Art of Fighting Anthology

Art of Fighting Anthology

In an alternate reality it was SNK’s King of Fighters, not Capcom’s Street Fighter that became the game series synonymous with the 2D beat ‘em up. Released into arcades and onto the Japanese company’s super-expensive and elite Neo-Geo console, the King of Fighters games have always been the hardcore fighting fan’s weapon of choice.

Having brought a number of the KoF games over to PlayStation 2 it’s now sister series Art of Fighting’s turn to grace Sony’s ageing warhorse, in this generous and comprehensive collection. Considering each of these three original game carts cost upwards of £200 on the Neo-Geo, to get all three in one pack for just over a tenner is pretty excellent.

Of course, this value would be for nought if, like many of the retro titles we’ve been dealt on the Wii and 360’s digital services, the port was rubbish. But thankfully all three titles have been faithfully recreated for Sony’s machine, complete with new zoom modes and positioning tools in order to fit their dimensions to our newfangled widescreen televisions. The hand-drawn sprites boast a certain pixellated charm and the intense, twitch gameplay is as fast-flowing as it ever was.

The first game in the set was released in 1992, a direct rival to Capcom’s Street Fighter 2. Its sprites, like those of its sequels, are huge, filling the screen delightfully. However, unless you’re playing two-player head-to-head (where you can play as any one of the game’s eight characters), you’ll have to lump for either Ryo Sakazaki or Robert Garcia for the story mode. Said story focuses on a quest to rescue Ryo's sister Kuri from Mr. Karate and is so mangled by the so-bad-it’s-almost-good translation it sounds a lot like a faux-dubbed 1970’s kung-fu movie.

The control scheme is what marks AoF out from its rivals. In addition to the standard kick, punch and throw buttons, a fourth input is introduced to provoke your opponent. Over the course of a match your character’s spirit level rises. When filled this gauge allows you to execute dazzling special moves. The provocation button will cause your character to taunt the opponent and, while doing this leaves him temporarily vulnerable, it also reduces the rival’s spirit, blocking the use of special moves. It’s a neat system that, while quite technical to incorporate into play, marks the game out from other fighters.

The real jewel of the package is the third game in the series, a beautifully hand-drawn fighter that brings with it a roster of new moves and interesting systems. The compilation is, as one might expect from the price point, rudimentarily presented and bonuses are sparse. But for retro fighting game fans twiddling their thumbs in anticipation of Street Fighter 4, this is a value packed trip down memory lane.

3 out of 5