The best power ups that actually make you powerful

 

Power ups aren’t there just to make the game easier. Poor titles use power ups as an excuse to have “progressive gameplay.” Scratch that. Getting stronger shouldn’t be tossed aside because the game got difficult enough, that it doesn’t even matter. Power ups are supposed to give players an edge, making the task at hand much easier.

In this list are power ups that, while not broken or imbalanced, make players think “Now, I’m gonna own!” Acquiring these offer significant advantage over your adversaries. In other words, purely bad ass power-ups that make games fun.

Jehuty v2 (Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner)
Matching the power of the dreaded Anubis, Jehuty in its full glory can destroy anything. The Vector Cannon can sink gigantic battle airships with a single shot. For everything else, there are subweapons – the most powerful only available to v2. If delicate kills are required, v2 can simply zero in on the opponent using Zero Shift, before disposing the target with lightning fast strikes using its blade, homing lasers that can destroy multiple targets, or a fully charged energy ball of death. Jehuty v2 is the ultimate mech, period.

The full list awaits after the jump!

Power ups aren’t there just to make the game easier. Poor titles use power ups as an excuse to have “progressive gameplay.” Scratch that. Getting stronger shouldn’t be tossed aside because the game got difficult enough, that it doesn’t even matter. Power ups are supposed to give players an edge, making the task at hand much easier.

In this list are power ups that, while not broken or imbalanced, make players think “Now, I’m gonna own!” Acquiring these offer significant advantage over your adversaries. In other words, purely bad ass power-ups that make games fun.

Jehuty v2 (Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner)
Matching the power of the dreaded Anubis, Jehuty in its full glory can destroy anything. The Vector Cannon can sink gigantic battle airships with a single shot. For everything else, there are subweapons – the most powerful only available to v2. If delicate kills are required, v2 can simply zero in on the opponent using Zero Shift, before disposing the target with lightning fast strikes using its blade, homing lasers that can destroy multiple targets, or a fully charged energy ball of death. Jehuty v2 is the ultimate mech, period.

CJ’s Muscles (GTA: San Andreas)
One of the biggest changes that differentiated San Andreas from the rest of the series is the option to turn Carl Johnson into a buffed hunk, or skinny paper weight. A couple of hours spent lifting weights give CJ more than just a six-pack; he suddenly becomes able to smash cars easily with his bare fists, or punch down lamp posts with a single blow.

Sora’s Final Form (Kingdom Hearts II)
Sora’s various get-ups have their own advantages, but the sweet Final Form takes the cake. Unlocking this magical attire require more than just grinding. Figuring out how certain forms gain experience consumes enough time, before the actual mass killings just to get fancy new clothes.

After unlocking these prized threads, Sora gains the ability to fly and glide. Every single strike makes the best special effects we’ve seen on the PS2, and the dual-keyblades spin around on their own to eliminate any Heartless or Nobody in range.

Boss Weapons (Mega Man)
Mega Man ain’t so blue if you think about it. In fact, he’s got plenty of power ups to smile about. For those who’ve been living under a rock, Mega Man can acquire abilities used by enemy bosses by defeating them. Given the franchise’s long history, we’ve got countless iterations of this super fighting robot that it’s almost impossible to even start listing all the power ups he received. We won’t be surprised if he suddenly grows golden hair and destroy the world.

Power Stones (Power Stone)
This classic Dreamcast/Arcade hit is all about power ups. Heck, it’s even got POWER in its title. Similar to Smash Brothers gameplay, Power Stone pits up to four players together in a scramble to take other players down. Getting three Power Stones scattered around the map allows players to transform into powerful avatars with unique powers, which should provide the edge needed to win most of the time.

Mario (Super Mario Brothers)
When talking about power ups, we can’t miss Mario from the original Super Mario Brothers. Who can forget the moving mushrooms that allow an Italian plumber to grow in size and smash bricks with his head? How about the flowers that give said plumber the ability to spit fireballs? Of course, there’s also the bouncing star that makes the plumber invincible.

Squall’s Lionheart (Final Fantasy VIII)
Squall doesn’t get new weapons, but upgrades his original using materials found throughout the game. That said, the Lionheart is technically a gunblade power up. To get a hold of this final version of the gunblade, players even spent hundreds of hours ’til they discovered how to collect the requirements before the first disc ends.

No doubt, it pays off in spades. Aside from being the most powerful weapon in the game, it also unlocks a limit break of the same name. Omnislash, which was Cloud’s ultimate limit break in FFVII, pales in comparison against the 17-hit mayhem Lionheart unleashes that deals 9999 damage each hit.