Smash Bros. or Power Stone... I prefer the Stone!

Multiplayer fighting games... Power Stone I choose YOU!

Buying Super Smash Bros. Brawl made me realize that I'm not as much of a fan of the series as I had previously thought. In fact, I'm losing interest in playing the game altogether. I thought getting it would give me the multiplayer fighting fix I've been looking for, something on par with Power Stone, but it's just not the same. Instead Smash Bros. made me want to reboot my Dreamcast to play the game, and its sequel, and even eventually buy Power Stone Collection for my PSP. Basically, Smash Bros, has me longing to reexperience the underrated Power Stone, a series I enjoy moreso than Nintendo's melee fighter.

Not that I'm knocking the Smash Bros, it's a good series for what it is. But all the fan service in the world, won't make me a devout follower. It's entertaining in the sense that you have all these well known characters squaring off, but I don't find it nearly as strategic as Capcom's once exclusive Dreamcast fighting series. Why'd I buy Smash Bros. again?

For it's online mode and well, the hype... I gave in to the hype, and the fact it features Sonic the Hedgehog. Plus, the series is pretty popular at the Penny Arcade Expo, so I figured I may as well train up.

I always found Smash Bros. a little on the basic side. A game that's easy to pick up and doesn't require much from the player, even though people have said there's depth to the fighting system, I really don't see it. It's very button mashy. The fighting mechanics on a 2d plane works for the type of game that it is, but it feels limiting, and repetitive. It lacks the dynamic of the third-dimension which makes Power Stone all the more versatile. Also I'm not too crazy about the Smash Bros. level design, and the floatiness of the characters, but that's just me nitpicking.

The original Power Stone featured 1-on-1

Released around the same time in 1999, Power Stone (Dreamcast), and Super Smash Bros.(N64) introduced a fresh multiplayer fighting experience to gamers. One featured well-known game characters from Nintendo titles, while the other featured anime characters that most people weren't familiar with at all. Of course Nintendo with its massive fanbase easily overshadowed Sega, delivered a game the fans would go crazy for.

Power Stone 2 featured up to 4 players.

Capcom knows fighting games, plain and simple. With Power Stone they demonstrated their abilities developing a fully 3D arena fighting system, where players can interact with the environment, while using various items including power ups to defeat their opponent. Players could jump off walls, and execute combination attacks, on top of all the other attacks in a very arcadey brawl style.

I think I will play some Power Stone. Here's hoping that another one is in the works. Anything's possible these days... especially since NiGHTS made a come back...

Here's a clip from the Power Stone animated series.

I think I'm gonna be sick.. Too much Final Fantasy...

RPG's + Handheld = Not-so Casual gaming

Whoever said that portable gaming was solely for the casual gamer definitely hasn't played a good ol' RPG on the Nintendo DS, like Final Fantasy III, or Final Fantasy VI. Just the other day I found myself glued to the friggin' hand-held for several hours, on top of the 30 hours I had already clocked in while playing FF III; the once console, now portable RPG had me hooked. That was due in part to the lack of save points prior to the final battle. I had to play through two areas packed with monsters, and then fight the final boss, all without saving. Whoever neglected to put a save point at this part of the game is a total WANKAH!.

Games that require the player to level up constantly in order to progress through the story like a traditional RPG does, definitely require a lot from the player, in fact they're down right time consuming. Sure like any portable title, you can pick it up and play just about anywhere you want, but some games aren't for the casual gamer, nor can they be defined as casual games. I'm really not fond of the label anyway, because if I for example play a game like Puzzle Quest (or the aforementioned FF's) for hours on end, it's not really "casual" now is it?

In any case, after struggling to get to, and then beat the last boss in FFIII, I can finally say I finished the game, and well I think it's overrated. Needless to say I wasn't very impressed with this Final Fantasy. Even though it features everyone's favorite job-swapping system, I didn't really find the characters or back stories all that interesting, or the game for that matter. And yet I played it for 30 hours... wow.

It was entertaining to say the least, just not one of my favorites.

And just when I thought I'd be done with Final Fantasy, here comes FFCC: Ring of Fates for the DS which I picked up last week, and then FFVII Crisis Core for the PSP this week. OMG why all the Final Fantasy?! These 2 games will definitely take up my time... I feel bad for neglecting Mario and friends. I picked up Smash Bros. Brawl as well, but haven't been able to play it as much as I'd like to. Will there ever be a FINAL fantasy? I think I'm gonna be sick after these two Squeenix adventures. Hopefully I don't change my handle to some horrendous faux anime/rpg name, and start cosplaying. That would be bad, but an excellent example of how playing too much Final Fantasy can influence the mind.