Tag: Neo Geo

Yesterday marked 25 years since the original World Heroes hit arcades worldwide. Released on July 28, 1992, World Heroes was one of the earliest Street Fighter II competitors on the scene. At best, it was viewed as an amusing alternative but ultimately fell way short of challenging Street Fighter II. Exactly 10 months later, ADK released World Heroes 2 on April 28, 1993. Six new fighters were added to the fray, boosting the roster count to a whopping 14! Keep in mind this was a good six months before Super Street Fighter II came along with its massive lineup of 16 fighters. World Heroes 2 was a huge improvement on the original game. I loved it in the arcades and started counting down the days until the inevitable Super Nintendo release…

25 YEARS OF WORLD HEROES

Was it really 25 summers ago that I poured hundreds of quarters into this silly little fighting game? Wow, 25 years. I became a fan from day one. While I loved and respected Street Fighter II, there was something about World Heroes that clicked and resonated with me. Maybe because it was an underdog, or maybe it was the cheese and violent dark humor. Whatever it was, the summer of ’92 was awesome. Lines for Street Fighter II: Champion Edition ran out the door, leaving me to enjoy World Heroes without any waiting or fanfare. My bro bought Street Fighter II for the SNES that same month. So I would play Street Fighter II at home and World Heroes at the arcade. What a freaking sweet summer. 25 years… damn.

May 1993. It started out as just another innocent night. Accompanying my dad to the local Safeway grocery store, my old man would buy the goodies as I would be off in the corner playing on the one arcade machine they carried — a Neo Geo MVS. Throughout the early ’90s, that spot in the corner was mine. It was there that I played King of the Monsters, Super Baseball 2020, Sengoku and World Heroes more times than I can count. On that night I was hoping to get another solid 10-15 minutes in with World Heroes. With several quarters in my pocket courtesy of my generous pop, I was good to go. I strolled over to that infamous Neo Geo nook. Looked up at the panel where they display the four Neo Geo games, hoping to see World Heroes once again.

But there was no World Heroes.

My jaw dropped when I instead saw World Heroes 2. HOLY SHIT. At the time I had *NO* idea a sequel was even in the works. It totally caught me by surprise! Then I saw the demo. I had to once again pick up my jaw off from the floor.

The star of the first game, Hanzou, was surveying the new challengers. What a brilliant way to introduce the new cast to your audience. It seemed so larger than life that it absolutely freaking blew me away.

Dramatically, the scene would shift back and forth from a close-up of Hanzou’s grill staring down the new fighters and then switch back to the new cast as seen from Hanzou’s point of view.

The speed of the shifting began picking up as we scrolled through the new lineup of contenders. It ended by taking us to the WORLD HEROES 2 title screen. It was the greatest intro I had ever seen up to that point. I was so hyped! The new fighters looked so cool, especially that voodoo man and the pirate. Even the small touch of those ominous clouds was awesome!

Nowadays that intro may seem a bit tame. But back in mid 1993, as a nine year old kid who had no idea a sequel was even in the works, this was a gawd damn work of art.

I remember hoping that my dad would never come back! I even watched the intro twice. Then I dug into my pocket to fish out a quarter. I was overwhelmed by the choice of 14 fighters, but ultimately went with Mudman. I always had a thing for outcasts and weird fighters so Mudman became my guy. I managed to get by Shura before getting my ass kicked by the evil pirate, Captain Kidd. I played until my dad called me over. He had to pry me away from the machine. It was like crack to a kid. I remember thinking two things as I was leaving Safeway that night… 1). I can’t wait to play more and 2). I can’t wait for that inevitable glorious SNES release!

Fast forward a year. It’s now mid 1994. One night I was at The Wherehouse with my dad to rent a game for my brother. As my dad was checking out the game, I thumbed through the new GameFan magazine they had sitting on the rack. Imagine my ecstasy when I saw the World Heroes 2 preview! I even let out a small cheer under my breath. My wish from one year ago is finally coming true. Soon, I’d be able to play World Heroes 2 from the comfort of my own living room

GameFan was the shit back in the day. Their layouts were legendary. Their World Heroes 2 preview made it look like such an elite game. I was thrilled to see their hype for the game. It was the opening preview in the Planet SNES section. Guess which game was second… Super Metroid! Everything about it blew me away. 1). It was finally coming out on the SNES. 2). It beat out Super Metroid for opening preview and 3). GameFan’s ringing endorsement made World Heroes 2 look like a BIG deal. I studied that two page preview for 10 minutes and held my dad up, pleading with him that he had to buy this game later that summer. The old man was nice enough to humor me.

