Fighting Force (PSX)
When you think of unforgiving, merciless, video games that just smack you in the face on a regular basis, Fighting Force should be among games on that list.
As the game starts off, you are instantly thrown into multiple realms of chaos. Enemies spawn relentlessly and unfathomingly, weapons are scarce, health is constantly low, and never appears when you need it. Starting off with only your fists and a rocket launcher from the trunk of a broken-down car, you better be ready for hell to unleash. If you don't rack up the continues early, give up now. Halfway through the game, your going to realize where all continues will be going pretty fast.
Ok. Lets be honest. At it's core, Fighting Force is pretty much your basic beat-em-up, third-person button-masher, but it's pretty addictive. With three levels of difficulty, fans of the fighting genre should have more than enough to satisfy their gaming abilities, but the game unfortunetly lacks something noteworthy to make it contend with the classics.
If you think about the timeframe around the game (Core had just hit mainstream success with Tomb Raider 1 and 2; Tomb Raider 3's release was around the corner and the demand was bigger than ever), it could be argued that Fighting Force was simply a hold-over release from the company. The lack of originality may prove that to be true, but the bottom line is that as unoriginal as it may be, the games simple old-school style and feel can make it a very fun and enjoyable game. For me, it bring back memories of long nights playing Streets of Rage and other classic beat-em-up games.
Overall, Fighting Force has the same issues that a lot of other Core releases seemed to have (besides the Tomb Raider franchise). Stock, second-rate genre specific titles that eventually led to the companies demise. It has some fun moments, but will basically leave you wanting more in the long run.
Review by: Los Dos Amigos
