Final Fight 2 Longplay (SNES) [60 FPS]

Developed and published by Capcom in 1993

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Those of you who purchased the original conversion of Final Fight for Nintendo's 16-bit console will remember that the conversion wasn't quite up to Capcom's normally impeccable standards. Lacking any form of cooperative multiplayer, as well as omitting one of the playable characters, fans of the series may have been forgiven for feeling a tad disappointed.

Released a couple of years later, Final Fight 2 aimed to right some of the wrongs made by it's predecessor and to give Nintendo owners a title that could square off against Sega's Streets of Rage series.

Following the conclusion of the original game, everyone thought that the Mad Gear had faded into obscurity. after it's leader had been defeated. The truth, however, is that the surviving members of the gang had decided to reform and regroup under the leadership of a new, even more deadly foe.

Intent on reclaiming their wealth and power, the gang strikes back, first by kidnapping Guy's fiancee, Rena. With Guy continuing his training and, somewhat surprisingly, oblivious to what was occurring back home, Rena's younger sister contacts former wrestler and resident mayor of Metro City, Mike Haggar, for assistance. Aided by some random guy called Carlos, who just happens to enjoy kicking people's asses, this motley crew of vigilantes embarks on a transcontinental rescue mission that involves pummelling a large number of people into submission.

Anyone who has played a side-scrolling beat 'em up knows what to expect from this game - multiple stages of fighting action where one or two players beat down opponents, before facing off against an end-of-level boss.

Each fighter has a set number of moves to batter said foes, including punches, kicks and a couple of grappling moves for good measure. Occasionally, you might come across a weapon that can be used to give you an edge in the fight, but these are dished out much more sparingly than in the original arcade game.

In terms of core mechanics, the controls and fighting feel solid, with every punch lands with a resounding thud, feeling just as you would expect. You want to feel like an unstoppable bad-ass when playing a beat 'em up and Final Fight 2 does, at least, manage to get this right.

It's a sad fact that, having played for 30 minutes, it becomes apparent that you've seen absolutely everything that the game has to offer. With only a handful of different enemies to fight, things get stale very quickly - crank up to the difficulty to 'Expert' and you'll find that the enemies health increases to a point where it seems like an age to beat them and the game becomes a complete chore.

Another aspect of the game that I found disappointing was the audio. The sound effects themselves are fine, but the music, as with everything else, becomes extremely repetitive since each tune loops after a few bars. I'm afraid that the Streets of Rage series, with it's brilliant music penned by Yuzo Koshiro, walks all over this.

At least the game does look the part. The character sprites all look very close to their arcade counterparts, featuring nicely detailed, chunky sprites, all drawn in the familiar Capcom 2D art style.

Although Capcom might have managed to add simultaneous cooperative play and three playable characters, they somehow managed to make a game that feels soulless and bland. Whilst you might find some enjoyment when played with a friend, I think this is one game best left on the shelf.
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