Fighting Force - What Happened?

[@CI254]

As a simple to please kid, I adored Fighting Force 1. I was not aware sequels ever existed until now.

[@JV-ll1cu]

FF was awesome

[@deondraemcknight232]

I just knew of the second one

[@iamarabicandiloveamericanp7137]

Excuse me brah

[@juniorsanchez7441]

Dude loved plying thru co-op on sleepovers

[@tentaclesmod]

Simple, uncomplicated co-op with no strings attached. Games are just plain more fun with a friend, so this actually made Fighting Force pretty fun.

[@TK0Doodet]

Seeing my parents finish Fighting Force 1 as a kid is the only great memory I have of them getting along with each other. The nostalgia is DEFINITELY real in that regard. On the other hand I thought Fighting Force 2 would be fun as a kid. And I was certainly wrong 😂

[@benn454]

I had a lot of fun with Fighting Force 2 as a kid. To each their own.

[@registereduser]

Oof. That first part hit hard. :/

[@okagron]

@@benn454 Actualy replay it now and you most likely agree with everyone else that it's bad.

[@nosidezero]

damn

[@benn454]

@@okagron The tank controls would be pretty dated, but you could say the same about Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, etc.

[@Moontea1]

Nothing will replace that moment of finding this SECRET demo of this game on the PS1 demo disc back when I was a kid. You unlocked a core memory.

[@MidniteLibrary]

I wonder how much that demo helped the sales numbers.

[@DrillbitTaylor2]

You aren't kidding. Found it when I wasn't even trying and it became one of my favorite demos. It' was like, "You stuffed this on here and kept it hidden?? It must be good." Kinda sad what happened. At least, Streets of Rage 4 did eventually happen even if it wasn't under these guys.

[@nofuture507]

I had that same demo disk back in the day! IIRC, it was hidden behind a panel for Cool Boarders 2. Just goes to show how much effort was put into those old demos disks.

[@shinvaX]

The only reason I bought the game was because of that. I just wished that the final game was closer to the demo in terms of speed.

[@holy9781]

Hearing demos brought back core memories.i remember u could play those forever lol

[@daviddamasceno6063]

I looooved the 1st Fighting Force! Played it with all the characters multiple times, alone and with friends, went through all the branching paths, I just couldn't get enough! So you can imagine my disappointment when the 2nd game came out.

[@Kenoji8]

I WAS LIVID THAT THEY TURNED IT INTO A SUPER DISCOUNT TOMB RAIDER GAME!!! IT SUCKED SO BAD!!!!

[@gendoruwo6322]

99% of video games i played as a kid were coop games, me and my little brother playing together, mostly beat-em-up games. We did play Fighting Force thoroughly and often. So when we found Fighting Force 2 is not even Fighting Force anymore, we just totally dropped it, no way. The maker of the Fighting Force series... they did not seem to have real passion for their creation... they just want to make money, and just try to make a product that would hopefully sell... instead of truly engaging with the loyal fans. In simplest definition: they were sell-outs , no integrity, and thus did not deserve loyalty.

[@shawnwhite3662]

I like Fighting Force 2. No it's not better than the original but I still had fun with it.

[@purpincup]

I feel that man. My best friend and I LOVED fighting force. When we found out the second one existed we got it and it was stll fun, but it just didn't compare to the first. Kinda like red faction. First was amazing, second was trash imo, and the. With guerilla they went back towards their roots and it was dope. Anyway lol have a good day

[@seanvickers6587]

The first Fighting Force on PS1 had one of the best sounding shotguns in a video game, in my opinion -- the deep, bassy crack of the shot followed by the reverbing echo punctuated the thing's ability to put any enemy in the game on their ass.

[@Kenoji8]

Dude that shotgun was the most lethal weapon in the game next to the rocket launcher! But you know what MY favorite weapon was? CROWBARS (or any of the metal stick like weapons). And it wasn't because of you being able to swing at people multiple times, but because the damage when you THREW them at people was RIDICULOUS and normally caused a knockback to the enemies! Heck, if you got the enemies close enough, you could actually hit TWO enemies with a well-thrown crowbar! 😁

[@Sketch1396]

When I got my PS1 it came with two games: Crash Bandicoot 2 and Fighting Force. I still remember the joy of beating FF with my brother countless times, then the excitment of finding Fighting Force 2 at my local store in a bargain bin and then ultimate dissapointment of finding out you cant even play it in multiplayer. It hits me so hard with nostalgia seeing Crasher performing his running leaping attack.

