Power Stone
- January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST
It's been a long time since Capcom created the fighting genre with a little game called Street Fighter II. Now they seek to revolutionize the genre again with Power Stone, a game that takes the signature Capcom speed and control into 3D, and has new features that will please the most jaded gamer.
- GamePro Score
- User Score
- Write your review!
Everybody Must Get Stone
Power Stone is a fighting game unlike any you've ever played. It's 3D, like Square's Ehrgeiz, but the emphasis is less on martial arts and more on good old bar room brawling. Kick a chair across the room to knock down a chasing opponent, climb a pole and jump down on top of your opponent or pick up a flame thrower or bazooka and blast someone to smithereens. This is definitely not your father's fighting game.
Of course, what would Power Stone be without the power stones? Throughout the course of the match, you will collect any of three different crystals. With each crystal you grab, you become a bit stronger, until you finally collect all three. At that point, you will transform into a super-deadly instrument of cartoony destruction. While powered-up, one button will send massive attacks at your opponent. Only the best players will escape defeat when their opponents have all three stones.
Super-Duper Street Fighter Plus Alpha Mega 3D
Graphically, Power Stone successfully takes Capcom's trademark cartoony style into three dimensions. The characters are small and fast, and the huge environments burst with possible obstacles and weapons. The action is fast and furious, with furniture flying about and characters hanging like monkeys from the ceiling. While the game may not be as pretty as Namco's Soul Calibur, it certainly takes the prize for the fastest and most chaotic 3D fighting game around.
As far as gameplay is concerned, there are few fighting games with as much to offer as Power Stone. Each stage is different, with some being more suited for the small, quick characters, and others better for larger, stronger fighters. Each stage contains items to throw, poles to climb, walls to jump from and obstacles to avoid. Gunrock's stage in particular is a deathtrap, with spinning fan blades, a crushing spiked wheel, and a blast furnace that opens up from time to time, spewing flames high into the air. The controls work very well once you've become used to the many things your character can do. Soon you'll be leaping from walls and tossing chairs with the best of them.
Of course, Capcom is as famous for its funky sound as it is for fast gameplay. Power Stone boasts one of the most incomprehensible announcers in recent memory. The background music and the various sound effects keep the action intense, though chances are you'll be too busy running about and fighting to really notice.
Power to the People!
Those of you looking for something new in your fighting games, look no further. Power Stone may not be hard-hitting kung fu action, but it's a lot of fun. Grab a friend and get Stone.
