In my opinion Fighting Vipers never got a fair shake. Sega’s big franchise at the time was Virtua Fighter which was a huge hit in Japan (less so worldwide). Their in house studio AM2 decided to make a similar fighting game but one that appealed more to Western audiences. Virtua Fighter clearly had worldwide appeal so this seems redundant to me. They tried to appeal to English audiences by using more familiar settings, less of a Japanese motif, and gameplay had less emphasis on traditional martial arts. Sega failed to effectively market Fighting Vipers at release and it wasn’t nearly as big as Virtua Fighter in any region. While I enjoy it plenty it’s not tough to see why it didn’t set the world on fire. Let’s take a look.
Fighting Vipers certainly isn’t winning any awards for it’s storyline. This game takes place in the future and centers around a fighting tournament with a cast of characters all motivated by different things. There aren’t really any curve balls thrown here, except for the fact that the combatants are wearing high tech body armor. The cast itself is cheesy, and not in a good way. I really appreciated the cast in Virtua Fighter, but despite targeting Western audiences I don’t think the developers had any clue what this audience wanted. It’s pretty bad, and one of the worst casts I’ve seen in a mainstream fighting game from this era.
Let’s begin with the easy targets. Raxel is a the lead guitarist in a metal band. For some reason he looks like he’s ripped straight out of the 80s, and even at the time of release this motif was aged terribly. Then you have a skateboarder named Picky, Tokio the son of a strict Kabuki Theater actor, and more. Were they really targeting the West with this roster, because it just seems offputting and a little strange to be honest. Then there are characters like Candy who is dressed up as a futuristic angel (complete with wings) and a skirt. I have a high tolerance for the occasional weird fighter in a game like this but the entire roster is full of creepy combatants. I guess it just goes to show how out of touch Sega was at the time when it came to Western audiences.
With all of that out of the way let’s talk about gameplay. Fighting Vipers uses a modified version of the same engine used for Virtua Fighter 2. Just hearing that you know you’re in for a good time. You have your punches, kicks, guards, throws and directional combinations which alter the range, speed, and power of each strike. The additional face buttons on the control are used for different types of attacks which is nice, but these seem to be added to emphasize combos more. It’s an okay system, but not nearly as technical as that of Virtua Fighter. That’s not really detrimental in my opinion because it does make Fighting Vipers feel different from Sega’s other fighting franchise. The fighting engine is pretty solid to be honest.
While I think the characters themselves have garbage designs there’s pretty good balancing in place here. Some of the fighters are faster while others are slower and more powerful. There doesn’t seem to be any particular duds here and I found all of them were pretty easy to play as. Of course they do take a lot of time to learn and get familiar with. There are enough differences between the cast of characters that it always feels like you have a fair amount of choice. This is in spite of the small roster, and while there are some fighters I tend to avoid this is only because I find them annoying aesthetically. The combo system is pretty fun to mess around with and the additional options you have from here compared to Virtua Fighter add some flair to it.
There are two big gimmicks in play here. First of all, as I already mentioned, each character is decked out in futuristic battle armor. As you take hits this protective gear breaks off. It’s not just aesthetic differences as their abilities change and they become more prone to damage. It’s a pretty cool system that I’ve always been a pretty big fan of. The second unique element is the ring out system. Each arena has a fence or similar obstacle around the outside of it. You have to hit your foe with considerable force to knock them through it (thus shattering the barrier) to get a ring out. Oh is it so satisfying. Few other fighters convey the feeling of impact quite like Fighting Vipers, and this is one of the few I would watch the replays for.
Fighting Vipers isn’t the prettiest game for the platform. Don’t get me wrong; the engine is plenty competent and it’s one of the more impressive 3D titles for the platform. The problem is with the art style. For a game that was trying to appeal to Western audiences I just don’t see it. Actually I don’t know who the heck they were aiming for with these character designs. What’s more is that the environments are super boring as well. You have the barrier, background, and floor and that’s about it. Some hazards would have been most welcome. With that said the framerate is solid and consistent. The action is fast and furious, and in motion Fighting Vipers looks pretty decent. The soundtrack is pretty forgettable. At least it’s not offensive like the art direction.
It’s plain to see why Fighting Vipers played second fiddle to Virtua Fighter. There were many bigger and better similar games on the market at the time. Fighting Vipers lacks definition in its gimmicks to make it stand out from the pack. The offputting art style and weird direction the entire package takes certainly didn’t help. Fighting Vipers is what I would consider “Virtua Fighter light” but that’s hardly a bad thing. It’s still worth checking out. Keep your expectations in check though.
