The original Final Fight was a huge hit in the arcades, and it essentially modernized the beat ‘em up genre. Capcom released a port of the game for the Super Nintendo, but due to time constraints the port had some serious issues. For starters it removed the multiplayer mode. This is the bread and butter for games of this type, and many (including myself) are still outraged over this decision. They also removed an entire stage, and censored some of the characters. It almost seems like Final Fight 2 was a concession to their fans. This was a Super Nintendo exclusive and was never even released in the arcades. It featured co-op play, and that was enough to get me excited about it. This is a title I have a fair amount of nostalgia with, but unfortunately it doesn’t hold up. There were better options even at the time of release; Final Fight 2 is surprisingly bland and isn’t nearly as memorable as the original despite being superior to the SNES port.
The story takes place shortly after the fall of the Mad Gear gang at the end of the first game. Peace has returned to Metro City and it’s still led by mayor Haggar. Guy has returned to training, and Cody is on a vacation with his girlfriend Jessica. Unbeknownst to any of the previous antagonists Mad Gear has begun reforming, and this time they have worldwide aspirations. They’ve kidnapped Guy’s fiancé Rena and her father. Upon discovering this Rena’s sister Maki contacts Mayor Haggar who, as we all know by now, has a personal vendetta against the Mad Gear. The two agree to meet in Hong Kong along with Haggar’s sword wielding buddy Carlos for a fight that leads them across Europe and eventually to Japan. This presents the first issue I have with Final Fight 2. Why focus on Guy? He was totally random in the first game, had no backstory, and he’s not even a playable character here. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. On another note I like the fact that Capcom expanded the setting. The first game was limited to Metro City and going outside of this opens the floodgates of potential. Unfortunately they dropped the ball a bit here.
Final Fight 2 uses almost the same gameplay engine as the original title. You can move your characters up, down, left, right and diagonal, but you’re generally restricted to a small area. You can jump, punch, jump kick, and perform a desperation attack that hits all nearby enemies but drains a portion of your life bar. In typical fashion you’re given a choice of the three protagonists at the start. Haggar is the strongest but is a bit slow, Maki is quick but weak, and Carlos is your typical middle of the road type of character. I’m a little disappointed that the roster didn’t expand beyond three, and that they’re basically graphical swaps of the stars of the first game. Again, why didn’t they just throw Guy into the mix instead of Maki? I’m disappointed in the fact that Capcom didn’t try anything different with these characters. It was forgivable in the first game, but this is a sequel so I’m cutting no slack. All three have very similar attacks which only vary in power and speed. As far as I can tell their defensive capabilities are also identical. On a side note Haggar’s piledriver has been upgraded into a spinning one ala Zangief from Street Fighter, but that’s only an aesthetic change.
Now we get to the real problems. The worldwide setting sounds good on paper, but Capcom failed to execute this in a significant way. Most of the stages are incredibly boring. The first stage, Hong Kong, just takes place on a dusty old road and ship port. France starts off well enough on the streets with a view of the Eiffel Tower, but it quickly degenerates into a generic warehouse. The UK lends itself to some pretty scenic views, but instead of showing you them the stage is limited to a train and railroad yard. Capcom tried to make it more distinct by throwing the Union Jack repetitively in the background, but it’s a pretty lame effort. Holland shows windmills in the background, but the scenery is various shades of yellow and brown. Capcom tried to make the game feel more international by featuring a lot of ports and airports, but the whole thing just feels lazy. There aren’t even any environmental hazards. The only real design upgrade is that some areas scroll up and down. The enemies are also very uninspired. They’re forgettable at best, but at least Andore (based on Andre the Giant) makes his triumphant return. Once again they’ve censored the infamous Poison character and replaced her with a guy. The worst offense in regards to characters is the fact that some enemies can now block which is infuriating. Who thought that was a good idea?
Final Fight 2 is a decent upgrade in terms of graphics. The character models are more detailed, and their animations are improved. They just aren’t as interesting to be honest. Enemies no longer hop around, and many of the models are mere palette swaps. This is a typical practice, but there are only a handful of different enemy designs. The boss characters are also significantly less interesting here. They’re generally larger sprites and I’m sure that was impressive back in the day, but they still pale in comparison to those from the original. It also feels like there are more palette swaps here. On a positive note the environments are more detailed, but as I’ve already mentioned Capcom dropped the ball with the whole international theme. The soundtrack is one of my favorite aspects of this game. It’s pumped and perfectly fits the franchise. I especially like the first stage theme, but I was disappointed to see that they recycled this for the final boss encounter. Some stages feature their own themes, and others are recycled.
I know I’ve ragged on this game a lot. It’s a sequel, and it’s fair game to expect something more than what was delivered in this package. Capcom just didn’t have a lot of new ideas here, and when other franchises were advancing the genre (Streets of Rage for example) this just feels to me like a lazy effort. I enjoyed it in my younger days, but Final Fight 2 is decidedly average nowadays but worth it for fans of the genre.
