The official/unofficial sequel to Criticom - Dark Rift (N64)

[@PNDKM]

This game had such good stuff going for it. Wicked designs, awesome music, very very impressive designs. It's just a shame the game played like a Toilet.

[@ZayaVII]

You guys are awesome

[@daboodeboo6512]

Not sure if this is ketchup or mustard but your commentary for the twitch rivals tournament was awesome!

[@PNDKM]

@@daboodeboo6512 Thanks! We have fond memories of Dark Rift as children. It's only when you grow up and figure out mechanics you realise how poor the game was.

[@Necromagenvi0n]

How about Cardinal Syn? The sequel to Dark Rift.

[@ohjeezriles]

N64 fighters is almost a niche category. Makes me think of Flying Dragon and it’s adult/normal & chibi character modes.

[@FloppyFred]

I somehow have a Love/Hate Relation with this Game. Was so proud when i bought this Game back on the N64, only to have it finished on the same Day i bought it. It has such small content. Yeah, the second problem with it is that it doesn´t even save anything. No Progress, no Highscores, nothing! To unlock the two hidden Fighters you even need to enter a code at the Start Screen. But the Characters were really cool and the music so too (which was even better on it´s PC Version).

[@adamkentisaac]

I owned this as a a kid when it first came out, and while I didn't play it all that much, I do remember having a deep appreciation for the aesthetic. It had a cohesive visual vibe that I still dig even now watching this video. The backdrops are beautiful - the futuristic military base with the satellite dishes seen here at 16:41 is one that I found particularly appealing. Despite the game's lackluster mechanics, I have to give the designers their due for their creativity.

[@Theinvalidmusic]

Goddamn, I was really hoping you were going to do an episode on Dark Rift after Criticom. That game sure had it's huge flaws, but I can't help but have an even bigger soft-spot for it.

[@davidromeroblaya7920]

It's not a perfect game but is good to see that the developers learned from their mistakes.

[@JedrekVRoscoe]

Let’s not forget, Criticom only got a 5 month development period. They undoubtedly got more time with this one.

[@pinoyjona]

This takes me back. Got this as a birthday gift from my big brother during the GameCube era, so I’m guessing this was his game and was throwing things away. Zenmuron was the only character I played but I never reached to Sonork. Only thing I remember of this game growing up is Zenmuron’s theme as I hum the song to work.

[@ShaunTheCHB]

I love this game despite it's roughness. Absolutely, the controls could have been leaps and bounds smoother. Gameplay was not the best. But the soundtrack, characters and backgrounds really stand out for me. Morphix I remember being really freaky with how his body flowed around. Zenmuron's stage, the giant Anubis in the dark cyber like background and the statues with the somewhat sad theme music, it gave off so much mystery to the character. Those are fond memories I have of this game. If they had just fixed up the gameplay, it could have done really well.

[@larrymcallisterii7880]

I felt that sliding kick from Gore in my soul.

[@1floony]

If you want awful fighting games, though not sure if this technically falls under "professional" release as the DOS era was wierd. Catfight is a game....not sure actually if I even give it that accolade. Best part is this quote from pc gamer at the time "so bad, being caught masturbating to it would actually be less embarrassing than being caught playing it." Or Human Killing Machine which is a little more competent than catfight but not much more.

[@Zakor1138]

I think Catfight had a physical release, so it counts.

[@isabellamorris7902]

"is it a killing machine that happens to be human? Or a machine that kills humans?" Thanks, Stuart Ashen, for introducing me to HKM all those years ago

[@Mateus_Carvalho]

God, that Tom and Jerry fighting game was actually pretty awesome. It was like Power Stone but more cartoonish, plus they took stages out of old shorts, which really helped. It was available for a bunch of consoles at the same time as well.

[@xPORTALWALKERx]

Eve is based on Metropolis (the film)

[@lunarbeing4982]

used to love renting fighting games on the N64. this was one of them

[@Issac_The_Last_N7]

Never thought i'd hear Flying Dragon today. Smooth man lol

[@SorcererLance]

I nominate Brutal: Paws of Fury... I absolutely loathed playing that on the SNES... and even save states barely saved my ass

[@MrGlenbw]

This is what the prologue could have said in the first place... "The surrounding planets were reduced to mere debris and began revolving around what is now known as.... A LOAD OF BOLLOCKS TOO: ELECTRIC BOGALOO."

