Level Up: Crash/Spyro Superpack

Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon seem to have a lot in common. Not only have they always had the same publishers, but both are mascot type characters originally exclusive to Play Station with platforming games where a floating partner is their health and living in worlds of talking animals. It seemed natural that they would have a cross over, and in 2004, developers Vicarious Visions and publishers Vivendi Games made this a reality. They made two games: Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto’s Rampage, and Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy (Anyone else hear Pokemon ripped off with the color title by the way). In 2005, both were made available in one cartridge, the Crash/Spyro Superpack for the Game Boy Advance. Let’s take a look at it.

The game starts out with the villains, Neo Cortex and Ripto, discussing how they plan on getting rid of their respective rivals by creating genetically enhanced Riptocs, and disguise them as Crash and Spyro, so if they meet, they’ll fight each other. This back fires when not only do Crash and Spyro heroically team up, but they start bickering among themselves. With Crash and Spyro working together, they travel through a few worlds until eventually, they realize the best way to beat Cortex and Ripto is go to each other’s world in a very surreal moment. Ok, so the story is typical, but the moment where that happens makes it pretty much worth it. Also, between the two games, there are naturally SOME difference in the story telling, but none that makes any difference. Yeah, you’ll hear that a couple more times this review.

The game play on both sides is pretty much the same, so, having these two platforming game stars on the GBA would make you think that this is a grand Platforming adventure to test your skills. Disappointingly, it is not. Platforming represents about 25% of the game play. The other 75% is in mini games. Throughout a level, there are 5 mini games that you must beat in order to move to the next level, and though it does take SOME platforming skill to get to all 5 and the exit, a minimum is required. The mini games range from the fun break-out copy, to the annoyingly long side-scrolling shooter inspired ones. It’s suffice to say that the game play misses it’s mark, but has some fun instances.

If I had to recommend either version on top of the other, I would have to say go with Crash’s game instead of Spyro’s, mostly due to the mini-games. Crash’s games are original and have a better variety, while most of Spyro’s are the side-scrollers. Also, you’ll have to play Spyro’s mini-games 3 times to unlock the last level, which I am telling you now, so you don’t have to walk back to the start (since there’s no map system) and do it all over again, like I did the first time. Crash avoids this by having the player find or unlock gems, which means he also has more games available. Even graphic wise, I’d go with Crash over Spyro, since Crash still looks like himself, but Spyro looks like one of the Donkey Children from Disney’s Pinocchio painted purple. Granted, you can’t say that one should be much preferred over the other since they’re pretty much the same, but if you really need to just get one, and I mean REALLY need only one, go with Crash Purple.

What is with these what should be epic crossovers becoming nothing more than a collection of mini-games? Not only is there this, but when Mario and Sonic finally meet up it’s for the Olympic Games. Sorry for going off track, but it’s a concern, especially since this would have made such a great adventure game. None the less, it can be really fun; so much so that I have beaten both games twice. Plus, the pure fact that they did this crossover to begin with is reason enough to play this game. As I’ve said at the start, this was originally released as two games and later combined into one, but I honestly would not suggest you get these games separately and just get the Crash Spyro Superpack like I did. This is also why I’m only giving them one rating, and also because they’re so similar, the difference would be half a level. I give the Crash Spyro Superpack for the Game Boy Advance 7 Levels out of 10.

Level Up: DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

Alright, before you start reading, you should know, there are A LOT of difference between this "transcript" and the Podcast. This is due to lines I forgot to include before I did the recording and inserted them at the last moment. This also meant having to edit stuff from before to fit it, since it set me over my time limit. So, for my full thoughts on this game, read this AND listen to the podcast.

Dragon Ball Z has had an amazing impact on pop culture. Whether you know it from actually viewing it or have seen the parodies, were a fan of the anime or manga, if you’re in my age group, it’s hard to avoid exposure to it. Naturally, there’s a ton of video games based on it to. Like the show’s episodes or any merchandise based on it, it can be pretty much hit or miss. One of the biggest hits has been the Boudokai series, eventually turning into the Tenkaichi series. The latest in the series would be Boudokai Tenkaichi 3, the game I’m reviewing today. But don’t take my word for it, Goku, what game am I reviewing? (Clip: Goku saying the game title) for the Wii (as well as the PS2, but that’s not the version I have). Oh, and speaking of the pop culture parodies, this means I get to reference my favorite meme.

