New Games on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg en-us Final Fight 2 is a 1993 beat 'em up for the Super NES and the second game in Capcom's Final Fight series. Unlike the original Final Fight, Final Fight 2 was not an arcade game, but was made specifically for the home market. The game features the return of Mike Haggar from the original game and introduces Maki Genryusai and Carlos Miyamoto.

Set sometime after the events of the original Final Fight, the Mad Gear gang has been revived under the leadership of a man named Retu in Japan. In retaliation for their early defeat, they had kidnapped Guy's fiancee, Rena and her father (Guy's master), Genryusai.

Two days after the abduction, Haggar receives a phone call from Maki (Rena's sister) informing him of the situation and tells him to meet up with her in Hong Kong. With Cody supposedly "on vacation with Jessica" (Cody would most likely be in jail by this time) and Guy away on a training mission, Haggar enlists the help of Carlos Miyamoto, a swordsman and boarder who is staying with Haggar. The two meet with Maki and decide to travel through various parts of Eurasia in search of Mad Gear's new hideout.

The game can be considered as an attempt by Capcom compensate for the earlier SNES version of Final Fight (as well as Final Fight Guy). The gameplay is not very different from the original game in terms of changes. However, the 2 player cooperative game mode that was missing from the first SNES is restored in the sequel and the game offers three playable characters (instead of two). Though neither Guy nor Cody are playable characters in this game, Maki and Carlos are essentially their replacements (this is further emphasized by the fact that Maki uses the same fighting style as Guy). The only returning enemy (besides the Andore family) is Rolento, a boss character from the original arcade game who was missing in the SNES version. The new enemies are also analogues to the ones from the first game, with virtually all of the new Mad Gear members (Elias, Eleck, Mary) having similar fighting styles to their counterparts from the first game (El Gado, G. Oriber, Poison).

Instead of an American city like Metro City, the game takes place primarily in various European and Asian cities and landmarks, thereby giving the game its own distinct look.

]]> 05 Apr 2007 12:11:02 After returning home to Funkotron from Earth, ToeJam and Earl find out that humans hitched a ride on their Rapmaster Rocketship. They are destroying the planet, and ToeJam and Earl are the ones at fault. To fix the situation, the two must capture all of the humans in jars and send them back to Earth where they belong.

Instead of being a top down adventure like the first, ToeJam & Earl 2 is a side scrolling platformer. The duo are also given a certain set of funk powers which will help them with their task. These skills include the ability to walk through walls or see hidden items. The hidden items that must be found are the possessions of Lamont Funkapotamus, the ultimate source for all funk. Like the first game, ToeJam & Earl 2 can be played solo or cooperatively.

]]> 08 Feb 2007 05:55:02 Control the sky in the sequel to Aces of the Pacific. Aces Over Europe takes place in the Western Theater of WWII, and gives you the opportunity to fly for three different countries (US, Germany, or England). There are a variety of different mission types, and they can be played in either campaign or single mission mode. Each side had it's own campaign mode, and there were many different planes to choose from.

]]> 25 Jan 2007 04:14:45 You pilot your ship through the dreaded "Maelstrom" asteroid belt -- suddenly your best friend thrusts towards you and fires, directly at your cockpit. You raise your shields just in time, and the battle is joined.

The deadliest stretch of space known to mankind has just gotten deadlier. Everywhere massive asteroids jostle for a chance to crush your ship, and deadly shinobi fighter patrols pursue you across the asteroid belt. But the deadliest of them all is your sister ship, assigned to you on patrol. The pilot, trained by your own Navy, battle hardened by months in the Maelstrom, is equipped with a twin of your own ship and intimate knowledge of your tactics.

The lovely Stratocaster R&R facility never sounded so good, but as you fire full thrusters to dodge the latest barrage you begin to think you'll never get home...

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