[ongoing project] Playing all versus fighters - chronologically!

[Samuray]

I agree about the Mega Drive vs SNES versions. I had a Mega Drive back in the day so that was my only option but I was always jealous of the SNES edition. However, I'd much rather have the crappy sound and slightly worse graphics if it means I get a decent 6 button pad.

You know, I really felt comfortable with that SNES controller for this game. Having to use the shoulder buttons should feel awkward as hell, but I really got used to it pretty quickly. Pulling off special moves with them is no problem for me, to this day. But for most people the MD controller is the better choice, definitely.

And it's pretty hard to go back to any joypad for fighting games once you've used an arcade stick a lot, e.g. on Neo Geo. At least I feel that way, but of course there are lots of folks who prefer a controller any day everyday.

I was obsessed with Street Fighter for years (never really got that great at it, mind). I just loved everything about it. The graphics were so bold and vivid, the characters so creative and the whole thing just felt unlike any other game I'd ever played. The thing I loved most was doing dragon punches with Ken; it just felt so cool and it never got boring. Well, it did after about 15. I hardly play the series now as I'm a bit tired of it all.

Well, playing it in a group revitalizes things, so our door's open!

But I know what you mean, and it's the reason we rushed on to "Street Fighter II Turbo". Every one of us knows the first SF2 sooo well we didn't feel the need to spend too much time on it.

I always loved Guile's stage the most. It seemed to tie in really well with stuff like Afterburner and Top Gun.

It does, doesn't it?
So far it's my favorite military stage, if that's a category (of the games we have played so far, not the ones in this thread....as I said, I'm catching up in here). It looks really nice and the music is just perfection.

I prefer the people in the background in green, though....not a fan of blue Guile and therefore his colleagues. Daytime-wise, evening is probably a bit more spectacular, but I like daytime as well!

By the way, I haven't talked least-favorite stage yet! I do like them all to varying extents, but if I had to choose one it would be M.Bison's (Dictator). It sure is nice but I always found Sagat's Buddha way more impressive than that ....bell. Also for the longest time I wasn't sure if it was even suspended like a bell should be, or if it was just standing on the ground there for whatever reason.

As for the speed setting, I always used to play it on 4 stars. However, that'd probably be a bit too fast these days so I imagine I'd settled for 2. On the Mega Drive version you could go up to 8 or 10 but that was just absurd.

Whoa. Yeah, we're all old folks here between 35 and 42 so that's waaay to fast for us.

And no, no one has played Tuff E Nuff

Apparently so!
I was about to write 'you should!' but ....nah. You probably shouldn't. I'm certainly gonna keep it in my collection but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, although one in our group is actually looking a buy a copy for himself. But still.

[BigDeadFreak]

I find that I prefer to play all fighting games with a stick now, apart from Street Fighter. I think playing it with a Saturn or Mega Drive pad so ingrained in me that it doesn't feel right with a stick.

I always quite liked M. Bison's/Vega's stage. It seemed dramatic enough for the final stage in the game. Sagat's, on the other hand, always seemed boring. Just an endless sea of beige with nothing that interesting going on.

I'm with you on the age thing, I'm too old for 8 star speed these days!

[Samuray]

I find that I prefer to play all fighting games with a stick now, apart from Street Fighter. I think playing it with a Saturn or Mega Drive pad so ingrained in me that it doesn't feel right with a stick.

I feel you. Never having played SF2 with anything other than the SNES controller using an arcade stick would appear 'wrong' somehow.

I always quite liked M. Bison's/Vega's stage. It seemed dramatic enough for the final stage in the game. Sagat's, on the other hand, always seemed boring. Just an endless sea of beige with nothing that interesting going on.

You did notice the big-ass Buddha, yes?

I really like his stage from SF2...


....and from the first "Street Fighter", as well!


But Bison's stage has a lot more color variety going on, that's for sure. It seems that place with the bell actually exists, or at least there's some popular myth about it or something.

