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[PC Gaijin]

Are these two series dead? Project Justice and the two Power Stones were some of my favorite games on the DC. Who was responsible for these games at Capcom, and are they still there? I had thought Power Stone would probably end up on the Gamecube someday, but it never happened.

Now that I think about it, does Capcom even make arcade game anymore?

 

[Tellaerin]

No clue, unfortunately. =/ Hopefully someone else here knows.

I wasn't too big on Project Justice (I thought they went a little overboard with some of the new characters, like the swim club guy who fought in his Speedos, snorkel and flippers, or the school reporter that attacked people with the flashbulb of her camera), but my friends and I played the hell out of Rival Schools when it was released. I'd kill for another sequel. I wouldn't mind seeing another Power Stone game either, for that matter. Seems they'd rather sink time and effort into a dozen Megaman spinoffs instead, though. =/

 

[Musashi Wins!]

Kind of curious myself, though I think the answer has been offered up before. Those were definitely some of my favorites. PJ not as much, but it was fun. The Power Stone games I'd take over SSMB, etc.

 

[Timo]

loved powerstone. loved it. mulitplayer was stellar. i still don't have the second one.

took a while to find rival schools. its pretty good, haven't played it as much. powerstones characters were much more likable.

 

[Drinky Crow]

They were both incredibly mediocre games? Well, Powerstone had its charms, but both Rival Schools games were simply BAD. Most "fans" of the latter series just get off on the characters, but for the rest of us, the fighting system was pure EX-quality trash.

 

[MomoPufflet]

The Powerstone games were awesome. Too bad by the time Powerstone 2 came out none of my friends were interested in the multiplayer mode. The item creation (or whatever it was, I can't remember) was cool though.

The PS games controlled so nicely with analog sticks too (compared to arcade joysticks).

 

[aoi tsuki]

They were both incredibly mediocre games? Well, Powerstone had its charms, but both Rival Schools games were simply BAD. Most "fans" of the latter series just get off on the characters, but for the rest of us, the fighting system was pure EX-quality trash.

Bingo, though it sucks that licensed trash like the GC Naruto games spawn milky sequels while games like Rival Schools get canned.

While on the subject, what happened to Tech Romancer? Or Virtual On for that matter?

 

[Mama Smurf]

I quite liked Powerstone, but Powerstone 2 was shit on a disc.

 

[Tenacious-V]

I personally only enjoyed the first powerstone. The second one just seemed kinda blah to me.

 

[Tain]

Or Virtual On for that matter?

Marz was garbage, and while Force seemed to pull people in, the general consensus was that it was definitely no VOOT. I'm not sure if there'll be another game in the series.

I'd still kill for a home port of Force. Marz had a 4-system link feature that was nixed later in development (at least, that's what one could gather from poking around the disc and code), and it would've made a reason enough for me to pick it up.

 

[Gattsu25]

I'd love a new Power Stone game...one with lots of unlockables and enhanced gameplay

The Power Stone games I'd take over SSMB, etc.

 

[Tellaerin]

They were both incredibly mediocre games? Well, Powerstone had its charms, but both Rival Schools games were simply BAD. Most "fans" of the latter series just get off on the characters, but for the rest of us, the fighting system was pure EX-quality trash.

Rival Schools played better than any of the EX games did. Personally, I felt it came closer to capturing the feel of the 2D SF games in 3D. I also liked the way team attacks varied depending on which characters were paired up and which member of the pair you were using--it was a neat little wrinkle that added an element of strategy to the proceedings.

Thanks for taking the obligatory gratuitous potshots at people who play the 'wrong' fighting games, though. GAF wouldn't be what it is today without the efforts of people like you.

 

[TheDiave]

As far as Power Stone goes, the Dreamcast died. As for first Rival Schools, it didn't sell very well in America AFAIK.

 

[belgurdo]

They were both incredibly mediocre games? Well, Powerstone had its charms, but both Rival Schools games were simply BAD. Most "fans" of the latter series just get off on the characters, but for the rest of us, the fighting system was pure EX-quality trash.

Why am I the one with my tag?

 

[radios shipping overview]

Sales weren't high enough to warrant the usual Capcom milk-em-all treatment, probably. Maybe we should be thankful that we didn't end up with Justice Gakuen EXE Battle Chip Challenge 5 Dash Mauve Version.

 

[belgurdo]

Sales weren't high enough to warrant the usual Capcom milk-em-all treatment

That hasn't stopped them in the past...

 

[Quartet]

power stone would need to come back to is root, a real 3d 2 on 2 fighter. 4 player should stay in but as a party option, not having level designed especially for them.

Also they would have to make it more of a 16 bit structure game than a normal 3d fighter. this mean more boss and more level. Like 7-8 boss and at least 12 level.

 

[BlackClouds]

DC POWER STONE Sep-99 CAPCOM USA 24 193,923
DC POWER STONE 2 Aug-00 CAPCOM USA 4 112,363


From the jan 2003 xls sales file. Not saying the sales were there, but they weren't horrible, at least in the states.

