Bringing
a fine collection of classic brawling action to the PS2, SNK Playmore's
Art of Fighting Anthology offers a selection of three classic fighting
titles to the PS2. While the games aren't nearly as elaborate or complex
as some of SNK's other series, Art of Fighting's streamlined play
mechanics and balanced play makes them some of the most enjoyable and
accessible titles that the company created. These titles have been
faithfully translated for the most part, with the animation, music and
controls emulated expertly. Several bonus features, such as an art gallery
complete what is a superb package that should appeal to fans of classic 2D
fighters.
Players that are lucky enough to own a
Neo Geo system are probably familiar with SNK's Art of Fighting series.
What began as yet another somewhat generic Street Fighter II knockoff
evolved into an interesting and unique fighting series with a personality
all its own. While the games seem unremarkable now, they did innovate with
some interesting features, such as the Auto-zoom that let players see the
action from a close-up angle and an interesting variety of mini-games
between rounds. This collection features all three titles in the AoF
trilogy and allows players to select from any of the games from the main
menu. Art of Fighting's play mechanics and fighting system are fairly
straightforward, and most players should be able to get the basic moves
and techniques down with little effort. Each fighter has a standard array
of kicks and punches, along with some super moves and combos that can be
activated by filling up the Rage Gauge directly underneath your main
health bar. When this is full, you can perform a series of special attacks
designed to keep your opponents at bay. In addition to the standard moves,
you can sometimes use taunts to lessen your opponents' resistance, but
these leave you vulnerable to attack. Each of the three games plays
similarly, though the special moves and combos you can use becomes
increasingly elaborate as you work your way from the first to the third
game. During each battle with the computer opponents, players will also
encounter a series of bonus stages where they can build up their player
attributes by completing simple tasks such as knocking down trees. These
serve as interesting diversions, but don't detract from the main thrust of
the fighting game. All of the games include both single player and versus
modes along with the ability to change numerous options such as time,
difficulty and number of rounds per fight. In addition, players have the
ability to change the color of each fighter to create their own custom
brawler as well.
Going
a bit deeper into the mechanics of each game shows that SNK's developers
put a lot of effort into refining and tweaking the series' fighting
engines. The original AOF title makes a good training ground for its
sequels, since its relatively straightforward moves and simple combo
system makes a good foundation to build from. The game features some
interesting combos and attacks, but its roster of players is somewhat
predictable. One of the more interesting aspects of the game during single
player mode is the ability of a second player to jump in using Burst Play.
AoF 2 offers a much better roster of more varied characters adds several
layers of new moves like Super Special and Hidden Attacks, Fall Breakers
and a refined, smoother engine to make for a more enjoyable experience.
The second installment also changes the power of each move depending on
how long the buttons are pressed, which makes you master the timing as
well as technique behind each fight. So far, the first two games offer a
decent, if unspectacular selection of fighters and moves, but SNK really
seems to have gotten it right with the third installment.
Things get really interesting when you
select Art of Fighting 3 which implements several unique attacks and more
elaborate moves. This game's fighting system allows you a great
versatility and style because it gives you the ability to accurately
target your opponents from mid-range, alternate kick and punch combos to
create Rush Attacks and a special Heat mode, which allows you to perform
Super Special Attacks when your opponents is at their weakest for a cool
finishing move. The differences between the games might seem subtle, but
they make a huge difference in the strategy and techniques you'll use
during each battle. These combo systems and super moves add a strategic
element that becomes more pronounced in the second an third games and
makes the gameplay even more engaging. Between it's refined fighting
engine and the vastly improved character roster, AoF 3 is probably the
deepest and most rounded of the three games and the one most players are
likely to spend the most time playing. One of the great things about SNK
fighters has always been their depth and balance, where you don't really
have to worry about which fighter you use and can instead focus on the
technique and skill with your moves. Of course, there are subtle
differences that can be exploited depending on your playing style, which
makes playing the games even more challenging. All the games on the disc
have an excellent selection of fighters, who each bring a unique style to
the ring, but seem to complement each others' strengths and weaknesses to
make Art of Fighting one of the more enjoyable titles in its genre.
For
PS2 owners, this translation is nothing short of excellent. The games
themselves has come over beautifully with all their detail and color
intact. One of the interesting things about this compilation is that you
can see the evolution of the fighting engine unfold before your eyes, from
the relatively simple animations of the first game, to the more detailed
and fluid frames used in the third, comparing these games directly can be
an eye opening experience. Each game's soundtrack is also faithfully
reproduced, and most of the games play with almost no load time between
rounds, allowing the games to flow truly and faithfully to their arcade
counter-parts. As you'd expect, the controls are fluid and responsive, and
allow you to perform moves expertly using the standard PS2 controller. As
you'd expect, Art of Fighting plays even better using an arcade joystick,
which increases the authenticity and accuracy even more. While the games
themselves look slightly dated these days, they play beautifully and for
those who don't want to invest in expensive cartridges for a Neo Geo, this
package offers a great alternative. Art of Fighting Anthology offers
gamers a great value and contains many solid hours of challenging gameplay
that should appeal to hardcore 2D fighting fans.
Grade:
B
