Square Enix The Bouncer

I was surprised to find that there's no thread devoted to Square's first game on the PS2, the Bouncer. I got it about a week ago on sale and just finished it. I thought it was great. I remember the extremely negative reviews for it way back in 2000 and I can't say that I agree with them, though I will say that it had a lot of potential that unfortunately wasn't utilized. Still, the graphics in the game are still better or comparable to any game out today and I found the characters to be fantastically designed and developed (The Bouncer was the beginning of Square characters having very...unique taste in fashion).

Other thoughts on the game?

 

I can agree that the graphics in this game are better then some of the games that are out now, but like Izzy said, the game is far to repetative and its way to short.

Oh and Izzy if you like the rag-doll thing have you played Max Payne 2 yet. Its like a rag-doll upgrade. Even better then the Bouncer.

 

Have you ever tried throwing or kicking your opponent down the stairs. It's so funny when they fall down :anime: . The controls are a bit though, and it's more like a movie than a game. I hoped it would be a bit longer. Plus I was antisipating that some final fantasy hidden characters. I'm longing for a final fantasy beat-em-up!:anime:

 

Yeah, gameplay-wise I thought it was right on. The special moves, for example are easy to execute but difficult to work into a successful strategy, so it works for everyone. I think the main problem wasn't anything related to the game but that there were simply wasn't enough game. I'll try and explain what I mean:

Totally Linear Story: So the writers go to all this trouble creating a futuristic world, and then never let you explore except when you're in danger of being whacked from behind? I would have loved to be able to explore Fate at my own pace and see all those posters, or just check out the town and talk with residents. In addition to that, the plot itself was quite convoluted. Sion is connected to Duraugon in THREE completely separate ways (Dominique, Kaldea and Wong). That's pretty ridiculous.

No Cinematic Feature: The game was touting itself as an interactive movie. That's fine, but what I can't understand is why they don't let you watch the movie after you complete it. Games like Metal Gear Solid and Jak II let you jump to ANY scene in the game and watch the entire storyline unfold without having to play through it everytime you want to relive just one moment.

Lack of Different Modes: No training mode, no mini games, hardly anything to unlock (Other than the 6 endings, which I thought was an excellent idea). As the reviews said, I had unlocked everything and gotten every ending in just under 5 hours. That's not long enough.

There are more reasons, but that'd be pointless. It's a shame, because I really did like the game. It just could have been so much more, and it looks like there won't even be a sequel (There was buzz about one a couple of years ago but it dissipated.) Oh well.

 

First off, The Bouncer was the second Squaresoft game on the PS2. Why doesn't anyone ever remember Driving Emotion Type S?
The plot is that of an action movie. Hence the straightforward nature. Second of all, it's Squaresoft, so of course everyone's going to be in some freakish way related. They do that in just about every game. And of course, the bit about Dominique being a robot was the cheesiest thing ever.
If the game had a "cinematic feature", it would have been fairly pointless. It'd be like watching an action movie with the action scenes removed. You're supposed to play through the game from start to finish (it's short enough to do that, after all), just like people used to in the old days. Besides, other "cinematic" games, like Xenosaga, for example, do not give you such an option, and are also exponentially longer.
No different modes? There was an endurance mode, two vs. modes, three different ways to play the main story ... that's a lot of different game modes.

Overall, however, I'm probably the biggest fan of this game you'll ever meet. I used to have a Bouncer website, back in the day, which I created just because I couldn't find any Bouncer fan sites anywhere on the 'net. Of course, the site got killed after a while, but that's the way things go.
The greatest part of The Bouncer was definitely the quotes, i.e.:
"I can't wait to butcher all of you!"
-Mugetsu-
"Are you ready?"
-Volt Krueger-
"This isn't your lucky day, punks."
-Volt Krueger-
Among others.

Also, they put both English and Japanese language modes in the game, adding to a DVD movie sort of feel. Of course, I hated Kou's voice in the Japanese dub, but it was still nice to have the option.