Fatal Fury 1 love.

Alot of people dump on fatal fury 1. Its understandable to some degree, especially when they where not exposed to it at the time when it came out. There is a tendency to think that it is somehow a lesser street fighter 2 clone. If any game ripped street fighter 2 its AOF1 - fatal fury was more akin to pre-street fighter 2 beat 'em ups (I'd have to dig the names up, but I used to play them in the arcades). It was produced at a time when the beat 'em up was about to become big, and SNK knew this, so they made Fatal Fury (rather than as a reaction to Street Fighter 2's success).
I will admit that I have a bias for this game. I was impacted by it as a kid when the game was released in the arcades (playing it back then on a large arcade screen (which was probably smaller than I remember it to being, Iwas only 13 or 14), with all the colours, the cartooney graphics, the changing times, and the over the top moves - it was a big deal) and I haven't been able to shake it off since. I played it when it came out and not a while later, so this may have something to do with it.
Maybe I am part of a (one peson) minority for still loving this game, but I think fans of beat 'em ups must appretiate what this first instalment brought to the table. Terry, Andy, and Joe have not changed that much since their first outing.
Its easy to say that everything SNK did beat 'em up-wise was due to street fighter 2, and that they just made clone after clone, but you can see from the start that there was a different take on things. SNK beat 'em ups had more drama in them than their Capcom counterparts (hence the drama in these forums ), and where more story driven.
I feel that being harsh on this game is unfair because it is a classic - and for me as much as street fighter 2 was for many of you - and it lay the ground work for the great games that where to follow from SNK. You can't deny the innovation, the arcade purity (unlike street fighter 2s for me at the time), and the charm/scale of this game, nor can you overlook its reach and influence.
Am I wrong? let me know.

you definitely have a valid point about the dramatic atmosphere SNK applied in FF1 and other fighters...

true, the comparison with Street Fighter 2 is inevitable since both were released around the same time but there are stark differences between the two:

SF2 is the more solid one regarding control and # of characters, but Fatal Fury tells a story in a way that SF2 could not do quite as well...

where ending sequences seem like a small afterthought upon finishing SF2, it is a pivotal part of FF all throughout, especially for Terry...even during the high score screen when he steps out of the taxi you feel like you're watching a story unfold and you're dying to see how it winds up...as you progress through the game each encounter is more personalized than in SF2, instead of the same generic win/loss quotes there is specific dialogue that details the character's progress to the climactic battle with Geese...

sure, SF2 has more durable qualities for lasting competitive play but it'd be a real shame to dismiss all that Fatal Fury brought to fighting games

i think that the characters in fatal fury are more creative, and i prefer them to those in sf 2. There's a good reason why I loved this game so much when I was 10.Just look at Tung. The part where he turns into a muscle man was/is awesome. And then there's Terry....

I remember playing this game to death, since when I got my home system I only owned this game and Andro Dunos for a long long time.

What I specially enjoyed about FF1 was the 2 player mode against the CPU. Back when I played it, I think this was the only game that had this feature, and it was kinda cool. The cut scenes were also impressive graphically and gave some feeling of story to the the game.

[OCEAN]

[OCEAN] said:

I remember playing this game to death, since when I got my home system I only owned this game and Andro Dunos for a long long time.

What I specially enjoyed about FF1 was the 2 player mode against the CPU. Back when I played it, I think this was the only game that had this feature, and it was kinda cool. The cut scenes were also impressive graphically and gave some feeling of story to the the game.

[OCEAN]

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I think that's a common missconception - there was another far simpler fighter which pitted you and another against the computer opponents.

STREET SMART!
that's the name of it! remembered..
Fatal Fury had alot in common with this one.

That version of RAIDEN reigns supreme! The Capcom incarnation....BLOWS.
I also believed that Wai Jai should have made a return to action! The Rocket Juice(?) angle was a nice touch!
How could I forget arm wrestling Muscle Powers and Master Barnes Those intermissions define the true ARCADE EXPERIENCE of years gone by imo!
-BB

FF 1 was the reason why I got a Neo Geo I saw this game in a store and played it for some minutes,after thats I loved it sooo much the Fatal Fury Series is still the true KOF in my eyes and I love it still more then any SF out there.
All chars have so much love in the desigen and all have in some way a story thats sounds good to me

FF 4 life

pawaaaaaaaaa~ weeev

I like Terry's crack shot in this game.

