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| Fatal Fury 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) |
|
| Publisher(s) | SNK
|
| Producer(s) | Eikichi Kawasaki |
| Designer(s) | Takashi Tsukamoto |
| Artist(s) | Ayumi Tsuzaki Higashi Pon Ryouji Sei |
| Composer(s) | Masahiko Hataya Toshio Shimizu Yoshihiko Kitamura |
| Series | Fatal Fury |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | 10 December 1992 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | |
| Arcade system | Neo Geo MVS |
Fatal Fury 2, known asGarō Densetsu 2: Aratanaru Tatakai (餓狼伝説２ ～新たなる闘い～,Hungry Wolf Legend 2: The New Battle) in Japan, is a 1992fighting video game developed bySNK as the sequel toFatal Fury: King of Fighters (1991), and the second game in theFatal Fury franchise. Originally released by SNK for theNeo Geo arcade and home platforms, it was later ported to several other home systems, includingSuper Nintendo andSega Genesis byTakara. Its updated version,Fatal Fury Special, was released in 1993.
The game introducedKim Kaphwan, the firstTaekwondo and the firstKorean character in fighting games, andMai Shiranui, one of SNK's mascots, their primary sex symbol, and one of the most well-known female video game characters. Both of them went on to become mainstays in bothFatal Fury games as well asThe King of Fighters series.
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Fatal Fury 2 was the second game inSNK's 100-Mega Shock series, offering improved graphics and gameplay over the originalFatal Fury: King of Fighters. The play controls were modified, this time making full use of the Neo-Geo's four button configuration, by including four attack buttons (Light Punch, Light Kick, Strong Punch, and Strong Kick). The player can also dash back from the opponent to retreat by quickly tapping the lever backwards twice.[3]
The two-plane battle system from the firstFatal Fury has been retained. This time, the player can move freely to the adjacent plane by pressing the Light Punch and Light Kick buttons simultaneously for the "Plane Move". The player can also perform a "Power Attack" that will knock the opponent to the other plane. When the opponent is on the other plane, the player can press either a punch button to jump towards the opponent with a "Low Plane Move Attack" or either a kick button for a "High Plane Move Attack". Certain stages have hazards in the background plane, such as electrified wires or a stampede of bulls, and thus the player cannot change planes but can knock the opponent to the other plane to cause extra damage.
Other specialized techniques have been added as well. After the player guards an opponent's attack, they can follow it up with a special counterattack technique known as an "Evasion Attack". The player can also taunt the opponent by pressing the Strong Punch button from a distance.Fatal Fury 2 also introduces the "Desperation Move" (or "Fury"), a powerful type of Special Move which causes massive damage that can only be used when the player's life gauge is at 25% and flashing red.
The single-player mode has the player facing against all eight characters (including a clone of the player's character), followed by four non-playable boss characters. After every fourth match, the player will participate in a bonus round for more points.
One year after the events ofFatal Fury: King of Fighters and the death ofGeese Howard, a mysterious nobleman becomes the sponsor of a new "King of Fighters" tournament. This time, the tournament takes place around the world with both veterans and newcomers competing and battling against each other. As the single-player mode progresses, the mysterious nobleman begins defeating the participants from the firstFatal Fury game, searching for the man responsible for defeating Geese.
The character roster consists of eight selectable warriors:Terry,Andy andJoe from the originalFatal Fury, plus five newcomers. After defeating all eight playable characters in the single player tournament (including a clone of the player's character), the player faces four non-playable bosses.
