Even after playing this game since it's release date, Powerstone 2 still remains one of my favorite games of all time.
User Rating: 10 | Power Stone 2 (DreKore) DC
Oh boy, if someone doesn't like this game... they either are really bad at it or haven't given it the slightest chance. Powerstone 2 is a fighter/beat em' up made by capcom, which is a sequel to the two player fighting game Powerstone. This game features 4 player fighting action in fully interactive stages and easilly over 100 different items to unlock and use in the game. You can team up, go for free for alls, or simply play by yourself. I'd agree that people won't play this game nearly as much by themselves, but under the right conditions... powerstone 2 can become one of the funnest games made. Even after playing this game since it's release date, Powerstone 2 still remains one of my favorite games of all time. As far as gameplay goes, there are infinite possibilities to the different ways to enjoy this game. Each character has two combo attacks, a special team up attack, at least two different ways to hit enemies after jumping off another object, and even picking up your enemy. The basic elements of the combat in this game are: Simply beating up the other enemies, interacting with items and the levels to defeat your enemies, and collecting three powerstones out of a maximum of seven that pop up randomly through the levels. After collecting the stones, your character enteres "powerstone mode", which is basically a powerful version of your character with new moves, stronger health, and two special attacks that are the strongest ways of taking health from your foes besides using rare items. Don't worry though, powerstone characters aren't invincible in this mode, it can quickly run out if used rashly, and there are several ways to take the power away from them such as hitting them with a team up move. Just about every object in every level can be used as an attack in some way, whether it's pulling poles from the ground or hitting your foes into giant boulders, there isn't a single piece of map you can't do something with. The levels you fight in constantly change from simply fighting in areas such as a japanese castle ground, to battling it out while still climbing the castle walls to avoid a fire. There are also two special boss fights that have many different ways to defeat them. One of these being a giant pharoah robot that has a large tail cannon you can get in and hit the boss from the top, or smash it's legs so it falls down and lets you hit it while it's down. Along with the detail of the levels, chests appear throughout them that each contain one of over 100+ different items that each do something different. This includes swords, guns, food, and even umbrellas and vehicles. So you've got all this cool stuff you can use on your foes, the only problem is that even at the highest difficulty, the enemies are really stupid. Their AI will suddenly make them stand there sometimes, or even ressurect their partner from death, and smack them across the face. Enemies will sometimes change their mind about what they'll do next, and maybe even wander aimlessly. However, at some points, enemies can get tough and beat you no problem, so it's all kinda random how a battle will turn out. The AI doesn't get really annoying until you play against them with friends. At this point though, it doesn't really matter because there are so many fun ways to win. The graphics and sound fit perfectly for what the game wants to establish. The characters are all very lively with animations and detail, and the levels all function very well in terms of appearance. Each character you'll encounter has a wide variety of things they say and express... even though the dialogue is japanese. The music doesn't get annoying, and pretty much fits each level quite well. The graphics aren't anything special, nor is the sound, but they are perfect for accomplishing the finer points of the game. In short, powerstone 2 is crammed with unique ways to accomplish a simple task... BEATING DOWN YOUR FOES! There are so many different possiblilities that you can literally play this game for a long time and not get bored of it, especially if you have some friends to play it with. The graphics and sound play their roles quite well to not bug or distract you. Even if the AI is really stupid, you'll most likely not care as you are having so much fun smashing boxes into your opponents faces and whatnot.
