In regards to the cast brawlers, Tom and Jerry never had
an expansive universe so the roster here is lackluster at a meager seven. There's cool cat
Tom and his match mouse Jerry (the two most player's will be familiar with), a masculine
bulldog Spike and his chip off the old block son Tyke, Jerry's critter pals Tuffy and
Quacker the duckling, and Butch, whose character model is an exact copycat of Toms.
Fighting arenas are based on memorable themes and locations where the bouts took place on
the cartoon, including The Mice before Christmas setting. Fighting involves no special techniques or combos; the core of the combat comes from pulverizing your opponent with the objects scattered about the fully interactive arenas. This casual control setup is perfect for younger audiences and it replicates the over the top action the cartoon is fondly remembered for. Bearing that in mind, however, it feels as if any freshness this game presented goes immediately stale once the cat is out of the bag. Due to the lack of depth in their attributes, it makes little difference which character is chosen or which character is the opponent.
Attacks hardly execute minimal damage; drawing out brawls longer than they need to be. There are some potent power ups that are capable of turning the tables on your opponent at any time, injecting a small amount of excitement into the progressively tiresome battles. The bonus unlockables may satisfy die hard Tom and Jerry fans, but most avid gamers will struggle to find anything worth returning to. A four-player free-for-all option would have worked wonders for this game.
The graphics do a considerable job of simulating the look of the show, with only minor blur in detail while Tom and the rest of the crew sport fluid movement and design animations. Classical jazz swings stay true to the style of music from the cartoons, but are mediocre at best and make for a strange fighting soundtrack.
The N64 will never be the system of choice for fighting fanatics, but Fists of Furry should come as a humble pleasure to long time fans of the series, as well as anyone looking to spend a few hours of mindless trouncing. If neither of these categories apply to you, then this critter catastrophe is unlikely to catch your tongue.
