Back in the days of the 16-bit consoles, there was also the Neo-Geo, a vastly superior platform with a fittingly high price tag. All kinds of arcade titles were ported onto the console, most looking far better than the average gamer could dream of getting from their SNES or Genesis. SNK's Fatal Fury series was the bitter rival to Capcom's mainstream fighting franchise, Street Fighter. Although it never captured the hearts of most gamers, the series is hugely successful in the far East, having spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs over the years, as well as its own anime movies. This Xbox Live Arcade download is basically an untouched version of Fatal Fury Special, but still retains all of the things that made that game so enjoyable.

As 2D fighters go, this was one of the best of its time. The game has 15 playable characters to choose from, as well as the secret character Ryo Sazakazi, who some players may recognize from SNK's Art of Fighting series. SNK titles have always had a cult following of die hard fans, with the appeal of their games largely stemming from the multitude of diverse fighters to choose from, and Fatal Fury Special is no different. In addition, the game features a higher and lower track to jump between, allowing you avoid enemy attacks while creating the possibility to counter. This feature adds a bit more depth to the fighting stage and gives the player some leeway while using the two tracks in a tactical manner.

This classic fighting game is a great value at its 400 point price.

As well as the standard ladder game mode with its five difficulty settings, Xbox Live multiplayer has been included. Taking the fight online is quite worthwhile, with many players looking for a match. You will have to put your faith in the host though, as matches are played from their lobby. This means if the host gets bored of waiting while you take on another gamer in the lobby, they have the option to quit, which breaks the connection for all players. Up to four players can reside in a lobby at once, taking turns to fight the winner of the previous match. The only other slight irritation online is the fact that most players pick the game's hero, Terry Bogard, whose move list is by far the most comprehensive. This can get frustrating if you're new to Fatal Fury games, but it's something you just have to accept if you want to get anywhere on Live. Overall, the multiplayer is a nice extra and gives the game some more replay value.

Another annoying aspect of the game stems from the design of the Xbox 360 controller. The 360's digital pads just don't work well for this type of game, and both Street Fighter II and Ultimate Mortal Kombat suffered from the same problem. The D-pad isn't responsive enough to make the necessary button presses for most of the special moves, and trying to use the analog stick is futile. If you can get past that, this is a great fighting game.

Unusually, Fatal Fury Special hasn't had the makeover treatment most retro XBLA games have received. There's no pixel smoothing here, and surprisingly, it does very well without it. The sound of every grunt, punch, and special move has made it across the transfer onto 360, all backed up by the thrumming early 90's tunes you'd expect of a game in this genre. Considering the game was released in 1993, it really has aged quite well, and is still nice to look at even now.

Whether you're one of SNK's hardcore fans, or you've never heard of Fatal Fury or King of Fighters, at 400 points, this really outdoes XBLA's other scrappers in terms of value and gameplay. It's not going to stop you from buying Virtua Fighter 5, but this is one of the better retro fighting game efforts made available so far. With lots of fun to be had, this is a solid game, and despite the frustration of trying to pull off special moves on the 360's pad, is well worth a look.