Final Fight One

"Metro City, Population: All against you"

The Double Dragon clone became bug business in the late 80s, but man did it get monotonous. This I attributed in part to the hero characters being so similar to each other. I mean, really, what was the difference between the Bad Dudes? Well, Capcom saw a void to be filled, and filled it with Final Fight, at around the same time Sega released the first Streets of Rage in arcades. I’m not sure which came first, but what matters is both of these games forever changed beat ‘em ups in that your selectable hero characters were different from each other, thus adding an extra layer of depth to the game. I never got to play Streets of Rage (something I plan on fixing before the year ends), but I loved Final Fight, and when I heard it was available on Gameboy Advance, I was ecstatic. And I would not be disappointed, either.

The story goes that Metro City is awash with crime and corruption, but pro wrestler-turned-mayor Mike Haggar is promising to clean up the town. The lead gang, known as the Mad Gears, don’t like this prospect, so they kidnap Haggar’s daughter Jessics to get him in line. Big mistake. Haggar recruits Jessica’s boyfriend Cody, a bare-knuckled brawler who can fight with the best of them, and Guy, a friend of Cody’s who just happens to be a major league martial artist. Add in Haggar’s crushing strength, and the Mad Gears don’t stand a chance.

You’ve got all your basic attacks, with flying kicks, punch combinations, throws (including Haggar’s might pile driver), and a special move for each character that’ll clear the air around you nicely. Each has their specialty: Cody can fight close with a knife while the others only throw them, Haggar has great power and that crazy pile driver, and Guy, in addition to being able to double jump, is just plain old fast! Two players can play through the link cable. The enemies also have very good AI, even on the low levels of difficulty, so stay on your toes.

This is also the most complete Final Fight on a Nintendo system, with the fourth stage restored, complete with Rolento. Unfortunately, Poison and Roxy (the female thugs) have again been replaced Billy and Jimmy, but considering the insane back story that Capcom has decided to give Poison, it’s for the best for my easily addled brain, anyway. Otherwise, the gameplay is pretty close to arcade perfect, if not actually arcade perfect. Capcom has also added in text sequences with the heroes talking trash with the various boss characters. And they show their sense of humor when you try the two hidden characters against the bosses, too. Without spoiling anything, I promise you’ll be at least amused. There’s other things to unlock, as well, so keep your eyes open to the Options menu.

Graphically, the game looks wonderful on the GBA small screen. Characters animate well, and you can just picture the sneaky look on Two P and J’s faces as they try and sneak up on you. A couple graphics have been recycled from the Street Fighter Alpha series for the cut scenes, and while they look a little out of place next to the new art, it’s not anything to really complain about.

For sound, all the music in the game has been remixed to take advantage of the GBA’s sound abilities, and it sounds pretty darn good. The punches, grunts, screams and other noises are just like you remember them. Although “Oh My God” has been replaced by “Oh My Car” yet again. Oh, well, can’t win them all, can we?

So the last question really is, how well does this game hold up now that it’s well over a decade old? Not too badly. The secret characters and added secrets do add something to the games longevity. And as far as side scrolling beat ‘em ups go, there really aren’t that many that are better. Some folks prefer the import version to the domestic thanks to the lack of censorship, but either way you go you’re still getting an exceptional game.

All similarities between Mike Haggar and Jesse Ventura are purely coincidental.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/29/02, Updated 09/29/02