[@EqBeatz]

This was the first game I got for my n64 in 97 it wasn’t until sophomore year I decided to play hard to get to that level. But what I did was make every match a 1 round contingency. The last character is playable and you get a code input to play him. Favorite soundtracks of my childhood

[@chuckdavis7778]

Pressing A,B,R,L, Down c, and up C at the start screen makes sonork and Demetron both playable

[@RJPsabong]

when's Twitch Rivals Dark Rift?

[@thebearhimselfofficial]

Man, I remember playing this so much as a kid. I loved the characters and the soundtrack. But, I also recall being mad that it was in black and white, but then slowly enjoying it after a while. Years later, I realized that I probably had just messed with the color balance hella hard. XD man I miss this game. I wish I could play it again

[@OohlalaHolly]

Lol I was like, black and white? Hahaaa

[@RobertSimmonsAirship]

Always have a soft spot for Mace as an n64 owner. Dark Rift wasn’t bad as a rental. Picked this up from Hollywood video and kept me entertained the whole weekend.

[@AniVegMinMan]

id kill for a FIghter's Destiny revival

[@alanevans6482]

It was actually the first 60fps game on the N64

[@ScionOfFlame]

I played the FUCK out of Dark Rift as a kid. So much.

[@Rahkeef]

Me2 one of the best games I ever played ❤

[@DLatrice325]

i really dislike when games punish you for playing on easy mode. Like, you did all that, played through the whole thing, and they're like "no ending for you". Why even make an easy mode if you can't even see how it ends?

[@jurgenburger1165]

This is the best Game the Soundtrack the mystic

[@skaneverdies]

A staple of my early collection because it was one of the cheapest N64 games at Funco Land at the time. Played it a lot, not really by choice. Honestly surprised to see so much love for it in the comments.

[@Spit1990]

Shout out funcoland for bringing random b-list N64 titles into my life.

[@Zeburaman2005]

If she had two lightsabers, Eve could be a slightly modified skin of Assaj Ventres (spelling?) from the Clone Wars series.

[@Paur]

I can appreciate any 3d fighter that tries to implement projectile moves. Everybody was so busy aping Virtual Fighter and Tekken to try to think out of the box and push boundaries.

[@SquidChild]

I just love hearing Matt having a blast.

[@timothyharris1125]

This game was underrated and an undercover classic. It does need a reboot and a complete story explaining the stones

[@jamesd4223]

Dark Rift is what I like to call a “Nintendo Power game” because until watching a KZbin video on it i only vaguely remembered reading about it in the magazine.

[@theguywholikesturtlez]

Idgaf battle commence was badass

[@mikesweet9991]

I gotchu, Matt - Tongue of the Fatman. Released on the Genesis as Slaughter Sport in the glorious pre-SF days of wackiness, it's by far the worst fighting game ever produced. If the name doesn't get you the gameplay will.

[@MagmaMKII]

Still wish TotF got a modern remake because it had some neat ideas.

[@ohzzapliskin7030]

Can confirm. I had a Sega Saturn, I never talked about it.

[@Cipher42069]

the mace the dark age comment hit too hard

[@FizzleBurger]

I thought I had never heard of this game, but then I saw Morphix's grab animation and it clicked for me: I rented this game from Blockbuster once!

[@tonypang83]

Just goes to show, if people are given a second chance, something (somewhat) good can come from something terrible 😄

[@TK-Gaming]

I was the kid with the Saturn. And it shaped me to be the absolute fucking weirdo that I am today.

[@therockazoid]

Genuinely just discovered your channel about 5 mins ago. Reminded me of this game so I searched for what I could remember it being called "Something Rift 64 PS1" and here I am now.

[@Haysey_Draws]

There's a little tune in the music that sounds just like the Windows XP shut down sound and i now cannot unhear it!

[@activatewindows]

The character animations are honestly decent.

[@6maniac6metal6]

I don’t know how popular it is in the scene but seeing some CAP VS SNK 2 love makes me happy. Me and my buddies would play that all night long on ps2.

[@denisskenderovic3707]

I loved Dark Rift back when I was a kid. Amazing soundtrack and sound design.

