FX Fighter
| FX Fighter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Argonaut Software |
| Publisher(s) | GTE Entertainment |
| Engine | BRender[1] |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release | June 24, 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
The first game in the series was published by GTE Entertainment on June 24, 1995. It is an early realtime 3D fighting game for MS-DOS CD-ROM PC. OEM versions of this title have support for 3D acceleration, bundled with 3D graphics accelerator cards such as the Diamond Monster 3D.[2]
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.[3]
Character roster
- 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
FX Fighter was originally conceived as a Super Nintendo Entertainment System game and originally titled Fighting Polygon. First shown in November 1994 at the Shoshinkai Software Exhibition in Japan, it relied on the Super FX powered GSU-2 (or "Super FX 2") chip to deliver polygon graphics that are otherwise unattainable on the SNES. The game was previewed in GamePro[4] and Nintendo Power.[5] It was compared to Sega's Virtua Fighter. At the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1995, GTE Entertainment and Nintendo announced that they would be jointly developing and publishing the game.[6][7]
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.[8]
Reception
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Next Generation |   [11] |
| CD Player | 7/10[9] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[10] |
| Computer Game Review | 259/300[12] |
For the launch of FX Fighter, GTE Entertainment shipped 200,000 units of the game to stores and dedicated more than $2 million to its promotional campaign.[13]
Entertainment Weekly gave the PC version of the game 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."[11]
Frank Snyder of Computer Game Review was largely positive toward the game, calling it "definitely worth checking out".[12]
In other media
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.[15]