[Samuray]

Ah, while I'm here anyway...:


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (MEGA DRIVE)

Night 3 begins, and as usual we introduce a B-list game first before getting to SNK/ Capcom, a.k.a. the good stuff.

At first I only wanted to get the SNES version of this one but after learning that they are basically two different games I also got this one for Sega Mega Drive. Actually I traded it for something a couple of years ago but it sure came in handy now.

So, Turtles. Loved the TV show as a kid and have had a weak spot for the game franchise since the 4-player arcade game, hence I was interested to see what they cooked up here. Well….it’s an interesting game, but it does feel extremely limited for two reasons:

1 - Only two attack buttons, naturally. Plus one taunt button. That’s….not a lot. It works but matches somehow never felt too exciting because of this; really makes a difference when you have a larger variety of attacks at your disposal.

2 - The cast. Of course all four turtles need to be present….I get that. And they tried to make them as different to each other as possible when it comes to handling and the „feel“. But adding only four more fighters….? That’s….not a lot, again. Eight characters is fine, but four of them looking distinctly alike….I dunno about that. On the plus side, we have Casey Jones!

The beetle is probably an original character made for the game, and he's rather strange. April is there, yay!!!! And she seems to be cosplaying Blaze Fielding.
Also there's Ray....whoever that is.

Oh, but the stages are another plus! Several of them are highly imaginative and improve the whole game.

My co-players praised the graphics and one of them wanted to do a single player playthrough of the game with me because he found it well-made for a first genre-effort from Konami and was curious what else there would be to see. He gave it 3 kitties all in all, while the others awarding it 1 to 2 kitties, mostly for the Turtles bonus.

[Samuray]

Fatal Fury 2 (NEO GEO)

Now we’re talking!!!

This is SNK hitting its stride. Man, what a game! The basic gameplay with jumping between three lines remains intact but now we finally have the focus on the versus mode, with eight very well crafted characters. Mai Shiranui has become an instant favorite of pretty much everyone, of course, but I find Kim Kaphwan a joy to play, and a lady from our group specialized on Jubei Yamada. She can really drive you crazy with that fellow!

„Fatal Fury 2“ feels a lot better to play than the previous Neo Geo titles and it is a harbinger of things to come. We have left South Town in this game and are witnessing the classic worldwide fighting tournament, but that’s fine as all stages are excellent. Jubei’s with those shattering screens is a standout for me, but my favorite is the one of Raiden who brought his awesome music along from FF1 and has assumed his benevolent wrestling persona of Big Bear.

The three protagonists, Terry and Andy Bogard as well as Joe Higashi, gain quite a bit of personality from their stages, as they are putting them in interesting scenarios that make you think about their backstories.

Oh, and special moves are exceptionally easy to pull off, which was an achilles heel of FF1.

The game caused polarizing opinions in our group. I like it a lot but since I’ve had it for so many years I’m probably not objective. One said it was very very awesome and he appreciated the game’s humor, e.g. knocking of the motorcyclist when changing lanes. Someone else said it’s a good game but nothing special (pun intended? who knows) and another member was severely put off by the gameplay. He gave it another chance two times but decided he disliked it so much he wouldn’t wanna play it again himself. Score therefore ranges between 2 and 4,5 kitties.

[BigDeadFreak]

I've always felt that the Fatal Fury series improves with each iteration. Unlike some games which start with a bang and then run out of ideas, producing increasingly derivative sequels, Fatal Fury gets better and better as it goes along. Having said that, I personally prefer Real Bout Special but everything seemed to get tightened up as the series progressed. As a result, I cant really get much enjoyment out of the earlier games.

The first few King of Fighters titles and pretty clunky game play but there was an aesthetic that can still be appreciated. With Fatal Fury it feels like SNK were refining a formula so the older games just feel like inferior versions of the latter titles.

That being said, I like how it stands in contrast to the grittier presentation of KoF. Fatal Fury always felt like the more vibrant alternative, the Sega blue sky gaming of the fighting genre.

