- Final Fight
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Final Fight 
North American arcade flyer for Final FightDeveloper(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom, U.S. Gold Ltd. (computers, Europe), Ubisoft, (GBA, Europe)
Sega (Mega-CD)Designer(s) Akira Nishitani (Nin-Nin)
Akira Yasuda (Akiman)
Yoshiki OkamotoArtist(s) Akira Yasuda Composer(s) Yoshihiro Sakaguchi
Yoko ShimomuraPlatform(s) Arcade, Capcom Power System Changer, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, PlayStation 2, Mega CD, ZX Spectrum, Super NES, Sharp X68000, Xbox, XBLA, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Network, Virtual Console, Apple iOS Release date(s) Mode(s) Single player, 2 player Co-op Cabinet Upright Arcade system CP System Display Raster, 384 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 3072 colors Final Fight (ファイナルファイト) is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in 1989. It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware. The player takes control of one of three vigilantes who must rescue a kidnapped young woman from a ruthless street gang.
The game was originally conceived as a sequel to the original Street Fighter titled Street Fighter '89, but the title was changed before its release when the game's genre changed from a one-on-one competitive fighting game to a side-scrolling action game similar to Double Dragon or Golden Axe[citation needed]. Final Fight was ported to various platforms, such as the Super NES and Mega-CD, since its original coin-op release.
Final Fight was followed by a series of sequels that were produced primarily for the home console market, and some of the game's characters would reappear in later Street Fighter games.
Contents
Plot
Chronologically set during the time of the original Street Fighter, Final Fight is set in the fictional American metropolis of Metro City, based on New York City. A former professional wrestler named Mike Haggar is elected as the new Mayor of the city, promising to handle the city's criminal problem in his campaign. The Mad Gear gang, the dominant criminal organization of the city, plots to bring Haggar under their control by kidnapping his daughter Jessica and using her as leverage against him. Enlisting the help of Cody, Jessica's boyfriend and a Martial Arts master himself, as well as Cody's sparring partner, a ninjutsu master named Guy, Haggar opts to fight the gang instead in order to save his daughter.
Gameplay
The end of the first area of Round 1
Final Fight can be played by up to two players simultaneously, with each player controlling a different character. Before the game begins, the player chooses between the three main characters, Guy, Cody, and Haggar, each with his own fighting style and attributes. Guy is the weakest but has faster attacks, Haggar is the strongest but also the slowest, and Cody has all-round attributes.
The controls consists of an eight-way joystick and two buttons for attacking and jumping. The player character can move in any of the eight directions, but can only face and attack to the left or right like in most beat-'em-ups. Pressing both buttons simultaneously performs a special move that attacks in both directions, though uses a little vitality. Players can also grab and throw opponents, as well as use various weapons such as knives, pipes, and swords.
Levels
Final Fight consists of six stages or "rounds", as well as two bonus rounds. Each round takes place in a different section of Metro City such as the Slums and the Subway, with most rounds featuring more than one level. At the end of each round the player will face a boss character unique to that round.
Stage Description Boss 1 Slums Damnd (Thrasher in the U.S version) 2 Subway Sodom (Katana in the U.S version) Bonus Break Car 3 West Side Edi. E 4 Industrial Area Rolento Bonus Break Glass 5 Bay Area Hasnain 6 Up Town Belger Development
Yoshiki Okamoto cites the arcade version of Double Dragon II: The Revenge as his basis for Final Fight.[1] Final Fight was originally shown at trade shows under the title of Street Fighter '89.[2] According to Okamoto, the sales division of Capcom originally requested a Street Fighter sequel, so his team decided to promote Final Fight as a Street Fighter sequel at trade shows (going as far to refer to one of the main characters as a "former Street Fighter"). The title was changed to Final Fight before its official release after feedback from operators stating that the game was nothing like Street Fighter.[1]
The street gang the player faces in the game, the Mad Gear Gang, takes their name from a 1987 overhead racing game by Capcom of the same name. The game was released as Led Storm outside Japan.[3]
Many of the characters are named after 1980s rock musicians such as Axl Rose, Slash, Gene Simmons, (Sid) Sid Vicious, (Billy) Billy Idol, (Abigail, named after King Diamond's 2nd album and also dons facepaint similar to King Diamond) King Diamond, Roxy Music and Poison,[4] with another being from the game Forgotten Worlds.
