Towards the end, the game swamps you in a never-ending sea of recycled midboss assets that can easily steamroll any attempt to progress. Despite this, the game does so much so right that it largely defined how beat 'em ups would be made for the next decade. Even today, modern beat 'em ups use 'Final Fight' as a blueprint for their own designs. The game is troubled but it's legacy cannot be denied.
Nothing really special about this one despite the franchise's longevity. Typical brawling mechanics mixed with very vertical special moves that don't allow you to attack and move across the map very efficiently. Visuals and sound work are both good, but nothing about this game has ever particularly stood out to me.
Não gostei tanto quanto esperava. Já tinha alguma experiência com a versão do SNES e não senti muita diferença, apesar de nunca ter terminado essa outra. Me lembrou muito o Double Dragon, outro que não gostei muito. O spam de inimigo recompensa quem quer praticar isso mas não gostei como uma primeira run. Por outro lado, Haggar é um personagem absurdamente divertido de se usar, deveria ter ele em todos briga de rua.
I'm sure there's strategies to be found and it would end up being a really rewarding 1CC, but god what a frustrating arcade run. I feel a bit sad it's a beat 'em up that took me this long to get to, but finally playing it solidifies all the reasons I enjoy the Streets of Rage series and other lesser known games from the genre over it. Beyond its difficulty, it just feels rather stiff and sluggish at moments, in a way that feels brutal when trying to maneuver against a crowd of enemies.
That said, for something that was a pioneer, it's amazing how much it does get right than wrong. Frustrating difficulty doesn't change it from feeling really satisfying to play from the get go.
That said, for something that was a pioneer, it's amazing how much it does get right than wrong. Frustrating difficulty doesn't change it from feeling really satisfying to play from the get go.
(Just remembered to list this one as I've played it a couple of times). I really love the vibes, art direction and music of this game. It's an obvious classic that has inspired a ton of my favorite games. It just has that capcom arcade difficulty that gets under my skin. I'm sure there is a mastery that can be achieved with this, but I could never really wrap my head around it's difficulty, and I'd just quarter spam my way through it.This is definitely my bias for Streets of Rage 2 talking, but it's certainly not as tuned as that game is and has a more loose feel for better and worse. Someday I'll really sit down with it and go for 1cc runs, but for now, eh.
Final Fight is widely considered one of the classic beat-em-up staples, and for good reason! The music is energizing, the visuals are perfectly crisp and crunchy, and the limited, but well applied move-sets for each of the three playable fighters make combat feel satisfying; like you're constantly getting better.
In my mind, what makes it earn that extra star is the familial element, most beat em ups were about fighting to save a love interest, but when playing as Mayor Mike Haggar, you're out to save your daughter, taken by a gang you've opposed through your legislation. It's the feel good 80's cheese you get from action films, and a deeper (albeit only slightly) motivation via that familial bond, that make the game retain its charm even beyond its years.
In my mind, what makes it earn that extra star is the familial element, most beat em ups were about fighting to save a love interest, but when playing as Mayor Mike Haggar, you're out to save your daughter, taken by a gang you've opposed through your legislation. It's the feel good 80's cheese you get from action films, and a deeper (albeit only slightly) motivation via that familial bond, that make the game retain its charm even beyond its years.