GRAPHICS SOUND CONTROL FRUSTRATION FUN FACTOR OVERALL

NES 1 Player Action Ah yes, good ol' Power Blade. This game seemed to be Taito's answer to the Megaman series, even though Power Blade and its sequel didn't turn out as successful as Capcom's masterpieces. However, it does rival Megaman in all the ways that it can. It's the year 2191 and everything is run by a master computer. Some alien terrorists take over the master computer and Nova (our hero) must go and defeat the alien terrorists. There are six sectors you play through before you get to the main computer and you can pick which of the six sectors you want to play first. An actually great plot for an NES game... Graphics: Top of the line. You can tell Taito spent some time with this game instead of just immediately releasing it. The character sprite for Nova is fantastic, and has several different animations (not to mention a striking resemblance to Arnold Schwarzenegger). All the enemy sprites are nicely done too. Even the backgrounds are highly noticeable. One of the great parts of the game is the cut-scenes. They have awesome animations and are spread out good enough on the game. Sound: The music in this game is just as good as that of the great Megaman games. Each level has its own theme, which takes a lot longer than 10 seconds before it repeats. The themes are memorable too. They have a fast pace, and help move the game along in some spots. There's no need to turn off the music and throw in a CD. The sound effects aren't that big of a deal, but they get the job done nicely. Gameplay: Like I've already mentioned, this game has many resemblances to the Megaman series. The gameplay reminds me of those games, but is like a whole new game in itself. In each sector you play you must find an agent who will give you an ID card, which you will need to get through the boss door in each sector. Also in each level there is a metal suit. The metal suit lets you take three hits without being damaged, and has the power blade weapon. Nova also has a power meter, which lets him throw his boomerangs longer. There are a lot more power ups, but some of them are kind of useless. Once you beat the boss you get one of the tapes that you need to override the computer. All the bosses are original, and each has a different pattern you have to figure out in order to beat him. Nova can throw the boomerang in more than one direction, which is very crucial to the gameplay. The idea of using a boomerang as a weapon is awesome, and Power Blade pulls it off better than any other game that had it for a weapon. In some levels the agents are hard to find, and it quickly becomes a pain in the arse. Also, the jumps are sometimes awkward and you'll end up missing them. The control in Power Blade has a nice feel to it. Everything is very responsive and is easy to become familiar with. Overall, Power Blade has really smooth gameplay. Replay: Power Blade isn't very difficult. The boss patterns don't take too long to figure out, and the agents positions never change. It also has a password option so you can stop anytime you want. It has two difficulty modes, Normal and Expert, but the only difference is that in Expert mode you only have 300 seconds to complete each sector as opposed to 999 seconds. But neither difficulty level is very hard. After you beat it the game is fun to pop in and play through again every once and a while. ......BOTTOM LINE: Didn't really provide much competition for the Megaman series as far as sales go, but it still does provide competition as far as gameplay goes. A great game for anyone who's a fan of Megaman games or platform games for that matter. I highly recommend this game to anyone who owns an NES. -lynx561