Final Fight CD - Sega CD Review

[@jsttv]

Final Fight CD, was one of the main reasons why I got the Sega CD.

[@jsttv]

@@matchu- Final Fight CD was the first Sega CD game I bought.

[@michaelpeacock4228]

This was the game that made me feel glad to own a Sega CD. An arcade favorite that got a great translation, and I also used to play the hell out of the Survival mode!

[@philtheb4ttleonionhodson786]

DITTO BRO

[@greenkoopa]

They needed more of this, they could packed in so much content on a CD I wish people made homebrew for the Sega cd 😢

[@theobserver4214]

@@greenkoopaUnfortunately it’s difficult to because of how memory management and juggling the 2 68K processors works on the SEGACD

[@RickyIcecubes]

Even though the graphics weren't as good as the arcade, FF CD is better

[@kenterminateddq5311]

The voice acting and survival mode made Final Fight CD surpassed the arcade version.

[@Guernicaman]

Always surprised me how SEGA never took Final Final CD as a model to bring a brand new Streets of Rage exclusive on the SEGA CD. Imagine what they could've done -- branching paths, bonus modes & CD soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro!

[@TexasHollowEarth]

.... Punisher CD 😎

[@thinkhector]

Well technically SEGA did make an improved version of Streets of Rage on the CD. They made the voice effects slightly better. I know it's not much, but that's the story of the SEGA CD, wasted potential.

[@gc3k]

The closest Sega CD got to Yuzo greatness was Eye of the Beholder, wasted potential

[@Arz2003]

Do you mean Streets Of The Rage 4? After the SOR 3 release? Because SEGA did make SOR 4 but along the way the project was dropped and sold to EIDOS and it became Final Force on the PlayStation

[@Guernicaman]

@@Arz2003 - Not quite. We could've seen an evolution of Streets of Rage on the SEGA CD, had they taken the CD hardware in the peripheral seriously - waaay before Fighting Force & especially Streets of Rage 4 (which went back to 2D graphics).

[@al3k]

I remember getting this when it came out. I think half the joy of playing mega/sega cd games at the time was the actual REAL music in the background.. It made a huuuge difference to the feeling of playing something that's at the forefront of home gaming. Apart from that, pretty standard 16-bit gaming still. This cross-over time felt like the best peak moment of that age though.

[@fattomandeibu]

For me the music killed it. The disconnect between the audio and the visuals broke my immersion. Add to the fact it was on the same platform as the far superior Streets of Rage 2(a game that has still yet to be topped) and it's not great.

[@opaljk4835]

@@fattomandeibuwell of course, Final Fight looks better than it plays. The music always kinda sucked, although the cd versions were cool for me…even though I love synthesizers. Are you put off by stuff like Y’s on the turbo? Cause soundtrack is so dope, even if it’s not exactly what you expect from games from the 16bit era. 😊

[@fattomandeibu]

@@opaljk4835 The high quality music when combined with terrible quality sound effects and voices, along with low resolution graphics and 4-bit colour depth just puts me off playing. It's just so jarring.

[@opaljk4835]

@@fattomandeibu just a product of its time. Sometimes it bothers me more than others. But none of those system have a 4 bit color depth

[@fattomandeibu]

@@opaljk4835 Even at the time, the Mega CD was terrible. FMV rubbish and games that were available with CD audio added. Almost no one was impressed for longer than about an hour before the effect worn off. I was there. The Mega Drive used 4 bits per pixel, so 4-bit colour depth. It gives the illusion of having higher bit depth by having multiple palettes, but no single sprite or background object can be higher than 4 bits per pixel.

[@PixelShade]

For someone who works a lot with pixelart I have to say, that the color differences might look graphically stark on modern displays. But on a CRT those bright yellow colors on the Sega CD will become muted, pixels will be softened and the striped patterns on the pixelart will get blurred into new color tones. Running the Sega CD version on a CRT looks like a quite authentic to the experience of the arcade. Especially if you don't look at them side-by-side.

[@SegaLordX]

Well, not all CRT's and analog connections are created equal. Sure, you plug in a Sega CD using composite cables on some cheap CRT, you get an image that can be quite different looking. But you use a quality CRT with an RGB connection and the color differences are still pretty stark.

