Historically, the most notable thing about Final Fight 2 is that it was released simultaneously with Street Fighter 2 Turbo. At the same time Capcom was revolutionizing videogame martial arts with a wider range of offensive options, more complicated artificial intelligence, and even an innovative style of interacting with the controller, they also demonstrated they remained capable of presenting simulated brawling with soporific simplicity.
Personally, the most notable thing for me about Final Fight 2 is that it was one of the first games I played and beat with my girlfriend. I believe the full potential of a game's quality is contained within its single player mode, so any additional pleasure from playing a game with others would come from socializing and not the game itself. I would have appreciated Final Fight 2 more as a shared experience earlier in our relationship if our conversation while playing hadn't almost exclusively referred to how boring Final Fight 2 is.
The game is without challenge, variety, or momentum. It is a seemingly endless series of fights, on locked and featureless screens, against three enemies at a time. Those enemies include Andore, a giant who can withstand exceptional damage; Elick, a corpulent bull of a man who carries electrified prongs; and numerous other indistinguishable and interchangeable hoodlums. But fights against any enemies, in any quantities, among any permutation of other enemies, and in any situation degenerate into the same routines.
Most enemies are so stupid that if you stand still and punch, they will walk [into your attacks]
[...]
Every enemy's attack can be forestalled with a jump kick. Every enemy hit by a jump kick is temporarily incapacitated. And jump kicks cover sufficient ground to remove you from danger.
[Way more stuff here]Final Fight 2 is a game in only the most limited sense. It has graphics, music, enemies, and a hero that responds to your controller commands. Beyond that, it is without distinction. Street Fighter 2 fans might enjoy seeing cameos by Chun Li and Guile. I know everyone does not expect poignancy from videogames, and those people might find the game's lulling simplicity to be pleasantly soothing. I suppose you could have some mindless fun with Final Fight 2.
If you consider mindlessness to be a good thing.
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