A lot of games are considered the ones that define their respective genres. Street Fighter is still the definitive 2D fighter, Final Fantasy VII is the definitive console RPG, and Final Fight to this day sits on top the Beat-Em-Up mountain. Its not to say there haven’t been great beat-em-up games since then (Rockstar’s The Warriors is one such example), its just that nothing has managed to be as revered nor as fondly remembered as Final Fight. Can you think of a better reason to own the Capcom Classics Collection? When Capcom announced they were going to update this classic series into modern day, dubbed Final Fight: Streetwise the gaming community took serious notice. Is it going to be as great an update as Prince of Persia, or are we looking at another Frogger-esq disaster.

The game is split into two modes, Single-player and Multiplayer. These two are entirely separate, so you’re not able to jump in at any time you want to like you were in the original game. The Story mode follows Kyle, brother of Cody, who was one of the original characters from Final Fight. When Cody gets kidnapped after a particularly nasty fight, Kyle goes looking thru Metro City for him. On the way, he’ll get to assault all number of assorted thugs, from the lowly drug pusher to the Italian Wiseguys. Some of these are brand new (like the insane Chef) and some are modern versions of classic enemies (like the dangerously oversized Andore).

Like any good fight series, Kyle won’t go alone. He’ll have an entire environment to play around in. Using a new icon/symbol system (which shows a floating symbol over useable items), Kyle will spot baseball bats, knives, clubs and even katanas to use on enemies. Of course, Kyle is a Pit Fighter, so his real weapons are his fists. You’ll have access to light and power attacks, mix up combinations, and of course, a new grapple system that allows for meaner and more damaging throws than was available in the original Final Fight. As you fight enemies, you build Tension, which is kind of like EXP. You can use this to buy new moves from returning heroes Guy and Hagar. Guy will show you some classic Martial Arts fighting, while Hagar will expand your pro-wrestling style moveset. There is no word on weather you can strictly define how Kyle fights (all martial Arts or Pro-Wrestling), but its nice to see some great move variety. Also new to this version is a built in Counter Time system and Instinct mode. If you know what move your enemy is going to execute, you can use Counter Time and use a special parry-attack for extra damage. Instinct mode does something else. It makes Kyle faster and more accurate, getting in extra hit combos and doing more maneuvers as time goes on. Time will tell which mode is the more useful.

Multiplayer is where fans of the classic game can get their fix. One or more players walk their way thru the game’s stages, collecting food, weapons, and dishing out beatings. The Multiplayer mode won’t have a story attached to it, but if it is as good as the single player mode is looking, it should be fun to play. Capcom hasn’t yet revealed if there is any progression or move unlocking in the multiplayer mode, but as its meant to emulate the classic Final Fight games, there is little possibility there will be.

All things considered, this game is looking to be an excellent update to the classic Final Fight. Keep your eyes on Xbox Advanced for our in depth review.