This game stands out to all fighting games.
Story: 8/10
- The storyline is okay for a fighting game. After Geese Howard (the first tournament's sponsor) was killed by Terry Bogard in the first Fatal Fury game, a mysterious nobleman becomes the sponsor of the new "King of Fighters" tournament. This time, the tournament is held worldwide with fighters around the globe competing. As the single player mode progresses, the mysterious challenger begin defeating the participants from the first Fatal Fury game, searching for the man responsible for defeating Geese. I may not have the first Fatal Fury game, but I have played it a little at my nephew's house and I know what happened plot-wise. My nephew has Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Volume 1 on the Playstation 2; where all of the original Fatal Fury games are there, including Fatal Fury: Special.
Gameplay: 9/10
- The gameplay is different compared to the rest of the other fighting games, which is all I got to say. The gameplay follows the typical formula of most fighting games: the player competes against their opponent in best 2 out of 3 matches. However, the one thing that made this game unique from the previous fighting games was the addition of 2-line battles. Many stages featured 2 lines, a background line and a foreground line. Certain stages have hazards in the background line, such as electrified wires or a stampede of bulls, and thus the player and the opponent cannot change lines, but can knock each other to the other line, causing extra damage. The player is given 4 types of attacks (Light Punch, Light Kick, Strong Punch, and Strong Kick). The player can also dash towards the opponent or retreat by pressing right or left twice. Each of the playable characters has Special Moves that are performed by inputting specific commands and combination with the control pad and buttons. Their is also a Super Special Move in the game, a more powerful type of regular Special Moves that can only be used when the player's life gauge is at 25% and flashing red.
Graphics: 9/10
- The graphics are really good! I just do not like the traditional "circle shadows under the characters", like all the other fighting games have.
Sound: 8/10
- The sound effects of the game are all good. The music is all right.
Overall, I give this game an 8 1/2 out of 10. This game is indeed different from the rest of the other fighting games. That is the reason why I think this game will be remembered by people. I am going to be honest, I play this game every now and then on my Super Nintendo with Terry Bogard (I am most comfortable with using him); I try and beat every CPU on the hardest difficulty with him. I do fine until I get to Billy Kane. He aggravates me with how he fights! You and Billy Kane can be on opposite ends of the screen, and he can still reach you with the stick he fights with! Even if you try and jump towards him in the air to dodge the long stick he uses on the ground, he can still use the long stick in the air! So, it is hard to beat him! I never got through Billy Kane without getting hit; I either barely win or he beats me entirely! Well anyway, I have fun with this game.