Is Art of Fighting series worth buying?

CraigPilecky · Sep 21, 2003

Im buiding my Neo library, and ive noticed this series looks interesting. (and affordable

) So I was thinking of buying one. Im just wondering if its really worth it?

The only experience ive had with AoF was a SNES port. Which I think sucked big time!

Which is the best in the series? What are everyones thoughts on this series?

ZuuZuu · Sep 21, 2003

Hmmm to tell you the truth I actually liked the series ^_^
I was attracted to how the characters would become smaller then huge as you approached your fighter. I would say "GO FOR IT" and get those carts! Now the "Fatal Fury" series...stay far away! Haha joking...I just never got into the whole jump into the background and fight thing. Just my thoughts of course ^)^

Loefye · Sep 21, 2003

AOF3 is the best in the series. The controls are alot more responsive and alot less clunky then the controls in AOF and AOF2 and the graphics and atmosphere simply rock.

daybona · Sep 21, 2003

If you get the game and the computer destroys you, keep in mind that this game plays NOTHING like conventional fighters. Just learn the computers patterns so you can win, and then enjoy the atmosphere, which this series has in spades.

Gabriel K · Sep 21, 2003

I liked the SNES port.

Y'know, AoF1's graphics still impress me... The sprites were HUUUUGE!!! The zoom effect looked so cool... AoF2 improved on everything, and is considered by some the best in the series. AoF3 has some of the best animation ever seen in a fighting game (and for a 1996 game, this is saying A LOT), and had some neat new features (too bad no other game had them).

I have no favorite, since all of them are beautiful, agile and creative games. I loved the songs, the awesome special moves, the first DM in game history, the first time characters actually showed signs that they were hurt and tired, etc, these games rule. Buy them, have fun, and don't forget to invite me once in a while

EDIT-- Yeah, AoF1 and AoF2 are so difficult I just say they are unfair sometimes, but you'll get by easily after some pratice (and learning cpu patterns).

evil wasabi · Sep 22, 2003

I don't like AoF3 because of reasons I already stated, even if you probably didn't see them...

AOF2 is my favorite one of the series. I know the comp is hard as hell to beat... But just like for most fighting games, playing in 2 players mode is the most fun option.

Big Shady · Sep 22, 2003

AOF3 is the pinnacle of the series and if you got the cash to get on home cart do so, or go MVS or CD. It's also one of the most beatifully animated Neo games too.

If you want to get into the AOF series, start with AOF2, AOF1 in my opinion is just to round off your collection, AOF2 just simply outshines it.

Lee Gray · Sep 22, 2003

I loved 1 and 2 but never really liked the change in the engine in number 3 as it didnt feel like i was playing a art of fighting game

it miffs me to hear so many ppl think its the best of the 3
1 is cheap enough to get anyway even if a bit dated 2 is cool and u get the added bonus of geese in it,

leepantalone · Sep 22, 2003

AOF 1 is the best in my opinion! :buttrock:

Bishamon · Sep 22, 2003

I really liked AoF1, and AoF2 is almost as good. AoF3 has the best graphics, but isn't as good as 1 or 2 in the gameplay or STYLE department.

HOWEVER, you have to bear in mind that, unless you played most early Neo games when they were new, they won't seem very good today; you won't have the 'nostalgia' factor.

Robert · Sep 22, 2003

AOF 2 as the best good/price ratio of the serie. AOF 1 is at the same price but not as good and AOF3 is too much expensive to be considered.

BIG · Sep 22, 2003

Skip the rest,get 3.

roker · Sep 22, 2003

It's all about the graphics whores for this series.

The gameplay blows and that's my opinion, take it with a pinch of salt if you like staring at nice sprites and listening to good music.

AOF 1 is good for nostalgia.

AOF2 is unplayable due to its difficulty. You can learn the patterns if you want, but its downright cheap.

AOF3 is pretty, with better control, yet its not as refined as other SNK fighting games. Its passable though.

TriShield · Sep 22, 2003

The original AOF is fantastic, AOF2 is crappier rehash of the 1st, AOF3 is what AOF2 should have been.

It's a shame we'll never see an AOF4. :crying:

Mokum · Sep 22, 2003

I remember a day, far away in the past, where I saw AoF for the first time running on a Neo home system in a local shop...

Since that day AoF is the game I always loved the most. I find myself playing it over and over and over again...

I don't like AoF2 too much, mainly 'cause of its difficulty and AoF3 is just "too different", if you get what I mean...

I would buy every single copy of the first one if I could

Nomax · Sep 22, 2003

Well, I own both AOF 1 & 3.
"Art of Fighting 1" was the first Neo fighter I got. I just loved it and is still the fighter I played the most 'till now. I liked the storyline system with cutscenes between fights, the zooming effect, the huge sprites and the beaten up faces.
Later, I got "Art of Fighting 3" and this game is just gorgeous (waterfalls stage!): sprites are just as big, animation is awesome but wounds aren't shown anymore on faces :-( Anyway, it seemed damn great to me.

Now I got Samurai Shodown IV and Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and I don't give a fuck anymore on AOF! Controls in Art of Fighting are shit compared to these games and even if it's better in Art of Fighting 3, it's still doesn't compare! Characters respond a lot better in post-95 fighting games. Old SNK fighting games suffer from bad controls (like Fatal Fury 1 & 2) and AOF isn't an exception. AOF3 is beautiful but controls don't follow... AOF series isn't a bad series at all but if you got some newer fighters, you'll be disapointed. Note some will say it's matter of taste and love the "oldschool" feeling while playing these games but this doesn't apply to everybody.

