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The History of Fighting Games

Fighting games are found everywhere today, but in the early 1970s, they were in rare form and still developing. Throughout the years, fighting games have evolved and become a 3D battle extravaganza featuring key franchises and putting some new games on the map.

1970s
- One of the first fighting games was a black and white boxing game entitled "Heavyweight Champs." The only fighting in this game was boxing as players moved their characters and tried to knock out an opponent.
1980s
- Two of the first successful fighting games available were "Karate Champ" and "Ye Air Kung Fu." These were simplified fighting games featuring moves like punch, kick and jump.
1990s
- Boxing games evolved with the release of "Super Punch Out" for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Other wrestling and boxing games for 1990s systems included "Mike Tyson Boxing," "WWE Royal Rumble," and "WWE Wrestlemania." These games created a separate genre of fighting games.
Street Fighter
- "Street Fighter" and "Street Fighter II" defined fighting games. The characters were all different and featured different skills that could be used to their advantage. The characters also had special moves that enabled power-ups and easy defeats for opponents.
Mortal Kombat
- 'Mortal Kombat" became Street Fighter's main competitor. These games offered a more violent style for the fighting genre. Images were used that depicted blood and violent moves, such as beheadings.

Classic Console Games