[@PixelShade]

@@SegaLordX Yeah, that's right. RGB connection and high quality CRTs will not blend pixels horizontally, although it will still represent the pixels in a softer nature than what can be shown on modern displays. Generally, it's just way more forgiving. I re-paletted Final Fight for Amiga myself with only 16 colors as my target, and increadibly enough, even though some color choices were different from the arcade, it came pretty close to arcade with minimal loss to gradients. It was 100x better than the unholy Amiga/AtariST version. But what surprised me the most was when I watched the work on a CRT and realized how much better it looked. However, even more importantly how much better the hideous palette of that unholy Amiga/Atari version looked on a proper CRT... It definitely makes a huge difference to our perception of pixelart, and I don't think modern displays do old games justice anymore. Unless we use high quality RGB CRT filters adapted for 4K displays.

[@SegaLordX]

CRT's are definitely the better way to see these older games, I'll agree with you there. Modern displays tend to reveal things our eyes were never meant to see.

[@stephenbecker5936]

I love the soundtrack on the Sega CD version. It has an 80s Miami Vice style vibe to it.

[@drakabeko5145]

in the US arcades.. there were two games that always had lines of people waiting to play. the first was Final Fight. the sprites were much larger than most other beat em ups at the time, and the graphics were awesome. Especially when you saw that train on the 2nd stage. this lasted until Street Fighter 2, which no other arcade game could match in level of popularity and impact.

[@TexasHollowEarth]

Yeah, it was the NEW Double Dragon 👍👍

[@alkohallick2901]

I guess you never saw Dragon's Lair. 😉

[@HereForAStorm]

Mortal Kombat 2 always had a friggin CROWD around it.

[@marcellachine5718]

​@@alkohallick2901that sir is a movie, not a video game.

[@gc3k]

Konami's X-Men. You could hear the Savage Land theme and Colossus' special attack a mile away

[@Guernicaman]

W/the SEGA CD, the SEGA Genesis/MegaDrive FINALLY had the hardware to blow the competition out of the water - especially arcade ports! Final Fight CD is proof of just that. Had SEGA made more of these exclusive arcade ports of popular arcade games & brought them to SEGA CD, the peripheral would be looked at very differently today instead of the disdain so many in the industry seem to have towards it - even to this day. Imagine an alternate timeline where we got not just Final Fight CD, but also the likes of Knights of the Round CD, Cadillacs & Dinosaurs Arcade CD, Captain Commando CD, The Punisher CD, Alien vs Predator CD & CAPCOM arcade games of rhe time, ported w/CD quality audio. Or how about SEGA CD versions of their super scalers, such as OutRun CD, After Burner CD, Space Harrier CD, Power Drift CD & Super Thunderblade CD! Or how about Konami beat'em ups, like Sunset Riders CD, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles CD, & The Simpsons CD? All would come w/exclusive game modes & new features not found in the arcades.

[@iorch82]

I am not sure SEGA CD had the power to do any super scaler stuff at all. The closest to that is that Batman Returns car stages and it ran like on 20 fps.

[@robbyandrews223]

What's interesting is that the Sega Genesis ran on the 68000 just like CPS, however the Genesis had a 7.6mhz vs the CPS 10mhz, so it could have been somewhat of a possibility of more ports.

[@_zoinks2554]

Hey bro. I hope your channel continues to grow among old guys, retro gamers and gamers in general. You've been making top grade content for a few years now. We really appreciate it!

[@adamkane7513]

100% concur. Great channel for us older gamers 😊

[@MaidenHell1977]

This is fucking hands down my favourite version of Final Fight, it has quite possibly one of the best soundtracks of almost any game ever made, the production is bonkers. Man that close up of the box is rad, it's soo mint, haha tell me that's actually your box, Mel!

[@trainyourdog7351]

Definitely the best version no doubt! The ost is one of my all time favorites

[@MaidenHell1977]

@@trainyourdog7351 the industrial stage song shreds my face off everytime!

[@thinkhector]

I know this is about "Final Fight," but there is some important context missing here. Final Fight CD wasn't that big of a deal when it came. Why? Because SEGA has just released "Streets of Rage 2" BEFORE this came out. And everyone knows how that turned out.

[@robertdaone]

I think Outrun had the best soundtrack, especially for its time. But this is probably my favorite side scrolling fighting game.

