Review Round-Up - February 2026

A theme from this month of reviews is that heroic teams come in all shapes and sizes 
as seen with some of our reviewed games for February 2026.

A shorter month means a shorter list of reviews for our February 2026 Review Round-Up. That said, however, we had some delightful titles reviewed on SuperPhillip Central last month, and we wasted no time getting to them!

Let's begin with the Tribute Games' Marvel Cosmic Invasion, which offered an immense amount of heroes, moves, and abilities to brawl and battle baddies in. It rose to the challenge with a B. Following that was a retro-style, room-based 2D platformer, Lovish, which also got itself a B.

Our lowest grade of the month, a D+, was for a GameCube golf game that played and looked similar to PlayStation's Hot Shots Golf franchise: Swingerz Golf--though the quality was decidedly different and diminished due to its sometimes unfair difficulty. 

We marched towards March with three final reviews: the colorful and charming co-op-only game POPUCOM (B), a late look at a retro Star Wars game remastered with Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (C), and finally, the Star Fox-like, Rogue-lite FUR Squadron Phoenix (B-). 

With the Ides of March ready to rock and roll, so too is SuperPhillip Central for our next month of gaming action. In the meantime, be sure to check out the SPC Review Archive for all past and present reviews on the site. 

Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Multi) - B

From the impressive amount of unique moves and abilities each playable character possesses, to how great the actual "beating 'em up" feels between attacks having a right amount of "punch" to them, to the superb art style and presentation, Marvel Cosmic Invasion delights. Whether you're a Marvel fan or no, this beat-em-up will have you coming back for more time and again.

Lovish (Multi) - B

Overall, though, Lovish is a delight. Its humor and satire of genre and game conventions are most entertaining, its references and guest appearances are delightful, and the game itself plays well and is structurally sound, even if the Devil Lord's castle isn't always--looking at YOU, crumbling floors and breakable walls! Lovish succeeded at getting its hooks into me, and through the now and then frustrations of one-hit deaths, repeated attempts of levels and bosses, and tricky platforming perils, I merrily pushed forth with a smile on my face. Well, in between utterances of curse words on failed attempts, of course. Those looking for a challenge will get one with Lovish, as well as an enjoyable game that doesn't take itself at all seriously either.

Swingerz Golf (GCN) - D+ 

...after bashing my brains against trying to learn to play and try to enjoy myself despite the game doing everything in its power to ruin that for me, it's certainly and decidedly not for me. It's just a shame that the developer never got a mulligan, as there are some neat and nifty ideas here, but they don't form anything worthwhile enough to suffer for.

POPUCOM (PC, NSW) - B 

For those with the means to play POPUCOM--i.e. another player available either locally or online--you're going to get a wonderful cooperative game to enjoy. The levels constantly amaze and delight with new ideas that are iterated on in smart ways, the boss encounters are generally great, and the cooperation required to get through both types of challenges makes for truly fun and rewarding times. That's not to say you and your partner won't get flustered or annoyed with each other or the game every now and then, but overall, the experience will be a strongly positive one.

Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (Multi) - C

...Jedi Power Battles is a guilty pleasure of mine. I know it's not a great game mechanically, but the pieces fit together for an enjoyable enough romp. I love tossing a thermal detonator for an oh-so-satisfying small, contained explosion to send a group of foes flying. I enjoy hearing Yoda giggle upon picking up a power-up. And I liked extending my lightsaber to double its size in ridiculous fashion with a power-up as well. Frustrations from glitches to game crashes (especially in Coruscant, the longest level in the game, unfortunately) hampered my fun at times, but overall, I felt my time with the game was worthwhile and didn't feel my nostalgia was ill-founded.

