The Intros of Fighting Games
Majin Obama
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that handshake changed everything
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14.03.2022
born in ‘96 and i remember being confused yet intrigued by Tekken 4’s arcade machine as a kid
The Vs series, with your statement you made. You hit the nail on the head.
dude , this is so sick , mad props on all your videos as of late
Tatsunoko vs Capcom is a personal favorite of mine. Not only did it give me a sort of starter pack before my formal introduction to anime, but the intros are so memorable to me. The Japanese intro has the better animation but the Overseas version has the better song. The rap is cheesy as hell, but I see that as a win. Who says you can't have some cheese with your wine?
Heritage for the Future's was cool because you had multiple variations with DIO, Hol Horse, and Vanilla Ice and each was a different song.
Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer's PS1 version has sick intro too. The intro includes clips from the OVA, which is cool. But where it really shines is the song itself. They brought in MASAAKI ENDOH, aka the singer of GaoGaiGar's opening. As if having your MC voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama and bringing in Masami Obari for your character designer didn't make your game hot-blooded enough!
As a person who was born in the late 90s. Going to the arcades were experiences that cannot be replaced.
Again, great video.
Focusing on the passion that is involved when experiencing these games really is a welcome sight in the landscape of numbers.
You can't really measure the feeling of having your senses overwhelmed when you first walk into an arcade or the excitement of booting up
the game you just rented for the first time after reading the manual on the car ride home. No matter how "good" the game turned out to be,
these moments were special and nowadays not many things can replicate that feeling. Maybe that's part of growing up.
For me it has to be Budokai 1 and ESPECIALLY Budokai 2. I remember thinking "who is that guy? He looks badass!" When first seeing Super Saiyajin 3 Goku for
a split second in the intro. Even knowing who Goku was from recalling fragments of the TV show (I hadn't learned to read yet), I thought it was a different character.
Still to this day I'm raising my arms to the Genkidama at the end with Hironobu Kageyama's singing bringing my blood to a boil.
Loved seeing you announce Melty for evo. Keep it coming.
Cheers!
Those SFxT cinematic trailers got me and the homies hootin and hollerin' to this day, definitely one of the more memorable intros over the years imo
Vampire savior and alpha 3 nearly capped out what they could put into a cps2 board, it sort of explains why marvel vs Capcom intro was a bit less elaborate than vsav/alpha3 so they could jam more into the game proper
Thanks for mentioning soul edge i love fighting game lore
Anywho my favorite intro has to be soulcalibur 4 because nothing will top darth fucking vader dueling mitsurugi while nightmare stands atop a tower fucking shit up.
One of my all time favorites is the Blaz Blue chronophantasma arcade opening, it's so fucking dope
Soul Calibur 2 was gold for me, when I picked it up as a kid. The somber intrepid spirit is captured in the intro really well, even though it feels really intense And getting to see just a small scrap of feeling about who each character was went a long way for initial character appeal. and getting into the setting and game.
T4 and T5 were also quite hype christmas mornings. Honorable mention to Melee.
7:40
I remember typing something like that on Sora_Sakurai Twitter page when Sora joined Smash. I said “That scene reminded me of when Ryu & Cyclops shook hands for the first time.
In the tekken 4 intro kazuya opts to punch a man that he has a gun stuck up to. Epic shit.
I never played Guilty Gear X in the arcades, but I did play Guilty Gear X2 on the PS2, which included the anime video you used as a bonus feature in its gallery. Was that anime actually used in the arcade port of GGX?
The Tekken series always had the heaviest-hitting openings, especially when the console releases EXPANDED on what was shown in the arcades.
I just happened to be going through old notes about video game openings (overall) when I got this in my recommendations.
Prior to watching this, several factors came to mind: time, technological limitations and/or shortcuts, and so on.
At its core, one thing was always important: that the Intro had to catch your attention and give you a reason to give it the time of day. Between time and spectacle, time was paramount; the "best" openings could attract potential players within the same length of time as your average TV opening, especially if you haven't pressed anything yet. Yes, this might create a sharp divide between S- and A-tier openings, but if a line had to be drawn, this would be my first criteria. And you'd be surprised which ones could actually make the cut.
The…art of the "Attract Mode" might often be overlooked by every generation, but it has yet to truly die, as games past and present continue to utilize it as intended.
