This Week in Defunct Games - Dec. 22, 2010

What Is It? Mario Party 2 is exactly what it sounds like, the sequel to one of Nintendo's most popular video board games. In this game you choose a popular Nintendo character to take around an ever-changing board collecting coins, stars and other Mario-themed items. From time to time players will be asked to participate in multiplayer mini-games, which include everything from button mashing events to memory challenges. What sets this game apart is how quickly somebody can go from last to first. All it takes is a few lucky breaks (and well placed items) to win the whole thing. But it doesn't matter who comes out ahead, because everybody is having a good time when they play Mario Party 2.

Does It Still Hold Up? I never thought I would be so happy to return to the days of "normal" game pads. While I may be in the minority, I was put off by the motion-centric gameplay found in both Mario Party 7 and 8. This 1999 release may repeat a few too many puzzles from the first game, but I was surprised by how much fun I had playing it again. Just be careful, because like all other games in the series, Mario Party 2 is not recommended for solo-gamers.

Is It Worth The Money? There is an argument to be made that this series (which had annual sequels up until 2005) overstayed its welcome. If this was a review of a brand new $50 game, I would likely join that chorus of naysayers. But there's something about the price and timing that melts my heart. At ten dollars this sequel is now cheaper than most real board games, and this is the perfect game to play during your holiday get-togethers this weekend. It still fails as a one-player experience, but it's the perfect release this close to Christmas.

What Is It? I would describe Galaxy Fight as the prequel to Waku Waku 7, but that would require anybody knowing what Waku Waku 7 is. Galaxy Fight has more going for it than just a cheesy subtitle ("Universal Warriors"); it's also one of the two fighting games SunSoft made for the Neo Geo. The game offers eight wildly different characters to choose from, including a girl in leather bondage, a space alien and even a robot. This PlayStation 1 port features two modes, a traditional single-player setting and a versus mode when friends come over. That's it. No tournament or practice modes, just a 1 or 2 player option. You certainly don't see that barebones approach these days.

Does It Still Hold Up? Even though this game is a whopping 15 years old, it still looks and feels like a modern 2D fighter. The graphics and animation were way ahead of their time, predicting the rise of the stylish fighting game (such as the Guilty Gear franchise). It's a little rough around the edges, but this is an example of SunSoft at their most confident. Best of all, the gameplay feels tight and responsive. Learning how to pull off super moves may take some getting used to, but once you've learned the controls it's smooth sailing.

Is It Worth The Money? Between Galaxy Fight and the mountain of just-released Neo Geo games, this has been a great week to be a fan of old school fighting games. But even with all the competition, Galaxy Fight is the game to get. With its memorable cast and great looks (especially animation), it would be a crime not to buy this lost gem. While I would have appreciated more modes and some online multiplayer, Galaxy Fight is good enough on its own to warrant a look. And did I mention that the game is a mere six dollars? Not only is it the best game released this week, but it's also the cheapest.

What Is It? It's hard to believe that I'm reviewing twelve classic games and only one of them is a 2D shoot-em-up. Alpha Mission II is your average vertical shooter, complete with familiar power-ups and an unsympathetic difficulty. This 1991 arcade game features seven stages to master and exclusive online play. Alpha Mission II allows players to power-up their ship by adding parts mid-level, making it easier to take down the powerful bosses and their weaker underlings. Fans of shooters may get a kick out of this early-generation Neo Geo title, but the PSN is home to many, MANY better 2D shoot-em-ups.

Does It Still Hold Up? Like most 2D shooters, Alpha Mission II is a little too shallow for its own good. The gameplay is simple and the power-ups are mostly cool, but this is the type of game you can beat in one sitting and never want to play again. Thankfully the controls are responsive and the boss battles are appropriately epic.

Is It Worth The Money? Alpha Mission II is the perfect example of what is wrong with most Neo Geo games. Here's a punishingly difficult shooter made easy thanks to unlimited continues. Unless you limit yourself, there's no reason why one can't bust through this game in under an hour. Thankfully the adventure getting to the final boss is interesting enough to warrant the ride, but I'm not sure it's worth nine dollars.