FUR Squadron Phoenix (PC, NSW) - B- 

With eight missions, three that take place in the real-world where experience is not gained, and five in VR where experience is gained, FUR Squadron Phoenix won't last ace pilots too terribly long. The pool of available upgrades is rather limited as well, which makes for a short-lived experience all-around even when attempting to max everything out. That all notwithstanding, I definitely enjoyed my time in the cockpit with FUR Squadron, and would recommend FUR Squadron Phoenix to potential players, given they realize their time in the skies, in space, and even under the sea, won't last too terribly long.

It was also indeed a month of indies, and I couldn't have been happier for that pleasure!

SuperPhillip Central and my YouTube Channel, SuperPhillip Plays, are Now on Patreon!

Happy weekend, all! I'm excited to announce that I have made a Patreon for my work on my blog SuperPhillip Central and my YouTube channel SuperPhillip Plays. As some of you may know, the former has been around since 2008, features over 4,000 posts, and over 1,000 reviews, while the YouTube channel is still in its infancy. 

Here is the announcement post on my Patreon page (please consider checking it out!):

"Greetings, friends and followers alike! For over 17 years now, I've written for my own gaming blog called SuperPhillip Central, housing over 4,000 posts and over 1,000 reviews since its founding on June 5th, 2008. 

I've also started to dabble in creating videos on my YouTube channel, SuperPhillip Plays--offering Let's Play and original list form content as well!

It's with great excitement that I start this Patreon page.

A question you might ask is: Why Patreon and why now? 

Both excellent questions. To be totally transparent, as stated, I've run my blog for nearly 18 years now, and I haven't really ever monetized it. I've attempted putting ads on the blog, but they were so clunky and frankly, an eyesore. Also, with ad-block software and plugins being so popular (I use them, too), the revenue generated just wasn't worth the aforementioned eyesore of ads plastered on my blog. Thus, ads were short-lived, to say the least!

Instead, I'm opting for direct support through a Patreon. I'm hoping that I can start generating some semblance of income, as currently I am unemployed and disabled due to mental health reasons. By no means do I want anyone to feel obligated to support my Patreon, but if you do enjoy the written content I've put forth onto my blog over the past decade and change, and/or if you do like what you see on my YouTube channel, then please do consider supporting. I would greatly appreciate it.

Either way, I wish to and will provide enough content to Patreon supporters so that I can not only give you all my super thanks for your support but also give you a glimpse behind the curtain, so to speak. Some behind the scenes looks, I think, would be fun for both of us--you to get a look at early concepts and for me to share such content! Win-win!

I'm also very much open to hearing your feedback on what other benefits and bonuses I can provide to make your support to my Patreon extra special and worthwhile. I think of this as a collaboration rather than simply a one-sided effort. Therefore, please feel free to let me know if you ever think of something you'd like to see added as a bonus in a tier!

Additionally, never feel obligated either to keep supporting if you find you aren't getting what you desire or if your financial situation changes. There are no hard feelings for cancellations, but putting down a reason for said cancellation (make it as general or specific as appropriate) will certainly help me for the future, for sure.

Thank you so much for your time and for your consideration in supporting this new Patreon endeavor of mine! I appreciate you all, and I hope to continue to provide worthwhile blog posts and YouTube videos to everyone!" 

FUR Squadron Phoenix (PC, NSW) Review

FUR Squadron Phoenix launches today on Steam/PC with a Nintendo Switch release happening next Wednesday, February 25th. This review covers the former. Get to ready to take flight with the SuperPhillip Central review.

Let the FUR fly.

There's no doubt a Star Fox-shaped hole in gaming that Nintendo doesn't currently seem interested in filling. That's alright, as like F-Zero before, indies are more than willing to step up to the proverbial plate. While not completely creating rote same-as experiences to mimic Nintendo's titles, we've seen a fair number of indie developers try their collective hands at making their own efforts to fill the gaps in fans' hearts.

Enter FUR Squadron Phoenix. This is clearly inspired by Star Fox, from the cast of furry bipedal characters that make up said squadron to various nudge-nudge, hint-hint references to Nintendo's flight-based shooter. That notwithstanding, FUR Squadron Phoenix also does enough to distinguish itself from its source inspiration.

