Wednesday 5 September 2007

Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday, 05-09-07














Today's additions to the Xbox Live Arcade are Fatal Fury Special and Cyberball 2027.

Fatal Fury is a pretty interesting game for it's time. Originally released in 1991 by SNK for Neo Geo, it was the sister game of Art of Fighting. Later, characters from both of these fighters were brought together for the King of Fighters games. These are still made today and enjoy HUGE success in arcades in Japan. Fatal Fury follows the rise of Terry and the decline of Geese, the bad guy. Terrible names aside, it's an awesome beat-em-up. It's got a fantastic art style, with weather changes and big, detailed sprites and also features the famous two-plane system, which enables fighters to jump between planes, avoiding attacks. It works really well and helps the game stand out next to the obvious Street Fighter comparisons.

The game features the obligatory Xbox Live play and achievements but doesn't feature any graphical enhancements. This isn't a criticism as it looks superb on an HD screen as it is.

If nothing else, Fatal Fury Special demonstrates a piece of gaming history that is still just as playable today. The gameplay and characters aren't clouded by nostalgia like so many other retro classics. It's only 400 Microsoft points (about £3.00) so it's easily a bargain. At least try the trial game. And don't laugh at the names. Terry is solid. And as for Geese.... :-)

The other addition today was Cyberball 2027. It's a futuristic version of American Football and, as such, I don't have a fucking clue as to what's going on. It's got robots and stuff, though. It looks a bit ropey and probably won't make sense unless you understand American things. I wouldn't bother. It's 400 Microsoft points, if you've got money to burn.

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