The game play in this game is really something to be enjoyed. It’s a fighting game, but far from what you’d normally expect from one. You get to fully move in a 3D area; and when I say fully, I mean that you can not only walk around the ground, but also fly upwards, adding more DIMENTION to the gameplay, hahaha. Your basic controls include attacking, blocking and quick dashing. Of course, the main attraction to this game (and DBZ in general) is the energy attacks. You charge up attacks to a certain point, and then using a button command, launch attacks at your enemies. I have to say though, I am really impressed by the fact that each character has unique attacks, and there are A LOT of character. I would have expected some repetition after a while, but it still keeps it fresh.

The last thing I want to mention about the gameplay is that you can play with either the Wii-mote nunchuck or the Gamecube or classic controllers. I originally tried the nunchuck, but this required having to do specific movements for each different ki energy move. This is a sever handicap in fighting games requiring split second attacks. If you don’t have one yet, I you should really get a classic or Gamecube controller to play the Wii version.

As expected, there is a story mode in this game that follows closely with the original Dragon Ball Z story as well part of the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT series. These are condensed to say the least and skip a lot, such as much of the Ginyu team fights. Though you could whine about how these fights were entertaining and still quite possible, I really like the condense version supplied. This is mostly because it skips most of the filler from the series: once you cut a lot of it out and get the basic of the series, you see it for how good it actually is. It involves excellent sci-fi, deep conflicts in personal pasts and father-son relations. I forgot how good it really was, lost in all the screaming of “powering up” and this really reawakened my fandom for it.

Now, this technically being a fighter game, I was expecting that once I finish the story mode that I wouldn’t have much to do on my own. Know what? I was wrong! First off, there’s the world tournaments mode. This seems to take it a slight step beyond the normal tournaments by only letting certain tournaments be available at certain times and making each one unique. There’s also the Ultimate battle mode, which contains one “sim” like training mode and another mode with specific team battles, and finishing them all is as fun as the story mode. There’s also the evolution Z area, which lets you upgrade and customize each character, and with so many available, it can keep you busy for a while. But I think what might keep most gamers interested are the Dragon Balls. You collect them randomly by fighting (or sometimes as tournament prizes) and when all 7 are together, you get to make a wish. This is how you unlock certain characters and stages, so if you want the full experience, get ready to play. So, surprisingly, this game defiantly has more to offer then just fights to it, and will probably keep you playing for a while.

Developped by Spike and Published by Atari, I think this is currently the DBZ Fighting game to get. Not only will the modes keep you entertained, but find someone else to fight and you’ll both be entertained a good long while. Wi-fi helps this a lot to. I also can’t forget to mention that this game has a roster of 161 character. HOLY CRAP! If you’re a Dragon Ball Z fan and have a Wii (or PS2) you owe it to yourself to get this game. If you’re just a gamer, I don’t know if you’ll like it as much, but I sincerely suggest you check it out. I give Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 8.5 levels out of 10.

Level Up: Donkey Kong Country

I have a special connection to the game Donkey Kong Country: it is the video game that I have owned the longest. It’s not the oldest game I’ve owned, but it is the game that started my entire video game collection. And why should I keep holding on to it? This game ROCKS! So much so, I can only justify it with one music. (Rock music should start) Let’s just get right into it: Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo.

I’ll admit, the story is weird, so I’ll keep this part short so I can talk more about the awesome stuff. The Crocodile ruler, King K. Rool has stolen all of the banana loving Gorilla Donkey Kong’s Banana Hoard, so he’s going to go through all of Kong Island to get it back. Not much, but truly classic, and only in video games could be the basis of something so fantastic.

The gameplay is platforming PERFECTION! The main thing that can be said about it is that it’s not so much what it does, but how well it does. I have to say that this might be one of the smoothest and well controlled games I’ve ever played. Though part of that could be contributed to the graphics just making you feel that way (which I will talk more about later), a better part is probably just that… it’s really, really well done! I can go entire levels without having to stop and still find all the secrets and such in them.

That’s not to say though that the gameplay doesn’t bring anything ORIGNAL to it. First off, you play as two primates; DK and his nephew Diddy Kong, pretty much simultaneously. They’re used as a health system; if one of them gets hurt, he runs off and the other one takes his place, and if there’s only one, well you better not get hurt. Furthermore, they are both different; Donkey Kong is able to take out stronger enemies, while Diddy is quicker and amazingly brings the pace of the game up a notch. You also get Animal buddies, who work much of the way of a third member, but I have so much to talk about, I have to skip them.

