Improving the Fighting Game

So after seeing a commercial last night on TV for a new DragonBallZ game, I thought to myself, when was the last time I played a fighting game? I remember playing Street Fighter I and II in high school along with Mortal Kombat and then I played Tekken 3 a little in college, but I remember being very tired of the genre. It was always frustrating to me to learn all of the moves and then be beaten by a button pusher or to fight someone who knew all the moves for a particular game (when I didn't) and have the fight be over in a matter of seconds.

It seems too, that the action got faster, more things happening on the screen at once, which to someone who's picking up the control to that game for the first time, is a little overwhelming (Street Fighter vs. Capcom comes to mind for an example of that). Basically I have these gripes about the genre and I haven't been really interested in playing a fighting game for a very long time.

So, coming back to my opening line, I saw the commercial, thought about how long it's been since I played and thought, what changes could be made to the genre to make me interested again and I actually came up with a few.

1. Extend the life of the combatants. I know you can modify the hit levels so less damage is done in most games, but I mean REALLY extend the life of the combatants. Make it so that even if the guy is just standing there you can't be the tar out of him in less than 4 or 5 minutes. I think that will give everyone the chance to get the hang of the game and fights can start swinging both ways in that length of time.


2. Change it so you can't always be on the attack. Make the player tire out so they have to switch to defense to regain energy. In real life you couldn't just wail on the other person non-stop, your arms get tired, your fists start hurting, you have to back off and circle the guy, giving yourself a little break. I mean adrenaline does play a part in a fight, but it's just for small bursts, it eventually wears out too. I was thinking that depending on the intensity of the punches thrown, the complexity of the combos and special moves delivery, actually cause the player to start panting, make his punches and kicks to get weaker, make him fall down if he tires himself out too much. I think by making this change you will add a new element of strategy to the game, forcing players to learn to play offensively a little smarter and push into the forefront the importance of defense in any fight.

So there you have two suggestions for breathing new life into a genre that for me lost its luster years ago. Maybe I'm wrong about it all and people like the fighting games the way they are, but I personally think it's time for a change.

What do you think?