Fighter's Destiny
Reviewed by Brett Miller
Fighters....One of the rudimentary building blocks of a software line-up. Playstation
has the Tekken franchise, Sega enjoy Virtual Fighter. And Nintendo..well, fighter's
have been slim for the powerful N64. And what offerings have come down the pipe
have been mediocre at best. Then along comes Fighter's Destiny. In a genre fraught
with unoriginal button smashing 25 hit combos, comes a truly inventive and pleasing fighter.
Graphics 7 out of 10
The graphics overall are beautiful. While character design ranges form the unoriginal
to the down-right stolen identity, the backgrounds and rings are enjoyable. The fighters
themselves move with an all too realistic quality that is also a sheer pleasure to watch.
Details like facial expressions could have been better accomplished and the trademark
Nintendo 64 "fuzziness" is also way too prevalent, but I've seen worse...
Music and Sound 4 out of 10
Ok, here's probably something each of you who buy the game will eventually burn me
in effigy for...I gave Fighter's Destiny an 4 out of 10 for one simple reason; hearing
that punk announcer yell "KNOCKDOWN!" is awesome. Especially when you're humiliating
your friend and you've scored the winning 3 points. Why didn't this get a "higher" score
you ask? Well, that same announcer will get on your last nerve 5 minutes into playing
this game. It actually makes you wish the N64 had less voice capability..if you can
believe that
Game Challenge 9 out of 10
For a fighter to come along that takes 5 minutes to learn and infinite time to master
says a lot. The game is deep, with hidden moves, characters, and options. You can
change everything from ring size to point value to the volume of the announcer's voice.
You keep coming back to this game, if for no other reason, to earn an extra move or
once again disgrace one of your buddies.
Game Play-Fun 10 out of 10
Get it. If you're a fighting fan..definitely. If you don't traditionally like fighters, I
think you might like this one. I'm a fighting fanatic, and this game still stands out
for me in so many areas. I think highly of the completely under-publicized game. It's
worth every penny it costs, and there aren't many games on the market for the N64
you can say that about.
Rumble Pak 10 out of 10
Every been slammed in the jaw so hard that you get knocked to the floor? Me either,
but the rumble pack may give you a taste. It's mind-numbingky frustrating getting
caught with a knockdown hit, but even more so when that damned controller is
twitching in your hand. I'm a huge supporter of rumble pack technology. It' gives
you an extra dose of "you're there".
Frustration
Not really an issue with this game. You learn some basic moves to get started, than
you learn technique, then you attempt to master it.
Replayability 8 out of 10
You'll be back, oh yes....you'll be back for more indeed. Fighter's Destiny has two
things going for it with regards to replayability. A really fun and exciting one-player
experience (hidden characters and moves) and of course the mainstay of any good game.
Multi- or Two-player. It's a fighter, so theres always a good game of knuckle sandwich
exchange ready to go.
Game Value 10 out of 10
When it first came out, you would probably have to be a fighting fan to warrant the
$60 purchase price, but Fighter's Destiny has been reduced to a mere $49, and that
friends, will be money well spent. This was a completely under-hyped game, and that
is a shame, because this is one of the rare standouts in the otherwise spotty N64 lineup
Overall 9 out of 10
Excellent replay value, good to great graphics, and the most unique scoring system
to grace any fighting game make Fighter's Destiny a real pleasure to play. And best
of al, there's none of the pesky "buyer's remorse" for shelling out hard earned dollars
for this one. It's a keeper.