Home versions
Super NES
Roxy and Poison (first two from left), as depicted in the Japanese Super Famicom port, were replaced with Sid and Billy (third and fourth) in the international SNES versions of the game.An 8-megabit port of Final Fight for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was released as a launch title for the platform in Japan in 1990 and later in North America in 1991 and then in the PAL region in 1992. It was released for the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2007. The 2 player game mode was removed, turning the game into a single player only experience; the Industrial Area round, along with its boss Rolento, were removed; and Guy, one of the main characters, was omitted, leaving Cody and Haggar as the remaining playable characters. Most of the scene transitions were also edited out. In the arcade version, the players would be seen exiting the levels and breaking through doors unlike the SNES version.
The English localization of the SNES port was censored for its content and features several differences from its Japanese Super Famicom counterpart: the first two bosses, Damnd and Sodom, were renamed Thrasher and Katana respectively; Belger's wheelchair was redrawn to look like an office chair; Poison and Roxy, two male-to-female transvestite enemy characters,[5] were replaced with two male punks named Billy and Sid;[6] all alcoholic references were removed, with two health recovering items replaced; a punk's phrase of "Oh! My God" (when his car is destroyed by the player during the first bonus stage) was changed to "Oh! My Car"; the blood splash effect shown when a character is stabbed is replaced by a generic explosion;[7] and finally, the skin tones of certain enemy characters such as Dug and Simons were lightened as well.
A revised edition of the SNES port, titled Final Fight Guy, was released in Japan in 1992. This version replaces Cody with Guy as a selectable character (with a new opening and ending sequence explaining Cody's absence), changes the game's enemy placement and difficulty settings, and adds other new features such as two new power-ups (a Guy/Haggar doll which grants the player an extra life and a Jessica doll which grants the player temporary invincibility), although the Industrial Area stage and the 2-Player mode were still missing from this revision. An American version of the game (featuring the same changes in the localization as in the first game) was released in June 1994 as a rental-only game that was initially available at Blockbuster stores.[8]
U.S. Gold versions
U.S. Gold released ports of Final Fight for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC for the European market in 1991. These ports were developed by Creative Materials.
X68000
A port for the Sharp X68000 computer platform was released by Capcom exclusively in Japan on July 17, 1992. This version is a relatively close conversion of the arcade game, with the only notable changes being different music (with a choice between a MIDI soundtrack and one using the X68000's internal sound chip) and a reduced number of maximum on-screen enemies. The game came packaged with a CD soundtrack with all new remixed tunes.
Mega-CD/Sega-CD
The Mega-CD/Sega-CD version, titled Final Fight CD, was ported and published by Sega under license from Capcom in 1993. This version retains nearly all the features of the arcade game which were removed in the two SNES ports (namely the 2-player game mode, the Industrial Area stage, and the ability to play as any of the three main characters), adding voice acting to the game's opening and ending sequence, an arranged version of the original soundtrack, and an exclusive time attack mode. Like the SNES version, the Mega-CD version was still censored for the English localization with many of the same changes. Poison and Roxy were kept this time, but were redrawn with less revealing clothing (longer shorts and shirts) to hide all nudity.[9]
Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance version, titled Final Fight One, was released in 2001. Final Fight One features all three characters and the Industrial Area stage that was missing from the SNES version. The 2-player cooperative mode is also featured via link cable. Dialogue scenes prior to each boss battle have been added and the Street Fighter Alpha 3 renditions of Cody and Guy are featured as hidden playable characters. The English localization of the game features the same changes as the two SNES versions. However, unlike the SNES versions, Damnd and Sodom kept their original names, but Poison and Roxy were still replaced, like they were in the SNES version.[10]
Version in Capcom Classics Collection
Final Fight is included in the 2005 compilation Capcom Classics Collection Volume 1 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and in the 2006 portable version Capcom Classics Collection Remixed for the PlayStation Portable. The game is emulated from the original CP System arcade version and features very little differences from the arcade game. The compilation includes tips, character profiles, an art gallery and a sound test as bonus features.
Version in Final Fight: Streetwise
The arcade version is also included as a hidden bonus game in the 2006 game Final Fight: Streetwise for the PS2 and Xbox. However, the emulation in this version was programmed by Ultracade, rather than Digital Eclipse (the developers of Capcom Classics Collection series). The controls cannot be adjusted and the quality is lower than other emulated versions.
