Fans of the anime series Fate/Stay Night have been clamoring for an American release of the fighting game series the anime was based off of. Finally Capcom has answered the fans with the release of Fate/Unlimited Codes Portable for the PSP as a download only title on PSN. Fate/Unlimited Codes Portable is exactly what its title describes, as it is the portable version of the PS2 port available only in Japan. Before I get into my review, I would like to say my review is based upon the Japanese version, and the only major difference between the two releases is the translated text in the U.S. release. Fate/Unlimited Codes Portable was ported to the PSP by Eighting, the team behind the Bleach: Heat the Soul series in Japan.

The first thing I noticed about the fighting was how easy it is to pick up, play and immediately feel like a bad ass. The move set for the characters is very accessible and you never find yourself trying to pull off crazy motions for any one character's special moves. Thanks to this, I found all the characters to be enjoyable to play with and it kept the game interesting as I went through all the storylines. This game features pretty standard modes for a fighting game, including Story Mode, Missions, Vs, and Survival modes. Story mode is pretty standard as you go through each character's story. Missions will have you trying to win battles under certain conditions, varying in difficulty. Versus mode is basic exhibition matches and Survival is exactly that, which is to survive as long as possible against numerous opponents.

This game sports a solid number of characters for the player to experience and find their favorite. One should easily find a favorite amongst the list, which includes Saber, Rin, Lancer, Assassin and more. There are also characters to unlock as you progress through the story modes with various fighters. More characters aren't the only things to unlock as you progress through the Story or Mission modes, as you are able to unlock artwork, videos, and more.

Graphically the game looks great, with the fighters looking excellent on the smaller screen of the PSP. The special attacks also are very well animated, and some of the Super moves will have you staring in awe at what you see on screen. Each stage you can fight in is designed after areas seen in the anime and visual novel, and while nothing will pop out at you, they all look great. Unfortunately when it comes to the Story mode scenes, we are left with Visual Novel style cut scenes, with still images and text. Many times you will only see an avatar and text on a standard background. Fortunately this doesn't take away from the experience in anyway. For those who prefer their material to be the original presentation will be pleased to know they didn't ruin this game with an awful American dubbing attempt. Due to this, the voice acting is superb as one would expect from the voice work done in Japan. The soundtrack to the game is also very well done, and each track suits the situation or stage perfectly. Nothing ever feels out of place or forced into the game.

Eighting has once again proven themselves to be a great developer of fighting games on the PSP, delivering another excellent title in Fate/Unlimited Codes Portable. This game sports a good number of characters, fun gameplay and mechanics, and plenty to unlock to ensure gamers keep coming back for more. Fans of fighting games looking for a new franchise to check out for the PSP can't go wrong in checking out Fate/Unlimited Codes Portable.

You can download the game now for $29.99 on Playstation Network or purchase the import (for those who like physical copies) for $50 - $60 from various import sites.