Fatal Fury 2

"Fatal Fury 2 Looks Like a Winner"

Fatal Fury 2 is a worthy addition to your game lineup if you don't have a Neo-Geo but love SNK games. The SNES version is not up to par with the Neo version but that is to be expected when a cart cuts out over 100 megs worth of animation. For the record, Fatal Fury 2 feels very polished and complete, much more so than the original Fatal Fury game for the SNES. It's hard not to want to cut this game down since it isn't the Neo version, but still this game has its own merits. It really tries to pull off a nice conversion and for that should be applauded. The SNES is one powerful console, and to see it playing Neo-Geo arcade hits is something that warms my heart. Let's take a look at Fatal Fury 2 for the SNES.

(gameplay - 8)
Featuring four attack buttons, Fatal Fury 2 has a nice controller setup. With two punches and two kicks this is your standard Neo setup. The game controls well and special moves are easy to pull off. The SNES controller works well with this game, and nothing is really missing in the translation. A few moves have been lost in translation, like Krauser's kick move, but for the most part this game retains the original feel and control schematics of the arcade hit.

(story - 8)
The fighters of Southtown and other locations have gathered for a tournament to face the host, Wolfgang Krauser. You must battle your way through subsequent fights until you reach Krauser's henchman and ultimately Krauser himself. The story is pretty good.

(graphics - 8, sound - 7)
The graphics on the SNES are definately good. The animation is a bit choppy sometimes but it looks much better than Fatal Fury on the SNES did. For the most part the backgrounds remain faithful to the arcade version, and look great. They contain lots of detail and animation, and the characters as well as their stages are highly detailed and look colorful. Krauser has the coolest stage by far, and while it doesn't impress as much as it does on the Neo, it is still a site to behold on the SNES. Even the Genesis version looks a bit better than the SNES does, I have no idea why as the SNES is definately the better system of the two... the Neo version blows them both out of the water though. The sound is pretty good on this game, The sound effects are on-target and the music sounds good too. The musical soundtrack is good in this game and carries over nicely on the SNES. The SNES has a powerful sound chip and therefore can emulate the sounds of the Neo pretty well. Excellent job overall.

(replayability - 8)
This game really has no huge flaws and is definately a solid contender for the SF2 throne. With a special code you can play as the bosses which adds even more replay value. The game looks pretty good and sounds good too and the controller is great on the SNES, just as good as in the arcades. So this game has a good replay value, with many fighting fans being able to dig this sucker for a long time to come.

(recommendations)
This is definately the version to buy if you don't own a Neo-Geo. It is better than the Genesis version and seems closer to the arcade version. I liked this game on the SNES almost as much as I did on the Neo, which is saying a lot. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is the second most powerful system of the early 90s era, and falls behind only the Neo-Geo. So if you want Neo quality, buy a Neo, but if you want SNK games for cheap on a great system that look good, the SNES is your best bet.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/29/04