Playable fighters:
Bosses:
In addition to theNeo-Geo AES andNeo-Geo CD home versions, aport ofFatal Fury 2 was released for theSharp X68000 in Japan in 1993, followed by versions for theSega Genesis / Mega Drive,PC Engine CD,SNES andGame Boy in early 1994. The SNES and Genesis versions were published byTakara, while the X68000 version, released only in Japan, was published by Mahou Kabushikigaisha (Magical Company). All three versions allow the player to control the four boss characters via their own respective codes. The PC Engine version was published byHudson Soft only in Japan and was one of the first games to require the Arcade Cardadd-on.[citation needed] To coincide with the Japanese release of the SNES version, Hori Electric released a specialcontroller called the Fatal Fury 2 Commander which has the power and super power moves of all the game's playable characters programmed in so that they can be triggered with a single button.[4]
The original Neo Geo version of the game was later included in 2006'sFatal Fury: Battle Archive Volume 1 for thePlayStation 2 (with a choice between the original AES and CD soundtrack). It was also made available on theWii'sVirtual Console service[5] in 2008.[6] The SNES version was re-released on theNintendo Classics service in 2025.[7]
Several licensed tie-ins were released for the game in Japan, including:[8]
The Game Boy version is titledNettou Garou Densetsu 2 (熱闘餓狼伝説２, "Dead Heat Fighters Legend of the Hungry Wolf 2") and was released exclusively in Japan in 1994. This port features "super deformed" style graphics and, like the SNES, Mega Drive/Genesis, and Sharp X68000 ports, allows the player to use the four boss characters. However, due to the Game Boy's limited hardware, all voices have been removed, but in their place the characters have speech bubbles when performing a special attack or Desperation Move. This port also features support for the Super Game Boy peripheral for the SNES. In the Game Boy version, the text in the intro, post match dialogue, and character endings are in Japanese, while the character names, game credits, and menus are in English.
Fatal Fury Special (餓狼伝説SPECIAL,Garou Densetsu Special) was developed and published by SNK and originally released for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms in 1993. It is an updated version ofFatal Fury 2, introducing several changes to the gameplay system while expanding the available character roster.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 76% (Neo Geo)[9] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Consoles + | 92% (Mega Drive)[10] |
| Computer and Video Games | 80% (Mega Drive)[11] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.75/10 (Neo Geo)[12] 8.25/10 (SNES)[13] 7.6/10 (Genesis)[14] |
| Famitsu | 29/40 (PC Engine)[15] 27/40 (Mega Drive)[16] |
| GameFan | 369/400 (Neo Geo)[17] |
| Nintendo Power | 3.5/5 (SNES)[18] |
| Sinclair User | 91% (Neo Geo)[19] |
| Sega Power | 83% (Mega Drive)[20] |
In Japan,Game Machine listedFatal Fury 2 on their 1 February 1993 issue as being the most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[21] It went on to be Japan's second highest-grossing arcade game of 1993, just belowStreet Fighter II: Hyper Fighting.[22] In North America,RePlay reportedFatal Fury 2 to be the fourth most-popular arcade game in February 1993,[23] andPlay Meter listedFatal Fury 2 as the thirteenth most-popular arcade game in March 1993.[24]
TheSuper Famicom (Super NES) version topped the JapaneseFamitsu sales chart in December 1993.[25]
Fatal Fury 2 was generally very well-received by Western game critics upon its release.GamePro review of the Neo Geo version praised the "action-packed" gameplay, "Street Fighter-tough" challenge, "great" character graphics and animation, "slickscrolling" backgrounds, and "fantastic" sound, concluding it to be an "awesome sequel" that "ranks up there with the Numero Uno fighting game."[26]
GamePro also praised the Genesis version for its six-button controller support and character graphics. They regarded the music as dull but assessed that the game "faithfully mimics the Neo Geo version and knocksFatal Fury Genesis out of the ring."[27] Reviewing the Genesis version,Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) criticized the sound effects but gave the overall assessment that "all the fighters, all the stages, and extra options not in the arcade (like a speed setting) make this another fine conversion of a Neo Geo title."[14]
Reviewing the SNES version of the game,EGM called it "one of the better fighting games ported to the SNES" and awarded it Game of the Month.[13]GamePro gave the SNES version a more mixed review, comparing it favorably with its predecessor, but stating that the graphics are inferior to the Neo Geo version, the audio is terrible, the controls are unreliable, and the gameplay is unbalanced. The magazine recommended thatFatal Fury fans instead hold out for the upcoming SNES port ofFatal Fury Special, which they felt to be far superior judging by the pre-release version they had seen.[28]
In a retrospective review,Maximum assessed that while still not as strong asStreet Fighter II,Fatal Fury 2 was a dramatic improvement over the first game: "The number of characters selectable had been extended to eight, and all of them received a full complement of moves and fought with a much greater fluidity than inFatal Fury." They also noted better background graphics and greater interaction with the scenery.[30]
In 2011,Complex rankedFatal Fury 2 as the 35th best fighting game of all time, largely for introducing Mai Shiranui.[31]Mega magazine ranked the game at #46 on their "Top 50 Mega Drive Games of All Time" in 1994.[32] In 1995,Total! ranked the game 82nd on their Top 100 SNES Games.[33]IGN listed Fatal Fury 2 63rd in its "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time."[34]
