Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers

Release Date - March 20, 1998 (JP)

Developer - SNK

Publisher - SNK

Platform - Arcade (Neo-Geo MVS)

Developed during the same period of time as Capcom’s Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, SNK’s Fatal Fury: King of Fighters released in 1991 as one of the pioneers of the modern fighting game. The series would prove to be a hit for SNK among fighting game fans, and by 1998 Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers was the seventh game in the franchise, and the third and final game of the Real Bout sub-series.

Known for having gorgeous graphics and great music (and the iconic cast of characters including de-facto SNK mascot Terry Bogard), the Fatal Fury series was more about timing and big damage special moves than combos. Perhaps the biggest distinction that Fatal Fury had from other fighting games was the ability to move in and out of the screen to change ‘planes’ while fighting, adding something of a three-dimensional aspect to the fights. The Real Bout sub-series was an attempt to bring about some changes to the tried and tested Fatal Fury formula. Changes to the control scheme and the addition of the ‘Power Guage’ to allow three levels of new techniques depending on how much it was charged, allowing guard cancels for defensive options and two levels of ‘super’ attacks.

Terry throws out his signature power wave, but finds nobody home as Bob has changed planes! Some 3D-style movement has been introduced to the series.

Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 continues the series tradition of excellent pixel-art graphics with some great, chunky sprites for the main cast, although most of these are re-used from the previous game Real Bout Fatal Fury Special. In addition to the characters are the brilliant backgrounds, each of them featuring some great animation or atmosphere of their own. You’ll find yourself fighting in desert truck-stops, neon-lit rooftops at night and on busy Chinese streets. The game is packed with bright colours and loud aesthetics that have become hallmarks of the series.

A note on the backgrounds in particular; SNK is known for their gorgeously detailed backgrounds and also for the sense of excitement and ‘big tournament’ feeling they give off. This is definitely replicated with Real Bout 2, notably in the Thailand stage where a massive crowd has gathered to watch the fight. Characters will share backgrounds too, notifying either their shared history or same nationality/origin. It’s a neat little bit of visual storytelling that was also seen in the Street Fighter Alpha series.

The beautiful details in the backgrounds are an SNK staple.

The soundtrack is as good as you’d expect from an SNK game, with some iconic tunes returning, and some that would be seen again in later Fatal Fury or King of Fighters titles. Just have a listen to the amazing themes for Geese Howard or Billy Kane, each befitting their character and making returns in later games. The fights themselves also feature many distinctive sound effects and voice samples for the hard hitting moves and spectacular specials.

A wide cast of characters feature, even covering Spanish bull-fighters.

Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 was the most refined Fatal Fury game to date, offering a cast of 22 characters to choose from, including boss characters from previous titles, Geese Howard and Wolfgang Krauser. Two brand new characters were also introduced; Li Xiangfei and Rick Strowd. Li is a headstrong and somewhat rowdy Chinese-American waitress who practises a mixture of Chinese kung fu martial arts. Rick Strowd is a native american boxer, doing the boxing circuit in various casinos before feeling nature calling him to a higher purpose.

Building on the previous games in the series, a large roster is expected and welcome. Fan favourites return, along with new characters.

The Fatal Fury series seem to have a focus more on timing and the deliberate use of special moves rather than long combos. While this wasn’t as unusual back in the late 90s as it is now, it still made the series stand out from some contemporaries like Street Fighter Alpha 3 or especially the more outrageous titles like Marvel vs Capcom (both of which were released in 1998. Damn, what a year for fighting games.) Real Bout 2 carries this gameplay tradition, and while it’s still possible to pull off ‘rush’ attacks (combos, if you prefer that parlance), it’s probably not as big a focus as landing big, damaging moves at the right time. This does make the gameplay very satisfying and arguably a little easier for new players to wrap their head around. The big character sprites are accompanied by some big attacks and the game really does give you a good feeling of success when landing them by rewarding you with big damage and some beefy sound effects and hit reactions.

SNK’s incredible sprite work is highlighted in the opening movie.

Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 would carry on as a fan favourite SNK fighter for some time, performing well in the arcades and eventually receiving home releases on Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD and PlayStation 2. It has been re-released countless times across multiple platforms, so anyone who missed out on this gem of the fighting game genre has no excuse not to jump in and find out who is the real King of Fighters!

This game is a joy to play, even 25 years later. Do yourself a favour and check it out, even if you’re not a competitive fighting game player.