STORY:After stealing the Jin Scrolls of Immortality, GeeseHoward takes control of South Town once again. He hosts a new King of Fighterstournament and invites his arch-nemesis Terry Bogard, to settle their fight onceand for all!
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| Real Bout Fatal Fury character selection screen. |
REVIEW:Real Bout Fatal Fury is a fresh new takeon SNK's original flagship 2D fighting series. Real Bout brings back many series veterans and introducessome newcomers as well. RealBout retains the core roster from Fatal Fury 3, with the bosscharacters (Ryuji Yamazaki, Chonrei & Chonshu) now part of the defaultlineup. Classic characters, like: Duck King, Billy Kane & Kim Kaphwan alsomake their return, complete with new character sprites. Boss of the originalgame, Geese Howard also returns as the final boss.
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| Legendary veterans return and look better than ever. |
Real Bout's controls have slightly changed from theprevious Fatal Fury games. Now instead of four attack buttons, there areonly three: Punch, Kick, and a "Strong Attack" which is either a strongerkick or punch attack (depends on the character). Real Bout retains thethree-plane "oversway" system introduced in Fatal Fury 3, whichfeatures a main plane for fighting, with foreground and background planes usedto avoid attacks or leap towards the opponent. A dedicated button is now used tomake an "oversway" (or change plane) towards the background orforeground.
Real Bout introduces stages featuring ring outs or "Out of Bounds," a gameplayfeature previously seen in Virtua Fighter (and also used in Soul Edge -released the same year as Real Bout). If the player performs certainattacks on their opponent while next to the boundaries, the character willeventually destroy the barrier. If a character walks off the edge or getsknocked into the area where the wall was standing, they will lose a round. Real Bout also introduces a Power Gauge which fills up as player performs normal or specialtechniques against their opponent or defend themselves. The power gauge allows fighters toperform "Guard Cancels" or a "Super Special Move" dependingof the level of the Power Gauge.
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| Real Bout has the best art style of the series to date. |
Overall, Real Bout Fatal Fury wasthe best looking Fatal Fury title to date. The character sprites arelarge, colorful, and decently animated. The hand-drawn backgrounds alsolooked pretty good, creating some interesting settings for the game (althoughthey don't really come together in any particular form or fashion). Incomparison to some other 2D fighters of the time, Real Bout was still abit "rough around the edges" visually. It wasn't one of the prettiest2D fighters... and not even one of SNK's best-looking games. Real Bout's soundtrack & soundeffects do their job, but some of the tracks are a bit bland and prettyforgettable. FUN FACT: SNK's Youchiro Soeda confirmed that the early version of the original 1991 Fatal Fury title was actually called"Real Bout". The words Real Bout can also be seen in many stage backgrounds (on billboards and signs) inFatal Fury 1.
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Page Updated: March 23rd, 2023 Developer(s): SNK Publisher(s): SNK Artwork By: Shinkiro Platform(s): Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, Sega Saturn, Windows 95, NeoGeo, Neo Geo CD, Sega Saturn, Playstation, PS2, PSN, PS4 Release Date(s): December 21st, 1995 Characters: Terry Bogard,Andy Bogard,Joe Higashi,Franco Bash,Mai Shiranui,Bob Wilson,BillyKane, Hon Fu, Ryuji Yamazaki,Sokaku,BlueMary, Kim,Chonshu,Chonrei,DuckKing,Geese Howard
Featured Video:
Related Games: Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout Special: Dominated Mind, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, FatalFury 3, Fatal Fury 2, FatalFury, Fatal Fury Special, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition,FatalFury: 1st Contact, Garou: Mark of The Wolves, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Samurai Shodown 3, Savage Reign, King of Fighters '96, Marvel Super Heroes, Mortal Kombat 3: Ultimate, Cyberbots, Double Dragon, Darkstalkers 2, Tekken 2, Virtua Fighter 2
GameplayEngine 6.5 / 10 Story/ Theme 7.0 / 10 OverallGraphics 7.5 / 10 Animation 7.5 / 10 Music/ Sound Effects 6.5 / 10 Innovation 7.0 / 10 Art Direction 8.5 / 10 Customization 5.0 / 10 Options / Extras 6.0 / 10 Intro / Presentation 7.0 / 10 Replayability / Fun 6.0 / 10 "Ouch" Factor 5.5 / 10 Characters 6.0 / 10 BOTTOM LINE 7.1 /10
Review based on Arcade / PS2version
Final Words: Although it flew a bit "under the radar" at the time of its debut, (at least for me), Real Bout: Fatal Fury was a significant facelift for series and fresh new starting point. The characterroster of Real Bout is an interesting mix of old and new. If anything, some of the newcomers lack the excitement, charisma and spark of some of the OG Garou / SNK designs. However, the beefy 2D sprites exclusive to Real Bout all look impressive and have something unique to offer to the game. Real Bout's highly-detailed stages with unique "Out of Bounds" areas are definitely one of the strongest points of the game — innovating the classic gameplay engine and offering something new to 2D fighting games at the time.
Along with the character roster... the gameplay engine, music, and visuals all improved significantly in the sequels: Real BoutSpecial, Real Bout 2, and Real Bout Special: DominatedMind. In the sequel, many character sprites were even redrawn — featuring improved animations. The gameplay is also a bit more refined, responsive, and enjoyable in the sequels.
~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen
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