Editing Fighting game (section)

=== Emergence of 3D fighting games (mid-to-late 1990s) ===
[[File:Virtua Fighter.png|thumb|''[[Virtua Fighter (arcade game)|Virtua Fighter]]'' (1993) is the first widespread 3D fighting game. It is typical of most fighting games in that action takes place in a two-dimensional plane of motion. Here, one player ducks the other's attack.]]
[[Sega AM2]] debuted in the genre with the 1993 arcade game ''[[Burning Rival]]'',<ref name="am2hp">{{cite web|url=http://www.sega-am2.co.jp/jp/games/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040630004045/http://www.sega-am2.co.jp/jp/games/index.html|title=SEGA-AM2 – Games : 最新のAM2作品 -|archive-date=June 30, 2004}}</ref> but they gained renown with the release of ''[[Virtua Fighter (video game)|Virtua Fighter]]'' for the same platform the same year. It is the first fighting game with [[3D computer graphics|3D]] [[Polygonal modeling|polygon]] graphics and a viewpoint that zoomed and rotated with the action. Despite the graphics, players were confined to back and forth motion as seen in other fighting games. With only three buttons, it was easier to learn than ''Street Fighter'' and ''Mortal Kombat'', which has six and five buttons respectively. By the time the game was released for the [[Sega Saturn]] in Japan, the game and system were selling at almost a one-to-one ratio.<ref name = "segahistory" /> In 1994, [[Namco]] released [[Tekken (video game)|''Tekken'']], the rival arcade game introducing cutting-edge 3D polygon technology at a revolutionary 60 frames per second.<ref name="Harada">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/an-audience-with-katsuhiro-harada/|title=An Audience With: Katsuhiro Harada – on 20 years of ''Tekken'' and the future of fighting games|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|date=2013-09-23|access-date=2014-11-21|archive-date=September 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926003747/http://www.edge-online.com/features/an-audience-with-katsuhiro-harada/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chavez |first=Steven 'Dreamking23' |date=February 8, 2024 |title=It's unbelievable what 30 years has done for Tekken's visuals |url=https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2024/feb/08/tekken-visuals-long-way-1994/ |access-date=August 20, 2024 |website=EventHubs |language=en}}</ref>

The 1995 [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] game ''[[Battle Arena Toshinden]]'' is credited for taking the genre into "true 3D" due to its introduction of the sidestep maneuver, which [[IGN]] described as "one little move" that "changed the fighter forever". The "sidestep" in the game, however, consisted of shoulder rolls instead of actual sidesteps.<ref>{{YouTube|vtSlGWHdE3U}}</ref><ref name="ign_toshinden">{{cite web|title=Battle Arena Toshinden takes the fighter into true 3-D, but is it enough?|url=http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/150/150716p1.html|website=IGN|access-date=August 31, 2011|date=November 21, 1996|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822005754/http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/150/150716p1.html|archive-date=August 22, 2012}}</ref> That year, Namco released ''[[Tekken 2]]'', which introduced actual sidestepping or "mist steps" as first released in arcade games and in the international fighting game community. These moves are only exclusive to its two protagonists, [[Heihachi Mishima]] and his son, [[Kazuya Mishima]], and his counterpart transformation which is the final boss in the arcade mode. The mist steps also allow combos to be performed as a manner of ''"crouch dashing,"'' or when the Mishima player could run to the opponent while crouching since regular running prevented executing easy combos.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tekken 7 - Regarding the Change to the Sidestepping|url=http://www.avoidingthepuddle.com/news/2015/5/14/tekken-7-regarding-the-change-to-the-sidestepping.html|date=May 14, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Sorry kids, Tekken has NOT always been about juggling|url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/389730/discussions/0/2381701715727063368/?l=hungarian&ctp=6|date=October 23, 2017}}</ref> Polygonal fighters became trendy and many developers started to make them. Further all-new titles were released in 1995: ''[[Zero Divide]]'' on the PlayStation,<ref>{{Cite web |title=[レビュー] ゼロ・ディバイド (PS) (1995年のゲーム) {{!}} 思考回廊 |url=https://trynext.com/review/page/b00008hw0j.php |access-date=August 20, 2024 |website=思考回廊：レビュー |language=ja |archive-date=August 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820181425/https://trynext.com/review/page/b00008hw0j.