Fighting Force (PlayStation)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 2.5 stars OK
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 5.3 (2.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Jeff Gerstmann
• Reviewed on: 12/01/1997
• Updated on: 04/28/2000
• Released on: 10/31/1997
• Originally published on GameSpot: Fighting Force (PlayStation) Review

Fighting Force, from the same developers that brought us Tomb Raider, looked very promising from the early reports. It looked like it was going to be the ultimate beat-'em-up game, redefining the genre for the 32-bit and up systems. Unfortunately, the game starts strong, but becomes an exercise in futility on or around the second level.

The game allows four character choices, each with its own strengths. Actually, it doesn't really matter which character you pick. They may have different attacks and throws, but they're all pretty interchangeable. The typical array of punches, kicks, and grabs are here. All the players also have a special attack that clears out all the enemies around them at the cost of a little bit of their life bar. Needless to say, originality is not one of Fighting Force's strong points. The game is basically a 3D version of Capcom's classic, Final Fight, except the characters and enemies lack the personality that made Final Fight exciting. Also, the use of a 3D environment causes a few problems. The most notable of these is that armed enemies have the ability to shoot you from off-screen.

Graphically, Fighting Force does the job. The characters move well and look detailed, albeit a bit blocky. The backgrounds are decent, but seem a little too static. Perhaps a little more animation could have been used to spruce the game's atmosphere up a bit. The sound doesn't help very much here either. It's tolerable, but that's about it.

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