 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Final Fight One |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gameboy Advance - Capcom - Fighting - T - 2 Players |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
With the arguable exception of Double Dragon, there has not been a more influential beat-'em-up in the history of gaming than Final Fight. Finally making a long overdue appearance on the GameBoy Advance, this version may surprisingly be the most arcade-perfect translation to date. Rivaling that of the Sega CD version, this GBA port contains all three original characters and all six stages. If you somehow happen to be unfamiliar with Final Fight, here's the deal: Imagine an early side-scrolling Street Fighter II with a less complex fighting system, stage bosses, and lots of walking to the right.
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
Every character has an arsenal of attacks such as simple chain combos, the ability to link air attacks into combos, grappling moves, a character-specific desperation attack, and a character-specific special ability. Haggar has a devastating air-pile driver, Cody is a knife expert, Guy can wall-jump and is an expert with the katana. The character and level design is absolutely brilliant considering the timeframe the game was created in. So much in fact, that over a half dozen Final Fight characters have and still are appearing in various Capcom games to this day. Controlling your character is far more simplistic than the Street Fighter series, but there is still a fair amount of strategy involved in what, at first glance, appears to be a mindless button-masher. A successful brawler must be constantly aware of enemies coming at all angles, so strategy comes in the form of body placement. Throwing and bouncing around bodies to limit the attack to only one direction becomes a major factor in your attempt to rescue Jessica.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Capcom improved on Final Fight's classic game design by adding a plethora of extras that make the experience more than just a nostalgic run-through for veteran Final Fight brawlers. The replay value is enhanced by rewarding players with two new characters, Alpha-Cody and Alpha-Guy, whose sprites are directly ported over from the Street Fighter Alpha series. In addition, you can unlock four different colors for each character, a stage select, the ability to alter the number of extra lives you begin with, and the insanely fast (and somewhat odd) rapid punch option. Secrets are unlocked based on the number of kills you rack up, this unfortunately means if you simply play long enough, you will eventually unlock everything. Regardless, being able to unlock new extras in a game that many have finished dozens of times over is a great addition.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
If you have ever played Final Fight before, you will notice that there are a few changes from the previous versions. The game is void of the breakable phone booths and street signs, the flickering lights in the basement of the first level, and (if you have the American release) Roxy has been removed along with the blood. None of this affects the game play, however some may find it a little disappointing. Don't let these drawbacks discourage you, there are far more additions to the game than cutbacks. Besides the previously mentioned extras, there are brand new cut scenes at every boss, much larger sprites, a new item that makes you invincible, and the long lost two-player cooperative mode missing from both SNES versions of the game. The music on the other hand, sounds pretty rough and will probably remind you of a combination of 8 and 16-bit soundtracks. However, the sound effects and voices are near identical to those found in the arcade.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Overall, Final Fight One is a definite must buy for anyone with a Gameboy Advance. Whether you are looking for an old school nostalgic fix, new to the series, or a seasoned Final Fight vet, you owe it to yourself to pick up this great nostalgic handheld tribute. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- + Surprisingly close to the arcade.
- + Larger sprites.
- + Nicely drawn cut scenes.
- - Edited American version
|
8.5
|
- + Almost all voices and sound effects are intact from the arcade version.
- - Very low quality music.
|
6.0
|
- + Capcom's perfected side-scrolling beat-em-up formula.
- + Classic oldschool gaming.
|
9.0
|
- + Great character and level design.
- + Revamped menus and title screen.
- + Added boss cut scenes.
- + All the original characters and levels are intact.
|
9.0
|
- + Unlockable characters, color schemes, and a few other extras.
- + Great cooperative 2-player battles.
- + Randomly generated items.
- - May become repetitive once all secrets have been unlocked.
|
7.5
|
- + Great addition to your handheld library.
- - Not much challenge involved in unlocking the extras.
- +/- Leaves you craving more.
|
8.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All content © World Zero and may not be reproduced in any manner without expressed written consent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