What Is It? Released in 1992, Art of Fighting was a story-driven alternative to Street Fighter II. You play one of two characters, Ryo Sakazaki or Robert Garcia, as they battle the evil Mr. Big and retrieve Ryo's kidnapped sister, Yuri. But don't get too excited, because the original Art of Fighting is an absolutely dreadful game. At the time the game had a few things going for it, such as large detailed characters, a somewhat interesting (albeit cliche) story and a camera that zoomed in and out of the action as the characters got further apart and closer together. But with the good comes a lot of bad, such as a control system that is sluggish and frustrating. Thankfully the Art of Fighting series did improve over time, but this first installment is an absolutely dreadful game that should be avoided at all cost.

Does It Still Hold Up? I've said it before and I'll likely say it again -- Art of Fighting is a terrible representation of this popular genre. The graphics aren't bad and the characters are well detailed, but everything falls apart the moment you're forced to play the game. Stiff controls, unresponsive characters and special moves you've seen a thousand times before, Art of Fighting is a good idea marred by poor execution.

Is It Worth The Money? Of the four fighting games released in this first wave of Neo Geo classics, Art of Fighting should be last on your list. Much like Fatal Fury, it took Art of Fighting a few installments before coming into its own. Not even the online multiplayer mode is enough to make this stinker worth picking up. The only good thing about this release is that it gives me hope that we'll eventually see Art of Fighting 3 on the PlayStation 3 and PSP. Until that day comes, you can go ahead and ignore this mediocre franchise.

What Is It? SNK did more than make fighting games and Metal Slug sequels; it also published a number of cartoony sports games. On the NES, Baseball Stars was a fully-featured baseball game. It offered customizable teams, cool role-playing elements and pretty much anything else you would want from a 1989 sports game. Unfortunately, in coming to the Neo Geo, Baseball Stars traded deep gameplay for flashy graphics. As a result we have an arcade-y baseball game that isn't much fun to play.

Does It Still Hold Up? It's impossible to compare Baseball Stars Professional to a modern day sports simulator, but that doesn't give this game the right to get the basics wrong. As an offensive player, Baseball Stars Professional shines. However, the moment you have to field a long ball, the game basically gives up. The ball moves too fast for players to get into position, often leading to the computer scoring runs on easy plays. There are other minor problems (lack of stadiums, repetitive animations, etc.), but none of that matters when half the game is broken.

Is It Worth The Money? It's possible to have a good time playing Baseball Stars Professional, but that depends entirely on how many real people you know. Against the computer this is one of the Neo Geo's worst games, but it manages to be lot more fun with a second person. For one thing, the broken defense slices both ways, making for some high scoring (and inadvertently hilarious) games. Given the disappointing single-player experience and the fact that there are better baseball games on the Neo Geo (not to mention the PlayStation 3 and PSP), I have hard time recommending Baseball Stars Professional.

What Is It? Long before Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters, Last Blade, Art of Fighting and the dizzying amount of other 2D fighting games, there was Fatal Fury. This was the Neo Geo's very first fighter, released into the wild to compete with the incredibly popular Street Fighter II. You choose one of three players (Joe Higashi and the Bogard brothers, Andy and Terry), martial artists looking to clean the streets in South Town. This is also the game that introduces the King of Fighters tournament, a key story element that would be later spun off into its own series. Chances are you've played this game, seeing as SNK has repackaged this game on at least seven different game consoles.

Does It Still Hold Up? Despite my negative review, there's a lot to admire about the original Fatal Fury. The game does a good job of differentiating itself from the competition by allowing players to jump in and out of the screen to avoid enemy attacks. What's more, the backgrounds change from one round to the next, giving you something new to look at as the battles progress. It's a shame that these forward thinking ideas were wasted in this bad playing game. Fatal Fury has everything but the execution going for it.

Is It Worth The Money? It's like clockwork: Whenever SNK decides to port Neo Geo games to a new platform; they go straight for the Fatal Fury. They did the same thing on the Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade, so it shouldn't surprise anybody that Fatal Fury is one of the first games released on PSN's Neo Geo Station. If there's one thing I've learned from playing Fatal Fury so many times, it's that this 2D fighter is not a very good game. The controls are sluggish and the character selection is limited. There's an argument to be made that the Super NES and Genesis ports were superior, if only because they added extra characters to the two-player mode. There are great Fatal Fury games worth buying ... just not this mediocre first installment.