Fighting Force
Encyclopedia
Fighting Force is a 1997 3D
beat 'em up
developed by Core Design
and published by Eidos
in the same lines of classics such as Final Fight
and Streets of Rage
. It was released for the PlayStation, Windows
and Nintendo 64
.
The game was originally devised by Core Design as Streets of Rage 4
to be published by Sega
exclusively for the Saturn
. Sega pulled the Streets of Rage name during development after a disagreement with Core about porting it to rival formats.
The four characters have various reasons for taking on Dr. Zeng, a criminal mastermind with an army at his command. The action starts with a police cordon around Zeng's office skyscraper, moving to such locales as a shopping mall, subway and Coast Guard base before finally ending at the top of Zeng's island headquarters.
The player or players can choose from a selection of four characters. The playable characters are Hawk Manson (age 26), Mace Daniels (age 21), Ben "Smasher" Jackson (age 29), and Alana McKendricks (age 17). Hawk Manson and Mace Daniels are two all-around characters. Hawk is somewhat stronger than Mace who is in turn faster than Hawk. Ben "Smasher" Jackson is a large and slow bruiser capable of lifting and throwing the engines of cars at enemies. Alana McKendricks is a fast but soft-hitting teenager with an effective jump-kick.
All four characters have a special move that can be performed with the loss of a portion of health.
version of the game titled Fighting Force 64 and published by Crave Entertainment
was released in North America and Europe in 1999. Insignificant version differences include partially improved graphics and changes in the available number of player lives.
A Sega Saturn
version was still developed and eventually completed after the Streets of Rage 4 pull-out, but it was never released because of publishing issues with Eidos first and with Sega Europe
later, the latter securing publishing rights of the Sega Saturn version after Eidos dismissed them and stating to release it in Europe in November 1997 , a release that never happened eventually. An early prototype, with older character designs, was leaked
in November 2008.
A sequel
, titled Fighting Force 2
, was released in 1999 for the PlayStation and Dreamcast. Unlike the first title, Fighting Force 2 focuses on the character of Hawk Manson exclusively, and rewards a more stealthy approach.
A second sequel, Fighting Force 3 was also in development for the Xbox
and PlayStation 2
, but was cancelled during development, though a video tech demo of it exists on the internet.
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
beat 'em up
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
developed by Core Design
Core Design
Core Design was a British video game studio best known today for creating the popular Tomb Raider series.-History:Based in the city of Derby, England, Core Design was set up in 1988 by Chris Shrigley, Andy Green, Rob Toone, Terry Lloyd, Simon Phipps, Dave Pridmore, Jeremy Heath-Smith and Greg Holmes...
and published by Eidos
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
in the same lines of classics such as Final Fight
Final Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
and Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first installment of the Streets of Rage series which was followed by Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3. The game was also converted over to Sega's Game...
. It was released for the PlayStation, Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
.
The game was originally devised by Core Design as Streets of Rage 4
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first installment of the Streets of Rage series which was followed by Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3. The game was also converted over to Sega's Game...
to be published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
exclusively for the Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
. Sega pulled the Streets of Rage name during development after a disagreement with Core about porting it to rival formats.
Overview
Fighting Force is part of the 'beat 'em up' genre. Players control one of four characters. They move through urban and science fiction environments, battling waves of oncoming enemies with weapons ranging from fists and bottles to knives, chairs and guns. The player can make some choices as to which territory to travel through.The four characters have various reasons for taking on Dr. Zeng, a criminal mastermind with an army at his command. The action starts with a police cordon around Zeng's office skyscraper, moving to such locales as a shopping mall, subway and Coast Guard base before finally ending at the top of Zeng's island headquarters.
Characters
All four characters have a special move that can be performed with the loss of a portion of health.
Reception
Upon the game's release, it received mixed reviews.- Official PlayStation Magazine - 3/5
- Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
- 7.6/10 - IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- 5.5/10 - GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- 5.3/10 .
Ports and Sequels
A Nintendo 64Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
version of the game titled Fighting Force 64 and published by Crave Entertainment
Crave Entertainment
Crave Entertainment is an American video game company. It was founded in 1997 by Nima Taghavi. Its headquarters is in Newport Beach, California...
was released in North America and Europe in 1999. Insignificant version differences include partially improved graphics and changes in the available number of player lives.
A Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
version was still developed and eventually completed after the Streets of Rage 4 pull-out, but it was never released because of publishing issues with Eidos first and with Sega Europe
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
later, the latter securing publishing rights of the Sega Saturn version after Eidos dismissed them and stating to release it in Europe in November 1997 , a release that never happened eventually. An early prototype, with older character designs, was leaked
Internet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
in November 2008.
A sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, titled Fighting Force 2
Fighting Force 2
Fighting Force 2 is the sequel to 1997's original Fighting Force, which was one of the first 3D takes on the 2D beat-em-up genre. The game was released for the PlayStation and Dreamcast and was developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive...
, was released in 1999 for the PlayStation and Dreamcast. Unlike the first title, Fighting Force 2 focuses on the character of Hawk Manson exclusively, and rewards a more stealthy approach.
A second sequel, Fighting Force 3 was also in development for the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, but was cancelled during development, though a video tech demo of it exists on the internet.