Final Fight Revenge - A Game you Need to Play Before you Die.

Final Fight Revenge - A Game you Need to Play Before you Die. 

Released in Arcades in 1999, Capcom decided to make a 3D fighting game based on Final Fight. This game plays similar to Street Fighter EX, but was developed by the American division of Capcom (Production Studio 8), the same team behind Final Fight Streetwise and the first Maximo. It was later ported to the Sega Saturn in Japan and would make use of the 4MB Ram cart. This would be the first time characters like Poison, Haggar and Andore would be in a 1 on 1 style fighting game. Needless to say I was excited to finally dive into this one as were many other fighting game fans. Sadly, the final product was, shall we say, less than stellar.


This game shares some similarities with Street Fighter EX, but where that game succeeded, Final Fight Revenge fails on many levels. To my disappointment, the game plays like a slow, unresponsive mess at times with visuals that look like they were drawn by a 4 year old in MS Paint. I often wonder why the 4MB Cartridge was actually needed for this, as it seems to do almost nothing to help.

But, I still own it to this day, and I really do enjoy giving it a spin from time to time. Why? well, when you take a step back and think about it, even with it's strange visuals, awkward controls, and strange character lineup, this game does have overwhelming charm. Sure, it's a very bad game, but soon after starting, you will find yourself laughing and pressing on through the roster just to see what else is in store in this mess of a game. Only to have the final boss be a Zombie version of Belgar (The original game's Final Boss). Apparently he died in Final Fight, and now has been reincarnated as a zombie! You can't make this stuff up folks, the final boss is a Belgar Zombie! The only truly unfair thing, is that Zombie Belgar isn't a selectable character ... but if you manage to beat the game you are gifted ... GIFTED with an animation of Zombie Belgar performing the "Thriller" dance for you. 

Final Fight Revenge is truly a mastery of epic proportions. Not only are you laughing the entire time you are playing the horrendous pile of trash (Witch incidentally was the Final Release Capcom made for the beloved Sega Saturn), but you Strike gold when you finish, leaving you with an overall sense of accomplishment and a feeling of good fortune having witnessed the climax of this game. The fact that it was completely developed in the United States, by American programmers, then released only in Japan and never seeing the light of day in the country it was created in (unless you imported) only adds to it's already overwhelming charm and baffling existence! 

If you can track down a copy of this game, please ignore what everyone says and just enjoy what is being presented. It's sort of like the Movie "The Room" with Tommy Wiseau. It's not something you want to experience, but once you being you NEED to see it to completion. Keep in mind that an actual copy of Final Fight Revenge can go for quite the high price ... not because it's a great title, but because it's a game you NEED to experience before you die. Sure, it's a bad game, and you will probably never see this game used at EVO ... but it's just so darn charming, that I cannot classify it as one to avoid. If you can get it or play it, please do so and enjoy the baffling, hilarious experience that is Final Fight Revenge!

--"Collector" Chris Dunlap

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