Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 1 features the first four of many NeoGeo arcade titles in the series, being Fatal Fury, Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury Special, and Fatal Fury 3. Beginning with the first, it's obvious that the series began as an attempt to meet Street Fighter's demands on the coin-op playing field, and despite an admirable attempt, came up short. It doesn't exact any feeling of accomplishment and is fairly straightforward, serving as more of a history piece to see where and how the series began.

With the character selection totaling three characters - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi - there's just as much variety in the character selection as there is in the amount of moves available to pull off. As in any game, players fight their way through a handful of encounters until they reach Geese Howard who is, politely, a huge jerk. As any newcomer to 2D fighters might want to establish itself as different from the rest, Fatal Fury did just that; players could go into the game alongside each other in a co-op mode and battles now took place on two planes which kind of added a level of depth. Unfortunately, the moveset and character selection don't have too much going for them, especially with a bare kick/punch/throw palette.

Fatal Fury 2 is the sequel that sequels like to be: SNK didn't skimp on the sort of graphical and gameplay changes they could implement. Along with this is a larger roster reaching a total of eight characters, including the original three. The controls feel much tighter and less awkward, leaving a disconnect between fatal Fury 2 and the original as it's just so hard to go back. Character sprites and backgrounds look prettier and the game sounds better despite the announcer. The sequel eventually lead into an updated Fatal Fury special with a mesmerizing 15 characters to choose from, featuring playable boss characters and special bonuses not featured in Fatal Fury 2. More of a director's cut than a proper sequel, the title didn't capitalize on anything in the way that the series took a step up to Fatal Fury 2. However, as with any director's there is more content and since it comes on the same disc, it sort of makes the inclusion of Fatal Fury 2 seem like more of a footnote or waste of space as it could have been left at Fatal Fury Special and that's that.

In any case, the games featured are in chronological order, which is where we land on the highlight of the disc: Fatal Fury 3. This edition of the bunch feels the most like a proper fighter, though it has a smaller roster than Special (but still larger than Fatal Fury 2). Odd… well! The controls evolve once more, and when coupled with completely new sprites and artwork, make clear what the Fatal Fury franchise meant to the arcades and gamers alike. Fighting now becomes a matter of chaining attacks and heavier dodging across planes, instead of the hit-and-block approach so many fighters can get stuck on. Despite having been through three games so far, there still isn't much to really separate the Fatal Fury franchise from the any other mid-90's Street Fighter wannabes outside of a solid concept and good character. Fatal Fury 3 is where the differences start to surface, which also makes it the most comfortable of the four titles in this compilation.

Hopefully Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2 is on its way to the States, because for any fan of the series or 2D fighters in general, these games mean something. They stand for a time when a game like Fatal Fury 2 looked like the gleaming edge of next-gen technology, and arcades were in their prime. Battle Archives Vol. 1 does a graceful job in proper organization and presentation, and the ports are arcade-perfect --although they may lend themselves to a better appreciation for today's game mechanics. Unfortunately, the online multiplayer included in the Japanese release is sorely missed for the U.S. title, and that deeply lessens its value. Plus, there's the honest fact that there isn't anything special about Battle Archives Vol. 1, save the nostalgia its fanbase will buy it for.