Xboxist

Final Fight: Double Impact Announced

A spokesperson from Capcom tells us that they were so excited about the characters Guy and Cody coming to Super Street Fighter IV, that they could resist lifting the wraps on an all new arcade game featuring the pugnacious pair. Final Fight: Double Impact is a dual release of the classic Capcom beat'em-ups Final Fight and Magic Sword. The downloadable title is coming to the Xbox 360 this April 2010.

The original Final Fight arcade release practically defined the beat 'em up genre, and remains a true classic among many lesser pretenders. What made the game so great? we would argue it was the combination of simple controls, cooperative gameplay, and innovative urban environments to smash through that made the 1989 coin-op arcade game an instant hit.

The story was pure 1990s cheese: Following the kidnapping of the mayor's daughter, Jessica, the Mayor (who just happens to be a former pro wrestler named Mike Haggar) sets off to rescue her. He is joined by her boyfriend, a martial artist named Cody, and his friend Guy, a modern-day Bushin ninja. Obviously the Mad Gear gang decided to mess with the wrong daughter.

The arcade game spawned a number of sequels and also found itself ported to home consoles like the SNES and Sega CD.

This new updated version will once again feature the heroes Haggar, Cody and Guy, fighting their way across crime-ridden Metro City in hopes of saving Haggar's daughter from the evil clutches of Mad Gear. There are 6 stages filled with perilous challenges where the only hope for justice is the unique fighting techniques mastered by each character.

Final Fight: Double Impact will feature enhanced graphics utilizing Capcom's proprietary engine to make the games shine in crisp and clear HD glory. Alternatively, purist pixel junkies can toggle back to a classic and arcade cabinet modes to render the game in its original form.

Multiplayer will also get a major overhaul, with cooperative action available online. According to Capcom, its new "GGPO" network technology creates a frame-accurate arcade experience across the internet with online voice chat and the ability to join games in progress. Thanks to the innovative open invite system, other fighters can jump right in and contribute some classic butt-kicking to assist friends. Leaderboards for both games track scores to compete and compare for bragging rights. And finally, the Vault system will allow users to get extra gameplay out of the game by unlocking new content from both the original developers and fan artists.

We are super excited for Final Fight: Double Impact, and we look forward to bringing you a full review in April when it is released.

Players will be able to toggle between enhanced and classic graphics (pictured) in final Fight: Double Impact.