two dudes beating the crap out of each other

a long time ago, some guy decided that it would be totally cool to have a game where one dude beats beat the crap out of another dude. Henceforth, the fighting game was born.














BALLS TO THE WALL EXCITEMENT

We've come a long way since then. Fighting games have both flourished and declined, with Street Fighter 2 being one of the biggest breakthroughs of the genre. With SFII, the arcade fighting game scene began to take root.

Why do we like to beat the crap out of other dudes (at least, in a virtual manner?) Well, first off, playing with another person beats playing by yourself more often than not. Second, any 1 vs. 1 match, with a good enough game and set of rules, is fun. As with any kind of competition, the thrill of winning and the adrenaline rush from fighting is there, as is the agony of defeat.

Now there are a lot of fighting games out there, each with their own specific quirks. I'll post a few examples of some fighting games below, and a description of how the fighting system works for them.

Street Fighter 2 and 4 - these two games are based on tactics, with simple attacks and combos in short bursts, but extremely deep in terms of mindgames and strategy. Capable of both defensive and offensive play.

Doujin Games, Melty Blood Series, Guilty Gear, etc etc. - These 2D games focus on high technical skill, with more attacking and defensive options available to the user. Combos are long and are flashy, with action happening all over the screen.) Some may even deal 100% damage (Hokuto no Ken for example) but most are scaled for damage so that doesn't happen. This is taken to the extreme in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which is basically chaos on screen.

Tekken - Tekken, in my humble opinion, is a race where you have to figure out when to attack first, and take advantage of moves that have more priority over others. One combo eats a lot of life, which makes comebacks possible. As the game is in 3D, dodging attacks adds another dimension (pardon the pun) to the gameplay, as your character can avoid in more than one plane. This sets the score for attacks that hit in arcs, or attacks that can catch sidestepping characters.

Soul Series - like above, but less offensive and more defensive-oriented. In SC, you have to find an opening to attack, take advantage, then wait again. There isn't much room for long continuous combos or juggles that win the game like in Tekken.

SSBB - Brawler type games are like the above, but with simplified attack options. That doesn't mean strategy is out of the question, however.

UFC 2009 - These games are a mix of fighting game, and fighting simulation.

Most of these games, predictably, are about attack. Defensive options are limited to a blocking or running away. When you block in some fighting games, you have no option to retaliate and continue to be "block locked" until you retaliate with a higher priority move, counter, or move the hell out of the way. Some games implement a parry feature where you time a parry to deflect an attack, leaving you to be able to perform a counterattack. Some implement a combo breaking move that completely ends an opponent's attack, and in some cases, rewards the player for doing so.

That's basically what fighting games are. Many rely on momentum, with "attack before getting attacked" the motto of the day. Others rely on long and/or damaging combos, desperation moves and so on for momentum reversal. Granted, there were some games that break this mold...