[@feathero3]

That's an awesome starter pair of games!

[@fatman5916]

I never thought that one of my favourite childhood games will end up on your show mr. McMuscles, sir. I salute you

[@derekgrissom2171]

Right I clicked fast af 😂

[@raymondjack]

This makes me a grumpy noodle, also one of my favorites.

[@GiggaGMikeE]

I came to say this. This was my jam back in the day.

[@Parisella]

You know, it's funny. It was one of those games I played a lot, and I played the hell out of those first three levels, but in hindsight, I don't know if I ever thought it was a good game

[@dc9662]

Nostalgia - it's a hell of a drug!

[@opulentprophet91]

This game was such a hidden gem. I remember my mother purchasing this for me on my Birthday when I was a child. It's definitely a classic beat em game to cherish.

[@ramonestefano]

It's such a brutal feeling to see a game that you love on "What happened".

[@DD-zh6hz]

But like. Why tho. It's not like a game being on here means it's bad. It just means it had a VERY fucky development history that's worth talking about.

[@alextorres8635]

Same lol

[@elkarlo1593]

Well Metroid Prime is on What Happened so it's not an immediately heartbreaking experience

[@Dijitz23]

@@DD-zh6hz It's because sometimes games could've been great only to find out time constraints, devs, or executives that know nothing of games, screwed it up.

[@DasNordlicht91]

case in point: Doom 2016 got a What Happened? episode because while it ended up being a great game, the road to get to that point was a bit messy, to put it mildly.

[@hondragrid]

Fighting Force 1 is a HUGE favorite of mine. Loved how many different things from the background could be used as weapons. Example: ripping hand rails off walls to use as clubs. (loved this as it seemed so brutal and over the top) Loved how much destructibility some of the environments had. Played through this game as all character and just love this game. Had tons of fun playing couch co op with a good friend as well. DID YOU KNOW. You can put the PS1 CD of this game into a CD player and can listen to the sound tracks to the game. Love the sound track to this game as well.

[@Valkian24]

Limited Run Games announced that they're bringing this and the sequel back in a compilation (as well as re-releasing Fear Effect) but was strange is that Fighting Force never changed hands from Square to Embracer (as suggested by the end of the reveal trailer that LRG showed during their direct video).

[@yournamehere6000]

God bless the Toys R Us employee who told me not to buy Fighting Force 2. He knew that I would have been disappointed and dude took the initiative instead of trying to get an easy sale. I hope that dude is doing alright.

[@gamejerk147]

A episode on Psi-Ops would be awesome! That "To be continued" screen at the end of it is heartbreaking

[@Itstwistedroots]

This!!!

[@acejunkie1122]

Back when oxm still did demo disks this demo was one of my favorites

[@Dissection39]

A fascinating dive into the production of a struggling franchise. I often forget how many failures must be experienced to finally get that polished rarity that is a dynamic, fun and (more importantly to the studios) profitable media project. Great video, I look forward to the next one.

[@MAVIZZLE2]

Man, I just wanted to thank you for making these videos. I struggle with anxiety and they really help me out.

[@rotex03]

I remember playing this on PS1 several times on multiplayer. It's not a masterpiece, but I had tons of fun. Drinking and throwing cans of cola was great.

[@pattycakes730]

I can’t believe how underrated this guy is, the production quality on his videos is crazy bro really deserves at least a million rn

[@user-zs5ub1ic1v]

I loved this game as a child but as an adult I had to keep convincing myself it wasn't some fever dream I hallucinated.

[@Gesuselsaviour]

just recently discovered this guys channel. It's fantastic! Do keep it up, it's much appreciated

[@helixier6629]

My favorite game, playing with friends and trying out all the characters and the branching paths. This and tekken 3 were the best coop games.

[@Paur]

I think the problem with Fighting Force was how stiff it felt to play. Also the enemies could be cheap as all hell, block spamming like assholes. A Fighting Force made today, with how much the genre has progressed and learned, would be AWESOME.

[@danielferrieri7434]

Toys R Us: What Happened

[@RayLilith]

kids not buying toys anymore aka iPads and video games

[@senorluis7152]

Republican Mitt Romney bought it and loaded it with debt. Sucked all the value and killed it. Toys R Us was always profitable. Look up bain capital and how they killed toys r us.

