Powerstone 2

for Sega Dreamcast

Distributed by
Eidos

Essentially, Powerstone 2 is like the 1980s ZX Spectrum classic "Target Renegade" and the arcade's "Double Dragon" but with a futuristic bent, with scenes extending over more than one arena and you're forced to move on. Scenarios include fighting on a plane that breaks up piece by piece until it completely falls out of the sky and running away from a huge boulder Indiana Jones-style or face being crushed. Many of them allow you to jump about the screen, launching yourself off high ledges and landing on your opponents, like an even more violent version of WWF, although it can get very repetitive if you play it too much.

Various game modes are available: "1-on-1", Arcade - which places four people onscreen and the last two to survive go through to the next level, Original mode - up to four people, allowing a choice of one against three or 2-on-2, plus a Co-operative mode which stops a player from hurting his partner. Finally, the Adventure mode has the inclusion of an item shop. After collecting items during a game you can combine them to form new ones. Also, Material Cards (eg. Iron, Oil) and Essence Cards can be combined with themselves or other items to bring about the same effect, although a Suprise Card can introduce a mutation to an item and a Copy Card will produce multiple versions of it.

Many weapons and pieces of scenery are there for the picking up and shooting/throwing at the baddies. I favoured the mallet, the gun and the mini-turrets. Sometimes when you throw something at the enemy, they actually catch it and use it back on you!

The graphics are spectacular. They move very fast, are lifelike and colourful and the arena is moved around in an attempt to keep up with the action, but when there's four people onscreen banging away at each other it gets overbearing and you lose track of where you are and what's going on. I found some enemies creating electrical rainstorms out of nothing and my character was kept inside a maelstrom of madness for a good ten seconds before he died, leaving me helpless. The sound is equally excitable. It's an exercise in being lively and loud as the mele‚ ensues and the neighbours will be sure to bang on your door if you have a blast at night.

Other features are included such as the ability to create a "Mini Book" on your VMU, which keeps track all the items you've saved on it, while Decorative Items created earlier can be adapted to make your fighting clothes rather dapper.

Overall: 3½/5

This review was on Freeloader.com before they closed.

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.