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A playthrough of Taito's 1992 action-platformer for the NES, Power Blade 2. Taking place directly after the events of the first Power Blade ( ), the sequel has you reprising the role of Nova, a superwarrior with a boomerang who just happens to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is the year 2200, and a company named Delta has created a fighting cyborg that it offers to sell the US government. In response, the government, citing concerns over “national security,“ orders Nova to destroy the company. Now a state-sponsored terrorist, Nova arrives at Delta's facility ready to lay waste to anything standing in the way of America's aggressively paranoid sense of self-entitlement. And of course, it's Christmas Eve, Hard and Lethal Weapon, I guess? Similar to the Mega Man games, you can choose the order in which you wish to tackle the first four stages, and each of these areas contain a power suit that can be used at anytime proving you have enough power. There is the newt suit (allows you to climb and hang from smooth surfaces), the Rocket suit (allows for hovering and flying), the Wet suit (allows for better maneuverability in water), and the Patriot suit (provides armored satellite barriers for added protection). The stages can be beaten in any order, but as you might expect, having the ideal suit unlocked can make some of these areas much easier to get through. And because the suits upgrade your weapon to a strong wave that can pass through walls, the boss fights tend to be trivial affairs with the right one equipped. The gameplay is similar to the original Power Blade, but it has seen a few important tweaks. Your suits are permanent pickups in the sequel, and can be selected at anytime instead of having to be found in the area you want to use them in. The stage design is also much more linear in the sequel - unlike the first game, none of these stages contain any alternate paths. Nova can shoot in eight directions, and with the abilities provided by the suits, he can easily handle any situation he finds himself in. I really liked his adaptability and the ease with which he can get around the environments. All of his advantages make Power Blade 2 quite easy as far as NES action games go, but however imbalanced, the action feels great thanks to the smooth controls. But why does the first level start with you running to the left? That was really unexpected. It is also a nice looking and sounding game. It wasn't anything Earth-shattering being so late in the NES's life-cycle, but the sprites look good, the colors are bright and provide good contrast for the player and enemy characters, and the soundtrack is catchy and energetic. I can't in good conscience recommend anyone go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a loose cartridge, but if you have another means of playing it, then I absolutely recommend giving Power Blade 2 a shot. _____________ No cheats were used during the recording of this video. NintendoComplete () punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!
