Fighting Force on the N64 is Great

I haven’t reviewed many games for the N64. I didn’t play many games for the system growing up. I either played games on the PC or the PS1. When I looked over the library recently, I saw that there weren’t many games in the genres I enjoy playing.

I did find one, though. It is a beat’em up called Fighting Force. The game was released in 1997 on the PS1 and is from the same studio that made Tomb Raider. For some reason, the N64 received a port of the game in 1999, the same year as the sequel was released for the PS1 and the Dreamcast.

This is a 3D beat’em up, and I’m not sure what to expect from the game. I’m going to be optimistic, so maybe I’ll find something I enjoy. Hopefully, I won’t be disappointed.

TLDR: A Decent Beat’em Up with a Good Story and Okay Graphics.

Narrative

The story is okay. There is an evil scientist who is going to do something to end the world or some such nonsense. It is a standard plot that reflects some of the popular conspiracy theories about the world ending in the year 2000.

Dr. Zeng is the big bad guy, and you spend the game chasing him around a city. It isn’t too different from other beat’em ups, which isn’t necessarily bad. The story gets the job done, even if it isn’t explained in the game.

I checked the manual for any story because the game didn’t help me much. The manual outlines the story, and we learn that the game takes place after 2000, and the world doesn’t end. Since Dr. Zeng had convinced himself that the world would end, he decided to do it himself.

For some reason, I like this idea. He isn’t trying to take over the world; he is trying to end it. For some reason, I like this idea more than the regular plot of the bad guy trying to rule the world.

I wasn’t expecting much from the game. Most people don’t play a beat’em up for the story. There is a story to this game, but you don’t need one to enjoy this game.

Gameplay

The gameplay is solid. You punch and kick enemies throughout the game, and there are a lot of weapons to pick up. The only thing I didn’t like was how slow your character moves.

The locations in Fighting Force are huge, and you must walk painfully slowly to get to the next area. Even moving into range of your opponents can be annoying. This is made a little worse because the hit detection is very good.

The controls are simple. You have a punch, a kick, a back attack, and a grab button. After playing the game for a while, I checked the manual to see if I was missing something, specifically if I was missing the run button. There isn’t a run, jump, or block button.

While it is nice that I wasn’t missing anything, it is a little disappointing that so many buttons are left without function. It would’ve also been great to see super attacks in the game. There is always a chance that I missed something, so please correct me in the comments.

Tracking your enemies can be a little tricky. There isn’t a button to control the camera, aside from zooming in and out, and there isn’t a button to lock onto an enemy. It is easy to face an enemy when needed, but having a button to do so might’ve been better.

This game has four playable characters. Like other beat’em ups, the characters have strengths and weaknesses that let you choose how to play. This is a nice touch and allows the player to have a favorite character.

This is a fun beat’em up. It is by no means my favorite game in the genre, but it is a fun game. It would’ve been nice to have a special attack, but the lack of them shouldn’t discourage you from playing it.

Visuals

Fighting Force looks decent for the time. It is what I was expecting. The locations look good, but are probably too big for their own good.

The locations look good for the consoles of the time. The characters have a good amount of detail, the locations look very big, and the game looks like you’re fighting in a crime-ridden city.

I also like how the game shows the enemies running towards you. It isn’t the most amazing thing in the world, but it is nice to see the enemies coming to fight you like they weren’t expecting you to beat up the previous enemies.

It is a little hard to see the weapons, and oftentimes, I have no idea what I’m picking up. In particular, I have no idea what the health items are supposed to be. I thought they were supposed to be first aid kits, but they could also be a take-out box from our character’s favorite restaurant, for all I know.

The explosions and cutscenes look decent. This isn’t going to look as good as Dynamite Cop, but it does look decent. The graphics are one of the few bright spots in this game.

The camera is pretty great in this game. Aside from the standard complaints from a game from this time, I don’t have too many complaints about it. The camera can be an issue at times, but it is nowhere near as bad as other games.

Overall, I like the graphics. They aren’t amazing, but they aren’t terrible. This feels like an average-looking N64 game from the late 1990s.

8/10. Good Graphics and Solid Gameplay compensate for some of this game’s shortcomings.

Pros

• Decent Graphics
• Fun Story
• Solid Controls

Cons

• Slow movement speed
• No super/special attacks
• The Camera is a little rough

Conclusion

Fighting Force is a great beat’em up. The graphics and controls are good, and it has a fun story. It has some minor issues, but they aren’t that big of a problem.

I had fun with the game. It is somewhat basic, but it does many things well. My biggest issues were the camera and the lack of super attacks. I’m looking forward to seeing what the PS1 version of the game and the sequel have to offer.

If you liked this, please check out my review of Dynamite Cop or King of Dragons.