So I suggest you to try it out before buying to avoid wasting your money on something you won't play.

Michael Yagami · Sep 22, 2003

The AOF series is definitely worth picking up. 1 and 2 are prime examples of the creativity of SNK in the early '90s. Huge sprites, highly detailed backgrounds, smooth animation, great tunes, innovative control and original gameplay. Be warned though, you have to learn how to play the AOF series. It doesn't play like any other fighter, you can't just step in and mash buttons or play off of stratigies from KOF or Street Fighter and expect to win, you'll get your ass handed to you. You'll hear alot of people (espically around here) bitching that AOF 2 is way too hard, but they bitch about it simply because they really don't know how to play it. As long as you put some time in and learn how to play it, AOF 2 can be very enjoyable.

AOF 3 is the pinnacle of the series, no doubt about it. Amazing animation, big, highly detalied sprites, lush backgrounds, great music and the gameplay remains as innovative as ever. The only bad thing I can say about AOF 3 is that there are far to many knockdowns and they take too long to recover from.

Short and simple, pick up AOF 1 and 2. They're very inexpensive and classic Neo titles. Spend some time with them, learn how to play them and then move on to AOF 3 later.

Mike

roker · Sep 22, 2003

Michael Yagami said:
You'll hear alot of people (espically around here) bitching that AOF 2 is way too hard, but they bitch about it simply because they really don't know how to play it. As long as you put some time in and learn how to play it, AOF 2 can be very enjoyable.

No it has nothing to do with not knowing how to play it, but more about a refusal to play a game that has bad gameplay.

I mean I'm tired of people going on and on about how nice AOF3 looks, then go on and on about how the Neo Geo isn't about graphics.

Like I said, if you like nice looking graphics play this series, if you like gameplay then don't.

Freakit · Sep 23, 2003

AOF 1 i liked the most(and is my favorite Neo Geo game)..

AOF 2 was pretty fun also, but getting used to those controls is much more difficult then the 1st game.. once you get past that it's endless hours of fun.

AOF 3.. well, in all honesty, i didn't like it at all. hated the graphics, hated the gameplay, hated the characters... i just couldn't dig it at all.

tsukaesugi · Sep 23, 2003

the roker said:
No it has nothing to do with not knowing how to play it, but more about a refusal to play a game that has bad gameplay.

Bad gameplay?

AOF2?

We must be talking about two different games.

The whole taunt/special move bar relationship was a very original idea for its time, and the way each character had their own specific attack pattern made it seem like I was fighting charcaters with 'character'.

Yeah it's hard, but master AOF2 and you'll be able to take on most other 2D games no problem.

Takumaji · Sep 23, 2003

the roker said:
[...] Like I said, if you like nice looking graphics play this series, if you like gameplay then don't.

Bullshit.

AoF3 is not only about graphics, the engine is just not as accessible as KoF or the Garou games and requires more practise, that's all. If you don't want to invest the needed time into it, well, that's fine with me, but then why the heck do you go and bash AoF3 for its "bad gameplay"?

What do you consider "bad" in AoF3? The fact that you can't use your cheap-ass KoF Ryo combos? That you get your ass handed to you by Sinclair or that you don't even know the correct button layout and therefore constantly drone about "slow and stiff" gameplay like many others?

Please enlighten me, I'm really curious.

Liquid Snake · Sep 23, 2003

We have people here don't know how to play and enjoy Neo game :spock:

roker · Sep 23, 2003

Takumaji said:
Bullshit.

AoF3 is not only about graphics, the engine is just not as accessible as KoF or the Garou games and requires more practise, that's all. If you don't want to invest the needed time into it, well, that's fine with me, but then why the heck do you go and bash AoF3 for its "bad gameplay"?

What do you consider "bad" in AoF3? The fact that you can't use your cheap-ass KoF Ryo combos? That you get your ass handed to you by Sinclair or that you don't even know the correct button layout and therefore constantly drone about "slow and stiff" gameplay like many others?

Please enlighten me, I'm really curious.

No reason to get your panties up in a bunch. I said it was my opinion and that's that. I don't like how unresponsive it is. It doesn't flow right and I find some of the animations from one move to the next to be awkward.

Takumaji · Sep 23, 2003

the roker said:
No reason to get your panties up in a bunch. I said it was my opinion and that's that. I don't like how unresponsive it is. It doesn't flow right and I find some of the animations from one move to the next to be awkward.

See, AoF3 is one of my "holy Neo cows", together with FFS and a couple of others, but it wasn't in that illustrous circle from the very beginning. When I first played it, it felt quite weird, and where I had my opponent down in AoF2 using Ryo in just a couple of seconds, I got my ass handed to me in no time by about any character. Then I went to a buddy of mine and we experimented a whole afternoon, and afterwards the engine suddenly made sense, it all fell into place, it was really some kind of minor enlightment.

That's why I think AoF3 is horribly underrated because of commonplaces like "it's unresponsive and slow", which it isn't. Just do yourself a favour, download Toxic's AoF3 faq from Gamefaqs and give the game another shot, start with the string combo basics, practise some simple combos and then watch your opponents fly...!

kernow · Sep 24, 2003

I second that.

Is Art of Fighting series worth buying?

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