Fighting Vipers

Developer: Sega-AM2
Publisher:  Sega

Between the years of 95-97 Sega kept pumping out fighting games like a well-oiled machine.

Fresh off the heels of Virtua Fighter 2's success came Fighting Vipers, a fighting game that just screams 90's.

You have eight characters to choose from, including a character that looks suspiciously similar to Axl Rose, hell; he's even named Raxel... subtlety, thy name is Sega.

Fighting Vipers ditches Virtua Fighters' strategic gameplay for a more fast paced and even chaotic one, here, you'll be charging attacks, throwing opponents, kicking them into the air and juggling them for extra damage (my favorite part), there are also two standout features in this game, the first is rather minor, unlike most fighting games of its time, Fighting Vipers doesn't have ring outs, instead the arenas will be surrounded in walls, fences or glass, however, during your final attack you can throw your enemies over it, on top of it, or even through the barriers shattering, this last one is particularly gratifying.

The second standout feature is the body armor, as characters take a pounding, parts of their armor may break off, if this happens they'll take more damage per hit, moreover, the armor doesn't until the next you square off against a different fighter so sacrificing a round to weaken your opponent can be a legitimate strategy

Graphically, I was surprised to see that this game is actually a step down from Virtua Fighter 2, the gameplay isn't as smooth and the characters look more boxy and the arena barriers will often flicker, even the environments were downgraded, the game still uses superimposed 2D images like virtua fighter, but the way the feeling of depth they provide is much subtler this time around, with that said, this time there's actual floor outside each arena.

Stylistically though I love this game, everyone looks like a parody of everything that was considered cool during the late 80's and early-to-mid 90's, and the rock soundtrack is pretty sweet.

Overall, this game isn't quite as good or deep as Virtua Fighter 2, but it's still very fun, the breakable armor adds a cool twist to the genre and this game is a lot more welcoming to newcomers then other Sega fighting games, the game has its own distinct style which may not appeal to some, but if you get into the groove of it, you may just find yourself ordering 20 year old crystal Pepsi off EBay.

Trivia: Speaking of Crystal Pepsi, did you know the Japanese version of this game had a secret character called Pepsi man? He was a very popular Pepsi co. character in Japan, unfortunately he's not present in the Western release of this game.

Pros:

- Gameplay is fast and fun

- Juggling enemies in the air is a blast

- The use of armor adds an interesting twist to the game

- Love the cheesy 90's style it aims for

 
Cons:

- Characters look a bit boxy

- Gameplay is not as smooth when compared to Virtua Fighter 2

Final Score: B+

As much as I love the game, I really don't like the cover, it's too cluttered in the middle with the top and bottom being almost empty, moreover this is yet another case of bad 90's CGI with the characters not being very detailed.

To top it all off we have the early Saturn casing, it's ironic that for all the praise I gave this game for its 90's feel, I'm now bashing the packaging for the exact same reason.

Unfortunately, I seem to missing the manual for this game, so until I find a substitute, I really can't rate it.

 Packaging Score: N/A