[@bobsaget9182]

It's not the best version. You can play the arcade version in MAME with Sega CD music, and Big Blue's PC version is better than any of them.

[@Palalubong]

When that intro music kicks in you know you’re in for a treat of nostalgia ❤❤

[@IkariMetalSlugger]

I freaking love the soundtrack in this version. Just destroys the arcade original. I'd even go as far as to put this soundtrack above any of the SOR soundtracks. It's that damn good in my book.

[@trainyourdog7351]

Fact

[@QXZ_Productions]

Agreed. Prime example is the bonus arena. The music in 'Final Fight CD' features some sweet bass lines; the original arcade version's bonus round music sound like a chintzy accordion.

[@johnnylove2073]

I bet you like Elton John and Coldplay too. In no way, shape, or form is the Final Fight soundtrack better than SOR2. I will not stand for this blasphemy.

[@IkariMetalSlugger]

@@johnnylove2073 "I bet you like Elton John and Coldplay" Boy, you couldn't be more wrong. Way off base there, buddy.

[@johnnylove2073]

@@IkariMetalSlugger well, your taste is still as gay as they are.

[@The_Husband_of_Jane_Lane]

I bought this game from the Berryessa Flea Market back in the 2010s for $14.99. It was, and still is, an incredibly fun game.

[@lionelrichardson2454]

I paid 100 dollars for this game last year and I think is very much worth it 😊

[@GeekoutdoorsBrand]

Great review! Man the CD soundtrack on this was incredible and this game truly showed the power of Sega CD. Pretty amazing how close to the arcade it was despite huge power differences 🤯

[@ziadmamlouk]

When I played Final Fight CD for the first time, the soundtrack grabbed me immediately... not only CD quality but great compositions!

[@yellowblanka6058]

The X68000 version not having as many enemies on screen is surprising to me considering that the X68000 was used as a dev machine for CPS1 arcade titles and was AFAIK pretty damn close/if not identical to CPS-1 arcade hardware spec wise, certainly when it came to CPU. Perhaps the CPS-1 specialized graphics hardware was ultimately faster and allowed it to shift memory around faster.

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

The CPS-1 can display more sprites on screen without having to resort to tricks. The X68000 would have to use raster interrupts. Capcom probably didn't bother too much to optimize the code for the X68000.

[@sloppynyuszi]

I’m pretty sure the Capcom Devkit version of X68000 wasn’t the same as the off the shelf X68000 people had to purchase. A lot of other arcade games had cutbacks on the home version of the X68000. Also just like other home computers, these things got updated a lot more frequently than consoles. There are quite a lot of Amiga machines that came out in the 6-7 years of commercial relevance it had. There is a vast difference between a stock A500 and whatever the 1993 version was called. It’s kinda the same with the X68000. And when these games were ported they needed to make sure they ran on enough machines to justify the print costs.

[@AtariBorn]

​@@sloppynyusziAgreed. RAM was gold back then and I'm sure the development x68Ks had plenty.

[@jonnyelpoiss7]

Great video as usual man 💪🏻 I must admit that the Sega CD is slowly but surely becoming my fav Sega Hardware, and I was a Die Hard Dreamcast and Saturn Fan. Final fight CD, Popful Mail, Lunar, Batman Returns, Vay, Soul Stars, Snatcher, Flint, Mickey, Earthworm jim special edition, Shining force CD, Sonic CD, both ecco 🐬 titles, space ace and dragon Lair, of course there is garbage as well here and there but there is something about that library is sooo premium, idk 👌🏻💿

[@retroryu]

I was lucky enough to have Final Fight on the Sega CD as a kid and to this day it remains as one of my all-time favorite video games. Final Fight on Sega CD got it perfect to me... and that soundtrack remix is a thing of beauty! For all the crap the Sega CD gets, Final Fight made it well worth it.

[@alex64gaming]

Somebody out of the kindness of their heart recently donated their CIB of final fight on Sega CD. I let him know that you're donating a pretty expensive game and he told me "Well at least it's going home to someone who appreciates gaming". I'm very grateful, even though it's not the best in the franchise.

[@matt.willoughby]

Are you going to review it on your channel?

