If the streets have been more violent than usual, it could be because it's Final Fight week here at Defunct Games. This week the Review Crew looked at Final Fight 1, Final Fight 2 and Final Fight 3, all on the Super NES. Did critics fall in love with these brawlers? Are the sequels forgotten gems? And how did the release of Street Fighter II affect Final Fight? We turn to classic issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Super Play and CVG for the answers!
While many critics were understandably disappointed by the edits made to Final Fight, most agreed it was still a good beat-em-up. Electronic Gaming Monthly's Sushi-X proclaimed that he is disappointed, yet still managed to give the game a 7 out of 10. He spent so much time complaining about the shortcomings that he didn't even have a chance to finish his review.
Some critics didn't seem to mind the edits. Nintendo Magazine System said Final Fight had that "just one more go" appeal, and Computer + Video Games called the Capcom brawler, "simply the greatest beat 'em up available on any console or computer and it's simply an essential purchase."
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Based on these reviews, critics are starting to get Final Fight fatigue. While this sequel largely answers the criticism leveled against the 1991 launch game, it can't compete in a world full of Street Fighter II clones. The result is a predictable collection of reviews that complain about tedious button mashing and bland artificial intelligence.
To the game's credit, there were critics that enjoyed Final Fight 2. Die Hard Game Fan's Enquirer gushed over the visuals, saying the sequel had the "best graphics I've ever seen since Toads." GamePro called it "a fighter to be reckoned with." But they were the minority, as SNES Force, Nintendo Power and Nintendo Magazine System all featured lower scores. Given the technical advances in the two years since the first game, most critics were disappointed Final Fight 2 wasn't more ambitious. But even with the lower scores, Capcom's 1993 brawler still managed to average a so-so 71%.
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The days of giving Final Fight the benefit of the doubt are long gone. As you can see from the reviews above (as well as that low average), critics were not keen on Final Fight 3 for the Super NES. Electronic Gaming Monthly noted that the four year old Super NES is starting to show its age, while Die Hard Game Fan subtly pointed out that "playing Final Fight 3 actually hurts." I wouldn't go that far, but I agree that Final Fight 3 is just spinning its wheels.
It's not just that Final Fight 3 is another aimless sequel, but rather that it feels like a big step backwards. "Technically, FF3 seems worse than its predecessors - extensive flickering and slowdown prevail," explained Nick Rox. Andrew Baran complained that the "control wasn't precise at all, and it didn't have an arcade feel." And Next Generation magazine summed it up this way: "It's not dull, but it's not all that exciting either."
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