[@firmanchristiansianturi4794]

​@@Kanzuki WCW (wrestling promotion)

[@primexample8912]

I miss Toys R us

[@FlexApeal08]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZOraaSOZpd6otE

[@amadeusagripino6862]

Never knew this game was supposed to be a Streets of Rage sequel. Played the hell out of it back in 99 on my PS1

[@Thebre1227]

I love the What Happened series so much. Thanks for being so consistent Matt!

[@BigEOT3]

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Skullgirls would make for a good Wha Happun as it’s a good game that managed to overcome many obstacles.

[@dogg-paws]

I still want to see an episode for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl

[@umbra7603]

Fighting Force 64 was one of my absolute favorite games back in the day. I still look at it now and say, "Yeah... that shit was made for me."

[@adamkane7513]

I agree. There werent enough 3D co-op brawlers.

[@AShavedBeaver]

Fighting Force was me and my brothers game growing up. Imagine the wave of emotions I just felt finding out they made a sequel, about to call up my brother to arrange to play it, to then find out it's a sequel in name only.

[@axelprino]

I remember playing Fighting Force just once as a kid, it was during a visit to my cousin, and then misremembering it as a "3D Streets of Rage" for years. Later in the 2000's when I accidentally found out what it was actually called and that at some point it was actually meant to be be a SOR sequel it all clicked into place.

[@jons9239]

I grew up playing every Streets of Rage game on release with my brother. We were all over this and Dynamite Cop for Dreamcast.

[@durag_rico]

I looked up Dynamite on Amazon, it's like $500 😬

[@HoesCantResistTyreeSneed]

@@durag_rico its alot cheaper look elsewhere i got for like 20 dollars online or call ur local retro game stores and ask about it

[@SingerOfW]

I'm just glad BLACK RAZORRRR keeps getting mentioned on the show, because God knows not a day passes by without me thinking about it.

[@Nauty_nation1990]

Definitely wasn’t expecting a video about this game for sure,I played the hell out of it as a kid.

[@mesetaplays]

I remember playing the demo of this game when it was on a demo disc that Pizza Hut would include with pizza orders. The good old days 👌🏻

[@Hando10]

Woooow bro remember that !!!!?? Holy shit !!

[@jamesbevan9939]

Would you ever consider doing an episode on Terry Gilliam's infamous "The Man who Killed Don Quixote"?

[@ShaggyDustbin]

SEEING HERDY GERDY AT 12:11 BROUGHT BACK SO MANY MEMORIESSSSS OH MY GOD 😭❤️❤️

[@BugOperator]

I was in 9th grade when Fighting Force was released - it was like a week or two before Metallica’s Reload came out. I went to Circuit City with my uncle and he bought them both for me as early Christmas presents. I remember playing FF, listening to Reload, and taking breaks to decorate the Christmas tree. Fucking legendary weekend on the nostalgia scale. Speaking of Reload, you should do a What Happened on “Re-loaded” for PSX! Crazy disappointing sequel to the fantastic “Loaded” that, IIRC, had a fair bit of fuckery going on with its development.

[@JV-ll1cu]

I really enjoyed playing Fighting Force with my cousins on Playstation back in the day. That FF3 looked kind of dope, shame that it didn't get finished.

[@rodrolliv]

Stellar BG music as usual, Matt and team

[@jessehayes8052]

Fighting Force was one of my favorite games of all time, I played it for hours on end with my friends in our building, and I actually liked Fighting Force 2 but Fighting Force 3 looked incredible and I absolutely wish it had come out after seeing footage of the game then again Beat Em Ups will always be my favorite genre with Beat Down Fists Of Vengence and Final Fight Streetwise being some of my favorite games despite the critical hate they endured

[@THENAMEISQUICKMAN]

I'd like to see a What Happened on the Ridge Racer series, specifically the later years of the franchise.

[@RexMckinnis]

Man I remember playing the first one as a kid. We were addicted to that game. My fix came when The Warriors was released.

[@akaimizu1]

Nice to see a reflection on another beat ‘em up series. Speaking of which. I’m glad Limited Run had a restock and I finally got the physical release of The Takeover.

[@frightranker]

Oh man, this game. Used to play it with my mate constantly.

[@jaythomas468]

I know this game received lukewarm critical reception and wasn’t considered anything particularly groundbreaking, but as a big fan of Streets of Rage as a kid, I used to have a blast with this game back in the day.

[@unquietsky]

This game was a very frequent blockbuster rental for me. Good times.

[@Honest_Grifter]

I had a demo* disc with the first level of this game on it... I played that level HUNDREDS of times, god the 90s were great!!!

