Street Fighter started the industry-standard six-button layout with three punches and three kicks of varying speed and strength, and the first input-command special attacks (quarter-circle forward and a punch, for instance). Street Fighter (1987): It could be called “Fighting Street” depending on where you play it, but the original Street Fighter took the formula of Yie Ar Kung Fu and built on it big time. Yie Ar Kung Fu had quite a following in the arcades, and it inspired another game developer, Capcom, to make a similar game two years later. Any gamer can read that description and pick out the fighting game standards still used today. Once the opponent’s life was drained, he or she was defeated and Oolong can move on. Attacks would be performed by moving the joystick in a certain direction and pressing either punch or kick. Oolong’s opponents fit many of the prototypes we see today: a sumo wrestler (Buchu), a Bruce Lee-esque martial artist with nunchuks (Nuncha), a female warrior who throws steel fans (Fan), and more. That game was Yie Ar Kung Fu, and it was the first 2D fighting game ever. Yie Ar Kung Fu (1985): Way back in the mid-80s (before I was born, for what it’s worth), Konami developed an arcade game that pitted one hero, Oolong, against a gauntlet of eleven formidable fighters in a ladder format. Whether you like fighting games or not, you’ll be amazed at just how far fighters have come.

The long road ahead has been divided into four parts: The Foundation, The Golden Years, The Decline, and the Resurgence. With the resurrection of the genre now in full swing, it’s only fitting that we take a step back and appreciate the trail blazed by this giant genre in gaming. For every Hadoken and TOASTY, there’s a game that doesn’t pack the same punch. The fighting game genre has had a long and storied life.

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