One Must Fall 2097

The Good
This game is one of the very few 2D arcade fighter for the PC that really shine. It's original, fun to play, and still holds it's own after all these years. The graphics were very good and still work nowadays, but the real winner in this game are the tournament modes which are a great way of extending gameplay and were a first in 2-D arcade fighters. You can customize your 'bot in lots of ways, and offers an unique challenge that lasts a lot more than the standard "arcade/story" game mode.

The Bad
There are a lot of flaws with this game that will make it a not-so-hot game to the eyes of fighting aficionados. Mainly the lame special moves, the lack of scrolling arenas (which REALLY cramps up the action) and a strikingly slow-paced action, when compared to other beat 'em ups. Plus some of the bots are really lame.

The only other gripe I have with the game is a love or hate thing. Quite frankly giant bots are cool if they tear up cities and cause nuclear explosions when they fight. If you take stuff like that away the premise then gets really lame and I'm guessing most fighting veterans like me prefer the good 'ol "in your face" fist fights between humans than this "light" version of bot mashing.

The Bottom Line
For a PC gamer this is as good as it gets. It's original, it's got more gameplay and re-playability in it than those lame console ports and it delivers some serious fun. For those already versed in the world of "Sho-Ryu-Kens" this is no masterpiece, but it's still quite good and offers a nice change of pace.