 |
Final Fight One (GBA)
by Dentolux
Final Fight is a late eighties arcade side scrolling brawler made by those wonderful chaps at Capcom (or at least wonderful until they became greedy and started to milk consumers for cash by releasing multiple editions of their fighting games within a short period of time.) When you think of classic beat-em-ups Final Fight is right up ... there with the legendary Double Dragon. My first experience with the Final Fight series was the disappointing port released on the Super Nintendo. That particular version inexplicably omitted a level from the arcade game and reduced the roster of playable characters from three to two. After a ten year wait Nintendo players were finally able to sample the full Final Fight experience on the GBA. Let us see if It was worth the wait.
STORY
The game takes place in the violent metropolis known as Metro City which is overrun by hoodlums. Not the type of place you would want to live in, although I hear that it is still safer than the riot capital of the world London... what's with the groans? Still too early to be poking fun at that particular debacle? Anyways, Metro City has decided to fight fire with fire. Rather than elect a posh politician to sort out the criminal mess the inhabitants have voted in former wrestler Mike Haggar to clean up the streets. This may all sound ridiculous, but it's not as implausible as it sounds. Former WWF star Jesse "The Body" Ventura for example went into politics after leaving the squared circle. I guess fake fighting isn't all that different to making fake promises atop a soap box.
Unfortunately for Mike, his term in office doesn't start well. When the cartridge boots up a cut scene informs us that the notorious Mad Gear gang has kidnapped his daughter. In exchange for her release and bribe they politely ask the mayor to let them continue running amok... an offer that the moustached muscle man declines. A shirt less Haggar takes to the streets with the aims of teaching Mad Gear a lesson and rescuing his beloved Jessica. Coming along for the ride is Jessica's boyfriend Cody, who is an accomplished street fighter, and Guy some random ninja who dresses in an all red outfit. I guess he just wants to tag along as he likes to crack skulls. Can the trio of fighters save the damsel in distress and crush the thugs who snatched her away? You'll have to play to find out.
PRESENTATION
Visually Final Fight One looks great. Don't think that because the game is on a handheld that sacrifices had to be made in the looks department. What we get here is pretty much what you experienced when pumping change into the arcade machine. The backgrounds are detailed which set the backdrop for the large character sprites that hog the limelight. It all runs smoothly even when a number of combatants are on screen which is great as there is nothing worse than having the action interrupted by stutter. The character designs of the heroes and villains is impressive. Whilst playing through the game I could certainly see where Sega took their "inspiration" from when drawing up models for the Streets of Rage series.
When performing moves I would have liked to have seen some more frames of animation, but given the age of the arcade game Final Fight One is emulating it is something I can forgive. The title's sound is however not as jaw dropping. The sound effects lack oomph, possibly due to the Gameboy Advance's weedy speakers. That's a pity as having good audio really adds to the gameplay experience when landing a blow in games like this. The music is alright although nothing spectacular. I enjoyed a couple of the tracks used in certain stages, but most of the other tunes were unmemorable. It doesn't compare to the soundtrack in Streets of Rage or even match the catchy Double Dragon theme.
GAMEPLAY
As an early beat-em-up Final Fight isn't revolutionary, but everything it does it does well. You have six levels, set in different areas of the city, to fight through in order to save Jessica (it's a small wonder that Mad Gear didn't execute the hostage after learning of the rescue attempt, but whatever.) The GBA's lack of buttons isn't an issue as the controls are simple making the title easy to pick up and play. The d-pad moves your character, one button attacks and the other makes you jump. By pressing the shoulder trigger it is also possible to perform a special move to knock down bad guys when you are surrounded or to interrupt an enemy's combo. As with many other brawlers the special attack cannot be abused as it depletes your health bar.
Such a simplistic game could potentially get repetitive, but this doesn't happen with Final Fight as they keep throwing new things at you to keep thing interesting. For a start you get a good selection of enemies each with their own attack patterns to counter. As you would expect you'll find regular fodder to beat up, but amongst their ranks are acrobatic guys who do summersaults, bandana wearing baddies who toss Molotov cocktails and the Andore brothers who annoyingly squash you whenever you get knocked off your feet. Hey that isn't fair! Didn't anyone ever tell Mad Gear that it isn't sporting to kick someone when they are down?