A couple months later GameFan ran another piece on it. I recall reading through this once again at The Wherehouse and eagerly shoving the magazine preview into my dad’s face. As great as the summer of 1992 was, the summer of ’94 was even bigger. I had just finished 5th grade, it was the best year of my childhood, my best friend Nelson and I were thick as thieves, the SNES was at its peak, and so was the bond between me and my out of town gaming crew. Now we had a whole summer before us to enjoy all these wonderful things. I remember Nelson and I spent a large chunk of our time playing World Heroes on SNES that summer as a way to prep ourselves for the sequel. It was simply a great time to be a kid.

To prep myself even more, I joined the Takara Masters Game Club. I wanted any insider news I could get on World Heroes 2 and all other future Neo Geo SNES ports. The bottom of the card states, “The bearer of this Takara Masters seal is a unique and praiseworthy gamer. Anyone who presents this card should be shown the utmost respect and offered all the privileges due to a game player supremo.” That shit always cracked me up.

I called Takara one day in the summer of 1994 to specifically inquire if the arcade intro would be included in the SNES port. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I finally hung up. It saddened me a bit when I first fired up the SNES port and found the intro missing. Hey, there’s only so much from a 146 MEG arcade game that you can cram into a 24 MEG Super Nintendo cartridge!

FUN TIP: If you choose seesaw for life gauge and you play the 2 player mode under Normal Match, it can serve as sort of a Practice Mode

New to this sequel is the ability to send an opponent’s projectile back at them by blocking at the last possible second. This can go back and forth several times until the projectile disappears into thin air.

I never liked this change all that much. It prevents you from advancing after a slow fireball. On the bright side, it gave fighters without a fireball more of a fighting chance. It added extra balance to the roster, making guys like Muscle Power and J. Carn more formidable.

COLOR ME BADD

Each fighter has six colors to choose from. This is exclusive to the SNES port. Great job, Saurus! Some of the new colors are even better than the original colors… while others are a bit more… ahem, bizarre. More on that later.

Not only do outfit colors change but some special moves match the color of your costume! For example, take a look at Hanzou and Fuuma’s Dragon Uppercuts below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having six costume color choices is awesome, sure. But it’s made even more awesome when some of the fighters’ special moves are color coordinated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saurus you crazy bastards, you!

 

 

 

 

 

Hanzou’s ninja stars even changes colors accordingly! Nice.

16 fighters. Six colors each. You had a whopping 96 combinations to toy around with. It was all part of the fun and something I wasted hours on back in the day!

MEET THE HEROES

Most fighting game sequels back in the mid ’90s featured two or four new fighters. Not so here. You get SIX. 14 fighters made this the biggest fighting game roster back in April of 1993. It felt like ADK went all out and didn’t hold anything back. This is how you do a sequel right!

One of my favorite backgrounds, combatants battle in a bamboo forest on a moonlit night. Brown leaves drop from the sky as the warriors scratch and claw for victory. A couple gravestones can be seen to the far right. Hanzou’s parents, perhaps? A nice touch to add mystique and intrigue to this beautifully atmospheric stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Master of the Iga Ninja arts, Hanzou can throw a shuriken, or three. His ever reliable Dragon Uppercut and Spinning Blade are back as well. New to his arsenal is the Leg Lariat. It works well as a long range anti-air attack.

Fuuma loves to show off his superior fighting expertise in front of his friends. It’s a nice stage but I do miss his funky monkey pals from the first game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fuuma and Hanzou’s moveset began to receive some differentiation here. Fuuma’s Spinning Blade attack now moves in a wild up and down fashion, which perfectly fits his more flamboyant fighting personality. He can also throw opponents in mid-air as well as perform his Dragon Uppercut in mid-air.

Like Fuuma, I prefer Dragon’s previous stage. It’s hard to beat fighting in front of a Shaolin Temple after all. On a side note, Dragon was billed from China in the first World Heroes. ADK however changed Dragon’s birth place to Korea starting with World Heroes 2. But somehow the SNES port shows China’s flag instead of Korea’s. In my heart, Dragon will always be Chinese, damnit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon can still punch fools into oblivion as well as throw them in mid-air. As if that wasn’t enough to convince them NOT to jump, the Dragon Kick will surely make them think twice. His new attack is a nifty lunging kick. Oh, and don’t you love the Incredible Hulk version of Kim Dragon? I know I do. Bruce Banner meets Bruce Lee…

This little backdrop does a great job of evoking memories of all those classic old kung fu flicks you watched as a kid on lazy Sunday afternoons. I almost expect to see Jet Li or Donnie Yen come flying out at any moment…

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly, the portly Julius Carn got a bit gypped here. No new special moves to speak of, although he did receive a pretty cool new throw and his Mongolian Dynamite looks better than ever. Still irks me though that it doesn’t set his victims on fire. ADK finally fixed this in the fourth and final game, World Heroes Perfect.

