Power Stone Collection

Scheduled release date: Q4 2006
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting
Number Of Players: 1-4

Few people actually purchased Power Stone and Power Stone 2 when they were first released for Sega's Dreamcast console back in 1999 and 2000. Those that did quickly became vocal supporters of Capcom's unique party-fighting series. After Sega stopped production of the Dreamcast in 2001, the Power Stone fanbase went underground, setting up message boards and fan communities on the Internet dedicated to the constant adoration of their beloved fighting franchise. Frequent e-mail and message board petition campaigns have been organized over the years to beg Capcom to revive the series on the popular consoles of the day. As it turns out, the execs at Capcom were paying attention. Power Stone and Power Stone 2 are coming to the PSP later this year in a pack named Power Stone Collection.

Both games are frantic beat 'em ups done in a fast-paced style similar to Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Unlike Smash Bros. though, Power Stone features an intricate attack system resplendent with combos, counters, and special moves (everything that Capcom is known for). The two Power Stone games further carve their own unique niche by incorporating such nifty aspects as fully-realized 3D environments, destructible environmental objects, and collectible "power stones" that allow players to beef up their characters during matches. For instance, if you play Falcon and collect three power stones, you can unleash a multi-missile assault on enemies from afar.

Power Stone Collection for PSP will include Power Stone, which originally featured 8 playable characters and a 2-player versus mode, and Power Stone 2, which upped the ante with 14 playable characters, dozens of new special moves, and a 4-player versus mode. Multiplayer modes won't be online-enabled, unfortunately, but Capcom has at least promised that you'll be able to setup local matches on multiple PSPs using only a single game disc.

Judging from the information, screen captures, and video demonstrations provided by Capcom, the variations of Power Stone present in the PSP collection will be virtually identical to their original Dreamcast incarnations. The 3D graphics and richly detailed polygon characters still look as bright as ever. By default, both games will run in a "widescreen" display mode that stretches the graphics to fill the PSP's screen. The stretch doesn't appear to distort or mangle the graphics, so that's good. We've been assured, though, that you'll be able to select a letterboxed "normal" display mode as well, which will display the games in their original aspect ratios with black bars on the left and right of the screen.

New enhancements for the PSP versions include multiple camera angles and new weapons in both games, an expanded roster for the original Power Stone (incorporating the 4 new characters from Power Stone 2), and an RPG style adventure mode for Power Stone 2.

Power Stone Collection for PSP is scheduled to ship in Q4 2006 (between September and December).