Here’s a story from my childhood. There was a point where I actually discovered that I was a gamer, and this happened due to a friend I had who was also a gamer at the time. But, our opinions were divided on one thing: I bought a Nintendo 64, while he got himself a Sega Dreamcast. This was actually really good, cause it meant we could play twice as many games, until the point where we went our separate ways. This also meant saying goodbye to the Dreamcast, since I wouldn’t be able to afford my own for several years. Now, I have to look back and thank my friend for introducing me to a game that I probably never would have heard of before; Power Stone 2 for the Sega Dreamcast. Oh, this also means that it’s once again *Capcom Time*. Yeah, I’m not even big fans of Capcom, they just keep popping up in my reviews regularly since Dead Rising. They must be doing something right.
Power Stone 2 is a 3D fighting game. If you remember in my Thrill Kill review, I’m not a fan of fighting games, but when I find one I like, I REALLY like it; and this is one of those games. The basic premise of the game is to empty you’re opponent’s life meter by attacking them as much as possible, but what really set this game apart is the Power Stones. Once a character collects 3, he transforms into a super powered alter ego with devastating attacks. For those of you who’ve played Brawl, it’s kind of like the Smash Balls, but no guaranteed death since you only get one life to play with.
Another thing that can be compared to Brawl are the moving stages and stage hazards, where if you don’t react quickly enough, the stage will actually hurt you. This keeps the game from getting too boring and adds just that little extra more then if it were a simple BG. Plus, with only 5 stages to start, it keeps them from getting tiresome quickly.
So, now remove the interactive stage and remove the Power Stones; one more thing keeps this game really interesting. Items, and I am telling you, this game has no lack of those. Honestly, that’s good, cause the character’s attacks don’t seem to have much variation and otherwise gets repetitive. The items however, keep things interesting by randomly popping up throughout fights. They range from guns and swords to Thunder Dragons and ice rods (Clip: I WAS FROZEN TODAY!). As a matter of fact there are so many items that they actually made it so you have to “make” them in the items store, so it doesn’t start off in too much mayhem. Though sometimes finding a new combination to make a new item can be tedious, I find it’s often so worth it.
Now, what was that one aspect from Thrill Kill I liked that really sets fighting games apart? Oh yeah, the characters! Both games in the Power Stone series have interesting and diverse characters, which is awesome. This game gives you a total of 14 ones you unlock them all, plus their power forms, which means it’s technically more like 28. At the start of the game, you get 4 characters that are new to the series. There’s Julia, an heiress with an apparent split personality disorder, Gourmand, a chef willing to do anything to get the greatest recipes in the world, Accel, a gun singer with great fighting skills to boot, and my favorite, Pete, a marionette who came to life. A schizo, a cook, a cowboy and a puppet… and that’s just the newer ones people!
Power Stone 2 is a great game. It has interesting characters, fun stages and tons of items to constantly keep the mayhem going. Adding the Power Stones to the mix just adds the final icing to the cake. There are just a few things keeping me from giving this game a perfect 10. First its item creation can be very time consuming, especially to find a new mix. Next, for some reason, the characters voices weren’t translated, which seems simply lazy, especially since the announcer was translated. Finally, this relates back to my distaste for fighting game; playing this game alone can get boring rather after a while, since the variations between the modes is minimal. These are all minor complaints though, and really don’t make the actual gameplay less fun. I think this game is the number 1 reason to own a Dreamcast (unless you’re lucky enough to find an arcade version of it somewhere). I give Power Stone 2 for the Sega Dreamcast 9 out of 10 Levels.
I’m Leo Melanson, and WHEN ARE WE GOING TO SEE A POWER STONE 3?
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