Travel right back to the 15th century with this great looking stage! Much prefer this over her traveling circus backdrop from the first game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Janne’s Aura Bird comes in baby or adult form. I always loved how the World Heroes games changed the size of their projectiles based on the strength of the button pressed. It wasn’t just speed that came into play but size as well. That was pretty unique for its time! Her new move, the Justice Sword, is a solid anti-air attack that can hit up close or from a distance. Again, depending on the button you use. ADK never got credit for giving a single move multiple purposes. The classic standbys are back as well: the Flash Sword (another good anti-air attack) and arguably the most painful looking move in the game, the Sword Hop.

ADK’s attempt to reduce Muscle Power’s resemblance to Hulk Hogan didn’t stop with the slight alteration in his look. In an effort to further differentiate the two, ADK dropped the wrestling ring in favor of a construction site. Boo! The wrestling ring inside a steel cage suspended high in the air was the perfect over-the-top background for Muscle Power. Oh well. As Hulk Hogan himself would say, “What chu gonna do, brother?!”

The good old Muscle Bomber running elbow is back. His new trick is an impressive leaping dropkick that serves as a pretty decent anti-air attack. Proving you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks. Not sure about that pink hair color, though. Midlife crisis, hmm?

Indeed I do. After the first World Heroes came out on the SNES in late 1993, my best friend Nelson held a neighborhood tournament. I played a pretty mean Rasputin in those days but decided to branch out and challenge myself. So I selected Muscle Power. Well, I got my ass handed to me pretty hard. I walked home that day thinking to myself over and over, “Just wait ’til World Heroes 2 comes home next year. His new Giant Swing will be the difference maker. Just you bastards wait!” It’s strange the memories we vividly recall, huh? And that’s the beauty of fighting game sequels. Just one new special move could be a game changer, no pun intended. Good times.

Some people think the purple building in the back reminds them of the castle from Aladdin. But for me growing up, it looked a lot more like the building seen on the cover of Goosebumps book #25, Attack of the Mutant (November 1994). As a kid I liked to think that R.L. Stine was a huge World Heroes 2 fan and was inspired by Rasputin’s stage when he penned Attack of the Mutant. I know, I was weird… [Was? -Ed.]

 

 

 

 

 

Rasputin could enlarge his hands and feet, making him sort of a pseudo-stretch fighter. His classic giant hand crush returns but brand new is the hand swatter. This might be the greatest anti-air attack in the history of fighting games. Certainly back in 1993 and ’94 it was! Simply press strong punch while standing and Rasputin will knock anyone out of the air. It can also attack the opponent while they’re standing. It was a game changer for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rasputin was a trailblazer. The first World Heroes introduced air projectiles to the genre. Not only is Rasputin’s air fireball back but now he can also perform his Spinning Robe in mid-air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being a trailblazer, he didn’t receive just one new special move but rather two completely different moves. The first is the deadly Thunder Ball. It “feels heavy” and hits accordingly so, inflicting more damage than Rasputin’s regular fireball. It also shocks the competition, which is always a fun visual. His second new move is the Cossack Dance, which acts as a bit of an anti-air attack. Speaking of new, a magical glowing aura now surrounds him while standing still. Awesome!

A heavy tank comes plowing through the wall early on as the fighters duel to the death. It creates a great war atmosphere. Bonus points for the ominous red skyline as well. Good shit.

 

 

 

 

 

Brocken’s extendable limbs give him the best reach in the game. Brand new however is when you press down-diagonal and attack in mid-air, Brocken raises his leg upward instead. It’s nice to have that option to keep opponents honest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brocken can now fire missiles from his kneecap. And he’s still the only fighter that can produce both fiery and electrocuted animations. Always loved that about him. His useless but amusing Flying Torpedo is back for shits and giggles. You can see his classic Hurricane Arm in the last shot there, as well as the wall before the tank comes barreling through.

