Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory

Last updated
Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory
Fatal Fury 3 - Road to the Final Victory arcade flyer.jpg
Developer(s) SNK
SIMS (Saturn)
Kinesoft [lower-alpha 1] (Windows)
Publisher(s)
SNK
  • Windows
Producer(s) Hiroshi Matsumoto
Takashi Nishiyama
Designer(s) Takashi Tsukamoto
Takahisa Yariyama
Programmer(s) Hideki Miyagami
Yasushi Gushiken
Artist(s) Higashi Pon
Eiko Chang
Ema Sue
Composer(s) Masahiko Hataya
Toshio Shimizu
Yoshihiko Kitamura
Series Fatal Fury
Platform(s)
Release
  • Arcade
    • WW: 27 March 1995
    Neo Geo AES
    • WW: 21 April 1995
    Neo Geo CD
    Saturn
    • JP: 28 June 1996
    Windows
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s)
Arcade system Neo Geo MVS

Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory [lower-alpha 2] is a 1995 head-to-head fighting game released by SNK for the Neo-Geo arcade and home platforms. It is the fourth game in the Fatal Fury series after Fatal Fury Special (which was an updated version of Fatal Fury 2 ). Console versions of Fatal Fury 3 were released for the Neo Geo CD, Sega Saturn, Windows-based computers and on the Wii Virtual Console. The game is also included in the compilation Fatal Fury Battle Archives Volume 1 for the PlayStation 2.

Contents

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot showcasing a match between Terry Bogard and Blue Mary. NEOGEO Fatal Fury 3 - Road to the Final Victory (Garo Densetsu 3 - Harukanaru Tatakai).png
Gameplay screenshot showcasing a match between Terry Bogard and Blue Mary.

Fatal Fury 3 retains the format and controls of the previous game in the series, Fatal Fury Special. However, the two-plane battle stages have been revamped into a three-plane format known as the Oversway System. The player fights primarily in the middle plane or the main plane, but can move or "oversway" into either of the sway lines at the background (LP+LK) or foreground (LK+HP). When the player performs an attack in a sway plane (or an Oversway Attack), their character will return to the main plane. Likewise, the player can attack an opponent who is in a Sway Plane with an Anti-Oversway Attack. The player can also do a "Quick Sway" to avoid an attack, leaving the opponent vulnerable to a regular attack.

Other new techniques introduced in this installment includes controlling the height of the character's jump, block an opponent's attack at mid-air (Air Guard), and a new type of combo techniques known as Combination Arts, allowing the player to cancel a specific series (which varies between characters) of regular attacks from one to the other. In addition to the regular Special Moves, and the Super Special Moves which can only be performed when the life gauge is flashing red, each character also has a "Hidden Ability", which is a stronger version of a Super Special Move. A Hidden Ability occurs once in every 1024 chances whenever the player inputs the command for the character's Super Special Move. A Hidden Ability can also be used by activating "Super Mode" before a match using a secret code. The player then enters a specific command for the Hidden Ability when the life gauge is flashing red. Unlike Super Special Moves, a Hidden Ability can only be used once per round.

Fatal Fury 3 also features a Fighting Level system when fighting against the computer. When the player completes a round, their performance is graded from E to S. The final opponents the player faces at the end of the Single Player Mode is determined then by the player's average.

The player will have a choice among four characters as their first opponent (Joe, Mary, Bob, and Franco). After the first four opponents are defeated, the player will fight against Ryuji Yamazaki for a plot-based match in which the player must win only one round. The player will then proceed to fight against Mai, Andy, Hon-Fu, Sokaku, Terry, and Geese, in that order, before fighting Yamazaki again for a full match. Depending on the grade average, the game will either end against Yamazaki, or the player will fight against either, or both, of the Jin twins, starting with Chon Shu and ending with Chon Rei.

