Fatal Fury Special

"First Glory of the NEOGEO"

Before 1993, the Neo Geo pumped a considerable portion of arcades with fun beat-em-ups. The original Fatal Fury, World Heroes, 3 Count Bout, The King of Monsters and Art of Fighting made for some worthy quarter munchers; but failed to steal the critical fire (both in the US and Japan) from the Capcom's Street Fighter 2. With Fatal Fury 2, SNK had finally had their first serious fighting game. A game with great gameplay, characters and a game that had a sharp edge against Capcom's darling, Fatal Fury 2 sealed SNK's place in game rooms.

Not content to let Capcom get an upper hand with their continuous upgrades, SNK released Fatal Fury Special almost a year after 2. Fatal Fury Special is, in my opinion, the best of the early generation fighting games on the Neo. Better than Samurai Shodown 1 and 2 in terms of gameplay, Fatal Fury Special proved to become the most coherent brawler until the venerable King of Fighters 98 years later. And it made the exceptional Fatal Fury 2 practically irellevent.

*Graphics and Sound*
Upon its release, Fatal Fury Special was quite impressive in terms of artistic value. Character sprites are large and detailed, while the background graphics are, and remain, truly stunning. Witnessing the sporatic flickers of Duck King's disco, or the romantic mountain sides of Tung Fu Rue's mountain-side, or the opening intensity of Geese's shrine prove to be 16 bit visual experiences like none other. And the sights and sounds of Krauser's brilliant German opera house are better here than they were in Fatal Fury 2.

Each level is packed with tiny easter eggs that makes watching Special's action almost as fun as playing. SNK's soundtrack is the best on the Neo Geo.

*Gameplay*
Special jacks 2's speed up considerably. All of the game's characters are perfectly balanced in terms of stats and special moves; while mastering the combo system will prove to be a considerable challenge to new players. And the super moves will prove to be a considerable challenge to the most advanced pugalists. And the game's cpu opponents will prove to be a considerable challenge to masters of the genre.

The control layout is basic: two punches and two kicks. Tapping two hard attacks together will knock your opponent into the second plane; while tapping two weak attacks together will move your character into the second plane. And this is where Fatal Fury Special loses it's competitive edge against Street Fighter 2: the line sway system. While the ability for characters to move back and forth inside the battle plane doesn't damage the core of the gameplay, it does slow up battles considerably, especially when fighting against an opponent whose heavy on the defense.

*Overall*
Fatal Fury Special is a fantastic fighting game. It has been overshadowed by the likes of newer brawlers, but without question, Special deserves to be rediscovered by serious gamers. For one or two players, Fatal Fury Special is a pitch-perfect competitive brawler. It is an arcade classic.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/22/08

Game Release: Fatal Fury Special (US, 1993)