the Peace Keepers

Jaleco tries to break the 2D brawler formula with this entertaining sequel to the Brawl Brothers. The Peace Keepers is at heart a Final Fight-type game. But it's branching levels, evolving story, & multiple endings make it so much more. There are only 4 brawlers to choose from at the beginning. Each one has specific characteristics that affect the way they play. For example let's say you pick Prokop. He might be slow, but his incredible strength allows to pick up enemies, walk around, & toss them about as he pleases. No other character can do this. It's things like this that make playing all that more fun. And during the game you can uncover 2 more characters. Through each stage you'll be faced with mulitple paths & plot choices. There's an instance where a known bad guy approaches you & claims he wants to join your efforts. If let him he'll eventually betray you, but if you kick his butt immediately you'll skip over this interesting story bit. Not to mention that you'll miss out on some yet unseen stages. You'll play through at least 10 times before finding everything this title has to offer. And there are plenty of tie-ins to the original Brawl Brothers game (but you gotta wonder why they changed all their names?). Peace Keepers just goes so far beyond what gamers normally expect out of this type of game. It's a shame that modern brawlers such as DC's Dynamite Cop & Soul Fighter aren't this good (actually they're really awful). But it just goes to show how the execution of a game can make all the difference. Enjoy you SNES-heads!

Overall 9.4