Plot

Three years have passed since Terry Bogard had defeated Wolfgang Krauser and won the second "King of Fighters" tournament. Ever since then, Terry has traveled throughout the world, meeting new friends and battling many opponents along the way. Upon returning home to South Town, Terry rendezvouses with his young brother Andy and his good friends Joe and Mai at the grand opening of the Pao Pao Cafe 2 that's being headed by Richard Meyer and his capoeira apprentice Bob Wilson. During the opening, Joe explains to Terry a disturbing rumor that he had gotten from Cheng Sinzan via a private message in that Geese Howard is supposedly alive, having survived his fatal fall from his personal tower four years prior and faking his death to the public so that he could slowly recover in secret and plan his revenge against Terry, who had defeated him in the first "King of Fighters" tournament. Upon hearing and learning of this, Terry and his friends set out to confirm on whether or not Geese is still alive, not knowing that their personal investigation is only a small part of a bigger threat which involves a dangerous Japanese criminal, two young Chinese orphans, and three sacred scrolls that could easily endanger South Town and the rest of the world.

Fighters

Returning fighters:

New fighters:

Bosses:

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory on their May 1, 1995 issue as being the second most-popular arcade game at the time. [1] According to Famitsu , the AES version sold over 34,810 copies in its first week on the market. [2]

On release, Famicom Tsūshin scored the Neo Geo version of the game a 32 out of 40. [3] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly scored it a 7.675 out of 10. They had widely varied reactions to the game, and two of them remarked that it lacked the "feel" of a Fatal Fury game, but all four rated it as a very playable fighting game which is worth at least trying in the arcade. [4] While acknowledging that Fatal Fury fans might be disappointed by the reduced roster of fighters, GamePro praised the new third fighting plane and ranking system, and concluded that "Instead of simply adding more fighters, FF3 does more with fewer fighters (hidden moves and so on) and a unique method of gameplay." [5] They gave the Neo Geo CD a generally positive review as well, remarking that Bob and Franco are "uninteresting" new characters but praising the detailed stages, the controls, and the modifications to Mai's Swan Dive attack. [6]

In a retrospective review, Maximum highly praised the game's adaptation of combos and special moves, and argued that if it were not for the difficulty in executing super power moves, Fatal Fury 3 would have become the leading action game in the arcades. They gave it 4 out of 5 stars. [7]

Next Generation reviewed the Neo-Geo version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "The players are all able, even if just for a few seconds, to slip out of the line of fire either to avoid enemy attack or to set up for an offensive move. Beyond this feature the game is standard fare." [8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional work by NuFX and WizardWords.
  2. ↑ Also known as Hungry Wolf Legend 3: The Distant Battle (Japanese: 餓狼伝説3 遥かなる闘い, Hepburn: Garō Densetsu 3: Harukanaru Tatakai) in Japan.

Related Research Articles

<i>Fatal Fury</i> Video game series

Fatal Fury, known as Garō Densetsu in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK, first released on the Neo Geo system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Bogard</span> Fictional character

Terry Bogard is a fictional character created by SNK as the protagonist of their Fatal Fury series. Introduced in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters in 1991, he is an American fighter who enters the worldwide "The King of Fighters" tournaments to combat his father's murderer, Geese Howard. Following Geese's defeat in Real Bout Fatal Fury, Terry becomes the guardian of Geese's son Rock Howard. He is also a regular character in the crossover video game series The King of Fighters, where he continues participating in tournaments with his brother Andy among other Fatal Fury characters. He has also been a guest character in other games, including the Capcom vs. SNK series, Arika’s Fighting EX Layer, Street Fighter 6 and Nintendo's crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In addition to video games, Terry has appeared in anime films based on Fatal Fury, and manga serialized in Comic Bom Bom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geese Howard</span> Fictional character

Geese Howard is a fictional boss character and the main villain in SNK's Fatal Fury fighting game series. Debuting in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Geese is the local crime boss of the fictional city of South Town. Geese created and hosts a fighting tournament named "The King of Fighters", in which he faces the brothers Terry and Andy Bogard who want to take revenge for their father's death. After several tournaments in the Fatal Fury series, Geese is killed by Terry in Real Bout Fatal Fury. However, he appears in following games without storyline as a "ghost" named Nightmare Geese. Geese has also appeared in other SNK's games such as The King of Fighters games, in which he seeks to get the power from the creature Orochi and often sends teams representing him. His young self makes an appearance in the second Art of Fighting game as the final boss character. He also appears as downloadable content in Bandai Namco's fighting game Tekken 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Howard</span> Fictional character from Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters

