Art of Fighting 2

"A superb and incredibly innovative fighting game is ultimately ruined by lazy programming."

The original Art of Fighting (Ryuuko no Ken in Japan) was my second favorite SNK fighting after Garou Densetsu aka Fatal Fury. The original was truly ahead of the main competition at the time (Street Fighter II) in it's unique visual presentation, uncanny attention to detail, and original gameplay. Art of Fighting's only flaw was the lack of original character design (Ryo and Robert were piss poor rip offs of Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter) and the lack of selectable characters in Story Mode. Art of Fighting 2 rectifies the minimal flaws of the original by introducing 10 additional selectable characters in the single player mode, ultimately increasing the replay value. Unfortunately, Ryo and Robert are still here (since they ARE the main characters), but even they have been improved to the point where they are "cool". It is truly regrettable that SNK excelled in so many areas in this game but ultimately faltered in one area: the A.I.

Graphics: 10

AOF2 is truly SUPERB in it's visuals and remains one of the best looking SNK games of all time. The graphics in this game puts the entire SFII series and even SF Zero 3 to shame. The incredible background stages from AOF actually were improved for the sequel. The damage that each fighter receives over the course of a bout is reflected in the same realistic fashion as the first game. Blood leaks from the mouths of battered warriors, in addition to cheeks swelling from bruises and teeth getting knocked out. Fighters wheeze and gasp for breath as they receive more punishment from a foe.AOF2 was truly ahead of it's time and certainly remains one of SNK's finest visual displays.

Sound Effects and Music: 10

The sound effects and voice samples are the same quality as the graphics: excellent. Every sample was clearly recorded and it is not muffled or tinny in any way. As for AOF2's soundtrack, it might not be as memorable as SFII's but it certainly is high quality and it doesn't distract you from the action that is taking place on screen. Very good audio overall.

Controls: 8

The controls in AOF2 have been improved over it's predecessor. The controls are a bit tighter and any player can consistently perform Special Techniques at the drop of a dime. The only reason why this category didn't receive a perfect ten is because SNK decided to implement the same frustratingly hard controller motions from Fatal Fury 2 in order to perform the hidden special arts in AOF2. The controller motions in order to perform these desperation moves are truly ridiculous and are sadistic in design. You can break a joystick in frustration while trying to perform these damaging attacks and it demands more patience than is necessary. Overall the controls are nearly perfect.

Gameplay: 5

This is the most important category and unfortunately this is where AOF2 suffers the most. In the original Art of Fighting the A.I. was perfect. If you set it to a low difficulty the CPU opponents will fight fairly and will allow a novice to advance. At the default difficulty the CPU puts up a challenge but still plays fairly. At the highest difficulty setting the CPU goes all out.
The challenge was logical and perfect in every way.

Unfortunately in AOF2 SNK abandoned the logical programming from the first game and decided to employ a much lazier and sloppy method. For some reason they thought it was a good idea to have EVERY opponent play as if it were set on Level 8 hard difficulty regardless if it was set to Level 1 (very easy difficulty). What this does is make the single player story mode virtually unplayable. The CPU will assault you from the start of the round like a rabid dog and will not pause until you are dead. Fights barely last more than 10 seconds. The CPU magically counters EVERY move you make and it hardly receives any damage. It is a real disappointment to lose to your first opponent and be forced to continue when you set the A.I. to easy. This is the same lazy programming that Midway employed in it's Mortal Kombat games and it ultimately made that series un-enjoyable in single player mode also.

SNK fanboys affectionately refer to this lazy programming as "SNK Boss Syndrome", but unfortunately this absurd "syndrome" isn't just restricted to the bosses but the regular opponents have this syndrome as well. One of the coolest features in AOF2 is the option to fight the hidden boss character, the notorious Geese Howard from Fatal Fury/Garou Densetsu. AOF2 has the absolute BEST incarnation of Geese ever seen in an SNK game (he has a completely new costume, sprite, and moveset). However if you cannot even get past the FIRST opponent, you can forget about seeing the dialogue and interaction between characters, seeing individual character endings, and fighting Geese altogether.

The Bonus Stages from the first game have returned and are just as fun as ever. One of the new Bonus Stages is a time attack mode where you must defeat as many thugs as possible in the time alloted. As in the first game, successful completion of the Bonus Stages gives you new abilities, including enhanced attack power, a longer vitality gauge, a longer spirit gauge, and the ability to use hidden special arts.

Fortunately the two player Versus mode is a lot of fun. You will probably spend most of your time fighting against a friend of yours since 2 player competition is where the fun is. As far as I can tell the characters seem to be pretty well balanced with no character being dominant. There is a lot of replay value with the increased roster and many combos are possible. Although I'm not exactly a big fan of the pressure sensitive attack system used in the Art of Fighting series (the strength of an attack or special move depends on whether a button is tapped briefly or held down) it doesn't hinder the gameplay in any way. I prefer the attack system in Fatal Fury 2 and King of Fighters '94 which uses two separate buttons for light and hard kicks and punches, but after a while any player can adapt to AOF2's system.

Presentation: 10

The presentation in AOF2 is incredibly sharp. The character select screen is very well done and unique. Rather than selecting your character from a rectangular grid like in Street Fighter II and 99.9% of all fighting games, you rotate through a cast of selected characters like in Sega's sidescrolling beat 'em up Golden Axe. The intro is great, since it summarizes the events of the first game and it also includes cool freeze frames of Ryo and Robert pummeling their opponents. SNK did an excellent job with this game.

Replay Value: 10

This applies strictly to versus mode. You'll have fun for hours on end playing against your friends with the large roster and deep combo system. Playing solo against the CPU is really frustrating. If you are a masochistic gamer that loves the cheap unbeatable A.I. that is present in the Mortal Kombat games or you enjoy subjecting yourself to migraines in continuing on the second opponent, than by all means play the single player mode. Just be sure to bring lots of quarters as you'll be there all day.....

Overall: 7

It is really unfortunate that I have to give this game a 7. Had it not been for the lazy programming of the CPU's A.I. that utterly makes the single player mode unplayable, this game would get a perfect score. Art of Fighting 2 was truly ahead of it's time when it was released and it is leagues ahead of any Street Fighter II game in it's graphics, presentation, and attention to realism. I understand that the main draw of fighting games is 2 player competition in versus mode, but when a game has a well designed single player mode (with the addition of the best incarnation of Geese Howard as a hidden boss) it sucks that cheap A.I. kills the replay value. It is a superb sequel to the original and I highly recommend playing it if you have the opportunity. It is one finest 2D fighting games in existence and is one of SNK's best games overall.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/05