--==Info==---
Developer - Capcom
Publisher - Capcom
Release Dates
- 20th October 2006 (EU)
- 31st October 2006 (NA)
Genre - Beat 'Em Up
Power Stone Collection is a port of both Power Stone 1 and Power Stone 2 from the SEGA Dreamcast to the PSP, with some extra added features, but the gameplay mechanics and concept of the 2 original games remain the same. As this game has split into both seperate games, it kinda falls under the "2 for 1" principle, as you get both the games for the price of an average PSP game, and we all love a bargain don't we?
---==Story==---
For the first game, it's pretty simple. Arcade mode consists of you fighting your way across the world as one of 14 different characters (6 of which are unlockable), eventually reaching the final boss battle. Once completed, your chosen fighter will have their own unique ending sequence, and you'll have the chance to try it with the plethora of other characters. In Power Stone 2, however, all characters from the Power Stone universe have been drawn to an evil castle by some crazy Doctor who wishes to harness the magic of all the Power Stones. Your chosen fighter will have to battle it out with the other characters and bosses to make it to said crazy Doctor, giving you the chance to kill him and escape your hellhole of captivity.
As with many games of the Beat 'Em Up genre, the story isn't really the main pulling point. In the Power Stone series and many other fighters, a loose, and pretty non-believeable storyline is thrown in just to give the people an excuse to deck 9 colours of shit out of each other, all for our entertainment.
Fraggle Rock reminders, anyone?
---==Gameplay==---
Now for the big one, (if you laugh it says more about you than it does about me.) Power Stone is quite unique as it allows you to move around a highly destructible, climbable and spin-aroundable environment. Battles in Power Stone 1 are strictly 1v1, but in Power Stone 2, 4 people can play at once, in any combination of teams. Controls between the 2 games are very similar, with only 1 or 2 differences between the 2 games, but do follow the general rule of:
Square -> Punch/Use Weapon or Item
Triangle -> Kick/Drop Weapon or Item
Circle -> Strong Attack/Throw/Pick up Weapon or Item
X -> Jump
Combos can be linked together using the Square and Triangle buttons, and pressing them in a different order will do different combos, some more powerful than others. Aerial attacks can also be performed with Square and Triangle, and Aerial throws can be executed with Circle. You can pick up many of the objects lying around and throw them, or simply push them in a given direction. Chests appear randomly throughout stages in both games, and can either contain one of many useable weapons and items, or can reveal a Power Stone. Players move around and collect Power Stones, and after acquiring 3, will be transformed into a much more powerful version of themselves. It is a very common battle tactic, and a pretty lame excuse to post a picture of my fav character.
Ayame, one of the characters, before picking up 3 power stones.
and Ayame, after picking up 3 power stones
The transformations of every character will usually represent their personality or interests in at least one way or form, for example, Ayame is a young, energetic Ninja, and so her transformation takes these into account and incorporates them in several ways...
Weapon - She uses a (pretty damn big) Shuriken, a common stereotype of Ninjas.
Colour - Being a young female, a bright, vibrant pink is probably one of the best fitting colours for her costume.
Costume - Maybe it's me, but it slightly resembles a bunny, something that also interests young girls.
While in transformation mode, controls are changed, and each action will take off some of your Tranformed Power Meter. Once this is depleted, you return to normal form, and expel 2 of your power stones in random directions. While transformed, you can also unleash "Power Fusion" attacks. In Power Stone 1, these will completely drain your power meter, and in Power Stone 2 will take off roughly 80-85%, meaning you can unleash a second if you feel like being cheap. these are done by simply pressing the right and left trigger buttons, and depending on what button you press, and if you are airborne or not, the attack will change.
As mentioned before, you can use items and weapons to aid you in your fight. a plethora of weapons can be used in Power Stone 1 and in Power Stone 2 at least 10X as many are available, as the new addition of the Item Shop allows you to combine the spoils of your victories into crazy and devastating new inventions. Skateboards, Footballs, Totem Hammers, Miniguns, Rocket Launchers, Tridents and Umbrellas can't even begin to cover the amount of things available for you to use, and chests can also drop healing items if your character is a tad down on their luck.
