Why i love Art of Fighting

[Don Vecta]

Hmmm dunno, we use to play it more than jabs and whatnot, the tricky two button low kicks were good, actually, run and grab, if you missed an safe landing you're toast if someone throws a fb cuz it was a certain dizzy (I was a Robbie-boy, Mr. Pimp and King player).

Dunno, back in 93/94 was really fun. And yes, AOF3 was pretty solid too. I personally liked the game a lot since gameplay was lot more solid. Shame it wasn't as popular as AOF2 (I guess there wasn't story with other characters who were not Ryo and Robert) but overall was a very nice game.

[Violent Ryo]

16 bit ports of AOF like on the Genesis and SNES were weak and garbage when compared to the real megashock AoF games on the NEOGEO so first opinions based on those ports are not viable anyway no offense.

It has always been my belief that most of the negative opinions that you see on the web are from people who did not play the AoF games in the Arcades when they made their debut rather their opinions are based on playing AoF yaers later for a few minutes on inferior machines ( some dont even play and dissmiss right away) and comparing them to modern fighters so of course the impressions will not be good.

But ask those who played AOF games when they were new on the NEOGEO or MVS Arcade cabs and its a different story.  I know i was like this is much cooler and better than Street Fighter 2 back then.

I know i used to have blast in Arcades with the AOF games in 1992' 93 etc and yearn for those moments again.  

Yeah Don Vecta, Gameplay nuances like those in AOF you mentioned are really neat and some of those nuances are only AOF specific making the series special to fans.

[Don Vecta]

The SNES version had three beautiful points that made me love it:

- All characters had DM's (King's first Illusion Dance).

Art of Fighting SNES - Super Moves

- The real, complete dramatic ending with Takuma revealing the whole background of the story.

Art of Fighting SNES - Endings

- Mr. Pimp's theme was fucking epic!

Art of Fighting (SNES) - Mr. Big Stage

But the Genesis version had more beautiful stages than the SNES version.

[Running Wild]

16 bit ports of AOF like on the Genesis and SNES were weak and garbage when compared to the real megashock AoF games on the NEOGEO so first opinions based on those ports are not viable anyway no offense.

Well excuse me, but when you are a youngster, you cannot afford a $600 console and $300 cartridges. I had plenty of arcades back when I was a kid, but they primarily carried Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter and Samurai Shodown along with their sequels/upgrades far as fighting games went. I didn't get to play Art Of Fighting in all it's "glory" until when Neo-Geo emulated emerged in the late 90's, and I was not impressed, especially with much better Neo-Geo fighting games to emulate out there. My first opinion of AoF based on the 16-bit AOF ports is perfectly viable because regardless the gameplay sucks no matter what version you are playing, and is massively inferior to Street Fighter II and SNK's other major fighting game titles that came out around that time.

Sure, the console ports lacked the same graphics and sound as their arcade counterparts, but at the end of the day, what mattered was gameplay, and honestly, I'd take Street Fighter II Special Championship Edition on Sega Genesis (Which is a pretty damn good port for 16-bit if you ask me) over Art Of Fighting anyday. Even Fatal Fury 2 on Genesis was better since that game actually played pretty decently.

i was like this is much cooler and better than Street Fighter 2 back then.

What a lonely childhood.

[Don Vecta]

Izzy... arcades, la, arcades! Of course by that time I wasn't able to afford a Neo-geo, but sure AOF1, AOF2 and AOF3 were everywhere in my country. I was never tired of play them.

Besides, by the AOF1 time there wasn't any options: Fatal Fury 2 wasn't out yet, only MK1 and SF2. by AOF2 yeah, CE was out already and FF2.

Certainly the most refined versus game in that era was FFS, but AOF2 was quite decent, if I can say so myself.

[Running Wild]

You come from Mexico,  I hear stories about how they turned MK cabinets into Neo-Geo cabbies lol. In the USA, Neo-Geo cabinets were not nearly as abundant. There was 2 cabinets in my hometown, one had Samurai Shodown I, then II for the longest time, and 2 other games I don't remember but they weren't fighters, so I didn't play. Another place had a cabinet with KOF95 which was my first KOF.

