Final Fight is one of those coin-ops that defines a generation. It was simply the only arcade game to be seen playing in the late 80's/early 90's. When the SNES conversion was confirmed, I was heartbroken - being a Mega Drive owner, I had hoped that the (false) rumours of a Sega port were true (Sega fans had to wait until the Mega CD before they got this classic brawler), but with Capcom jumping into bed with Nintendo it seemed impossible. All I could do was pray to the big console God in the sky that he, in his infinite wisdom, would deliver unto me a shiny new SNES when Christmas came around.
As luck would have it, I got one when they were launched in the UK, and Final Fight was one of the first games I got my hands on. The shock of seeing such massive, arcade perfect sprites beat the seven shades of snot out of each other was dampened slightly by the disappointment of the missing two player option (one of the biggest draws of the arcade original). The fact that the game was also lacking Guy and the factory level didn't help, but thankfully enough of the Mike Haggar-inspired magic was present to make this a must-own.
Conclusion
It really is amazing how close this conversion is to the original game, and it also displayed the gulf between the Mega Drive and the SNES at the time. Thankfully Sega saved face with its own brand of street fighting — notably with the Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage series — but even the most hardline Sega fanboy would have to admit that in the early days of the SNES/MD war, this game was a sore point.
Envy is a terrible thing, after all.
Comments 12
Still waiting for Final Fight 2 & 3 to come along. I don't think I'll download FF2 but I will download FF3 if we ever get that far (the Streets of Rage games were released quite quickly though). I'd also download Mighty Final Fight on the NES if we ever get that as well.
If this had featured the two player option and Guy from the arcade it would have been strong competition for Streets of Rage. Aside from those 2 sore points it was an outstanding conversion. I played it to death at the time.
Despite FF2 & 3 having two player co-op I have to admit I prefer the original personally. I can't put my finger on it but something was missing from the non-arcade conversion sequels. They just didn't feel right to me.
I don't see the point in purchasing any of the Final Fight games when Streets of Rage 2 and 3 are up for grabs. Both titles look, sound, and play a whole lot better.
Final Fight 3 is in my opinion superior to all Streets of Rage games, but it's not available yet
Though I don't agree with your opinion Drake, I will say that Final Fight 3 is the best Final Fight title out of the whole series.
@post 4 :
Really? I always thought Final Fight 3 was a huge let down. It would be good to see it hit the VC, as it came out so late in the life of the SNES many gamers had moved on and never had a chance to play it.
will this come on the virtual console but for ARCADE?
I played the Amiga-Version as a kid to death. Quite fun, but the missing Level is a real drawback. The omission of Guy is imo not a letdown, because he plays awkward compared to Cody or Haggar
I'd give this an 8 personally. As for which version is the best, I agree with Dazza that the original version was the best while the others just felt a bit off. I definitely prefer Haggar's original appearance to his ponytailed, jumpsuit-wearing one from the sequels...
Great review, Damo...
I can't believe this game has got 7 out of 10. As a Final Fight fan, I'd say avoid at all costs. This review seems to point out what is missing as a little side note, but they're a big deal. This is a lack of a two player option in a side-scrolling beat-em-up for a start. A full character is missing that many regard as one of the best to play as (and considering his future stardom in the Street Fighter series, it's not like he's a minor character) and an entire level! The missing factory level is also host to an appearance by future Street Fighter Rolento too - such a crime. Oh, and on top of that, the female Poison character has been changed into a male punk. Also the animation is way below the standard of the arcade and a ton of background detail is missing (and I mean a lot).
Even if you're the world's biggest Final Fight fan, like I am, I wouldn't bother getting this game and wait for the arcade version (or the Mega CD). I've been without a version of Final Fight for years now but still can't bring myself to get this crap.
I agree with Madgear. They give a botched Arcade port a 7, yet give Final Fight 2 a 6. That's just wrong.
Sure, it was a good conversion of the arcade (at the time), but considering that other versions are now out, this game did not age well at all: No two-player version, no Guy, and the animation looks a bit clunky.
This should've been a VC Arcade release (with some modifications, of course).
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