Power Stone - a classic game

I have to admit that when I got my Dreamcast a few years back. I went into it blind. Well, almost. I had no idea what games you got for it, what was coming out, nothing. I knew that there would be a Sonic the Hedgehog game for it, and I remembered seeing but never playing demo pods with something about a Taxi and a funky boxing game.
But the one game I had played before going into it was Powerstone. I remember playing this with some of my friends on a pod in a shop sometime after the Dreamcast launch and absolutely loving it. When it finally came time to buy Dreamcast games, this was the second one I purchased myself (the first being Streetfighter 3:Double Impact).
The game is a 3D fighting game, but not in the way that you picture when I say it’s a 3D fighting game. It isn’t like Tekken or Virtua Fighter, no its 3D as in you can run around all over the place.
The game allows you to pick up all sorts of weapons and scenery to hurt your opponent, and also there to spice things up are 3 Power Stones. Should you collect all three, you will go turbo and get some variety of armour and far more deadly moves at your disposal.

The game is set in the 19th Century, where a variety of adventurers are out to find the Legendary Power Stone. This is a jewel that is reputed to have great powers, so attracts hunters from all walks of life and intentions.
There are 8 Characters to choose from, with a further 2 to unlock in the form of the bosses.
I guess the main character of the game is Falcon, a British Pilot who wants the powerstone mainly because its in his heritage to hunt for it. When the 3 stones are in possession, he turns into an armoured hero complete with jet pack and rocket launcher.
Wang Tang is a Kung Fu hero who chases the stones mainly because his master told him to. The 3 stones turn him into a golden warrior, which reminds almost everyone of the characters in the cartoon Dragonball Z turning Super Saijan.
Rouge, who is a fortune teller, seeks the stones to help her talents out, when she gathers the 3 stones she transforms into a flame spewing Genie.
Ryoma is a master swordsman who is actually just out to look for a good fighting challenge. Should he gain the 3 stones, he turns into a gleaming silver samurai.
Ayame is a dancer come Ninja who is out to find the stones on order of her master. The stones transform her into an armoured butterfly warrior.
Gunrock is a hulking miner who has been searching for the stones in his mines for years. Should he get three stones, he transforms into a being of solid stone.
Jack is a criminal who likes jewels and cutting people, he wants the stones mainly because they are shiny and he is mad. If he gains three of them, he will transform into a blade warrior.
Galuda is a Native American who is extremely strong, and out to get the stones to cure his village of a mysterious disease inflicted upon them by Kraken. If he gets 3 stones, he transforms into a totem pole style Eagle Warrior.

The two bosses are Kraken, a made pirate with a metal claw in place of one hand, and Vargas, the musclebound keeper of the main powerstone. He is more than human, and will not be defeated as easily as you would hope…

The graphics in the game are pretty good, and at the time were amazing. The game has a really cartoony~Anime feel to it, and the game really does look like 3D anime. While they have aged a bit, and nowadays would probably have been Cel-shaded, they still look very good for a game released 5 years ago.

The music in the game is also really cool, with the gamer being treated to some nice theme tunes that are all fairly upbeat and add to the cartoon feel. I do have to say I like the sort of crazy version of traditional oriental game stage music on Ayame’s level.

The controls for the game are fairly straightforward. X is Punch, or if holding an item throw, or if next to an item push, Y is Kick or use a weapon, A is Jump, B is Punch+Kick or pick up weapon, L is Jump+Punch, but if in Powered up mode is Power Fusion attack 1, and R is Jump+Kick or Power Fusion Attack 2.
These all respond perfectly well, and take absolutely no time to master.

But where the game shines is its gameplay. While all the game is is a fighting game, its completely unlike any other fighting game released before it, and much better than any of its sort released after it. As well as using your punches and kicks, you can kick tables, swing from pillars, rip out trees, pick up swords or bazookas and generally do all sorts of crazy things while in the midst of combat.

This makes for one of the most entertaining multiplayer experiences I have had, ever. I recall some of my friends were fairly sceptical when looking at the box, but were actually won over within the first fight, as a duel where there are chairs flying around, bullets all over and a guy just turned into a samurai just looked too fun. And the fact that they played so well ensured that Powerstone was a multiplayer staple all through the life of the Dreamcast, and it still gets the odd run out for old times sake.

The game also has a decent enough single player mode, in which all of the characters have a little ending and can unlock extra features, that it won’t be relegated to exclusively multiplayer gaming.

The game is made by Capcom, those behind the fighting game legend that is the Streetfighter series, and this is probably their first attempt at a fighting game that doesn’t mimic SF, which is probably also why its one of the best ones they have released outwith the Streetfighter series.

The game is also one of the only DC games in my library (which is pretty big) that takes advantage of the VMU, the game offers a few mini games to download and all of them are pretty fun if really simple.

The game is simply a gameplay masterpiece. The fact that both the graphics and the sound are good just heaps on the greatness to it. The only fault the game has in my eyes, is that it doesn’t offer 4-Player play. This is something the sequel rectified, but I personally didn’t like the sequel anywhere near as much as the original.

Fighting game fans who don’t require 43545 hit combos and roll cancelling to enjoy a good scrap should definitely give this game a go. In fact, everyone with a Dreamcast should give this game a go. Its an original twist on a classic genre, and is probably one of my favourite games on the Dreamcast.