When I texted my friend Sean to float the trial balloon for the idea I had on writing  on how 2016 was going to be the year of the fighting game, his immediate response was singular yet inquisitive. “Again?” Was his reply. The one word response belied a hidden complexity within the question; haven’t we heard this before?

And he’s right. We have in the past, been greeted by attention-grabbing gaming magazine blaring out that year X is the year of the fighting game, or Year Y is the year fighting games come back.

Those past headlines were probably more valid proclamations of their times. After all, there was a long period when the fighting game genre was lost in the wilderness. But now, things are better. Fighting games are back and better than ever. And the size of the fighting game community is expanding along with the quality and quantity of the titles available within the genre. New avenues like Twitch and the built in game sharing within the PlayStation 4 have given gamers more opportunities to watch fighting games and appreciate them. The emergence of e-sports as a legitimate pastime has also helped strengthen the genre.

So is it that sets 2016 apart from previous multi-release years for the fighting game genre?

I can’t remember when so many top franchises have had their latest iterations have converged on the same year. And not only do we have new releases for the biggest names in the fighting game genre, DLC is allowing top games that are already on the market a chance to grow, expand, and improve.

Let’s have a look at some of the titles that will make 2016 the year of the fighting game: Xtend Turbo Revenge Edition.

Street Fighter V

No discussion of fighting games is ever complete without mentioning the franchise that gave birth to the genre as we know it, Street Fighter. 2016 will mark the 25th anniversary of the arcade release of Street Fighter II, so what better way to celebrate, than by releasing the next full game in the series, Street Fighter V.

Street Fighter V will take a back to basics approach to the fighting system, eliminating some of the staples from Street Fighter IV, such as Focus Attacks and the Ultra Combo revenge meter. This doesn’t mean that Street Fighter V is losing its complexity. New systems such as the V-Trigger, which offers different abilities for each fighter, have been added to mix things up. Character move-sets have also been been shaken up, with long-standing inputs being rearranged for accessibility. For example, one of the most iconic moves in any fighting game, Chun-Li’s Wind Kick has always been executed by rapidly pressing a kick button multiple times. Street Fighter V changes that tradition, completely altering it to a fireball motion (down, down-forward, forward, and a kick button) and changing the way the move operates in the process. There are a number of other little design changes peppered throughout Street Fighter V, so it will be interesting to see how these alterations play out, especially in high-level tournament play.

Street Fighter V also changes its future DLC game by approaching itself as a service. Capcom has said that unlike previous entries in the series, you will not see Street Fighter V: Ultra Super Edition. Yes, there will be DLC characters added, and yes you can pay real money for them, however you don’t have to. Playing Street Fighter V will earn you in-game credits which can then be used towards the purchase of the new fighters that will become available.

From the two beta tests that I’ve played, I can say that Street Fighter V is shaping up extremely well, and I can’t wait until the official release on February 16th, 2016.

Pokken Tournament

I still have trouble believing that this title exists, let alone the fact that it’s actually coming stateside next year.

For those unfamiliar, Pokken Tournament is a fighting game staring everyone’s favorite little collectible creatures, Pokemon. The unbelievable part is that it’s a Pokemon fighting game developed by the same folks that brought us Tekken. Yes, that Tekken. The most technical 3D fighting game series still being produced.

Despite Pokken Tournament’s technical pedigree, Bandi Namco, the developers behind the game, are aiming for a much more accessible fighting game experience. That’s not to say that it will be a technical slouch though, as there will be plenty of aspects that highly skilled players will be able to sink their teeth into.

Gameplay videos show an attractive mixture of gameplay similar to Tekken, mixed in with some of the Narruto titles of late.

We’ll be able to catch Pokken Tournament when it hit’s the Wii U in the Spring of 2016.

King of Fighters XIV

Back before Capcom was crossing Street Fighter with Tekken, they had another rival contending them for the fighting game crown. That of course, was SNK, who produced great fighting game series such as, Fatal Fury, Samurai Showdown,

and King of the Fighters.

The King of Fighters series was the original 3-on-3 team-based fighting extravaganza. The series has been known for its highly technical, unashamedly old-school style of gameplay. One of the hallmarks of the King of Fighters has been its steady use of hand-drawn 2D sprites. But the times are changing, and King of Fighters XIV will finally eschew the sprite-work in favor of 3D character models akin to what we have seen with Street Fighter IV and Mortal Kombat X. Don’t worry though, the action will still take place on the traditional 2D plane.

King of Fighters XIV’s roster will be immense, weighing in at over 50 playable characters who will all be available right from the start. So even the most picky of players should be able to find a few characters that fit their styles.

No release date has been announced yet for this PlayStation 4 exclusive, although we expect it to be out in the middle of 2016.

Tekken 7

The King of the Iron Fist Tournament is back and the stakes have never been higher for the Mishima clan, or their rivals.

The premiere 3D fighting franchise will burst onto consoles with improved movement, new characters, and even new super combos called Rage Arts.

The new Rage Art system will be very reminiscent of Street Fighter’s Super Combo’s, with a series of high-powered, unblockable attacks pummeling your opponents while the camera briefly zooms in for added dramatic flair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ0fodD-J-o

If an excellent combat engine and beautiful graphics weren’t enough for you, Tekken 7 will also introduce a number of new fighters to the series, including the recent addition of guest character, Akuma from Capcom’s Street Fighter series.

