Back in the 90’s, SNK came out with a little piece of awesome console called the Neo-Geo. One of the advantages the system had over the competition from Nintendo and Sega was that it was arcade quality. The Neo-Geo arcade units basically were big screens, cupboards and controls with one of these systems in side, allowing the cartridges to be swapped out for different games. And every game you bought to take home wasn’t just a port, but the actual arcade game itself. And one of the best was the originator of the King of Fighters series of games, Fatal Fury.
Fatal Fury was SNK’s iconic fighting series. Its characters are still used in the King of Fighters series, and it has one of the best stories for a fighting game. Years ago, Geese Howard murdered a rival named Jeff Bogard. Now Jeff’s adopted sons Terry and Andy are back for revenge! (you got to love that cheesiness)
With their friend, kickboxer Joe Higashi in tow, the three enter Geese’s tournament, the King of Fighters, which ranges across the fictional location of South Town. Fight through colorful characters like Duck King and Billy Kane, and you will enter the final showdown with Geese.
Ooooooh, that's gotta hurt!
Sadly, you only have the three main characters to play as. That’s about the only negative I can think of, because this is one of the best fighting games ever made. The combat system is simple compared to other fighters, with one button to punch, one to kick, and one to throw if you get close enough. All three have special moves that range from easy to hard to pull off. And often, characters keep rolling back and forth between the front and back planes of the game. And the challenge level is very high, like an old-school game should be. Graphics are nice, and I love the style that the Neo-Geo Station format has for the PSN. The music is fun, especially when you load up the game. The look, sound and feel is exactly like the arcade from back in the day, and it’s still fun to play as Terry Bogard and do flaming charge punches into enemies.
If you want a fighter that is easy to get into, hard to master, and just different enough from the others, try Fatal Fury out. It’ll be worth it.
