Neo Geo Pocket Color

Fatal Fury: First Contact

Natuurlijk hoort Fatal Fury in de selektie van Neo Geo Pocket games thuis. Toch is er niet veel over van de flitsende aktie van zijn grote console-broer. Liefhebbers zullen er misschien plezier aan beleven, maar een volwassen vechtspel is dit niet.

The game tries hard to play like Real Bout 2, and it pulls it off pretty well.

The Neo Geo arcade hardware has always been known for its fighting games. So why should SNK's portable system be any different? While many of the character graphics here are the same as King of Fighters R-2's, the gameplay and character roster emulate the style and selection of Real Bout Fatal Fury 2.

The game tries hard to play like Real Bout 2, and it pulls it off pretty well. The mid-air turnaround move is intact, as is the three-stage power meter. It even has the big, drawn out "get in the ring" display between matches. But the character roster has been chopped down quite a bit. Still the character selection is nice, and represents enough of the different Fatal Fury fighters, including Terry, Andy, Rick, and Billy Kane.

Unlike King of Fighters R-2, which was a powerhouse of options, Fatal Fury: First Contact has two options - one player and two player link play.

If this game is the first, and only fighting game you plan on owning on your Neo Geo Pocket Color you will have an extremely well balanced, fine handling game. However, if you already own Samurai Shodown or SNK vs. Capcom I would steer clear from this game.

The game has more depth than you might expect thanks to its combo and reversal systems. The exotic temple and city backdrops are somewhat bland, but at least they give you something to look at. Ideally, Fata Fury F Contact is played against a friend via the "link up" mode. For the single player, there's no scoring system and the replay value is minimal, prompting many to refer to this game as "Fatal Fury: F This!"