Questions
When did Final Fight come out and who made it?
Final Fight was released by Capcom in arcades on November 25, 1989 in Japan and in January 1990 in North America. It was designed by Akira Nishitani and produced by Yoshiki Okamoto.
Is it true Final Fight started life as a Street Fighter game?
Yes. Its original working title was "Street Fighter ’89," and it was reportedly first planned to feature Ryu and Ken Masters from the original Street Fighter before becoming its own game.
Who are the three heroes you can play as?
Mike Haggar, a former pro wrestler who became mayor of Metro City; Cody Travers, an expert brawler; and Guy, a modern-day ninja who is Cody’s friend and rival.
What is the story about?
The Mad Gear Gang kidnaps Jessica, who is Haggar’s daughter and Cody’s girlfriend, so the three heroes set out to rescue her and wipe out the gang. The Mad Gear Gang is led by a crooked businessman named Belger.
Why do so many enemies have rock-star names?
Many villains were reportedly named after 1980s rock musicians, including Axl (Axl Rose), Simons (Gene Simmons), Sid (Sid Vicious), Billy (Billy Idol), and Roxy (after Roxy Music). The giant enemy Hugo Andore was based on Andre the Giant.
What inspired the game’s look and feel?
The team was reportedly told to develop it "as if it was a film," drawing on Walter Hill movies (especially "Streets of Fire"), "Les Miserables" (Haggar was likened to Jean Valjean), and the manga "Mad Bull 34" for Haggar’s appearance.
How different was the Super Nintendo version?
The 1991 SNES port removed two-player co-op, the Industrial Area level, and the playable character Guy. It also censored content, renaming bosses (Sodom became "Katana"), swapping the female enemies Poison and Roxy for male characters, cutting alcohol references, and changing "Oh! My God" to "Oh! My Car."
Which home version was the most faithful to the arcade?
The 1993 Sega CD release, Final Fight CD, kept nearly all the arcade features including two-player mode, the Industrial Area stage, and all three heroes. It also added voice acting, an arranged soundtrack, and an exclusive time-attack mode.
Was Final Fight a hit?
Yes. The arcade version sold 30,000 units worldwide and was the highest-grossing arcade game of 1990 in Japan. The SNES version went on to sell 1.5 million copies worldwide.
What was the deal with that continue screen?
The continue screen showed your character tied to a chair with a lit bundle of dynamite on the table. If you continued within the 10-second countdown, a knife would fall from the ceiling and cut the fuse.
What arcade hardware did it run on?
Final Fight ran on Capcom’s CP System board and was the seventh title released on that platform.
Did Final Fight get sequels?
Yes, it launched a sub-series that included Final Fight 2, Mighty Final Fight, Final Fight 3, Final Fight Revenge, and Final Fight: Streetwise. The home-system Final Fight series sold a total of 3.2 million units.
How is Final Fight connected to Street Fighter II?
The Final Fight development team went on to work on the original Street Fighter II, and Final Fight characters later appeared in the Street Fighter Alpha games.
Who wrote the music?
Seven composers contributed to the soundtrack, including Yoko Shimomura and Manami Matsumae, though only Yoshihiro Sakaguchi received an in-game credit, listed as "Youkichan’s Papa."