Starting off, you're flung immediately into the action with the first mission. The simple controls get taught with a simple fire button, holding said button to charge a homing shot that can zone in on foes and defeat groups of adjacent baddies, a barrel roll (though not specifically called that), and a special weapon. 

The latter weapons aren't limited to Star Fox's tried and true smart bombs. Instead, you can--and in later levels against bosses are pretty much required to--use the D-Pad to switch between one of four weapons. There's bombs, rockets, an armor-piercing laser beam, and a nuke, which takes all weapon energy to utilize. 

At least it's not "too Raph" instead!

Flying back to the first level before I get too ahead of myself, it features your playable character, a bird named Robin, who enters into a mission where things go awry rather quickly. Her two squadmates end up eliminated in battle, and she of course blames herself. Fast forward ahead to months later, and Robin is a new recruit with the FUR Squadron, under helm by a conveniently enough furry creature named Blaze. To get back her confidence, Robin undergoes training in a VR simulation, crafted by the axolotl named Axel, taking a Slippy Toad role in this game.

It can be difficult to read dialogue and contend with the antics on screen.
Voiced dialogue (and not the Animalese used here) would have worked wonders.

FUR Squadron Phoenix features eight total levels, which might not seem like a lot, but there is some replay value to be found here. No doubt players will struggle even with the first VR level, perhaps even crashing and burning in an attempt to play it. Fortunately, roguelite elements appear in the game, offering purchasable upgrades with in-game points earned from casual play. The higher your score on an attempt, whether a successful one or not, the more points you earn. These points can be spent to increase Robin's shield capacity, attack power, "barrel roll" speed, and also upgrading her special attack prowess.  

You can get up to a 150% multiplier on downed enemies, as long as you don't take damage yourself.

The roguelite influences seep into the levels themselves in FUR Squadron Phoenix. Runs through levels generally feature randomized elements to them. That could be as simple as different enemy configurations or even alternate side missions. That said, the randomization is awfully limited in scope. You'll constantly see and eventually grow accustomed to the same, exact enemy fighter formations, only appearing at different times and intervals in levels. The set pieces offer more interesting design, delivering some pulse-pounding segments and sections, like one where instead of taking the fight above sea in one level, another instead goes deep underwater, having you thread your ship through submerged ruins.

That holographic dragon is big, but trust me when I say this level's boss is even bigger!

On the subject of those previously mentioned side missions, these come in the form of miniature tasks to perform mid-level. For Axel the Axolotl, those Slippy Toad influences come back hard, as you need to defeat a bogey on her tail. For Blaze, it's defeating a specific group of enemies in a section of level. Lastly, for the Falco-inspired member of the squadron, Kiro, you need to follow him through three green, glowing rings. 

An example of some ace flying required to get in Kiro's favor.

Completing these impromptu side missions gives a twofold reward. For one, Robin's relationship with that squadmate grows, resulting in new dialogue scenes in between levels, as well as stronger Overdrives. Overdrives slow down time when used, allowing Robin to take out groups of enemies and especially blast bosses with greater ease. They're best saved for trying times, as they eventually can restore Robin's ship's health and weapon energy immediately.

Ideally, I'm sure the developers wanted players to be forced to return to levels multiple times, as they perhaps bashed their heads against them, making more and more progress with each run. Unfortunately, at least in my case, this simply wasn't how the game happened. Generally--and this is said without meaning to brag--I was able to clear each level in my first run, even reaching the high score target to unlock a ship skin for each given level. There were only one or two levels that saw me needing to return to them to either attempt to survive them or to try to obtain a high score that narrowly escaped me the first time. 

Scripted sequences like these really raise the adrenaline level.