The levels also keep things fresh as they all look very different. Apart from the city streets you get to battle on an elevator, in a factory and at a night club (where no one seems to be fussed about the brawls taking place.) Aside from the thugs you have to beat up some levels include obstacles to avoid such as flames and rolling barrels. As you make your way through each level keep an eye out for weapons which will give your fists a welcome rest. Upon completing levels two and four you get propelled into a bonus stage which allows you to rack up on points. My favourite of the two bonus stages would have to be the first one which involves smashing up a car. If you accomplish the vehicular destruction within the time limit the owner appears and bursts into tears. The cheesy voice acting and oversized waterworks from his eyes during that segment are unintentionally hilarious.
SUMMARY
If you are a fan of old school beat-em-ups and own a Gameboy Advance this title is a must have. I was overjoyed to see that they didn't take the lazy route of copying the SNES version. Final Fight One gives you the complete arcade package including all the characters, the missing level and a two player mode which was also not present in the Super Nintendo release. The story is cheesy, but given that most brawlers don't have any cut scenes it was neat to see dialogue at the start and end of the adventure. It gives you some motivation for pummelling fiends as do the exchanges between the characters prior to a boss fight.
Although six levels isn't terribly long there is some replay value to be had. The game keeps track of how many evil doers you have knocked out and when you reach certain milestones extra content gets unlocked. The goodies on offer include extra lives, a level select and alternate versions of Cody and Guy (which are based on their appearances in the Street Fighter games.) As a handheld game Final Fight works really well. The straightforward controls and the game's length make it a perfect distraction to play during your travels. I just hope your journey isn't to Metro City as carrying a Gameboy in that place is mugger bait.
Review also posted on Ciao
Read the complete review |
 |
Harvest Moon - Friends Of Mineral Town (GBA)
by jack341
Harvest Moon friends of mineral town is a role playing game based on an unusual premise - farming.
The player is first introduced to the game by a short cut scene explaining how you inherit a farm that has fallen into disrepair. You are told by the towns mayor to start farming and from then on, the world of harvest moon is yours ... to explore.
The main goal of the game is to earn money and improve your farm, and this can be done in all sorts of ways, from growing crops and rearing animals, to collecting things found in mountains and mining.
At the start of the game you are given a set of tools - an axe for clearing wood, a hoe, and a watering can for example. As you earn more money, you can improve your tools and access new areas and abilities, which allow you to improve the scale of your farming operation. This money can also be spent on improving your house and barn, as well as building outbuildings.
The farming is only part of the game however. The in game world also features a large town area with a multitude of characters to interact with. By giving them gifts and interacting more often, your relationship with them improves and lets you access new things, including a wife.
Graphically, this game is a stand out for the GBA in my opinion. They are clear and colourful, and it is easy to discern what things are. Animations are smooth, and environments are varied season to season. As for in game sound, the effects (cows mooing, your axe chopping wood etc) are good, but the initially whimsical background tune can soon become grating. In terms of longevity, harvest moon is essentially infinite, though I imagine after about 20 hours you may get a bit sick of it.
In summary I'd say that Harvest moon is an enjoyable, laid back game that can soon become addictive if you enjoy RPG games, and the desire to attain all there is to be found in the game.
Read the complete review |
 |
Gradius Galaxies (GBA)
by mundy5
Gradius Galaxies is not a port of the original gradius game. All of the 8 levels and 47 sublevels are all brand new to this game. Gradius Galaxies is one of the best side scrolling games you can find. The goal of gradius galaxies is to guide your ship to victory against an alien horde. There are 12 weapons to choose from each of which ... has 5 levels of strength. At the start of the game you choose from 4 different ship configurations. Balanced, Wide, Power, Air to Ground. Balanced offers average weapon coverage in all directions. Wide offers less overall protection but increases the area of effect. The power type is strong but leaves the ship vulnerable at times. Air to Ground type focuses your attacks infront of and below your ship.
The game has plenty of enemies on all difficulties that will converge on your ship from not just infront of you but from all directons. Some levels have hazards other than enemies such as traps and dangerous terrain such as mountains that you must dodge. Graphically the game is stunning with amazingly detailed backgrounds. There are also over 40 enemies and some great boss battles. The soundtrack may not be as good as the rest of the game but its at least adequate. Unfortunatley the games may problem is that the game is quite dim and the bullets are tiny making it hard to see and ultimatley causing you to die more times then you should becasue of the difficulty in seeing.
If you like a challenge Then gradius galaxies is the game for you offering solid gameplay, great graphics and multiple difficulties as well as average music and a hard to see screen.
Read the complete review |
