Review by: the Dark Falcon

OK, OK, everyone, their grandmother, and their cats have already reviewed this game, so what kind of game reviewer would i be if I didn't put in my two cents about this game? After all, it is Sega's prime 1997 title to date, so here goes.

You have the characters from Virtua Fighter 2 (ranging from the foxy Sarah to the more-drunken-than-Ted-Kennedy-on-a-houseboat Shun Di), you have the characters from Fighting Vipers (such as the "rocker" Raxel, who looks more like a glam model), and, well, they've all gotten together for one big fight. The goal= to kick ass, obviously. Either that or it's a fight to see who ends up with a game on Dural first. But it's a fight, and that's what's important.

The idea is quite novel, actually. The characters blend together terrifically in this game, even though the FV players have their own blend of special breaker moves that are more simply performed than the VF Crew's more ޭcomplexity-loaded moves. New stuff has been added galore. The VF crew has their special patented stuff from VF3 (including the dodge move, which is cool), while the Fighting Vipers, well, have the stuff that made them so undeniably weird and yet so hip. So it all matches out balance-wise.

The graphics in Fighters Megamix aren't exactly hi-res like those in Last Bronx, but they still sparkle in lo-res, showing off great detail in the backgrounds and up close movements. Each character animates very smoothly, and the 3D playfields show little sign of breakup. Very nice.

The music is, well, mostly just there to be music, sort of like the stuff they put in the elevators to annoy you in case you ever get stuck in one for nine hours. It's mostly just there and never really catches onto you, but it's not exactly a deprivation of your senses either. The sound fx are aplenty, with plenty of punch and kick sounds blended with individual voices. But, please, Sega, lose Wolf's ridiculous howl.

Control is key in a game like this, as a fighting game with no control is sort of like a plot in a porn movie- useless. And Sega has not let down in that department either. As I said above, each character has their moves down pat, right down to the dodges and over-the-top throws. Mastering combos will take time, however, so practice, practice, practice in the practice mode (well, what else would you call it). Still, even amateurs should find a certain character to settle with.

But what makes Fighting Vipers such a special package are the hidden bonuses abound, mostly in the form of extra fighters. You have such obscurities as Hornet (the car from Daytona- really, don't ask), Janet from Virtua Cop 2 (pistol whipping takes on a whole new meaning here), Siba, a long lost warrior from the first Virtua Fighter (cool guy), Meat (um, a slab of meat with fists- don't beat him too often, OK?), the AM2 tree (its bark is worse than its bite), and many others. Even after you find them all, you'll be fascinated as you learn to play with them and master their every move to make you a better Megamix player.

OK, it's a wrap. Fighters Megamix is the best fighting game available for Saturn, and, at this point, may be one of the last good ones we'll have for awhile (unless, of course, Capcom makes an abundant amount of them like they normally do). I rate it a 9 out of 10, and the only reason it didn't score a perfect 10 was because no players from Last Bronx, Toe Jam and Earl, Vectorman, or Sega Rally were included. Ah, well, there's always hopes for a Megamix II, eh?