Power Stone (series)

[Obiwanshinobi]

So my Power Stone 2 copy has arrived without a manual and I find the sensory overload it gives me intimidating. That era Capcom taught me to give them the benefit of the doubt (took me three attemps to start enjoying Viewtiful Joe), but Power Stone 2 (played vs CPU, different modes) is just not the most accessible of its ilk. I looked up GameFaqs and found this guide to be pretty comprehensive. What I made of it are three rules:
a) do not allow the enemy to collect three stones,
b) collect three stones to start inflicting serious damage,
c) postpone unleashing your special attack until the power bar is nearly depleted.
Is there something else I should be aware of first and foremost? Some hint like "Gunvalkyrie - stay airborne"? Normally, I like to find such clues in manuals, but no manual for me this time. The guide I linked to explains techniques, but 2 gets so busy from the word go I end up bewildered every time. Funny how it looks like a "party game", but without a companion to share my confusion, I have a hard time learning how to play.



Last but not least, is Team Battle the only co-op mode?

[BulletMagnet]

It's been awhile since I last busted out Power Stone, but if memory serves it was generally acknowledged that quicker characters had an advantage in the first game (which was somewhat more focused on brawling) while stronger ones do better in the sequel (which is somewhat more focused on tossing stuff around), so following that basic maxim might make things a little easier. The three tips you listed are sound too, especially the "stay in powered-up mode as long as you can" one (it not only gives you access to special attacks but increases your defenses too).

[Pretas]

I'm a fan of Power Stone 1 who can't stand the sequel. The original is supremely tight and focused, the sequel is too loose and chaotic for any long-term enjoyment. The combat also feels less technical and satisfying.

[null1024]

I'm a fan of Power Stone 1 who can't stand the sequel. The original is supremely tight and focused, the sequel is too loose and chaotic for any long-term enjoyment. The combat also feels less technical and satisfying.

These are almost my exact feelings on the game, except I still like Power Stone 2.

But wow, Power Stone 1 is great! A very satisfying versus game, and I always wanted to see something like it but a little tighter, since it's still a bit looser than a more serious fighter. But that's okay, I guess, since Power Stone doesn't take itself too seriously, haha.

Power Stone 2 is a far messier game, and that's before adding in the whole 4 player aspect [which is one of the reasons to own the game -- 4 player stuff with a few buddies is great, but it's still not as enjoyable a game alone or against a single opponent as Power Stone 1].

of course, since Power Stone 2 has more stuff [characters, stages, items, etc], everyone will praise it like hell over the first one, blah

And lastly, those three things in the OP are pretty much it. It generally boils down to "get the damn stones or get fucked" [in both PS1 and 2]. Sure, you can win without them [and thus also lose while having kept them away from your opponents the whole time], but they are pretty much the most important things on the field.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Never played 1, but it always looked a lot like 1vs1 games of Ehrgeiz to me. The reason why I got interested in the latter was the Diablo-like dungeon crawl mode (not unlike such modes in other Dream Factory games), but I think it can be played both ways with analogue stick.
2 can be still played 1vs1 way. I think even the arcade mode vs CPU features at least one such a battle.

[Krooze L-Roy]

I looked up Power Stone 2 on ebay just yesterday, and was dismayed at the prices it's selling for these days. Definitely agree that the first game was better, but the second had it's own charms.

Always felt like the series should have been more popular. Better than Smash Bros, IMO.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I think Capcom tried to reinvent competitive fighting games in 3D rather than emulate any other franchise. The company so famous for their fighters of yesteryear must have had something special in store, considering the times.
The reason why it didn't cacth on was the same why SoulCalibur before II was a cult title at best - it was the Dreamcast.

[Khan]

Always preferred the series to smash bros, its a shame we have yet to see HD versions last i ever heard of anything powerstone was the psp collection

[Obiwanshinobi]

Not sure if high resolution flatters Power Stone, but it's probably emulated at this point, so you can see by yourself.
To make any impactful release on recent home platforms, Capcom would need to make it online, that I suspect would be technically disappointing. Easier to tarnish the series' reputation than to restore it. It would be up against 1vs1 fighting games fans.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Can Japanese Power Stone 1 (legit disc) boot on PAL Dreamcast using Xploder?

[LordHypnos]

Aw man, I played so much power stone when I was a preteen. such fun games. I think I prefer 1 generally (and therefore 1 player or 1v1), but 4 player on 2 was quite enjoyable. I played a lot of that with friends. Always played as Ayame. Apparently she's actually really broken, I've heard (Makes sense, in 1, anyway, since she's the fastest character)

Also: I generally played with the intent of keeping stones away from my opponents, but not actually transforming. Found it more enjoyable that way, but FWIW I was a lot better at it then my opponents, so that might be part of it (Kind of increasing the challenge level, or whatnot.)

EDIT: Did a quick google search and found this thread in some random forum that I remember finding last time I looked up Power Stone: http://8wayrun.com/threads/power-stone- ... sion.2577/
and this one, which I just found and haven't finished reading yet:
http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/ ... one-thread

Both contain some interesting discussion about strategy, game mechanics, etc. in both PS games.

[President_Obama]

Did any of you Powerstone fans enjoy Anarchy Reigns?

[LordHypnos]

Did any of you Powerstone fans enjoy Anarchy Reigns?

Never Played. Does it play kind of similar?

Can Japanese Power Stone 1 (legit disc) boot on PAL Dreamcast using Xploder?

Most of the time other-region stuff can be booted on a DC with bootdisk. No experience with that combo specifically, but do you have any reason to think it might not be able to be?
Even if Xploder doesn't work, there's a few bootdisks that you could download. Good chance one of them will work. I quite like using the Sylverant PSO patcher, myself. It's intended to patch Phantasy Star Online to connect with the private Sylverant server, but also works quite well as a bootdisk.

[Pretas]

Did any of you Powerstone fans enjoy Anarchy Reigns?

Never Played. Does it play kind of similar?

Not at all. Very facetious comparison. It's also a highly mediocre and poorly balanced game.

[President_Obama]

I have played both and they seemed pretty similar to me, but I'll happily admit to only having spent maybe three to four hours on both games. I rather liked what I played of Anarchy Reigns despite the fairly limited move-set for each character. I'd love to get some MP going on PS3 if any of you pipsqueeks fancies having their shit pushed right in.

[Obiwanshinobi]

What I said about 1vs1 fighting games fans. Ask them whether they enjoyed anything.