At one point in its fabled arcade history, SNK was highly regarded for its fighting game franchises on the Neo-Geo console. This was the house that built such legacies as King of Fighters and Samurai Showdown, which easily caught on with fans. The company still pays tribute to these franchises today, culminating with this week's release of Art of Fighting Anthology for the PlayStation 2. However, this piece of history didn't need revisiting.

A spin-off from the popular Fatal Fury series, Art of Fighting focuses on Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia, two long-time friends who team up to save Ryo's sister Yuri from a dark organization. Events unfold over the course of all three games, concluding with Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior.

The story does have ambition behind it, but the fighting itself does not. The timing feels off with the controls, forcing players to retry special moves until properly executed. Unfortunately, this leaves a wide-open opportunity for computer (or human) opponents to strike, avoiding even the most devastating of attacks with ease (like Ryo's Haoh Sho Koh Ken "jumbo-sized super fireball" move). Even smaller actions, such as launching off the ground for an aerial attack or attempting to charge a spirit meter, never feels right, resulting in a disjointed fighting experience.

The graphics serve as another unnecessary misstep. All three Art of Fighting chapters make use of a zoom-in/zoom-out effect, keeping both fighters on-screen no matter how far apart they get. Unfortunately, this wreaks havoc on the game's momentum, causing pointless disorientation. On top of that, most of the character models look laughably bad, particularly in Art of Fighting 3. Wang Koh San, a Japanese kid with goggles, looks more like a fan-boy than a combatant. The same goes for Lenny Cranston, who would probably fit in backstage at a heavy metal concert. The first two games suffer from stiff animation and average backgrounds. Art of Fighting 3 shows a few improvements and looks smoother as a result, but not enough to validate it. Sound doesn't do much either, with typically bland soundtracks and a collection of hideous voice samples.

Art of Fighting Anthology grants players the opportunity to customize their characters, although not significantly. They can change up their colors and save settings for later fights, either alone or against a friend in two-player. That still doesn't justify the game's price, however. Rather than charge the usual $20, SNK has pushed the cost up to $30.

While one can appreciate SNK for staying true to its arcade roots, not every series needs restoration. Art of Fighting Anthology's time has come and gone, evident right from the start. Enthusiastic fans will accept its shortcomings, but everyone else might wonder why they should bother – especially considering the other superior fighting games on store shelves.

Final Score: 5 (out of 10)

Related Links

Art of Fighting Anthology Game Guide

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