Fighters Megamix

"Viper Versus Fighter. Let the Battle Commence."

Virtua Fighter 2 (VF2) was a popular Arcade game, by Am2. Fighting Vipers (FV) was also a popular fighter. VF soon after made a near perfect conversion to the Sega Saturn and gamers were given a game that could rival the likes of the Tekken series. FV also made it to the saturn and also proved quite popular, too. After reasonable success, Sega and Am2 decided to combined the two, and Fighters Megamix (FM) was born.

Interestingly enough, FM development is impeccable. Neither side - Viper or Fighter- feel flawed. Both sides have managed to retain all of their original designs, move lists, stages and musical themes and of course their gameplay styles. Viper levels still have cages/windows or something on the likes of a barrier that surrounds their stages that you can kick and punch fighters through when their health is critical. Fighter stages tend to stick to their Ring Out and are levels taken from VF2.

The character roaster is huge. All fighter from both titles are back and ready to battle. Expect match ups like, Akira Vs Bahn, Wolf Vs Sanman and Sarah vs Honey. There is also a wealth of unlockable characters from various famous Sega titles. Bean and Bark from the never released on a console- until Sonic Gems of course- Sonic the Fighters title, popular Japanese character, Rent a Hero, Janet from Virtua Cop and even Hornet the car from racing title Daytona USA.

Moving away from the huge character list of about 30 warriors and we have the huge amount of selectable modes. Here we have all the usual suspects. Arcade, VS, Time Attack, Survival and also a Team Battle mode. FM never feels dull and the action never lets up. There is so much to do and if you have a friend then you'll be playing even longer.

FM is not just another average fighter; it was a miracle. Sega managed to take two brilliant fighters, combine them, add a bunch of modes for replay-ability and came out with a title that was nothing less than a masterpiece. FM stands the test of time and I'm still quite shocked that Sega haven't even though about developing another. I'd like to see the Fighters and Vipers do battle at least one more time, and I'm sure with interesting unlockable characters- someone like Ryo Hazuki or Vyse- could certainly boost its sales. I'm all for FM. It's a fun complex and deep fighter that everyone should play at least once.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/31/09

Game Release: Fighters Megamix (EU, 1997)