Review: Super Championship Headache Battle Warrior

[Uncommon]

<i><b>Will you have what it take? Test your skill in the ultimate battle of strength and challenge !!</b></i>

By now many of you should be familiar with <i>Super Concentration Headache Master Pro</i>, the lightning-paced eyesore of a trivia game Moogle1 swept the Terrible Game Contest with two years ago. It was a monumental success that redefined the idea of making a game that absolutely hates the player. Experiencing the game is a sort of self-torture that degenerates to pressing random keys and hoping you get an answer right. So, this year, with TGC's triumphant return, Moogle1 decided to return to the theme, at the same time completely reinventing it.

<i>Super Championship Headache Battle Warrior</i> is glorious. It doesn't back down at all from its predecessor's trippy aesthetic except as the engine limits it. The backgrounds still flash, change, loop, and swim, often with the most hypnotic animations they can muster. It also has the added feature of horribly Engrish documentation. It's wonderful. Though the palette changes only happen between battles, what palette you're dealt for any battle can have huge effect on your ability to translate any of the images. These are not visuals you can trust. Each one of them has it in for you, and will throw you for a loop if you give them a chance, so keep your focus on what's important, the gameplay.

Unlike <i>Headache Master Pro</i>, <i>Battle Warrior</i> use the OHR's default engine, and in a way that's so much more fun than 95% of the engine's actual RPGs. It basically makes every scenario a fast-paced puzzle from a hammer that's gotta take out three nails to a doctor who has to apply the proper remedy to the correct patient to Pac-Man, devouring the power pellet to make him volatile to any ghosts. The color match-up can be tricky depending on the palette, like if you've got a face the game says is red but the palette's made it dark grey. Each of these scenarios is carried out with a supreme understanding of the battle system to make a truly creative experience. With how easily he pulled off some of these tricks, it's a wonder anyone else hasn't made anything this fun. This game itself is a testimony to the battle engine's flexibility. Most of the mechanics boil down to really simple manipulations and workarounds, it's impressive. But don't take too much time ogling the thing! Everything flies at such speed that you've gotta think and act fast if you want to complete each scenario, especially as the game goes on. You <i>have</i> to stay on your toes.

And even beyond the scenarios, it also throws in the challenge matches for extra variety! Comrade Bomb is a Bolshevik whose structure is as unstable as his native USSR! The game will randomly throw one or three in your party, but he's perfectly content to sit and watch. If you ever make the mistake of using his attack, you will be, too. He's especially a pain in the Hammer scenario, where jamming the use button is usually the best strategy. You've gotta be smart when you're switching between battle menus, as this guy'll slow you down enough to keep you from victory. On top of that, you've gotta keep an eye on your heroes name. If it changes to "RUN AWAY" or "LOSE THE BATTLE", your goal in battle completely changes. On this second one, having Comrade Bomb around can actually be an asset.

The madness will continue for six minutes. Six minutes of adrenaline-pumping on-your-toes action. Six minutes of joy, pain, rage, frustration, and perhaps even victory. Six minutes of "Mahna Mahna". Really. Be careful of the game ruining that song for you. After that, you'll be given a rank according to how well you did, ranging from an insignificant flea to The Man Himself. Word is The Man Himself hasn't even gotten that one yet, kind've like how Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age couldn't play his own song on Guitar Hero. It's a challenge, kids, and it'll take everything you've got. PROFESSOR X was the best one I've gotten so far, and the first time I'd gotten past the INVISIBLE WOMAN rank. Yeah, the ranks in this one all follow a theme of strength, mostly comic book heroes, as the one before followed a theme of intelligence. What's the best YOU can do?

All in all, <i>Super Championship Headache Battle Warrior</i> is a fantastic addition to the legacy. It's the kind of game you can play time and time again, trying to reach the best rank you can, all the while having fun while torturing your self. This game is easily the best out of the TGC 2007 entries. Play it, love it, worship it, even. You'll have a blast. I know I did.