Fatal Fury is the legendary arcade fighting game developed by SNK for the Neo-Geo game system. If you don't remember much about the Neo-Geo, it was the first gaming system that was so far ahead of the other 16-bit machines at the time, that it could be played at home AND at the arcade. Not only is Fatal Fury SNK's second oldest fighting game (behind Street Smart) but it was also once a huge rival to Capcom's famous Street Fighter series. The game's plot is based around brothers Terry and Andy Bogard who are fighting in the "King of Fighters" tournament in order to get to Geese Howard and avenge their father's death. This plot along with only three playable characters in the first version of the game was simple, yet good enough for Fatal Fury to gain a following that led to more games and most recently, a number of cool anime flicks.
Even though there are always quick comparisons to its rival, Street Fighter, Fatal Fury was an innovative game in its own right and has an interesting history to go with it. So here are the top five interesting tidbits about Fatal Fury that you either forgot or never knew about in the first place...
Side-Stepping
Fatal Fury was the first game to feature two planes of battle. While this ability to move or side-step from plane to plane was unique it also made it tough to hit your opponent with any special moves! Needless to say this feature was removed from later games.
Precursor to a Legend
The tournament in Fatal Fury is called the "King of Fighters." Sound familiar? Apparently, this concept stuck with SNK because it released a fighting game in 1999 called "King of Fighters"! This series showcased a ton of fighters from all of SNKs brands (like the Ikari Warriors) and later inspired Capcom to make their own series like "Capcom VS. SNK" and "Marvel VS. Capcom!"
Co-op Play!
Fatal Fury was the first (and only game) that allowed you to make love before making war. In 2-player versus mode, instead of immediately having players go at it in a match, the game had both players work together to unleash the dragon on an AI opponent before they could fight each other and see who advanced.
A Cross-Platforming Success
Just to fill you in on the success of this arcade-to-console gem: There are a total of 11 Fatal Fury console games and three movies. Not quite Final Fantasy status, but pretty damn good nonetheless.
Before Fatal Fury...
Fatal Fury was originally going to be called Real Bout but SNK decided to change the title to Fatal Fury. Even though there was a name change, the words "Real Bout" can be found all over the game. And the fourth game in the series is actually called Real Bout: Fatal Fury.
|
Digg it
Del.icio.us
RSS