[@alex64gaming]

​@@matt.willoughbyeventually. I'm going to be starting a channel sooner or later 😅😅

[@nicotoscani8270]

Which game is better in the franchise? I don’t feel like FF2 or FF3 are any better than FF1.

[@alex64gaming]

​@@nicotoscani8270Final Fight on the snes is my favorite. Probably mainly due to nostalgia, but that's just my opinion. I've met a lot of people that prefer the Sega CD version

[@nicotoscani8270]

@@alex64gaming Yeesh that’s one of the worst conversions.

[@ElBlogdeThePunisher]

I worked at Sega Spain in the 90s as software product manager, and I can assure you that Captain Commando was on the launch schedule for the Mega CD, unfortunately never was launched. I suppose that the failed Mega CD sales campaign was the blame for the cancelation.

[@dxc699]

I remember that, two capcom games was heavily discussed as being Mega CD titles in japanese megadrive magazines, The first one was Street Fighter 2 and the other was Captain Commando later on. Oddly enough there was strong rumors that konami's Parodius and a proper port of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was coming. Only Parodius panned out. Makes me wonder if nintendo stepped in and somehow stopped it mainly because of the competition but because these rumors was coming from a region where SEGA wasnt strong or popular in japan console wise which indicated to me that there was credibility to the rumor. Much like the mythical Strider CD port that was rumored to happen.

[@Basedboomerchadbear]

Love this game. Always have. Used to play it in the arcade. Blew my mind at the time.

[@claudiocarroccio5251]

The heart, the soul and the job you put on this channel is unbelievable. Thanks for your contents. My old SEGA soul revives thanks to your videos.

[@Two_trucks]

I was elementary at the time and I remember my friend that passed away couple years back gave me Final fight cd cause he didnt play it anymore, I LOVED this game and to this very day i still play the sound track!

[@Pally356]

I absolutely loved the Sega CD port of FInal Fight. I remember as a teenager...my copy tragically shattered and broke, being one of my biggest gaming losses at the time. Still enjoy the heck out of it and im glad it was on the Mini.

[@JerBuster77]

I've always found the censorship to Poison silly.

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

And Roxy. But yes, stupid AF.

[@Giraux]

I hunted down a copy of this game for years and was fortunate to find it new in 2007. The SNES and GBA Final Fight One were fun, but this is the best port and my favorite. The music can’t be touched and it is my favorite Mega CD title. (The Sengoku port was nice as well). 😊

[@enriquepinero707]

The slums basement ost of the sega CD version, always reminded me of music that would be in Beverly Hills Cop. Either way, an awesome port.

[@ruicaridade2798]

I remember trying this out in a local small gaming store. There were a lot of Master System games on the wall (my system at the time) but this caught my eye. Didn't bougth a game but "tasted the future"..

[@malcolmar]

Well done and well said. As a fellow Sega CD owner from back in the day I 100% agree. Final Fight CD was exactly what we needed and it was a crying shame we did not get games like Captain Commando, Aliens VS Predator or even the amazing Sega Aliens game for the Sega CD. Oh what could have been :(

[@thinkhector]

Oh that does make me said especially when I think about "Hook." An absolutely terrible game, based on the Spielberg film. Why am I bringing this up? The game had the movie music! The John Williams score! Imagine if they had done that with the Disney titles Aladin and Lion King. The actual movie music in the game!

[@malcolmar]

@@thinkhector Agreed. Aladdin and The Lion King with CD music from the films would have been amazing. Ecco was transformed on the Sega CD because of its incredible CD music. Again, what could have been :(

[@Oysterblade84]

Excellent presentation, narration and editing! A truly timeless classic! Well there you go! You taught me something I had no idea about SLX. Since I play the PAL version as i'm in a PAL region I had no idea the PAL release was more limited in continues, no wonder I can only get up to the park toilets and then I always die and run out of tries and continues as our version is harder. I always wondered why in KZbin videos I was seeing gamers breeze through the game while I can only reach the park stage after the factory. This game is still an excellent addition to the Mega-CD library and I enjoy pulling this bad boy out from time to time. I actually think the colours look better in the Mega-CD port over the Arcade original, the more coffee tinted colours over the darker brown seem to make it nicer on the eyes. Also, Pyron's colour hack has a regional lockout for PAL Mega-CD attachments so I can't play it unless I use my Everdrive to load up the U.S. Bios. So for this reason I tend to ignore it. Since Pyron couldn't be stuffed to make 3 colour patches for each corresponding region and decided to just make one for the SEGA-CD North American attachment, I can't be stuffed to check it out based on principle.

