The story concerns two corporations finally giving in and competing to determine which one is best. Even though it's set in the video game world, there are some real-world issues here too. These two companies have been going at it for years, each pumping out classics like Samurai Showdown, Rival Schools, Fatal Fury, and who knows how many Street Fighters. Featuring characters from the above mentioned games and numerous other entities from each of these companies (35 total), anyone who's played a video game should be familiar with someone in this game.

Surprisingly, little has been lost in the translation to the lowly PS One. The menu screens are a little lower res, the load times are a slightly annoying, and a decent chunk of background animations are gone (Including the spectacular shadows reflected on the buildings in the alley stage), but all of the characters are perfect. A few minor bouts of slowdown are the only things that affect the actual gameplay, and these moments are few and far between.

There's not much in the sound department that isn't to be expected. The usual shouting matches from the special moves and techno soundtrack provide a decent backdrop, but don't expect to be overwhelmed. As the game is slowly completed, you'll find classic music available that adds a fantastic layer of nostalgia.

A few control issues rear their ugly head once in a while. With PS One's controller, it's just not as perfect as the other versions. Getting off a dragon punch is not guaranteed in those crucial situations, so picking up an arcade stick with the game is a necessity.

As expected, the gameplay is rock solid besides this control issue. The game plays much more like a Capcom fighter (more specifically, Street Fighter Alpha) than a SNK one, but you'll be hard pressed to find a fighting fan who won't be satisfied. The team battle system from the majority of SNK fighters makes up the meat of the selection process and the addition of selection between the "grooves" makes the game accessible to either fan base.

Most players will find themselves playing through this game rather quickly, until you meet up with Geese Howard, the games final challenge. His ludicrously effective combos and non-stop super combos put him into the realm of impossibility at times. It doesn't matter how skilled you may be, there's no way to avoid 80% of his attacks. Beating him is even more of an accomplishment when you realize the extra characters you can purchase with the points you earn from the fights. Getting these characters is MUCH easier than the Dreamcast version, a pleasant change.

If you never upgraded to a Dreamcast or own the sequel already, this is one of the PS One fighters of all time, right behind Street Fighter Alpha 3. The few issues aside, this incredible accomplishment on the RAM-lacking Playstation is a sight to behold. At the rock bottom price usually between $20-$25, you really can't go wrong.