After the delivery of Final Fight to the Super Nintendo in the early 90's, fans of the series seemed to think highly of Capcom's SNES ported 1989 arcade beat-em-up as it sold very well. In 1992, Capcom went to the drawing board and created a Super Nintendo exclusive sequel to the smash hit in Final Fight 2. This console-only sequel had me personally thinking what the deal was not to first debut this game in the arcades. Final Fight 2 brought in a pretty skeptical audience, and being that, it had some possibly backing away from being so certain that this sequel may be superior to the arcade classic. Without a doubt, the game brings up an entirely new game not on the lines of the first, even not inviting some old cast members to return. Nevertheless, Final Fight 2 succeeds here, it's overall the best street brawlin' beat-em-up on the Super Nintendo even though it has a few problems keeping it from perfection.

It's been a while since the rescue of Mayor Mike Haggar's daughter, Jessica, was saved by Cody, Guy, and the big man himself. While vacationing and out of town, Guy's closest relatives have been kidnapped by the newly-formed Mad Gear and a shadowy miscreant whose holding them hostage. Haggar must gear up with Guy's cousin Maki, and his personal friend, Carlos and globally search for the Mad Gear's leads to finding Guy's family in Hong Kong, France, Holland and other locales. With six locales, lots of thugs, and psychotically confused bosses, you'll surely experience a new-found love for everything you've been craving since the last Final Fight.

Final Fight 2 is of a new breed as briefly explained before. Instead of choosing either Haggar, Cody, or Guy (Guy not being available in the originally released Super Nintendo iteration), the player now has a nearly revamped cast of newer and different characters. Most players may be too afraid to go with the new ones who are the sword slashing Carlos and Maki, a female ninjitsu. Haggar is typically the best choice of the three, he has the most impact fully destructive moves including a returning-but-improved Spinning version of his Pile Driver and plenty of other cringing moves such as his back Suplex and Spinning Lariat. Haggar also sports a slightly revamped look making him a familiar, and easily adaptable character that veterans will clearly and easily know how to use. Then there's Carlos, he's basically you're heir equivalent to the nonexistent Cody from the first Final Fight title - except he's really not. Carlos swings a mean pair of Katanas, but sadly only uses them as a melee attack - a somewhat letdown. Lastly, there's the looker of the group, Maki. Maki looks stunningly like SNK's Mai Shiranui without a doubt, but instead of sporting a pair of fans, she has a rather nasty nightstick. Maki tends to be the hardest and least adaptive to use, making her a dud at best - a choice for female players or males with a female proclivity. What really discourages this area is that Guy and Cody aren't here, not one of them at least, and even worse, they cannot be unlocked of any sort. You will see them both in a few passerby cutscenes, but expect no more. This is indeed a grave mistake by Capcom, whether you tend to agree with the newer cast or not.

Instead of serving up the more realistic approach as in the original, Capcom has reanimated the entire look and feel of the game making this more than a sequel. But Final Fight 2 almost feels like an entirely new game with hardly any ties to the original game because of it's more child-friendly look. Many have argued that this takes away from the mature, violent nature of the original - which it does but not to the point where the game is ruined by it. Nevertheless, it's undeniable that Capcom didn't do a mighty fine job making the game look marvelous and fluidly animated. Better yet, the game is more or less free of the horrid frequent framerate slowdown problems of the first. They do occur in the game at times in this one, but mainly when the game allows too many enemies on screen at once - which isn't too frequent or as obtrusive as it once was in the original game for the Super Nintendo. Best of all, Capcom really introduced a wide based of nicely animated backgrounds filled with lush colors of all sorts and improves over the original. Like the original, you can still expect motion in the background which adds more engaging sense of play. Sadly, getting back to the game's overly childish look - it really fails to invite realism as the original has done especially many of the new moves detouring from any gore, or realistic sense - especially when Haggar lunges twenty feet in the air for a Spinning Pile driver. Knowing that, the animation dumbs the sense of fear the enemies once inflicted in the original game - even old and threatening enemies like Andore seem like wimpy rag dolls.

Another dramatically changed element to Final Fight 2 is the audio department; sounding completely different from the original. Even in the original Final Fight for the Super Nintendo, Capcom used the Super Nintendo to recreate the soundtrack from the arcade - and did a superior job at that. Capcom, usually, created a stellar soundtrack for Final Fight 2. However, like the original game, the game tends to rehash certain tracks to other levels, which makes the listening experience repetitive but good at that. Also, the tracks tend to loop, and quite often, but that's really no surprise at all. Sound effects are at best dumbed-down, which is disappointing not being able to hear the fierce bone-crunching sounds of the original. Too many overused samples and lame empty-steel-drum sounds accommodate most every hit or slash sound in the game. Furthermore, Capcom even created a mock "surround sounding" experience with a sort of tinny "stadium" sounding audio much like their "Q" audio from the arcade games. It really gives you the sense that the game is superior to the typical flat sounding cartridge capabilities. Overall, it's a nice touch and well appreciated to hear something above the typical mediocre fare. Overall, the audio is really nothing too discouraging - it's rounds up rather above-average despite it's minor discrepancies.

One of the most improved aspects of Final Fight 2 is the much enhanced control scheme. The game tends to respond easier, making commands less demanding. Like the original, you'll be able to pick-up the typical weapons like 2x4s, clubs and pick-ups like boom-boxes and other oddities to increase your point value, and even power-ups like soda cans and chickens to increase health and player stocks along the way. And of course, you'll see the many of those signature drum-cans filled with those types of such goodies. No matter what character you're playing as, you'll find it much easier to pull off moves, combos, and maneuvers with less ease, more playability and responsiveness. There in lies the problem of the original, it being that it was too hard to control due to the lack of gameplay focus and harsh framerate problems. Luckily Capcom has curbed most all of those existing troubles making the game a joy to play.

There has been plenty of mixed feelings about Final Fight 2, mainly because it's nothing like the original was. Some might say it's too easy, since it does offer a very dumbed-down difficulty level than can now be tweaked to be made easier (without a cheat menu). Then some might say it's too cartoony - which it is. What's entirely relevant here is that it's a better playing experience, and much more satisfying version of original most every area. This one offers up a two-player mode; where you can squeeze even more life out of the game with another. There are more levels, and lengthy ones at that from all around the globe. Although I'm personally dissatisfied that Capcom didn't deliver a more reminiscent experience of the original like bringing back Cody, Guy, and maybe some of the old baddies - it does often loose the image that this is a sequel. Can't downgrade for a more original, solid game with a somewhat better plot, but more homages would have been nice. Without thinking heavily about the lack of fan loyalty, Final Fight 2 is an undoubtedly fun to play beat-em-up - quite possibly the best ever on the Super Nintendo.

In my book, this one's a cherished classic that surpasses the original and yet another Capcom game you should have in your SNES collection. It's also a game that should be on it's way to Game Boy Advance like the original was - maybe adding in Cody or Guy as unlockables would surely make the game even more worthwhile. You listening, Capcom?

Capcom Secrets
Looking for some extra bits of secrets within the game? Well you'll find plenty of easter eggs from Street Fighter - Look for Chun-Li in the Hong Kong stage eating at the Ramen stand and Guile in the France stage cheering on the boss... wait, I thought Guile was a good guy...

FINAL DECISION
(on a basis of Epinions' stars ratings)

Visual
4 out of 5

Audio
4 out of 5

Gameplay
4 out of 5

Control
4 out of 5

Lasting Prowess
4 out of 5




Recommended: Yes