By the end of my three hours with the game, I had pretty much maxed out everything there was to do in FUR Squadron Phoenix. I rolled credits, I had all ship upgrades, I unlocked all ship skins (even the one for finding and firing at a treasure chest containing a Phoenix Badge in each level), I had Robin in great esteem with all squadmates, and obtained most of the achievements to be found in the game, too. That isn't to say there's no reason to return to this game or that everyone will blast through it as fast as I did. That's also just the nature of an on-rails game like FUR Squadron Phoenix is, too.

FUR Squadron Phoenix runs well on Steam Deck, which is where I played the game. Not a lick of slowdown or frame-rate issues seemed to present themselves, and everything played smoothly overall. While the game lacks a full-blown Nintendo Switch 2 release, those who play FUR Squadron Phoenix on the hardware through the Switch 1 release does have performance options available, allowing users to increase the frame-rate, if desired, for an even smoother flying experience. 

With eight missions, three that take place in the real-world where experience is not gained, and five in VR where experience is gained, FUR Squadron Phoenix won't last ace pilots too terribly long. The pool of available upgrades is rather limited as well, which makes for a short-lived experience all-around even when attempting to max everything out. That all notwithstanding, I definitely enjoyed my time in the cockpit with FUR Squadron, and would recommend FUR Squadron Phoenix to potential players, given they realize their time in the skies, in space, and even under the sea, won't last too terribly long.

[SPC Says: B-] 

A review copy was provided by Raptor Claw.

The Tuesday 10s - Most Anticipated Games of 2026 So Far

It's been a bit since we've last been paid a visit by The Tuesday 10s, and it's no better time than near the start of the year to roll out the red carpet for them! The Tuesday 10s are non-ordered, featured lists of ten entries. This week, we're going to look at the ten games that I'm most anticipating for 2026 so far! I have only two real rules when it comes to this list: 1) The games on this list must have a firm 2026 release date, as opposed to a vague release period (like Summer 2026, for example), 2) I have to actually have some semblance of hype for them, of course! With that, let's get to the list of ten games hyped to varying degrees by yours truly!

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (Multi)

June 18th, 2026 will see the start of Elliot's adventures in none other than The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, a new action-RPG in the vein of Ys, but with the much beloved HD-2D style. Team Asano is always one to watch, with games like Bravely Default, Octopath Traveler, and Triangle Strategy under their belt. While it's a game that's out of the team's usual wheelhouse and fare (not being turn-based, for one thing), I have the utmost faith that this game will have the juice. Plus, it also has a name that isn't pure gibberish either, so that's already a win!

Demon Tides (PC)

Fresh off the running and jumping heels of Demon Turf comes another third-person 3D platformer set in an open world. This time the high seas are calling, and our heroine is ready to answer said call through a collect-a-thon style platformer with a large repertoire of moves in her arsenal. If you played the previous game in the series, then you know developer Fabraz knows its stuff when it comes to fun-feeling movement and highly capable, challenging level design. These aspects seem to continue into Demon Tides. With this game and also Bubsy 4D (the latter releasing in May) hitting the first half of 2026, Fabraz certainly has been going above and beyond this year. Demon Tides is but a couple days away from launch, setting sail on February 19th.

Forza Horizon 6 (XBS, PS5, PC)

Forza Horizon 6's predecessor blew me away. It was my introduction to the Forza franchise, chiefly the Horizon sub-series, and I named it my favorite game of 2023. Now, three years later, Forza Horizon 6 moves from Mexico across the Pacific to Japan with the largest map in series history. Players will be able to unlock better vehicles through the return of the wristband system, dating back to the original Forza Horizon. Through completing races and events, players can work their way to better wristbands, ever inching their way to exclusive in-game content, such as Legend Island, where exclusive races and goodies await gold wristband-wearers. Forza Horizon 6 will take players for a ride through Japan starting on May 19th, 2026 on Xbox Series platforms and PC, with a PlayStation 5 release happening at a later date. 