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Western-developed ''[[FX Fighter]]'' on PC and ''[[Criticom]]'' on console,<ref name="3-3DO">{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date=May 1996 |title=Maximum Reviews |url=https://www.outofprintarchive.com/catalogue/maximum/Maximum006.html |magazine=Maximum - The Video Game Magazine |publisher=EMAP |page=122 |volume= |issue=6 |accessdate=}}</ref> and Sega's arcade ''[[Fighting Vipers]]'' - on top of ''Tekken 2'', an updated ''[[Battle Arena Toshinden 2]]'', and console ports of ''Tekken'' and ''[[Virtua Fighter 2]]''.  A multitude of new major polygonal releases arrived in 1996 from both prime and smaller developers. The 1996 arcade game ''[[Dead or Alive (video game)|Dead or Alive]]'' offered an interactive feature within its stages called the "danger zone", an environmental hazard outside the center of stages where if an opponent is knocked into it, they will take extra damage, jeopardizing their position and giving their attacker an advantage. If an opponent is knocked into the danger zone with very low health, the danger zone is more likely to knock them out than a regular attack.<ref name=G4>{{Cite episode |series=Icons |title=Dead or Alive |series-link=Icons (TV series) |network=[[G4 (American TV channel)|G4]] |date=August 5, 2004 |season=3 |number=11 |url=http://www.g4tv.com/icons/episodes/3352/Dead_or_Alive.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231112359/http://www.g4tv.com/icons/episodes/3352/Dead_or_Alive.html |archive-date=2016-12-31 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Other major 1996 releases include ''[[Virtua Fighter 3]]'', ''[[Soul Edge]]'', ''[[Last Bronx]]'' (in Japan),<ref>{{cite magazine |date=June 1997 |title=Tokyo Game Show Report from Japan |url=https://archive.org/stream/NextGeneration30Jun1997/Next_Generation_30_Jun_1997#page/n16 |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |page=16 |issue=30}}</ref> and the home port of ''Tekken 2'',<ref name="3-3DO2">{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date=May 1996 |title=Virtua Fighter 3 steals US show |url=https://dn790006.ca.archive.org/0/items/Next-Generation-1996-05/Next%20Generation%201996-05.pdf |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher= |page=21 |volume= |issue= |accessdate=}}</ref> cementing 3D as the future of the genre.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=April 1997 |title=An interview with Noritaka Funamizu |magazine=Next Generation |page=70 |issue=28}}</ref>

In 1994, SNK released ''[[The King of Fighters '94]]'' in arcades, where players choose from teams of three characters to eliminate each other one by one.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://wii.ign.com/articles/852/852523p1.html | title = IGN: King of Fighters '94 | website = IGN | access-date = October 17, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081005211302/http://wii.ign.com/articles/852/852523p1.html | archive-date = October 5, 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Eventually, Capcom released further updates to ''Street Fighter II'', including ''Super Street Fighter II'' and ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo''. These games feature more characters and new moves, some of which are a response to hackers of the original ''Street Fighter II'' game to add new features. However, criticism of these updates grew as players demanded a true sequel. By 1995, the dominant franchises were the ''Mortal Kombat'' series in America and the ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' series in Japan, with ''[[Street Fighter Alpha]]'' unable to match the popularity of ''Street Fighter II''.<ref name="sfhistory" /> Throughout this period, the fighting game was the dominant genre in competitive video gaming, with enthusiasts popularly attending arcades in order to find human opponents.<ref name="MK3" /> The genre was also very popular on home consoles. At the beginning of 1996, ''[[GamePro]]'' (a magazine devoted chiefly to home console and handheld gaming) reported that for the last several years, their reader surveys had consistently yielded 4 out of 5 respondents name fighting games as their favorite genre.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=King Doom vs. King Kombat |magazine=[[GamePro]] |issue=90 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=March 1996|page=12}}</ref>

