Fighters Megamix

"The Fighters of Sega to the battle!!!"

FIGHTERS MEGAMIX for Sega Saturn

What happens when you put fighters from the World of Sega into the same arena? What happens if heroes from the Virtua Fighter series, take it personally against the Fighting Vipers heroes? And what happens if on top of that you also mix Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter Kids, Daytona and Sonic? Well the end result should be at least something close to Nintendo's Super Smash Bros Melee. Correct?

Well, yes and no. There is nothing like the frenzy and funny fights that we find on Nintendo's all stars fighting game here, neither the strongest selection of Sega Characters (some of the best are simply missing). The pace of the game is also quite slow, and is only marginally faster than that of a Virtua Fighter game. The whole game actually feels like the cross between Virtua Fighter and Fighting Vipers. It should have never been more than this, as all the other extra characters, as happy as we are to see them, just don't fit in with the backgrounds.

But are this game's problems enough to drown it deep into the river of forgetfulness? Let's see...

GRAPHICS:

AM2, the team behind most Sega's fighters, knew how to pull a trick out of the hard to develop for, Saturn. Virtua Fighter 2 was a showcase of what the console could do at 60fps, with high resolution and high polygon numbers on the characters. But for some reason, Fighters Megamix,
which arrived later than Virtua Fighter 2, and about the same time as the arcade hit Virtua Fighter 3, was not that polished.

The game runs in low resolution, and all the characters seem to be a step behind from Virtua Fighter 2. Polygons are less, backgrounds are worse and everything here is limited when compared to Virtua Fighter 2. You will never feel that your Saturn is taking a hard time playing this game, even if the framerate is rock steady. Compared to today's graphics, Fighters Megamix has not aged as well, and looks weak against better games for both Saturn and Playstation.

GRAPHICS SCORE: 6.5/10

SOUND:

It's not common to expect a great soundtrack from a fighting game, even if there are some exceptions like the Soul Calibur series. But this very case, offers pretty much what was expected. Fighters Megamix has a forgettable BMG soundtrack, consisting mainly of Virtua Fighter and Fighting Vipers series. Since neither of the two games featured had any decent music, Fighters Megamix is no different. Boring and repetitive BMG music, with some, few, better moments.

The sound effects are a bit better. Though nothing spectacular, they manage to sound believable most of the time and most characters have their own different sounds for each move. In overall though, the sound department of this game is rather unconvincing and limited. There is no denying that Saturn could perform much better than this.

SOUND SCORE: 5.5/10

CONTROLS:

Both Fighting Vipers and Virtua Fighter share common controls. That means you have the usual punch, kick and defense moves plus an ability brought from the arcade Virtua Fighter 3 to escape an attack by moving in and out to the background in 3D. This helped Fighters Megamix to easily draw a line between the two and remain at the same time easy and coherent to play. You will immediately adopt to the controls of the game, and will be able to fight and perform the various moves within a matter of seconds. The special moves are also well presented, and most will not be a sore thumb to perform, but rather the result of hard and rewarding work playing the game extensively. Analog control features are not supported but with the limited 3D movement supported in the game, you won't really need it.

Finally, the buttons are fully customizable, and you can also pre edit some commonly used combinations. In short, the game nearly excels in this department.

CONTROLS SCORE: 9.0/10

GAMEPLAY:

Fighters Megamix is one of the best fighting games for the Sega Saturn. But this alone does not say much. The first player mode, limited as it is, even after the plethora of selectable characters, remains short and shallow. You are likely to see everything in the 1-Player mode within a single day. So everything is left down to 2-Player mode and mastering the various moves and techniques. So does this warrant a high gameplay score? To some point, yes it does. Scratch beyond the surface and you will be able to perform fantastic combos and moves. Soon you will master a character and be able to take him/her to the limits. At the same time, it's a game that many will like to play, in 2-Player mode, even in our days. It might not be frantic action, or awe inspiring graphics, but there is a certain level of quality imbued in this game that does not go unnoticed. That said, it has been surpassed by many other fighting games that were offered both in it's time and later in the future. But in the end, Fighter Megamix remains a highly enjoyable title.

GAMEPLAY SCORE: 8.5/10

OVERALL:

While it never remained as the fighting game of the years to come, and did not even tried to, Fighters Megamix is certainly one of the best fighting games on the Sega Saturn. If you look past the not so good graphics, the slow movement and cheesy BMG soundtrack, this is a game that you surely have to try at least once, if you respect yourself as a gamer.

Just don't rush to buy a used Sega Saturn just in order to play this game alone. It's good. But not THAT good.

OVERALL SCORE: 8.0/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/11/04