Warriors Of Fate

One of Capcom's many arcade Final Fight knock-offs will be reaching the PlayStation soon. You may have seen Warriors of Fate in an arcade. It wasn't all that popular.

Think of WOF as Final Fight in Medieval Japan. You have your choice of five fighters; most of them play in a similar fashion. Each warrior has a Street Fighter-type move that can be done with a reverse Yoga Flame. There are also power moves that can be released by pressing the Attack and Jump buttons at the same time. This, however, will drain life with each use. Each fighter also has a slide that can be executed by pressing diagonally downward with the Jump button.

Here's a quick run-down to give you an idea of what the five fighters are like. Please note that these names will most likely change when this game is finally finished for a U.S. release. The first character is a warrior monk named Kan-U. He's garbed in blue and white and has attacks that resemble Haggar's. He can spin around with his arms to knock foes away. Chou-Hi looks somewhat like a barbarian. He's an unarmed fighter whose moves look like they're out of Slam Masters. He has the most throws of all the warriors. Third is Chou-Un. Arguably the hero of the game, he is a young samurai, complete with sword. He has a Dragon Punch-like uppercut that can cleave foes in two! Kou Chuu is an old archer who is best compared to the elf in King of Dragons. He may have limited defense capabilities, but he has long-distance attacks. Gi-En is the last in the lineup. He wears green armor and carries a long sword. His special resembles Guile's Flashkick.

After playing awhile, you'll notice Capcom's touch in most of the characters' attacks.

Throughout the game there are items to pick up. The most useful icon will give you a weapon that does lots of damage. Another will give you a horse. If you ride a horse, you take less damage and have a longer reach. Not too shabby.

The graphics of Warriors of Fate are identical to the arcade. They are crisp and clear. The animation of each character in the game is smooth. It is possible to have a two-player simultaneous game. Surprisingly, there is no slowdown. There may sometimes be as many as 10 enemies on the screen, and there isn't even a single flicker. Impressive. In the end though, players might not like the fact that this CD is repetitive. Once you beat it, there is little to keep you playing. The same enemies are repeated over and over throughout the nine levels. You might also get a little peeved at the lack of originality that Capcom displays with the attacks stolen from their other famous games. If there were new enemies for each level and more originality, this game would have truly been outstanding.

Simplistic?

Yes. Outdated? Maybe--but they're always enjoyable. Capcom's Warriors of Fate has made the jump from the arcade to the PlayStation, and doesn't miss a beat. The gameplay is simple enough:Walk along and beat people up, a la Double Dragon. Choose from one of five warriors, each equipped with their own weapon, whether it be a sword, bow or fists.The story isn't all that important and neither is tact. Just charge into battle and start whippin' butt.

The graphics are bright and cheery, but the lack of animation frames makes the player movement a little choppy. To keep things interesting, you can pick up extra weapons along the way, and even mount a horse for some extra speed and power. That, along with a plethora of big bosses and multiple endings (which arrive too soon), makes Warriors Of Fate great fun to play. A version is also going to be available for Saturn.

Side-scrolling actioh games are quickly becoming a dying breed on the next-generation platforms, but Capcom is doing its part to keep the genre alive in its port of the 1992 arcade game Warriors of Fate to the PlayStation. The plot comes straight out of Far Eastern legend: Five heroes (the warriors in question) have been selected to undertake a quest for Kuan Ti, the Emperor of Shang Lo.Things are looking bleak for Shang Lo.The hordes of the barbarian Akkila-Orkhan have invaded the kingdom and are pillaging and sacking it like there's no tomorrow. You (and a friend if you so desire) have been charged with giving Akkila-Orkhan's forces their eviction notice. Cool! It kind of sounds like the story of a Jet Li movie!

Warriors of Fate is a perfect reflection of its original arcade manifestation, even down to the somewhat limited frames of animation for the characters. Players can choose from five different characters with radically different moves and special abili-ties.The warriors can find caches of weapons, including (but not limited to) a charging horse! The game also features multiple endings! Just in case you Sega fans are wondering, a Saturn version will be available a month after the PlayStation version is released, so cool your britches.