History Of 3D Fighting Games Explored

Thanks to GameSpy.com for their ongoing series of articles on fighting games, including 'A Brief History Of 3D Fighters' - Part 1 and Part 2. As the article notes, "It's been ten long years since 3D fighters first appeared. In that time, we've seen the genre toddle from flat-shaded polygons and floaty jumps to extremely realistic texture-mapping and gameplay depth that can exceed some of the best 2D fighters". although the piece points out "...things have been somewhat slow [within the genre] in recent times." There are also histories of the Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur series, all thanks to the recent release of the budget-priced Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution for PS2, and next week's release of Soul Calibur 2 for PS2/Xbox/GameCube.

Power Stone

[dead sun]

They make a pretty good history, but only touch on the Dreamcast as a part. I for one thought that Power Stone/Power Stone 2 were pretty cool 3D fighters for the Dreamcast.

And don't say they aren't fighters. Super Smash Bros. was mentioned as a fighter right after the Dreamcast bit.

Re:Power Stone

[andy_fish]

I think the rule they used was that a "fighter" involves two characters that can only move in 2D.

Well, I guess that rule doesn't work cause some fighters allow you to move towards/away from the camera. But you have to agree there is some line between that and full 3d movement.

I mean, if you want to call every game with 2 or more characters fighting a "fighter" then you'll have to include a lot more than just Power Stone.

Re:Power Stone

[dead sun]

I don't think so because throughout both articles they're referring to games that break the 2D fighter genre. For instance there's the reference to Super Smash Bros. that I mention in my original post. There's also mention of Bushido Blade if I remember correctly, a game that is very non-"fighter" in that there are so many one hit kills it isn't funny.

Power Stone 2 is the game from the Power Stone family I'm more familiar with, but the genius of the game is the interaction with the environment. The ability

Oh for God's Sake

[Anonymous Coward]

Am I getting that old where there needs to be a history of 3D fighting games!?!

Meh

[Milkhorse]

3D fighters are usually fun, I certainly love DOA2 & 3, but they just dont seem to have the same visceral feel and amazing variety as the old 2D stuff. It has always seemed to me that the old school 2D fighters had tons more personality, and for some reason, smacking down some Chun Li whore with a loser like Balrog or Dhalsim hasn't yet been equaled.

Hmm.

[usotsuki]

And speaking of Chun Li.

She's Chinese, right? (And her name in Kanji does read "Chun Li" in Chinese.) But how come when she wins she says "Yatta", which is a purely Japanese word (i.e., not of Chinese origin)? O_o Also, when she says that "Spinning Bird Kick" or whatever, that's with a Japanese accent, not a Chinese accent. (And I think in Super and later she even does Hadoken?!) WTF. Only thing Chinese about her is her name, might as well call her "Shun Rei".

-uso.

Re:Hmm.

[Milkhorse]

You big nerd. I mean, honestly. I think Capcom is trying to give us an example of a CHUGOKUJIN coming to Japan, realizing that they are FAR SUPERIOR in every way, then adopting their language and idioms. Right.

Tekken???

[saden1]

You are a lover not a fight if you can't play Tekken. Seriously, there aren't any fighting games that require as much skills as Tekken series. If i can't pummel it, juggle it, chicken it, pile drive it, and super combo it, it ain't worth playing.

Re:Tekken???

[markimusk]

Speaking of old school, how come the article didn't mention Data East's Karate Champ? Some "history of fighters".

Re:Tekken???

[bmorton]

Speaking of old school, how come the article didn't mention Data East's Karate Champ? Some "history of fighters".

If I recall correctly, Karate Champ wasn't a 3d fighter. :)

http://www.ggdb.com/GGDB/Details.asp?VID=1410&Ca t= TechRoot.KB.HK

Re:Tekken???

[lidocaineus]

I can't tell if this is meant in sarcasm, or just stupidity. Or maybe it's just stupid sarcasm.

3D shmee-D.

[digeratus]

Ahh Doom. You can keep your pantsy realistic 3d models thankyou-very-much, I prefer my 2D floating monster shapes in square rooms.

Oh, and I just want to see what this "extrans" thing is.<i> hello</i>

Hmm.

very last post

[muirhead]

last post!
i'm so +1:bad
Baby Ruby [uklinux.net] says "bwarghhhhh!" [uklinux.net]