Power Moves

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For the SPM album, see Power Moves (SPM album)
Power Moves
Image:Power Moves.gif
Developer(s) Kaneko
Publisher(s) Kaneko
Platform(s) Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
Release date Japan November 27, 1992
North America January, 1993
Genre(s) Versus fighting game
Mode(s) Up to 2 players simultaneously

Deadly Moves (Sega Genesis's version name), or Power Moves (Super Nintendo's version name) (known as Power Athlete in Japan) is a fighting game created by Kaneko. One of the many fighting games published in the early 90's to capitalize on the success of Capcom's Street Fighter II, it did not achieve the success of its competition, and was largely ignored by most gamers.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

The gameplay is that of a traditional head-to-head fighting game. But unlike most games of its type, the single-player mode is limited to one character, Joe, who is the protagonist of the game. One of the game's most distinctive aspects is an RPG-like system which enables the player to boost Joe's various attributes, such as strength, speed and endurance. Another gimmick is the use of a two-plane fighting area (similar to that of Fatal Fury).

[edit] Characters

While the characters in the game each have their own distinct look, many of them were clearly inspired by characters from Street Fighter II.

  • Joe (U.S.A.) - The main character, almost certainly based on Ryu, his special moves include a fireball delivered in much the same way as the Street Fighter "Hadouken", though with added recoil.
  • Warren (U.S.A.) - A Hawaiian grappler, patterned after E. Honda, Warren's technique names are patterned on surfing terms - "Big Wednesday", etc.
  • Reayon (Thailand) - The token female fighter, clearly inspired by Chun-Li.
  • Vagnad (Russia) - A huge wrestler with onyx skin, based on Zangief, the game manual for the Genesis version refers to Vagnad as a survivor of the Holocaust. His fighting stage is a train hurtling through a grey, barren landscape.
  • Nick (Spain) - An arrogant, lightning-quick matador (see Vega, his victory animation involves a hearty shout of "Ole!").
  • Buoh (Japan) - A Kabuki-style fighter who can teleport, much like Dhalsim.
  • Gaoluon (China) - An acrobatic fighter with a Flash Kick similar to Guile.
  • Baraki (Kenya) - A bestial warrior reminiscent of Blanka.

Perhaps the only exception to the cast is the final boss, Ranker, who instead bears more resemblance to Rugal Bernstein of SNK.

[edit] Trivia

  • Despite the difference in name for the Genesis and Super Nintendo versions, there was no actual difference in gameplay, content or characters (though many would argue that the Super Nintendo game featured better graphics and sound). However, it is widely believed that the game's box cover and title were renamed only to keep up with Nintendo's stringent no-violence policy, as the Genesis cart features a closeup of a character being punched in the face, with a torrent of blood erupting from the impact. The SNES version's box featured the same image, with the red blood re-colored to look like sweat (the same tactic used with Mortal Kombat).
  • Although the Genesis version known as "Deadly Moves" featured a blood-spattered cover, there was no blood or finishing moves of any kind in the game.
  • The US magazine ad for the game, while detailing its features, did not feature any actual screenshots from the game, but crudely drawn ones that did not resemble the game at all.

[edit] External links

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