As most of you know by now, I’m rather fond of fighting games, especially those that rhyme with Feet Blighter. There’s a good reason for it too. While many view games like Street Fighter, King of Fighters and Guilty Gear as simple button mashers with no real substance to them, they’re wrong – and this video from PBS shows why.
Called “How to play Street Fighter like a Pro,” the mostly dry and humourless video does an excellent job of explaining just how deep and tactical good fighting games are – how they really play out like frenzied chess matches; how it’s all about controlling space and limiting the options your opponent has. And though it uses Street Fighter for its base, its terminology and explanation applies to very nearly all 2D fighting games.
If that interested you in enough to delve a little further in to how fighting games work, there’s a much older, but as excellent video series on Super Street Fighter 2 turbo by video game theorist David Sirlin that’s really good at relaying fighting game basics.
And if that tickles your fancy further, there’s a weighty tome on Fight Game enthusiast site Shouryuken written by Patrick Miller called From Masher to Master: The Educated Video Game Enthusiast’s Fighting Game Primer (PDF, downloadable here) that’ll do what it says on the tin if you follow its simple rules: turn you from a fighting game novice in to a champion.
Street Fighter V can’t come soon enough.
Last Updated: June 24, 2015
Pieter Kruger
June 24, 2015 at 17:21
Firstly, start by playing a real fighting game for grownups like KI and not anything that rhymes with teet biter…..
Hammersteyn
June 24, 2015 at 17:31
http://media.giphy.com/media/jQmVFypWInKCc/giphy.gif
lotti e maddisan
June 25, 2015 at 01:11
??????? you think John `s blog is flabbergasting… yesterday I bought a gorgeous Mitsubishi Evo since getting a cheque for $4484 this-past/4 weeks and-in excess of, 10/k last-month . with-out a doubt this is the easiest-job Ive ever had . I started this 8-months ago and almost immediately was bringin in more than $82, p/h .
You Can Look It Out This Link…..
?? http://www.NetWork/OnlineMoney/ToEver.com
Click?????????????????????????????????????????????????
Admiral Chief's Adventure
June 25, 2015 at 07:58
Hahaha teet biter
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
June 24, 2015 at 17:25
I just press the buttons like a boss, and then something AWESOME happens!
Hammersteyn
June 24, 2015 at 17:33
I just spam Bison’s psycho crusher O_o
Hammersteyn
June 24, 2015 at 17:34
I play the CPU fine, but my online skills are lacking. So much so that Darryn could probably beat me with Dan
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
June 24, 2015 at 17:37
No!… Not Dan?
Blood Emperor Trevor
June 24, 2015 at 18:45
You’re forgetting that D is the undefeated, undisputed, MK journalist champion!
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2015 at 07:46
Dawid then XD
WilliamLNelson
June 25, 2015 at 08:09
….All time hit the lazygamer Find Here