Fighting games represent an important story in the history of video games, although in fairness we have to admit that the classic foundation that we are used to and that has inspired the development of many titles in the last three decades, it wasn’t conceived until the arrival of Street Fighter 2a title that hit arcades in March 1991 and is considered the “father” of the genre.

The truth is that it is a more than deserved title because, as I said in the previous paragraph, Street Fighter 2 was the one that laid the foundations of fighting games, bases that remain without drastic changes to this day. On the other hand, it’s also a game that has aged wonderfully and is still great fun in its original version, although it’s true that the pace of combat is quite slow, which is why some of us prefer the versions with a configurable turbo mode.

In general, the evolution of fighting games has been fairly linear, and in the end it’s understandable since they’ve always revolved around that classic base. So much so that latest generation titles like Street Fighter V maintain this foundation to a greater or lesser extent. Others like The King of Fighters XV They have their own essence thanks to the differentiating nature of fighting in groups of three but that classic foundation is still present after alland that’s easy to appreciate (life bars, timed combat, closed scenarios, range of moves with normal hits and special attacks, weak and strong targets, high and low blocking while maintaining reverse command, etc.).

Innovating in fighting games has always been difficult, but not impossible. In this sense, it was one of the first, boldest and well-resolved titles Fatal Fury. I was lucky enough to enjoy the original in the arcades and it was an amazing experience. It was a challenging title with an immersive and well-told story that threw you into a very personal vendetta against the evil Hus Howard and his gang of criminals.

The profile and personality of each character was perfectly taken care of, the scenarios and soundtrack were of an excellent level and the ability to change the plane was something truly revolutionary that brought a new dynamic to the fights. It also had one of the most epic endings in all of fighting game history.

Fatal Fury was not a copy of Street Fighter 2, it was something new and truly revolutionary who dared to try to beat the Capcom title. I can’t say that he succeeded, because in the end he completely transformed the genre and laid the foundation for it, but I have to admit that SNK did an excellent job.

Samurai Showdown and King of Fighters (the latter was originally conceived as a beat em up) also introduced important innovations. The former opted for white-armed combat and added pets to some characters (Galford’s dog and Nakoruru’s eagle), and the latter excelled in using a team-of-three combat system, an offensive dodge system, and allowing ultimate special moves. performed in “desperation” mode, that is, when the health bar was below 20% (Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo was moved forward a few months, as it was the first in the Capcom saga to have “super” moves).

With so many great games that I’ve enjoyed so much since my early days as a video game lover, it’s hard for me to decide which was the best fighting game ever. Personally, I’d stick with Fatal Fury because of the originality of its approach., for the story, the environment and its depth, which practically gave it a distinct cinematic touch. That essence was diluted in Fatal Fury 2, and the truth is that I’ve only experienced something similar with Art of Fighting, another giant of the genre.

Along with The King of Fighters 94, Fatal Fury was the fighting game that made the biggest impression on me, and for that reason I consider it the best of its genre. Now it’s your turn, read in the comments.