Cowboy Bebop Preview

PS2 Preview | See you, Space Cowboy.

Despite not being a big ratings hit in Japan, Cowboy Bebop found an audience when it left the Land of the Rising Sun. And once on DVD, it became one of the best selling anime DVDs to date, and was later moved onto Cartoon Network, where it was a big draw on Adult Swim. The previous Cowboy Bebop videogame (on the PSOne) venture was a less-than-stellar affair to be frank - a 3D space shooter in a similar vein to Star Fox 64 (though without all the good bits), the game failed to please fans and didn't exactly set the charts alight. But with the newfound popularity of the franchise outside of Japan, Bandai have decided to take another shot at converting the series into a videogame.

Entitled Cowboy Bebop: Tsuitou no Yakyoku (that roughly translates to 'Mourning of Nocturne'), the latest videogame interpretation of the series will be taking on a more grounded approach than the previous title. The game resembles a beat 'em up similar to the old Final Fight coin-op, though the gameplay will be split into fighting and shooting segments. Each of the three main protagonists; Spike, Jet and Faye will be playable, and will use their respective fighting styles - Spike's Jeet Kun Do and Jet's Bulldog, for example. The fighting segments of the game look as if they will focus heavily on combos.

Spike teaches this thug a thing or two about martial arts

Gameplay is mission based, with players needing to hunt down upward of 50 different interstellar outlaws. Different strategies will be required for each bounty, though players will be rewarded with bonus content for each outlaw they capture. Word on the street is that players who finish the game will be treated to new characters, new gameplay modes, and new details which flesh out parts of the Cowboy Bebop anime's storyline.

However, perhaps the most promising aspect of Cowboy Bebop at this point in time is the presentation, with Banpresto having opted to use cel-shaded graphics to retain the feel of the anime. This is something we wish more developers would do with anime-based licenses, as cel-shading looks really good when it's done well. Fans will also note that one of the best things about the anime series was its relaxed jazz soundtrack, and the good news is that Yoko Kanno (the producer of the series' music) will be producing new jazz tunes for the game. It is currently unknown whether the game will use any of the music from the series. Another unknown factor is whether or not the game will utilize the series' voice actors when it is released outside of Japan - Bebop had a very good dub (compared to a lot of series – hello, One Piece!), but it would presumably be up to the publisher of the game. Given the recent history of voice actor usage in anime licensed games, there is a very high likelihood that this could happen.

Ed and Ein will be there to help you out

Having suffered numerous delays, Cowboy Bebop is finally set for release in the latter half of this year (August in Japan, Fall for America, TBA for Europe/Australia). Though the game looks reasonably good at this stage, it looks like it has a way to go before being able to truly do justice to the original series. As always, PALGN will have more news on Cowboy Bebop as it nears release, and a review around the time it comes out, so stay tuned.

Overall:
Despite the potential for widespread appeal, Cowboy Bebop looks like it will mainly cater to fans of the anime, but we'll be happy if Banpresto delivers a solid, playable game.