Defunct Games vs. Final Fight

The turn of the century brought us the Y2K scare, The Lord of the Rings movies and the PlayStation 2. It also brought us a very strange pairing of Capcom and SNK, two rival companies that we thought would never come together. By 2001 SNK had already released a number of exciting SNK vs. Capcom titles (including two that we've already looked at). But it was the 2001 release of Capcom vs. SNK 2 that really put the battle to bed. Capcom vs. SNK 2 is a very odd beast. The first Capcom vs. SNK game failed to live up to either Capcom or SNK's highs, instead offering a good, but not great, fighting experience. This sequel, on the other hand, knocked the ball right out of the park. It featured a robust customizable option, tons of characters and some good old fashioned versus action. The game also featured Maki, returning from her debut in Final Fight 2. Unfortunately this pairing doesn't hold up under scrutiny. Fighting game fanatics quickly found unbalanced characters and too many cheap attacks to mention here. Still, if you're a fan of these two companies and are looking for a great fighting game, you could do a lot worse than Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001.

Released a dozen years after the game first hit the arcades; Final Fight Zero is a remake/upgrade for the Game Boy Advance. While other companies were porting their Super NES wares to the GBA, Capcom took a novel approach and recreated the original arcade game. That meant that Nintendo fans could FINALLY play as all three characters. And that's not all, the game also featured the glorious return of the Industrial Area (missing from the Super NES port), as well as the long lost two-player co-op mode. Better still, Capcom went through and added new dialog and hidden Street Fighter Alpha costumes for Cody and Guy. While the handheld console is hardly the best place to experience Final Fight, it is the most complete version of the game on a Nintendo machine. Plus, it has a time attack mode ... and really, who can resist a time attack mode?

While not a brand new game, Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX was different enough to warrant a mention in this 20 Years of Final Fight write-up. This upgraded version was first released on the Game Boy Advance in 2002, using the title Street Fighter Alpha 3. However, four years later Capcom decided to port the game to the PSP (under the name Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX, or Street Fighter 3 Double Upper in Japan) adding a few new modes and one new character (Ingrid, from Capcom Fighting Evolution). Both versions introduced new characters, including the return of Maki from Final Fight 2. Both games are good for what they are, but there's no question that the PSP version is superior. Sony's hardware easily outshines that of the Game Boy Advance, not to mention that Nintendo's portable only offered four buttons (two face buttons and two shoulder buttons). However, just because the PSP version is better, that doesn't mean you should ignore the GBA game. If all you own is a Nintendo DS or a GBA, then this is one of the best fighting games around. However, the PSP version is the one to get if you have the option.

Released shortly after Capcom's curious Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (or Street Fighter Zero: Fighters' Generation in Japan) is a so-so compilation disc. If you're looking for an easy way to check out the difference between Street Fighter Alpha 1 and 2, then this is the disc for you. However, too many changes were made to Street Fighter Alpha 3 for this to be seriously considered. Also annoying are the rampant technical problems, including more than a few long load times. Another questionable decision was including the arcade versions of these games, as opposed to the superior PlayStation, Game Boy Advance and PSP ports. The good news is that gamers who can put up with inferior ports are rewarded with remixed versions of the game, as well as Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix (aka Pocket Fighter). You're better off picking these games up for other systems, at least there you'll get Street Fighter Alpha 3's amazing World Tour mode.

Card Fighters DS may just be the most heartbreaking game on this list. While I didn't expect much from games like Fight Fight 2 and Final Fight Revenge, I was ecstatic about the release of this SNK vs. Capcom sequel for the Nintendo DS. Finally I would have a chance to play one of the best card battling games of all time against real people, mainly because I actually knew people who owned Nintendo DS units. But my excitement for the game was shattered the moment I turned it on. For one thing, SNK managed to break the original's careful gameplay by giving you the option of playing eight cards at the same time (as opposed to three). Worse yet, the first batch of games that were released (including the one I reviewed) featured a game-breaking bug that would literally stop you from completing the game. Thankfully the bug was fixed, but there was nothing SNK could do to fix the broken gameplay and terribly unbalanced cards. You're better off finding the two Neo Geo Pocket Color titles.

It's a shame we have to end twenty years like this. This PlayStation 2/Xbox brawler is a continuation of the first game, which should have been a great place to start. Unfortunately Final Fight Streetwise is just another ho-hum action game with repetitive gameplay and some strange technical problems. The game stars Kyle Travers, Cody's younger brother. He's off on a quest to rescue Cody, which means that you're going to have to beat everybody that gets in your way up. After all, that's the Metro City way. The game tries its hardest to remind you why you loved the original game; it even goes as far as to bring back a number of popular characters (Haggar, Guy, Andore, etc.). But alas, it's just no good. In fact, saying that it's no good ignores how absolutely horrific this game is. Don't let me kind words fool you; Final Fight Streetwise is one of the worst games ever, the type of 3D game that makes you wish you had never heard of Final Fight before. It has some of the ugliest graphics I have ever seen, speech that sounds like it's done ironically, substandard gameplay, and a script with so much profanity that it would make Tony Montana blush. And did I mention that the gameplay doesn't work? There is good news, though. This final Final Fight game features the original game as an unlockable. But even that is useless, since all it does is remind you how much better the 1989 game was. Final Fight Streetwise is bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad! There aren't enough words to describe the pain you put yourself in when playing this title. Simply telling you to skip it is not enough. If you see this game out in the wild make sure and grab it, break the disc, set the store you found it in on fire and, for good measure, drop some sort of nuclear bomb on it. The innocent casualties will be worth it to get this garbage off the streets. Of course, I mean that in the nicest way possible.