[@JackArcherX]

This is one of those weird games I'll always defend to my dying breath (along with Pepsiman). It wasn't "good" and it's not a hidden gem that will suddenly change the face of the fighting scene, but it was way more fun than it looks. The fighting system is broken in a very charming way and the contact combos are just a joy to pull off (specially with Morphix and Eve). I have finished this one with every character on hard in the past. Yes, it's as painful as it sounds. I still had an absolute blast!

[@feverdreams17]

Zenmuron was my main. also his attack sounds did NOT match his design for me. So it was hilarious.

[@Kdub1V3G4C]

Go fight Demitron on hard! He makes you play the game completely differently. You learn to more or less poke rather than perform full-fledged combos since they aren't as easily countered (especially if they include a throw). Zenmuron's combos and kicks are awesome, but Sonork is just stupidly good when you get to play as him. Don't forget to double-tap that ground hit when they get knocked down, either; the damage adds up. Aaron's projectiles are probably the best of the main cast. His grenade burst hits the sidesteppers and has amazing range, while the gun hits multiple times (although Sonork's gun is four shots of broken). I much prefer Mace over this game, but playing someone who knows what they're doing in this game has potential. It becomes a Tekken/Soul Calibur thing (and yes, there are overheads, lows, and probably mids, too :).

[@Christopherh1234]

Tom and Jerry : Fist Of Furry ( N64. & PC ) 9:53 Tom and Jerry : War Of The Wiskers ( Nintendo GameCube . PS2 , Original Xbox and PC 9:55

[@CoastalBreed]

The sound design of this game was next level.

[@tonyg196]

I'm late but apparently characters in starwars would most likely use a fighting style more closer to fencing than the traditional sword fight. So Eve using a more fence like style of fighting isn't to far off.

[@Theinvalidmusic]

Oh hell, I've just remembered - If we're doing a look-back through terrible N64 fighters, then Dual Heroes is a must.

[@JMonGaming1991]

I would love to see this get remade

[@MiBrCo4177]

BIO F. R. E. A. K. S. Is the game Aaron reminded me of. Some of the play style and I think similar level army base with a tanker truck behind it. Check into it.

[@sarsattacks5760]

I would have gone the rest of my life without remembering this game existed if it weren't for this video. Thanks I guess... Morphix was my man too.

[@Bends95]

This was a solid game back in the day,I remember renting it at my local video store in my neighborhood when I was a kid!

[@pokehybridtrainer]

This game is still great. It's dated today for sure, but for the 64? Pretty solid gameplay and great OST.

[@mattdu3rds117]

I'm a fighting game guy, this was the first fighting game I had ever played. 29 now, I played this for the first time when I was 5yrold 🤘

[@mistriven7193]

Like other people have suggested, you have to do Cardinal Syn now. The insta-kill combos that game introduced was a very satisfying way to make your friends mad.

[@Coyoda]

ahaaa. I'm actually very thankful for you going through the training and explaining how things work. Really, I was confused at first when trying this at a friend's place. There was this nintendo power magazine, I think the one with star fox on the front, can't remember the issue number...that one had a move list for the characters and there were some huge chains that I felt had to be a mistake or something. So your mention to Tekken's 10 hit combo chains has me a bit interested in how some of these long combos would look. I believe it was Niki specifically who had the huge chains. Love your mention to Flying Dragon and Fighter's Destiny. Those are favorites of mine on the 64. But one day, you gotta check out SD Hiryu no Ken Densetsu, the sequel on flying dragon. I think you'd really like it. (I did quite an amount of videos on my old channel and some other stuff.)

[@VaultBoy1974]

RE: Your comment on Eve being a SW character. She immediately reminded me of Lumiya Dark Lady of the Sith, specifically her Marvel SW comic appearances in the 80s.

[@RichardCraig]

I enjoyed renting this one a couple times. The music was amazing, I wish I could find the originals before they were compressed to the cartridge.

[@brianquint6126]

WOW, what a blast from the past. I remember renting this game and never being able to remember it ever again.

[@wraithcadmus]

If you want something properly shit, try Body Blows Galactic on the Amiga.

[@kainhighwind2]

I just bought this on GOG! Man, nostalgia hits hard

[@mattdu3rds117]

The zenmuron combos end in a grab for most of them

[@thestubear]

It sounded like you had some legit fun!

