The fighting game genre is related to but distinct from beat 'em ups, which involve large numbers of enemies against the human player. The first game to feature fist fighting was Heavyweight Champ in 1976, but it was Karate Champ which popularized one-on-one martial arts games in arcades in 1984.
Sega's black-and-white boxing game Heavyweight Champ, released for arcades in 1976, is considered the first video game to feature fist fighting.
During the 1980s publications used the terms "fighting game" and "beat 'em up" interchangeably, along with other terms such as "martial arts simulation" (or more specific terms such as "judo simulator").
Games using this technology include Skullgirls and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition. == History == === Origins (1970s to early 1980s) === Fighting games find their origins in martial arts films, especially Bruce Lee's Hong Kong martial arts films which featured concepts that would be foundational to fighting games, such as Game of Death (1972) which had Lee fighting a series of boss battles and Enter the Dragon (1973) which was about an international martial arts tournament.
Sega's jidaigeki-themed arcade action game Samurai, released in March 1980, featured a boss battle where the player samurai confronts a boss samurai in one-on-one sword-fighting combat. One-on-one boxing games appeared on consoles with Activision's Atari VCS game Boxing, released in July 1980, and Sega's SG-1000 game Champion Boxing (1983), which was Yu Suzuki's debut title at Sega.
In North America, Data East ported Karate Champ to home computers in October 1985, becoming one of the best-selling computer games of the late 1980s.
The same year, Martech's Brian Jacks Uchi Mata for home computers featured novel controller motions for grappling maneuvers, but they were deemed too difficult. In the late 1980s, side-scrolling beat 'em ups became considerably more popular than one-on-one fighting games, with many arcade game developers focused more on producing beat 'em ups and shoot 'em ups.
The fighting game genre is related to but distinct from beat 'em ups, which involve large numbers of enemies against the human player. The first game to feature fist fighting was Heavyweight Champ in 1976, but it was Karate Champ which popularized one-on-one martial arts games in arcades in 1984.
It went on to influence Konami's Yie Ar Kung Fu, released in October 1984.
The player could also perform up to sixteen different moves, including projectile attacks, and it replaced the point-scoring system of Karate Champ with a [meter] system, becoming the standard for the genre. Irem's Kung-Fu Master, designed by Takashi Nishiyama and released in November 1984, was a side-scrolling beat 'em up that, at the end of each level, featured one-on-one boss battles that resemble fighting games.
Nintendo's boxing sequel Super Punch-Out, released for arcades in late 1984 and ported by Elite to home computers as Frank Bruno's Boxing in 1985, featured martial arts elements, high and low guard, ducking, lateral dodging, and a KO meter that is built up with successful attacks, and when full enables a special, more powerful punch to be thrown.
Broderbund's Karateka, designed by Jordan Mechner and released at the end of 1984, was a one-on-one fighting game for [computers] that successfully experimented with adding plot to its fighting action, like the beat 'em up Kung-Fu Master. By early 1985, martial arts games had become popular in arcades.
Nintendo's boxing sequel Super Punch-Out, released for arcades in late 1984 and ported by Elite to home computers as Frank Bruno's Boxing in 1985, featured martial arts elements, high and low guard, ducking, lateral dodging, and a KO meter that is built up with successful attacks, and when full enables a special, more powerful punch to be thrown.
Broderbund's Karateka, designed by Jordan Mechner and released at the end of 1984, was a one-on-one fighting game for [computers] that successfully experimented with adding plot to its fighting action, like the beat 'em up Kung-Fu Master. By early 1985, martial arts games had become popular in arcades.
On home computers, the Japanese MSX version of Yie Ar Kung-Fu was released in January 1985, and Beam Software's The Way of the Exploding Fist was released for PAL regions in May 1985; The Way of the Exploding Fist borrowed heavily from Karate Champ, but nevertheless achieved critical success and afforded the burgeoning genre further popularity on home computers in PAL regions, becoming the UK's best-selling computer game of 1985.
In North America, Data East ported Karate Champ to home computers in October 1985, becoming one of the best-selling computer games of the late 1980s.
Other game developers also imitated Karate Champ, notably System 3's computer game International Karate, released in Europe in November 1985; after Epyx released it in North America in April 1986, Data East took unsuccessful legal action against Epyx over the game.
Other game developers also imitated Karate Champ, notably System 3's computer game International Karate, released in Europe in November 1985; after Epyx released it in North America in April 1986, Data East took unsuccessful legal action against Epyx over the game.
Yie Ar Kung-Fu went on to become the UK's best-selling computer game of 1986, the second year in a row for fighting games.
In 1987, Street Fighter introduced hidden special attacks.
The game also introduced pressure-sensitive controls that determine the strength of an attack, though due to causing damaged arcade cabinets, Capcom replaced it soon after with a six-button control scheme offering light, medium and hard punches and kicks, which became another staple of the genre. In 1988, Home Data released Reikai Dōshi: Chinese Exorcist, also known as Last Apostle Puppet Show, the first fighting game to use digitized sprites and motion capture animation.
Starting in the early 1990s, most fighting games allowed the player to execute special attacks by performing specific input combinations.
Programmers had difficulty producing a game that could recognize the fast motions of a joystick, and so players had difficulty executing special moves with any accuracy. === Mainstream success (early 1990s) === The release of Street Fighter II in 1991 is considered a revolutionary moment in the fighting game genre.
Its success led to fighting games becoming the dominant genre in the arcade game industry of the early 1990s, which led to a resurgence of the arcade game industry.
In 1991, Capcom's highly successful Street Fighter II refined and popularized many of the conventions of the genre.
Programmers had difficulty producing a game that could recognize the fast motions of a joystick, and so players had difficulty executing special moves with any accuracy. === Mainstream success (early 1990s) === The release of Street Fighter II in 1991 is considered a revolutionary moment in the fighting game genre.
The popularity of Street Fighter II led it to be released for home game consoles and becoming the defining template for fighting games. SNK released Fatal Fury shortly after Street Fighter II in 1991.
Beginning with Midway's Mortal Kombat released in 1992, the Mortal Kombat series introduced "Fatalities" in which the victor kills a knocked-out opponent in a gruesome manner. Fighting games often include a single-player campaign or tournament, where the player must defeat a sequence of several computer-controlled opponents.
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