Fighting Force Collection: Where Retro Rage Meets Modern Muscle
Stepping into Fighting Force Collection feels like cracking open a time capsule stuffed with steel‑toed boots, alleyway ambushes, and unapologetically chunky 90s brawling. This modern revival hits the ground swinging, letting you dive deep into its remastered chaos while rediscovering why these urban punch‑ups became cult favourites in the first place. As the fists fly and the streets light up, this fresh exploration of the collection’s updated feel, flow, and impact sets the tone for everything that follows.
Fighting Force Collection Review Pros
- Decent 32-bit polygonal graphics.
- 886MB Download size.
- Platinum trophy.
- Display settings – CRT filter toggle, CRT curvature, and pattern sliders, and upscaling can be turned on and off.
- The gallery is a separate menu that houses concept art for the two games.
- Screen adjustment is available in both games.
- Four save slots.
- Two games in one – Fighting Force and Fighting Force 2.
- Quick save and quick load options.
- The game rewind function is on the pause menu, and it brings up a timeline to help.
- At any time, you can go back to the launcher and pick a game.
- Fighting gameplay.
- 3D game world with you playing in third person.
- Sits in the beat ’em genre games like Streets of Rage and Die Hard arcade.
- Fighting Force has three game difficulties, and Fighting Force 2 has two game difficulties.
- Four controller layout choices in Fighting Force 2.
- Enemy health bars show when you fight them.
- Many Breakable objects that can drop items.
- Health bar system and find med kits to heal.
- Pick up and use weapons like rocket launchers, guns, bats, etc. They have limited uses or ammo, but you can throw them at enemies afterwards.
- Very fast loading times.
- Score-based gameplay, collecting money gives score, as does killing dudes and breaking things.
- What I like is how you can string attacks together and do fantastic combos and counters.
- Grab railings and rip them off to have a bar weapon that never gets old.
- I love the enemy names, you know, they just got bored, and it’s great. Bruiser, cruiser, punk, and misery are standout names.
- The game runs well and even does a good job with the upscaling to smooth out some of the polygonal jankiness.
- Two pause menus to use. One is the proper game with the touchpad, and the start button is the overlay pause button where you quickly save and load.
- In-game cutscenes and character interactions.
- Big boss encounters.
- You can zoom the camera out with a button press to see more of your surroundings, but it’s not a permanent thing. You can hold the button down, but it’s a big ask.
- I like how you can hit people when they are down easily, and they have the animations for them.
- The game did a lot for the 3D brawler, with the environment being a character, almost, and the huge stable of attacks.
- Enemies are not just fodder; they can block, do combos, use weapons, team up, and even use your dropped weapons against you.
- In Fighting Force 1, at times, you can choose your route and next location, which, at the time, was a big deal and still a good thing today.
- Smash up furniture, put shop windows through, and even blow up cars and bikes. Vehicles, once blown up, drop tyres and wheels, etc., that can be used as weapons.
- It just feels so good hitting a bad guy into a machine or car and watching it blow up.
- Fighting Force 1 alone is enough to show you how advanced this game was and what we take for granted now.
- Fun trophies to collect, and they are more about playing rather than completing level after level.
- I am a huge fan of simple crates and boxes blowing up when you break them.
- Fighting Force 2 does introduce more depth to the mechanics and adds more variety.
- Bosses do look cool and are generally interesting.
- I just really enjoyed going back and getting to play through these two games, and it’s a good little set.
Fighting Force Collection Review Cons
- You cannot bring up a manual or tutorial to learn the moves, and get some of the story.
- The gallery is OK, but it doesn’t have any depth to it like promotional materials, manuals, and any lore or stories around the games.
- You cannot remap the controls.
- Cameron angles can be a real pain, as you have no direct control; the first game highlights this especially.
- In Fighting Force 1, a level just finishes with a stage clear pop-up, no fanfare or anything.
- The story is not front and centre in the first game; cutscenes don’t happen often or with voices.
- Picking up weapons is really slow, and getting hit when doing the animation drops the weapon. It’s especially annoying as the pick-up button is also the attack button, so you can get stuck in a sequence.
