The biggest change in the gameplay over the Japanese edition is the game speed -- we thought that it would be a subtle shift at first when we saw Aksys' reps playing the game before we got to play, but in actuality, the difference seems to be a significant change. In the import game, we were struggling with the timing of catching because the speed felt off; in this improved version, the very first Super our opponent threw when we picked up the game, we managed to catch. Maybe it was luck (and to be truthful, we hardly ever got that lucky again,) but that difference in timing made Super Dodgeball Brawlers a lot more comfortable to play and enjoyable this time around. Other tweaks in the US edition included some re-balancing on the items.

Now that the game is in English, we're able to catch some info about the game's feature set that we only glanced at in the import copy. Most important is the Edit feature in the Locker Room -- here, you can go to town on your teammates to make them exactly the way you want, modifying everything from your face type (using all of your favorite squashy-headed stereotypes recognizable from the River City Ransom / Super Dodgeball universe) and pants color to your nationality and birthday. You also get to create each characters' particular stats using 150 points of available units.Also of note as a detail of the American version not changed in the final game is the character naming -- for those who are fans of past Nekketsu games, you'll be happy to know that familiar faces such as Kunio and Riki are in the game.

We've also had a chance to play deeper into the Tournament mode and have seen some more of the progress of the Shop. At first, the Shop only has a few items to offer, but as you progress through the opposing teams you will see more powerful and more useful items show up on the shelves. The game never goes overboard with Shop items the way it could have (we would have liked a crazier variety, but that may just be our yearnings for a River City Ransom sequel crying out), but there end up being a lot of options to pick as you begin to make money, and there are significant choices to consider when balancing your team. For instance, most of the items are power-ups that attach to a single character for minor stat boosts and stay with them until they're damaged in play, but since you can only attach one power-up for each player (and you cannot buy multiples of items), the advantage a power-up offers your power players may be different from the advantage it gives your outside players. Also, there are patches that can be placed that give big boosts but that take up a space and can only be used once. Then there are items such as the Safety Charm (which takes damage in the place of an item) and the Reactive Armor (which adds defense but also adds damage received.)