Real Bout Garou Densetsu

"Another solid 2D fighter for the Saturn which is definitely worth getting"

Real Bout Garou Densetsu is the fourth installment of the Garou Densetsu fighting series from SNK. Garou Densetsu is the Japanese title for what most people in America know as Fatal Fury. This is one of SNK's top fighting series next to their flagship known as the ''King of Fighters''. Various characters from the Garou Densetsu/Fatal Fury series have made appearances in the many King of Fighters games from SNK. Some of the top names would be Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Kim Kaphwan, Blue Mary, Ryuji Yamazaki, Billy Kane, and the infamous villain Geese Howard to name some. Welcome to Real Bout Garou Densetsu.

GRAPHICS: 8/10

The graphics in this game are good for the most part. We have the typical 2D graphics that accompany most SNK fighting games. One thing about the graphics for Real Bout Garou Densetsu, is that it does not have the same serious mood that accompanies the King of Fighters games. It is more of a brighter and cheerful look at times. The characters have a slight cartoonish look to them. It is not much of a big deal. For the most part the levels have a good amount of detail to them with the exception of the empty subway station. Sound Beach looks very colorful and it has a good amount of detail. From birds flying around, to the sunset everything is well done for the most part. People who accompany the background in the various levels have quite a good amount of detail to them considering they are not even involved in the game other than posing as spectators. The animation in the game is not bad, it does not seem as stiff as the King of Fighters sometimes appears to be. Animation is fluid. Special moves look great, not to mention there is blood in the game. Luckily the blood is not of Mortal Kombat proportions where a single punch can seemingly take out 5 gallons of blood from an opponent like Mortal Kombat. Blood is only comes out when characters take attacks to the head area. Otherwise you do not see blood in the fights for the most part. I really do not have any faults with the graphics. However one complaint I have is with the way Geese Howard appears in this game. He does not seem to look exactly like a guy not to mess with. The reason I say this is because I played King of Fighters 1996 before I played this game and Geese had the appearance of one bad mother. I'm just really nitpicking there so it is not much of anything to pay attention to. When all is said and done, I enjoy the graphics in the game. Could have been slightly improved, but still good for the most part.

SOUND: 9/10

I really like the music in the game. It seems to fit the various stages, from Sound Beach, to the Geese Tower. The music is mostly upbeat and funky. It's nothing boring. Definitely kept me from falling asleep when I was playing late into the night attempting to knock the crap out of whoever happened to be my lucky victim. The only thing that keeps me from giving the sound a perfect score is the fact that the end of the game features in my opinion without a doubt one of the worst songs I've ever heard. It is absolutely awful, trust me, I'd rather be tied to a chair and be forced to listen to crap like the Spice Girls or something. Ugh, what was SNK thinking?

CONTROL: 8/10

The control in the game is good for the most part. I've had no problems pulling off most of the moves in the game. At least the basic special moves and things like that. The super moves however I found to be somewhat of a problem. Unless it's me or the controller, I don't know what the problem is. It seems they are so aggravatingly frustrating to pull off. I find it odd because some of the combinations that consist of the D,DB,B,DB,F motion are a pain for me to pull off. Yet when I have to pull off that combination in say a King of Fighters game, I have no problems doing so at all. I don't have an arcade joystick for the Saturn, so I do use the standard controller. But as far as standard controllers for systems go, the Saturn one is one of the best for fighting games. However maybe if I could get my hands on a joystick for the system, then it might be a bit easier. I don't know. However for all the trouble the super moves are, I still do enjoy the control. I do pull off supers, but just not as much as I would like to be able to.

GAMEPLAY: 8/10

What can I say? It's a fighting game. There is not a whole lot in the way of story. However I like the basic story a bit more than most fighting games out there. At least there is some basis to the whole purpose of the game. All you really have to do in this game is select your fighter and off you go. You battle 3 opponents to each main stage. You have the beach, the subway, the zoo, the Southtown Bridge, and the Geese Tower which is the only level you fight one opponent. One of the things that I like about most of the levels in each main stage is that for each opponent you fight, there is some sort of change in the background. On all of the levels excluding the Geese Tower, you can get a ring out. It's the same as a 3D fighter when you knock the opponent out of the main fighting ground and you automatically win. But since 2D fighters move to the left and right it's slightly different. There is usually some sort of obstacle at the far right and far left parts of the screen. When you hit your opponent enough times, he eventually will get knocked through whatever the obstacle is and land outside of the main fighting area. It's an interesting change for a 2D fighter. I sort of like it since it is a fresh idea, however I don't think we'll ever see that again. The AI in the game seems to be not too bad when it comes to fighting against. The only characters that seem to be a problem in the way of cheapness is Ryuji Yamazaki, Billy Kane, and Sokaku Mochizuki. For some reason Geese Howard doesn't suffer from the insane SNK boss syndrome that he always has had in previous Fatal Fury games and beyond. In fact the 3 previous characters mentioned I found to be at times tougher than Geese oddly enough. The characters also have their own endings, but to see the game's ''true'' ending, you have to beat it with Terry Bogard.

REPLAY: 7/10

The replay value in fighting games usually depends on a person's willingness to learn the game. There is nothing to unlock here as seen in games such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2, or Capcom vs. SNK. It's just a game you play to have fun with whenever you feel like. It could have used maybe some extra stuff to keep it going longer, but it's not too bad on the replay value.

OVERALL: 8/10

I think this is a welcome game as far as 2D fighting goes. There are a lot of great 2D fighters for the Saturn. This is just another. It's an enjoyable game providing you like SNK games. I don't think you can really go wrong here. As far as buying or renting, well I don't think there is a chance in hell to find this game to rent. I'd suggest buying it if you are into 2D fighters and are looking for something else good for the Saturn. It might be a bit hard to find now, but you never know.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/11/00, Updated 12/11/00