Even the simplest games can contain some intricate techniques. Players learned to get ahead inTetrisby doing T-Spins. They studied the way the jumping physics inSuper Mario Brosworked to master that game too. Then there are fighting games, which are full of fiddly commands, complex character types, and extra skills to read up on.
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But they didn’t start off that way. They too just had punches and kicks until the developers thought up new and exciting ideas to keep the genre going. Some of their ideas fell by the wayside, while others became themost famous techniques in fighting games.
7Specials
In the beginning, there were only punches, like in Sega’sHeavyweight Champ.Then they added kicks, and games likeKarate ChampandInternational Karatetried to replicate the points-based bouts in martial arts tournaments. That was good enough at the time. Though their sidescrolling beat ‘em up cousins began mixing things up with additional command attacks like headbutts and spinning kicks. What would a fighting game be like with those moves?
Ryu and Ken’s classic Hadōkens, Shoryukens, and Hurricane Kicks could be done in the originalStreet Fighterand could finish off opponents like Gen, Adon, and Sagat quickly once they hit. Shame the controls were so stiff and awkward that this was hard to do. Nonetheless, they were there. Even if it wasn’t until the sequel that those moves got immortalized as truly something special.
6Combos
However, the most revolutionary thingStreet Fighter 2did was introduce combos. Before the game, the only way to string multiple attacks was to fit one in after the animation for the other finished (called ‘links’ in the FGC). That, or they had to be done by set command chains like in beat ‘em ups. As the story goes,SF2’s devs came across a glitch where certain attacks could cancel out into others.
At first, they tried to get rid of them like any other bug. But in the end, they fine-tuned them. Their work led to a new form of gameplay where players tried to make the best combination attacks, or ‘combos’. Nowadays, it’s hard toimagine the genre without them. They’re as much a staple of fighting games as Heals in RPGs and guns in FPS games.
5Fatalities
Street Fighter 2was fun, but it looked like kids’ stuff next toMortal Kombat. Midway’s game offered the same number of fireballs and uppercuts. It just threw in a dark atmosphere with intimidating characters like Scorpion and Goro, and a hefty dose of blood with each strike for good measure. Most infamously, players could kill their opponents after beating them withtheir character’s Fatality.
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To say it caused a stir would be an understatement. Parents complained, the government intervened, rating boards were set up, and a host of imitators tried to copyMK’s formula. Today, it’s rare to find Fatalities outside theMKseries, though a few games likeGuilty Gear,BlazBlue,Samurai Shodown,andSoulCaliburhave dabbled in Instant Kill moves.
4Combo Breakers
Killer Instinctwas anotherMKimitator, albeit made with Midway’s help by Rare. It used computerized models instead of digitized sprites and was about building bigger, longer, more ultra combos. Yet its moody urban fantasy settings, blood, and ‘No Mercy’ finishers hadMK’sDNA all over it. Still, it had one skill that was unique to it:the C-C-C-Combo Breaker.
Players could stop their opponent’s onslaught by forcing them back with a strike. As simple as it sounds, it was impressive to see it in action. TheMKseries would bring the Breakers back forMK9, MKX,andMK11, and theStreet Fighter Alphaseries had a similar mechanic with their Alpha Counters. Yet the 2013Killer Instinctreboot did it best, expanding on the concept with Shadow Counters, Lockouts, and more.
3Super Moves
Restrained bytighter censorship lawson violence, Japan’s fighting games rarely (if ever) got as gory as their Western counterparts. The bloodiest theStreet Fighter 2games got was showing the loser’s battered faces after bouts, and even they got cleaned up for the consoles. So, they rivaled the likes ofMKwith style instead.
SNK’sArt of Fightingintroduced a meter that had to be kept topped up to fuel the character’s specials. If players had the opportunity, they could spend the whole thing on one big, flashy attack to wipe out their foe. The risk & reward from these Super Moves would spread across the genre, becoming a necessity for 2D games before eventually reaching its 3D cousins inSoulcalibur 6andTekken 7.
2EX Moves
Once the meter for Super Moves was added, the developers were left wondering how else they could use it. They gave the characters more super moves and more special mechanics like Dodge Rolls and Alpha Counters. Ironically, one mechanic that’s stood the test of time debuted in a series that hasn’t had a new installment since 1997, as theDarkstalkersgames introduced EX Moves (originally ES moves).
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If players did a special by pressing two punches or two kicks, they’d boost its strength at the cost of a little meter. It encouraged offensive play and using the game’s resources. So, there was no way it could stay in one fighting game. EveryStreet Fightergame since3: 2nd Impacthas used them. They’ve also turned up in the past decade’s worth ofKing of Fighters, Mortal Kombat, andInjusticegames. If only its mother series could get as much love.
1Parries
Countermoves aren’t the most exciting skills on paper. SNK made the most of them with Geese Howard’s counter throws (“Predictabo!”).TekkenandVirtua Fighterturned opponents’ attacks against them with Attack Reversals. Then there were Parries. For a move that swipes the opponent’s strike aside, it’s come in many forms. InStreet Fighter 3’scase, it saved the series from obscurity.
Pressing Forward while blocking would parry attacks, skipping chip damage and giving the defender the advantage. That’s simple enough for single attacks but really difficult to do against multi-hit supers. When Daigo ‘The Beast’ Umehara clutched victory from the jaws of defeat byparrying Justin Wong’s 17-hit superperfectly at Evo 2004, it changedStreet Fighter 3: 3rd Strikefrom a cult classic to a must-play fighter.
