I've still got burned CDs of some of the Bid For Power alphas downloaded from KaZaA (I think?).

My memory was that despite the enormous time-sink required to get it working, it actually wasn't very good. Like once you get over that initial thrill of being able to levitate in 3D space and blast a crude Kamehameha at people, the rest of the experience was pretty clunky.

It definitely lacked balance and game polish. But it was fun for fans, and unheard of at the time (a bit less so today).