[Neon Ignition]

The third entry was always my peak for the FF games, enjoyed the overall style and play on all fronts. After that it lost its sheen with each addition for some reason

[Samuray]

I've always felt that the Fatal Fury series improves with each iteration. Unlike some games which start with a bang and then run out of ideas, producing increasingly derivative sequels, Fatal Fury gets better and better as it goes along. Having said that, I personally prefer Real Bout Special but everything seemed to get tightened up as the series progressed. As a result, I cant really get much enjoyment out of the earlier games.

That's such a shame.
Of course you do have a point but the whole idea of our project is to be able to appreciate all iterations of a franchise, even the early and less-polished entries.

We'll see how it goes once we arrive at the "Real Bout" games....will we find joy in an odd round of "Fatal Fury 2" every now and then or will we deem it near-unplayable when compared to its successors? I hope for the former option.

Anyway, it's so nice to read your assessment of the series itself, that it keeps improving. That is a rare thing indeed.

I

The first few King of Fighters titles and pretty clunky game play but there was an aesthetic that can still be appreciated. With Fatal Fury it feels like SNK were refining a formula so the older games just feel like inferior versions of the latter titles.

Well, seeing as how I care for the stages so much I will probably never really consider any of the older titles superfluous.

I have half a mind to post screenshots of all FF2 stages and ask you guys which you like best and least but I'm not sure anyone cares as much as I do.

IThat being said, I like how it stands in contrast to the grittier presentation of KoF. Fatal Fury always felt like the more vibrant alternative, the Sega blue sky gaming of the fighting genre.

That's an excellent way to put it!!!

I found the gritty KOF style more impressive back then but nowadays I appreciate both very much.

The third entry was always my peak for the FF games, enjoyed the overall style and play on all fronts. After that it lost its sheen with each addition for some reason

Sorry to hear that...but since BigDeadFreak says it keeps getting better, I'll be holding out hope all the games will be as good.

By third entry you mean FF3? Or FFSpecial?

[Samuray]

Fighter’s History (SNES)

This is the game Capcom sued Data East for.

When we played „Fighter’s History“, we couldn’t help to wonder why. I mean, yeah, sure, there are strong similarities, but not moreso than with many many other fighting games of those days. Why sue Data East instead of, say, Alpha Denshi? I once read that the animations were ripped out of SF2 but we couldn’t see it. Also the final boss is supposed to have Dhalsim’s fire attack with the exact same burn visuals but as we played versus only, we never got to see that either.

Apart from all this, „Fighter’s History“ was surprisingly enjoyable. Nowhere near as good as „Street Fighter 2“ itself, it feels a bit too cheap and low-effort for that, but it’s pretty solid, offers a few interesting stages (those Chinese mountains for example, and Rome) and there are worse character designs out there in the world. The portraits in the selection screen, however, are somewhat horrible. As well as the sample quality of some voices and especially the sound effects.

I kind of dislike the UK stage…not sure why. I usually love urban settings, but those windows, and the characters……hmm.

We played it a couple more times in the months to follow but the game didn’t set anyone’s world on fire and was eventually deemed forgettable.

[BigDeadFreak]

I've always wondered why Capcom decided to sue Data East for this game? I'd aways thought Breakers and World Heroes had more in common with SF2. They all do seem quite derivative although no more so than most platform games, RPGs or scrolling shooters of the time.

[Samuray]

I've always wondered why Capcom decided to sue Data East for this game? I'd aways thought Breakers and World Heroes had more in common with SF2. They all do seem quite derivative although no more so than most platform games, RPGs or scrolling shooters of the time.

Yeah, seems a bit random. On another note, I LOVE scrolling shooters!

Let's continue to the second game of the night:


3 Count Bout (NEO GEO)


This is an odd duck because it’s mainly wrestling, and we usually don’t cover those. BUT….it’s SNK, and aside from the nice looking arena it has a backyard and a parking garage setting, so this one gets a pass.