Another main attraction to the game play is that of Barrels and Rolls. (Do a Barrel roll!) Not, these are two different things. Rolling is an action that either simian can do which sends them rolling forward. Might not seem like much, but once you get a handle on it, you can kill enemies or use it to jump further (both could easily save your lives). The barrels are found throughout the game’s fantastic level design (which I would love to explain further, but can’t due to time limitations) and come in a variety. Most of which are simply used to throw to kill enemies or discover secret passages, but the best ones are the blast barrels. These will make you have to use a sense of timing to get from one point to another by shooting yourself out cannon style.

And yeah, there’s a lot more about the game I would LOVE to talk about, I just don’t have the time.

As I’ve said earlier, the graphics actually added a lot, and this is one of those times where I really do think it matters. They are AMAZING, especially looking at most games on the SNES that just looked really flat. I didn’t quite get how it was done at the time, but I slowly started to understand. From my understanding, they used full 3D polygons to make the characters and then made them 2D. It was revolutionary for the time and blew my mind. Though not as fantastic, the music for the game is great to, sounding so deep and fitting for every level. Some truly classic gaming score for Nintendo, such as the Jungle Japes theme, come from this game. So, even while just not even playing this game, it’s a pleasure.

I’m glad I finally get to share my thoughts on this game with the world, and I’m only sad about the fact that I had to condense it so much to fit it all in this one podcast. Later, there would be 2 direct sequels and a DK game for the N64. After that point, Rare ware, who was in charge of the DKC project, would part ways with Nintendo, and Donkey Kong just hasn’t been the same: mostly racing and pounding his bongos now. Still, Donkey Kong Country will never be forgotten; it has been ported onto the GBA and the Wii Virtual Consol. But even with those options, I will continue to hold onto my copy for the good ol’ SNES and treasure it. I give Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo 9.5 Levels out of 10. *Music stops* Now wait! You’re probably asking “If you love this game so much, why doesn’t it get a perfect 10?” *Music continues* Well, let’s just say, I need some where to go with future DK games.

Level Up: Totally Rad

Totally Rad is one of my favorite games to talk about: not only is it a game that no one I know has EVER heard of, but among the few reviews I can find of it, the opinions are pretty much split (kind of like with Battle of the Bands). As with Battle of the Bands, which was probably quickly prejudged due to other rhythm music games, I think the people who don’t like Totally Rad are jumping to conclusions based on the title alone. Think about it; Totally Rad? Does that even sound close to the title of a good game? Well, let’s see why you shouldn’t judge a game by its title alone with Totally Rad for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The story of the game is that you play a kid named Jake, a magicians apprentice who… know what? No, you don’t care about the story; you are playing a game called Totally Rad. Yes, I know I just said you shouldn’t judge a game by its title, but think about it; they put that little thought into the name, what makes you think the story is anything deep? It’s pretty much standard with people telling you to save the world… because you have to. Though I have to say, you should still check out the cut scenes in between the levels, filled with so much radical lingo, you’ll wonder how anyone ever thought that was cool. Though I’m sure Linkara’s 90’s Kid would be quick to defend his native tongue… (Clip: 90’s kid)- But he’d just be proving me right.

The game plays like a mix of Mega Man and Metroid. I say Mega Man more the Metroid, because you can charge your shot like Mega Man, though this game came before he could do that, and because the levels and some of the enemies do make me think of the blue bomber. The Metroid aspect is mostly based on the twirly jump, which reminds me very much of Samus’ and maybe few of the enemies and background influences… maybe. The big difference between those two and Jake is that you seem a bit slower. I hesitate to say that the controls are “stiffer” since I honestly don’t have a problem with them, but I wouldn’t disagree with you if you think they are.

One aspect this game has that takes it beyond the regular shooting and jumping platform game is magic. I don’t mean like it’s a great aspect, I mean, literally, it’s magic. Most of his spells fall into the category of “Typical, but VERY useful magic skills”, like two types of healing (full and half-way), freezing the enemies, making yourself invincible and 4 types of attacking spells to either hurt or kill one or several enemies. But the most unique spells are the ones that transform into one of the three creatures (plus one spell for turning back) which reminds me of what I saw of Demon’s Crest. Unlike that game though, the transformations from this game are far from necessary (I know since I’ve finished the game without using them). So, it adds the option of making this game different from standard platformers without forcing it too, which I enjoy. It’s worth mention though that you have a magic bar, so use your spells sparingly; e.i. don’t transform too much if you plan on relying on healing spells.

