List SNK fighter Innovations

I'd like to know what SNK can be attributed with starting in terms of Fighting game innovation. You know, where they blazed new trails and other's followed?

It is my understanding that SNK was the first company to design the breakable arena's where you fight in one arena, break the wall then fight in a different arena (you're fighting upstairs, you break the floor, now you fight on the first floor). This was done first, as I understand it, in Samurai Shodown 64. DOA fed off of this concept.

SNK designed the first team fighting (2 on 2, 3 on 3 or whatever), with KOF '94. Who designed tag team fighting? SNK? Capcom? Someone else? What game did tag team first show up in?

Who designed the super meter? Was that another SNK innovation, and in which game was it first done (SNK or otherwise)?

Any other innovations coming from SNK? I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of any right now...

Please add any thoughts/ideas and please shoot me down wherever I am incorrect.

Does anyone know if there is a "history of fighting games" website somewhere?

Super meter goes to SNK, starting with Samurai Spirits in 1993. First team game goes to SNK with KOF94. (EDIT: I was wrong, it goes to Kizuna Encouter) The first tag game goes to Capcom though for X-men vs. Street Fighter.

<small>[ July 14, 2003, 12:51 AM: Message edited by: Big Shady ]</small>

I'm not sure, but the zoom feature in Art of Fighting and Samurai Shodown might've been 1sts in fighting games.

Also, the plane-shifting feature and two-on-one battles in Fatal Fury seem that way too.

As for the tag-system, wasn't Kizuna Encounter/Fu'un STB the first before Capcom?

One of SNK'S greatest innovations were putting a decent story in a fighting game spock

striderpunk:
One of SNK'S greatest innovations were putting a decent story in a fighting game spock

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So decent that the "dead" bad guy returns in every sequel. wink

Cnidarian:
Also, the plane-shifting feature and two-on-one battles in Fatal Fury seem that way too.

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Plane shifting, IMO, was the true precursor to pseudo 3D fighters, meaning games where the graphics are 3D, but the only "real" 3D portion is the use of a side step or similar get-out-of-the-way move. How many figthing games are TRUE 3D fighters where you can run around the entire field and aren't limited to facing each other? Power Stone is one I can think. I guess it's harder to make a true 3D fighter fun than it is to make a pseudo 3D fighter fun, since the limitations in pseudo 3D fighters make confrontation inevitable, instead of having someone run around like a chicken.

AFAIK, SNK was the first company to introduce low energy super-moves in the original Art of Fighting.

Also, I believe this was the first one-on-fighter where you had the ability to dash.

AND it also featured a visual representation of damage on your fighter as the round went on, another first from what I understand.

No wonder AoF rocks! buttrock

slerch666:
SNK designed the first team fighting (2 on 2, 3 on 3 or whatever), with KOF '94. Who designed tag team fighting? SNK? Capcom? Someone else? What game did tag team first show up in?

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That's kind of a tricky question, as I believe both Kizuna Encounter and X-Men vs. Street Fighter were released the same year, so I think it actually comes down to which was in development first.

I'm not positive, but my understanding is that it was Capcom who had their title first. However, there are others more qualified to answer, so I'll leave it up to them. wink

Cnidarian:


As for the tag-system, wasn't Kizuna Encounter/Fu'un STB the first before Capcom?

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Yes, Kizuna was released a couple of months before
xmenvssf.

Dashing/running
Dodging
Supers
Taunting
counters

SNK started almost everything we take for granted nowadays in fighters.

Samurai Showdown had a "rage" bar, so to speak, but it did not allow you to do supers. My first recollection of a super bar in a game was Samurai Showdown II and Super Street Fighter II X. What Samurai Showdown did introduce was running, a great feature Capcom never put in any of its games.

Kof 96 was the first game where everyone could roll. Last Blade created attack deflection. And lets not forget Art of Fighting for its many innovations (which have already been mentioned, except a personal favorite of mine, taunting!

