Which Fighting Games are Important?

[Yoba]

Hi guys, it's been a while since I came to this site 
I haven't really had time to work on MUGEN and so I guess i hadn't really bothered to come here.

But wouldn't ya know it, for my Game History class we have to do a research project, and I was put in a group about the history of Fighting Games.

I guess we decided to try and make a list of games and why they are important to the genre on our own at first. But wouldn't you kno it, I'm actually a tard when it comes to this, so I figured you guys would know a thing or two about these games.

I'm not asking you to do my homework for me per say, but I guess I want to know from the horses mouth, what fighting games do you think are important to the genre and why?

[ecthelionv2]

Mortal Kombat: First for implementing a fatality system and one of the fighters that made so much controversy with the blood and gore back then when it was released.

Street Fighter 2: The fighter that brought the genre to the spotlight in the gaming scene. Though there were older fighting games like punch out, this one brought the genre and the franchise out into the open.

Virtua Fighter: First fighting game to use 3d graphics.

[Yoba]

I thought of MK cause it helped cause the ESRB with all it's blood, and I noted SF2 for having the first female fighter (I'm right on this one right?).

but I hadn't thought of those points or Virtua Fighter. Thanks.

[Loona]

In my sig you'll find a link to an article at Hardcore Gaming 101 on the history of fighting games before Street Fighter 2 which you may find enlightening - it leaves out, however, 2 games: the Bilestoad, which is apparently even older than Warrior, and Yie Ar Kung Fu, covered elsewhere in the same site.

BTW, just the other day on that site I saw the article on Ranma fighting games, and it mentioned one of them introduced tag-team gameplay even before Kizuna Encounter, which did it before X-Men vs Street Fighter and the other Capcom/Marvel crossovers which tend to be more famous.

You might want to look into Art of Fighting, since it introduced power bars, super and taunts with a purpose to the genre, yet it usually doesn't get the recognition it deserves in that regard.

Other than that, Fatal fury might be worth a mention, if not for its attempt at 3d gameplay with its plane-shift feature, for its limited ability to allow 2 players to form a team against a computer opponent - there's not enough of that in the genre, which tends to be more competitive than cooperative (which makes it more fun to play with friends, family and significant others without having them be annoying at you beating them all the time with experience). Guilty Gear Isuka is one of the very few modern games to give that option, and we really don't see enough of it.

[Nnaajj]

MVC2:
For introducing infinite combos and other cheap stuff.

Tekken:
I think it was one of the first 3d fighting games with 2d gameplay.

[Loona]

MVC2:
For introducing infinite combos and other cheap stuff.

those things have been around even earlier in that series of games, let alone in the genre. As they're never a desired feature, I'd be weary of including bugs that don't add contructively to the playing experience, like combos did.

Tekken:
I think it was one of the first 3d fighting games with 2d gameplay.

In the beginning, practically all 3d fighting games lacked an actual ability to move so that you'd take advantage of the 3rd dimension, so Virtua Fighter would still come 1st here.
Also, that's not so much a feature as a failure to make good use of a different graphical medium.

[Luis Alejandro]

Tekken did bring the side step, which is essential now for every 3d fighting game.

[Foobs]

MVC2:
For introducing infinite combos and other cheap stuff.

No.

Relevant

[Nnaajj]

MVC2:
For introducing infinite combos and other cheap stuff.

those things have been around even earlier in that series of games, let alone in the genre. As they're never a desired feature, I'd be weary of including bugs that don't add contructively to the playing experience, like combos did.

Tekken:
I think it was one of the first 3d fighting games with 2d gameplay.

In the beginning, practically all 3d fighting games lacked an actual ability to move so that you'd take advantage of the 3rd dimension, so Virtua Fighter would still come 1st here.
Also, that's not so much a feature as a failure to make good use of a different graphical medium.

The cheapness thing was serious and never said tekken WAS the first 3d fighting game 

[Loona]

Tekken did bring the side step, which is essential now for every 3d fighting game.

I'm inclined to attribute that one to Tohshinden, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm almost sure the 1st Tekken didn't have side-stepping as a standard movement.

[Luis Alejandro]

after checking that link cyan posted it seems that virtual fighter was the first to bring side steping. Tekken 2 was the first tekken game to start side steping btw(only kazuya could do it tho)

[Nero D.]

Kazuya, Heihachi, and Lee if I recall. Lee's was called the mist step, and Hachi's was Demon walk or something like that.

[Yoba]

MVC2:
For introducing infinite combos and other cheap stuff.

No.

Relevant

this link is very helpful

[Shunu]

Guilty Gear for bringing a different feel to the 2D fighting game universe! oh and for having a amazing soundtrack and who can for get epic one hit kills!

"DESTROYED!"

[Siebzehn]

I doubt you say say GG should go in for good music.

Because some of the MK2 and Trilogy tracks are pretty good.

[Shunu]

I doubt you say say GG should go in for good music.

Because some of the MK2 and Trilogy tracks are pretty good.

everysong for guilty gear is good... ky theme ky vs sol theme dizzy theme imean they got a shit load of songs that'll make you go

[S.D.]

You're mentioning Guilty Gear for some of the worst and least relevant reasons.

[Shunu]

You're mentioning Guilty Gear for some of the worst and least relevant reasons.

care to elaborate?

[TempesT]

What's there to elaborate on? All you mentioned was music, and "changing the feel of 2D fighters" <-- lol at that one.

[Siebzehn]

Yeah, that terrible reasoning is why I made that MK music post. Granted at first I didn't think you were serious. It's like saying Halo was an important FPS. Popular, arguably well made, but it's not the most important.