[@emilysong2000]

I for one welcome the glorious return of the eternally epic...BLACK RAZOR!!! 😁 Looking forward to all of the magical What Happened goodness coming our way as it approaches its fifth anniversary this year!

[@gorimbaud]

every time we get that voice filtered BLACK RAZOR my brain produces the happy chemicals

[@Odyanii]

13:44 the giant "PORN Is good for you" sign in the background got a laugh out of me; a perfect distillation of the sort of eyerolling "please think we're gritty" tone so many early 00's games like this took.

[@Jamal-wk6fy]

You unlocked a good childhood memory. I use to play these games with my cousins all the time

[@garou119]

I love this game regardless! So much fun and even some replayability, very underrated. That snap on Smasher's back breaker *chef kiss*

[@nozoto]

That big mad dog, his moveset and his crazy backstory is so lit! Smasher's a prisoner so into knuckle sandwiches and destruction, the government decided to rent him out on the most dangerous missions, you know like a birthday party clown for special occasions 😂 I just love that he doesn't give a damn: money? Evasion? Double crossing partners and passing to the enemy? Eff that, he just wanna break spines and make insurance companies cry 🔥🔥🔥

[@daneshannon884]

Man I LOVED this game as a kid

[@netherhigal]

I love fighting force, and still have my ps1 copy on my shelf. This was a wild way to find out there was a fighting force 2

[@benn454]

I was given Fighting Force 2 as a Christmas gift. I actually liked it a lot and completed it several times. It wasn't anything like the original, but I thought it was still fun.

[@LanEXHikari]

Hey Matty, thanks for the book recommendation, I didn't expect something like that. Quite a wild story, keep em coming!

[@qlasalle]

I used to LOVE the first game. It was so much fun. They need a modern day version of it.

[@johanstormcrow8460]

You brought back good memories of playing Fighting Force and Gekido with friends and Jackie Chan Stuntmaster taking turns and later on Dynamite Cop.

[@whipwreck69]

there was another beat em up on the PS1 that doesn't get talked about called "Gekido". it's a very underrated title in the PS1's library

[@xx-qv9tp]

I remember having a demo on PS1, that had Fighting Force as a hidden demo. You had to "rotate" tv panel for a code, and when you put that code in, you could play fighting force always wondered what happened to the game

[@channelZER01]

Been looking for this game for YEARS and could never remember the name. Spent hours and hours playing this at my brother's house. Crazy how a random KZbin recommendation just answered a question I've had since I was 8

[@sablebranwen2539]

God, my friends and family and I would sit together and play the first game for hours on end. Those were the days.

[@Arehexes]

It feels like we are getting closer to What Happun: Fabula Nova Crystallis

[@someclevername8167]

Oof, that would be a real chonker of a video lol

[@jesusisere]

Literally the game that came with my PlayStation when I got it for Xmas. Loved the big dude who basically rolled around

[@KlaireMurre]

It's nice seeing the comments so full of love for one of my all time favorite games of my childhood. So many memories. Now I gotta play it again

[@uberboomer8670]

Thanks for the video Matty, the past 2 Saturdays have felt severely lacking

[@FletcherReedsRandomness]

I’d love an episode on Sonic Frontiers, since while the game turned out well enough in the end, there’s plenty of evidence to show that it was a long, bumpy road to the finish line.

[@JadenFox9]

and Sonic Colors Ultimate, now that's deserving of a Wha Happun of it's own, like seriously, how can they mess up such an easy win

[@Railgun18]

Fighting Force had a PC port too, i remember loving it...

[@Offroader210]

I remember playing the PS1 demo of Fighting Force on the Sampler Disc volume 4. I didn't play much, only a few minutes and moved to another demo. In order to play it, you had to highlight a game and put in a three button code.

[@patrickhickeyjr.6776]

Thanks for sharing my book :)

[@NucleaRaptor]

Fighting Force 2 and Medal of Honor were the first games I played on the PS1. FF2 is a bit of an odd duck for sure, but I still really enjoy it. Just ignore the title and pretend it's called Techno-Industrial Tomb Raider, because that's basically what it is.

[@ratchetxtreme6591]

I remember seeing this game at convention booth, and I debated on wether or not if I should get it .

[@JV-ll1cu]

Hopefully you did

[@Kaychanne_]

I'm surprised this vid is only 9 months old, I don't see too many people talking about Fighting Force! I still think about this game and really wish it would get a remake.