Grand Theft Auto VI (PS5, XBS)

From one major open-world game to one that's for certain even more major, Grand Theft Auto VI is shaping up to a monumental release. Says a lot about the state of the game industry when so many analysts are propping up Rockstar's latest as somewhat of a savior for the market. Set in the fictional Florida-like Leonida, GTA VI will see players take on the roles of Jason and Lucia, a pair of lovebirds and potential jailbirds, too, circumnavigating a conspiracy while trying to survive in the process. Barring any more delays, November 19th is set to the be the release date for Grand Theft Auto VI, a full 13 years after its predecessor's launch. Here's to hoping the wait will be worth it!

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Multi)

Being touted as a love letter to Batman's legendary lore and mythos, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is shaping up to be LEGO meets Rocksteady's Arkham series of games. This May 29th release is planned to feature seven playable characters, each with their own unique abilities, as opposed to the hundreds of characters usually seen in LEGO titles. The difference here is that each character will play differently as opposed to most playing the same. Gotham City is an open world, ready for our heroes to explore, fight crime, solve puzzles, and discover various collectibles within. Behind Spider-Man, Batman is my favorite superhero and has my second favorite Rogue's Gallery as well. Seeing how this LEGO Batman entry seeks to call back on Batman in various elements from Batman--the comics, the movies, the TV shows, etc.--I'm already ready to believe that this will be that love letter to the Dark Knight that DC Comics claims.

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls (PS5, PC)

A match made in fighting game heaven, we have Arc System Works working on a Marvel fighter with Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls. While I'm not the hugest fan of the genre--it depends on the property and source material--this one looks sensational. A 4 vs. 4 fighting game, featuring a currently robust lineup of Marvel all-stars--some being less traditional picks like Danger and Magik on the Unbreakable X-Men lineup of characters--Marvel Tokon looks to deliver insane combo opportunities, plenty of intense battles online and off, and loads of modes to keep players fighting when it takes to battle on August 6th, 2026. 

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection (Multi)

I've played every Mega Man subseries except for one. Come March 27th, 2026, I'm hopeful to finally finish off the subseries I've yet to explore. Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection brings another compendium of Mega Man titles to market with the series that made its debut and home on the Nintendo DS. Despite only having three numbered entries in total , Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection features seven specific games in the collection, as the titles followed Pokémon and later Mega Man Battle Network's lead by having multiple versions. The first game has three versions, and the sequels have two apiece. The games are similar to Mega Man Battle Network, though offer a behind-the-back perspective and 3D models instead of the 2D side view that the former had. With options to orient the dual-screens to one's liking, various filters, and other features, this collection is shaping up to shoot for the stars.

Pokémon Pokopia (NS2)

Utilizing the same team behind the incredibly awesome Dragon Quest Builders 2 (among other stellar titles), Koei Tecmo's Omega Force unites with Game Freak for this charmingly cozy life sim taking place in the world of Pokémon. Play as a Ditto masquerading as a human (and all the potential uncanny creepiness that comes from this) to craft, build, and learn new abilities from befriended Pokémon to better make your world your own. As your habitat expands and grows in size and stature, new Pokémon will come calling, opening up more opportunities for new friends and features. Promising to not limit the player in what they can do each day, despite a real-time day and night cycle featured in the game, Pokémon Pokopia players should have the option to play at their own comfortable pace when the game launches exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2 on March 5th, 2026.

Resident Evil: Requiem (Multi)

Let's take a brief breather from cute and cozy and transition to morbid and macabre, hm? No idea how that kind of segue is supposed to work, but here we are, regardless. The ninth numbered installment in the long-running Resident Evil series, Resident Evil: Requiem features a dual-protagonist system that sees players switching between both characters at specific points throughout the game. We have Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy, the latter returning from RE 2 and 4. While Leon's side of the campaign is more action-focused, as expected, Grace's side focuses more on limited supplies, encounters that demand carefulness and caution, and a heavier survival-horror approach. Two sides of the same enticing coin, Resident Evil: Requiem hopes to get the balance of survival-horror and action just right when it releases on February 27th, 2026. 

