Final Fight (1989)

Preliminary: I liked that, instead of the usual brawler format, it had a Street Figher/fighter game feel to the combat. But, like usual with brawlers, it just couldn't hold my interest. I

Wellll, I was gonna drop it but this part inside the subway is quite neat. And I like how even the run-of-the-mill enemies have a health bar and name :-p I got through 2 stages and figured it was time to move on.

Wellll, right after I said that I got a Perfect in the bonus round where you beat up a car lol. Nice. I got this, uh, this point as a swarm of repeated enemies I'd already seen in the prior levels was coming at me and I knew it was time to move on. Brawlers, I suppose, just will never be a genre that hooks me. Tho this one was pretty good.

Look: 8/10 This was the highlight for sure, I loved the fonts and the health bars and the subway and city settings.

Sound: 8/10 Catchy, good, nothing spectacular tho.

Play: 7.5/10 I mean, technically not good. Level design felt like it basically was just increasing swarms of the same enemies. But I liked the integration of what felt like an actual fighting game into a brawler, rather than the Double Dragon style ambiguity to how much more health an enemy has.

Feel: 7/10 I feel rude doing this since the Look and Sound aren't bad but I dunno. It's just further affirming that brawlers aren't my things. And I'm worried about the fighting genre too at this rate!

Attachment: 7/10 Honestly, this would probly be the brawler game from this era that I would return to but I don't see that happening much.

Overall: 7.5/10

Completion: Stage 3

Playtime: ~15 mins

Played on Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle (The original arcade version).

Haha this game is pure madness. No real thought out game design in level structure, difficulty balance or enemy placements, just a mad rush of thugs storming you form all directions. You have close to no recovery after being hit, which often leads to you having literary no chance of exiting stunlock mode if there are too many enemies on the screen attacking you at once.

This game would have gotten a pardon if it was released 2 years earlier, seeing as the beat 'em up-genre had no real defined foundation before Double Dragon. But it came in 1989, the same year as Golden Axe and River City Ransom - two excellently designed brawlers with fun gameplay twists, a manageable amount of enemies on screen at the same time and fair difficulty.

Considering how the competition at the time crushes Final Fight in every single way (except for graphics I guess), I have a hard time finding a positive note to end things on. Maybe the SNES-port is better?

Final Fight, for SNES

Rating: 6.0/10; Above Average

Final Fight is an old school beat em up, which is isometric 2D in that the characters can move up and down on the ground to give the illusion of being in 3D space. I found this to be a little annoying because it is difficult to hit enemies (and for them to hit you) if you are not on the same plane. The biggest problem with this game is its simplicity; it does not use 4 of the SNES buttons. It only has punch, jump and directionals; the special attack is done by pressing punch and jump at the same time, rather than giving its own button. It is a shame that additional features, such as blocking or dodging were not created to make use of the extra buttons.

Blocking and dodging would come in handy because there are a lot of cheap attacks in this game. If an enemy hits you, they will begin an unavoidable series of hits; there is nothing you can do but stand there and take it like a sucker. This also applies to your own attacks, so it is all about getting the first hit off without much tactics beyond that. Some of the bosses have cheap moves which can sometimes be hard to deal with.

Using weapons is fun, but I found there to be far too few to use and it too easy to lose them upon getting hit. More improvised and throwable weapons would have better. The best part of these types of games is playing co-op, but this game does not have 2 player mode; a major shortcoming, especially considering the game’s short length. Lastly, this game has a better ending than its 2 sequels.

Ah, Final Fight. The quest of Mike Haggar to rid his city of crime has reached the height of popularity when it comes to beat em ups. Why 3 stars?

(Because it's not Ninja Baseball Bat Man) ahem. For a beat-em up that's so well-known, it's quite simple in terms of jumping, attacking, and any form of special moves. Throws happen automatically, which is mighty convenient, but nothing particularly deep or flashy.

Enemies and environments feel similar to the above statement; there are thugs and poles and beating people over the head with them, but when one considers what managed to come after in only a few short years, Final Fight surprisingly gets boring quickly. For a genre that's invested in presentation for entertainment, the Mad Bull-like Mike Haggar and the thugs and characters who show up in Street Fighter IV and beyond are bound to get a few looks and chuckles, but by the end of the day you'll be moving on without holding it too deep in your heart.

Which isn't to say it's bad! It's just...eh. If you see a machine, go for it, but no need to seek out and become the Final Fight champion. Stick to Undercover Cops if you want a more fun thug-beating action fest.

I have fond memories playing this game and watching my cousins play at our grandparents house. I loved everything about it as a kid. Colorful graphics, excellent sound effects and music, intimidating bosses and great character choices (although I didn't play as Cody often but he was still solid).

Released in 1989 Final Fight was a straight from arcade port for the Super Nintendo developed by video game phenom Capcom best known for their hit franchises Mega Man, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, among others. Players can definitely see an artistic similarity in sprites between Super Street Fighter 2 and Final Fight. This was another reason I loved it.

As I grew older I still found myself playing on occasion, sometimes with a beer, sometimes for 20 mins, other times to cruise through and beat the final boss after an hour of gameplay.

Here's why I enjoy it so much and consider it one of the best in the genre:

- The difficulty is reasonable, bosses can be taken out with a little bit of planning and pattern recognition

- Level design is well done and length of each stage is fairly decent, aside from the very long final level.

- The Bay Area level is just amazing. As you progress it starts at night and the sun slowly comes up, an amazing effect, especially when played late at night to early morning.

- You usually find powerups at just the right time

- High degree or playability. I've gone back many times to play this game and still have rushes of excitement when I reach Abigail or Katana.

A few negatives about the game, but not enough to deduct any stars:

- Enemies are recycled throughout. This is common fare for most beat em ups, but it does get a bit annoying.

- Sometimes no matter what you do you'll lose a life. In other words an enemy will land a punch that they shouldn't and it will be enough to send you flying.

- Guns. I hate it when enemies have guns and you have fists. It makes you more badass when you pummel them, but those bullets hurt!

- Getting caught in a series of piledrivers from Andore. Like the lucky punch, sometimes they catch you and cause lots of damage.

Everything considered, I still hold this game in high regard and constantly recommend it to folks looking for a classic beat em up. Very few in the genre can touch it. Playing through Final Fight brings me back to those old days in a sunny room of my grandparents house soaking up all this cartridge has to offer while enjoying the smell of breakfast cooking on a carefree Saturday. Reliving childhood.