The Bouncer

"All video and no play makes Ace a sad gamer"

The Bouncer is a game based on two genres at the same time. It is a cross between an action fighting game, and an RPG. System Shock 2 and Deus Ex are both great examples of hybrid genres. In there case it was a cross between an RPG and an FPS. Unfortunately, the RPG elements and the fighting elements do not mix all that well. However, Square did what they could to make a great game.

Graphics
When you consider that this was a launch PS2 game, the graphics are well done. The architecture is beautiful and reminds me of Final Fantasy 8. The human models look good if you are a fan of Square, if you are not then you probably won't be too amazed. All the characters have that weird “glossy-ness” to them, especially the Panther character. All told, the graphics are pretty good, the characters are realistic enough, and the cuts scenes are very smooth.

Sound
There isn't anything too special about the sound, but there isn't anything bad either. The robots, machines, and explosions sound real enough, although some of the character voices are a little bland. The sound does not add or subtract from the game.

Controls
The controls are fairly simple, but it will take you a few try's to get use to them. This game uses all the PS2 buttons. You use the analog sticks to move around, and the 4 main buttons to fight. Each button is a different attack and hence, there are 4 basic attacks. There is a high and low kick, and a high and low punch. There are lots of combos to choose from, and are executed with a combination of basic attacks. You can also block. Once you get the hang of the controls, it will be smooth sailing for you.

Game play
This is a very mixed bag. The whole game is basically one huge interactive movie. A cut scene plays that leads to a fight, you then take control of the fighting. After you win the fight, you get points. These points can be used to upgrade your character. You upgrade by buying better offensive or defensive stats, and by buying new combos to use while fighting. At the beginning of each fight you choose your character, and then after the fight is over get a chance to upgrade the character.

Now there are a number of issues here. First, if you were to skip all the cut scenes, the game will take about 1 hour. With the cut scenes, the game is closer to 2 hours. All said it's a very short game and you will spend just as much time watching, as you will be playing. Whether this is good or bad is open to debate and depends on the user.

Second, you have to choose which character you wish to fight each time a battle starts. This gives you the option to change characters while playing the game, however, why would you? Which character you fight with will determine the next cut scene, and you will most likely not understand the story fully if you don't keep to the same character each battle. Not to mention, if you were to spread the experience points evenly among each character you fist time playing the game, you will get creamed on the final boss. My point here is, why let us switch characters during the game? Why not just choose a character at the start of the game, and then you play through as that character. And since you can reply, you can choose a different character then.

Third, the game will only award you experience points for knocking out an enemy if YOU knock him out. If one of the other characters knocks out a guard during a fight, no points are awarded to that character. Only your character can earn points. In some of the early battles this isn't a big deal, but on later “boss” battles if you are not the one to put the final hit on the boss, you will lose the extra points.

Finally, with exception to the final boss, the game is just way too easy. I died about 5 times total on all the battles except for the final boss. Something else to complain about is that the game does not get progressively harder. You will have a bunch of easy battles, one or two “challenging” battles, and then the final boss that is super hard.

There are a few bright spots. The transition between the cut scene's and battles is really smooth. The game plays as if you are actually in the movie, which I did find enjoyable. Plus there is a huge replay value because you can play as 3 different characters. Lastly, the only difficulty in playing the game is adjusting to the controls.

Story
This is the brightest spot for this game. The story is very well done. A girl who is under the protection of 3 bouncers gets kidnapped. They go after her and learn more and more about her as the game progresses. You also learn more about each character, as each one has a unique back-story. However, since the game is so short, you don't get to know everything you want to know about each character. In any case, if there is one thing that will keep you playing the game, it will be the story.

Overall, the main problem with this game is its length. It comes across as more of a demo to see what the PS2 can do, as the game is more video than actual game play. However, the game comes with a decent story, its not Final Fantasy level or anything, but still pretty good. I can see why someone would be disappointed after paying full retail price for this game, but now that it is older, you can get it at a decent price and it won't be too bad.

If you are a fan of Square, you might actually like this game and you should at least give it a try. Otherwise, if you should probably stay away unless you either rent it, or get it from the bargain bin.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/18/05