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (NSW)

No less than fifteen years after the surprise hit launched on the Nintendo 3DS, its sequel, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is set to arrive on the Nintendo Switch with custom Mii characters interacting with each other in weird, wacky, and wild ways in this social sim. Rather than leaving relationships to happen with the help or hindrance of Lady Luck, the Switch entry allows more direct guidance between the player and their Miis' relationships and interactions. The entire island that players' Miis live on can be fully customized, as can the Miis themselves--purchasing clothes and accessories via in-game currency to bring out their inner fashionistas. A big win here as well is that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream features same-sex relationships and also non-binary gender types, something many decried as lacking in the 2013 release. Live the dream and tomo your dachi (what?) when Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream launches on the Nintendo Switch on April 16th, 2026.

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Which 2026 releases are you most looking for? Hit me up in the comments below with games that you're eagerly anticipating that are due to hit this year, whether they have firm release dates or not! 

Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (Multi) Review

Some reviews arrive on SPC for no purpose or contextual reason other than--"I just finished this one, and wanted to share my thoughts, despite being late to the party." This review for Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles' remaster is one of these reviews! Either way, enjoy!

The Phantom Menace Strikes Back

Do you have any guilty pleasures as games? That is, do you have those games that you play and enjoy despite them not technically being that good, or even just plain awful? Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is such a game for me. I originally stumbled upon it around its release on the original PlayStation. Being a big beat-em-up fan and finding myself especially hyped by the then-new Star Wars movie prequels like so many back in the day, I dived headfirst into the game. 

That was over 25 years ago, and Aspyr, making a point to dip into the well of old Star Wars games time and time again, is back with yet another remaster. This time around it's conspicuously for a game that isn't the most well loved, but at the same token, the publisher has sort of exhausted most of the fondly thought of 3D games as is. Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles marks the return to a galaxy far, far away and in a gaming context, it definitely feels like a long, long time ago as well.

Right away, the visuals of Jedi Power Battles have definitely gotten some sprucing up. Character models and levels are more detailed with increased geometry and polygons, widescreen support is available, reflections on some surfaces are included, and it's just a more impressive showing. It's sort of akin to looking similarly to what my 13-year-old self thought the game looked like when I originally played it. John Williams' sensational score complements and accentuates the action, offering stirring symphonic sounds that fit the exploits on screen. However, some audio balance issues do present themselves, though, especially in the eighth level, a brief but agonizing auto-scrolling vehicle level. It's here where the zooming and firing of the vehicles is extra blaring and loud, obnoxiously so. 

Honey, I'm hooooome!

While the graphics have gotten a boost, the gameplay is pretty much tried and true, for better or worse. Yes, Jedi Power Battles is essentially Star Wars: The Beat-Em-Up. It takes one of many playable Jedi characters, and heck--even some non-Jedi for fun, like Darth Maul and Jar Jar Binks--and has you scurrying through relatively linear levels, hacking, slashing, and fighting your way through robotic droids, mischievous smugglers, and other fiends to fight which stand in your way. There is a fair amount of platforming to be found as well to split up the action, as well as bosses in the end and middle of some levels.

Mace Windu losing to a nasty bug? That's a Mace Win-don't!

Speaking of, the game consists of ten levels, many of which are taken directly from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace movie, such as battling through the Trade Federation ship at the start of the film, rescuing maidens in the city streets of Theed, and of course, a duel with Darth Maul to round out the game. There are plenty of liberties taken to fit the film and make it work for a game (such as the aforementioned rescuing of maidens, locations and events in the game that don't happen in the film), but unless you're a stickler for Star Wars, it won't bother much. 

