Psychic Force 2

Psychic Force is a fighting arcade game created by Taito which was later ported to the PlayStation in 1996. The PlayStation version was released by Acclaim in North America, and in PAL regions.

The game was a 3D fighter which combined the normal features of an arcade fighting game with psychic powers. There were eight characters available to choose from in the game, all deemed as ‘psychic masters’. The game was released without much hype and failed to sell many copies.

In 1999 a sequel was released under the title Psychic Force 2012 also for the arcade, and was ported for the Dreamcast console. It was adapted to the PlayStation under the title Psychic Force 2.

Psychic Force 2 (PF2) is the Playstation version of the arcade game Psychic Force 2012 (2012) which was released also for the Sega Dreamcast

The plot of Psychic Force (presumably) takes place on an earth several years in the future, where selected individuals are blessed with the power of psychic abilities. All people imbued with this power are called “Psychiccers” and uses a specific element such as fire, ice or gravity in fighting.

Warring over the fate of the earth is a corporations named “NOA” that has its own plans. However, other factions opposed to its regime and a mysterious faction known as Anti NOA fight for their own intentions. Each fighter available to the player pursues their own destiny and may or may not be aligned with a faction.

In 2010, the immense power of Keith and Burn’s final showdown, caused the untimely destruction of the Old Noa underground Fortress, where many Psychics lost their lives. Noa has been destroyed officially. With the demise of Noa, the world’s Psychics are left without a leader.

In Story Mode you can choose a character and play through the game with character storyline, pre & post battle dialogue, and ending CG’s. In story mode, only Burn, Keith, Wong, Wendy, Emilio, Patty, Might, Setsuna, Carlo, Regina, Gudeath, Genshin, & Gates are available to select. Basic controls are also only available. Upon completion of Story Mode, the Ending CG’s are added to the Album Mode.

Psychic Force 2012, the sequel to Psychic Force, is a one-on-one fighting game with a twist. The matches take place inside a giant floating cube. You are able to fly, using your psychic abilities, around a 3D arena with six walls. Each of the ten available characters, Might, Regina, Wendy, Emilio, Setsuna, Patty, Gudeath, Genshin, Carlo, and Gates, are controlled with three buttons: guard, weak attack and strong attack. The effect varies with the distance. Next to the regular life meter, there is also a power meter. By using special moves, the meter is drained and your moves are limited. It is possible to recharge, and the capacity of the power meter expands when you lose a lot of health.

Additionally, each fighter has its own unique moves, energy attacks and a weapon, which they use, mid-flight, to pummel their opponent. There are three main game modes: training, versus and a story mode using static anime-inspired images and in-engine cut scenes to tell the story. The story centers around two groups of psychics with differing ideals about co-existence with humans. In the middle of this are several neutral psychics with ties to members in either group.

The later PlayStation port, renamed to Psychic Force 2, adds the 3 missing characters from the first game (Genma, Brad and Sonia), the psy-expand mode where the player can play a series of special battles to learn other character attacks, and an anime intro video replacing the original in-game intro. It also lowers the overall difficulty of the CPU fighters and makes some control adjustments (for instance the shield can now optionally be enabled with a single button). Of course, the graphics were notably degraded.

Manufacturer’s description:

Taito brings you all the excitement and visual splendour of the arcade version featuring unlimited freedom of attack, using a combination of close-range blows, long range projectiles and strategically positioned traps.

Together with fluid movement and special effect animation, this version has three hidden characters, seven gameplay modes, training, move creation and 360 degree zero gravity assault capabilities.