Neo Geo CD
SNK
1994
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When it comes to SNK hardware, it is an absolutely cemented fact that the companyโs console and arcade cabinets were developed with the fighting game enthusiast in mind. Fromย Fatal Furyย toย Theย King of Fighters, the Neo Geo brand of systems became (and remain) synonymous with a genre that revolves around beating the tar out of your opponents. Eager to take some new competition to hamburger hill? One neednโt look far when surveying the Neo Geo catalog, as out of the 98 officially released Neo Geo CD games that exist, a substantial 38 of them stem from the fighting variety. Whatโs more is that the majority of them are excellent, equipped with their own unique senses of style, music and gameplay. So why is it that when the discussion shifts to beat โem ups, a genre that is undeniably akin to the almighty fighter, more than a few peopleโs opinions turn lukewarm, if not downright frigid, regarding SNKโs efforts in that stadium? For some, the opinion is that SNK just couldnโt manage to develop aย reallyย stellar beat โem up, releasing offerings of games that ranged within decent-to-poor, always coming up short when stacked alongside heavy hitters such asย Final Fight,ย Double Dragon, andย Streets of Rage. To some extent, I covered SNKโs difficulties in legitimately locking horns with the aforementioned legendary titles in my review ofย Ninja Combat, but in all honesty, that game looks and plays like a tech demo compared to the likes of Sega and Capcomโs entries in the rough and rugged class of pummeling waves of enemies beyond black and blue. What SNK needed to beef up their library was a real deal contender to the beat โem up throne, a title with enough brawn and aggression to make it sizzleย Hotter Than New York. With the assistance of SNKโs founder, Eikichi Kawasaki, the fight for arcade supremacy was on once again, and it wasnโt just balmy, it was burning! (sorryโฆ). So if youโre in the mood to kick ass and eat hotdogs, get ready to spin a game thatโs guaranteed to deliver both in full.
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Released in the very early 90โs (though ported to the Neo Geo CD in 1994), one of the immediate positives that Burning Fight slogged me with from the onset was its impressive attention to detail in the visual department. Modeled after the Japanese city of Osaka, the game fulminates to life with metropolis color and sound, even going as far as to allow the player to walk into a variety of shops, if for nothing else than to beat up more baddies or destroy a multitude of items and furniture. That said, it’s still really cool to have access to the different establishments, if only to see a few products on the wall of a convenience store or what the interior of a bar looked like. As I played through its stages for the first time, it was becoming clear to me that for all of the similarities that the game shared with its contemporaries, it managed to retain a unique identity of its own, packing enough caliber to legitimately separate it from the pack. Theย Sea Areaย stages are some of the best that the game has to offer, leading your character through different levels of a massive boat on water. Similar to Segaโs earnest attempts withย Streets of Rage 2, SNK nailed the atmosphere of each area as they do a fantastic job of engrossing the player. A visual feast from level to level, Burning Fight is simply stunning for a title released in 1991.ย
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Gameplay wise, Burning Fight proffers just about what one would expect from a game stemming from the beat โem up genre. With buttons designated for punching, kicking, jumping, and picking up items and weapons (hotdogs, knives, etc.), this brawler sticks to the time tested formula while adding a few of its own licks to the blueprint. There are three characters to choose from, with (unfortunately) only one of them being of redeemable quality. In contrast to the rest of the gameโs visuals,ย Billy Kingย andย Duke Edwardsย sport disappointingly substandard designs, appearing both chunky and bovine. Slow moving and just not fun to play as, I never pick either of them when Iโm playing Burning Fight. In stark comparison to his comrades,ย Ryu Saebaย is swift and impressive, capable of dispensing punches at breakneck speeds. Another advantage that Ryu has over his allies is a really cool and effective special move, while Billy and Dukeโs are clunky and difficult to pull off correctly. Overall, the game plays well enough but does seem to spin a little stiff in comparison to others from the genre. None of the three characters display any sense of urgency as they unenthusiastically stride into threatening confrontations with multiple men, ultimately making the experience a little less convincing. Other than that, gameplay is mostly tight, save for some poor hit detection here and there.
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Burning Fight contains some amusing enemies, along with some really annoying ones. On the appreciable side of things, the gameโs bosses actually stem from different subsections of criminal activity, as adversaries representing everything from the mob, to professional wrestling, to blood-curdling yakuza backgrounds will all be vying to get their hands on you. This adds some sorely needed variety to the archetypal grunts that tend to relentlessly charge you in beat โem ups. Typical of a game released in the late 80โs or early 90โs, you know that there absolutelyย hadย to be a character designed using Hulk Hoganโs likeness, andย Tom Andersonย fits that bill perfectly. Thereโs also another wrestling-type enemy by the name ofย Mad Dilly. He was apparently modeled after Macho Man Randy Savage, but he looks identical to Tom Anderson with a different color palette. There are also some really comical looking Mafioso guys that will attempt to mow you down with gunfire, with one of them going by the name ofย Bruce Stone. Awesome.
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Alas, not all of the enemies in the game are satisfying to pound on, as these really irritating dudes brandishing chains will show up far more often than necessary, hopping over top of you while doggedly swinging a chain down towards your dome. Worse yet, theyโre hard to avoid and equally difficult to hit. This is around where Burning Fightโs attention to detail comes to a bit of a halt, as these insatiable chain lovers are invariably namedย Jackย orย Johnnyย (but itโs almost always Johnny. Youโre going to be beating upย a lotย of Johnnys). Home to almost every beat โem up game in existence; there also lives that infamous overweight guy that simply plows his way across a stage, seemingly unassailable as he breaks every bone in your characterโs body by way of his breadbasket. Youโll get to know these chubby chaps in no time, their names consistently belonging to theย Duffyย orย Gonzalesย varieties (but I always seem to get driven down by Duffy). I strongly advise against taking these two on in the earlier hours unless youโre invested in the idea of making day drinking an Olympic event. God bless unlimited continues.ย
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Burning Fightโs soundtrack is pretty good. Not stellar, but good.ย Yasumasa Yamadaย did a fine job at matching some decent tunes to the gameโs environments. None of the music is bad, but none of it is particularly catchy either. That being said, there are quite a few SNK titles that come packaged with some of the greatest arcade game music ofย all time, so maybe my standards are set a little too high. Oddly enough, the music that accompanies the conclusion of each stage actually sounds similar to the tunes in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time. Bizarre. Following the release of Burning Fight, Yamada would go on to refine his talents, contributing work to the likes ofย Art of Fighting,ย Samurai Shodown II, andย The King of Fighters โ96, all of which sound incredible and remain held in high regard for their soundtracks to this day. In addition, Yamada has provided material for titles such as 2002โsย Steel Battalionย and 2016โsย Paper Mario: Color Splash, proving that heโs not afraid to test the water in different arenas.ย
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All in all, Burning Fight is a fun game. While it couldโve used some finer tuning, it ultimately became the precursor for later releases such asย Robo Armyย andย Mutation Nation, the latter of which arguably being the best beat โem up available for the Neo Geo CD. For what Burning Fight lacks in polish, it makes up for in charm, as its level of aesthetic detail and commitment to showcasing goofy, yet likeable villains, are excellent. With its adjustable difficulty and limitless continues, it isnโt taxing to get through the game in a half hour sitting, and it is most definitely worth checking out for that much. A capable beat โem up thatโs sure to make you smile a few times, check out Burning Fight for a quick, yet worthwhile ride.