What may bother, especially if you don't have any nostalgia for the original PlayStation and Dreamcast game, is that Jedi Power Battles is not exactly the most competent, tight-feeling game. The controls are awfully stiff, attacking can feel clunky, and enemies have tons of health when you'd think a droid would easily go down from a Jedi's lightsaber strike. That said, as an improvement, jumping and performing the necessary platforming the game tasks you with doing doesn't feel anywhere near as bad as it did at least in the PS1 version. Just be mindful of your shadow when leaping! 

Cut through these droids with your lightsaber like butter.

Levels have some interesting set pieces to them to also keep things feeling interesting. The city of Theed level has your character running along the streets, occasionally reaching the palace, but not before being able to pilot a tank, causing destruction and blasting away at enemies on your journey there. Coruscant, which is the longest level in the game, sees characters hitching rides and jumping from flying vehicle to flying vehicle, carefully and cautiously running on rooftops, and soaring across chasms via lifts from vents. Meanwhile, the palace cliffs level changes things up by putting you at a crunch for time--needing to rescue six pilots before time runs out.

Qui-Gon Jinn uses the Force to make these fiends feel the pain.

Being a beat-em-up, points are the aim of the meta-game. Not only do you net points for hitting and defeating enemies, but you also can nab them from collectibles and power-ups scattered around stages. Sometimes they'll be in pure point form, while other times, like the skull icon, will result in a challenge, where your character's health and force meters are cut in half in exchange for a mighty amount of points. Points are great for getting high scores, sure, but they're also worthwhile at the end of levels. 

Here, depending on how many points your character got in the completed level, they can earn up to three different bonuses. These range from a choice between more health or force (HP or MP, in RPG terms), a selection between one of three new combo attacks, and even extra force abilities, used with a shoulder button and attack button combo. These, of course, use energy on your force gauge, but are powerful and great crowd controls moves.

Always two there are--unless there are three droids surrounding you. 

Jedi Power Battles isn't a button masher type of beat-em-up, so it's nice to have a series of combos to utilize on enemies that keep their guard up in order to pierce their defenses. Fortunately, your characters, too, can block and defend themselves. Most characters can block and deflect laser shots with their lightsaber, apart from Queen Amidala who uses a blaster. With a proper parry and timing, the shots can be deflected back into enemies to eliminate them instantly. Certainly fighting blaster fire with blaster fire, and it's darn satisfying to do--even after performing a block for the hundredth or so time. 

Deflect those blaster shots as Darth Maul (originally an unlockable character in the PS1/Dreamcast game).

If you're looking for Jedi-ing (that's an awkward verb) it up with a buddy and have someone you can coerce into playing the game with, Jedi Power Battles has local co-op available. While this isn't ideal for the hardest difficulty, Jedi Mode, or for going for high scores (as lives are shared between players and easily lost in co-op, but scores are separate between players), it's quite the fun, force-filled time, slicing up foes, leaping through levels together, and setting your sights on saving the galaxy.

Or don't and take 'em to the chin like a champ! Atta' Jedi!

Jedi Power Battles isn't too lengthy of a game. One nice thing is that all levels are available immediately from the word "go" instead of needing to play through them in a set, linear order. This also means that losing all your lives doesn't mean you have to begin the game from the beginning or any inconvenience like that. It makes returning to levels or going out of order very much possible, allowing for less rigidity and more freedom in the game's structure.   

Really, Jedi Power Battles is a guilty pleasure of mine. I know it's not a great game mechanically, but the pieces fit together for an enjoyable enough romp. I love tossing a thermal detonator for an oh-so-satisfying small, contained explosion to send a group of foes flying. I enjoy hearing Yoda giggle upon picking up a power-up. And I liked extending my lightsaber to double its size in ridiculous fashion with a power-up as well. Frustrations from glitches to game crashes (especially in Coruscant, the longest level in the game, unfortunately) hampered my fun at times, but overall, I felt my time with the game was worthwhile and didn't feel my nostalgia was ill-founded. Yes, the Force isn't necessarily strong with this one, but Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles won't exactly turn its players onto a path to the dark side, either. 

[SPC Says: C-]