Spotlight on indie fighting games!

When BlazBlue, SF4, and KOFXII hit the scene, Gamers thought that the fighting game renaissance was again upon us. BlazBlue was considered the successor to the modern 2D fighting, having the same high production values such as Guilty Gear, and rightfully so. However, many see this as just a repackaging, and attempt to create a series as successful as the previous one. SF4 is a decent game, but after the honeymoon phase is over it's pretty much more of the same, just with a different wrapper and flashier supers. If you are still in love with it you'll love the upgraded version that drops this spring. KOF XII had high hopes of revitalizing the series for new gamers, but since the online was completely botched, everyone who was interested apparently jumped ship. And even after the online problems were fixed very few gamers other than the series fans were willing to give it a second glance. The only other stateside release was Battle Fantasia, and despite it's charm and interest that bombed here in the states.

Knowing this information, you would think that fighting games are for the most part on the ropes, but that's clearly not the case. The reality of it is that fighters aren't dead. They're actually alive and well, just thriving elsewhere. "Where?" you may be asking yourself? Well look no further than the laptop or PC you may be reading this blog on.

Programs like Fighter Maker 95 and M.U.G.E.N. have given gamers the tools they need to create a large modding community, where they can create games featuring existing characters as well as create their own. However, the games I want to put under the spotlight are of the latter category: The DIY crowd. The following games are the reason why you should probably keep PC fighters on your radar.

Melty Blood
Developer: Type Moon / ECOLE / Naomi
website: http://e56.info/mbacwin/index.html



I was introduced to Melty Blood at Nekocon back in Virginia, and since have been in constant awe of the series. The combo, and defense system is right up there with games like Guilty Gear, and the animations are fantastic!! Melty Blood has been through four major version updates, with Act Cadenza eventually being released for Playstation 2 and Sega's Naomi arcade board. You might be able to find the older games like ReAct online though some good old fashioned google searching, but if you want to play either version of Act Cadenza importing is your best bet.


SkullgirlS
Developer: Alex Ahad / Team Less Than Three
website: http://www.skullgirls.com/



It was during one of my quests for PC games that i came across SkullgirlS, a crazy all girl fighting game set in a magical world of possessed items. The game is currently still in development, but the demo which currently made the rounds at SDCC o8 should be available on the site.

Yatagarasu
Developer: PDW (??)
Website: http://homepage3.nifty.com/shizapen/



Yatagarasu is a fantastic looking game. It's almost like a kinetic hybrid between Garou: Mark of the wolves and Street Fighter III: Third Strike, due to it's use of EX attacks, parrying and high framerate. The game itself seems to be in development still, but a demo was made available through Comiket, a Japanese Doujin festival. What's really awesome about this game is that the artist is none other than Tomoyuki Kotani aka Styleos. Styleos has been involved with such projects as Psykyo's Daraku Tenshi: The fallen angels, SNK's The King of Fighters 99-2001, and the more obscure Mushihime-sama. Fans any of the games featured in this paragraph should take interest in this monster of a game.


Vanguard Princess
Developer: Suge9
Website: http://suge9.blog58.fc2.com/



I stumbled upon this game on the interwebz, and might i add that it was a most pleasant stumble. Vanguard Princess is the highest of high end indie PC fighters. The game features an all-girl cast, with support characters you can call on to help extend your combos or to get you out of a jam. The graphics are so crisp that you tend to find yourself just staring at it more than playing it, or maybe that's because of the bouncy animation? The big rumor surrounding this game is that Suge9 was formerly employed by Capcom, but I cannot confirm or deny this statement. What I can confirm is that this game sets the bar pretty high for future doujin fighters.

There are so many quality indie fighters out there for PC that I can't stop this article here. I will post more games as I find them, and if anyone wants to email games that i might of missed feel free to drop a line in the comments section.