Anyways, Art Of Fighting can be attributed mainly for introducing new features in fighting games, such as desperation moves, power gauges, taunting, battle damage/cheese K.O's, etc. But gameplay wise, the actual fighting in-game was not solid at all and was extremely limited compared to most other 2D fighting games out at the time, it's like the game just lacks in strategy and footsies, your options and mobility are limited, there just isn't much to do and the game controls like crap. Most of the characters are also pretty shitty. Nobody gives a shit about Micky Rogers, John Crawly, Temjin, Jack Turner, or the characters in 3 that aren't named Kasumi.

I think Art Of Fighting 3 had some of the most amazing sprites and animation around for it's time, I'd even rate it above Street Fighter 3 and Garou:MOTW, but that gameplay was abysmal.

SNK has gone on to do way better things since the AOF series, Samurai Shodown, KOF, Real Bout Special/2, MOTW, Last Blade etc.

[Violent Ryo]

Sigh...I was trying to ,not start up more arguments with Running Wild here and even gave him a polite way to leave.  Yes we get it you hate AOF and the you think the gameplay sucks, thats not a new opinion but it doesnt really belong here.  I just dont get why people are inclined to shit up a discussion on something they dont like.

 Again the thread is titled "Why i love AOF", we know you feel otherwise so by all means you are free to create a thread ranting about your opinions on AOF.  Again please just let the fans be.  If you didnt grow up around abundant Arcades you just wont get the "magic" and charm of those games and the atmosphere they carried and created in their time and if you missed out on this you dont know how awesome a childhood can be.  Just accept this fact and give up trying to prove your opinion please, because you just wont get it as in example other 3D casuals just wont get 2D.  AoF fans i guarantee are fans because they played these games in arcades In their time, you just had to be there.

ANYway,  Don Vecta since you brought up the knockdown/throw strategy that reminds me that AOF is the game where i really learned the strategy to "trap" your oppenent by timing a fireball after knocking them down especially after throws, except that in AOF the well timed fireball actually hit your opponent if timed right and you scored another knockdown resetting your posiotion once again

i just realized that i do this all the time in KOFXIII as i was playing it today using Robert.  he is absolutely so Art Of Fighting in KOFXIII.  It really feels like AOF gameplay when using Robert, the developers did a great job as they said that is exactly what they were doing was revivng Art Of Fighting Robert instead of KOF robert.  Ryo is still KOF Ryo in XIII.  While Takuma And Mr Karate are a hybrid of or evolution of old and new techniques.

[Don Vecta]

Yes we get it you hate AOF and the you think the gameplay sucks,

Actually, on defense of Izzy, I can tell for sure he DOESN'T hate AOF. Point in fact, I think he likes it quite a lot. Though he thinks the gameplay itself is bad.

ANYway,  Don Vecta since you brought up the knockdown/throw strategy that reminds me that AOF is the game where i really learned the strategy to "trap" your oppenent by timing a fireball after knocking them down especially after throws, except that in AOF the well timed fireball actually hit your opponent if timed right and you scored another knockdown resetting your posiotion once again

i just realized that i do this all the time in KOFXIII as i was playing it today using Robert.  he is absolutely so Art Of Fighting in KOFXIII.  It really feels like AOF gameplay when using Robert, the developers did a great job as they said that is exactly what they were doing was revivng Art Of Fighting Robert instead of KOF robert.  Ryo is still KOF Ryo in XIII.  While Takuma And Mr Karate are a hybrid of or evolution of old and new techniques.

Well, yeah, meaty fb's are sure a nice strat in the AOF's series, considering they have huge hit boxes (especially the ones fully charged).

And yeah, seems the devs wanted to bring back all the properties of AOF2 Robert: Recoil from Hienshoppukyaku, recoil from air qcb K, overall looks and fighting stance, etc.

[Violent Ryo]

Well i was thinking Robert from AOF 1 all those things u mentioned apply to Robert from the first game also look at the color scheme, its AOF 1's, AOF 2 Robert is more purple.  But AOF 1 and AOF 2 Robert are the same gameplaywise however wall kick behaves against walls like it does in AOF 2, thats the only thing that makes me think AOF 2 Robert otherwise in 13 he is modeled from the first agme like Lee was modeled from AOF 1 in NGBC rather than AOF 2 Lee.

Speaking of wall kick, thats another thing i adore about the series, its one of my favorite gameplay elements, you can combo off successful hits from a diving wall kick into ZAnretsuken other moves etc

in AOF 1 and 3 against walls the wall kick initiates a dive making me think it might also be first DIVEKICK111!1! lol..

And also the wall kick against opponents hit if you jumped over the head making it also the  first crossup move which became a command move in later era of FGs.