3D versus fighter with original armor destruction system. Less deep than Virtua Fighter but more accessible and fun. Excellent Saturn port, visually polished. A must for 3D fighting fans on the console.
Your verdict
Category
Fighting2 players12+
Description
3D arena fighting game featuring armor destruction and explosive environments. Published by Sega AM2, released in North America in 1996. Eight characters with distinct styles, fragmentable armor system leaving fighters vulnerable, arenas surrounded by walls that break under impact, versus and training modes. An enriched port of the arcade cabinet with Saturn-exclusive content.
Fighting Vipers review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
AM2 trades the sobriety of its usual fighters for a nineties street aesthetic: jackets, skateboards, improbable hair and coloured armour that splits piece by piece under the blows. The enclosed arenas, ringed by walls that crack, lock the duel into a visual space far more aggressive than the studio's usual open platforms.
The sonic tone follows the same swing: saturated guitars up front, heavy bass, rhythms closer to the alternative rock of the period than to the martial moods of traditional fighting games. Each character receives a theme tuned to their look, and the mix embraces distortion, sacrificing finesse for impact.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Armoured fighters slammed against the walls of a closed arena, blows that crack and armour that shatters under the assault: this 3D versus bets on impact and speed. The handling welcomes beginners while rewarding mastery. Stylish, snappy and spectacular, a fighting game that electrifies from the first round.
Fighting Vipers is a Sega AM2 3D arena fighting game, in which eight characters with destructible armor clash in enclosed environments with explosive walls. The snappy system, the ability to shatter the opponent's armor and the offbeat urban mood, in the vein of Virtua Fighter, make it a dynamic and accessible 3D versus. The technicality rewards investment without putting off the newcomer. For fans of retro 3D versus fighting and Sega's arcade spirit, it is a solid and pleasant reference of the machine.