<small>[ July 21, 2003, 11:30 PM: Message edited by: daybona ]</small>

slerch666:

It is my understanding that SNK was the first company to design the breakable arena's where you fight in one arena, break the wall then fight in a different arena (you're fighting upstairs, you break the floor, now you fight on the first floor). This was done first, as I understand it, in Samurai Shodown 64. DOA fed off of this concept.

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Sorry, Capcom was the first to do that in X-Men Children of the Atom if I remember well.

first flexible weapons fighter = Ninja Masters
you could sheath and unsheath weapons in mid combo. Before that, in SamSho, your weapon could be knocked out of your hand or broken, but this wasn't as voluntary as in Ninja Masters.

Arcade game with tournement style fighting: World Heroes 2/Jet
Pick multiple players and fight a series of opponents.

Incorporating opponent's moves:
Gowcaiser
you could choose to take a move from an opponent after defeating him/her.

Quicktime games - Matrimelee - by both characters hitting taunt at the same time, you could perform a bemani style reflex compeition in hitting the correct buttons at the right time.

Super deformed character tranformation move: Samurai Shodown 2.

Hidden ending fight = KoF 97. Beat Orochi only using Kyo and get the secret rival fight against Iori.

2 0n 1 fighting: Fatal Fury 1.

Multiple level fighting: DBZ super butohden(AFAIK) - you could move from the air, to ground level, to underwater, knocking opponents from one to another.

First game to use Super Moves for all chracters was Fatal Fury Special, AOF had them but only for Ryo and Robert.

Edit : was galaxy fight the first game to have everlasting BG's with no walls?

<small>[ July 14, 2003, 11:25 AM: Message edited by: NeoDragoN ]</small>

ZOOM!

AOF
SS
LB

I love zoom. It is 50% of what sold me on SS1 back in the day. If every fighter had ZOOM, I'd own more of them.

As far as i know:
-first everlasting stages: Killer Instinct (1994)
-first DMs: Fatal Fury 2 (1993)
-first Tag game ever: International Karate Champ + (Amiga, 1988, 2 vs 1)
-other Tag games: Yu Yu Hakusho: Makyou Touitsusen (Treasure for MD, 1994, 2 vs 2) and Dragon (SNES, MD, 1994, 2 vs 1)
-first breakable walls or floors: Kaiser Knuckle (1994) and X Men: COTA (1994)
-first game with a combo meter: SSF2 (1994)
-first bonus games: Karate Champ (1984??)
-first game with massive chains: Killer Instinct
-first beat'em up with digitalized graphics: Pit Fighters
-first fatalities: Mortal Kombat (er...)

What about juggles, air guard, unblockable moves or counter moves?

Air guard goes to Street Fighter Alpha/Zero I believe. The counter is either SFA or KOF, not sure.

First pursuit goes probably to Darkstalkers or X Men COTA. First dizzy to SF2 (as may, many other things...). First powerable moves to Darkstalkers. First air chains to X Men or Yu Yu Hakusho: MT. First extra-battle bonuses to Samurai Shodown. First SDM to Fatal Fury 3. First juggles...Fatal Fury Special? Don't know, really. BTW, the prize for the first massive juggle system goes to Yu Yu Hakusho Final for SNES, 1994 by Namco. This game introduced another feature, the metamorphic characters.

COMEDISDEGNO:
As far as i know:
-first breakable walls or floors: Kaiser Knuckle (1994) and X Men: COTA (1994)

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Not sure. I know you could destroy the walls in Jubei's level in FFS, as well as kick people of bikes and so on in Kim Kapwhan's level.

I made a list of this sort of thing late last year...

