The Good: Classic Retro Fun Still Plays Brilliantly

The Bad: Repetitive In That Way All 80s and 90s Brawlers Are Repetitive In That Way All 80s and 90s Brawlers Are

Feeling nostalgic? Well Final Fight: Double Impact is now out on the PlayStation Store and Xbox LIVE Arcade and features two brilliant games in one. Therefore, the title of the game has nothing to do with that dodgy Jean-Claude Van Damme flick. This neat package contains both Final Fight and Magic Sword. Anyone who fancies a violent trip down Memory Lane should certainly pick this one up and witness first-hand the glory of retro.

Capcom’s original side-scrolling beat ‘em up, Final Fight was launched way back in 1989 in your local arcades and mirrored the character designs inherent in the original Street Fighter game. The game is similar to the likes of Double Dragon, Golden Axe and Streets of Rage and pits up to two players against masses of enemies. It will instantly be familiar, even if you’ve never played it before because it’s influence can be felt in games that followed, especially the afore-mentioned Streets of Rage.

Final Fight is set in Metro City where a tough new mayor, Mike Haggar, has promised to clean up crime on the streets. Mad Gear, a street gang who want to manipulate Haggar, kidnap his daughter Jessica. Fortunately, Haggar is a former wrestler and Jessica’s boyfriend, Cody, is a martial arts expert. They have a friend called Guy who is also hard as nails. Quite convenient, that. The three of them take to the streets in a bid to get Jessica back from a nasty dude called Belger, who leads the Mad Gear Gang. So, you’ll want to beat these punks to a pulp for kidnapping your daughter and for having a ridiculous gang name.

Some things are never quite explained. Like why does Metro City have New York’s famous landmarks? Why are bad guys named after 80s musicians? Why does Guy beat up Cody at the end? And talking of the end, Cody’s decision regarding his love for Jessica is classic videogame nonsense. “I want to stay here with you Jessica, but I can’t… not while evil still stalks the streets.” Cheesetastic.

Surprisingly, gameplay is still tight. The controls are pretty basic obviously, but it’s clear to see why Final Fight is considered a classic. You can mash buttons, but it’s better to plan a strategy and engage enemies on your own terms. Not that this really matters, the game offers an infinite number of continues. Unlike the original, you won’t have to fork out a near fortune in coins to get to the end. There are a nice number of challenges that unlock additional features if you fancy them, along with trophies/achievements. It’s not a bad set-up and should give quite a few hours of play.

The multiplayer is excellent. It features your standard co-op system if you have a friend with you, but also has an online system that allows other gamers to join you in your quest. When you start up the game, you can select what type of game you want to play: online, offline or co-op. If you play online game, people will be able to join you, this freezes the game temporarily when they jump in. It also means you can’t pause the game – even if you are on your own. This can be a bit annoying as there is no way to switch to offline without quitting the game.

The game is presented well, with a nifty feature that allows you to switch from a sharp pixelated image or a more softer one under the moniker of “arcade cabinet”. That flaming body you’re so familiar with from the Street Fighter series pops up when you get flamed and even although you’re a tad pissed that you’ve just lost a huge amount of health, you can’t help but love that flaming body. The game looks great for something that is over twenty years old, it’s just so refreshing to see a classic look so pretty. The menu design and layout is clever, it features a view of an arcade. Hitting a button will pop you over to the Magic Sword arcade machine.

Let’s be quite clear about it, Magic Sword is really an afterthought. Not that it’s a terrible game, it’s just most people will get this for Final Fight itself. Magic Sword is another side-scrolling Capcom game, this time from 1990. It’s a fantasy game with people who look like He-man and friends. The aim is to get to the top of a tower and fight an evil magician called Drokmar and recover the Black Orb.

Unlike Final Fight, Magic Sword has no vertical axis, meaning it’s more like a traditional platformer. You battle through floor after floor of bad dudes and monsters. There are over 50 floors in total. On your quest you can pick up keys and unlock prisoners who can then become your AI allies such as a mage or a ninja. The game also gives players a choice at the end of the game which determines the ending -pretty unique for a game of that era.

The game features co-op play, allowing you to work with a friend to climb the tower. Your friend can also gain an ally, meaning there will usually be a total of four characters at any one stage. The game looks okay, but it’s not in the same league as Final Fight. Magic Sword’s music is also nowhere as iconic or catchy.

Like Final Fight, there are trophies and achievements but my guess is that the daunting nature of playing through all the floors will get the better of you and you’ll probably not bother getting to the end. To be honest, it doesn’t take that long but the basic controls and level design can’t compete with the other game in this collection. Magic Sword really plays a supporting role here, Final Fight’s Mike Haggar is the star of the show. What Magic Sword has to do with Final Fight is beyond me.

Altogether Final Fight: Double Impact is a worthwhile purchase for anyone who loved the brawler classics of the 80s and 90s or just loves the majesty and history of videogames. While the additional game, Magic Sword, is an added bonus, it’s just great to relive what made Final Fight such a worthwhile series.

Games from twenty years ago were deliberately short and hard. They were designed with full knowledge that people would pump coin after coin into a game cabinet to get to that finish screen. Due to the unlimited credits, this isn’t an issue now and you can casually play through the game and save it at any time. As such, I would encourage you as much as I can to get this package. It might not be to everyone’s tastes but most gamers will certainly get their money’s worth. It’s still phenomenal fun and stands the test of time. Go buy it.