Back when Sony first announced Playstation two, Squaresoft showed
movies of a game they were making for the super system. These small
movies amazed people and stole headlines in every videogame magazine,
not to mentioned help consumers decide to reserve a PS2. Though
this wonder was promised on PS2’s release day, Squaresoft decided
to wait up until about three weeks ago to unleash The Bouncer on
the world.
The wait was well worth it. The game is a combination of RPGs (role
playing games) and fighting games. Squaresoft has attempted such
a combination two times before (Tobal #1 and Ehrgiez). These previous
games were of laughable quality but perhaps they were necessary
in order to reach the quality Bouncer has achieved.
Most fighting games have simplistic storylines that often contradict
themselves. Bouncer is very much the exception to this sad rule.
The game is part of a new revolution in the industry to bridge the
difference between games and movies. In other words, make games
that have deep stories and fleshed characters. Bouncer fits this
category nicely.
The game involves three characters (Sion, Kou and Volt) who are
bouncers at a bar called Fate. They have a mutual friend in Dominique
Cross, a girl who Sion met on the street a long time before. All
was normal until Special Forces from Mikado (a evil corporation)
kidnap Dominique. The three bouncers decide that they need to go
to the Mikado headquarters to get their friend back. What unfolds
from that defies imagination.
One thing Squaresoft promised about the storyline is that it could
be experienced from the point of veiw of all three main characters.
At first, this seemed like it would have little or no effect on
the story. This could not be further from the truth. The three characters
DO view and comment (verbally and mentally) on situations differently.
They also apply their own limited knowledge, which exposes certain
parts of the storyline that would otherwise be hidden.
That is why Bouncer has a rare appeal to play it all over again.
Certain parts of the story just don’t make sense so players can’t
wait to play it through with different characters until they find
that missing link of the story that ties all loose information together.
The feeling of that light bulb clicking above your head as you figure
out a key part of the story is priceless. Characters, who at first
seem two dimensional, become fleshed out and almost real when their
feelings and thoughts are exposed.
Speaking of appearing almost real, the graphics are AWESOME! They
make Toy Story or Bugs Life look weak (even during gameplay). This
game is definitely the one people would want to show off how powerful
their PS2 can be. Many times I forgot I was playing a game and thought
I was watching a high quality computer cartoon (or live a action
movie from some shots that look 100% real). Even mouth movements,
which are notoriously bad for Japanese-to-English games, are perfectly
coordinated with the English dialogue. Hair, skin and many other
living and non-living things are flawless.
The Bouncer is not without problems. Some of the translated dialogue
probably sounded good in Japanese, but is almost comical in English.
Incidents as bad as, "You think I am going to loose to someone
whose only motivation is resentment", are rare though.
One thing that Squaresoft promised is that players could pick up
and interact with everything on the screen. This feature sadly was
left out. The fighting areas do contain things like stairs to run
up but this still leaves a sad void that interacting with chairs
and tables would have filled.
The last complaint can only be a negative from certain points of
view. Many were dismayed at the fact that while it takes a person
about 3 hours to beat Bouncer, they will only be playing for about
30 minutes. That's because the game is full of FMV (Full Motion
Video) sequences. But that is a plus; not a minus. The game has
very well done FMV’s that enrich the story. An above par story,
colorful characters and jaw dropping visuals make The Bouncer a
perfect addition to anyone’s PS2 library.
Joshua
