Twenty Two - Final Fight: Double Impact

Well, Jon came over after work, and we made short work of the 22nd game on my 2011 list. Related: the same afternoon, Mayor Mike Haggar doled out some street justice.

The game, of course, was Final Fight. Final Fight: Double Impact, to be specific. Double Impact was released awhile back at a bargain price of $10 for an arcade-perfect port of Capcom's legendary beat 'em up paired with Magic Sword, a sorta-generic arcade game similar to Castlevania or Ghouls 'n Ghosts.

Really, though, you buy it for Final Fight. You can beat it in less than 45 minutes, the combos are simplistic when they even exist, and bosses are broken bastards designed to take away players' coins rather than test players' skills. It's also very much a product of its time, with Andre the Giant parodies, Warriors-style gang uniforms, and mighty mighty mustaches. No, there's nothing modern or even particularly special about this game, but it's definitely fun.

I'm going to give a story synopsis because I can: Mayor Mike Haggar, a former wrestler, receives an ultimatum from the organized crime ring Mad Gear: leave the gang alone or Jessica Haggar, the mayor's daughter, dies. This simply will not do, so the mayor rips off his suit, puts on a suspender (only one!) and takes it to Mad Gear in the slums of Metro City. Joined by the mostly-forgettable Cody (Jessica's boyfriend) and Guy (a ninja vigilante?), Haggar shows the world that he is indeed the greatest mayor of all time.

Playing Final Fight again got me thinking; where has the classic beat 'em up gone to? From Renegade and River City Ransom to Final Fight and Streets of Rage, there is some quality co-op to be had here! But the answer was obvious: RPGs. The genre hasn't disappeared, it's just gotten a little more complex. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Castle Crashers were two examples that came to mind. I'm glad this genre hasn't died out, because, well, punching dudes. Punching dudes!

Games Beaten: 2011 Edition

1. Mario vs. Donkey Kong
2. Primal Rage
3. Torchlight Hat Trick
4. Ghost Trick
5. Flower
6. Batman: Arkham Asylum
7. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
8. Sly 2: Band of Thieves
9. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
10. Tales of Eternia
11. Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
12. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
13. 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
14. Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
15. Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
16. Dragon Age: Origins
17. Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
18. inFamous Evil Finish
19. VVVVVV
20. inFamous 2 Good Finish
21. Big Bang Mini
22. Final Fight: Double Impact

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Since I basically completed Final Fight on a whim and in one sitting, it didn't really derail me from my other games. Steam's sales are being problematic, derailing me from Bioshock and Jade Empire. We'll see what's next.