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-- b i o --
Donald Melanson is the editor of Mindjack and a freelance writer always looking for work. He can usually be found drooling over the latest in mobile computing or listening to a classic jazz CD while sipping a cup of java.

Fighter's Destiny
reviewed by Donald Melanson

One area where the Nintendo 64 has been lagging seriously behind the Playstation, and even the Saturn for that matter, is in fighting games. Fighter's Destiny does much to bridge that gap but isn't quite enough to put the N64 on top. However, for N64 users looking for a fighting game that's actually worth the price tag, then look no further.

Fighter's destiny doesn't bring much new to the actual gameplay but makes up for it with loads of options and different modes of play. Right from the start, you are able to choose from the usual "Vs. Com" and Vs. Battle" as well as: "Record Attack", "Master Challenge" and training modes. The first two are fairly self-explanatory and standard fighting game fare, although a variety on the two-player versus mode allows you to fight for one anothers hidden skills.

Record Attack has three sub-modes: defeat as many opponents as you can in "Survival", clear four stages as fast as possible in "Fastest", and remain in the ring for as long as possible in the "Rodeo" mode, in which, by the way, you are fighting a cow. In Master Challenge you fight your master a number of times to learn new skills. And finally, in the Training mode you can practice a wide variety of moves against Robert the Robot. Important to note is that a memory pack is required to save your character and the skills you acquire. Fighter's Destiny also supports the rumble pak but I found it far less effective than the subtle use found in GoldenEye 007 or the sheer gee-whiz factor in StarFox 64.

While all these options are a welcome sight in the sometimes tired fighting game genre, Fighter's Destiny is lacking quite a bit in the originality department. There is no storyline whatsoever for any of the characters and most of the characters are merely clones or variations on characters from other games in this genre. Despite this, Fighter's Destiny is set apart from other fighting games on the N64 by the simple fact that it gets it right. It isn't groundbreaking but should provide hours of fun for any fighting game fan with an N64. Although Mortal Kombat 4 has just been released and looks like it may stand a chance to take the title away from Fighter's Destiny.

The writer of this article welcomes your comments:  donald@mindjack.com