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[TheAdam]

Even if you disregard sound, particles, animation (sort of), etc. I think it's very possible to portray impact by taking control away for a second. I know that sounds a little bit sketchy, but just have the animation end with a pause for a few frames and don't let the player move the character until that time passes. The enemy can be sent flying or something to prevent it from spamming you. If there are other enemies around you can have your character be invincible for a split second or just work around the fact that the player is probably gonna get hit once in a while. Or you could always have a block or something that is available regardless.

[iffi]

Even if you disregard sound, particles, animation (sort of), etc. I think it's very possible to portray impact by taking control away for a second. I know that sounds a little bit sketchy, but just have the animation end with a pause for a few frames and don't let the player move the character until that time passes. The enemy can be sent flying or something to prevent it from spamming you. If there are other enemies around you can have your character be invincible for a split second or just work around the fact that the player is probably gonna get hit once in a while. Or you could always have a block or something that is available regardless.

You'd have to be careful not to make the attacks feel too slow or downright clunky if you do this, though. At most you'd want to do it just to the most powerful/"slowest" moves, and even then you need to make sure the non-interaction period looks like a legitimate recovery rather than frames of doing nothing.
See the article linked in the previous post on canceling in God of War (I'll link it again here) - sometimes allowing the player to string together moves uninterrupted helps make the attacks, or at least the player, feel more powerful.

[TheAdam]

Yeah, fair point. Some kind of recovery/follow through would definitely enhance it.

[Samtagonist]

Look at how the sword swings through the air and how it swings when it moves through the enemy.  It feels like moving your hand through air, then through water, than through air again.  There's a rising and falling action to successful attack that creates a noticeable pause at the middle of a successful hit that you notice every time. 

[Azure Lazuline]

If you're going for a REALLY powerful attack, having it affect the entire screen in some way (however small) is good. Screen shaking is the obvious one, or some sort of radial blur. One of my most powerful-feeling attacks is Typhoon, which is a flying uppercut. When it hits, the screen pauses for a few frames (and shakes afterward), there's a flash of light, the screen blurs away from the point of impact, there's a fireball explosion, and there's a sharp sound effect. I have a picture of it here but that doesn't really show much - the emphasis is on all of that happening very quickly, and then the enemy flies across the stage, hits a wall, and explodes. It also breaks through the ceiling if there's one above you, so it really feels like nothing can stop you when you have it.

Even though it's actually not the best weapon, it FEELS like it, just because of that giant impact. It's similar to what was being said about Smash Bros before.

Special note also goes to Mega Man Zero (and ZX), where killing an enemy with the beam saber slices them in half, and killing an enemy with a charged buster shot causes their limbs to fly off. Even the bosses.

[Paul Eres]

battletoads had pretty good animation that felt powerful in an exaggerated style

[Areku]

I'd like to add one more thing, if you guys don't mind. When making attacks feel powerful, make sure that the perceived amount of power is compatible with the actual power of the attack. A weak punch should feel short and simple, a strong punch should have some real impact effects.
I remember playing Hard Reset, which is pretty much the ultimate guide for little mistakes in video games. Whenever the player got hit, he'd be catapulted back, scream in pain, the screen would go red and copious amounts of blood would explode out of nowhere. This made you think "oh no, I'm almost dead now" when actually your health had simply gone from 100 to 97. Anticlimatic, no?

[TeeGee]

I've been mulling over the same thing a while ago, when designing ArcMagi. Got some great feedback here on TIGS and posted some of my own findings. Here's the thread, if you are interested: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=4811.0

[helgravis]

Aside from what was mentioned above, add some environment effects too, like when you punch someone and he leaves an imprint of his silhoutte on the cracked wall (like how cartoons do it), or crumbling debris, or add fwoosh effects (for lack of a better term) as he flies through the air.

[Squid Party]

Make a really big ass sound, like a booming bass note or something..
Or if its a fighting game go for more of a cartoony sound