Reversal Moves - Fatal Fury - 1991, Geese's Atemi Nage. If you fought him, you've no doubt seen it.
Two-on-One Fighting - Fatal Fury - 1991, Street Fighter Alpha's much-vaunted "Dramatic Battle" mode existed first in the original Fatal Fury. When fighting the CPU, if another player joined in, the two of you would battle together against the CPU opponent, then would take on each other in a traditional vs. fight.
Super/Desperation Moves - Art of Fighting - 1992, "Haoh Shoukouken!!!" Capcom didn't utilize this idea until Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
Super/Rage Meter - Art of Fighting - 1992, This was a fundamental element of the game... granted, it didn't work too well in the AOF titles, but it was there. KOF and SS refined it greatly.
Backhopping - Fatal Fury 2 - 1992, Double tap back to hop back quickly. (or did AOF have this too?)
Dashing - Samurai Shodown - 1993, A fundamental aspect of most (decent) fighters these days... SS was the first (again, unless AOF beats it).
Guard Crushes - Samurai Shodown - 1993, If an opponent blocks enough attacks, his/her weapon will eventually break and his defense will be broken.
Parrying (specialized blocking) - Samurai Shodown II - 1994, Block at the last instant, and stun your opponent, getting a chance to counterattack.
Rolling - Samurai Shodown II - 1994, Doubletap down-forward or down-back to roll forward or back and avoid attacks.
Multi-Height Jumps - King of Fighters 94 - 1994, Tap the joystick instead of holding to get a super jump.
Dodging - King of Fighters 94 - 1994, Press AB to dodge into the background and avoid attacks.
Outside Assistance/3rd character in fight - King of Fighters 94 - 1994, While in a hold move, or sometimes a combo, pressing BCD could make an undefeated teammate leap in to assist. This later became Capcom's "Helpers" in Marvel vs. Capcom, and Strikers in KOF99-2K1.
Team-based play - King of Fighters 94 - 1994, This is now a common mode in most games, but KOF did it first.
Multiple gameplay modes - Samurai Shodown III - 1996, Slash or Bust, Speed or Power, Extra or Advanced... the multiple versions gave fundamental changes in the gameplay of a character. Capcom later used this for SFA3.

There are more, I expect, but this was all I came up with at the time.

-Deuce

Deuce:

Backhopping - Fatal Fury 2 - 1992, Double tap back to hop back quickly. (or did AOF have this too?)
Dashing - Samurai Shodown - 1993, A fundamental aspect of most (decent) fighters these days... SS was the first (again, unless AOF beats it).

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AoF had back dashing, and so I think it beat out FF2 in this regard.

AoF also had forward dashing, but not running. So, dependant on your definition of "dashing", it may have beaten out SS as well.

Deuce:

Guard Crushes - Samurai Shodown - 1993, If an opponent blocks enough attacks, his/her weapon will eventually break and his defense will be broken.

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Really, I don't remember this feature being in SS. There's the weapon's clash (the one where you have to jam on the joystick and buttons), but I don't recall any sort of actual "weapon break" move until Samurai Shodown II.

COMEDISDEGNO:
First pursuit goes probably to Darkstalkers or X Men COTA. First dizzy to SF2 (as may, many other things...). First powerable moves to Darkstalkers. First air chains to X Men or Yu Yu Hakusho: MT. First extra-battle bonuses to Samurai Shodown. First SDM to Fatal Fury 3. First juggles...Fatal Fury Special? Don't know, really. BTW, the prize for the first massive juggle system goes to Yu Yu Hakusho Final for SNES, 1994 by Namco. This game introduced another feature, the metamorphic characters.

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First air chain actually goes to Darkstalkers

It would be interesting to list SNK's inovations alongside Capcom's to see once and for all who really is the greatest...

Deuce:
Reversal Moves - Fatal Fury - 1991, Geese's Atemi Nage. If you fought him, you've no doubt seen it.
Two-on-One Fighting - Fatal Fury - 1991, Street Fighter Alpha's much-vaunted "Dramatic Battle" mode existed first in the original Fatal Fury. When fighting the CPU, if another player joined in, the two of you would battle together against the CPU opponent, then would take on each other in a traditional vs. fight.

Click to expand...

Damn, how could i forget Ateminage? My fault.

Did FF have 2 vs 1 fighting? Didn't know it, thanks for the info.
BTW, the feature was originally introduced by International Karate Champ + in 1988...

I'd be curious to know which game first featured juggles.

Huxley:
It would be interesting to list SNK's inovations alongside Capcom's to see once and for all who really is the greatest...

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I already know SNK is the greatest; I wouldn't be posting here otherwise! buttrock