Power Moves
Encyclopedia
, known outside of Japan
for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
as Deadly Moves or for the Super NES
as Power Moves, is a fighting
video game developed and published by Kaneko
. It was first released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in North America
on August 14, 1992, and in Japan on November 20, 1992. The Super NES version was later released in Japan on November 27, 1992, North America in January 1993, and in Europe on October 4, 1993. It is 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.
's Fatal Fury: King of Fighters
).
Joe - The main character, almost certainly based on Ryu
; his special moves include a fireball delivered in much the same way as Ryu's "Hadouken", though with added recoil, and an airborne dash attack.Warren - A Hawaii
an grappler. Warren's technique names are patterned on surfing terms - "Big Wednesday", etc.Reayon - The token female fighter, clearly inspired by Chun-Li
.Vagnad - A huge wrestler with onyx skin, who has moves similar to Zangief
's. The game manual for the Genesis version refers to Vagnad as a survivor of The Holocaust
.Nick - An arrogant, lightning-quick matador. His fighting style uses a combination of break dancing
moves and knife throwing.Buoh - A Kabuki
-style fighter who can teleport and attack with his hair.Gaoluon - An acrobatic kung fu
expert, wielding a pair of Deer Horn Knives
.Baraki - A tribal warrior with a bestial appearance reminiscent of Blanka
.Ranker - The non-playable final boss
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
as Deadly Moves or for the Super NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
as Power Moves, is a fighting
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
video game developed and published by Kaneko
Kaneko
, also referred to as , was a Japanese video game publisher founded in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan by Hiroshi Kaneko. It published a number of games both under its brand and other companies, such as Air Buster, Nexzr, Shogun Warriors, DJ Boy, Guts'n, and the Gals Panic series...
. It was first released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on August 14, 1992, and in Japan on November 20, 1992. The Super NES version was later released in Japan on November 27, 1992, North America in January 1993, and in Europe on October 4, 1993. It is one of the many fighting games published in the early 90's to capitalize on the success of Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
's Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
, it did not achieve the success of its competition, and was largely ignored by most gamers.
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 SNKSNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
's Fatal Fury: King of Fighters
Fatal Fury: King of Fighters
is a 1991 head-to-head fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. Fatal Fury was SNK's first fighting game for the Neo Geo system and served as the inaugural game in their Fatal Fury series, as well as the first game to depict the fictional "King of Fighters" tournament...
).
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 - The main character, almost certainly based on Ryu
Ryu (Street Fighter)
is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament...
; his special moves include a fireball delivered in much the same way as Ryu's "Hadouken", though with added recoil, and an airborne dash attack.Warren - A Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an grappler. Warren's technique names are patterned on surfing terms - "Big Wednesday", etc.Reayon - The token female fighter, clearly inspired by Chun-Li
Chun-Li
is a video game character produced by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II, she has since appeared as a player character in nearly all subsequent games....
.Vagnad - A huge wrestler with onyx skin, who has moves similar to Zangief
Zangief
is a fictional character in the Street Fighter series of video games. Created by Akira Yasuda for Capcom, Zangief first appeared in Street Fighter II, later appearing in other games, media, and promotions related to the Street Fighter franchise...
's. The game manual for the Genesis version refers to Vagnad as a survivor of The Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
.Nick - An arrogant, lightning-quick matador. His fighting style uses a combination of break dancing
B-boying
B-boying, often called "breakdancing", is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans and Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes...
moves and knife throwing.Buoh - A Kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
-style fighter who can teleport and attack with his hair.Gaoluon - An acrobatic kung fu
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
expert, wielding a pair of Deer Horn Knives
Deer Horn Knives
Deer Horn Knives , also known as crescent moon knives, are specialised Chinese bladed weapons consisting of two steel crescents crossing. They are used in Chinese martial arts. This crossing produces four curved, clawlike points, one of which is extended as the "main" blade. The practitioner grips...
.Baraki - A tribal warrior with a bestial appearance reminiscent of Blanka
Blanka
is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Blanka is depicted as a feral savage, with green skin and long orange hair, resembling a monster more than a human...
.Ranker - The non-playable final boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
.
Version differences
- Despite the difference in name for the Genesis/Mega Drive and Super NES versions, there was no actual difference in gameplay, content or characters. 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/Mega Drive 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 AcclaimAcclaim EntertainmentAcclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
's home ports of MidwayMidway GamesMidway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
's Mortal KombatMortal Kombat (video game)Mortal Kombat is a 1992 fighting-game developed and published by Midway for arcades. In 1993, home versions were released by Acclaim Entertainment. Released in the Fall of 1994, the Microsoft Windows 3.1x version was released by Activision Interactive. It is the first title in the Mortal Kombat...
). - Ranker, the final boss of the game is playable only on the Genesis version.
- Although the Genesis/Mega Drive version known as Deadly Moves featured a blood-spattered cover, there was no blood nor death 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.