Now, I don't have many arcade-specific examples; you've already covered most of the good ones, and my personal experience is severely limited after the early 2000s. I will try to touch on a few openings that either had that "arcade" touch or were just that good to warrant mentioning here (links will be provided):
"The King of Fighters XIII"
https://youtu.be/vyrNFCmvDgo
Opening on the two major twists of the last (canon) installment comes a beautifully-animated intro to close out the "Tales of Ash" story arc. Above everything else, it's the music that really sold the game's "grand finale" feel to me (no, we knew this wasn't going to be THE end, but if it had to be, I wouldn't complain).
"Sonic Adventure" (Dreamcast version)
https://youtu.be/_efv7ZGAdjo
It's very important to specify the original opening; updated re-releases have made minor changes that kinda alter the overall experience.
That being said, this intro marked Sonic's "true" jump into 3D. Whereas Mario's 3D debut allowed you to pull his face, this one was completely cinematic, but it told you exactly what to expect: higher stakes, a few new faces alongside old faves, and a soundtrack that would shape several generations of Sonic games.
The way that the sound transitions between its peaceful start, the chaotic points (Chaos appearing, the Egg Carrier launching, etc.) before stablizing into the iconic chorus of "Open Your Heart" is amazing.
"River City Girls" and "River City Girls Zero"
RCG: https://youtu.be/FSYhxhuUsq4
RCGZ: https://youtu.be/9lmRUtkaQyM
Both games hilariously condense their story in under a minute, complete with a cheesy song and solid animation.
What I like most about both games is how the Press Start screen just sneaks up on you, if you just let the opening play out. Heck, you can let the full version of RCGZ's opening theme play out, if you want.
"The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors"
https://youtu.be/P2nfQiwsAdc
A remake of the SNES game, "The NInja Warriors", this opening improves on the original with an arranged soundtrack, updated visuals, and some extra animated touch-ups.
Despite being a console-exclusive (the first game was not), this intro has all the fixings of your typical arcade "Attract Mode".
"Splatterhouse 2"
https://youtu.be/DFS2LsmjbBc
Despite this game pulling a mulligan with the downer ending of the first arcade-exclusive game, it doesn't pull any punches with this console-exclusive opening. It retains much of its dark atmosphere in the visuals, with music that perfectly captures that B-movie action-horror vibe.
That's gonna do it for now. I think I'm going to stick around and see what's available, and perhaps, long enough to see your next new video.
Thanks and take care.
Rival Schools' PS1 opener is my fav. The story, song, how it set the tone, nothing really surpassed it for me.
Another banger! These informative videos are fantastic bro, keep up the good work 👍🏾
God I fucking love fighting games it always warms my heart to hear someone talk the history of the genre
He is right if you werent around in the 90s this will be hard to understand. The sheer anticipation, hype and excitement when these intros flashed before our eyes.
In the analog days totally offline you’d have a friend over and not skip the intro both being in total awe of the amazing visuals and cinematics we couldnt believe to that time. Good times.
tekken 5 is the all time goat.
Someone 18 years old wont have that memory. They have to be between 30 and 50 years old
Intros are dying. Kofxv, Mk11, Injustice, dont have intros that sucks
Bro how are you not going to put dragon ball budokai tenkaichi 3
https://youtu.be/55KGua5iW0E
This man did a whole video on fighting games and didn't mention MK. 😂
"…and we hadn't even put the coin in yet"
great content
Favorites, eh… I have a fair number, so it's kinda long, and moreso to go into EXACTLY why for each.
Being a Tekken fanatic, I like 4-Tag 2's openings, although Tag 1 and Tekken 2 are soft spots for me. Despite how milque toast the game itself ended up, SFxT just had a vibe that made me ready to fight, where as SF3: Third Strike, a game I adore, had a simplistic charm visually, but with the song use, I could groove to, making those two intros I never press start to right away.
Melty Blood Actress Again is another on that list, and while I initially wasn't impressed with Under Night InBirth's, that eventually grew on me, and was kinda glad that MB Type Lumina followed, granted the latter I favor more for the tune.
Despite its simplicity, Capcom vs. SNK 2's also hits home for me, just as it pumps me up. But in the animated sense, similar could be said for DBZ Budokai 3, Shin Budokai: Another Road, FighterZ, and DBGT Final Bout, but the song choice for the localized version docks points for me. Smash Melee and Ultimate are also tops for me regarding that series, and a special mention goes to Blazblue overall
Damn. I miss them a lot. I seems like fighting games nowadays never have intros. That's the best way to hype up the fighting game. And you could always skip the intro if you wanted to. Plus all Blazblue intros and Under Night and Persona captivated me. And the Soul Calibur ones, especially SC3.
