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THE BOUNCER (PS2)
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Publisher: Sony.
Developer: DreamFactory. Released: June 2001 (Europe). Genre: Roaming beat 'em up. Posted 11th November 2024. By Shane Battams © 2024 |
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One of the premier developers for the PlayStation, Squaresoft’s first effort for the system’s successor would naturally attract a huge amount of coverage, and one such game would help buoy the launch window of the PlayStation 2. After successful collaborations during the generation prior, Square would turn to Dream Factory for this cinematic beat ‘em up, attempting to meld the former’s penchant for storytelling with the latter’s brawling experience. The Bouncer would indeed impress players with graphics far beyond the capabilities of the original PlayStation, and hopes were high for Square’s first international release on the PS2. However, instead of birthing a new series for the Japanese publisher, The Bouncer is oft-forgotten, garnering mixed opinions from those who played it. But where does it sit among early PS2 titles and other 3D beat ‘em ups?
As a showcase for the then-burgeoning PS2, The Bouncer proved a critical success, as this beat ‘em up would prove the standout of its early competitors. Characters showcase intricate detail and expressive facials, excellent environments with detail to spare and a smooth 60fps performance that never dips, it’s top-notch. Dream Factory also smartly avoided some of the early perils of PS2 development, such as jagged textures and screen-tearing, with a distinctive blur that masks these issues. While it can be a touch blurry in some spots, it actually holds up better than many of the launch titles. A lot was made of the outlandish character designs, courtesy of Tetsuya Nomura, which includes protagonist Sion clad with neck belt and dog chain, but while some may find these kitsch, you can’t deny they are presented beautifully by the graphics. As with many Squaresoft titles, impressive FMVs highlight spectacular moments and look crisp and colourful, though the in-engine scenes are also remarkably impressive.
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Though the player battles alongside allies for the most part, there's sadly no simultaneous 2-player story to play through with a friend
While The Bouncer earns full marks for visuals, it’s the gameplay and story where things start to unravel. This tale concerns a trio of nightclub bouncers, with Sion being flanked by Volt and Kou, as they begin a rescue mission when friend Dominique is kidnapped by masked assailants. It is soon discovered they are affiliated with the Mikado Group, a megacorp with less than admirable intentions, as you’d expect. It sounds like a story taken from roaming beat ‘em ups of old like Final Fight, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s a complex futuristic yarn here, with three unique protagonists, a rotating crew of villains and side characters which help inform the backstory of said main characters. Cutscenes often last minutes at a time, with some resembling information drops, and it’s certainly a lot to take in – to the point that loading screens serve up text dumps which add backstory to each hero depending on your chosen character.
The problem is that The Bouncer attempts this kind of storytelling in the confines of a game that lasts a little over two hours, creating a rushed and strained thread that feels like the CliffsNotes of a longer JRPG. Characters such as Mugestsu, whose power-gifting experiments push him to the point of psychosis, can tease the promise of something interesting but their time is so truncated that it’s impossible to form any connection. This is perhaps worsened by the voice acting which, despite being recorded in English first, ranges wildly in quality. Some sound fine, such as the Steve Blum-backed Kou whose wit manages to shine through, but others suffer the woes of early voicework issues such as stilted delivery, failing to pause for dramatic effect and awkward pronunciation. The music, on the other hand, works well to try and salvage some more dramatic moments, utilising an eclectic mix of songs which swing from guitar-led jams, electronic-infused tracks and a cheesy ballad to close off the credits and despite the spread of genres, it works.
The problem is that The Bouncer attempts this kind of storytelling in the confines of a game that lasts a little over two hours, creating a rushed and strained thread that feels like the CliffsNotes of a longer JRPG. Characters such as Mugestsu, whose power-gifting experiments push him to the point of psychosis, can tease the promise of something interesting but their time is so truncated that it’s impossible to form any connection. This is perhaps worsened by the voice acting which, despite being recorded in English first, ranges wildly in quality. Some sound fine, such as the Steve Blum-backed Kou whose wit manages to shine through, but others suffer the woes of early voicework issues such as stilted delivery, failing to pause for dramatic effect and awkward pronunciation. The music, on the other hand, works well to try and salvage some more dramatic moments, utilising an eclectic mix of songs which swing from guitar-led jams, electronic-infused tracks and a cheesy ballad to close off the credits and despite the spread of genres, it works.
