FX Fighter

FX Fighter
Developer(s)Argonaut Software
Publisher(s)GTE Entertainment
Producer(s)Jerry Albright, Nick Halstead
Designer(s)Jaid Mindang, Gary O'Connell
Programmer(s)Simon Hargrave, Steve Thompson
Composer(s)Martin Gwynn Jones, Justin Scharvona
EngineBRender[3]
Platform(s)MS-DOS
ReleaseJune 16, 1995[1][2]
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

FX Fighter is a 3D fighting game for MS-DOS. It was developed by Argonaut Software and published by GTE Entertainment in June 1995. It is an early realtime 3D fighter, originally meant for Super NES using the Super FX chip, on which Argonaut was collaborating together with Nintendo. OEM versions have support for 3D acceleration, bundled with 3D graphics accelerator cards such as the Diamond Monster 3D.[4] A sequel, FX Fighter Turbo, was released in 1996.

This game has no relation to Hudson Soft's cancelled FX Fighter for PC-FX which was conceived around the same time.[5]

Gameplay

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Gameplay screenshot

The game features 8 different characters, 8 different arenas, movie cutscenes, and 40 attacks per fighter. The player selects a character to face against 8 of the best fighters in the universe, with the prize being the most powerful weapon in the universe.[6]

Characters

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  • Magnon, from Inferno - A primeval volcanic wasteland.
  • Sheba, from Rhomb - A world of vast savannahs ruled by the highly respected feran monarchy.
  • Venam, from Peres - A planet dominated by tropical forests and caves.
  • Jake, from Sentral - Massively overpopulated and polluted industrialized world.
  • Kiko, from Lusk - Mountainous planet with low technology but a developed culture.
  • Siren, from Ursae - A water world completely covered by a single ocean.
  • Ashraf, from Karlak - Temperate planet with an ancient culture.
  • Syben, from Axone - A world rich in mineral deposits but with no atmosphere.
  • Rygil, from Anarchis - A high gravity world owned by the cadre.

Cancelled SNES version

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FX Fighter was originally conceived as a Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game and originally titled Fighting Polygon. It was first shown in November 1994 at Nintendo's Shoshinkai Software Exhibition in Japan, based on the Super FX 2 chip to deliver polygon graphics, otherwise unattainable on the SNES. At the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1995, GTE Entertainment and Nintendo announced that they would be jointly developing and publishing the game.[7][8]

The game was previewed in GamePro[9] and Nintendo Power.[10] It was compared to Sega's Virtua Fighter. Although the approximately 500 polygons per character was tame compared to Virtua Fighter and Tekken on 32-bit hardware, FX Fighter's capabilities were still impressive considering the SNES's older 16-bit hardware.[11]

However, after Nintendo decided to port Killer Instinct to the SNES, the SNES version of FX Fighter was canceled by Nintendo to avoid competition between the two games.[12]

Reception

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For the launch of FX Fighter, GTE Entertainment shipped 200,000 units to stores and dedicated more than $2 million to its promotional campaign.[17]

Entertainment Weekly gave the PC version an A− and wrote that the game was as good as any that was offered on home consoles, but remarked that playing games on a television screen was better than a computer screen.[14]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Even without the spectacular visuals, FX Fighter would be better than Mortal Kombat II - and that's saying a lot."[15]

Frank Snyder of Computer Game Review was largely positive toward the game, calling it "definitely worth checking out".[16]

In other media

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A comic based on the video game was created by Jim Lee of Wildstorm Productions, which was hosted by GTE Interactive Media's web site.[18]

FX Fighter Turbo

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FX Fighter Turbo
Developer(s)Argonaut Software
Publisher(s)GTE Entertainment
EngineBRender[19]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows 95
ReleaseNovember 5, 1996
Genre(s)Fighting game
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

FX Fighter Turbo is a sequel released for the PC in 1996 with new characters, moves, environments, costumes, special effects, network play, and support for Microsoft Windows and the S3 Graphics chipset. As are many other fighting games at the time, this game is influenced by Mortal Kombat in the form of fatalities, a feature not in the previous game. All the previous characters return, plus the new Linna and Kwondo.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "FX Fighter Pulls Early Retailer Demand With Initial Channel Sell-in of 200,000 Units; Shipment Underway to 18,000 Retail Outlets". GTE Entertainment. June 27, 1995. Archived from the original on June 7, 1997. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  2. ^ "Upgrades on the Spot". The Baltimore Sun. June 16, 1995. p. 121. Retrieved April 7, 2024. NEW!//FX Fighter//CD-ROM//The ultimate PC fighting game.//
  3. ^ "3D Realms". Next Generation (10). Imagine Media: 99. October 1995.
  4. ^ "Diamond Announces Retail Monster 3D Gaming Accelerator Bundled with 10 Hot Titles This Halloween". Business Wire. October 31, 1996. Archived from the original on July 14, 2006.
  5. ^ Life, Nintendo (May 9, 2015). "What NEC And Hudson Did Next: The Disasterous Story Of The PC-FX". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  6. ^ "FX Fighter (Game)". Giant Bomb. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  7. ^ "GTE and Nintendo Enter into FX Fighter Partnership Agreement". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 68. Sendai Publishing. March 1995. p. 57.
  8. ^ Bateman, Selby (April 1995). "Movers & Shakers". Next Generation. No. 4. Imagine Media. p. 27.
  9. ^ "FX Fighter" (PDF). GamePro. No. 76. IDG. January 1995. p. 195.
  10. ^ "Powered up: The Super Fox Team". Nintendo Power. No. 69. Nintendo. February 1995. p. 68.
  11. ^ "SFX Special". Nintendo Magazine System. Trielle. April 1995. p. 12.
  12. ^ "GTE Interactive Takes FX Fighter to the PC". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 73. Sendai Publishing. August 1995. p. 28.
  13. ^ "FX Fighter Review". CD Player (in German). January 1996. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Strauss, Bob. "FX Fighter". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Finals". Next Generation. No. 9. Imagine Media. September 1995. p. 97.
  16. ^ a b Snyder, Frank; Chapman, Ted; Kaiafas, Tasos (August 1995). "Let's Get Ready to Rumble". Computer Game Review. Archived from the original on December 21, 1996.
  17. ^ "FX FIGHTER PULLS EARLY RETAILER DEMAND WITH INITIAL CHANNEL SELL-IN OF 200,000 UNITS; SHIPMENT UNDERWAY TO 18,000 RETAIL OUTLETS" (Press release). Archived from the original on June 7, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  18. ^ "The FX Fighter Comic Book". Archived from the original on June 26, 1997. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  19. ^ "3D Realms". Next Generation. No. 10. Imagine Media. October 1995. p. 99.
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