[@nicholasbullock1709]

Considering tv shows at the time, shows like Baywatch weren’t a problem for teenagers. Also teens and children could then and still now walk through department stores with their parents and see the women’s section with pictures on the wall and mannequins modeling underwear and bikinis. No censorship there. Even billboards advertised bikinis. The things they censored in the US version were a wasted effort, and a shame.

[@s8ist420]

I think the main problem is that people looked at gaming consoles as toys back then. There was a moral panic back then about what kids were being exposed to (which seems to be resurfacing in a different way today) thinking kids were getting brainwashed and turned into devil worshippers and violent criminals. Rather than getting banned, or have their sales limited, censorship was the compromise they felt helped keep the games on the shelves and made parents (the ones with purchasing power) comfortable with buying these games.

[@shadicpro21]

My favourite console version of Final Fight! So good infact that the cover for the US version even mentions how it features all 3 characters and 2 player mode as a jab to the SNES version.

[@ZombieRommel]

Great video. If you owned a Sega CD around this era, it was a special time. There was something surreal about the CD quality music blasting out of a home console on top of 2D graphics. Like you had just stumbled upon a perfect technological juncture where the crossover wasn't quite complete yet. It's interesting you pointed out the slower attack speed of the characters in Final Fight. In hindsight, I do notice that a lot of non-FMV games had some stiff/labored animations. Like you could see each frame clearly but they came out a bit slow and janky. Brutal: Paws of Fury is another example of this. Part of me wonders if this is because the animations were being read from the disc, which would have been slower than a cartridge.

[@DarkPuIse]

The soundtrack was by the highly excellent T's Music, a severely underrated group from the 90s. They did several soundtracks right up through the PS1 and Saturn, I believe. They are still around, and do a little bit of stuff here and there.

[@XSaschaX13]

Every time I watch one of your videos, I feel happy. Your videos make me happy! Congrats, for being one of the best KZbinrs and a top 3 in the “genra” he he. Folowing you, since u had 50 views. Greatings from Argentina!

[@fan1701]

Excellent game I'm proud to own on the Sega CD!

[@YesterdaysMoose]

My first exposure to this game was playing it on the Sega Genesis Mini 2, it's a pretty faithful version.

[@mrnada]

One of the first arcade I got to play. It was in a grocery store of all places, only reason I wanted to go shopping every time they went.

[@Mikethecoolguy]

Having the voice overs on the opening scene where Mike is on the phone with the gang blew my mind as a kid

[@JLAvey]

That's what I like to see. Positive reviews about games on Sega CD. Even if it's a Sega CD game that I don't have.

[@EvilToeKnee]

My first game for sega cd, along with cobra command. definately memories attached to this one.

[@OregonPacifist]

What makes this game even better is playing the romhack that improves the colors to more closely match the arcade.

[@pileofwit]

Final Fight taught me lessons I use to this day, specifically that if I’m hungry piles of tires often have cooked turkeys in them.

[@mrnicktoyou]

Loving the new comparison side by side shots. Great job!

[@tommy516]

My little brother and I played the heck out of this the summer it came out. We actually beat it too. Body slamming the end boss into his wheel chair with Hagar was amazing at the time!

[@quadders9198]

Soon as I saw this pop up I had to watch. Made me buying a sega cd totally worth it! Outstanding port with a movie quality soundtrack (I actually managed to find the soundtrack back in the early 2000's and play it regularly). The game itself builds so well as you progress, perfect in every way. Am glad to see I am not alone in my love for this game looking at the comments.

[@matthewnikitas8905]

I recently picked up a new working Sega CD to replace a previous one I bought with a dead laser. I was so excited to get it and play Final Fight that I have a loose copy of the music is amazing and it plays really good. Truly a fantastic port.

