Powerful!
Yes friends! Capcom has done it again. From the makers of Street Fighter, Breath of Fire, and many more, the king company of fighting games is now continuing its Power Stone series with its newest game; Power Stone 2. Get Ready all you couch potatoes who get drunk off games; it's time to drool.
New Game on the Block
Power Stone 2 is the new generation of fighting games. Its loaded with new features and characters, with 12 characters(8 from the original Power Stone and 4 newbies). With 2 hidden characters, all new game modes and tons of items, Power Stone 2 is not a fighting game that will get old fast. There are over 120 items in the game. How the bloody are you supposed to get them all you ask? Simple. The newest feature to the Power Stone series is its Adventure Mode. The mode allows 1-on-1 action where the player collects items, cards, and money. After you finish an adventure(there are only 5 levels to it, including the boss levels) or lose, you can go to an item shop where you will be able to sell old items, purchase new items, and be able to mix your items in order to gain new ones. (Remember Falcon's father? Well that bastards back and he'll sometimes give you items at the item shop too). Adventure Mode isn't all though. There are still many more great features.
Others:
1-on-1 is pretty obvious. It's the same as the adventure mode, except without money or cards. Arcade mode is the life of the party. You still go through th game, but with a 4 PLAYER BATTLE ROYAL. That's right, 4-players on the screen, beating each others arses. Original mode is the versus mode where you can invite friends and have more 4-player action. This game rocks.
Graphics and Sound
How much more do I have to praise this game? The graphics are even better than the first with great looking characters that (I've said it before and I'll say it again!), really show off the Dreamcast's power. The backgrounds are beautifully gorgeous, even though the number of levels from the first has decreased. Now there are different objectives to each level while fighting, such as running from a boulder (a la Indiana Jones) and trying to escape a rising fire. Voice-overs and music add to the games depth.
Controls
There's not much to say here. Controls are simple. A is the jump, X is to punch, L trigger and R trigger are to execute special moves, and B is to pick up and throw crap, when you transform into powerful mode by collecting 3 power stones (there can be 7 on the screen at one time). Controls are the same except L trigger plus R trigger execute special attacks and X is to do a projectile attack.
Any Problems?
Only two. When 4 players got on the screen at the same time, it can get confusing, but once you get used to it, it's pretty easy. Second, Capcom actually made 2 SUPER DIFFICULT BOSSES (the trick to the first one is to stay underneath him and attack his legs. The second has no trick. Just throw everything at him and kick his ass). It will take a few times before you can actually beat them, but once you do, you'll feel better about yourself.
Overall
Power Stone 2 is a fighting masterpiece. Fighting game fans and thugs, get this game! You won't regret it.
--Master of Puppets
Graphics: 9.5
Sound: 9.5
Gameplay: 10
Satisfaction: 9.1
Overall: 10
