Fighting games
Fighting genre usually consists of two on-screen characters battling it out against each other in a duel. Characters can be controlled by two players or a player and AI. Fighting games have numerous unique characters with specific fighting style, combos, and special moves, triggered through rapid sequences of various button combinations or corresponding keyboard or joystick movements. These characters tend to be of equal power, so a duel in most cases is decided by a more skilled and experienced player.
Traditionally these games use side camera view, though multiple viewpoints are used by newer games in the genre. The fights are often held in an arena-like setting and the featured characters usually fight unarmed, however, characters with weapons such as swords or guns can be found as well.
Xbox LiveFighting games should not be mixed with Beat 'em Up or Brawler sub-genres which feature overwhelming inequality in term of numbers, with the sole protagonist facing swarms of enemies. Some of the most popular fighting genre games in the industry to this day are Street Fighter, Tekken and Mortal Kombat series. Most fighting genre games include a single-player mode where players can unlock hidden characters and find out more about their favourite fighters' background stories.
Fighting genre is all about capturing a particular spirit. At the end of the day, it's all about understanding that you are not fighting against just another character — it's another player. Developers understand this fact as well, so they constantly rebalance characters and create new means of connecting players across the globe. Those who have never experienced the thrills that the genre offers, will not find any better time to start researching these games, than this very moment. The past few years have been full of new fighting game releases with many more to come in the near future — there is much to be excited about.