Dom Robinson reviews

Distributed by
Sega

Price: £39.99 Players: 1-2

Fighting Vipers 2 is the sort of arcade game we were all playing several years ago, so to bring it out now does make it appear dated. It's not just the graphics which, while very colourful, are no different than everything that's gone before, but also the gameplay - kick, punch, guard, or a combination of them in a bid to kick the shit out of your opponents, each of which look stupid, dress daft and have bizarre names. The name of the game comes from the basis that in this sequel to the Sega Saturn game, revenge has conquered your mind and aggression has poisoned your blood as you take control of a band of Vipers, each boasting distinct weapons in a fight to remove dictatorship from the city's Mayor, but enough of the pointlessness.

Originality is out the window as the four game modes are the basic Arcade, V.S., Random and Survival options, plus a training mode, which removes the choice of Tekken Tag Tournament's tag-team and the fact that you're limited to a small caged arena takes you away from the expansive areas of Dead or Alive 2. And don't forget the daddy of all beat 'em ups - Soul Calibur, which still stands the test of time today, contains a separate game in the form of the "Edge Master" mode, in which you have to fight the opponents with different, specific, methods to collect extra weapons and once the Dreamcast is officially dead from March next year, it'll probably be the only one of two games I'll still be playing on the console, alongside Crazy Taxi. NB.: The game I reviewed was a Beta version but I doubt the retail release will be any better.

GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ORIGINALITY ENJOYMENT	0
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2001.