Graphics are really nice, the 100 MEG size definitely shows. Great character sprites. But…uh….two carbon copies of existing fighters? Not one, but two?! Yes, I get that there’s the tag team thing and whatnot, but that already felt lazy to me when I was a kid, and much moreso to my more discerning grown-up self.

Those outside arenas are very nice and good looking, and we loved that there are barb-wire bats and stun guns lying around. Also you can climb on cars and try to jump your opponent from there, or you can throw a spectator from the crowd at him!

Atmosphere is good, it has a bit of humor, and some attacks are really painful to look at…so that’s good! What’s problematic to us were the controls. It felt really difficult to even comprehend when to push what, and we naturally didn’t stand a chance in two player CoOp versus the computer. But we didn’t play enough, maybe, and „3 Count Bout“ just demands more time to familiarize yourself with it.

It’s an interesting game and would probably be worth it! We plan to get back to it eventually.

[BigDeadFreak]

I loved the atmosphere of this game, there was a tangible aggression to it all which really captured low budget pro-wrestling. The graphics and general presentation were also good even if the animation was lacking in frames.

But (and this is a big, Rikishi sized butt), the controls were totally broken. Winning the grapples was totally random, to the point where it completely broke the game. It's such a shame as it had real potential but the whole thing's just a mess.

I wish I was wrong and there was some way to salvage it but I've never been able to make it work either in 2 player or against the CPU.

[Samuray]

I loved the atmosphere of this game, there was a tangible aggression to it all which really captured low budget pro-wrestling. The graphics and general presentation were also good even if the animation was lacking in frames.

Yeah, it has a really nice gritty atmosphere! But still, we're not doing wrestling, this was an exception because SNK. To return balance to the force, there will be another one for Capcom down the line....but I need a second controller for my FM Towns Marty first, which won't be as easy as it sounds.

I
But (and this is a big, Rikishi sized butt), the controls were totally broken. Winning the grapples was totally random, to the point where it completely broke the game. It's such a shame as it had real potential but the whole thing's just a mess.

I wish I was wrong and there was some way to salvage it but I've never been able to make it work either in 2 player or against the CPU.

OH!! It's broken?! We keep thinking we're just too stupid!
Okay then, good to know. I was never able to make sense of the grapples as a kid either but again, I figured it was just me.

Still, "3 Count Bout" is nice to look at, and we'll take it for a spin every now and then.

[BigDeadFreak]

I've read that it's much like King of the Monsters in that you have to hit your opponent a few times before initiating a grapple. Even with this it's still ludicrously hard on the latter stages.

[Samuray]

Battle Blaze (SNES)

This was a mistake.

Not necessarily because it's a lackluster game but because when I bought it from someone on another forum I had mistakenly thought it was a sidescolling beat'em up. I think the seller just said "it's like "Final Fight"!" and that was good enough for me....I switched off my brain and without any further research, I bought it from him for a rather low amount.
Which is good, because.....it IS a lackluster game!

Seriously, this is so barebones and plays really really bad....having a jump button and a single attack button doesn't feel fun at all. There's only a handful of characters and all versus matches are played in front of the same background. Seriously. They couldn't be bothered to use some stages from the single player mode, probably because they wanted to go home early or something.

So yes, there are many more stages in story mode but versus mode plays only on the same courtyard. How odd. Therefore the versus mode feels like an afterthough in this game, but unlike with "Fatal Fury", "Dead Dance" or even the first "Street Fighter" we did not feel compelled to try the single player story mode at all....gameplay and visuals are just way too low-end for any desire of that kind to manifest itself.

What "Battle Blaze" does have going for itself is the barbarian theme, which is a nice change of scenery, and ... uh .... hmm, I suppose that's it. "Barbarian" is by far and away the better game but not part of our game plan. Does that one even have a console port?

EDIT: Another plus for "Battle Blaze" is that Sammy logo on the box because that reminds me of "Viewpoint". Yay!

Can't wait to get to our new SNK game for that night because that HAS to be miles better than this, right? RIGHT? .....well, we'll see about that.....