Advanced V.G.

~ ADVANCED V.G. ~

TGL

Super CD-ROM

1994

I had a pretty good idea of what AVG is (an all-girl SF2 clone, and an unexceptional one at that) long before playing it. Its nature was never really in doubt.

But I wasn't prepared for the complaints expressed by my furious cousin Zigfriedofsky after he'd completed the game. The enraged lad howled and shouted about stupid, unskippable voice-acted bits; invisible bosses; and a ridiculous storyline made laughable by out-of-place emotional moments. (By the by, you can and should read his un-IvaNEC-paraphrased commentary here.) His points were pretty much right on, especially regarding the game's dopey plot...

...I mean, what are we going for here, silly waitress vs. bunny girl conflict featuring right-in-your-face panty shots or deep, heartfelt storytelling? It's a horrible clump of hogwash as it is.

Still, I wouldn't be quite as harsh as Zigfriedofsky was in my final assessment of the game. After all, AVG is not a monumental disaster like Fighting Street. Its gameplay is decent enough, a few of its tunes are very good, and some of its cinematic material is quite cool and well presented.

But its fighting system isn't deep; it's SF2 copycat stuff on the surface with nothing underneath but cheap tactics. And since it's only natural to compare this title with another PCE "girl fighter," I'll note that Asuka 120% is a much stronger product.