“Take Back the Power!”
Power Stone Collection
Developer/Publisher: Capcom
Platform: PlayStation Portable
Released (North America): October 31, 2006
Released (Europe): October 20, 2006
Released (Australia): October 25, 2006
Released (Japan): November 30, 2006
Originally Played: March 25, 2010
PSC boasts both of the Power Stone games, two very arcade-style, arena-based fighting games that originally came out on the late, lamented Sega Dreamcast. Capcom went through a phase where they ported (or remade, in Mega Man’s case) some of their older games for the PSP. They also announced a Devil May Cry and Resident Evil game for the handheld early on. Remember that?
PS gets compared to Super Smash Bros due to the complexity of the levels and the random weapons and food that are constantly generated, but a key difference is the perspective. PS has a canted camera angle.
PS takes place in a parallel, 19th century world, which still feels fresh compared to other fighters. The pitch is that several adventurers are looking for the titular Power Stones to unlock their secrets. In gameplay, collecting three Stones temporarily unlocks a superpowered form. However, eating too many hits can cause you to lose the Stones that you have gathered. Further spicing things up are the aforementioned items and stage hazards.
Here Comes a New Challenger (PS)
Edward Falcon: A red-clad pilot from “Londo”. He specializes in boxing. In the Japanese version, his last name is Fokker, a reference to the type of plane that he flies.
Ayame: A 16-year-old kunoichi descended from a long line of ninjas. Comes from the city of Oedo.
Wang-Tang: A martial artist who hails from the town of Tong-An. His looks and moves garner several comparisons to Dragon Ball characters.
Rouge: A wandering fortune teller from Mahdad. She has pyrokinetic abilities.
Ryoma: A ronin from the small island nation of Mutsu. He grew bored with the competition there, and embarked on a journey to find the Power Stones when he heard about strong adventurers going after them.
Gunrock: A middle-aged miner from Dawnvolta. He is a father of five. The big, slow character on the roster.
Galuda: A Native American shaman from Dullstown. A local hero, he springs into action when a one-armed man brings a disease upon his village. The Stones will help him save his people.
Jack: A creepy guy from Manches. He has an obsession with shiny jewels and attacks women to steal their jewelry. He goes after the Stones after overhearing that they are supposed to be the most dazzling gems in the world.
The Bosses
Kraken: A pirate who seeks the Stones to revive his dead crew. Aww…
Valgas: A wrestler who seeks the Stones to garner even more power, even though he’s known as the world’s strongest man anyway.
What the HELL is the final boss!
The game is fine, but I’m used to more sedate fighting games.
Power Stone 2 seems to have more interesting features.
Here Comes a New Challenger (PS2)
Accel: A cowboy from the Old West who discovered the power of the Stones after being ambushed by a gang of outlaws, and seeks the rest to get his revenge.
Julia Whitepearl: An elegant young lady from a refined lineage – or so she seems. She has a secret, wild split personality that her family hoped to contain with one of the Stones. However, this personality compels Julia to steal the Stone and run away…
Pete: A doll who gained sentience with the power of a Stone. He seeks more in the hope of creating more wonderful things. Aww!
Gourmand: An overweight chef who wants to see what kind of ingredients he can find in the Floating Castle. He kind of looks like Mario. The comparisons just keep adding up…
A girl who attacks with a parasol? Unlockable items and coins to buy them with? Remind you of anything?
PS2 feels quite different from PS.
When characters fall on the battlefield, they turn into angels and float off of the stage. Hm.
Why does Jack sound like a Pokémon?!
Dr. Erode was a pretty tough boss. What did he have to do with the castle?
Why is the ending theme so melancholy?
The credits have pretty graphics.
I can definitely see how these games influenced a more popular fighter/party game.
Why are all fighting game announcers so creepy-sounding?
I found myself returning to PSC here and there throughout the years when I was still heavily playing my PSP (so before I got my Nintendo 3DS). PSC may not change your life, but it’s a fun little series that probably had at least one more good game left in it. It’s a travesty that none of its characters have ever camoed in a Capcom crossover game. Rouge was planned for Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars before she was cut. To be honest, she really fits the anime aesthetic of the game.
Maybe the reason why Capcom hasn’t tapped into the series more is because SSB took a similar concept and ran wild with it; far wilder than Capcom themselves ever could. Still, it’s worth a look. Between the two games, PS2 has more content and characters, but I feel that the newcomers to the roster are less inspired than those of the original game.
There was a PSC anime adaptation based on the first game, because what fighter truly worth its salt doesn’t have one? I saw some pictures of it in a magazine and it looked kind of cheap.
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