An animated zombie skeleton watches the fight from a large mound of gold. He even loses his head at the end of each round. The gold glitters and glistens. It beckons to the heart of the greedy. A proven distraction, Captain Kidd uses this to his advantage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Captain Kidd was the first fighter I can recall to have two different projectiles. And I’m not talking about a cheap high and low Tiger Shot. A shark and a ghost ship?! Blew my mind back in the day! His Shark Upper is a great anti-air deterrent and his Hyper Kick is good at surprising the opposition. Slightly reminiscent of Guile’s Flash Kick, Kidd’s Spiral Kick is a dandy two hit number.

My theory as a kid: ADK couldn’t decide on giving him a shark or a ghost ship. Both fit him perfectly. In the end they didn’t have the heart to scrap either so they said screw it we’re reinventing the rules — who says a fighter can’t have two totally different fireballs? And it’s not just for cosmetic purposes, either. Each one serves a different purpose! The Shark Knuckle is done Sonic Boom style and the jab version allows Kidd to follow up. The Pirate Ship Blast is done Hadoken style (no charging required!) and due to its insane amount of coverage can nullify both low and medium projectiles, making it arguably the greatest projectile ever. It’s no wonder everyone loved Captain Kidd back in the ’90s, even the most ardent of World Heroes critics admitted that he was a great addition to the franchise.

I have such fond memories of this stage. I remember seeing this stage first thing upon walking into the arcades with my best friend Nelson. At the time World Heroes 2 and Super Street Fighter II were fighting for arcade supremacy, and I just remember walking into that arcade hall only to be greeted by the soft Norwegian tune and seeing Erik kick the stuffing out of his opponent all over his viking ship. A long line formed behind Super Street Fighter II but World Heroes 2 respectably held its own. It’s just one of those childhood memories that stick with you for some bizarre reason. So anytime I see Erik’s stage or hear that soft Norwegian tune, I’m instantly transported back to that innocent Saturday afternoon at the arcades with my best friend circa late 1993

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another fighter with a weapon, ADK wasn’t afraid to make up their own rules. I always liked Erik’s mini Tidal Wave projectile. It was the first projectile I remember executed with a kick button as opposed to the traditional punch. Bizarre! Also loved the way it crashed into opponents; hey, a tidal wave is no joke. Erik makes good use of his horns and is the only fighter in the game able to shock and freeze the competition. A fun addition to the roster!

Don’t get caught admiring the beautiful cherry blossom trees. If you do, Ryoko will throw you before you can say Bonsai.

 

 

 

 

 

Ryoko is a tough target to hit, being so small. Her quick Flip Kicks strike fast and have two variations. One acts more as an anti-air while the other serves as a lunging strike. It all depends on whether you press the light attack buttons or the strong ones. She can bounce off walls and is able to ignite a ball of energy from the palm of her hands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ryoko can throw fools with the best of them. I like how ADK flipped the script here on your typical stereotypes. This big throw is as damaging as Muscle Power’s Tornado Breaker. Probably didn’t expect that from a 16 year old girl, eh?

A rather peculiar stage that perfectly epitomizes how the World Heroes franchise has never taken itself TOO seriously. At first glance it appears to be a normal looking “serious” stage until you notice the monks scurrying in the background. Not only scurrying with their quick feet (an animation that was cut from the SNES port due to lack of storage) but leaping for no reason other than to make you scratch your head and go, “Heh, OK then.” World Heroes wasn’t afraid to mix in some humor but they never overdid it to the point where it became more of a parody (see Clay Fighter). It was this fine balance they struck that really resonated with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shura is a bit on the slow side, which is surprising considering he’s supposedly a “Muay Thai Master of Mayhem.” Especially given his build as well, I always expected him to be faster. Nonetheless, he has two striking attacks that are reminiscent of Balrog. He also has a running jumping fist strike that is a bit awkward and can leave him in a vulnerable state. Speaking of vulnerable, while his Tiger Kick is definitely cool looking, Shura soars to the sky and it takes him a second or two to land. This also leaves him in a vulnerable state. Maybe it’s just me but I kind of felt he was a pseudo-joke character when I was a kid. Not quite on Dan’s level, mind you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forget about having two different projectiles, having two anti-air attacks is where it’s at! Eat your heart out, Captain Kidd. Actually, while the Muay Thai Kick is definitely badass looking, it only counts as one hit. It looks like Shura hits them a second time but he doesn’t. It’s the longest animation in the game and doesn’t exactly leave him in a good position following usage of said maneuver. So let’s quickly recap. He’s got two different anti-air special moves, but both are flawed and leave him rather vulnerable. He’s also oddly slow for being a supposed Muay Thai master. All signs point to “joke character,” sadly. Even his ending, which I won’t spoil, treats him as a bit of a joke. Huh. A most curious creation, indeed.