Final Fight: Double Impact
The arcade version of Final Fight was released in a two-in-one bundle titled Final Fight: Double Impact, alongside the arcade game Magic Sword, for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Added features include various graphic filters, including an arcade cabinet view, online drop-in multiplayer, an arranged soundtrack composed by Simon Viklund (who worked on Bionic Commando Rearmed), and extra content such as concept art and comic pages which are unlocked by completing certain in-game challenges. The game was ported and developed by Proper Games and released for Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft points and April 15, 2010 for PlayStation Network for $9.99.[11] The PS3 version features a very restrictive DRM protection which circumvents the ability other PSN games have to be shared among several PSN accounts. The DRM protection was met with a negative response as it had not been disclosed previous to the game's release.[12]
Reception
In the February 1991 issue of the Japanese coin-operated video game magazine Gamest, Final Fight took No. 1 spot as Best Game of 1990 in the 4th Annual Grand Prize. Final Fight also won the category of Best Action Game, placed No. 4 in Best Video Game Music, No. 9 in Best Graphics, No. 2 in Best Direction, and No. 5 in Best Album. The character Mike Haggar was displayed on the cover of this issue, who took the No. 1 spot in the Top 50 Characters of the year, with Guy in second place, Cody at No. 7, Poison at No. 26, Sodom at No. 33, and Jessica at No. 40.[13]
Legacy
Sequels
Final Fight was followed by two sequels for the SNES: Final Fight 2 in 1993 and Final Fight 3 (Final Fight Tough in Japan) in 1995, produced specifically for the home console market by Capcom's consumer division with no preceding arcade versions. A parody of the original game titled Mighty Final Fight was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and featured child-like versions of the original Final Fight characters. A competitive fighting game spinoff, Final Fight Revenge, was released for Sega's Titan arcade hardware in 1999, which was followed by a home version for the Sega Saturn in Japan only. A 3D sequel titled Final Fight: Streetwise was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
Appearances in other games
The character Mike Haggar is featured as a wrestler in Saturday Night Slam Masters and its two sequels, Muscle Bomber Duo and Slam Masters II: Ring of Destruction with his daughter Jessica appearing alongside him. A few Final Fight characters would also re-emerge as playable characters in later Street Fighter games and other competitive fighting games by Capcom: Guy and Sodom appeared in Street Fighter Alpha in 1995, followed by Rolento in Street Fighter Alpha 2 in 1996 and Cody in Street Fighter Alpha 3 in 1998. Guy's stage in Street Fighter Alpha 2 features several cameos of characters from Final Fight, such as Cody, Haggar, and some enemy characters. Andore would make a reappearance as a playable character in Street Fighter III 2nd Impact under the name Hugo in 1997. He is accompanied by Poison as his manager. Both would reappear in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos (2003), which also features the cameo appearances of the two first Final Fight bosses, Damnd and Sodom, in Chun-Li's ending. Guy is a playable character in Capcom Fighting Jam while Cody, Haggar, Jessica, Hugo, and Sodom appear in the game as cameo characters. Both Guy and Mike Haggar are playable characters in the Namco-published crossover game, Namco x Capcom, which was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan only. Guy would be paired with Sho, a.k.a. Ginzu the Ninja, from Captain Commando.
Both Cody and Guy are playable characters in Super Street Fighter IV while Hugo is in a cameo in a stage and a large statue of Mike Haggar also appear in the game as well, released in 2010.[14] Cody's musical theme is a remix of the intro music from Final Fight. There is also a downloadable Mike Haggar outfit for Zangief in Street Fighter IV. Rolento was considered as a playable character for Super Street Fighter IV, but was edged out by Adon as he had slightly more interest. However, the construction site from his boss battle features as one of the stages.[15]
The car-vandalizing bonus stage was later used in early versions of Street Fighter II. In Super Street Fighter IV, if Cody or Guy are vandalizing the car in the bonus stage, Mad Gear member Bred will appear and complain, in the same way as he does in Final Fight.
Mike Haggar is a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. He is the first character from the Final Fight series to be featured in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. In the game, there is also a stage that takes place in Metro City with the Mad Gear gang fighting the police in the background.
Hugo, Poison and Rolento will be playable characters in the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken.[16]
In other media
The American Street Fighter animated series featured an episode based on Final Fight and titled after the game, which aired during the show's second season. Adapting the plot of the game, the "Final Fight" episode centered around Cody and Guy teaming up with leading Street Fighter characters Ryu and Ken to rescue Jessica from the Mad Gear Gang. Although, Guy and Cody were both characters in the Street Fighter series, the episode actually predates Cody's first appearance in the series as a playable character in Street Fighter Alpha 3 and depicts him in his character design from Final Fight. The episode is included as unlockable content in Final Fight: Double Impact.
