FINAL FIGHT

FINAL FIGHT is like the dad of arcade beat 'em ups that every other game in the genre wishes it could be. Picture this: a giant mayor in a tank top, his daughter's boyfriend and a ninja buddy all decide to punch their way through an entire city gang to save the kidnapped girlfriend. It's a simple story, but it's all the excuse you need for some of the most satisfying fist to face action ever coded.

The gameplay is pure genius in its simplicity. You walk to the right, you punch dudes, you grab them and suplex them into the pavement, and you occasionally pick up a pipe or a knife to cause even more beautiful chaos. Each of the three characters feels totally distinct. Haggar is this slow powerhouse who can spinning piledriver goons into the ground, Cody is the balanced brawler and Guy is this speedy ninja who can wall jump. Figuring out who you vibe with is half the fun.

The levels are these wonderfully gritty slices of city life, from the grimy slums and a subway under construction to the neon-lit entertainment district. Each area ends with a memorable boss, like the chain wielding Sodom or the massive Abigal, who all have their own patterns to figure out. Breaking open trash cans and barrels to find healing food or weapons like knives and pipes never gets old.

Now when it came to playing this at home, it meant bracing for the classic question: «what did they cut this time? ». The Super Nintendo port was many people first look, but it was butchered. No two player coop, the Industrial Area level was gone, and Guy wasn't even there. It was still fun because the core game was so strong but you felt the missing pieces. Computers like the Amiga and ZX Spectrum got really rough slow versions that were impressive for the hardware but didn't capture the speed. CAPCOM's own X68000 computer in Japan got an incredibly faithful port that's still sought after. The Game Boy Advance got Final Fight One, which finally brought back Guy and the missing stage to a Nintendo portable adding some cool extras like alternate outfits. Sega CD owners got a way better deal with Final Fight CD. That version had all three characters, the missing level, two player action and even a killer arranged soundtrack. For a long time, that was the definitive experience, even if the graphics were a lil less vibrant and controls weren't solid enough.

But here's the crazy part: the absolute best way to play FINAL FIGHT might not even be an official CAPCOM release. There's this insane homebrew project called Final Fight MD for the Genesis. Some unbelievably talented fans are rebuilding the game from scratch on the 16-bit hardware and what they've achieved is mindblowing. It's not just a port, It keeps everything great about the Sega CD release and piles on its own upgrades. It adds a three player support, includes all the characters (plus Maki from FINAL FIGHT 2 as a bonus) and packs in wild extras like a survivor mode, time attacks and a bunch of unlockable options. The music is a banging authentic Genesis synth rendition of the iconic tunes and the action feels snappy and responsive. While Sega CD titles can struggle on Old 3DS, this Genesis port delivers a locked 60 FPS experience, so your performance will be great regardless!

To bring this brawl onto your 3DS, your system needs to be prepped and ready for the streets, meaning it's gotta be homebrew ready. Once you've got that sorted, find the FBI app on your HOME Menu. Open it up and use its scanner to target the QR code provided here. This will directly download the game file right into your system. When the install is finished, the FINAL FIGHT icon will muscle its way onto your HOME Menu. Select it, drop in your quarter, and start cleaning up Metro City!