Just when you thought you had seen it all, along comes J. Max AKA Johnny Maximum. A quarterback, he’s most likely based off Joe Montana (one of the greatest QBs the NFL has ever seen). Players fight on a seedy street outside a local bar. Drunken hobos cheer on the mayhem and strut the night away. Many people (myself included for a number of years) mistakenly assume that Takara developed this port. Nope. Saurus did. And they weren’t afraid to include a little sign of self promotion, either!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Johnny Maximum sold me the first time I witnessed his high and low Pigskin Thunder Shots. A quarterback not afraid to take the hits, his Shoulder Crash shows off his ruggedness. Don’t be so jump happy against him or else the Lightning Tackle will put an end to that. The Head Crash, which sees J. Max burying his head through his opponent (and into the ground even), makes me cringe each time I see it.

Mudman’s stage is easily one of my all-time favorites. I mean, just look at it. It paints such an atmosphere scene. The dancing natives, the shining stars, that gorgeous evening skyline and the flickering fire all add up to leave a lasting impression. Mudman is such a likable character and the first fighter I used the first time I played World Heroes 2. He’ll always be one of my guys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps the strangest “Shoto” fighter you’ll ever see, I love how Mudman incorporates his Spirit Buddies into the fight. There are two versions. The little shy Spirit Buddy or the streaking bold one. His Mud Gyro is one of my favorite anti-air special moves — I just love the way Mudman looks with his giant mask spinning around like that. The Mud Cutter is one of the most unorthodox looking Hurricane Kick variations I’ve ever seen, which suits him perfectly. One of his throws involves a ring of his Spirit Buddies dancing around the opponent. I’ve always loved that, as well as the way his projectile nullifies another. You get a glimpse at his ugly mug whenever he blocks. Brilliant!

 

 

 

 

 

Mudman, what is this? This isn’t the set of Thriller!

He was embarrassed in the first tournament but now he’s back for revenge. This time he battles in front of a captive crowd at a Coliseum in Italy. A massive Geegus statue has been erected. In his mind, there is only one true God to be worshiped and feared…

 

 

 

 

 

Geegus can now blow himself up, setting his opponent on fire in the process. The drawback of this new move however is it takes him a few moments to recompose himself which leaves him wide open. This should be used strictly as a last ditch effort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geegus is gone so you’ve won the tournament, right? Not so fast! Meet the new final boss, NEO DIO. In the arcade, he was infamous for being one of the cheapest fighting game bosses of all time. Thankfully, Saurus scaled him way down for the SNES port. Mercifully!

Dio arrives in a blaze of glory. Dude sure knows how to make a dramatic entrance! If you think about it, Dio just lowkey committed genocide. The entire crowd of spectators are wiped out in the blink of an eye. Wherever Dio goes, destruction follows. The Geegus statue has been obliterated. There’s only room for one supreme being!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having a fetish for slicing and dicing, Dio’s Sonic Saber and Gran Saber rips through the competition. The Rolling Smash shows off his graceful agility. Dio doesn’t have a fireball but he can create a static ball of energy that lasts for a couple seconds.

FIGHT TO THE DEATH

The ingenious Death Match is back. Sadly, World Heroes 2 was the last game in the series to feature the Death Match. Unfortunately, the original game had better Death Matches. For example, I loved the ring with the burning ropes in the first game. The sequel had grenades on the ropes instead. It just didn’t look as cool.

Also a shame that ADK’s infamous “Aftershock Effect” is gone. That’s part of what made the first game’s Death Matches so compelling. Few things in gaming match the sheer pleasure of watching a guy get roasted in slow motion even after you’ve dealt the final blow. These are just minor gripes, though. Overall, I’m glad the Death Matches returned even if they’re slightly watered down. Let’s take a closer look at the eight different Death Matches below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABSOLUTELY priceless. Poor Shura had to get this stage, eh?

Giving the guy with no fireball the land mine stage? Classic ADK. The new projectile deflection definitely helps, though. I always appreciated the subtle sense of dark humor that these games have.

NOT SO HAPPY ENDINGS

I’ll share a few of my favorites…

FUUMA

JANNE

RASPUTIN

BROCKEN

MUSCLE POWER

CAPTAIN KIDD

ERIK

RYOKO

JOHNNY MAXIMUM

 

 

 

 

Maximum’s quite the fine athlete, no?

