Previous Next

If you reckon you're a bit of a hard case, Pitfighting is the thing for you. In this conversion of Atari's popular beat-'em-up coin-op, one or two psychopathic headcases battle other horrid loony fighting types in the Pitfighter contest, with big cash prizes awarded to the winner and the losers ending up with broken limbs and worse.

The opponents are a nasty bunch. Most are armed with horrible pointy things, they're nearly all a lot bigger than you and virtually every one is capable of shrugging off even your most devastating blows with ease.

And if that's not enough to put you off, there's always the King of the Pitfighters. This masked executioner-type taunts you during all your bouts. Should you be man enough to reach this leather-clad loony, he proceeds to beat you into a pulp. Avoid this grisly fate and defeat him and you are proclaimed King, meaning you can quit the circuit and retire to spend all your money.

So choose a player - Buzz (a wrestler), Ty (a kickboxer) and Kato (a karate champ) - and get fighting.

After every two bouts, a grudge match is called. In one-player mode, you face a blue-trousered version of yourself. In two-player mode the fun really starts as you beat up your hapless colleague. The first player to knock the other down three times is the victor, so it's headbutts and body slams that count, as opposed to feeble punches and sad kicks.

In true underworld fighting style, it's the vicious gits who get the spoils. This tradition is carried over to Pitfighter in the form of the Brutality Bonus. Kicking your opponent while he's down, or hitting him as he gets up all adds points to the bonus - so be brutal!

Although many of the opponents are armed, don't cry because you can even the odds by utilizing certain items of scenery! Barstools, crates and even shuriken (if you're lucky enough to find one) can be bunged at opponents to cause damage, and pointy sticks are switchblades casually left in the arena by sadists to spice up the action can also be used most effectively.

Not only is there violence in the arena itself, but the audience are similarly psychopathic. Should you accidentally run or be pushed into the crowd, they push you straight back into the ring - with their knives! Eeeek!

A handy power-up lurks on some levels. This goodie, in the form of a pill (with a big letter P on the side for ease of reference) is secreted within a barrel or box and is found by smashing the container over your enemy's head.

Grabbing the pill not only makes you all but immune to attack, but also grants super-strength. Fab! But make sure your opponent doesn't grab it before you do, otherwise it'll be your monkey ass that gets a kicking.

Each Pitfighter has a variety of special moves which make his fighting style unique.

1. Buzz Can roll out of trouble, shoulder throw opponents, pile drive them and then slam them whilst they lie helpless.

2. Kato Performs acrobatic cartwheels, jumping spin kicks and special ninja magic hurricane punches.

3. Ty Ty is the sort of dude who prefers somersaults, a high roundhouse and devastating flying-kicks.

The sprite scaling and fantastic animation that made Pitfighter such an attention-grabber in the arcades may be gone, but it's still fun to play. The sprites are quite detailed and their actions are accompanied by lots of (albeit mediocre) speech and painful-sounding effects, but the movement is unconvincing.

What makes it fun is the horribly brutal action - it really is enjoyable to jump on player two's throat as he lies helpless on the floor! The special moves are a smart touch and make each character more of an individual and introduce a bit of strategy into the gameplay.

The Megadrive is short on beat-'em-ups, and Pitfighter is definitely one you should consider adding to your collection.

There's no sprite scaling, the characters are small and the animation isn't great, but this conversion of the Pitfighter coin-op is a laugh to play. The gameplay is horribly violent, and there are plenty of special moves to master.

One of the best aspects I found was that each of the opponents has his or her own individual characteristics, so you have to adopt a new strategy on each round. The sheer number of skill levels is also a big plus point, meaning that both novice and expert beat-'em-up fans alike can find plenty of challenge!

If you're after a bit of mindless violence, give this a go!

Presentation 78%
A few options and loads of animated intermissions.

Graphics 78%
Nice enough sprites, but the animation is poor and the scrolling is jerky.

Sound 82%
Groovy sound effects and quite a bit of speech complement the action well.

Playability 86%
Although there are plenty of moves to master, the mindless beat-'em-up action provides instant fun.

Lastability 80%
Eight skill levels mean there's plenty to test the mettle of potential pit fighters.

Overall 81%
Not quite a complete knockout, but still one of the best pure fighting games available on the Megadrive.