17. Final Fight

(Arcade/Various Home, Capcom, 1989)
My favourite comic book characters are The Punisher and Batman. I love Death Wish 3. I love scrolling brawlers. What do these all have in common?
No, not leather pants, Vigilantes.
I loathe street crime. The idea that as human beings we do not have the right to walk the streets in comfort without being aware of the people around us, the places we shouldn't go and the areas we should avoid at night is unfair and wrong. I have no problem with the police, but as I have said before, their hands are tied. Without being too Daily Mail about it, the police have all sorts of procedures and paperwork they have to follow as well as worrying about the "human rights" of those that choose not to respect the rights of others.

Better put, the thought of a rapist having his face blown off with a Magnum makes me FUCKING LAUGH.

Final Fight is the grandfather of the "Take back the city" genre that was hugely popular in the late 80's/early 90's. Other games had already used similar concepts, but Final Fight took it to another level. With huge sprites, grimy music and a series of stereotypical "gang locations" Final Fight presented the basic premise of walking from left to right whilst hitting a button and made Capcom a small fortune in the process.

Metro City is in serious trouble, not only are they overrun with "Mad Gear" the most colourful gang ever formed, but the good people of the city have decided to put a pro-wrestler in office. When Mayor Mike Hagger's beautiful daughter Jessica is kidnapped, rather than sort out the fiscal year's budget cuts, Mayor Hagger dons some green trousers and hits the streets. Hagger also enlists the help of Jessica's boyfriend Cody and some golden ninja warrior called Guy who likes to be a third wheel. Seriously, It couldn't be more "on" if it tried.

Our heroes hit Metro City and paint the town red, with blood probably. The players can utilise either Cody's boxing and tight jeans skills, Guy's supreme ninja empire skills, or Hagger's skill of pretending to fight in order to massacre their way through hordes of gang members on the way to meet gang boss Belger, residing in an uptown penthouse office. Along the way a variety of weapons can be put to good use and never forget that in the world of scrolling brawlers, an oil drum can contain anything from a fully cooked roast chicken to a steaming cup of coffee or a nice watch. The game also has an amusing history of censorship, with a host of back and forth changes made to various releases of the game too numerous to list here.

Final Fight is timeless. While the game's concept and presentation may have dated, it seems impossible not to still have lots of fun playing through the game with a friend. It's simply mindless mayhem, with an array of cartoonish badguys, great bonus rounds, over-dressed bosses, a grindhouse synth soundtrack and a ridiculous approach to crime-fighting. If these games are to be believed, you can clear crime out of your city by leaving the house and literally walking through each district while kicking the tar out of everyone who looks like they may get a bit rapey.

Capcom are clearly very proud of Final Fight as various characters, backgrounds, cameos and references have since been made in their other games. They are right to have this pride, as Final Fight spawned a slew of imitators through the early 90's and is still finding itself ported to new formats today (An Xbox360 HD version is just around the corner)
I don't believe Final Fight should be "remade", it had a place in time where it was king and that time is not today (See entry #55) But that doesn't mean it can't still be enjoyed for what it is today by gamers both old and new, whether re-visiting their own past or just learning about Capcom's.

I keep my fists constantly taped. No matter how many times Hagger's office phone starts ringing, I'll always be ready to rumble.