[@KenBiggs]

Haven't started the video and I had a damn good time playing this game growing up

[@Ozzymortal]

One of my first PlayStation 1 games that I can remember growing up with and playing

[@PLAYDIMITRI]

I've been playing fighting force 2 on my phone and surprisingly I'm almost at the end. The slow gameplay and clunky controls translate well onto a touchscreen for some reason. Been having hella fun on lunch breaks with it

[@theambitious0ne451]

This game took up WAY too much of my childhood and I enjoyed every second of it that I wasn't raging.

[@adamsmoberly]

I love how it’s always issues with developing rather than people just didn’t put in work. games aren’t made in a day. The original game had really nice fashion.

[@F.Hakeem89]

The 1st Wha Happened of 2023 , I love playing this game with my brother back in the Day.

[@LSTPlays]

I remember the hype for FF, whilst the hype didn't quite match the actual game, I still loved it. Maybe one day we'll get a SofR4 labour of love new one. Great video Matt! 🍻

[@Mayydayy86]

YES! I've been waiting for this one!

[@KenBiggs]

Holy crap... I forgot fighting force 2 happened, I actually played it and now I remember why I scrubbed it from my brain

[@Ryuujin1078]

I hope Fighting Force makes a come back as we’ve seen the beat’em up genre being revived with the likes of shredder’s revenge, SOR 4, Final Vendetta

[@TheCzar1]

Man, I remember playing Fighting Force 64 back in the 90s as a kid and how accomplished it felt to finally beat the game by myself as it was a hard game to beat even if you played 2 player co-op.

[@seshjuan42069]

omg, I have this on N64. was one of my fave childhood games. I'm happily surprised to see it being featured on Wha Happun. Thanks Matt

[@larrytron1992]

My older sister and I used to love playing that game back in the 90s. I still play it on my PS Vita

[@stevensigl]

Me and the bros are in our thirties and we still make a day to run this on hard, sit down on the couch with bud and brews and get to beating this beat em up. Amazing title and good nostalgia 👍

[@wonderwaffle93]

MAN me and my cousin would play this game for days non stop. My memory card was busted so we would run the gauntlet each time we played haha eventually we got good over time and finished it a few times. Absolutely ALL the love for covering this gem of a childhood classic. No clue on the sequels though hahah

[@dapperfan44]

I played this the other day as part of my every-5-years tradition of playing my PS1 all day long to celebrate getting it 25 years ago.

[@GenerationWest]

First off: lol "Fat Skeleton", you should own that title. And I know nothing of Fighting Force, which explains a lot, but didn't know their last game was... Rogue Warrior (yikes), but pretty much knew it would end up at Embracer group, just about everything does nowadays.

[@mekman4]

Great Stuff, as always! Happy New Year!

[@jucaafonso]

Hey Matt. I really don't know if this game was a commecial failure but to me was an incredible game Ogre Battle64: Person of Lordly Calliber. I mean Square Enix completely forgot about this game. Even thought we had several Tatics Ogre, we never got a continuation for this game. It was an incredible game whatsoever. Maybe it wans't a game for everyone but was a great RPG.

[@shortymccutlery8919]

I played the n64 version as a kid, it was a blast

[@friendlyfire2374]

I loved fighting force…but that part where I had to fight them in this building with the elevator I always died 😂

[@BabyGangstaDick]

the one before you fight Zeng? or the third level?

[@friendlyfire2374]

@@BabyGangstaDick I think it’s the first or second levels 😂😂😂🥹

[@Tsunamidusher]

Rented Fighting Force many times on N64, seeing what it became is quite sad, but also hilarious

[@jollyjep]

0:47 Derby is said as Darby btw (place in UK)

[@blackirontarkus4015]

Dunno why I’m ever surprised by the tangential nature of the What Happened universe but the Rogue Warrior connection made me audibly gasp lol.

[@TheKuroki42]

Man, I loved beat 'em ups back in the day. Played TONS of Fighting Force with my friends. Another favorite of mine back in those days was Gekido. The soundtrack was a banger, there were tons of awesome characters, and the gameplay was pretty cool too.

[@PopularNobody]

As a kid, this game is what made me love coach coop.

[@abrumtherealtor5030]

Good news! We're getting Fighting Force Collection for PS4/5 & Switch in 2025! 😊

[@Darkeclipse2]

I loved this game when I was a kid.

[@SirWhiskersThe3rd]

I played this on the Nintendo64 loved it btw also how about Gauntlet64 Quest64 OR Aidyn Chronicles The First Mage?

[@lindblumpickles3407]

Played this a lot with my dad when I was younger. Will cherish those memories forever ❤️