"Some games never seem to fade
away and become legendary on their released console. Other games such as Grandia
and Jet Grind Radio were wildly successful on the Dreamcast; are
now being ported to new systems."
Will the series end here?
The original in the series was a well-constructed game, but with poor timing.
Becoming one of the first released games for the Sega Dreamcast, most
choose the likes of Soul Calibur in the fighting genre, rather than Power
Stone.
Fortunately, the fighting-champions Capcom saw the brilliant potential
and a year later released it's successor, Power Stone 2. I have to admit,
this is one of my all time favorite games on any console. To put the game
into perspective, the game is most similar to Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo
64 and Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo GameCube.
Fighting relies more on weapons and power-ups rather than a series of combo's
and secret moves.
Where Power Stone 2 excels where SSB and even SSBM fails is
the multi-dimensional aspects. The Nintendo flagship games are mostly
presented in polygonal characters battling in out in a 2-D field, PS2
uses a multi-platform, multi-angle viewpoint. SSBM is far prettier than
the antiquated Dreamcast game, but the depth is far greater within Power Stone.
It's all about the power stones.
What truly makes the game unique and highly addictive is the constant use of
power-ups, which include the treasured power stones. At the beginning of each
round, each character is given one colored stone. Once a player acquires three
stones; they are "transformed” and can produce some serious moves. There
are two main "power-ups" after you get all three stones; along with
the normal "super" power achieved from gaining all of the power
stones. The effect lasts for about 30 seconds, which is more than enough time to
cause some serious damage to your opponents. However, if you are whacked good
when you only have one or two stones, they will be jarred loose and roam free
for someone else to pick up. The best advice when someone is in their "god
mode", is to simply hide.
The gameplay is the biggest asset to the series, which allows a various degree
of skill levels to compete on each level. Since there are no Street Fighter
type moves, combos are done through basically button mashing. There is a
fine line from making this a kiddie-button-masher-type game, but in essence the
meat of the game consists of acquiring power-ups, weapons and the power stones.
Basic punches and kicks do little damage, so getting these weapons (ranging
from a big hammer, to umbrellas) is crucial.
Character choice is classic Japanimation style, with a variety of players to
choose from. Everything from the tiny glasses-wearing nerd to the stereotypical
Top Gun pilot type. Each character has their strengths and weakness, and each
have their own special "power stone" moves. These devastating moves
are fun to watch, and the weapons you pick up along the way are very unique.
Each game consists of four players duking it out in an expanding level. While
you don't have full control over where you can explore, it is timed reaction
when each "screen" moves onto the next. You are also given a choice of
teaming up with a partner, or just doing it WWF style and battle it out
with everyone else. The biggest letdown of the game has to be the ho-hum single
player aspects. Your main mode of play is the Story Mode and you choose
your character and fight through about ten levels of increasing difficulty. This
mode can easily be beaten within two-hours; and only two levels are
amazingly difficult. The mid-point level where you battle a huge
"Sphinx-like" creature and the end boss which reminds you of something
that came out of Alice in Wonderland.
You spoiled XBOXERS!
Admitted, this is not a next generation game. Even though the game is
nearly four years old, the game is respectable. Those expecting Halo type
graphics and Grand Theft Auto 3 audio, will sadly be let down.
Originally an arcade game, Power Stone 2 is what arcade ports should be
like. Nearly identical to the quarter-eating counterpart; the graphics and audio
are wonderful. This is some of the best use of graphics I've ever seen coming
from any Capcom game. The backgrounds are amazing, along with the
spectacular effects that come from the weapons and power stones. The use of
lighting effects is solid, but when the action intensifies performance is a
minor issue. Compared to Super Smash Bros. the action is much greater,
and the graphics easily superior to the original. While, it doesn't match the
rendering of the GameCube version, the gameplay and intensity is much
better.
The audio also plays a key role in the game. The Dreamcast has always
been known for great voice-overs, and the sporadic use of Japanese really adds
to the aura of the game. Special effects are also comically done, and the
soundtrack fits the bill perfectly. Sure this might not be the game you want to
play if you are showing off in front of your friends, but if you want a good
old-school romp this is what you should play.
66 Says:
Once more into the breech dear friends, paying $50 for a game is an ugly thing.
If you own a Dreamcast and don't own this title, you owe it to yourself to own a
piece of history. You can easily snag this for under ten bucks around the way.
For those considering in purchasing a DC, let this be a sign that good games
don't have to cost $50. There are scores of great games still available for the
system, and would totally recommend picking up a Dreamcast along with a few
games for well under a hundred clams.
9.1
