Fighting

Game Description: Jump into the action with Capcom’s first pick-up-and-throw-anything game. That’s right, in Power Stone, every object in the environment is fully interactive, meaning you can use chairs, tables, and plants along with more traditional weapons to help you whoop your competition. And with the aid of the Power Stones, you can power-up and morph into a stronger and more dangerous alter ego to inflict even more damage on your opponents. Whether it’s in the single-player game or with up to three friends in multiplayer, Power Stone puts a new twist on fighting games.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Blood & Gore, Animated Violence

Maybe it was the way the Wu-Tang Clan pushed the game onto publishers that got Activisions attention, maybe the passion they had for the game just came through and Activision jumped at the chance. Maybe Activision and Paradox came across some data that showed some sort of connection between rap fans and martial arts. Or maybe Activision just needed a reason (any reason) to use the Thrill Kill engine and found that this game was it. Whatever the reason, Shaolin Style ultimately comes off as a gimmick game.

Game Description: Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style for the PlayStation is a violent and explosive fighting game. The characters are all members of the popular rap group Wu-Tang Clan, including Method Man and ODB. There are a total of 11 fighters, with some that have to be unlocked by completing certain tasks. Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style is the first four-player fighting game on the PlayStation, and it’s full of characters with individual moves and all of the flair and excitement that the Wu-Tang Clan is known for.

Shaolin Style surprised me again after spending several minutes practicing with a few of the characters in the training mode. I immediately noticed the amount of depth and complexity that went into the vicious over-the-top attacks. It's clear that the developers put forth a solid effort in conceptualizing a wide variety of attacks for the multitude of characters in the game.

Game Description: In the gorgeous follow-up to Soul Blade, players will choose from a roster of 20 determined warriors, all trying to gain possession of the mysterious Soul Edge a weapon of untold power. In Soul Calibur, players will fight through all opponents, using their chosen character's unique martial arts style and weaponry, leading up to the final battle with the Soul Edge's current owner. There are many ways to play beyond Arcade and Versus modes, however including a journey across the land where your victories will be won against difficult opponents, which will unlock hidden characters and items while honing your skills.

Soul Calibur is simply a joy to watch, but thankfully, it's even more fun to play. The moves are easy to pull off (that scores big with me every time) and look great while they are being performed. And they all flow into each other without much any interruption in the animation (my personal thanks to the motion capture people and programmers).

Already widely praised by critics and fans alike as the main reason to own a Sega Dreamcast system, I was extremely looking forward to continuing my 'education' with the home translation of the two-player competitive arcade fighter. But much like the first day at any new school, I didn't get off to such a good start. I had some serious reservations and what appeared promising at first was starting to look an 'incomplete' grade.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence, Suggestive Themes 

Stubborn as they are, Nintendo just would not deliver the hardcore fighter that fans of the genre demanded for the Nintendo 64. They fell back to their corporate policy of making games that were fun to play for the entire family. Instead of a hardcore brawler, Nintendo produced a hybrid. A game that plays as much like a platform title as it does a fighting game. The mixing of genres was not the only risk taken with the game. Nintendo avoided using the generic cast of muscle-bound men and women or mutants and animals and instead went in a totally different direction. In Super Smash Brothers, you get to control any of your favorite mascots from the Nintendo game library. The object of the game is simple: pummel your opponents and knock them off the stage until you're the only one left.