Review #589: Nintendo 64 Memories: Flying Dragon

 Two games, one cart. Almost.

Part 1: The Flashback
 Easily one of my two most wanted games on the N64 ever. I think I only managed to rent it once, because the only place that had it up for rent was far away from home. Everything about this game piqued my interest, how it had two ways to play it(SD or virtual) and the character designs.
 Sadly, the game was incredibly hard to find, not once did I find it up for purchase. Luckily, that's all in the past, and finally, this game has reached my hands!

Part 2: Today
 Let's start with what makes the game so unique: You have both SD and Virtual Modes. Both modes play pretty much identical, but do have their own unique thingies. For starters, each mode has its own character roster, most characters are shared, some have widely different designs, others look the same(But in chibi/super deformed looks) and others are exclusive to either mode. Before starting each mode you can also customize the ruleset, turning attack-cancels on/off or even deactivating sidestepping. There's another mechanic, the Mind's Eye, which makes it so that repeatedly hitting an enemy on the same body part will eventually yield critical damage that can also be turned on or off, as well as turbo speed. Basically, there's a lot you can tune to your liking.

 Both modes offer an Arcade Ladder, a VS CPU Tournament, VS Player and a VS Player/group mode. There're a few hidden characters that can be unlocked by fulfilling certain conditions or using a password hidden behind the 'Treasure Box -> Status' menu of the SD mode.

 Virtual Mode was my favorite, featuring normal-looking characters. A and B are your punch and kick buttons, R guards, L sidesteps(If activated) and Down-C is a third attack button. There're command special moves, attack strings and even super moves that can be used once you fill your power gauge. The fighting is fast and fun, and I had a lot of fun stringing moves together.

 SD Mode is a bit simpler, A and B and normal attacks, while the Down-C button is used exclusively for special moves. There's also a Super move relegated to the Left-C button. What makes this mode so unique is that you can equip your character with items that you find and level up as you go through the VS CPU modes. Sadly, the framerate suffers a lot in this mode, and I'm not too big on the super deformed character proportions.

 I've no doubt in my mind that if I had owned this game when I was younger, it easily would've ranked on my favorite games on the system. Sadly, when you compare Flying Dragon against the fighting games you could find on its rival, the PS1, it falls short where it counts. It's still amongst the best fighters on the N64... not that that is saying much.

 7.5 out of 10