Final Fight: "Streetwise"

The Good
"Final Fight" was one of the best fighting series since "Street Fighter II." They haven't been in a home console since the SNES days until they finally named a somewhat absurd title called "Final Fight: Streetwise" for PS2 and XBOX. Let's be honest, it's a Street Fighter nightclub filled with brawlers and hustlers. The character designs were a little disappointing, but on the positive side I actually like the fact that Capcom's last studio in Japan gave everything they had to start making a game from scratch and putting past fan favorite characters like M. Haggar, Guy, and Cody to put to the test. Also, I don't know about Cammy White. She's tougher as nails. I thought Poison was going to be in the game, but eventually it was scrapped. So Cammy was the right choice and she's pretty awesome. Remember she made a Street Fighter spin-off of her finishing move named before the game released on the ill-fated Dreamcast?

The Bad
The sad part about the game is a lack of frustrating choices. I felt that the story mode is pretty lame and not in a old-fashioned Arcade renaissance. Voice acting is so terrible, terrible as in original Resident Evil terrible. And I thought this was a no BS Def Jam rip-off, but the core gameplay and the weapons that you have to choose is boring. I remember when the WWE used the Hardcore Championship belt and watched all the wrestlers like Al Snow vs. Bob Holly taking it over the limit where there's no rules and falls count anywhere. On the other hand, "Final Fight: Streetwise" isn't so hardcore after all.

The Bottom Line
I think it's time for the "Final Fight" franchise to reboot the series. Back 2 years ago, "Street Fighter IV" made a stunning look at what gamers are playing right now, and that's why I'm hoping Capcom should bring back the characters and turn it into a 3-D makeover. Soon, they'll be taking the page out of the "Street Fighter IV" strategy guide. I know there are a lot of tweets and Facebook friends desperate to bring back a Capcom classic to be revisited from "Mega Man" to "Breath of Fire." So, in my conclusion, "Final Fight: Streetwise" isn't a bad game, it's just not ready for a challenge.