[@mattb6522]

Good review! It is a shame that the Sega CD didn't get more arcade ports (especially Capcom games). I've played Final Fight CD and it is quite impressive! It wasn't really until the Saturn that Capcom started really supporting Sega's hardware. Also, there are two different color patches available for Final Fight CD. Pyron did one years ago and there was another released last month by SCD. They actually both have their strengths and weaknesses like the character sprites look better on Pyron's but UI and backgrounds look better with SCD's patch. I wish you could mix and match both.

[@ronniearnold9165]

I remember play the Sega CD version. What impressed me most was the soundtrack! It was even better than the original Arcade soundtrack!

[@thinkhector]

I made a list of Sega CD games that _might_ be worth preserving, (and it was a short list!) However there is one game that really stood out to me. It was a two games on one disc set: Another World + Heart of the Alien. It was then that i realzied that "Heart of thr Alien" has NEVER been ported to any other system, NOT EVEN PC! But it gets more interesting, Another World has a musical score that is ONLY found in this version. This might be the most important game on the SEGA CD as far as preservation goes.

[@jodafro619]

i'm glad i wasn't the only one who noticed the slower punching. at first i thought it was do to emulation , but i guess the problem is on actual hardware too. many thanks for the vid

[@Hr0th9ar]

When I started getting back into my retro consoles in 2019 I was pretty jazzed to see I still had my copy of Final Fight CD.

[@TheGamingCircle]

The GOAT of all Final Fights, still got my Japanese version on the my Mega/Sega CD & Final fight Guy on my Super Famicom/Nintendo:-))

[@jamiegoguen7384]

T's Music composed the music for Final Fight CD. They also did the excellent "Lord's of Thunder " on the Turbo Duo

[@ralfvanbogaert3451]

Just a heads-up; a leaked internal Capcom document lists a Final Fight remake as one of their upcoming games for 2024.

[@mercster]

Thanks Lordster! I was never a huge beat 'em up fan... only ones I played a lot were Double Dragon on NES and of course Golden Axe. But I agree this is a pretty good port! SEEEEEEEEEEEGAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[@leonkent1365]

I believe Captain Commando was originally slated for the CD before being Genesis only

[@amageese8481]

For me the real problem of that FABULOUS game isnt colors or slowdowns or curious hitboxes... The main problem is only 3 credits like arcade!!! Turns difficulty so hard i cannot pass industrial area even in two players. Aside from that extended intro and cd quality music makes that game a masterpiece ❤

[@Oysterblade84]

I hear ya. I dislike how this game forces 1 player and 2 player to share the continues together unlike the Streets of Rage games where each player had a set amount of continues each. Sharing the continues and at times deciding who needed it more meant either me or my wife was gonna miss out lol. Even with all it's minor agitation bullshit, it's still a masterpiece agreed!

[@Victory-in-YAHUSHA]

No joke. I was playing FFCD while listening to this review, and when 5:53 in the this video occured, the music in the video matched the same timing as the music in the game during the subway stage.

[@fazares]

I own the japanese version..yep its hard...but i love it for its fantastic ast and time attack mode with exclusive content

[@yellowblanka6058]

12:57 - and in the Capcom Arcade Stadium version they removed this scene from the US ROM version entirely yet if you Switch to the Japanese ROM which is also included they show the original bra version....so why did they have to edit out the dress version from the US ROM? Bizarre. They also edited the "Rising Sun" out of E-Honda's stage for the Street Fighter II ROMs in the collection. Ultimately these don't change the gameplay but they're just bizarre choices.

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

I never saw an arcade version of this classic back in the day, and first experienced it on the SNES. I had no idea that things were missing and was blown away by what we got. What teen me would have thought had I known I'd one day buy 7 arcade perfect Capcom ports in a collection costing less than $20.

[@Sayerservante]

This is still the best version to play on PC or console. Sure the colors are not on par with the Arcade version and the gameplay may seem slightly off, but the differences feel very minimal. The advantages of this version over the Arcade version is still what makes it the best version - full voice overs, CD music better than the arcade, and survival mode.

[@bobsaget9182]

No it isn't. You can play the arcade in MAME with Sega CD music, and there's a native PC version that's better than any of them.