In the late 1990s, traditional 2D fighting games began to decline in popularity, with specific franchises falling into difficulty due to 3D fighters. Although the release of ''[[Street Fighter EX]]'' introduced 3D graphics to the series,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198825-street-fighter-ex-plus-alpha/index.html |title=Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha for PlayStation |work=GameRankings |date=September 30, 1997 |access-date=June 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115244/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198825-street-fighter-ex-plus-alpha/index.html |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/152/152120p1.html |title=Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha – PlayStation Review at IGN |work=Uk.psx.ign.com |date=October 26, 1997 |access-date=June 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831203226/http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/152/152120p1.html |archive-date=August 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Imagine+Media%27s+PSM+Names+Top+25+PlayStation+Games+of+All+Time.-a050215867|title=Imagine Media's PSM Names Top 25 PlayStation Games of All Time|date=August 3, 2011|access-date=May 19, 2011|publisher=Imagine Media|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610005652/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Imagine+Media%27s+PSM+Names+Top+25+PlayStation+Games+of+All+Time.-a050215867|archive-date=June 10, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> both it and ''[[Street Fighter: The Movie (arcade game)|Street Fighter: The Movie]]'' flopped in arcades.<ref name=sfhistory /> A home video game also titled ''[[Street Fighter: The Movie (home video game)|Street Fighter: The Movie]]'' was released for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] and [[Sega Saturn]], but it is not a [[Porting|port]], but a separately produced game based on the same premise.<ref>''All About Capcom Head-to-Head Fighting Game 1987–2000'', pg. 288</ref> Capcom released ''Street Fighter III'' in 1997 which features improved 2D visuals, but is also unable to match the impact of earlier games.<ref name=sfhistory /> Excitement stirred in Japan over ''[[Virtua Fighter 3]]'' in arcades,<ref name="segahistory" /> and Sega eventually ported the game to its [[Dreamcast]] console.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/action/virtuafighter3tb/news.html?sid=2448719 | title = Dreamcast Virtua Fighter 3 Ships | work = GameSpot | access-date = October 12, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090204185410/http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/action/virtuafighter3tb/news.html?sid=2448719 | archive-date = February 4, 2009 | url-status = live }}</ref> Meanwhile, [[SNK]] released several fighting games on its [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo]] platform, including ''[[Samurai Shodown II]]'' in 1994, ''[[Real Bout Fatal Fury]]'' in 1995, ''[[The Last Blade]]'' in 1997, and annual updates to its ''[[The King of Fighters]]'' franchise.<ref name="The History of SNK">{{cite web | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6089278/index.html | title = The History of SNK | work = GameSpot | access-date = January 12, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090216195839/http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6089278/index.html | archive-date = February 16, 2009}}</ref> ''[[Garou: Mark of the Wolves]]'' from 1999 (part of the ''Fatal Fury'' series) was considered one of SNK's last great games;<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fatal-fury-mark-of-the-wolves-review/1900-2822675/ | title = Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves Review | work = GameSpot | author = Andrew Seyoon Park | date = November 5, 2001 | access-date = June 19, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160413085419/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fatal-fury-mark-of-the-wolves-review/1900-2822675/ | archive-date = April 13, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref> the company announced that it would close its doors in late 2001.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p3_16.html | title = The Best and Worst of 2001 – BEST FIGHTING GAME | work = GameSpot | year = 2001 | access-date = November 12, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090205011140/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p3_16.html | archive-date = February 5, 2009 | url-status = live }}</ref> ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' reported that in 1996, U.S. gamers spent nearly $150&nbsp;million on current generation fighting games, and in Japan, fighting games accounted for over 80% of video game sales.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 1997|title=Everybody's Kung-Fu Fighting|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6b/EGM_US_099.pdf|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|issue=99|page=196|access-date=June 1, 2020|archive-date=July 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719142433/https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6b/EGM_US_099.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The fighting game genre continued to evolve, with several strong 3D fighting games emerging in the late 1990s. [[Namco]]'s ''[[Tekken (video game)|Tekken]]'' (released in arcades in 1994 and on the PlayStation in 1995) proved critical to the PlayStation's early success, with its [[Tekken|sequels]] also becoming some of the console's most important games.