Fighting video games
Someone once said boxing is the sport all other sports aspire to. It isn’t hard to guess why – whether you play with a ball, puck or shuttlecock, pretty much all sports are just metaphors for battle. Because a game based on mutual annihilation wouldn’t have much of a future, we are forced to settle for these indirect versions. But let’s face it: sometimes you just want to rip out your opponent’s spine and hold it aloft.
Perhaps this is why fighting video games have grown so popular. Ever since the rise of 2D classics like Mortal Kombat and Streetfighter, there has been excitement, adrenaline, and yes, glory, in the accumulation of deadly skills. Video games let us do what we would never think of doing in real life – and everyone still goes home laughing afterward. As such games moved into the home via NES and Sega Genesis, fighting games became all about bragging rights among friends. Today they remain a staple of gaming on every platform.
If you want to do battle on the go, there remains nothing like Rockstar Games’ The Warriors. Originally designed for home consoles, Warriors truly found its home on Sony’s blockbuster PSP platform. Outstanding narrative elements and fast-moving action keeps the game compelling, and the exploits of the nefarious Gramercy Riffs provide an ominous backdrop as you and your buds inch ever closer to the ultimate showdown. This is brawling with anti-hero edge, one that makes the experience all the richer for its complexity.
Looking for something a pugilistic purist could love? You may find a home at Fight Night Round 3 for the Playstation 3, a new boxing title that offers nothing less than the console’s most visceral impacts. Warm up on mini-bags and go toe-to-toe with a dummy before you step into the ring – the extra practice will do you good. When it comes time to climb through the ropes, you’ll need every corner of the sweet science to make your mark, including some serious controller skills. The payoff is every bit as rewarding and immediate as the real thing – minus the throbbing weeklong migraine that follows.
If you’re like many gamers, however, you may believe in your bones that fighting games reached their zenith with Mortal Kombat. Good news: the title is back, this time on the bleeding edge Xbox 360. Xbox Live Arcade has welcomed back the era of mettle-testing among high school ditchers, and the new Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 feels like nothing less than an old friend. All the details, finishing moves, weapons and characters are here, including unlockables and plenty of trash-talking communication tech. If you were the king of your local arcade and wanted to see how you fare against a nation of pretenders, there may be no better way to revisit the 2D glory of your youth.
Renting fighting games is a cinch thanks to the Web’s glut of new sites. Look for strong selections and outstanding customer service if you want to get what you need, when you need it, at the right price.