Final Fight: Double Impact Hands-On

Who's Making This Game: Capcom is publishing the digital game bundle that's being developed by UK-based Proper Games, the same team that made Flock in 2009.

What The Game Looks Like: Final Fight: Double Impact offers a handful of display options, ranging from a chunky, near-pixel-perfect re-creation of the classic games in 4:3, to a smoothed-out 16:9 enhancement. The action is true to the retro two-button experiences that people know and love. And there are some nice touches thanks to faux arcade machines for each title that frame the action when you choose the 4:3 options. The visuals stay true to the look of the classic games and retain their charm.

What There Is To Do: The compilation features the original Final Fight and Magic Sword games. You’ll be able to choose to play through each of the titles from the game’s front menu. For those who don’t remember, Final Fight lets you play as one of three characters--Guy, Haggar, and Cody--who are beating their way across Metro City to rescue Haggar’s daughter, Jessica, from the Mad Gear street gang. The game contains six levels set throughout the city that are filled with a random assortment of thugs and bosses.

Magic Sword is a variation on the Final Fight theme and casts you as "the Brave One." You're tasked with clearing the evil forces out of an ancient tower (all 51 floors of it) and taking out dark lord Drokmar, who resides at the top. The long and perilous task is made a little easier courtesy of a variety of helpers who can be found along the way, which include everything from ogres to ninjas.

How The Game Is Played: Both Final Fight and Magic Sword are from the two-button era of gaming, so you’ll use one button to attack, one button to jump, and a combination of the two to trigger your character’s special attack in Final Fight (or to use any magic items you’ve collected in Magic Sword). Both games support a second player (on and offline) as well as leaderboards.

What They Say: "Final Fight: Double Impact will make the classics look better than ever by using Capcom’s proprietary graphics engine to make the games shine in crisp and clear HD glory."

What We Say: The games look pretty good--not as great as a proper makeover, but certainly sharp, which is good enough for us since the gameplay is nice and solid. Final Fight: Double Impact is slated to arrive on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network this April.