Rock Howard is a fictional character appearing in various games from SNK. Rock makes his first appearance as a playable character in the 1999 fighting game Garou: Mark of the Wolves, a chapter in the Fatal Fury series, as the new lead character from the series. Rock appears in the series as the son of Geese Howard, the main antagonist from the previous Fatal Fury games, who fell to his death after refusing to be saved by Terry Bogard. However, Terry adopted Rock in order to put his past with Geese behind him, and helped teach Rock how to fight. The mystery behind his missing father leads him to clash with Terry in Garou which will be further explored in the 2025 sequel Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Besides his appearance in Mark of the Wolves, Rock is featured in few games from The King of Fighters series, as well as various crossovers from SNK. The King of Fighters XIV and The King of Fighters XV feature him as downloadable content with the latter incorparting him into the main KOF canon for the first time as the leader of the Garou Team with two B. Jenet and Gato, two fellow rivals from his original game.

<i>The King of Fighters 97</i> 1997 video game

The King of Fighters '97(KOF '97) is a fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home console in 1997. It is the fourth game in The King of Fighters series. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD, as well as the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn in Japan only. It is last game in the "Orochi Saga" storyline, that began in The King of Fighters '95.

<i>Fatal Fury 2</i> 1992 video game

Fatal Fury 2, known as Garō Densetsu 2: Aratanaru Tatakai in Japan, is a 1992 fighting video game developed by SNK as the sequel to Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (1991), and the second game in the Fatal Fury franchise. Originally released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms, it was later ported to several other home systems, including Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis by Takara. Its updated version, Fatal Fury Special, was released in 1993.

<i>Fatal Fury Special</i> 1993 video game

Fatal Fury Special, known as Garō Densetsu Special in Japan, is a 1993 fighting game developed and published by SNK and originally released for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is an updated version of 1992's Fatal Fury 2, introducing several changes to the gameplay system while expanding the available character roster.

<i>Garou: Mark of the Wolves</i> 1999 video game

Garou: Mark of the Wolves is a 1999 fighting game produced by SNK, originally for the Neo Geo Arcade system and then as Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves for the Dreamcast. It is the sixth main installment of the Fatal Fury series. Though released a year after Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers, the game is canonically a sequel to the 1995 installment Real Bout Fatal Fury, taking place a decade after the events of that game. Ten years after combatant Terry Bogard kills crimelord Geese Howard in the King of Fighters competition, he and his adoptive son, Rock Howard, enter into a Southtown tournament known as Maximum Mayhem to learn about the Howard legacy. The game features 14 characters, all new, with Terry's exception. As a fighting game, the game employs a mechanic known as the T.O.P system, which strategizes the use of Desperation Moves. The game also uses a Just Defend system in the form of blocks.

<i>Real Bout Fatal Fury</i> 1995 video game

Real Bout Fatal Fury is a 1995 fighting game released by SNK for the Neo-Geo arcade and home platforms. It is the fourth mainline installment in the Fatal Fury series, following Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory. It the fifth game in the series overall, and the first game of the Real Bout sub-series.

<i>Real Bout Fatal Fury Special</i> 1997 fighting game by SNK

Real Bout Fatal Fury Special is a 1997 arcade fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo. It is the fifth mainline installment in the Fatal Fury series, and the sixth game in the series overall. It is the second game in the Real Bout sub-series, following Real Bout Fatal Fury (1995). The game features all new graphics and returns to the two-level plane system from Fatal Fury 2.

<i>Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition</i> 1999 Video game

Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition is a 3D fighting video game produced by SNK and is a spin-off of the Fatal Fury series of fighting games. The game was released in Japanese arcades on January 28, 1999. It was one of the last games released for the Hyper Neo Geo 64 system board. It was ported to the Sony PlayStation on June 24 in Japan and November 30 in North America, making it the only Hyper Neo Geo 64 game to receive a port for a home system. The game was re-released as a downloadable game for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable via the PlayStation Network in Japan on April 25, 2007.

<i>The King of Fighters 2002</i> 2002 Video game

The King of Fighters 2002: Challenge to Ultimate Battle(KOF 2002, or KOF '02) is a 2D arcade fighting video game originally released for the Neo Geo in October 2002, published by Playmore, the spiritual successor to the original SNK. It is the ninth title in The King of Fighters series and the second one to be produced by Eolith. Similarly to The King of Fighters '98, it brings together characters from various SNK franchises and has a diverse roster of fighters.

