Recent reviews by JP

I've always had a love for '97 as certain characters are quite impressively overpowered (Terry) and who can resist a non-charge version of Robert? It's different enough to be very fun to mess around with.

This gets a lot of guff for being a bit barren of features. and yes - this is just a very nicely presented wrapper over the ROM of the original AES release, but Code Mystics don't pretend it's anything else.

So as others have mentioned, don't buy this expecting '98UM. Thre is no 'training mode' or 'stage select' and other extravagances. It's pretty bare bones. The presentation that's there is nicely done. You can watch endings, you can view the gallery (and '97 always did have great art)... that's about it.

The soundtrack on '97 was always a bit crappy (lots of stages had no music - heck, I've regularly played it and had 3 or so matches in a row without any music). (It would be really nice if someone could mod in an improved soundtrack...hint hint, but it would mean replacing the ROM with a hacked one, so meh).

Code Mystics have done a good job on this. The presentation is solid and it runs very well (after later patches). I can pull off moves with no issues (no frame skipping or noticeable input delay). It functions very well.

It's a stroll down memory lane and the rollback netcode makes this worth the small entrance fee. '98 is often lauded as the 'better' game - but '97 has a LOT to offer.

--Jan 2020 EDIT--
Thanks to the commenter on this review, I downloaded the new update. It's an Infinitely superior port. I won't comment on online bouts as my net-setup here isn't conducive to online play (no wired); but much much better I'm sure with rollback.

Offline 2-player and arcade mode is perfect and I sense very little lag. It's nice that the survival mode is accessible from the menu.

I can complete all commands successfully (first time) as if I'm on my cab, absolutely great. I will now heartily recommend this version of the game. Thank you Code Mystics and a big ♥♥♥♥♥♥ boo to DotEmu.

--Old Text Below--
I tested this side by side with a cabinet MVS of the original with unibios. I went into training mode - and on the cabinet I could reliably pull off Rock's 'Neo Deadly Rave'.

Could I in this port? Nope. It has input lag and some very random frameskipping which throws off your timing. Seemingly worse in the practice stage for some reason.

Stay away until it's fixed. I applied for my refund. Would not be able to recommend it in its current state.