[@Rockhead84]

I've very fond memories of this game when I got it for my JVC X-EYE. The soundtrack has some funky bangers! This was a no brainer buy when it was released on Xbox Arcade

[@s8ist420]

The Sega CD was a victim of the FMV craze to some extent. The prospect of playing a game that looks like a movie was such a jump from traditional game graphics. The other factors were some lackluster ports to CD based platforms where the only things that really changed were better cutscenes and redbook audio. I think a lot of people saw some CD versions of games and figured they did not offer much beyond the cartridge. FF CD seems like it could have been a model for what a port should be and a showcase for how CD technology can enhance the gaming experience at home bringing it close to the arcade machines no one could afford.

[@orderofmagnitude-TPATP]

Adored this on my mega cd back in the day...

[@SabreAZ]

@sega lord x If you highlight exit, and hold right+a+b then hit start, it will unlock the rapid punches from the arcade. Iirc, this will also allow for the infinites too.

[@nimaiiikun]

man I am glad I bought Final Fight CD for my sega-cd instead of buying it first day on the SNES.

[@esmerylan]

Disappointing as that censorship was at the time, without it we never would have gotten "Thrasher Damn'd" in Street Fighter 6. So there was a very long-term upside. 😝

[@Gildog77]

That soundtrack alone makes it my favorite version.

[@AlphaProto]

The addition of voiced cut scenes and CD quality music make this my go to version of Final Fight. I wish there was a ultimate version that was arcade perfect with the Sega CD enhancments.

[@gummislayer1969]

Yet another great video, X!!! I STILL have my copy of FFCD. And (again!!!) thank you: now that I'm aware of the color hack that can be applied to FFCD (using a romset via Mega SD) I'll enjoy this game even more. Based upon the EXCELLENT programming of A Wave on this game, I wondered why Super Street Fighter 2 didn't come to the SegaCD? I mean, at the time, Q-Sound was REALLY being pushed as killer sound standard. Maybe even X-men Arcade? 🤔🤔🤔

[@PookaBot]

I always felt cartridge storage size really held the Genesis back... here where storage is not an issue you can really see the hardware at its best.

[@PookaBot]

Biggest improvement though - we finally got Poison and Roxy ❤

[@TurboXray]

The X68000 version only puts a few enemies on screen at a time tho - just like the SNES version. The SegaCD version puts up more enemies at a time on screen compared to the x68k version

[@duhmez]

I rented Final Fight Snes when new, and loved it. Near arcacxde perfect. But also, I did not have a friend overtr that night, or wekeend. So I did not care about multiplyer. it was only me anx for just me it was awesome. Blown away br the ghuge graphics.

[@uptowndanram6753]

The animation glitches while using weapons and grapples, slower attack speed and wonky collision detection mar this otherwise solid arcade port. More of this calibur of arcade/cartridge ports could’ve made the SCD a better sell.

[@MaxAbramson3]

Sega CD had only 12 games that showed off its 3D scaling abilities, and SEGA never put any of those on the TV. And they only brought out as many proper arcade ports like FF, never showing those on TV, either. That is what killed SEGA in the 1990s... that and its changing Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto roadmap.

[@manontheedge4179]

I have a japanese copy of this on my Mega CD. It's one of the most precious games I I own. It's badass in every possible way.

[@afriend9428]

*that's the best version uncensored and blood on that copy!* 💡

[@manontheedge4179]

@@afriend9428 I didnt know the other versions were censored. That makes me appreciate it even more. I have a Japanese copy of Mortal Kombat too. I dont like the way it pauses to load though so I usually play the Mega Drive cartridge.

[@accountant02130]

The music on the sega CD on this game was simply incredibly good !!!

[@kevinstrade2752]

I am blessed to have this one. Its a fantastic port

[@Grokhnar]

Wow. Bought this game last week for my CD and its damn nice and now a video from you.

[@tomfum]

Great video Mr LordX, i love this game its a staple fav of mine, has been for years. I have a MegaCD copy but my megacd doesnt work atm so its back to mame for me for now. I loved playing thi sin the arcade as a kid. Keep the videos coming

[@atvega7]

I purchased mine at Toys R Us. Love my copy but lend my copy to a relative who sadly never returned it. Despite the current value of this CD game in tact and complete as mine was, I always imagined picking up CDX and playing it later in life. This is possibly my favorite game. Ever. I've played this in the arcade and have owned this on my Super Famicom, Sega CD, xBox, PS3, iOS, PS4 and presently on the Switch. I really wish Capcom would release a compilation along with a revamp of the original game with updated 2.5D graphics. One thing that immediately popped up in my mind while watching this review was, I do not recall the censorship of Poison and Roxy on the Sega CD version. Am I the only one?

