Just amazing! How much more innovative can a fighting franchise really get?
The first innovation that makes this game stand out are the levels, not only their design alone, but the actual fact that they are progressive levels that change as the fight goes on .The levels are also astounding by just the sheer amount of objects and other neat goodies that can be used in the fight for each area. Anything from posts in the ground, to glaciers, to a tank; they definitely didn't miss much here. The last, and probably the most important concept each level delivers to the game is the constant chests that pop up all over the levels; these chests could contain any items or weapons that you have obtained so far in the game, or even power stones that allow you to power up.
This brings me to the next revolutionary part of this game, its all about the weapons baby! You actually have to create (or find) every weapon and item in the game by mixing weapons and items together that you have already found, via a weapon creation machine. Considering the fact that there are 120 weapons and items combined (about 100 of them weapons alone!) you'll be working at combining every weapon you can get your hands on. But be careful, you don't get infinite weapons to just mix together, you can either find more weapons in story mode, or you can buy them in the shop. There are also some weapons and items you can only find in the story mode, and some you can only buy, but most you'll be creating.
Aside the superb level design, constant action, and crazy weapons is the presentation of the game, which ultimately adds just the right amount of flavor. The animation does have its rough edges here and there, but considering all the animations all of the characters have, it's just amazing how much work they put into them. The graphics in general are a step back from the first game in the series, but it's hard to feel bad about it considering that's what was sacrificed in order to amp up the gameplay for the game. The sound and the music in general doesn't grab your attention too much, but all the sound in Power Stone 2 does a perfect job of providing a sense of fast and intense fights by blending in just enough to make all the action feel just right.
Now if you're a multiplayer fanatic, this game will have you sold right out of the box. The multiplayer is so hectic and cut throat that your bound to be laughing your *** off more than any game you've ever played. The only real down side to Power Stone 2 is without the multiplayer, the game just seems like a slightly above average fighter. This is mostly due to the fact that the AI in the game isn't all its cracked up to be, at times you'll find the AI controlled players forgetting what they are even doing, or you'll see them not even function properly for some of the levels, almost as if they didn't program the AI differently for different fighting enviroments. Like when you are fighting at the base of an ancient chinese temple, and when the bottom starts on fire, it's your goal to climb up the tower to the top while you're fighting. The AI gets pretty confused at this point and starts trying to jump up, but fails miserably when they try to jump through platforms and just keep doing the same thing over and over.
Other than a few AI hiccups (which are quite hilarious most of the time)Power Stone 2 is a rock solid game that should be played by everyone, whether you like the fighter genre or not, and especially if you love multiplayer.