Compatible emulators

Synopsis

The first Slam Masters is as far from a wrestling simulation as it is from a beat 'em up. Ultimately it mixes a bit of both, but would come closest to a sort of beat 'em all - another area in which Capcom excels - on a closed screen, therefore without scrolling (or almost, since you can get out of the ring). This second episode, for its part, finds accents of pure and hard-core fighting.

First new feature that catches the eye: the ground is now “flat”. Ring of Destruction takes place on a single plane, where its predecessor showed us a three-quarter ring where we could move freely. As a result, the stick now allows you to move forward or backward, but also to jump (up) or crouch (down), whereas these two directions previously allowed you to move towards the back of the screen or the foreground respectively.

The controls have also changed, and SM2 uses five of the CPS-2's six buttons: two for punches (weak and hard), two for kicks (itou), and one to throw the opponent into the ropes. It is this last option that distinguishes SM2 from more “traditional” fighting games. Indeed, it is possible here to send the opponent bouncing on the edges of the ring, and then deliver a special "real" wrestling style attack, such as the clothesline hit. It is also possible to produce super projections, with somewhat complex manipulation. But be careful: if the opponent cannot prevent you from catching him, it is possible for him to escape, and there is a good chance that he will take advantage of this for a little revenge from behind the fagots.

Finally, note that the matches are no longer timed: it is indeed a question of knocking the opponent down. To do this, you will have to empty your double life gauge. The game features a panel of fourteen fighters, the only real star being Haggar, one of the heroes of Final Fight. The rest oscillates between the credible (Biff the Russian wrestler, El Stingray the luchador, Ortega the colossal clone of Hulk Hogan) and the great portnawak (Titanic the Frankenstein's monster, Rasta the beast-man, Wraith the undead or Scorpion the final boss who teleports at will).

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