AN AGE-OLD RIVALRY RENEWED

 

 

 

 

 

Hanzou and Fuuma have their own specific post match quotes devoted to each other. Did Ryu and Ken have this back in the day? No sir. This rivalry was LEGIT!

SWEET SIXTEEN

2 Player mode allows you to use the bosses up front. You now have a whopping 16 fighters to select from. But there’s also a secret code that lets you use the bosses in the regular mode.

RANDOM BITS

BETA VERSION DIFFERENCES

Around 2010 I discovered that the SNES beta version of World Heroes 2 differs from the final product. I was blown away because the beta version actually plays more like the arcade. There are some bugs, though. The biggest difference is that combos are easier to do in the beta version. This is where owning some kind of SNES flash cart (like the PowerPak for example) is super handy…

• Hanzou and Fuuma have different Dragon Uppercuts in the beta version. In fact, they much more accurately represent their arcade forms, whereas in the final version their Dragon Uppercuts are identical. Not to mention, the animation is a bit lackluster. In the beta version, the animation on the Dragon Uppercuts looks much better

• Game speed in the beta version mirrors arcade speed more

• It’s possible to chain several jabs together in the beta version. You really can’t do this in the final version. Try Hanzou’s Leg Lariat followed by a Dragon Uppercut. You can pull off this sweet chain in the beta version with the greatest of ease, but you can’t in the final product no matter how hard you try.

• Unfortunately, Mudman’s Mud Cutter in the beta version in an unfinished move. It works but only the first frame. Also, Geegus’ exploding attack is missing.

• Endings in beta have slightly different text

• There is an option to listen to the sound effects and music tracks in the beta version

WHY SO SERIOUS?

I love that this game never took itself too seriously. The Death Match was a brilliant feature and lended the first two games a subtle yet satisfying sense of black humor. Wacky fighters like Brocken, Rasputin, Mudman, a towering football titan with red glowing eyes, and a Hulk Hogan knock-off bring a certain level of quirk to the game that I’ve always appreciated.

Yet it’s also really cool how the game does take itself seriously, too. It strikes a good balance between having outlandish characters and more serious ones, such as the rival ninjas, Kim Dragon and that swashbuckling scourge of the High Seas, Captain Kidd. It’s a mix that worked really well in my book.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID

Similar to how the first World Heroes came out a month after Street Fighter II Turbo on the SNES, World Heroes 2 came out a month or two following Super Street Fighter II. Not exactly the best timing in the world, especially given how World Heroes 2 was in the arcade a good six months before Super Street Fighter II. Nonetheless, the heroes held their own and fared rather well with the critics. EGM crew gave it scores of 6, 7, 8, 8 and 8. GameFan gave it ratings of 80, 80 and 84%. Super Play rated it 80%. Most people agree it was a great port. Sure, it’s missing the intro, some animations, bonus stages, referees and so on, but it really was a fantastic port by 16-bit standards. It’s just a shame it didn’t come out a few months before Super Street Fighter II. That stole a lot of its thunder.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

All the cool SNES extras — speed options, six colors, four button layout and playable bosses — make this game a winner in my book. Saurus did a very good job, although I do wish it were more combo friendly. You can rip off combos in the arcade game pretty easily but it’s very hard to here. The first World Heroes on SNES was way too easy in terms of pulling off dizzying combos, but the sequel goes the opposite end. It’s really my one glaring flaw with this port. Other than that and slightly small sprites, it’s a pretty bang up job. The colors are fairly vibrant and it’s pretty amazing to consider how much of the arcade game’s look they were able to translate to the Super Nintendo. This is as good as anyone probably could have made World Heroes 2 on the SNES to be. The sound is a little weak but the death cries are awesome. The music varies from decent to very good. Some of those tunes I can still hear when I close my eyes.

At 16 fighters and 24 MEGS, World Heroes 2 was one of the biggest fighting games of its time. Yet sadly, World Heroes 2 kind of flew under the radar. In my view, it strikes the perfect balance between being serious and a little silly. Where else can you send Hulk Hogan flying into a spiked wall one moment and the next be swapping projectiles with Joe Montana? It’s cool how each fighter was based off a historical figure. Although it’s a pretty blatant Street Fighter II clone, it also did its fair share of unique things such as the Death Match, air fireballs (Rasputin was the first fighter to have one), throw counters, projectile repelling and so on. An unsung hero of the SNES library, World Heroes 2 is definitely one of the better fighting games on the SNES not named Street Fighter II.

Graphics: 8.5
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 9
Longevity: 9.5

Overall: 9.0
Gold Award