Fighters Megamix
| Fighters Megamix | |
|---|---|
| cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Sega-AM2 |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Sega Saturn |
| Release | 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Versus fighting game |
| Mode(s) | 1 to 2 players |
Fighters Megamix is a 1997 fighting game developed by AM2 and published by Sega exclusively for the Sega Saturn. It combines several characters from various Sega games, from the complete cast of Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers to Janet from Virtua Cop 2 and the Hornet car from Daytona USA, while allowing to play the bosses of both games without codes. It was one of the most critically acclaimed games of the 32-bit era.
Highly advertised, it followed Virtua Fighter 2 as a high-profile 3D fighting game for the Sega Saturn. Intended as an introduction to Virtua Fighter 3 (which was never released on the Saturn), Fighters Megamix introduced the concept originally used by King of Fighters, mixing characters and styles from different games - not only the open ended rings from VF are present (but now, with no ring-out), but also the close cages from Fighting Vipers. VF characters have new moves taken from VF3, but the most impressive feature was the dodge move, which allowed the character to sidestep, avoiding a dangerous blow and opening at the same time room for a counter. Sega capitalized on this, calling Fighters Megamix the first "real 3D" fighting game in the market.
Gameplay
As well as having standard Survival, Two Player and Team Battle modes, Fighters Megamix uses an unusual style of 1 player play, instead of standard Arcade Mode, the 1 player mode is split into nine subsections:
Novice Trial (beginners) Virtua Fighter (all characters from Virtua Fighter) Fighting Vipers (all characters from Fighting Vipers) Girls (all default female character) Muscle (strong characters) Smart Guys (tactical fighters) Dirty Fighters (sneaky fighters) Bosses (hidden characters played last) and Bonus (the rest of the bonus characters not fought in 'Bosses')
Each section consists of six fights against currently available characters then a final battle against a hidden character. Once you have completed the first four (the 'default' sections) the next three become unlocked, once you had completed those, the next (Bosses), and then when that is completed, the final (Bonus)
The player has the option of switching play type between Fighting Vipers and Fighters Megamix, which simply causes both the player's characters and the CPU characters to fight with the style of fighting from that game (the default is Fighting Vipers).
Your defalt characters are Jacky Bryant, Sarah Bryant, Akira Yuki, Shun Di, Jeffry McWild, Kage-Maru, Wolf Hawkfield, Pai Chan, Lau Chan and Lion Rafale the complete cast of Virtua Fighter 2 plus Grace, Sanman, Honey, Tokio, Pixie, Bhan, Mahler, Jane, Raxel and B.M. the complete cast of Fighting Vipers and two other characters Kuma-Chan, a bear mascot in a hat that has no points of articulation and Dural, who is a simple 3D female character model.
Unlockable characters
There are ten hidden characters in the game all based on other Sega games, including some planned, but unreleased for the console, like Sonic the Fighters. They are unlocked by completing all of the 1p mode sections except for Novice Trial, which unlocks a separate costume for Honey (or Candy) that can be accessed by pressing the 'X' button to select her. Each character either plays as a Fighting Vipers character (with armor that can be smashed off) or a Virtua Fighter character (without armour):
Bark the Polar Bear - one of AM2's creations for Sonic The Fighters Bark is a cream bear with large tufts of hair sticking out from the front and back of his 'beanie' hat, he wears a Scarf and Mittens. He plays like a Virtua Fighter character and is unlocked by defeating the 'Muscle' section.
Bean the Dynamite - the other of AM2's creations for Sonic The Fighters Bean is a green duck who wears a neck-a-chief and Sonic The Hedgehog's famous shoes, without the socks, he is based on an old Sega arcade game Dynamite Dux hence his name 'The Dynamite', in Megamix his trademark bomb attacks from Sonic the Fighters are missing. He plays like a Virtua Fighter character and is unlocked by defeating the 'Muscle' section (though he is not fought until the Bonus section)
Deku - A comical mexican green bean in a hat, when his hat is smashed off, a bird is under it, perched on his head, he plays like a Fighting Vipers character and is unlocked by defeating the 'Dirty Fighters' section.
Janet - Janet is from Virtua Cop 2 and has a fondness for countering, she plays like a Fighting Vipers character and can be unlocked by defeating the 'Girls' section
Kids Akira - Akira Yuki in his Chibi form from Virtua Fighter Kids, he is unlocked by defeating the Virtua Fighter section
Kids Sarah - Sarah Bryant in her Chibi form from Virtua Fighter Kids she is unlocked by defeating the Virtua Fighter section (though she is not fought until the Bonus section)
Hornet - Hornet is a car (number 41) from Daytona USA, the car humorously stands on back wheels and boxes with its front, it plays like a Fighting Vipers character and can have its shell knocked off, revealing body, engine and other parts below.
Rent-A-Hero - from two Japan only games, Rent-A-Hero for the Sega Mega Drive and Rent-A-Hero No. 1 for the Sega Dreamcast. Rent-A-Hero plays like a Fighting Vipers character, but he also has an additional handicap, battery life, measured by battery shaped red symbols above his health metere, if they all disappear, Rent-A-Hero shuts down. He is unlocked by defeating the 'Smart Guys' section.
Siba - Siba is from a prototype of Virtua Fighter but was cut from the cast by the time of game's actual realase, despite this he fights like a Fighting Vipers character, Siba is an Arab in a white and purple outfit equipped with a sword that charges with green energy, he is unlocked by defeating the 'Bosses' section
URA Bhan - an improved version of Bhan from Fighting Vipers he is unlocked by defeating the 'Fighting Vipers' section
Notes
- Unlike most other games by AM2 Fighters Megamix had no arcade release.
- The rendered images seen in the game credits after completing a section of the 1 Player Mode are unlocked and can be viewed in a gallery in 'Extra Options'
- Bark and Bean appear in the game roughly the same size as the human characters, when in fact Sonic characters are much shorter than Humans, just over half thier size, they also appear without thier cartoon like animations (Bark's hands do not grow in size, Bean does not have his bombs etc)