I thought it sucked but I played my friends megadrive port anyway

played it in the MVS until I realised I was wasting my money and ignored it for SF2 instead

\o/ \o/ \o/

I played it recently for shits and giggles

It's O.K., but it didn't take the world by storm the same way SF2 did, in fact the only reason I played it again was because of the sucess of it's sequels. When this was in the arcades the controls required way too much precision (or weird timing) and it was challenging for it's time (nowadays I can make it to Geese on level 4 in one try)

I mentioned this in another thread but I believe Fatal Fury was to be Street Fighter 1's rival. I believe it was known as Fighting Street on Turbo Grafix.
Another game that was similar to it was Human Killing Machine
Fatgal Fury 2 & FF Special were supposed to rival SF2,etc.
The game is definitely more a novelty nowadays and prety much a chore to play with the exception of the BONUS intermissions.
-BB

I played the genesis port, not the MVS... ^^

Agains Fighting Street FF was great^.^ and I still feel more "love" in every Fatal Fury game as in any SF2 super turbo mega remake.
I still thing FF has something SF never really got

Although my opinion is largely clouded by nostalgia as well, I goddamn love that game. It's one of the first Neo games that I played, and still one of my favs. My AES is still on the way, and I'm going to be getting Fatal Fury 2, but I would love to pick up the original at some point. It's cheap enough.

Also, does anyone think that is has one of the coolest AES covers ever? It's really simple, but I like it a lot... God, it's badass...

I'd played some Neo games before and liked them (Magician Lord, League Bowling, etc.), but when it started raining in round three of Tung's stage, I officially became an SNK fan for life. Then, when Geese fell out of the building, I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen in a game. I loved the music, especially Raiden's and Gesse's stages. I thought Andy was the coolest fighting game character, in terms of design and moves, ever created. I played the game a lot, and even came out of the 7-11 once to find my car had been towed while I had been playing so long...

But in terms of gameplay, SF2 utterly decimated it. I can admit that. FF had only 3 playable characters, with hit and miss CLUNKY control...3 buttons... I had a hard as hell time ever convincing friends to play it with me. And SF2 is a million times more fun as a 2 player game. The thing is, I saw so much potential there...the characters, atmosphere, etc.. I loved FF in spite of the places it fell short. I knew their next attempt would be amazing, and when Gamest started previewing the Hyaku Mega Shocks (FF2, AOF), combined with how shitty the SFC port of FF came out, I knew I had to get a Neo.

DevilRedeemed said:

I think that's a common missconception - there was another far simpler fighter which pitted you and another against the computer opponents.

STREET SMART!
that's the name of it! remembered..
Fatal Fury had alot in common with this one.

Click to expand...

Good to know, I'd never heard of it.
Let's see if I can find if to give it a try.

[OCEAN]

SouthtownKid said:

But in terms of gameplay, SF2 utterly decimated it. I can admit that. FF had only 3 playable characters, with hit and miss CLUNKY control...3 buttons... I had a hard as hell time ever convincing friends to play it with me..

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I will confess that SF2 was too difficult for me
I was just a kid used to simple arcade gaming. street fighter 2 was too complexed and sterile (non too flashy) for my taste. I was intruiged by it, from hearing all the talk at school and what not, and was well into it as of the super famicom release.
But Fatal Fury was still the definitive old scool arcade experience.
Street fighter heralded a new age which is still with us today.

DevilRedeemed said:

I think that's a common missconception - there was another far simpler fighter which pitted you and another against the computer opponents.

STREET SMART!
that's the name of it! remembered..
Fatal Fury had alot in common with this one.

Click to expand...

I've got Street Smart on the Megadrive, it is actually a very early SNK game as far as I know, the box has "SMK" printed on the back.

It's a bit of stinker, mainly beacuse it's a very poor arcade port.

As regards FF1, I totally respect it's place in beat 'em up history. But there seems to little reason to play beyond just seeing where the whole series came from. The controls are just too unforgiving for my liking. Fatal Fury Special really is perfection in many ways, it's taken me a long time to realise that.

SouthtownKid said:

I'd played some Neo games before and liked them (Magician Lord, League Bowling, etc.), but when it started raining in round three of Tung's stage, I officially became an SNK fan for life. Then, when Geese fell out of the building, I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen in a game. I loved the music, especially Raiden's and Gesse's stages. I thought Andy was the coolest fighting game character, in terms of design and moves, ever created. I played the game a lot, and even came out of the 7-11 once to find my car had been towed while I had been playing so long...

