Poy Poy

Poy Poy's a Bomber-man-esque arcade/strategy game that rocks the house with great graphics, fun multiplayer action, and an unusual array of characters.

Four contestants are placed in unique stages that range from a desert with twisters spiraling you through the air to a prehistoric level with a rampaging dinosaur chomping at your every move. It's a game-show atmosphere where you throw bombs, rocks, and other objects at your opponents to score hit-points and knock them out of the game. Poy Poy packs a features wallop that includes numerous levels, one- to four-player competition, and three skill tournaments ranging from Junior to Master.

The graphics are excellent, including crisp backgrounds, sharp colors, and funky-looking characters. Poy Poy's audio excellence scores with grunts and groans mixed with exploding bombs and crashing rocks.

Controling your character is pretty straightforward. Contestants can choose from a long list of special throws; pick up and toss other players; and even roll out of the way of oncoming missiles.

When it comes to addictive, multiplayer player action on the PlayStation, Poy Po s one of the best. Although it lacks the game speed of past multiplayer hits like Super Bomberman, it still delivers enough rocks to the head to satisfy most maniac gamers.

Poy Poy's an action game where you pick up objects and throw them at three other opponents. You can chuck rocks, bombs, and crates, just to name a few. While the premise is simple, the game becomes very addictive--especially in the free-for-all mode where four players can go at it using the multi-tap. Could this be Bomberman for the PlayStation?

What happens when you not only put Bomberman in a 3-D world but also give him power-ups that were only in his wildest dreams? Simply put, Poy happens.

Although Poy Poy has no direct connection to Bomberman On fact it's made by an entirely different company), the hectic, every-person-for-themselves feeling that B-man is known for is there. Would Konami be pleased with this comparison? They should be, considering Bomberman is looked at as the granddaddy of four-player excitement.

The graphics in the game are similar to Jumping Flash! but in a different plane. Gouraud-shaded polygons with some cool lighting effects fill the screen. After turning on the PlayStation and seeing the cartoony look of the characters. most gamers should know that a puzzle game is involved.

Poy Poy features two main play modes. The first, an Exhibition Mode, allows gamers to play just for the sake of playing and polishing up their skills.

This Exhibition Mode is perfect for when friends come over and want to challenge you. Besides Poy Poy is much easier to get into than a fist fight and causes fewer bruises and broken teeth.

Gamers with the multitap will be happy to find out that Poy Poy allows for four-player gaming. Isn't this reason enough to want this game?

The second mode of play is the Poy Poy Cup. In this mode (which is a One-player Mode), players can earn some cash in a game show-style setting-kind of like the movie The Running Man in a way.

By playing in the different arenas, each of which has its own theme, players will come across all different kinds of opponents. Some look similar to you. while others have a style all their own. be it robotic or like a ninja.

In the Poy Poy Cup there are three classes gamers can compete in: Junior Class. Senior Class and Master Class. The Master Class is near impossible, but that's where the weapon upgrades come into play.

By defeating all of the enemies in the different classes, players will not only be awarded a trophy but also a large amount of cash. After winning, they can go back into the weapon shop and make some transactions. There are well over 30 to choose from-every-thing from blasts to bolts.

Poy Poy features a Save Mode, so keeping your record in tip-top shape will be easy with multiple plays-but they don't have to be all in one sitting.

GAMER'S EDGE

In the Poy Poy Cup Mode, players can upgrade their "arm." The arm is the weapon players use during a match. Additionally, these different arms can be upgraded after any of the classes. Some arms give your character a way to escape danger while other arms shoot a huge blast at one (or more) opponent.

On top of the standard weaponry, players can also tune up their arms so they do even more than before. In most cases, though, this is a pricey endeavor. Some tune-ups can cost $500.000. But then again, what's $500.000 when you win a million or more in each class?

Also, look for plenty of secret weapons to get after defeating the game without continuing. And go for the black-market purchases for weapons that do the most damage--and are cool to watch as well. Whatever arm or upgrade you might have, the object of Poy Poy remains the same: Destroy all adversaries.

