the game are Kite and BlackRose, if those are not the characters you like too bad. The actual main characters Mii and Kogoro take a back seat to these boring .hack characters. Despite people saying the story is confusing, its not. Its just so simple, and the characters are so stupid it confuses people. Its like a Saturday morning cartoon in story quality. Let me sum it up, bad guy wants to take over all of time and space and good guys want to stop him. I did enjoy the fun combat system, but that can't keep the game going alone. Unless you a huge .hack fan, this game will not be that fun. Every other RPG I have played on the 3DS has been better than this. Every character is a glass cannon, where is the class differences?… Expand
  32. yusep
    Feb 19, 2015
    5
    This game is hard to evaluate.
    Game is ok, art is superb, gameplay duration is horrible. SUPERB as fanservice.
    The game is passable, actually it can be good.... but oh god.. somebody should had to tell the team that 60+hours repeating the same gameplay was too much. If that game would last 20 hours would be far way better... the story is totally laughable and the gameplay fits better in    This game is hard to evaluate.
    Game is ok, art is superb, gameplay duration is horrible. SUPERB as fanservice.
    The game is passable, actually it can be good.... but oh god.. somebody should had to tell the team that 60+hours repeating the same gameplay was too much.
    If that game would last 20 hours would be far way better... the story is totally laughable and the gameplay fits better in those 20 hours.
    you will spend most of the other 40 hours just repeating the same.
    the issue is that what you do in the game is not bad at all , is *** cool. The animations, the character and the combos and awesome.
    The game lacked difficulty (except the last battle.... IF i would fail there i would not play it again...).    … Expand
  33. WarpWhistle
    Feb 20, 2015
    5
    Project X Zone feels like a game made by a young child. It throws logic and reason to the wind and mashes together characters from many different franchises in one confusing mess. It lacks direction, depth, and tries to sell itself on the value of the characters alone. To be fair, it portrays all the franchises well and has reference materials in-game so you can understand all that goesProject X Zone feels like a game made by a young child. It throws logic and reason to the wind and mashes together characters from many different franchises in one confusing mess. It lacks direction, depth, and tries to sell itself on the value of the characters alone. To be fair, it portrays all the franchises well and has reference materials in-game so you can understand all that goes on, but it still feels like too much to take for casual fans of a few of the franchises. At times it shows promise of a good crossover, such as the house of the dead chapter featuring many zombies and zombie hunters across the companies trading quips and references, but otherwise it suffers from too many characters taking far too long to do anything, making me wonder why the game doesn't make you choose only a select few members for a mission instead of forcing you to control an army one unit at a time

    In short, this game SEVERELY needed fine-tuning so the game could be more interesting and less repetitive, as well as having a more complete story and a more interesting gallery of enemies for you to fight instead of an overwhelming majority from a couple of franchises with some others sprinkled in for variety.    … Expand
  34. DectorEy
    Nov 7, 2016
    5
    This 3DS tactical-fighting-RPG has a lot of things going for it - its visual art style is nice, and the music is great. However, the presentation to a game does not save everything else. The game works and controls fine, but the gameplay overall is very repetitive. This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that maps are tediously long. Expect to be having 2-4 hour marathonsThis 3DS tactical-fighting-RPG has a lot of things going for it - its visual art style is nice, and the music is great. However, the presentation to a game does not save everything else. The game works and controls fine, but the gameplay overall is very repetitive. This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that maps are tediously long. Expect to be having 2-4 hour marathons by the later portions. This creates additional problems as the way you need to play is by having you constantly hold your 3DS, which can create hand cramps and exhaustion.

    The story, to be blunt, is a train wreck. It's very unfocused and has a lot of lackluster writing to it. A lot of the time it would be teleportation to teleportation with the same villains, same fights, same everything. And really, that's how you can describe this game - repetition. Fight monsters using only 5 attacks and 1 special attack (which is pathetic if you ask me), read some poor dialogue, fight a boss, move on to the next chapter for another 60 more chapters in around an 80 hour long campaign.

    This game could be useful to get if you're too lazy to look up the bios of your favorite Capcom, Namco and Sega characters, since this game has a great data base with information on all of the characters, enemies, and bosses.

    Overall, if my tone indicated as such, this game had a lot of things going for it and had a good concept, but its repetitiveness is what ultimately killed it. This is a prime example of a game that focused too much on its presentation rather than smoothing up the gameplay.    … Expand
  35. DarthSidious63
    Jun 26, 2013
    2
    Project X Zone is a shallow Fire Emblem turn base RPG. It's big selling point is the Sega, Namco and Capcom team up with its popular characters. Why this game disappoints is that it mixes the genres of a fighting and shooting and put them into a RPG which sadly doesn't fit cause it limits them to a few moves.
  36. Dynel
    Jan 10, 2015
    0
    Boring, repetitive, large amount of characters (this works against the game because it wants to introduce every single character) bland "rpg" style with stupid way to do "combos", bland story that tries to get every single character on board without a really good story.

    definitely not recommended.

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best 3DS Game of 2013
16
#16 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2013
18
#18 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 53
  3. Negative: 2 out of 53
  1. Universo Nintendo
    Nov 10, 2013
    75
    It's a very good title, but one that requires a lot of patience.
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer Portugal
    Aug 19, 2013
    60
    It’s not easy to dislike Project X Zone, not only for its popular characters but also because it can be fun if played in small amounts, maybe a chapter a day.
    Read full review
  3. Hyper Magazine
    Aug 8, 2013
    70
    Devoid of tactical depth and exhaustingly repetitive - yet somehow still entertaining and enjoyable, if taken in moderation. [Sept 2013, p.76]
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