Overview
Fighting Vipers is a 3D fighting game developed by Sega AM2 and released by Sega for arcades (using their Sega Model 2 hardware) on November 1995.
Utilizing the same game engine as the studio's earlier Virtua Fighter 2, Fighting Vipers features a unique cast of teenage fighters and is known for its armor-break system, mid-air recovery system, and the first use of walled stages in a 3D fighting game (removing ring-outs). It is also known for its promotional tie-in with the Pepsi brand of soft drinks.
The game's story involves eight young urban warriors, known as Vipers, in the fictional Western city of Armstrong City, as these fighters participate in a grand fighting tournament held by the city's Mayor.
The game later received a home conversion for the Sega Saturn in Japan on August 30, 1996, with an overseas release on October 29, 1996. It also received a crossover spin-off with the Virtua Fighter series (known as Fighters Megamix) in late 1996 and early 1997, and later received a direct sequel in 1998. It later received a port to the PlayStation 2 (as Vol. 19 of the Sega Ages 2500 series) exclusively in Japan on April 28, 2005, and later received a digital release on November 28, 2012 to both PlayStation 3 (via PlayStation Network) and Xbox 360 (via Xbox Live Arcade), both of which feature online multiplayer. It was also included as a bonus mini-game in both Judgment and Lost Judgment.
Gameplay
Arrange/Hyper
The Saturn version of the game features three play modes to choose from: Original, Arrange, and Hyper. Both Arrange and Hyper modes feature a rebalanced movelist, while the Hyper mode introduces two new gameplay mechanics: sidestepping and Hyper Break (the latter of which allows the player to break off their armor for an attack speed boost).
Characters
- Bahn - A delinquent foreigner from across the ocean (known in the manual as "nishi no machi" or "western town"). His stage (Old Armstone Town) is set in a historic Old West town.
- Grace - A rollerblader who dreams of becoming a professional figure skater, only to instead become a fashion model. Her stage (Big Factory) is set in an industrial factory.
- Picky - A skateboarder and the youngest of the Vipers. His stage ("UFO Diner") is set in a highway rest stop. In the original Arcade and Japanese Saturn versions, both his attire and stage feature blatant Pepsi branding.
- Tokio - A young rebel and the former leader of a local gang known as "Black Thunder". His stage (Armstone Airport) is set in an airport runway.
- Sanman - A mysterious heavy-set fighter who works on custom motorcycles and is obsessed with the number three (hence the name "san"-man). His stage (Old Armstone Town) is set in the same stage as Bahn's, but during sunset.
- Candy - A young student studying to be a fashion designer, participating in the tournament to show off her original fashion line. Her stage (Bay Side) is set in a water runoff. Known in the Japanese version as Honey. She has multiple unlockable outfits in the Saturn version.
- Raxel - A narcissistic dropout who became the guitarist and vocalist for the rock band "Death Crunch". His stage (The City Tower) is set in a large industrial elevator rising up the City Tower.
- Jane - A hot-blooded construction worker who was discharged from the military during her training. Her stage (Observation Deck) is set in the City Tower's observation deck.
- B.M. - Also known as "Big Mahler", he is the game's final boss and host of the tournament head, fighting using armor that resembles a viper. He is only playable in the Saturn version as a hidden unlockable. His stage (Top of the City Tower) is on the rooftop of the City Tower.
- Mahler - A mysterious combatant wearing a viper armor similar to B.M. Designed as a playable version of the final boss, it is later revealed that he is a separate character. He is a hidden unlockable in all versions, time-locked in the Arcade version.
- Kumachan - A joke character and bear mascot statue originally used in Bahn and Sanman's stages, playable in the Saturn versions as an unlockable fighter. Unlike other characters, he is not well-animated and has only one pose for every animation. His alternate player model resembles a panda holding a beach ball.
- Pepsiman - A guest character and real-life mascot of the Japanese branch of Pepsi soft drinks at the time, added exclusively to the Japanese Saturn version as a hidden opponent and unlockable fighter.
Unfinished version of both Sonic and Tails (from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series) are unused characters hidden in the game. This concept was later used as the basis for Sonic the Fighters.