 

[neptunes]

Didn't capcom do a survey a while ago?

 

[MomoPufflet]

They were both incredibly mediocre games?

Like that's ever stopped Capcom? At least Powerstone was a relatively fresh concept compared to some of the other franchises they've been milking for years. As for Rival Schools-- whatever. It was a fun game. Call it basic, but it wasn't mediocre.

 

[jarrod]

Production Studio 1 is too busy working on online PS2 games, GB Zeldas and Gundam fighters right now.

 

[ButtonMasher]

Capcom has been slacking overall, Powerstone was kinda cool though.

 

[The End]

I always felt that the fighting and levels in the first Powerstone were superior to the sequel.

Capcom had "Rival Schools" in the "series to bring to the PSP" poll, so there's still hope.

 

[MIMIC]

I never bought the game, but I had a demo disc to Power Stone. I played the SHIT out of that demo.

 

[Drexon]

Well, atleast the dust-thingie from Rival Schools is left in Guilty Gear. =P

 

[Apharmd Battler]

Marz was garbage, and while Force seemed to pull people in, the general consensus was that it was definitely no VOOT. I'm not sure if there'll be another game in the series.

I'd still kill for a home port of Force. Marz had a 4-system link feature that was nixed later in development (at least, that's what one could gather from poking around the disc and code), and it would've made a reason enough for me to pick it up.

Nt to take this off topic, but I prey we see a Virtual On delux edition with online play in the next generation of hardware. I would've killed to have something like this on XBox LIVE, but I'll take it ANY way I can get it. <pulls out DC and Twisticks for more VO:OT appreciation>.

 

[Apharmd Battler]

I'm really surprsied that POwerstone didn't make a comeback with online play for wither PS2 or XBox, but I'm hoping that Iron Phoenix will fill in that gap on XBox. Time will tell.....

Rivals Schools was decent, but I'd like to see an update to Tech Romancer. I loved that quirky Giant Robot anime inspired title!

 

[ManDudeChild]

I'm reallyl surprsied that POwerstone didn't make a comeback with online play for wither PS2 or XBox, but I'm hoping that Iron Phoenix will fill in that gap on XBox. Time will tell.....

I remember how I hoped Stake for the Xbox would be the new Powerstone. I just don't understand how the game managed to rip off Powerstone so much, including character designs, and still turn out as a steaming pile of crap.

 

[Hero]

Power Stone 3 would've been a perfect match for the Gamecube audience. All they had to do was advertise it as a 3D SSB:M-esque fighter. And of course, the following year, it would be ported to PS2 with Dante in it and possibly a few extra costumes.

Rival Schools was really awesome. Way better than the EX series. The characters all had personality and it was fun to play. Bring another on. The college years, come on!

 

[koam]

Power Stone 3 would've been a perfect match for the Gamecube audience. All they had to do was advertise it as a 3D SSB:M-esque fighter. And of course, the following year, it would be ported to PS2 with Dante in it and possibly a few extra costumes.

Yeah probably, Dante is like Samuel Jackson, he's in everything.

 

[Cafeman]

My kids still play Powerstone 2 all the time. I wasn't originally into either game, but I preferred Powerstone's approach over the sequel.

But, my opinion has changed over the years. Powerstone 2 is a lot of fun in multiplayer. You can create all types of items (kids eat up this kind of stuff, it seems) to use, and the levels are constantly changing and shifting as you battle. It just takes a while to learn the controls, moves, and to be able to focus in on your tiny character. Seems more fun than X-men legends. I could imagine a Powerstone 3 being a lot of fun.

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

I never owned a PS1, so my first experience with Rival Schools was with the Impact EMU, pretty fun game. Powerstone 2 was a blast on DC as well

 

[DECK'ARD]

Power Stone 1 is one of the most underrated fighters ever. Deeper and more balanced than most people give it credit for.

Power Stone 2 was a dumbed-down party game though, and very unbalanced.

 

[OmniGamer]

Rival Schools was fun...I took it for what it was, not as some uber deep fighting game, and it had really good/catchy tunes. It was kind of fugly though(teh pixels!).

 

[Lyte Edge]

What happened to Powerstone and Rival School is the same thing that happened to Street Fighter. Capcom said they were taking a "break" from fighting games in 2001, and since then, we've seen nothing but ports and rehashes (CFE, Hyper SF2) as "new" games from them.

I wish Capcom would have released Capcom Fighting All-Stars for the PS2; I don't know how it played, but at least it would have been something NEW.

Rival Schools didn't play like SF at all though...it played more like Marvel Super Heroes with polys. I still don't get all the SFEX hate; people seemed to love it back in 1997. I still think the original EX (with its upgrades) is the best in the series; SFEX2 was fun but the new systems had some flaws, and SFEX3 is the game that DESERVES the hate as it offered nothing new (just the tag and 4P mode, no new game play) and looked really ugly. I wonder if a lot of the hate is based on SFEX3 alone...it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, too.

