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 Characters Story Screen Shots  Now the partnership is back again, giving us one of the most gorgeous things we've seen from Sony's PS2, The Bouncer. The Bouncer is sure to be a hit, but what sets it apart from the rest is the ornate originality that only Squaresoft can weave. Metal Gear Solid 2 and Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec all look equally nice, but they're all things that have been done before. From the instant that the controller is handled, the player will realize that they're not just playing with the average fighting game. Squaresoft has added much storyline, CG, and characterization so that it's not the "fighting-without-a-purpose" trap that so many games fall into. The gameplay has some nostalgic essences. Not since the NES days of Double Dragon did multi-player brawlers become so enthralling. If the characters look familiar to Squaresoft fans, they should. Designs were done by Tetsuya Nomura, best known for his character sketches in Final Fantasy VII and VIII. The bouncers all feature punk-style clothing and wicked piercings (especially Volt!). The Bouncer takes place in an urban setting several years from now, the landscape not a too far-fetched Midgar of Final Fantasy VII. The story begins at "Fate", the bar where Sion, Koh, and Volt all work as, you guessed it, bouncers. The interior is particularly exquisite, complete with a cherry red 1960's muscle car. One day, Sion helps out a fainted 15-year-old girl in the street. After bringer her back to the bar, they find her name is Dominique, and voila, she becomes an instant mascot of the bar. Unfortunately, due to her mishap, she has lost most of her memory. When Dominique comes into the bar one day to celebrate Sion's one year anniversary working there, soldiers come crashing through the top floor roof windows. A large "business" corporation known as the Mikado Group sends the troops to kidnap Dominique, forcing the others to track them down in order to find Dominique and to find out about her mysterious past. Their endeavor eventually leads them to the Mikado Headquarters, comprised of three pillars: Kagami, which houses offices and a shopping mall; Tsrugi, which is the location of the company's space exploration program; and Magatama, which is kept under strict security, hiding the secrets of the space programs. Other than "Story Mode" (which comprises the bulk of the game), two other modes are included. The first, and more exciting of the two, is the "Bouncer Mode" where you and up to three more of your compadres can team up for some hoardes of brawling. In this mode, not only will you be able to choose from the Story Mode characters, but also enemies as well! The second mode is the cliched "Survival Mode", but that will probably get some of my time as well. The "Story Mode" also features several bizzare mini-games in addition to the kessen. The battle system itself mixes some of the old with some of the new. Much of the brawling is Ehrgeiz-style with the addition that many complex moves have been simplified into a few buttons. The analog stick is optimized, instead of the cliched 16-direction movement that many games include. What is most different is that there are usually all three protagonists on the screen at once. You choose your character before the fighting begins, and that decision effects the later scenes. In addition, you also interact with the other characters on screen, creating some huge combos, including one called the "Trinity Rush", which as its name suggests, involves all three characters. The Bouncer will feature full voice dubbing and subtitles, which both are available in English and Japanese. Square has implemented Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound into the CG movies. What makes this game quite interesting is that it is said to have a "gloss" over it, making the already gorgeous graphics flickering and aliasing free. The Dual Shock 2 will also be fully optimized, with more pressure on buttons causing more damage to enemies. Watch for this one... it'll be big. |