The Bouncer

""The story is action-packed an exceeds with amazing graphics, great sounds, and responsive controls. If only it lasted longer...""

Intro

The Bouncer, one of Square's first PS2 games, has a story that will leave you breathless. The characters, the voice-acting, the graphics, the music, the controls -- are all pretty much perfect. If only the game wasn't so short, and added a few more features then The Bouncer would amount to be one of the greatest games ever created. But still, even without the long story you'd expect from Square, it is a must-play.

The cast of characters, are brillantly excuited and memorable. The story, starts off in a bar, when Dominique gets kidnapped by Makido. Then, Sion, Volt, and Kou hitch a train to get her back. At first, the story is a little hard to understand, but further in the game it picks up. The whole game lasts only an hour and a half. I expected it to be longer, since it was a Square game. Worse, there is only around 30 minutes of gameplay. The other hour is from cinematic sequences. But, that is one hell of an hour. It plays out better then Square's movie, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and mixes some nice action.

Before every fight, you choose one of three characters that you want to fight with. After you destroy an enemy, you get the opprutinity to save your game, and get PTS to level up your character. Once you have enough PTS, you can make your Strength, Defense, or Life better. If you keep saving enough PTS, you can buy new moves that can be excuited in battle. Each character has his own different techniques, and it is impossible to learn all of your moves by beating the game just once.

All three characters, Sion, Volt, and Kou fight at the same time, just you only get to control the one of your choice. The computer controlled characters don't fight very well, so the battle really just depends on the character you choose for each battle. The animations run smoothly, and the frame rate never drops.

The characters, story, and voice acting are a lot better and more interesting here then in Square's Final Fantasy X. I could feel Dominique being the cooler/more interesting FF chick instead of Yuna. And, Sion being the better main character in FFX over Tidus. Sure, Final Fantasy X's story is literally 30 times longer then The Bouncer, but in FFX it really never picks up. If only the Bouncer was just a little longer it would get a 10 for sure...

Once you complete the Story mode, you can replay it using the left over stats from your first time through. It'll take beating the game three times to see everything The Bouncer's got. But, disappointingly, the main story mode only goes on one player, and has only one difficulty. Other modes include Challenge, a mode where you go through levels without a story just beating the tar out of enemies.Challenge Mode is sort of under-devoloped, and you'll die on the third level all most everytime. And the final mode is VS. This is where you can hook up a Multitap, and play against your friends with your loaded up characters in different locations of battle such as The Bar. It is fun at first, but the fun in it lasts only about 30 Minutes.

Respectfully, it isn't the shortest fighter out there. It took me 5 minutes to complete Super Smash Bros. the first time through. But then, Super Smash Bros. Multiplayer never really got old. And in The Bouncer, it does. Rent this game, do whatever you have to play it. Its story is like playing in an action packed movie. But, if you play it just one night, you'll get everything out of this game. It'll be one hell of a night though. A must-play, but a wouldn't recommend buying it from its short length. Hopefully, Square creates a sequel to this action-packed game, makes it longer and adds more replay value to it.

Story 9/10

The only thing that keeps it from perfect is the shortness in it. The story, is something to see. It takes a while to get used to, but once half way through the game it will captivate you and you'll fairly become addicted to it. Sion's attiutude toward Dominique changes from beginning to end. Sort of like it does in FF8 with Squall and Rinoa. And, the whole thing is action-packed. The cinematic sequences are fun to watch and it'll take completing The Bouncer three times to see everything the games got. The company Mikado, lead by Dominiques evil brother, captures Dominique, and your set on a mission to hunt her back. It comes to be very interesting, and events take place like an action-packed movie.

''The story is a must-play''

Characters 10/10

The cast of characters are better, more interesting, then Final Fantasy X's. Each character has his/her own speech, and the characters voices fit well with them. I liked the voices a lot better then FFX's also, even if Kou's looks don't really fit his voice. But, later own, you find out his true personality and it all fits together.

''The characters are more interesting and capitaviting then Square's Final Fantasy X''

Battle System 6/10

The battles... are fun. A few things that could be better on them though:

1.) Usage of Potions
2.) Better Computer-Controled characters
3.) More Voice-Acting in battle
4.) More Moves
5.) EnemiesWith Guns (It felt sort of weird since the game takes place in modern time and all battles are done with good ol' fanishion hands on combat)
6.) Better Structered (Kou, even leveled up the highest, was still not even close to being as strong as Volt and Sion)

Other then that, the battles are a blast. In battle, everything is action/oriented and no RPG elements are involved. Only after each battle does a few RPG elements occur in the game. Which... I liked.

''The battle system has its ups and downs... but overall it's a blast''

Graphics 10/10

Wow. The graphics are the better then any PS2 game that I've played thusfar. They look... perfect. The CG cinemas rival those of FF: The Spirits Within and FFX. They look wonderful. Though, you'll be watching them more then actuelly fighting, they still look wonderful. The characters have a lot of detail to them, from Volts pierced body -- to Kuo's tatoos they look... absoulity flawless.

''It showcases the true power of the PS2''

Sound 10/10

The voice-acting, is a ton of ways better then Final Fantasy X. FFX may have more spoken diolouge to it since its an RPG, but it overall can't compete with the actors behind The Bouncer. The music, and sound effects, are incrediable. It isn't the best Square has offered music wise, but is still perfect.

''The sounds -- from effects to music -- are flawless''

Control 8/10

The controls are repsonisive, yet they take a little while to get used too. Enemies get smart, so instead of some other fighting games when all you really have to do is press the same button to win matches, in The Bouncer you have to mix up moves. New moves learned are hard to pull at times, but other wise, the controls feel right for a beat 'em up game.

''The controls perform well''

Replay Value 5/10

If you own The Bouncer, then you HAVE to beat it three times. Why? because a few scences, change with the characters you choose. And to see it all, then you'll have to beat it three times. Plus, you don't want your money to go to waste, do you? I suggest renting The Bouncer or borrowing it from someone instead of owning. Challenge mode has some high score tablets, so if you want, you and your friends can compete to see who gets the higher score. Or, you can keep re-playing story to see if you can learn every move and get your characters to rank A. VS mode isn't as fun as some other games, though, there are plenty of characters to unlock. A longer story, more modes, 2 Player Story Mode, and different difficulty settings in story mode is something I REALLY want to see. If only Square worked just a little harder.

Score Sheet

Story 9/10
Characters 10/10
Battle System 6/10
Graphics 10/10
Sound 10/10
Control 8/10
Replay Value 5/10

Difficulty: Fairly Easy
Gameplay Hours: A little less then 2 Hours to beat.

The Good: Amazing Story, Engrossing Characters, Flawless Graphics and Sounds.

The Bad: Short. Takes only an hour to complete.

Overall 8/10

If The Bouncer was longer, it would be considered a must own classic. But, since it is fairly short, this is a Must-Rent. You must Rent this game. You won't regret it. The story is like playing in a action-packed movie. The Bouncer features some of the best graphics, sounds, and characters in a video game. It should not be missed by anybody.

''A must-play... even if a little on the short-side''

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/20/02, Updated 04/12/02