What I hate about the "teaser" current concept is that is supposed to be a mystery thing. Yet it's already spoiled once is uploaded here. Because of course, you need to spoil it in the title.
The two guys in the street fighter 2 intro need to be playable characters someday!
X!!! This is X-Men vs Street Fighter!!!
for me what attracts me to intros is the music, if i can remember the music then i will remember the intro and every detail playing out in my head. Street Fighter Alpha 3 intro is the best example of that along with Tekken Tag 1, Street Fighter Third Strike, some Anime based games like alot of the Naruto games and Dragonball Z games
Cant believe you show Sonic Fighters my 6 yr old nephew loves this crap.
Great video man!! Number one for me is Ken and Ryu bouncing in the grass, wind blowing, lightning striking!! Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.
Super SF2, Tekken 2…best intros to me.
So 7:02 what game It Is?
You should include those acrade shooting games such as time crisis, virtual cop and house of the dead.
An intro that holds a special place in my heart is the rival schools anime intro. I used to let it play simply for the music alone. It was a childhood game of mine that I've played religiously and that intro lives in my head rent free, and I'm ok with that 😄. Now for a non fighter its definitely Tenchu Wrath of Heaven again for the music. Its just 😙👌 beautiful! The music is usually what grabs my attention and gets me excited to play a game.
I humbly suggest everyone listen to the intro theme to Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution. That song is hype.
That ending hit home
Dope video earned a sub
What you know about that Streets Of Rage and Final Fight in the bowling alley?? 😂
That Sacredness Fairy track at 6:08 tho :")
Tekken3 arcade version
Why are they fighting in the street fighter opening? Cuz unlike storm and some black women, well usually at least, the black man is hated by ALL. Not a dark skinned soul in the entire crowd see? Plus i've noticed a mental mark left on Japan ever since the atomic bombs got dropped on them. In order to get under the good graces of whites(USA) they like to show them that THEY can hate blacks too. Proof: i just finished watching the first season of dragon ball. NOT EVEN ONE black character is drawn without BLACK FACE and and oversized pink lips. Those dark skinned indians tho? Drawn normal. What does this all mean? The black guy in the street fighter intro was just trying to protect himself after he got attacked by a mob of white/japanese people when he was going home after hard day's work. May the racists enjoy hell😔
Big homie the 90s culture ain't die until 05
This really hits home for me. The arcade days were something so special, they will never leave my mind, heart & soul.
Your intro was perfection! You sent me back in time for a minute and for that I thank you! Welcome 👏
I remember seeing cyclops and ryu shaking hands at my local laundrymat. I couldn't believe what I was looking at. I have very fond memories from that era of arcade capcom games. Alpha 2 and Xmen vs street fighter was the shit.
Tekken 3 intro has been my favorite for a very long time. It was my first real fighting game so I'm pretty biased but that intro still make me feel something special.
Heihachi in his pimp suit with a personal army searching some battlefield, that alone immediately made him look cool as hell. Then you got the overview of the cast and they all had their unique scenarios and aesthetics that made you think they're cool as hell and have something going on with them. Yoshimitsu shot especially is so cool. You got this clearly predator inspired scene with a camouflaged guy in a forest but then he becomes visible and it's some alien samurai with a glowing sword.
I'm probaly just being stupid but I feel like the aesthetics like that used to matter a lot more, but that might be cause I didn't have arcades around and only played against AI. These days, when something comes out it's all about the tech, the gameplay, the competitive aspect of it. Meanwhile back then it was much more interesting to speculate on the characters and the world they're in.
The original Melty Blood intro is just really charming to me because of the limitations posed by French Bread working on it (it's just still images with some creative editing and a really good theme to back it up), but arcade intros in general, not just fighting games, have always held a special place in my heart for how they do their best to hook you in immediately.
One example that comes to mind (not fighting games) is the PS2 era of beatmania IIDX games (IIDX RED until EMPRESS) – those "intros" were hella simple, and you'd only really ever see them in the arcade if you watched the cab boot up, but they quickly sell you that style's aesthetic in a nice bitesized package. Nostalgic as hell.
For me Street Fighter Alpha 2 is still my favorite of all time!