Final Fight: Streetwise for Xbox Reviews by Gamers

if you like the original Final Fight well good news. it is included with the game. this game is pretty crazy. the story is basically you are kyle(the brother of cody) and cody is missing and in trouble in Metro City and you have to find him and help him. it starts off kinda slow while you learn the basic fighting system and buy some upgraded moves. Then, right after you meet Guy in the the story, the difficulty goes up quite a few notches and you start to use a lot more weapons like shotguns, grenades, cocktails and katanas. the enemies turn from street thugs and gangsters to crazy drug addicts who are on a powerful drug called "glow." this game is worth renting if you like the original and want to see what happens to the characters from the game. Its certainly not what i expected.

Remember Final Fight? It was one of the greatest side-scrolling beat-em-ups of its day. Sadly, as is the case with many 2D game updates, this next-gen update to the classic series is another nail in the coffin for the beat-em-up.

In this game you take on the role of Kyle, the little brother of the famous Cody from the original Final Fight. Your job? Save your big brother from a drug named "glow."

Now, this being the series' big jump from 2D to 3D, you'd think that there would be some new and improved fighting system right? Well, there isn't. It's the same old "Keep tapping 'Punch' until the bad guy falls down for good" system that was in the original. Sure there are new combos, but they are rarely necessary. This game also falls into the pit of trying to create a free-roaming environment ala Grand Theft Auto. This leads to a lot of aimless wandering while performing stupid side missions that have nothing to do with the story (like squashing roaches in some guy's basement).

The developers made a mistake: they tried to simply update the graphics of the original but not update any of the other mechanics. Instead of an instant classic, we get some Frankenstinean mishmash of Grand Theft Auto and The Warriors, with a bit of Baldur's Gate thrown in for spice.

I didn't pick up this game to suffer through poor planning, awful voice work, horrifically meaningless side quests, and a crushing sense of my childhood memories being obliterated.

This new Final Fight is like watching your favorite boxer after he passed his prime.

My advice? Don't buy it. Don't rent it. Invest in the old arcade cabinet. While expensive, it won't destroy your faith in Capcom like this game will.