Overview

Upon receiving this game, the first thing that popped into my head was, what the heck is a Poy Poy? After countless hours of playing this with friends, I still am not exactly sure what it is, but it is sure fun.

Poy Poy is what is called a party game. It earns this name because it is simple to play and much more fun when you play against human competition. You can have 1 to 4 players at a time and this game alone makes the multi-tap a worthy purchase.

Gameplay

Even though I don't know what a Poy Poy is, I will do my best to describe the game. The game is a game show of the future that pits four players against each other until only one player is left standing. The beauty of this is that it is not a fighting game. Actually, it is not like any type of game. The way you knock your opponents out of the game is by throwing rocks, boxes, bombs, and even the other participants. Each player has a status meter and when this is depleted, you are out of the round. At the end of the round, points are tallied and you begin the next round. At the completion of your selected number of rounds, the player with the most points is the winner.

This game is way more difficult to explain than it is to play. I think the reason it is so difficult to picture is because it is so unique. I have never played anything like this before. This game is actually a refreshing break from the high tech, complex games on the market. The controls are so basic and simple that you will be flinging one of your opponents at another player in no time. This is also one of the main reasons this game works so well. How many times have you tried to teach someone the controls in a game they have never played before? It can be quite laborious and take some serious time before they actually get it, if ever. Well, it's not an issue in Poy Poy because you really only have two things you are concerned with: picking up and throwing. In a party game, it absolutely essential that it is easy to learn and play.

You can play Poy Poy at face value and it is a fun game. But, to add to the replay element and strategy, each player has special gloves. These gloves have different effects — depending on which gloves you've selected — on the lethal throw. You have a standard throw, a hard throw, a back throw, and a lethal throw, which is the most damaging. The gloves you choose dictate the type of lethal throw your character will pull off. After testing the different gloves, you will find some that are better than others, so you should start to have preferences. As you win matches, your glove values go up, making them last longer.

The game uses a simple scoring system. At the end of each round, you are awarded points for how long you stay alive, how much remaining life you have at the end, how many luck points you received, and how many direct hits you made. The luck points are accumulated from collecting white hearts that are revealed when you smash a box open. Each heart you collect adds two points to your luck score. The direct hit bonus is exactly as it sounds. You are awarded points for throwing an object and nailing you opponents with a direct hit. At the end of the round, the points that you collect from these three categories are added together and you receive a score for that round. This continues through the predetermined number of rounds and the player with the most points in the end wins.

A big part of the game is the environment in which you play. Each environment is a closed arena and almost everything is interactive. For example, the iceberg level has penguins that, if you're not careful, will take the liberty of removing a chunk out of your back side. The flatlands level has stacks of logs that can be picked up and tossed at the other players. There are four more arenas and I will not give away what they are, but let's just say that one level would make Steven Spielberg proud.

Another thing that was added to help the replay value was the "Poy Poy Cup." This is reserved for one player only, and has three events; the Junior Cup, Senior Cup and Master Cup. Each cup is made up of the six different environments. You must finish in first place to continue on to the next cup. This was definitely not easy to do.

When you win matches in the various cups that comprise the Poy Poy Cup, you are awarded cash. You can use this money to go to the glove shop and buy new gloves or strengthen the one that you have. Also, you can take your current glove in for a tune-up. This keeps you competitive as the field gets more advanced, plus it also gives you a little extra to play for.

Graphics

The graphics are perfect for this type of game. All of the players and environments are 3D polygons. The players actually remind me of the people in the Christmas specials like Rudolf the Red Nosed Raindeer. You know, the little elf what wanted to be a dentist? Nothing is overly detailed, but it really does not need to be. I think that if they would have done much more, it may have actually hurt the game by making it too complicated.

Bottom Line

If you are looking for a good, simple multiplayer game, look no further. This game is a blast to play with a bunch of friends. There is nothing cooler than picking up one of your buddies and using him as a weapon against another one of your friends. This game will be enjoyed by the whole family.