Review by: Frank Provo

Bottom Line: 8.6

Although its run in arcades was short and sweet, Sega has seen fit to present an excellent port of their brutal 3D fighting extravaganza, Fighting Vipers. If you had to mix Virtua Fighter with Tekken, and dab in a little Mortal Kombat, you'd probably end up with this game. Eight brutal grunge hippies await your fateful commands.

Graphically, Fighting Vipers is both a step up and a step down from Virtua Fighter 2. Levels are more interactive, in that you can knock people out of them and you have ropes & walls to bounce off of. On the other hand, the levels for the most part don't seem to be as attractive as those in VF2, probably due to the excessive use of "concrete" and the sparing use of background extras. In addition, the resolution isn't as high as VF2, which makes things look a bit rough.

On the upshot, the game runs pretty smooth and moves are animated to a high degree. The fact that walls can be broken and armor can be blown off further adds to the graphical candy that one can see. You can also tell what audience this game was made for when you look at it--the women in FV seem to be drawn with almost letcherous detail, complete with frilly lingerie and skimpy outfits. If the American port isn't edited, I'm sure kids will get a big kick out of Honey in her G-String or Grace's panties.

Soundwise, Fighting Vipers is about on par with Virtua Fighter 2. Voices are much clearer, but they tend to get drowned out by the booming music. Sound effects on the other hand don't tend to get drowned out; in fact, you'd think Sega swiped Tekken's sound effects. The background music is quite original for this kind of title, as it doesn't sport the usual trancy melodies that one expects in a 3D fighter. Music in Fighting Vipers is quite loud, quite hard core, and more than likely going to appeal to anyone in the 12-21 age group. Imagine if you had Kiss, Bush, and Ugly Kid Joe get together for a jam session. It's that diverse, and rocks very very very hard.

Gameplay is a mixed bag, but pleasing for the most part. Control is about the same as Virtua Fighter 2, although many of the moves have a very Tekken-ish feel to them. If you like Tekken, you'll probably like this game more than a die hard VF2 player will. If you like Virtua Fighter 2, you'll have to get used to a couple things, namely air throws and chain combos. Yes, that's right, I mentioned air throws. This game takes the juggles made famous in Tekken and improves upon them nicely. Each viper has various aerial attacks and throws, in addition to the standard aerial kicks and punches that you'll find in the Virtua Fighter series.

On the whole, Fighting Vipers is a more fast paced and energetic game than Virtua Fighter 2 or Tekken. More often than not combos or throws launch an opponent all the way across the ring, and once in awhile armor will come blowing off like a dandelion in a hurricane. Thankfully, you have an armor indicator to let you know when you're in danger of being disrobed, and the tell tale triple-replay is always around to inform you after the fact.

One final note about gameplay, aerial battles are actually possible in this game. While jumps can be as high as the Virtua Fighter series, most characters have quick jumps or can do multiple attacks in the air. It's possible to start combos in the air, and you can even use the ring to launch yourself further. While gameplay isn't as refined or realistic as Virtua Fighter 2, the improved aerial mechanics make this game both different and original.

You can choose from 8 players when you start the game, and various others are added along the way. Pepsiman is the most notable, as he takes brutality to an art form and makes you thirsty to boot. It's a shame he'll probably not be in the US version. If you can manage to beat the game all the way through, you'll be allowed to play as the main boss, a brutal guy in Lion armor named Mahler. There's even a bear statue with a cowboy hat you can play as. It should come as no surprise, but the Honey variant you get after beating the game with her is even more scantily clad than her normal version.

Rounding out the analysis, there are many gameplay modes to be found. You'll find the standard Arcade and Versus modes we all have come to know and love, along with Team Battle and Training modes. Upon beating the game you will be treated to some of your KO's which occurred previously, as well as various CG pictures of your character. Again, Honey, Jane, and the rest of the women tend to have rather risque photos. All in all however, Fighting Vipers is a solid game, a good purchase, and will probably please many of those who don't like Virtua Fighter 2.

Ratings

Graphics: 8

+ Well detailed characters with a pretty good frame rate.
+ Damage explosions and armor fragments are nice eye candy.
- Backgrounds are a bit undetailed and flat
- Resolution isn't as high as VF2

Sound: 8.5

+ Crystal clear voices, booming sound effects
+ Music fits the game and is very enjoyable
- Voices are a bit muffled by background music.
- There's not enough character voices.

Gameplay/Control: 9

+ Very easy to control
+ Combos and specials are easy to do for the most part.
+ Aerial hit recovery! (kind of like throw softening in SF2)
+ Reversals and plausable air attacks are quite welcome.
- You can't roll & attack after being knocked down like in VF2.
- Combos make you feel helpless sometimes.

Replay Value/Fun Factor: 9

+ Many play modes and vibrant characters add to the variety.
+ Multi hit combos, exploding armor, violent ring outs.
+ The more you play, the more characters/options you get.
- Levels feel too plain at times.

Overall: 8.6