Mortal Kombat 1, the latest installment in the Mortal Kombat series, showcases impressive gore and fatalities, but it doesn't feel excessively grotesque. The game is highly polished, with detailed character models and seamless transitions between cutscenes and fights. While Mortal Kombat 1 appears to focus on delivering a great year for fighting games, the user expresses a preference for Street Fighter 6's story mode, which features quirky encounters and a create-a-character feature. The new Mortal Kombat seems to continue the tradition of remixing the series' complex lore in exciting ways, with cinematic cutscenes approaching Hollywood-level realism.

Figure 1. Fighting Game Fans May Almost Likely Expect the Best Year Ever This Year

Figure 1 shows While there may be some hidden surprises in Mortal Kombat 1's story mode, the user anticipates that it will primarily consist of cutscenes and fights. They express a potential disappointment in this aspect. However, they find solace in Street Fighter 6, which offers a radically different experience, including the ability to give characters like Chun Li unusual items and hope for positive outcomes. The user suggests enjoying both games rather than choosing between them.

The simultaneous release of Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1 reminds the user of the clash between Halo 2 and Half-Life 2 in 2004, which showcased different directions for the FPS genre. Similarly, these two fighting games represent the pinnacle of their respective teams' craftsmanship, offering an abundance of intense gameplay. However, 2023 holds even more exciting prospects for fighting game enthusiasts beyond just these two titles.

Apart from Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1, there are other exciting fighting games on the horizon for 2023. One notable indie newcomer is Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age, featuring a unique 2v2 format with four players simultaneously. It combines toon-shaded art with a 2D fighting game style that incorporates three "lanes" for players to navigate. The game offers a mix of sidestepping footsies and special attacks reminiscent of 3D fighters, while its controls resemble those of Street Fighter. Additionally, the highly anticipated Tekken 8 might potentially arrive in 2023, with Bandai Namco conducting a network test in July. Tekken 7 tournaments continue to be popular, building anticipation for the new Tekken era.

Tekken 7 achieved tremendous success upon its release in 2017 and has continued to sell well over the past six years. In December, it surpassed 10 million sales, making it the highest-selling Tekken game to date. In fact, the Tekken series as a whole has sold even more copies than Street Fighter. However, the hype surrounding Street Fighter 6 has reached unprecedented levels, particularly within the PC gaming community.

Street Fighter 6 experienced a significant surge in popularity on Steam, reaching a peak of 70,000 simultaneous players at launch. This figure surpassed Tekken 7's peak of 19,000 players in 2017 and doubled Mortal Kombat 11's peak of 35,000 players in 2019. The PC gaming platform has seen other breakout fighting games as well. In 2018, Dragon Ball FighterZ debuted with a peak of 44,000 simultaneous players, setting a new record at the time. While these games are available on consoles too, Capcom's decision to switch one of its tournaments from PS4 hardware to PC suggests that the PC platform may become the default choice for competitive play in the future.

The current enthusiasm and excitement surrounding fighting games is a delight to witness. Street Fighter 6's innovative story mode and modern controls option are expected to attract a broader audience who may not have previously considered themselves fans of the series. Mortal Kombat and Tekken, known for their stunning graphics, offer more than just visual appeal. MK1's Kameo system integrates tag fighter mechanics and provides nuanced control over AI partners, while Tekken 8 introduces systems that reward aggressive play and a new control type for inexperienced players.

In the next 12 months, Capcom, Bandai Namco, and Netherrealm are poised to sell more fighting games than ever before, potentially making it the best year in fighting game history. While 1995 stands out as a remarkable year with notable releases like Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Soul Edge, Street Fighter Alpha, and Tekken 2, a closer look at the timeline of fighting games reveals that there have been no shortage of great years for the genre, even during its less popular periods.As 2023 unfolds and more newcomers enter the fighting game scene, it is anticipated that the coming years will offer exciting developments and experiences for players.

Source:PG GAMER

Cite this article:

Janani R (2023), Fighting Game Fans May Almost Likely Expect the Best Year Ever This Year, Anatechmaz, pp.1