User blog:TheIkranRider/The Bouncer Retrospective

I'm surprised I hadn't done this yet. As I've mentioned, or those of you who hadn't been paying attention, I freakin' love The Bouncer. I understand it has flaws, but then again nothing's perfect, right? I should probably explain myself:

I graduated from eighth grade and started the summer back in 2002; for a present, I received a PS2 and a handful of games. I remembered there was a clue when my family and I were at a diner, something that started with a P and ended in a Y. And I was like...pony? Anyway, before I started high school, I received some games like ATV Off Road Fury, Fur Fighters: Viggo's Revenge, Escape from Monkey Island (which changed to Project Eden, which were lame either way), and of course The Bouncer. Out of all the games we had, this one really stood out to me, and this was before I discovered, and disliked, Kingdom Hearts. Btw, I despise how Sora is Sion, the main char in this game. WRONG!

Much like Fanfictiondreamer with Ratchet and Clank, I was enamored by it from the start. Yes, it is dated and experimental to test out the PS2's capabilities, but it was epic! From the music, graphics, chars, story, gameplay. I've never seen anything like it. And I consider as one of the best beat-em'-ups next to SSBM! I was so fascinated with one particular char, even to this day, Sion Barzahd. I can definitely relate to him, as he's the youngest out of the three bouncers, he had a tragic past, and he was just a bona fide awesome character to play as! I'm still a fangirl to Sion. Dauragon was a badass villain, the escort mission was frustrating...

Oh, btw, when I got to the escort mission to protect the damsel, Dominique, I remembered there was a save file on the memory card that got further into the game, and the trio had higher levels. I assumed I couldn't get past that level, and I still don't know how the card got it, but I selected it and I got hammered by Dauragon pretty quickly. I was disappointed I may not beat it, so, back then I had Kazaa and I downloaded its English song, Love is the Gift. It was beautiful, though I realized years later that it was depressing, as the singer was giving love to a person that was already gone. The Japanese song, Forevermore, was amazing even though it was in a foreign language.

By August, my family and I went on a honeymoon (my parents) to Disneyworld. And by the time it was over, I tried the last level again; that was how I noticed that Dauragon had three forms instead the usual two. I looked up the solutions on Gamewinners, and kept spamming Sion's Hurricane Blitz. And that was how I finally did it; I was afraid Dominique would go berserk after her bro's demise, but it never happened. I also looked up how to max out all chars, and unlock the secrets in the game itself.

Soon, I developed this idea on creating something based on its awesome storylines. The first idea was not only having an OC, but also someone/something to assist her and her friends. At first she was named Siou (mashup between Sion and Kou), then I came up with something better, Ayame (Japanese for Iris). Later on, I wanted to choose some allies such as the Smash Bros, as well as an electronic gizmo spider I named Techie, based on one I used to own, even though it doesn't work. Needless to say, they were so LAME!! Fortunately, I eventually came up with a far better idea: to use the Z-Fighters. You see, the Buu Saga was going on in Toonami, and the anime was ending soon. So, I figured to have the characters from DBZ featured in the crossover, then some scenarios connecting the two, then ideas for Ayame whether it'd be her outfit or weaponry, and then choosing Goten and Trunks as her assistants, then the wishes using the Dragon Balls. Thus, the Mikado Saga was created!

Much like Fanfictiondreamer's Showitious, I too had an issue with it. Even during high school, when the movie, Rumble Fish, had characters that almost reminded me of Sion. I waited several years to continue the fics, then I got down to the Drabble of Dog Street, inspired by the movie, as well as the song The Down Town by Days of the New; if you heard the lyrics, it kind of fits with the plights in Dog Street. It was a song I heard way back, as well as Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine. I then wanted to make another fic centering on Sion's doppelganger, Jet-Black Sion aka Black-Hooded Sion, an unlockable character from Survival Mode. So...years later, I finally got around to it, and thus that concluded the Bouncer trilogy. I also wanted to continue the series, but ideas were scrapped, even one when Gotenks would face a mutated Dauragon, having Kou badly injured w/ a broken leg, have the bouncers brainwashed...Idk.

So, anyway, that's how I got into the Bouncer; even to this day I wish for a sequel/remake using the same elements. If only it wasn't rushed to coincide with the release of the PS2, where weapons, styles, and stages were removed, and ended up as an everlasting beta, according to TV Tropes. Seriously, if Squeenix could just get their heads out of their money-grabbing arses, and disregard the FFVII remake as well as Kingdom Hearts for awhile, then hopefully there's a chance. I still consider it miles better than Sleeping Dogs, the Last Remnant, or even Hitman. And I hope more people would appreciate it just as much as I do as well as Distant-Rain. Ikran Rider out.