Review by: Mitch Krpata

Fighting Vipers is yet another game where odd-looking fighters all join one tournament for some reason that really doesn’t matter in the end anyway. The difference is in the AM2 flair. Character selection is actually rather limited, compared to most fighting games today. Each character fights differently, though, and some wield weapons, like a guitar or skateboard. Unlike Virtua Fighter 2, matches in Fighting Vipers take place within closed arenas. Altogether, it’s a similar experience to VF2, but not exactly the same.

FV also sports a few graphical touches not present in VF2; namely, real-time shadows and lighting effects, and fully 3D, rotating arenas. Unfortunately, in order to accomplish this, polygon count and resolution are both lower than in VF2, giving it a less polished look. Animation is quick and fluid, though, so it’s not at all painful to watch. Sound is standard fight noises; crunches, yells, and cracks. The background music is just that- background. I couldn’t hum it if I tried, because I’ve never noticed it. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, so you’ll have to make your own decision. Like with any game by AM2, control is perfect. You can’t ask for response time any quicker than this, and all the D-pad motions are dead on.

FV utilizes the same control setup as the Virtua Fighter series: defend, punch, and kick. Jumping is also identical to VF, with characters seemingly floating through the air. One of the biggest innovations in gameplay is the implementation of armor. Each character has separate pieces on their torso and legs, each of which can be knocked off during the fight. Let me tell you, that adds quite a bit of fun when you’re playing as Candy. Fighters can be juggled off of the walls, or knocked out of the ring at the end of the match, which is quite an effect to behold. All in all, the experience is very reminiscent of Virtua Fighter 2, which probably means Fighters Megamix is extraordinary.

You can’t get around the fact that this is no VF2, no matter how hard it tries. It just doesn’t feel as good to fight in this game. Maybe that sounds silly, but the pure joy of fighting a match in VF2 is not as present here. That’s not to say it’s totally absent; Fighting Vipers is one of the best 3D fighting games on the Saturn, miles ahead of such travesties as Criticom and Toshinden: URA. An exciting fight, and worth your money.

Rating: **** (out of five stars)