WHP Review

WORLD HEROES PERFECT

US Title:	World Heroes Perfect
Japanese Title:	World Heroes Perfect
By:	ADK
Year:	1995
Size:	226 Megs
Home Release?	Yes
MVS Release?	Yes
CD Release?	Yes

Graphics: 7.5 Fun: 7.0		Sound: 6.5
Gameplay: 7.0		Overall: 7.0

It seems that with every new release of World Heroes we get pretty much what we should have gotten in the first place. The first World Heroes game had promise but the gameplay was just too slow and the game's fighting engine left a lot to be desired. In fact it was bordering on horrible. Then ADK released World Heroes 2 which was definitely a step in the right direction but the game still played a little too slowly and the game lacked any kind of real combo system. Next came the upgraded version of World Heroes 2 called World Heroes 2 JET. This game definitely helped the speed problem but didn't do much else. Now with the final release of the World Heroes series, World Heroes Perfect, we finally get the game the first three should have been. And if we would have been lucky and ADK would have continued to release upgrades, we might have had one outstanding game by the time "World Heroes 6 Absolutely Perfect" was released. Unfortunately that didn't happen. So World Heroes fans must be content with WH Perfect. And truthfully the game isn't that bad.

GAMEPLAY: (7.0/10)
Before we get started let's get one thing straight. Garou or Last Blade this game is not. Not by a long shot. So if you can get past that, you might actually enjoy this game. It doesn't have a flashy combo system, and even the special moves aren't that special. What World Heroes Perfect does have is one very straight up fighting engine that is a breeze to learn. WHP is the perfect game for someone new to fighting games or someone who doesn't want to spend all their time learning and mastering tons of fighting moves and intricate combos. This is just basically punching, kicking, and a few cool special moves all thrown together with some of the most bizarre characters you've ever likely seen in a fighting game. And don't get me wrong, the game is fun to play, but after a couple of hours with the game most die-hard fighting game fans will likely tire of it and be ready to move on to something with a little more depth. Overall the gameplay isn't bad it's just not what we've come to expect with some of the newer fighters like KOF 2000 and Garou: Mark of the Wolves. And it's not necessarily the game's fault, it's just us Neo Geo gamers have gotten a little spoiled as of late.

GRAPHICS: (7.5/10)
The graphics in WHP are actually the high point of the game. Bright and rich colors create some really vibrant backgrounds and the characters look pretty good themselves. The backgrounds are not quite as detailed as the ones in newer Neo fighters and have quite a few less animations but they still stand out very well and provide a nice setting for the fighters. I just wish ADK would have spent as much effort on the rest of the game.

SOUND: (6.5/10)
Now this might sound weird but the music in WHP feels like it belongs in a role-playing game to me. It seems a little too calm and relaxing to belong in an up-tempo fighting game. The speech is well done, as it has been throughout the World Heroes series and in full English, as opposed to newer SNK fighters. Overall the sound is adequate but could have been a bit more fitting for this type of game. Had this soundtrack been in the first World Heroes game it might have been acceptable, but for the fourth game in the series I expected a lot better myself.

FUN: (7.0/10)
World Heroes Perfect is a fun game. For about an hour or two. And then it quickly begins to lose its luster. Like I said before, maybe I have just been too spoiled as of late with the outstanding fighters that have been released on the Neo Geo. Or maybe I was just expecting too much from the last game in the World Heroes series. But I personally think this game had a lot of potential that was just never realized. Gamers new to fighting games will likely enjoy this game very much but most experienced fighting fans will likely rate this game very low on the fun scale. Most likely even lower than the score I gave it.

OVERALL: (7.0/10)
Overall WHP is a good game that could have been great. It's basically a case of "too little too late". I guess we can always hope that ADK will see it in their hearts to release yet another World Heroes update but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Because most likely we will just have to be content with this game. And it's a shame too because the game has a lot of potential. My advice is to try this one out before you buy it. It might be worth the $35 the MVS cart costs, but the AES cart is somewhat hard to find and it's definitely not worth the $150+ this game fetches for the home cart. If you want a good hand-to-hand fighting game save your money and buy Garou: Mark of the Wolves. You'll be so glad you did!

-Corbie Dillard

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More Reviews of This Game:

by Steve

by Kazuya_UK - Courtesy of Kazuya's