One thing that is commonly found in all good fighting games is a timer in between the health bars of the two combatants, ticking down slowly (or quickly) to zero. It is an important aspect of the game that plays into the strategy, approach, and ferocity of the game. Continue Reading

Remember the time when I talked about fighting games, and how their simple mechanics makes the games what they are? Well I hope you studied up ‘cause today, we’re delving into the deep end of mind games, mechanics, and tomfoolery:  SHENANIGANS! Continue Reading

Now if you remembered, or read at all, my last article and found it confusing, then go to youTube and watch the finals of some tournament in Texas, California, Las Vegas, New York, Japan, or Chicago. Take basic notes on what each player could have done differently in the match please and review them before coming back to this page. I can wait.

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With EVO 2009 in full swing at time of writing [of this sentence], fighting games are undergoing a resurgence of popularity. The hype surrounding the release of Street Fighter IV on the XBOX 360 and PS3 certainly played a role, but the mechanics of Street Fighter IV plays a huge part also.

Reviews around the release of Street Fighter IV revolved around how “accessible” and “simple” the controls were. How easy it was to jump in and kick ass. Quite frankly, it would be akin to telling someone who just gotten his driver’s license that he can just jump into the 24 HR LeMans race and be a contender. The funny part is that the game is one of the least complicated competitive fighting games out there.

Instead of talking and explaining the entire technical history of Street Fighter (which I almost did), we are going to look at the very core basic of what makes Street Fighter IV a showcase of rock-paper-scissors chess boxing match. Continue Reading