<ref>{{cite web | author = Gerstmann, Jeff | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ps/action/tekken3/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | title = Tekken 3 Review | website = GameSpot | date = March 30, 1998 | access-date = January 11, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120716220916/http://uk.gamespot.com/ps/action/tekken3/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review | archive-date = July 16, 2012}}</ref>  The [[Soul (series)|''Soul'' series]] of weapon-based fighting games also achieved considerable critical success, beginning with 1995's ''[[Soul Edge]]'' (known as ''Soul Blade'' outside Japan) to ''[[Soulcalibur VI]]'' in 2018.<ref>{{cite web | author = Robertson, Ed | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ps/action/soulblade/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | title = Soul Blade Review | website = GameSpot | date = April 3, 1997 | access-date = January 11, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120716024748/http://uk.gamespot.com/ps/action/soulblade/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review | archive-date = July 16, 2012}}</ref><ref name="soul4">{{cite web|title=Soulcalibur IV Review|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/soulcalibur-iv-review/1900-6195194/|author=Calvert, Justin|date=July 31, 2008|website=GameSpot|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507095551/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/soulcaliburiv/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review&page=2|archive-date=May 7, 2010|access-date=January 11, 2009}}</ref> [[Tecmo]] released ''[[Dead or Alive (video game)|Dead or Alive]]'' in the arcades in 1996, porting it for the Sega Saturn in 1997 and PlayStation in 1998. It spawned a [[Dead or Alive (franchise)|long-running franchise]], known for its fast-paced control system, innovative [[counterattack]]s, and [[environmental hazard|interactive environments]]. The series again included games important to the success of their respective consoles, such as ''[[Dead or Alive 3]]'' for the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] and ''[[Dead or Alive 4]]'' for the [[Xbox 360]].<ref name="DOA4" /><ref>{{cite web | author = Staff | url = http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/152/152306p1.html | title = Dead or Alive (PS) | website = IGN | date = March 27, 1998 | access-date = January 12, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110713005618/http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/152/152306p1.html | archive-date = July 13, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves...|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/two-men-enter-one-man-leaves/1100-6142102/|author=Rorie, Matthew|date=January 9, 2006|work=GameSpot|access-date=January 12, 2009}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In 1998, ''[[Bushido Blade (video game)|Bushido Blade]]'', published by [[Square (video game company)|Square]], introduced a realistic fighting engine that features three-dimensional environments while abandoning time limits and health bars in favor of an innovative Body Damage System, where a sword strike to a certain body part can amputate a limb or decapitate the head.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 25 Beat-'Em-Ups: Part 1|work=[[Retro Gamer]]| date=October 2, 2009|url=http://www.nowgamer.com/features/434/top-25-beat-em-ups-pt-1|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160523152229/http://www.nowgamer.com/features/434/top-25-beat-em-ups-pt-1|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 23, 2016|access-date=March 17, 2011}}</ref>

Video game enthusiasts took an interest in [[fictional crossover]]s, which feature characters from multiple franchises in a particular game.<ref name="financialexpress">{{cite news | url = http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Nintendo-designs-fighting-game-for-its-Wii-console/284337/ | title = Nintendo designs fighting game for its Wii console | newspaper = The Financial Express | access-date = October 12, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080622032815/http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Nintendo-designs-fighting-game-for-its-Wii-console/284337/ | archive-date = June 22, 2008 | url-status = live }}</ref> An early example of this type of fighting game is the 1996 arcade release ''[[X-Men vs. Street Fighter]]'' (which later became the ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' series), featuring [[comic book]] [[superhero]]es and characters from other Capcom games.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} In 1999, [[Nintendo]] released the [[Super Smash Bros. (video game)|first game]] in the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' series, which allowed match-ups from various franchises, such as [[Pikachu]] vs. [[Mario]].<ref name="financialexpress"/>