[@shinkazama3959]

11/10 video, for me Street Fighter '89 errr I mean Final Fight is 1 of the best arcade games EVER made & the Sega / Mega CD by FFAARR had the best home port by a country stretch!

[@alkohallick2901]

What about Final Fight Guy for SNES??

[@SegaLordX]

What about it? Still missing a character, the Industrial Stage/Boss, and the co-op.

[@volvoguy804]

My favorite beat em up! I purchased the arcade cab about 15 yrs ago. It's one of the few I still have. I prefer the arcade but the Sega Cd version definitely comes in second.

[@WalkingWithJesus-em3ff]

The Sega CD is in my opinion the best port of Final Fight. I had the SNES version growing up. It was ok but you could tell there were things missing mostly Guy.

[@mxggo9046]

Had Sega built the SegaCD in such a way that it allowed for games to display more color.....SLX...You recently asked what viewers would change given the chance....that's it....Sega CD with a color palette of its own.....even if all you do is match the amount of color that the TURBO GRAFX had...I still feel that that would have sold a few more units....Buyers would be able to actually see improvements to visuals along with the audio improvements of the music on the cd.

[@charliepalmer3244]

Best game (I had) for the Sega CD. Bought this game and the C&C Music Factory garbage in the same transaction 😆

[@Galgomite]

My favorite FF to play because it's just such an impressive port. A real shame that Sega couldn't make more colors happen with Sega CD-- this game looks fine in my book but all those FMV games sure could have used them.

[@bobsaget9182]

You can play the arcade version in MAME with Sega CD music. Literally no reason to play this version today.

[@BigSnipp]

Seeing and playing this game when it came out was truly mind blowing. It was a quantum leap over everything else.

[@mediawarrior5957]

Possibly the best home version you could get of this game, Graphically it was not as good as the ARCADE or the SNES, But had all 3 characters and GFX are not as vibrant as teh arcade but the AUDIO is FIRE with CD AUDIO soundtrack that blows the arcade music away. To this day I still think this game is even better than the true arcade version you can get on the Capcom Arcade Stadium. Maybe they need to have the CD audio as a option?

[@thinkhector]

I disagree a bit. The SEGA CD music, while definitely clearer and of better quality, is a little bit cheesy and doesn't really fit what's going on in the screen. It's still interesting, till this day, that when people talk about the best music of Genesis era, it's often the two cartridge games, "Streets of Rage" and "Revenge of Shinobi" that top the list.

[@wetrucken1689]

Not too upset I had this game when it first came out it was a masterpiece it was a true arcade conversion❤ on those old TVs you can even see a different in the color colors 😊 from this day I think it was one of very best of the first arcade to console transitions!!!

[@darktetsuya]

I think we had this one on our SEGA CD? it was quite fun! definitely dig the new remixes of the music. pretty cool twist on the classic arcade tunes for sure. may need to fire up the emulator one of these days to revisit this!

[@cireza_]

Always loved this port. Got the Japanese version. I still play it every so often. Soundtrack is God-Tier. The same group also composed for Lords of Thunder.

[@lakerthug4]

This is the game that made me happy to have a sega cd…It made me regret buying the Super Nintendo version months earlier but this port was well worth it!

[@fabioriato]

Never played it on original hardware back in the day, but tried it recently via emulation. It does its job quite fairly, really. I didn't feel that much of a difference from a gameplay perspective compared to the arcade, so I'm taking it as it is. But your review now reminds me of the port that is in the making for the Mega Drive, which is quite promising. When it's finished, we'll then have a nice comparison to make and I'm really forward to it.

[@apollolux]

Final Fight and Sewer Shark were the first two games my brother and I had for the Sega CD and we enjoyed the heck out of them both.

[@jonathanlisowski5618]

Regarding the slow combo attack criticism, you can remedy this with a code that gives you rapid fire punches. Why this requires a code is something I really question!?

[@ChodeEllis]

Got this Xmas of 93 with the sega cd and sewer shark plus lunar. Best Christmas ever.