- Throwing some weapons and items is really slow.
- The third stage, going to the airbase, takes place on a subway train, and it has horrible flashing sequences, and you cannot turn it off or skip the section.
- They do reuse the enemy character models over and over.
- It feels like it’s a game to show off the fighting system rather than anything else. There are a lot of fights, a million guys to move on sections to back that claim up.
- No border art for the smaller game size windows.
- It’s funny, I found that the second game was not as good as the first one overall. Yes, it has new mechanics and features, but the gameplay felt more loose and awkward, and lining up grabs and ladders sucked the fun out.
- Both games definitely have a story problem; they are not well implemented and are so unattached that I forgot so much in between.
- Platforming is not the game’s strong points and the second game is a highlight of why.
- Big difficulty spikes and is a lot to do with awkward boss fights, where they are damage sponges and have no obvious tells.
- I like how you can go up to two identical boxes, and one will only break with punches, but the second one only breaks with kicks; never shall the two go with the same attack.
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Fighting Force Collection
Developer: Implicit Conversions
Publisher: Square Enix / Limited Run Games
Store Link:
Fighting Force Collection Review
Summary
Fighting Force Collection: The Thrills and Highlights of Gameplay:
Fighting Force Collection brings back that unapologetically chunky 90s brawling with a modern revival that hits the ground swinging. You get two games in one, both packed with fighting gameplay, 3D worlds, and a beat ’em up feel that sits right alongside classics like Streets of Rage and Die Hard Arcade. The combo system feels fantastic, letting you string attacks together, counter, and even rip railings off walls to use as weapons. Breakable objects drop items, enemies block and team up, and the environment becomes part of the fight as cars explode, windows smash, and tyres become throwable weapons. With quick saves, rewinds, multiple difficulties, fast loading, and a huge stable of attacks, Fighting Force Collection shows just how advanced these games were and still feel today.
Fighting Force Collection: Where It Falls Short Key Negatives: The collection does stumble in a few places. There is no manual or tutorial to learn moves or story details, and the gallery lacks depth. Camera angles can be a real pain, especially in the first game, and picking up weapons is slow and easily interrupted. Some levels end abruptly with no fanfare, and the story is not front and centre, with sparse cutscenes and reused enemy models. Fighting Force 2 adds new mechanics but feels looser and more awkward, with platforming and lining up grabs becoming frustrating. Difficulty spikes, awkward boss fights, flashing sequences you cannot disable, and inconsistent breakable objects all add to the rough edges.
Fighting Force Collection Immersive Story and Narrative Elements:
The story across both games is not well implemented and often feels unattached. Cutscenes are infrequent, lack voices, and do little to push the narrative along. Fighting Force 1 does allow route choices that were impressive at the time, but overall, the story takes a back seat to the fighting. In both games, so much happens between moments of narrative that it becomes easy to forget what is going on, making the story feel secondary rather than a driving force.
Fighting Force Collection Visual and Performance Aspects:
The 32-bit polygonal graphics hold up better than expected, especially with the upscaling options, smoothing out some of the jankiness. Display settings like CRT filters, curvature, and pattern sliders add flexibility, and both games run well with very fast loading times. Screen adjustment options, four save slots, and two pause menus add convenience. Bosses look cool, environments break apart satisfyingly, and the overall presentation captures that retro 3D brawler charm while still feeling responsive today.
Fighting Force Collection Overall Verdict: Is It Worth Playing? Fighting Force Collection is a good little set that brings two influential 3D brawlers back into the spotlight. Despite story issues, awkward mechanics in the second game, and some dated design choices, the core fighting still feels great. Smashing up furniture, blowing up vehicles, pulling off combos, and battling through waves of enemies remains fun, and the collection does a solid job preserving what made these games stand out. It is a nostalgic, chaotic, and enjoyable return to a pair of games that helped shape the 3D beat ’em up genre.
Back of the Box Quotes:
A retro brawler blast that still hits hard in Fighting Force Collection