Characters aren't all just the same either, they all have their unique fighting style and traits available to them. Ayame has the ability to double jump, is one of the fastest, but isn't as strong or sturdy as some of the others characters. Some of the bigger characters, like Gunrock (He's the giant, "Fuck You!" Rock Golem in the 2nd picture, that's his transformation, but I'm sure you can figure out his normal form.) will move slower, but attack much harder and can pick up a lot of the heavier items with ease. These different traits mean some of the characters are better suited to some levels, meaning you should take a minute or two to think about what character is better suited for the stage your about to pretty much wreck.
BANZAI !!!!
As stated before, environments can be interacted with. For example, the stage shown just above, has gun turrets which you can occupy and use to deal quite a bit of damage to your enemies, however you will be stationary and susceptible (?) to enemy attacks. You can jump on to Lamp-posts or Poles and launch yourself off them, damaging your enemy and knocking them across the battlefield, or you can simply swing around them and launch a similar attack, both will auto aim onto enemies for you. Being able to interact with the environment is one of Power Stone's strong points and utilizing it at the right time/situation can be very helpful to winning a battle.
Both games make use of the AD-HOC mode in the PSP and allow you to battle it out with your friends on any of the stages, which is a great addition, and a new oppurtunity for braging rights. However, both games do lack Infrastructure mode, or my eyesight needs checked again. Although fighting your friends is a welcome bonus, I (personally) don't think you have to, as playing on your own is definitely a lot more fun than single player is in many other Fighting games.
One of the Boss Battles in Power Stone 2. Is it Just me or is that face incredibly "suggestive"??
---==Graphics==---
seeing as this is pretty much a port of the 2 dreamcast games, the graphics aren't the best seen on the PSP. However, this shouldn't in any way deter you. the game is supposed to look crazy, the game is supposed to look different. It adds to the games unique charm and gives it that wacky, anime sort of feel. (There is actually an anime of this btw, not sure which came out first though, the anime or the dreamcast games) The character designs influence their fighting styles, and the frantic, crazy feeling this game has is largely because of the way the game looks.
The stages are incredibly varied, from Desert Temples to Feudal Chinese Castles, to Pirate Ships and even Factories, this game is certainly one of the most varied you'll find. The characters have wacky designs and their attack animations resemble them in overly flamboyant ways. The weapons all have extravagant attack sequences and there's very little in this game that hasn't been in done in bright neon colours.
Saying that the game jumps out at you is putting it lightly, saying that it lunges at you, stomps all over you and slaps you silly would be more accurate, but still not quite there.
---==Sound==---
Like the graphics, the music and sound effects are unique and very well used. For many of the stages, the background music will often represent something quite commonly heard from that country or Region, such as in Oedo (If you deduced that this stage's name was based on the Japanese province of Edo, then your smarter than the average bear......you wish) Ayame's stage, which has a fast paced tune (to represent the character) but is made up primarily of flutes, drums and guitars, to give that eastern sort of feel to the stage. Below is a much better way of explaining it.
In a nutshell, the music is as varied and crazy as the characters and stages, but always fits, and can change the feel of a battle no matter who you're playing as. Sounds made by attacks can also (surprisingly) affect the feel of a battle. A sharp, resonating slice made from a sword is obviously going to rivet you more than a thud made from a punch or kick isn't it? For me, the enjoyment came mainly from executing a long combo, as hearing your enemy get hit 20 times is strangely rewarding.
---==Verdict==---
If you're looking to expand your collection of PSP games, this should be high on the list and would make a fine addition. You should also pick this up if you liked the dreamcast versions, as it gives you that nice feeling of nostalgia. What it may lack in realism and depth such as games like Tekken, it makes up for by being simple, entertaining and most of all, Fun, and that's what gamings all about isn't it?
