Everyone faces moral dilemmas at some point in their lives. Whether it be deciding to send $5 to feed a starving child in some foreign land endorsed by some super-rich celebrity who could feed every kid in the village for the next 9 1/2 years or taking that $5 and grabbing that Stadium Events for the NES that's sitting at a local flea market, it's not easy.
Even game reviewers face these situations. Case in point: Final Fight 3. Great game? Yes. Does it do anything to advance the genre? No. Does it deserve a lower score because of this? Well, that's the issue at hand.
The Mad Gears have slipped quietly into retirement, but lo and behold, someone else has decided to step up to the plate and pick up the slack. The Skull Cross gang is attempting to smuggle weapons into other countries and of course Haggar and Guy won't stand for this. Amazing, these two guys have found yet 2 more people join them in this struggle, Dean and Lucia. Again, whether it be with or without a friend, players must take these thugs on and destroy them one at a time.
The most notable addition is one that allows the computer to take over the second player and join in the fight when an actual person is unavailable. While a good idea in principle, the AI is DUMB. There are numerous times when you'll find it standing in one spot, punching away with no enemies in sight. Other times they'll just stand there and take punches with no reaction to the beat down their taking. Brilliant.
The 2 new characters are nothing spectacular and Dean is nearly useless. Lucia on the other hand, while the weakest of the 4, is a great all-around character that's perfect for newbies. Guy and Haggar have a few new moves in their repertoire, but there's nothing here that hasn't been done before.
Colors still burst off the screen and animation is on par with the first few games, but the bosses are merely caricatures instead of the hulking brutes in the first game. The only returning character from the Mad Gears is Andore, merely a shadow of his former self. Some of the new moves available to the player (done with button combinations ripped right from Street Fighter II) are pretty nifty to watch, but it's still more practical to use standard combos. None of the music is even on par with the first game. The games first stage theme repeats throughout and can get highly annoying. The sound effects haven't been changed at all, save for a few minor voice samples.
The saving grace of this one are the multiple paths the player can take, extending the value of this much farther than the first 2 games. Sometimes you'll end a level much faster, other times taking these will actually extend the level. It's all a matter of knowing which path is the right one (or simply doing a quick Google search).
If your sick of the entire "walk right and beat up a few guys" thing, then this game is not for you. If you simply feel the need to kick some ass with a hot chick, then hey, this one has your name on it. As for the moral dilemma mentioned at the start of this review, no, I won't lower the score due to repetition. This is Final Fight and it should stay that way. Don't screw with it. There's a reason this series is popular.
