When reviewing a port of an arcade title I always try to measure the version based on its own merits. In this case it’s the Sega Genesis version of SNK’s often overlooked fighting game Fatal Fury. The original release just happens to be one of my most favorite titles of all time, and it was released in cartridge format for play on the Neo Geo AES system. SNK obviously wasn’t going to make much of a profit off of its own home release (their system was crazy expensive in the 90s) and so they licensed out most of their titles to be ported to more popular consoles. The company they chose was Takara, and these releases were met with mixed criticisms. Today I’m here to take a look at how ‘blast processing’ benefits the 16-bit release of Fatal Fury. I can look past most of the problems, but unfortunately the charm of the original game is completely lost here. Even by arcade to home console port standards this release is pretty bad.
Fatal Fury is centered on the fictional King of Fighters tournament that takes place in the non-existent city of South Town. It is here that the strongest street fighters meet and challenge one another. The organizer of this event is a playboy martial arts expert known as Geese Howard. The fighters all have reasons for joining the tournament however in the main story you’re only given the choice of three different characters. Terry Bogard is the first of the bunch, and has joined purely out of revenge against Geese for having killed his father. The other two include Andy Bogard (Terry’s brother) and their mutual friend Joe Higashi. One thing Fatal Fury has going for it is the colorful cast of combatants. The fact that you can only choose from the initial three is a bummer, but the opponents are extremely memorable. You have the likes of the punk rocker Duck King, Capoeira master Richard Meyer, old man turned goliath Tung Fu Ru, and more. When playing multiplayer you can select from those excluded from the main story, but the three person roster in story mode is still disappointing. By this time Street Fighter II had already set the standard.
hat we have here is your basic one-on-one fighting game. Each of the characters has their own specific punches, kicks, and special moves. You can block attacks by holding back on the directional pad, but this only lessens the damage incurred. Special moves are very typical in execution. They involve directional inputs with either a punch or kick. Anyone familiar with Street Fighter II will be able to perform Terry’s projectile Burning Knuckle attack, and all different versions of it for the other combatants. This is one of the few fighting games on the Genesis that isn’t held back by the three button layout on the default pad. This is because you don’t have high punches/kicks; everything is set to a default power. It’s a design choice from the original release so it’s hard to knock it. There’s very little in the way of a combo system; instead the game focuses more on timing for special moves and counters against specific attacks. I like the fighting engine because it’s slightly different in the aforementioned respect when compared to other 16-bit fighters.
Fatal Fury is set apart from other fighting games by its two plane system. Basically you have the foreground and the background, and both are in play at all times. You can move between the two to avoid attacks, and your opponent can do the same. Unfortunately this muddles the gameplay a bit by making most matches resort to a game of chase between the two play fields. What’s annoying is the fact that special attacks can knock you between each of them. In most respects this Sega Genesis port plays just like its Neo Geo older brother, but there are a few omissions that absolutely drain it of its charm. First of all the graphics simply are not up to snuff, but I’ll get to that later. Secondly my favorite feature, the one that made Fatal Fury stand apart from the pack, it’s co-op mode is completely missing here. There’s absolutely no reason for the lack of this, and it just goes to show how much this port was rushed. The gameplay engine offers little that other fighting games of this era did not, and most others did a better job than this port manages. Because of the omissions, and slower gameplay this version of the game just feels like the poorest man’s Street Fighter II. At least the storyline sequences are still intact because it’s a definitive aspect of this release.
Perhaps I’m unfairly comparing this release to the original Neo Geo version, but I can’t help it. Fatal Fury on the Sega Genesis looks pretty rough. The version I’m used to has a bright color palette, and this one does not. In addition, every single fighter and their special moves are obviously lacking when it comes to frames of animation. I think Takara must have been trying to push the Genesis pretty hard, but Fatal Fury is still a rather ugly port. The backgrounds also take a serious hit to the point that some of them are almost unrecognizable. This is an area where SNK fighters have always thrived, and it’s sad to see the state they’re left in for this release. The engine itself has a hard time maintaining the proper frame rate when specific special moves are used. The match against Richard Meyer is particularly shameful because he’s one of the more kinetic opponents. The unsteady framerate makes this version a chore to play. The soundtrack has also taken a serious hit. I really like the music in the original, but now we’re left with bleeps and blips that are barely a step above what the Nintendo Entertainment System could produce. It’s like no one involved in this port job had any passion for their work, and it’s really disappointing.
The original version of Fatal Fury is one of the greatest fighting games of all time. That’s why it makes me so sad to play the Genesis port. This was an obvious job by a team that had no passion for their work. This edition is simply a second rate Street Fighter II. On the bright side some of the original charm of the franchise does shine through, but there are so many better fighters available on the platform that you’re better off not adding this cartridge to your collection. This is a sad excuse for Fatal Fury.
