Fighting Vipers

"Casting Call: Eccentric fighting heroes who aren't afraid to use everyday items to get the upper hand in the ring." That might as well have been the ad Sega put in the classified section, because every one of the cartoonish pugilists in Fighting Vipers comes with their own silly "weapon" of choice. Instead of choosing a machete, whip or even a gun, these fighters brought along skateboards, bicycles, roller skates and an electric guitar. Good luck keeping that "axe" in tune.

Dismissed at the time for not being Virtua Fighter 2, Fighting Vipers is one of Sega's goofiest arcade games. Forget about counting frames and memorizing convoluted combos, this minor arcade hit from 1995 is a lot more accessible than Sega's other fighters. It's easy to start seeing cool moves on your very first play, even if you don't take the time to master the small roster of characters.

Fighting Vipers adds a couple of new wrinkles to the oversaturated market. For starters, all of the stages are enclosed in a large four-sided cage. The only way to get a ring out in this game is to work up a move so powerful that it literally sends your opponent screaming through the cage wall. Speaking of barriers, you'll also need to pay close attention to your armor. Each fighter comes with his or her own protective pads, which are meant to blunt some of the damage coming your way. But this armor can break over the course of two or three rounds, ultimately leaving your combatant vulnerable.

For five dollars you get the arcade experience and not much more. There are no bonus modes, no character customization and nothing even close to resembling an art gallery. You get the short arcade mode, versus mode and that's it. You shouldn't even expect the cool extras found in the Saturn port, this is strictly an arcade package. Like the other two games reviewed, Fighting Vipers offers a barebones online mode, leaderboard support and, of course, achievements/trophies.

I'll confess, I wasn't very excited going into Fighting Vipers. Even as a big fan of Sega's fighting games, there was something about the over-the-top goofiness that kept me away. Believe it or not, I ended up having a lot of fun with Fighting Vipers. The rounds are quick, the hits feel powerful and after a while I started to get into the groove. Too bad it's over just as things are starting to get interesting. Fighting Vipers is worth five dollars ... but not much more.