N64 Review: Fighting Force 64 (1999)

Regrettably, Fighting Force 64 is essentially it for post-Genesis and SNES beat-'em-ups. For whatever reason, the genre perfected by Streets of Rage 2 never quite made the jump to 3D, so FF64 is as far along as things ever got. And despite its flaws, I think FF64 is an fine, faithful, and absolutely admirable entry in the unfortunately deceased lineage of the mindless brawler. In the tradition of all beat-'em-ups, story means nothing: four renegade police officers set out to take down a gang kingpin named Dr. Zeng. Why? Who cares? is more like it. You start out the game by kicking down his office door and throwing droves of his henchmen around the shiny hallways. Why and how you move on to the other locations (such as a shopping mall, subway station, aircraft carrier) is never explained, and never needs to be. You just jam on the A and B buttons (and, for a little variety, you can add in a running kick by holding down Z or you can try grappling with C-down) until all enemies in the stage have been thoroughly smackdowned. Bonus points are dished out for destroying the stages and, in the grand tradition of Streets of Rage, health is inexplicably replenished by consuming stray subs and sodas found on the ground. Controls can be a bit sluggish at times and the game can get fairly bogged down when too many characters clog up the screen. Furthermore, FF64 is really short; with a bit of diligence, you're likely to knock it out in just under a few hours. But who really wants to play these kind of games for long? FF64 is fun precisely because by the time you start to get sick of it, the credits are rolling and you can move on to something else. But unlike many other games, you can come back to FF64 often, simply to revel in the immense madness, and especially if you have a buddy beside you for some co-op play.