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Outside of cut-scenes, the action here is responsive but lacking depth. Each bouncer feels distinctive to use with stats dictating their key strengths, and points earned after downing enemies can be used to upgrade stats further and unlock special moves. Neither really manages to mask the fact there are very few combos in the game, and enemies lack the intelligence to necessitate much variety. There are also some curious design choices which hamper the gameplay further. The aforementioned points require you to land the final hit on a foe, and friendly AI seems rather eager to down enemies first. This would be fine except they don’t earn points to be used, causing them to go wasted and making chaining KOs, which adds a multiplier to your points, very difficult. A handful of boss encounters suffer the opposite problem, where friendly AI is rendered almost comatose. There’s also ragdoll physics which, while amusing, result in a ton of damage to both allies and foes when they knock into each other, and this can kill the pace of fights. These issues chip away at the fun, but it’s more galling just how little there is. The gameplay-to-story ratio is notably lopsided, as taking out the cut-scenes leaves around thirty minutes of fighting on a playthrough.
As a consequence, The Bouncer likely won’t be left spinning in your disc tray for long. The story is short as mentioned, but does gain some replayability through your character’s choices. These can uncover previously hidden information, such as Volt’s connection to a main antagonist Echidna or the contents of Kou’s frequent phone calls, which you aren’t privy to when playing as the other Bouncers. There’s also a unique stage which varies wildly based on your Bouncer choice, including a novel stealth segment which adds some flavour. Several endings are also available to uncover depending on your choice of character between each scene, though admittedly some lack drastic enough changes to encourage much beyond three full playthroughs without scene skipping. There’s also a Survival mode, tasking you with outlasting fifty foes with a single health bar, and Versus mode for up to four players. These can be fun, as you can utilise unlocked characters from the story with unique moves and specials, as well as excessive ragdolling. However, most players will be lucky to accumulate 10 hours of play with this game.
As a consequence, The Bouncer likely won’t be left spinning in your disc tray for long. The story is short as mentioned, but does gain some replayability through your character’s choices. These can uncover previously hidden information, such as Volt’s connection to a main antagonist Echidna or the contents of Kou’s frequent phone calls, which you aren’t privy to when playing as the other Bouncers. There’s also a unique stage which varies wildly based on your Bouncer choice, including a novel stealth segment which adds some flavour. Several endings are also available to uncover depending on your choice of character between each scene, though admittedly some lack drastic enough changes to encourage much beyond three full playthroughs without scene skipping. There’s also a Survival mode, tasking you with outlasting fifty foes with a single health bar, and Versus mode for up to four players. These can be fun, as you can utilise unlocked characters from the story with unique moves and specials, as well as excessive ragdolling. However, most players will be lucky to accumulate 10 hours of play with this game.
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The Bouncer's production values are evident in its eye-catching videos and presentation
The Bouncer, perhaps as a result of divided reviews and diminishing returns on beat ‘em ups, undersold and has seen no follow-up in the two decades since. It’s admittedly highly ambitious, trying to meld a non-linear adventure with a brawler that sadly buckles under middling execution. An overstuffed story, a dire lack of replay value and a tangible absence of gameplay all hold this game back, and not even stunning visuals and a catchy soundtrack can help alleviate these woes. There’s some bruising fun for social gamers and those wanting something oddball (again, look at those crazy character designs), but those yearning for a glorious battle on the PS2 will likely find this one disappointing and short-lived in the memory.
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VERDICT
"Despite exhibiting plenty of ambition and technical prowess, The Bouncer suffers from an overstuffed story, a dire lack of replay value and a tangible absence of gameplay. As a result, this early PS2 outing proves a disappointment." OVERALL: 5/10 |
OTHER 3D ROAMING BEAT 'EM UP GAMES REVIEWED
Zombie Revenge (2000, Dreamcast)
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Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (2003, PlayStation 2)
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