The way the game looks is pretty interesting. It has a whole futuristic city type thing that’s kind of hard to explain. With the way the background and enemies are designed, it gives a bit of the same feeling as some of the Ninja Turtles games on the NES. Things are pretty well sprited; if I had to compare the quality of them, I think I’d have to put it somewhere between Ninja Gaiden and Mega Man. The coloring of it is probably what gives it its personality though. It can be described as neon, or as far as the NES can produce neon. The only problem is that these weird colors and designing might be another reason this game get prejudged like it does, but I think it’s a matter of opinion since I say it gives the game much of its flavor. Just remember, it’s not all about how it looks.

Totally Rad may not be the greatest game out there, but it’s still a pretty good game. I will admit it’s far from perfect though; there are minor issues thought out the game that you can easily get to you if you let it. The only one I’ve really had a problem with myself is the fact that you start way back at the start of a level, no matter how long it is, if you die any point during. This can cause big problems if you get to a boss. Still, I don’t think its worthy of the hate it gets from some people, and I can’t help but wonder “If it was under its original title or Magic John, would people like it better?” To sum it all up, I call this game the “From Paris with Love” of NES platformers; nothing astounding, but still pretty good for what you’d expect. Plus, you can get this game for like 2 bucks online, so if you don’t like it, it’s not a big loss. I give Totally Rad for the Nintendo Entertainment System 7.5 levels out of 10.

Level Up: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Kingdome Hearts is one of those game series that can intrigue you by the concept alone. The idea of adventuring around recognizable Disney locations and movies is appealing to a lot of people, whether it be out of nostalgia, the fact that you still fall into Disney’s target audience, or you’re just a fan of adventuring through different worlds in your video games. It also doesn’t hurt that SquareEnix, known for the epic Final Fantasy series, is the one making these games, and you know they’re going to put a bit of their style into the mix. I was able to find out just how good a job they did when I played Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for the Nintendo DS.

Going in, I thought that I might have a hard time following the story, since the only other Kingdom Hearts game I played was Chain of Memories for the Game Boy Advanced, and the series looks like it’s heavily based on a continuing story. But I was happy to find that, despite there being a lot of elements of the plot based on other games (especially Chain of Memories in this case), that the story was still really easy to follow and can work on its own.

The game begins as a flash back to day 7 (though it’s quickly forgotten it’s a flashback), where Roxas (the character you play as) has his first memory. We learn he’s part of the Organization XIII that has the goal to release all the hearts into the sky and create Kingdom Hearts. This is done by you and the other members, who are all beings known as “Heartless” because they have no “Heart” in the figurative sense and believe Kingdom Hearts will give them one. After you learn all the basics from the game, things start getting a little mysterious; who is the new member Xion? Why do some people act so weird around her? Why is Roxas so important? Who is this person he keeps seeing in his head? I will admit that it can become hard to follow and the voice acting can be hilariously bad at some points, but it should still grip you in enough to want to play through just to figure it all out. Even if it’s not your thing, it doesn’t get in the way of the rest of the game play.

(See how bad that was?)

The setting of the Disney locations is used just as that; settings. I’m not sure if it’s like this in the other Kingdom Heart games, but the feeling of being in “Ahgrabah” (the first Disney world you visit) felt pretty superficial. You don’t follow the movie’s plot when you’re in there, you fight original in game enemies and you can’t interact with the main characters since you’re doing a secret mission. You do, on occasion meet with the “sidekick” characters, such as the Genie, Tinkerbell or Phil from Hercules, just because it wouldn’t affect anything, but I think it’s too little. They don’t even have any music from the movies, save for “This is Halloween”, which would have been an easy way to get that feeling. What I’m getting at is that if you were going to get this game based solely on reliving Disney movies, I’d look into that twice.

The gameplay was what really surprised me though. I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much, since I though the game was going to be heavily story based, and was going to get was a standard turn-based RPG system, much like Chrono Cross or the 2D Final Fantasies I’ve played. What I got was a fantastic mix between beat-em-up platforming and RPG. Instead of slowly waiting your turn, you’ll be frantically pressing buttons to attack. At the end of each mission though, you still get experience points, but the system of “Leveling up” and becoming stronger is once again something original. See, you’re given these “panels”, which you can unlock, find and buy more of as you go along. As long as you have the space to put in desired power-ups in the panels, you can put them in and become stronger and change your characters magic, attack pattern, items held and other skills. One of these panels is indeed the Level Up, which boosts up all of your stats. My only problem with the gameplay is that often so chaotix that having to go through menus for magic and items will probably kill you, so make good use of the 4 shortcut buttons you got.

