"No Sonic Booms or fireballs here. Just plain ol streetfighting!"

Forget Mortal Kombat; Forget Streetfighter 2. Forget EVERY fighting game there is. Just enter the pit, that is known as Pitfighter.

If you've ever seen the movie Lionheart(A.W.O.L. in the UK) starring Jean Claude Van Damne, you'll get a bit of the atmosphere that is Pitfighter. You start off by choosing one out of three tough and brave men, to battle the worlds fiercest(and dirtiest!). Theres a general, all-round guy, theres a karate man, and then theres Buzz, the wrestler.

After that, you're thrown into a car park(or something very similar) which is surrounded by a crowd. Thus, it's a pit. Someone else is thrown in with you, so you can do battle. The winner is the one not dead at the end of it.

The crowd are very interactive in this game, which is a surprise. Sometimes a member of the crowd will just jump out at you and attempt to stab you with a knife. If you're lucky enough to dodge the blow, you can pick he or she up, and toss her wherever you want. And if you're unlucky enough to land in the crowd yourself....well just be thankful this is a game.

As the levels go on, more items are added to keep the game interesting. These include a power pill, an oil drum, some motorbikes and even a car! The aim is to get to the end, where you must fight The Executioner. Hey with a boss like that, this game HAS to be good.

Pitfighter also has two-player action. You can have player one versus player two, or you can even team up, for two on two streetfighting action. This is the major highlight of the game. The game is even set-up so you don't accidently hit your partner.

Like every game, it could benefit from a few things like more characters to select, or more options. However it is easily one of the best fighting games around, and I honestly don't see many games that could beat it. The arcade version of this was even better, and I feel a move to a “bigger” system would benefit this.

Gameplay - 9. Full of action, full of excitement.

Graphics - 10. These are incredible for the Genesis. They went out for a realistic looking game, and GOT IT.

Sound - 8. The grunts, and the shrieks from the crowd are good. The Executioner occasionally appears on your screen to threaten you, which is something that must be saw to be appreciated.

Controls - 5. It's sometimes very tough to figure out your special moves. Each person has three special moves, but it's tough to pull them off. Once you figure it out it's a bit easier. Why can't companies just tell you these things???

Replayability - 7. Even when completed, you'll want to go back just to powerbomb that girl onto that car.

Rent/Buy - Go out on a limb and buy this.

Overall - 8. A great fighting game, and probably the best on the Genesis, which is surprising considering the limited characters to choose from. However great gameplay makes this game a must buy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 02/22/01