Job #118 Masterpieces
Fatal Fury Special (Neo Geo - 1993)
Fatal Fury Special is the updated version of 1992's Fatal Fury 2. It updates the game by upping the speed a bit, adding several new mechanics and expanding the roster. It is the game that represents the Fatal Fury series the best, as it has most iconic characters, the mechanic to hop between lanes which the series was known for in its earlier games and killer combos.
So how would we incorporate this into a masterpiece? I'm glad you asked, I first thought of calling it a day by just letting the player go through Arcade Mode with Terry with limited time. But no, the person would just be missing out on the best part of the game in that case; the Boss Battles! So I opted for another route.
The player would just start out by facing against Geese, the mid-Boss, automatically! SNK Boss Syndrome right out of the bat, baby. Not to mention, the battles will be in high difficulty. It will seem that the CPU will have an answer for everything you do, but fret not, for success comes with practice.
After defeating Geese, you'll end up facing the last Boss of the game,
Wolfgang Krauser at his ambient opera! With SNK Boss Syndrome still kicking in, your torture hasn't stopped yet. But don't worry, as he's the last Boss, you'll attain your well-deserved ending once you beat the mighty Krauser. But for the ones that are still up to the challenge, there's an optional secret challenger you can face by fulfilling a certain requirement. You see, in the original Fatal Fury Special, if the player wins every match in two rounds, then the player will be challenged by a certain opponent at the end. And well, seeing that you'll only be facing against the last two enemies of Arcade Mode in this case, more than half of the work has already been done for you (as a special gift). If you're able to defeat both Geese and Krauser in only 2 rounds, then this mysterious opponent will come to challenge you.
Indeed, this "Fighting Master" is the one and only
Ryo Sakazaki from Art of Fighting! In Fatal Fury Special he served as a secret boss and character. As aforementioned, you'll be able to face him by defeating both Krauser and Geese in 2 rounds. Not an easy opponent by any means, he has come to challenge Terry as Ryo holds the original title of "King of Fighters". Fun fact; this is the first time a crossover in a Fighting Game has ever happened, for this marks the first time that the Fatal Fury Series has crossed over with Art of Fighting. This Dream Match is also the battle that inspired SNK to pursue making even more crossover games, such as the King of Fighters series.
The masterpiece will basically follow through the last 2 (or 3, depending on requirements) battles of arcade mode! Here is a video that I timestamped so it's easier for you to visualize! Also important to note that the person in the vid is playing on a modified easier difficulty.
so, tl;dr
Console: Neo Geo
Series: Fatal Fury
Duration: 8 minutes
Starts at: The Beginning of Geese's Boss Battle
Why: Fatal Fury Special is easily the most iconic entry of the Fatal Fury series, well, besides Mark of the Wolves at least. It has a very good fighting system, is very enjoyable, and it's the most "Fatal Fury" of all the Fatal Fury games, for a lack of a better term. It's the game that also inspired the entire King of Fighters franchise by making Ryo a secret boss in the game and crossing over both series. This also marks the first ever crossover in Fighting Game history!
