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Garou Densetsu: First Contact
  NGPCFightingJ  
  opened by paleface at 06:26:47 02/28/04  
  last modified by paleface at 12:25:50 03/05/24  
  paleface [sys=NGPC; cat=Fighting; reg=JPN]
           
Download added: cover_back.jpg (68241 bytes)
  "Cover photo."
 
A launch title like KOF R-2 (entry 415), FF:FC comes out looking quite the worse of the two, with somehow weedy-looking sprites, no extra modes, and that whole weird and not very satisfying H/P/whatever energy system from whichever arcade FF that was. It's nice to see a couple characters here who don't make it in to any other fighting game on the system, but even they would probably have to admit that this is not the best NGPC fighting game in existence.
 
  paleface 15:31:40 02/19/24
           
Manual: https://archive.org/details/Fatal_Fury_First_Contact_1999_U_color
 
  paleface 12:50:28 02/22/24
           
The cart I have is the BEST Collection re-release, came in a mini clamshell case.
 
  paleface 12:51:23 02/22/24 [title updated]
           
And so that's the Japanese version, Garou Densetsu: First Contact.
 
  paleface 03:54:02 02/24/24
           
Feel like this is something I'm screwing up but anyway can't seem to quite Mednafen via ESC when running this ROM, and Alt+F4 works but doesn't save like full-screenage, so I'm forcing fullscreen in the command line with -video.fs 1:
 
C:\downloaded\mednafen\mednafen.exe -ovconfig ngp_stick.cfg -video.driver opengl -video.glvsync 0 -video.blit_timesync 0 -ngp.stretch aspect -ngp.videoip 0 -sound.volume 40 -video.fs 1 roms\GD_F_CONTACT.zip
 
  paleface 22:55:50 02/24/24
           
Download added: 02_rick.png (197502 bytes)
  "Rick Strowd playthrough, some Li Xiangfei; Lao from intro"
 

 
In Mednafen set to English, runs fully English, titled "Fatal Fury," etc.
 
It runs slow and has fewer characters and fewer modes and the art isn't quite as stellar as another NGPC fighting game launch title, King of Fighters R-2, and its triple super system is a bit much and its inputs a bit non-standard, BUT this port of NEOGEO fighting game Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers has a good deal of charm, natural combos that feel good, and just about the right default difficulty level, and I found myself enjoying it way more than I thought I would.
 
I'd thought this was a fully in-house SNK production, but half the credits are for Yumekobo, a studio SNK and TAKARA (who ported a number of SNK games to home consoles) put together from several small development studios to churn out SNK franchise games for PS1 and Saturn, and later for the Neo Geo Pocket and Neo Geo Pocket Color. Their "SNK Gals' Fighters" just a year later--such was the short life of the system--would feel like a much more accomplished fighting game, but aside from the slower running speed, First Contact feels like a solid game. The newcomers, Rick Strowd and Li Xiangfei, felt particularly fun to play.
 
Some of the backgrounds are a bit flat, but some have quite nice little flourishes, and the different times of day was quite surprising considering the fairly small ROM sizes of the cartridges.
 
Oh man that big guy with the pompadour seen briefly vs Li in the intro is Lao (from fan wiki; GameFAQs spells his name "Leo"), usable only in Vs apparently once you've unlocked Alfred (FAQ says get 3 P or 5 S Power KOs, get through 8th stage w/ no continues, beat Alfred in 9th stage).
 
  paleface 15:01:05 03/03/24
           
The ESC key not working to exit Mednafen was me having accidentally remapped (by F2, probably?) the "Exit" .cfg function to some other key in my Mednafen NGPC arcade stick config file. : P
    

 
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