Art of Fighting Anthology

Art of Fighting Anthology - (PS2)
Developer: SNK Playmore
Format: PS2
Genre: Arcade

A huge roundhouse kick to the spirit of nostalgia

The 'Art of' series pioneered the likes of 2D side-scrolling fighting, multiple height attacks that could defeat crouching blocks, body damage and the use of 'spirit' meters -allowing certain types of attack move power-ups. Most of these have largely been overlooked, lost in the annals of the gaming franchises that then took over the fighting beacon and carried it through the next-gen consoles, all shiny and spangly and in 3D. Most of them used the taunting aspects of the original Art of Fighting, giving rise to modern-day characters owning and developing back stories and split sequences of FMV that you get today.

The influence of Art of Fighting can't be overlooked and this title forms the homage to those days. It gives you the opportunity to chart the early years and experience the first three in the series. The first two are pretty basic, reminding anyone old enough to care of the gaming as it used to be. There is plenty of side-scrolling, zooming-in action with limited characters and clunky controls. The adventures and scrapes of Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia unfold here. The third game, the third in the series, develops multiple attack combos and the infamous 'juggle' moves that launch your enemy into acrobatic displays of defeat. It's here, in 3, that you get the high, mid and low range of attacks as well - at the time an innovative fighting trick.

The only new addition packaged though is the option to switch soundtracks between the original arcade scores and new modern interpretations. Ultimately that's a poor bonus for your buck. So lacking any extras, anything other than NeoGeo arcade ports, means that your cash doesn't stretch far and unless you've crying out for some retro 2D fight action, you're going to be sorely miffed at splashing out, even if it is a budget title. It's die-hards only with this.

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