The Street Fighter II Turbo comic book by UDON Entertainment features a supplemental story arc spanning issues 6 and 7 centering around the Final Fight characters who were featured in the Street Fighter series.[17]
The actor Robin Williams stated that he named his son Cody Williams after a video game character, which is believed to be Cody from Final Fight.[18]
References
- ^ a b Kent, Steven. "VideoGameSpot's Interview with Yoshiki Okamoto (Waybacked)". Archived from the original on February 23, 1999. http://web.archive.org/web/19990223191246/http://www.videogames.com/features/universal/okamoto/okfinal.html.
- ^ "The Arcade Flyer Archive - Video Game: Capcom Concept Cabinet, Capcom". http://www.arcadeflyers.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=4155&image=4.
- ^ "System 16 - 68000 Based Hardware (Capcom)". http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=791.
- ^ Staff (March 2007). "The Making of Final Fight". Retro Gamer (37): 52.
- ^ Capcom. Final Fight (in Japanese). Super Famicom. Level/area: Instruction manual, page 25.
- ^ Sheff, David. Game Over. p. 225. ISBN 0679404694. "With Capcom USA, Phillips's team edited some of the grislier games that came in from its Japanese parent company, although Capcom's own censors weeded out the most offensive touches... When a Capcom USA representative suggested that it was tasteless to have the game's hero beat up a woman, a Japanese designer responded that there were no women in the game. 'What about the blonde named Roxy?' the American asked. The designer responded, 'Oh, you mean the transvestite!' Roxy was given a haircut and new clothes."
- ^ "日米ファイナルファイト比較" (in Japanese). http://choujin.50webs.com/japanvsusa/finalfight.htm.
- ^ "Pak Watch Update". Nintendo Power (Volume 60): p. 112. May 1994.
- ^ "Final Fight CD regional differences - Final Fight Online". http://www.finalfight.classicgaming.gamespy.com/FFsegaregional.html.
- ^ "Final Fight One regional differences - Final Fight Online". http://www.finalfight.classicgaming.gamespy.com/FFgbaregional.html.
- ^ "Joystiq - Capcom porting Final Fight and Magic Sword to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.". http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/25/oh-my-car-capcom-porting-final-fight-and-magic-sword-to-xbla-a/.
- ^ "Capcom Apologizes for Not Telling Users of Final Fight DRM". Kotaku.com. 2010-04-23. http://kotaku.com/5523238/capcom-apologizes-for-not-telling-users-of-final-fight-drm. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ Ishii, Zenji. "ゲーメスト大賞" (in Japanese). GAMEST (54): 10–16. http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~dummy/gamest/magazine/gamest/v054.html.
- ^ "IGN: Three More Fighters in Super Street Fighter IV". http://ps3.ign.com/articles/104/1049283p1.html.
- ^ Words: Brett Elston, GamesRadar US. "Adon edged out Rolento in Super Street Fighter IV, Super Street Fighter IV Xbox 360 News". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/super-street-fighter-iv/news/adon-edged-out-rolento-in-super-street-fighter-iv/a-2010042012531525033/g-20090929103035749030. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/312587/street-fighter-x-tekken-comiccon-trailer-shows-new-characters/
- ^ "UDON announces Final Fight comics". http://www.udonentertainment.com/blog/?p=664.
- ^ Glenn M. (November 29, 2009). "Even Robin Williams loves him some Call of Duty". QuickJump Gaming Network. http://www.qj.net/qjnet/wii/even-robin-williams-loves-him-some-call-of-duty.html. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
External links
- Final Fight at the Killer List of Videogames
- Final Fight at GameFAQs
- Final Fight at World of Spectrum
- Final Fight guide at StrategyWiki
- Final Fight Online
Final Fight video games Final Fight · Final Fight 2 · Mighty Final Fight · Final Fight 3 · Final Fight Revenge · Final Fight: StreetwiseStreet Fighter characters Street Fighter series Related characters Franchises by Capcom 19XX • Ace Attorney • Bionic Commando • Breath of Fire • Darkstalkers • Dead Rising • Devil May Cry • Dino Crisis • Final Fight • Ghosts 'n Goblins • Lost Planet • Mega Man • Monster Hunter • Onimusha • Resident Evil • Sengoku Basara • Star Gladiator • Street Fighter • Strider • Versus • Viewtiful JoeCategories:- 1989 video games
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- Arcade games
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