Happy 30th birthday Art of Fighting

StaticX

The b00bs., Z'OMG The B00BS!,
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Time flies.
Still remember being blown away when I saw the scaling effect, large sprites and visible damage.
Happy birthday :)5E34A1F9-B1B5-44B9-8132-AEA66905B6E5.jpeg
 

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The Chief

U.N. Apologist,
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The first release had stiff controls but also the charm of the large sprites and scaling. The music really set the tone. This was one of the carts in a four slot on location at my local Ground Round and my first memorable experience with the Neo Geo.
 

yagamikun

Art of Typing Wiz
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LOVE this new art. Saw it on Insta earlier today.

These games were so innovative and different than anything else on the market at the time. Hell, Art of Fighting 3 may as well have been SNK's first 3D fighter it plays so much like Virtua Fighter with fireballs.

Happy Anniversary Art of Fighting!
 

city41

Gal Ageise's Demon
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The first AOF is a great single player game. I've enjoyed beating it more than most Neo fighters.
 

HellioN

, What The Fuck Is This Shit?
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I remember my parents taking us to the movies one time.
I left the film to "use the restroom" and proceed to spend probably $5 playing AoF and SS2 on a 4 slot in the lobby.
Next thing I know is my dad coming up and telling me it's time to go, the movie was over.
I'm still kinda surprised he didn't come out after me.
 

sirlynxalot

Genjuro's Frog
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AOF had that spirit gauge that limited the effectiveness of your special moves... I guess it was unique, but did anyone think that was a good or fun idea?

It would have been nice to see a reimagining of the AOF series with a more modern late 90s play style. AOF1 and AOF2 really had that early neogeo game feel with jerky and limited animation and cartoony shading on the sprites. It has its charm but as for playing these games in the 21st century, it would have been nice if they could have done something that played smoother and faster like Real Bout or Garou. AOF3 was smooth but slow and kinda laggy, like Virtua Fighter, as some people have come to mention lately. Oh well, at least the AOF characters are in the KOF games so you can kind of imagine how a late 90s AOF might have been, or this mugen game...

 

Neo Alec

Ned's Ninja Academy Dropout
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Yeah, I was going to say, you can still see the AOF characters evolving in KOF. In a way, KOF reconciled SNK separate series. The market can't support that many fightings anymore.

Still, Fatal Fury is getting a new entry, and we probably will never see a new AOF game. AOF is really a 3rd (or 4th?) wheel after KOF, Samurai and Fatal Fury.
 

LoneSage

A Broken Man
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So because of this anniversary I played it for the first time in a long time. All these years and I still can't beat Mr. Karate.

The graphics are so good, there really isn't a good comparison to other games that look like it. Like they're not even pixels but something else.

The Challenge levels are still tough. But the game is surprisingly easier than I remember it being, only Mr. Karate gave me trouble.

I think my biggest complaint is the damage seems very uneven. Some attacks wipe me out in two hits. I dunno, happens sometimes.

Props to SNK for creating a universe with their games. This game did take a lot of inspiration from SFII (John and his stage are embarrassingly creatively broke) but there is so much difference and experimentation that it doesn't matter.

The first game is still the best, easily. The best representation of an 80s B-movie on the Neo.
 

HellioN

, What The Fuck Is This Shit?
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So because of this anniversary I played it for the first time in a long time. All these years and I still can't beat Mr. Karate.

The graphics are so good, there really isn't a good comparison to other games that look like it. Like they're not even pixels but something else.

The Challenge levels are still tough. But the game is surprisingly easier than I remember it being, only Mr. Karate gave me trouble.

I think my biggest complaint is the damage seems very uneven. Some attacks wipe me out in two hits. I dunno, happens sometimes.

Props to SNK for creating a universe with their games. This game did take a lot of inspiration from SFII (John and his stage are embarrassingly creatively broke) but there is so much difference and experimentation that it doesn't matter.

The first game is still the best, easily. The best representation of an 80s B-movie on the Neo.
Nothing before or since AoF has had that look.
To this day all 3 of those games simply has a look that no-one has ever been able to copy.
 

sirlynxalot

Genjuro's Frog
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Savage reign/kizuna encounter gave me a bit of an aof vibe with the sprite art. Large character sprites and similar shading style. Also similar limited animation.

Kizuna is great though, that's one of my favorite neo geo fighters. Cool style.
 

NGLad

n00b
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30 years?! My god.. I remember playing AOF2 in a little back room of.. a Spencers? (Maybe not a Spencers, since I never saw one in Canada)
But I used to obsess over the sprites in that game. I remember telling my friends that it was better than SF2 and they all called me crazy.
 

sirlynxalot

Genjuro's Frog
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They had AOF 2 at a local pizza place when I was a kid. I was young enough that I automatically thought it was just another game in the Street Fighter series or new variant of Street Fighter II, what with the guy wearing a karate gi and the multiple versions of Street Fighter coming out at the time. It also helped that the pizza place previously had a Street Fighter II cabinet, which I guess got replaced with an MVS.

The main reason I know it was AOF2 is because of my memory that the game karate gi guy fighting in a lobby with a red ferrari in it, which lines up with Robert's stage in AOF2 - and it was the early 90s before the PS1 came out.
 

sirlynxalot

Genjuro's Frog
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Was AOF3 the Garou MOTW of the AOF franchise? Here are some thoughts I had about the similarities:

-dispenses with the vast majority of the roster, including popular characters from previous games
-completely new story line
-sprites are smaller compared to prior games
-characters have way more animation compared to previous games
-the young descendant (Kasumi + Rock) of a man who wears hakama pants (Todo and Geese) plays a key role in the story
-last game in the series for now
 

HellioN

, What The Fuck Is This Shit?
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No.
Look at the Japanese title of the game, Ryūko no Ken GAIDEN.
The word "Gaiden" is interpreted as side story or tale.
AOF3 is a story that takes place in that universe but isn't necessarily part of the main story.
The game focuses on Robert instead of Ryo where the other games attempt to shift the focus completely to one of the new characters.
 
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Neo Alec

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No.
Look at the Japanese title of the game, Ryūko no Ken GAIDEN.
The word "Gaiden" is interpreted as side story or tale.
AOF3 is a story that takes place in that universe but isn't necessarily part of the main story.
The game focuses on Robert instead of Ryo where the other games attempt to shift the focus completely to one of the new characters.
We're getting reminded constantly by fans who say MOTW is not part of the mainline Fatal Fury series, so no problem there.
 

HellioN

, What The Fuck Is This Shit?
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Well those people are free to think and say what they like.
Just like you are as well.
🎃
🧣
 

2Heed

Big Bang Pro Wrestler
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The new characters in AOF3 mostly sucked with some of the most mundane specials you'll ever see. The fact that its most popular new character was a variant on the first game's most boring character tells you all you need to know. Get Wyler's goofy ass the hell off that artwork.

I loved the serious, gritty atmosphere of the first game. Fighting Jack in the bar is one of my favorite backdrops in fighting game history, ditto for King in the L'Amour.
 

BerryTogart

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Congratulations to the game that was a puzzle fighter before puzzle fighter was a thing.
(Still have my notebook with scribbled info on patterns on how to beat each opponent in single player)
 

Neo Alec

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Congratulations to the game that was a puzzle fighter before puzzle fighter was a thing.
(Still have my notebook with scribbled info on patterns on how to beat each opponent in single player)
You should share.
 
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