It's just so typical, isn't it. One day you're there in the middle of the wrestling ring, winning the world title - the next, you've retired from the sport to take up a more cushy job behind a desk, laying the smack down on the bureaucrats as the Mayor of Metro City. But no sooner have you managed to put on your official Mayor's clothes (admittedly, it did take you a while - but only because your bulging biceps burst through the sleeves), than a few members of a gang - the same criminal gang you promised to eliminate during your electoral campaign, kidnap your daughter.
Three guesses for which one used to be the wrestler.
Being a responsible parent, and Mayor, you enlist the help of a buddy, and set off to do what any other ex-wrestler turned Mayor would do - go to the most nefarious parts of the city, beat the heck out of some ne'er do wells, and don't stop until you've found your daughter.
And this is, basically, the plot behind Final Fight - one half of Final Fight: Double Impact . The other half of the "Double Impact", a double pack of late 80s/early 90s side-scrolling beat 'em ups, is a pretty similar game called Magic Sword - basically Final Fight in Medieval clothing, as you play a hulked up He-man, and beat up a variety of more fantasy inspired monsters, using swords and sorcery rather than kicks and suplexes.
Magic sword - less urban, more fantastical makes for a great contrast.
The two games do play rather similarly, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, and their settings and intricacies are different enough that they don't simply feel like two identical games. Both side-scrolling beat 'em ups, you simply have to navigate your character from one end of the level to the other, dishing out punishment of a physical variety to the various bad guys as you go. In both games, there are various weapons you can choose to pick up, to make your quest a bit easier, but Magic Sword has the added advantage of letting you use magic attacks, to attack from a distance.
In single player, admittedly, the games can both get a tad boring on longer play sessions, due to the repetitive nature of the combat, but in co-op, things quickly get a lot better. Accidentally beating your co-op buddy up, or teaming up to fend off enemies that are coming at you from both sides, as with most things, co-op makes the game come to life, and with the drop-in, drop-out multiplayer mode, both offline, and on Xbox Live, no matter where you are in the level, you can invite a friend along if you need a little help.
For the price you're paying, it's hard to complain. Yes, in single player they're repetitive, but in two-player co-op, for effectively just under £3.40 per game, it's easily worth the money. You can't even by a cinema ticket for that, now - so try this instead.
Format Reviewed: Xbox 360