There is no solid release date yet for Tekken 7, however it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to speculate that we’ll see it in the middle of 2016.

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel

Okay, let me come clean on something. I had no Idea this series even existed until this latest entry popped up on my “coming soon” list on Gamefly, where it now eagerly sits atop my queue, waiting for its January release date.

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is being developed by Examu, a Japanese developer founded in 2007 responsible for the respected, yet still very niche, Arcana Heart series of fighting games, as well as other visual novels. Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel crosses over characters from Examu’s various titles into one estrogen-laden (because it’s an all female cast) fighting bonanza.

The gameplay from some of the video’s that I’ve seen is very, shall we say, anime in its aesthetic. I mean, there is one character that commands an army of kitty cats. Stylistically one could say that the game bears a resemblance to the style set forth in Arcana Hearts.

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel will be arriving on PlayStation 4 on January 26th.

Melty Blood: Actress Again

You can be forgiven if you’ve never heard of the Melty Blood series. Although it has achieved a level of respect and notoriety among hard-core fighting game enthusiasts, none of the Melty Blood games has ever appeared U.S. shores. Lucky for us, developer Ark System Works is going to change all that, because the publisher behind classics Guilty Gear and BlazBlue will finally be bringing Melty Blood to the good ol’ U.S. of A, in the form of a port that is headed to the PC through Steam.

Miguel Baires is a friend of mine who happens to be a huge fan of the Melty Blood series, and he allowed me to briefly pick his brain as to what makes Melty Blood so special.

Miguel’s number one reason for loving Melty Blood is its in-depth story which pique’s the interest of the player into finding out who these characters are. The game is based off a series of visual novels, which in addition to the Melty Blood fighting game, has also seen the franchise spin-off into a manga series; thus creating a robust framework for the intricate narrative tapestry woven by developers French Bread and Type-moon.

Miguel also pointed out that a number of characters have variations based off of alternate personalities which alter the way in which that character plays. An example he cited was the character Arcueid, who has a vampire alter-ego known as Red Arcueid.

Publisher Arc System Works will release Melty Blood: Actress Again on Steam in the Spring of 2016.

Under Night: In-Birth

Under Night: In-Birth actually made its debut on the PlayStation 3 in 2015, however it flew under the radar of a lot of gamers. It’s a shame too because Under Night In-Birth as an extremely solid and fun 2D, anime influenced brawler. It takes a more thoughtful, methodical approach to its combat, as opposed to another Ark System Works series, Guilty Gear. Under Night In-Birth’s engine makes it easier to pick up and play than the incredibly technical Guilty Gear, however it still supports an enormous amount of depth for those willing to dive into its well-crafted systems.

Under Night: In-Birth will get a second chance to earn your love and dollars when it is released in 2016 on PC through Steam.

Current Games Getting Updates!

Sure, 2016 is going to see a ton of high-quality new fighting game releases, but let’s not forget some of the heavy-hitters that are already out on the market. Three high profile fighters are about to get some new life, thanks to the magic of DLC.

Super Smash Bros.

What a year it’s been for Nintendo’s seminal fighting game! 2015 saw the insanity of unlikely and legendary characters being added to its roster, in the form of Ryu from the Street Fighter series, and Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII.

2016 will see the final updates for Super Smash Bros in the form of one of my personal favorite characters, Bayonetta!

The sultry witch will be bringing along her signature move-set and summons to aid her in challenging Mario and crew. Nintendo is also releasing Corrin from the upcoming strategy game for the Nintendo 3DS, Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright. So Smash fans will have plenty of reasons to keep on Smashing in 2016. Bayonetta and Corrin are slated to make their entry to Super Smash Bros. sometime in February.

Mortal Kombat X

The most deadly fighting game in existence is about to get its second season of DLC characters, and this crew refuses to rest until they have finished every last one of us.

Mortal Kombat X Season 2 will continue the series tradition of bringing to life nightmarish icons of horror cinema. Joining Freddie Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street and Jason from Friday the 13th will be the always nasty Xenomorph from Aliens, along with the master of heavy-duty landscaping equipment, Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Accompanying the virtual duo of movie stars will be two original characters. Tri-Borg rekindles our love of robots as an amalgamation of Mortal Kombat alumni Sektor, Cyrax, and Robot Smoke, and Bo’ Rai Cho, a drunken master-style kombatant who made his original debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.

Mortal Kombat Season 2 will be available sometime during the first quarter of 2016.

Killer Instinct

Microsoft’s flagship brawler is set for a huge year! Not only are we on the cusp of a slew of new characters entering the arena with the release of Killer Instinct Series 3, Microsoft is also preparing to expand Killer Instinct’s audience thanks to a planned PC release.

Joining Killer Instinct’s roster in 2016 will be a trio of warriors first introduced in Killer Instinct 2, way back in 1996: Kim-Wu, Tusk, and Gargos. A fourth character is completely out of left field. Rash, who you may remember from another Rare series known as Battletoads will be completing the killer combo of combatants when Killer Instinct Season 3 launches in March of 2016.

So is 2016 the year of the fighting game, or is that type of statement a relic of the past? It’s hard to argue, given the amount of high-profile and potentially high-quality lineup of truly diverse fighters that 2016 is anything less.

So all hail 2016, the undisputed year of the fighting game!

 

Are you hitting the gym to get in fighting shape for the plethora of fighting games getting ready to unload in 2016? Is there a game in particular that has you the most excited, or are you planning to enter multiple fights? Get hype in the comments section below.