Still play SFEX and SFEX2 all the time emulated, and Arika's Fighting Layer is finally getting to a playable point on MAME now.

Power Stone 1 is one of the most underrated fighters ever. Deeper and more balanced than most people give it credit for.

Nah, it was a simplistic fighter that offered some unique new elements but still largely ripped off game play from Ehrgeiz. There's very little to Powerstone's game play system and it got old to me after a week or so. Still a fun game for what it was, but just not something that lasted too long against the likes of Virtua Fighter 3tb, Soul Calibur, Marvel Vs. Capcom, SFA3, SF3, and even Psychic Force on the Dreamcast.

 

[DCX]

The Power Stone series needs to be revived for sure! It would make a great Live game, it's simple enough to run fast and it's just tons of fun!!

DCX

 

[PC Gaijin]

So Capcom gave up on new fighters in 2001? And Production Studio 1 was responsible for both RS and PS?

Glad to see some people enjoyed the games, I honestly expected more of the "play a real fighting game, HAW HAW" responses. As for PS vs PS2: at first I liked the original better, but as I put more time into PS2 (especially with 3 or 4 players) it became my favorite. I also put a lot of time in to the item creation mode, but I usually ended up with junk rather than anything useful

I like Rival Schools because it is so campy and silly. Plus, it is easy to pick up and play with my friends. A lot of 2D series (and stuff like Virtua Fighter) have gotten too complex for people who aren't hardcore fighting game fans. Great music in Project Justice too.

 

[AstroLad]

I liked both PS's, though PS1's jump kick made PS2 the better game for me. Both quality titles though, very fun.

 

[DECK'ARD]

Nah, it was a simplistic fighter that offered some unique new elements but still largely ripped off game play from Ehrgeiz. There's very little to Powerstone's game play system and it got old to me after a week or so. Still a fun game for what it was, but just not something that lasted too long against the likes of Virtua Fighter 3tb, Soul Calibur, Marvel Vs. Capcom, SFA3, SF3, and even Psychic Force on the Dreamcast.

A week isn't long enough to do it justice, and as with any fighter the game is only as good as the opponent you are playing. We played it loads in 2-player, and there *is* a lot more too it than at first seems, like being able to cancel someone's super as they start it, the escape moves etc. And matches had a rhythm to them which isn't really like any other fighter. It had a completely different sort of depth to the other move-heavy fighters on DC, it was more about reflexes, reading your opponent and reacting to the situations you were in, but it worked really well. You had to turn off the (over-powered) special items, such as the extending stick, but when you did you were left with a very well-balanced, long-lasting fighter.

I don't know who you were playing, but our Power Stone matches were some of the most tense games we played this side of VF3tb. Sadly they threw it all out the window with the sequel, and went from one-on-one fighter to 4-player party game.

 

[jarrod]

I'm really surprsied that POwerstone didn't make a comeback with online play for wither PS2 or XBox,

PowerStone 2 was actually in the works for PS2 early on.

Rivals Schools was decent, but I'd like to see an update to Tech Romancer. I loved that quirky Giant Robot anime inspired title!

You should look into Capcom's Gotcha Force on GameCube.... it's like a mix between simplified Virtual On with bits of PowerStone actually.

 

[belgurdo]

CFE would have been 1000% more interesting if they had 2Ded PS guys in it instead of farkin' three-times used Darkstalkers

 

[Lyte Edge]

You should look into Capcom's Gotcha Force on GameCube.... it's like a mix between simplified Virtual On with bits of PowerStone actually.

No, he shouldn't. Gotcha Force isn't worth "gotching."

Look into Shinkon Gattai Godanner!! for the import PS2 or even Gundam Battle Assault 3 if you want a Tech Romancer clone. TR is still the best though. Actually Powerstone reminded me a lot of Tech Romancer (was it made by the same team?), but TR had game play IMO.

 

[Lyte Edge]

CFE would have been 1000% more interesting if they had 2Ded PS guys in it instead of farkin' three-times used Darkstalkers

CFE would have been 1000% more interesting if they made 2D versions of a LOT of their other characters for the game. It should have had characters like Dante, Vanessa, Maximo, Samanosuke, Viewtiful Joe, etc. Strider, Jill, and Mega Man, Tron Bonne would have been great choices too, and would have been very EASY to put into the game since they all have sprites anyway. CFE is Capcom's "laziest" game to date. It does play well, but it just gets to the point that I turn it off and go back to SF3 or Vampire Savior instead.

Capcom should just start making polygon-based fighters if they're going to be so damn lazy. They could make them play 2D and things have certainly progressed far along enough that ply characters could be made to play just like sprite-based ones. They could even keep the characters in the style of the games they came from, too. (Joe could stay cel-shaded, a Powerstone character would look exactly like they did in the DC games, etc.)

 

[Trakball]

Power Stone III just needs to be on the Gamecube. It's what I thought Custom Robo was going to be like.

Or, perhaps an online Power Stone III for the XBox? That would be sweet too.

Drinky, why do you hate videogames so much?