[@BigBossBaker]

So at my grandparents house they had a N64 with this game. It was rated T so since my cousins and I were like 5 years old we would be sketched playing it thinking we would be in trouble. She saw us playing it once and thought it was too violent and unplugged the tv (left the N64 running of course). Anyways I always loved playing this game growing up bud god damn this game is not the same as when I played it back then lmao

[@maurices.9167]

I didn’t know this was a sequel. I used to rent the hell out of this back in the day

[@Hitenryuify]

Man I had this game and had no idea how I got it lmao

[@Christopherh1234]

Awesome This Game was Also Called Space Dynamites in Japan except In That The Difference In The Japanese Version of this game actually Had A Super Meter While The American Version Doesn't . The Japanese Version of this game Was The Best Version.

[@aniviod2904]

now you need to do one more on cardinal syn

[@alwaysasleep]

I definitely rented this more than once as a kid, so I have pretty nice memories of it. Fighter's Destiny video when?

[@EvilTediz597]

People talking about Virtua Fighter coming back, meanwhile I'm still waiting on this, Mace, and Fighter's Destiny. Only other time I've seen this game get some appreciation is when a musician known as Semaphore covered Zenmuron's theme. This game has some pretty cool music.

[@Bleinsfield]

19:32 Mike Tenay appreciates this reference

[@Houldey]

I know you already did a what happun on it, but Thrill Kill could be a laugh to dip into for a session if you're after more random old ps1 era fighters :), I remember having so much fun with that as a teen.

[@icewolf9067]

There was a code to play as the final boss in VS mode.

[@tfrtee]

This was one of my fav games, I had to incorporate it into my gt when I first got my Xbox years ago

[@averyanahi]

the ruff ryders reference lmao it took me a second

[@Jengeth]

If you really want bad, try Battle of the Eras. It was a DOS game that saw a commercial release, and sold exactly zero copies.

[@DoomRater]

You're paying this game and suddenly 50 cent Zordon with that Battle Commence comment, it's great isn't it

[@SubaruMalibu]

When it comes to N64 fighters... DUAL HEROES FOR LIFE, SON!

[@josephtruss8114]

Man the music sounds so much like runescape classic

[@kushlewis-di7gz]

Classic dark rift my childhood game memories

[@chrisr__]

Ruff Ryders probably played Marvel 2 when it came out. Both of those things are like New York staples of that time lol

[@MatteoTomatto]

Capcom vs. SNK 3 - We've waited long enough.

[@and6239]

Nilbog is goblin spelled backwards

[@pattic2436]

Found my copy for cheap at a retro game store don't regret buying it cuz it's the only fighting game I currently have for my n64

[@Domino365]

I'll always regret that I never mastered Niiki's infinite combo.

[@oscarandrade1643]

Wow Matt actually did it. Sad you weren’t on the GGGOOORRREEE Train 🔥 Big Ups 😂

[@joshua15117]

Now you gotta do Cardinal Syn

[@kalebwe1]

Oh wow. I completely forgot about this game. Had so much fun with this game as a kid. morphix wow🤣🤣

[@clownboyyyy]

i just heard the morphix stage music in a random meme comp video wtf

[@arancione8336]

Would love to see Matt play Fighters Destiny and Fighter Destiny 2 on N64.

[@Naymless96]

I’m still waiting for someone on the Internet to mention fighters destiny

[@matttyree1002]

Doesn't Zenmuron have a Hara Kiri move? How did we not get some mention of that?? :p

[@Insidious849]

The sequel to _Criticom;_ you can tell, but to me, this game looks a lot better. I just wish that the three bland characters from _Criticom_ (Gore, Sonork, and Demonica) were replaced. Some of the characters remind me of past or future Kronos characters, now that I think about it: • Scarlet > Delara from _Criticom,_ maybe also Orion from _Cardinal Syn_ • Aaron > Dayton from _Criticom_ • Zenmuron > Vanguard from _Cardinal Syn_

[@zackschilling4376]

Criticom makes this look like Third Strike

[@PankRockStar]

This game looks really advanced for the time

[@Kieranhc]

I've never heard of CritiCom, but Dark Rift is vaguely familiar.