Developer - Capcom
Publisher - Capcom
Release Dates
- 20th October 2006 (EU)
- 31st October 2006 (NA)
Genre - Beat 'Em Up
Power Stone Collection is a port of both Power Stone 1 and Power Stone 2 from the SEGA Dreamcast to the PSP, with some extra added features, but the gameplay mechanics and concept of the 2 original games remain the same. As this game has split into both seperate games, it kinda falls under the "2 for 1" principle, as you get both the games for the price of an average PSP game, and we all love a bargain don't we?
---==Story==---
For the first game, it's pretty simple. Arcade mode consists of you fighting your way across the world as one of 14 different characters (6 of which are unlockable), eventually reaching the final boss battle. Once completed, your chosen fighter will have their own unique ending sequence, and you'll have the chance to try it with the plethora of other characters. In Power Stone 2, however, all characters from the Power Stone universe have been drawn to an evil castle by some crazy Doctor who wishes to harness the magic of all the Power Stones. Your chosen fighter will have to battle it out with the other characters and bosses to make it to said crazy Doctor, giving you the chance to kill him and escape your hellhole of captivity.
As with many games of the Beat 'Em Up genre, the story isn't really the main pulling point. In the Power Stone series and many other fighters, a loose, and pretty non-believeable storyline is thrown in just to give the people an excuse to deck 9 colours of shit out of each other, all for our entertainment.
Fraggle Rock reminders, anyone?
---==Gameplay==---
Now for the big one, (if you laugh it says more about you than it does about me.) Power Stone is quite unique as it allows you to move around a highly destructible, climbable and spin-aroundable environment. Battles in Power Stone 1 are strictly 1v1, but in Power Stone 2, 4 people can play at once, in any combination of teams. Controls between the 2 games are very similar, with only 1 or 2 differences between the 2 games, but do follow the general rule of:
Square -> Punch/Use Weapon or Item
Triangle -> Kick/Drop Weapon or Item
Circle -> Strong Attack/Throw/Pick up Weapon or Item
X -> Jump
Combos can be linked together using the Square and Triangle buttons, and pressing them in a different order will do different combos, some more powerful than others. Aerial attacks can also be performed with Square and Triangle, and Aerial throws can be executed with Circle. You can pick up many of the objects lying around and throw them, or simply push them in a given direction. Chests appear randomly throughout stages in both games, and can either contain one of many useable weapons and items, or can reveal a Power Stone. Players move around and collect Power Stones, and after acquiring 3, will be transformed into a much more powerful version of themselves. It is a very common battle tactic, and a pretty lame excuse to post a picture of my fav character.
Ayame, one of the characters, before picking up 3 power stones.
and Ayame, after picking up 3 power stones
The transformations of every character will usually represent their personality or interests in at least one way or form, for example, Ayame is a young, energetic Ninja, and so her transformation takes these into account and incorporates them in several ways...
Weapon - She uses a (pretty damn big) Shuriken, a common stereotype of Ninjas.
Colour - Being a young female, a bright, vibrant pink is probably one of the best fitting colours for her costume.
Costume - Maybe it's me, but it slightly resembles a bunny, something that also interests young girls.
While in transformation mode, controls are changed, and each action will take off some of your Tranformed Power Meter. Once this is depleted, you return to normal form, and expel 2 of your power stones in random directions. While transformed, you can also unleash "Power Fusion" attacks. In Power Stone 1, these will completely drain your power meter, and in Power Stone 2 will take off roughly 80-85%, meaning you can unleash a second if you feel like being cheap. these are done by simply pressing the right and left trigger buttons, and depending on what button you press, and if you are airborne or not, the attack will change.
As mentioned before, you can use items and weapons to aid you in your fight. a plethora of weapons can be used in Power Stone 1 and in Power Stone 2 at least 10X as many are available, as the new addition of the Item Shop allows you to combine the spoils of your victories into crazy and devastating new inventions. Skateboards, Footballs, Totem Hammers, Miniguns, Rocket Launchers, Tridents and Umbrellas can't even begin to cover the amount of things available for you to use, and chests can also drop healing items if your character is a tad down on their luck.
