If there is one genre of games that has been passed through many generations of gamers, it is definitely fighting games. From the game “Heavyweight Champ,” the father of all fighting games, to the recent release of Mortal Kombat 1, the genre of fighting games has had some sort of influence on anyone who played video games before.
During late 2023, Bandai Namco Entertainment announced Tekken 8, 10 years after the initial release date of Tekken 7, and released on the day of January 24. With Bandai Namco’s new competitive game in the series, many players around the world have been practicing the movesets of their favorite characters, blowing up the competition for e-sport tournaments.
Along with the announcement of Tekken 8, Streetfighter 6 was released for all gaming platforms. Capcom had decided to change things up a bit with their gameplay in their 7th official edition to the Street Fighter series by offering a new beginner-friendly control system! Not only is the control system different, but the developers for Streetfighter 6 decided to implement a game mode known as “World Tour”, where players get to create their own avatar and play through a storyline in which they will have to find the meaning of strength. Players will get to learn how to fight using a custom moveset that they learn from the main characters in the game, and become a true martial arts master.
Along with the release of both Tekken and Streetfighter, Mortal Kombat 1 has also been released for all platforms. The New Mortal Kombat was released on September 14 of last year, being one of the first of the three fighting games to be introduced to players. The game continues the story line from the previous game, Mortal Kombat 11, but the timeline has been completely reset! Meaning that the characters are the same, but their stories are different. Mortal Kombat 1 also features guest characters such as Omni Man, Homelander, and The Peacemaker; making the game more special to those who like superheroes with a more gruesome motif.
With all of these brand new fighting game releases, 2024 is the era for a potential golden age for all fighting game fans. With countless content and live streams, fighting games are slowly but surely taking over the gaming community.