But in terms of gameplay, SF2 utterly decimated it. I can admit that. FF had only 3 playable characters, with hit and miss CLUNKY control...3 buttons... I had a hard as hell time ever convincing friends to play it with me. And SF2 is a million times more fun as a 2 player game. The thing is, I saw so much potential there...the characters, atmosphere, etc.. I loved FF in spite of the places it fell short. I knew their next attempt would be amazing, and when Gamest started previewing the Hyaku Mega Shocks (FF2, AOF), combined with how shitty the SFC port of FF came out, I knew I had to get a Neo.

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Perfect post.

Nothing else to add.

Fatgal Fury 2

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Sounds like the sequel to DJ Boyz.

Anyways, Fatal Fury was great and fun for its time, and was amusing for the blatant self advertising throughout its stages. I also liked being able to double team the CPU in a horribly unfair way with the 2P. The characters outside of the main 3, Duck King, Tung Fu Rue, and Geese were boring as sin though, and even then only Geese, Andy, and Terry had any unique feel to them from the beginning. I always really hated Raiden with his stange mouth, ridiculous neutral pose and animation, and his wimpy little lightning tattoo on his arm.

Fygee said:

Sounds like the sequel to DJ Boyz.

Anyways, Fatal Fury was great and fun for its time, and was amusing for the blatant self advertising throughout its stages. I also liked being able to double team the CPU in a horribly unfair way with the 2P. The characters outside of the main 3, Duck King, Tung Fu Rue, and Geese were boring as sin though, and even then only Geese, Andy, and Terry had any unique feel to them from the beginning. I always really hated Raiden with his stange mouth, ridiculous neutral pose and animation, and his wimpy little lightning tattoo on his arm.

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Max and Meyers? pao pao cafe was so memorable...
Thinking about Fatal Fury 1/2/Special, AOF 1/2, SS 1/2, KOF... I really had forgotten how much I've loved the neo geo through the years.

man, when i was like 11 or 12 i loved this game. the funny thing is, i bought it on aes a few weeks ago, because i hadn't played it in years, and man it completley sucks azz..... still kool 2 have for kicks though. also i like the cover
(american version of course)

DevilRedeemed said:

Max and Meyers? pao pao cafe was so memorable...
Thinking about Fatal Fury 1/2/Special, AOF 1/2, SS 1/2, KOF... I really had forgotten how much I've loved the neo geo through the years.

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Michael Max was unadulterated shit who was nothing more than another copy of Tyson.

Richard Meyer was hardly worth anyone's attention in the first game, and oddly enough, became a much more interesting character in the games he wasn't featured in.

moonwhistle said:

I've got Street Smart on the Megadrive, it is actually a very early SNK game as far as I know, the box has "SMK" printed on the back.

It's a bit of stinker, mainly beacuse it's a very poor arcade port.

As regards FF1, I totally respect it's place in beat 'em up history. But there seems to little reason to play beyond just seeing where the whole series came from. The controls are just too unforgiving for my liking. Fatal Fury Special really is perfection in many ways, it's taken me a long time to realise that.

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That's how i see it also.

For me FF1 has some "nostalgic" value but. Afther FF2 and FFS those two games went beyond what FF1.Did in terms in of..... gameplay for me any ways

DevilRedeemed said:

I will confess that SF2 was too difficult for me
I was just a kid used to simple arcade gaming. street fighter 2 was too complexed and sterile (non too flashy) for my taste. I was intruiged by it, from hearing all the talk at school and what not, and was well into it as of the super famicom release.
But Fatal Fury was still the definitive old scool arcade experience.
Street fighter heralded a new age which is still with us today.

Click to expand...

Well said... yeah, I sucked at SF2, and for one reason or another, I felt a lot more willing to put more of my allowance-quarters into the Neo 1-slot with FF at an arcade that I had to get my dad to drive me to, as opposed to walking down to 7-11 to play SF2.

SouthtownKid said:

I'd played some Neo games before and liked them (Magician Lord, League Bowling, etc.), but when it started raining in round three of Tung's stage, I officially became an SNK fan for life.

Click to expand...

Precisely. As Atrophyed said, perfect post.