<i>The King of Fighters Neowave</i> 2004 video game

The King of Fighters Neowave(KOF Neowave, or KOF NW) is a 2004 2D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore as their first coin-operated arcade game for Sammy's Atomiswave hardware. Home ports of the game were released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is a remake of The King of Fighters 2002 with some changes in the roster and stages. The character artwork was done by Tomokazu Nakano. Compared to usual The King of Fighters games, Neowave received a lukewarm critical reception.

<i>Fatal Fury: King of Fighters</i> 1991 video game

Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, known as Garō Densetsu: Shukumei no Tatakai in Japan, is a 1991 head-to-head fighting game originally released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. Fatal Fury was ported to other platforms including Super Nintendo in 1992 and Sega Genesis in 1993, published by Takara. Fatal Fury was SNK's first fighting game for the Neo Geo system and served as the inaugural game in their Fatal Fury series. The three playable characters are the Bogard brothers Terry and Andy alongside their friend Joe Higashi. In the story they oppose their nemesis Geese Howard, the host of "The King of Fighters" tournament where the player must use to defeat enemies until becoming the champion and reach Geese.

<i>Art of Fighting 2</i> 1994 video game

Art of Fighting 2 is fighting game developed and released by SNK first released in arcades on 3 February 1994. It is a direct sequel to Art of Fighting involving both new and returning characters. They all fighting each other in the King of Fighters tournament, with Ryo Sakazaki and his friends working together to take down the mafia host Geese Howard whose forces manipulated them in the first Art of Fighting game. It retains most of the characters from the first Art of Fighting characters rather than just Ryo and Robert Garcia. The gameplay remains faithful to the original Art of Fighting including Desperation Moves and taunts that are use strategically. but this time playable This game was promoted with The King of Fighters '94 released in the same year by the company. It was ported to the Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD and Super Famicom. It would be later ported as part of the entire Art of Fighting trilogy for more modern consoles.

<i>The King of Fighters 94</i> 1994 video game

The King of Fighters '94 is a 2D fighting video game produced by SNK in 1994, released on the Neo Geo MVS arcade system, AES and CD home consoles. It was the first game in The King of Fighters series; KOF '94 is a crossover featuring characters from SNK's fighting game properties Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting and also includes revised versions of characters from their older games Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier, as well as original characters created specifically for the game. The plot revolves around the eponymous tournament created by a criminal, Rugal Bernstein.

Characters of the <i>Fatal Fury</i> series Fictional character

The following is a list of video game characters featured in the Fatal Fury fighting game series developed by SNK.

<i>Art of Fighting</i> (video game) 1992 video game

Art of Fighting is a fighting game released by SNK on arcades on 24 September 1992. It originally released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It was eventually ported to the Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, PC Engine Arcade CD-ROM², Sega Genesis, and SNES. The game follows tow Karate users known as Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia who travel to fight criminals from the Southtown city in order to find Ryo's missing sister Yuri. The game employs special moves and stronger Desperation Moves that can be performed strategically by filling the player's energy bar and removing the enemy's by taunting them.

Nobuyuki Kuroki is a Japanese game designer working for SNK. He did art for several Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury games and took a bigger role in The King of Fighters XIV and Samurai Shodown.

<i>Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves</i> 2025 video game

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is an upcoming fighting game developed and published by SNK. It is the first new entry in the Fatal Fury series in 26 years, following the release of Garou: Mark of the Wolves (1999), and serves as a continuation of that game's story. The game is currently scheduled to be released on April 24, 2025 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.

References

  1. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 494. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 May 1995. p. 25.
  2. ↑ "Game Search". Game Data Library. Archived from the original on 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  3. ↑ NEO GEO GAMES CROSS REVIEW: 餓狼伝説3 -遙かなる闘い-. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.332. Pg.27. 28 April 1995.
  4. ↑ "Review Crew: Fatal Fury 3". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 71. Ziff Davis. June 1995. p. 38.
  5. ↑ "ProReview: Fatal Fury 3". GamePro . No. 82. IDG. July 1995. p. 68.
  6. ↑ "ProReview: Fatal Fury 3". GamePro . No. 85. IDG. October 1995. p. 80.
  7. ↑ "Fatal Fury 3: Fourth in the Fatal Series". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (4). Emap International Limited: 46. March 1996.
  8. ↑ "Finals". Next Generation . No. 8. Imagine Media. August 1995. pp. 71–72.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.