all, quartercircles are the international language. That said, it’s not uncommon for

games like this to change their names to protect the innocent. Case in point: Garou Densetsu,

AKA Legend of the Hungry Wolves, AKA... Fatal Fury. As it shows right here in the background

of Duck’s stage. Yes, one of the several stars in the constellation that is mid-90’s

SNK fighting games... or, more accurately, somewhat-stripped-down ports of said games

to the Super Famicom. Because, awesome as that system was... let’s face it, it wasn’t

a Neo Geo.

What set the Fatal Fury games apart was their use of a split-level battlefield, with two

distinct planes for the action. While it was revolutionary at the time, it’s an innovation

that’s by and large fallen by the wayside, save for strange outliers like Guilty Gear

Isuka. This combines with Special’s grudging introduction of a combo system for an early

glimpse at the evolution of the modern fighting game. The two-plane system certainly makes

for more tactical fights, as you’ve got significantly more dodging options, though

every fighter has a number of line-crossing attacks designed to go directly after an evading

foe. Speaking of fighters, this version ratchets up the roster to 15, seeing the return of

all eight fighters from Fatal Fury 2, three more passed-over combatants from the original

Fatal Fury, and - in a Street Fighter II Special Championship Edition-esque expansion - all

four of the boss characters... including the large American boxer and the vain Spanish

combatant. Man. Fighting games back in the day must’ve been running low on toner.

If the standard arcade mode doesn’t impart enough necessity for speed, there’s a License

mode where an invincible fighter of your choice has to mow down as many opponents as possible

within a three-minute time limit. Mind you, in its time, it was still mind-blowing, but

here in 2012, if you’re coming down off of weeks of trying to beat that annoying friend

who plays that extra-cheesy Elizabeth by perfecting your rushdown Chie... you’re gonna find

it a bit slow. Especially when “Spin a stick around really fast in the corner” is an

effective strategy. Kinda. These days you can get a direct emulation of the arcade version

by picking up Fatal Fury Battle Archives (Volume 1) for the PS2, which also comes equipped

with the two games what came before this and the one that came after. Which were, respectively,

1, 2, and 3. Rocket science, I know.