Characters aren't all just the same either, they all have their unique fighting style and traits available to them. Ayame has the ability to double jump, is one of the fastest, but isn't as strong or sturdy as some of the others characters. Some of the bigger characters, like Gunrock (He's the giant, "Fuck You!" Rock Golem in the 2nd picture, that's his transformation, but I'm sure you can figure out his normal form.) will move slower, but attack much harder and can pick up a lot of the heavier items with ease. These different traits mean some of the characters are better suited to some levels, meaning you should take a minute or two to think about what character is better suited for the stage your about to pretty much wreck.
BANZAI !!!!
As stated before, environments can be interacted with. For example, the stage shown just above, has gun turrets which you can occupy and use to deal quite a bit of damage to your enemies, however you will be stationary and susceptible (?) to enemy attacks. You can jump on to Lamp-posts or Poles and launch yourself off them, damaging your enemy and knocking them across the battlefield, or you can simply swing around them and launch a similar attack, both will auto aim onto enemies for you. Being able to interact with the environment is one of Power Stone's strong points and utilizing it at the right time/situation can be very helpful to winning a battle.
Both games make use of the AD-HOC mode in the PSP and allow you to battle it out with your friends on any of the stages, which is a great addition, and a new oppurtunity for braging rights. However, both games do lack Infrastructure mode, or my eyesight needs checked again. Although fighting your friends is a welcome bonus, I (personally) don't think you have to, as playing on your own is definitely a lot more fun than single player is in many other Fighting games.
One of the Boss Battles in Power Stone 2. Is it Just me or is that face incredibly "suggestive"??
---==Graphics==---
seeing as this is pretty much a port of the 2 dreamcast games, the graphics aren't the best seen on the PSP. However, this shouldn't in any way deter you. the game is supposed to look crazy, the game is supposed to look different. It adds to the games unique charm and gives it that wacky, anime sort of feel. (There is actually an anime of this btw, not sure which came out first though, the anime or the dreamcast games) The character designs influence their fighting styles, and the frantic, crazy feeling this game has is largely because of the way the game looks.
The stages are incredibly varied, from Desert Temples to Feudal Chinese Castles, to Pirate Ships and even Factories, this game is certainly one of the most varied you'll find. The characters have wacky designs and their attack animations resemble them in overly flamboyant ways. The weapons all have extravagant attack sequences and there's very little in this game that hasn't been in done in bright neon colours.
Saying that the game jumps out at you is putting it lightly, saying that it lunges at you, stomps all over you and slaps you silly would be more accurate, but still not quite there.
---==Sound==---
Like the graphics, the music and sound effects are unique and very well used. For many of the stages, the background music will often represent something quite commonly heard from that country or Region, such as in Oedo (If you deduced that this stage's name was based on the Japanese province of Edo, then your smarter than the average bear......you wish) Ayame's stage, which has a fast paced tune (to represent the character) but is made up primarily of flutes, drums and guitars, to give that eastern sort of feel to the stage. Below is a much better way of explaining it.
Spoiler: |
In a nutshell, the music is as varied and crazy as the characters and stages, but always fits, and can change the feel of a battle no matter who you're playing as. Sounds made by attacks can also (surprisingly) affect the feel of a battle. A sharp, resonating slice made from a sword is obviously going to rivet you more than a thud made from a punch or kick isn't it? For me, the enjoyment came mainly from executing a long combo, as hearing your enemy get hit 20 times is strangely rewarding.
---==Verdict==---
If you're looking to expand your collection of PSP games, this should be high on the list and would make a fine addition. You should also pick this up if you liked the dreamcast versions, as it gives you that nice feeling of nostalgia. What it may lack in realism and depth such as games like Tekken, it makes up for by being simple, entertaining and most of all, Fun, and that's what gamings all about isn't it?
[Done by me & my brother]
Disregard the spoiler bit, it did contain embedded youtube vids of game music, but doesn't seem to have loaded correctly. Oh well.
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