This game surprised me; not that I didn’t like it or I liked it more than I thought I would, but in the sense that what I thought I would like, I didn’t, and vice versa. The Disney aspect was disappointing, but the gameplay was surprisingly innovative and fun to master. I enjoyed the story about as much as I expected, but for different reasons then I thought I would. And even after I finished, I actually kept on playing just for the fun of it all and to get the bonus stuff, so it’s not just one of those “play through for the story” games. So, if you’ve ever been intrigued by the Kingdom Hearts series, don’t be afraid to make this one your first venture into it. I give Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for the Nintendo DS 8.5 Levels out of 10.

Level up: Kirby 64

Kirby remains probably the most unchanged Nintendo series still going today. Mario made a successful dramatic change to 3D, the same can be said for the Zelda series along with other changed gameplay over the years, Donkey went from Platforming to… everything else, so on and so on. Arguments could probably be made for other characters, but it’s always seemed that Kirby is perfectly ok moving in 2D Platforming levels and sucking up enemies as he’s always done. Any changes seem temporary, like games like Kirby’s Canvas Curse. As a matter of fact, he’s even gone 3D (or 2.5D) for a game, and even that was temporary. Today I’m going to look at that game, Kirby 64: The Chrystal Shards for the Nintendo 64.

The change to 2.5D wasn’t the only change made to Kirby in this game; he also had the abilities to have two powers at once. Now, I don’t mean he can store two powers at once and keep one in reserve, like in Kirby and the Squeak Squad, I mean that he can COMBINE two powers, making a new one. The 7 base powers you get in this game are Burn, Stone, Ice, Needle, Bomb, Spark, and Cutter. This means that you can have 7 abilities combines with 7 abilities, plus the original 7 on their own, making a total of 35 powers you can use in this game. Though I can’t help but frown that Wheel was left out…

The abilities HAVE always been the main attraction in the Kirby games, and with 35 powers to play with, this game is not an exception to that. But the one thing I really like it randomly combining the two powers to see what I come up. Sure, at this point, I pretty much know what I’m going to get, but the first time I combined Burn and Bomb to make fireworks, or turned Kirby into a curling stone with the Ice and Stone powers was more than pleasantly surprised(PS, curling rules, Silver and Gold medal for Canada!). This becomes a big part of the fun; finding new abilities and learning how to use them properly in your current situation.

Not only does Kirby get all these neat abilities, but he also has 4 friends to help him along the way. Though Waddle Dee seems just used a plot device, Ribbon just collects the shard and Adeleine will only give you the occasional life or tomato, the highlight of Kirby’s partner’s is actually his arch enemy King Dedede. Some levels, Kirby will hop on his back and go for a ride and he hops along and smashes anything in his way with his hammer of awesomeness. I had to mention this, cause some of the levels are worth playing over and over again just for these parts.

As with Pokemon Stadium (the only other N64 game I’ve reviewed so far), this game has a selection of mini-games. Though this time there are only three, they are still quite fun. There’s one where you collect fruit falling from trees and ram your opponents to get it, another where you hop along a path at either two spaces or one (depending on where the obstacles are places) and another where you try to remove the ground from below your adversary’s feet. The last one is my personal favorite because of how chaotic it can get while still having a sense of strategy to it, but they’re all pretty good, and once again like Pokemon Stadium, I can clearly recall times where my friends and I popped this in just to play the games. Though it’s better explained this time since it’s the only way you can get a two player mode.

Except for all of this, Kirby 64 was pretty much par for the course for Kirby, besides the collection of Chrystal Shards, which don’t offer much more to the game, even with the advanced ability of the Nintendo 64. Kirby would release one other game on a home console, a racing game by the name of Kirby’s Air Ride. Right now there are rumors of a Kirby game coming out on the Wii, but nothing is confirmed. For now, Kirby has moved back to his original home of the hand held systems and continued to pretty much stay the same… And we love him for it. Besides, as we’ve seen with Mario and Sonic, eventually, they would just come back to making him the same anyways. Kirby, don’t ever change. Unless it’s like into a wheel or something like that. The bottom line is, if you like Kirby, the you should defiantly check out this game, mostly just for the ability to combine powers. I give Kirby 64: The Chrystal Shards for the Nintendo 64 8 out of 10 Levels.

Level Up: Power Stone 2

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?