Everything You Should Know About Fighting Games
One of the many things I like to do with this show is introduce you to parts of video game culture that can be confusing, intimidating, or locked behind the gates of overly protective fandoms. So, today marks the first episode in a format I’m bluntly calling “Everything You Should Know About.” Hey, sometimes clarity outweighs creativity.
What matters is that these episodes, sprinkled throughout each Post Games season, will guide you through the entrance of video game genres, sub-cultures, and fandoms, sending you off to confidently and comfortably explore further on your own.
To kick things off: Fighting Games.
Decades ago, the sweltering days of summer were fighting game season for a young Chris Plante. With few games released between June and August, desperate gamers like myself would succumb to the hype of the latest trendy fighter and delude ourselves into believing this would be the school break in which we learn how to spar. Virtually, of course.
Super Street Fighter Turbo on the Sega Genesis. Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers on the Sega Saturn. Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast. Without online matchmaking, I could convince myself for weeks, even months, that my single-player skills would translate to competitive play. Then, I’d visit an arcade on vacation and get my ass smacked.
For my entire gamer life, fighting games have intimidated me with their insular jargon, high skill floor, and ever-evolving meta. Hell, for years, I didn’t understand what meta even meant. And because I couldn’t “get good” at fighting games, I felt barred from their community. Which is silly, because as this episode’s guest will attest, any local fighting game community would have been thrilled to welcome me.
With Marvel’s latest fighting game reviving the “fighting game of the summer” trend from my teenage years, I wanted to reset my relationship with the genre. I would find someone to demystify fighting games, explaining the history and the appeal not just of the software but of the players.
I found that person in Ash Parrish. Yes, the same Ash Parrish who just guided us through the sexy game causing international controversy.
I’ve been enjoying these three-act interviews. I hope you have to. Plus, a Patreon Bonus: What Are the Ingredients of a Summer Game? If you’d like to support the show and get bonus segments and episodes, including a history of Street Fighter: The Movie, subscribe at Patreon.com/PostGames for $5.
This Week on Post Games:
Act 1: A History of the Fighting Game Genre
Act 2: How to Get into Fighting Games
Act 3: Why Marvel Tokon Is Getting All the Hype
Patreon Bonus: The 5 Ingredients of a Perfect Summer Game
Guests:
Ash Parrish: Senior reporter, Kotaku
Bonus episodes!
Keep Post Games alive by supporting the show on Patreon for $5! Every bonus segment! Every bonus episode! No ads!
The subscription includes the freshly released Patreon-exclusive episode “The History of Metroid,” featuring Mothership co-founder and Triple Click co-host Maddy Myers. Easily one of my favorite bonus eps yet. Join now at Patreon.com/PostGames.
Act 1: A History of the Fighting Game Genre
Street Fighter 1: An oral history (Polygon)
Everything you ever wanted to know about Street Fighter history (Polygon)
EVO Events (EVO)
Official Evo Moment #37, Daigo vs Justin Evo 2004 in HD (Evo Events/YouTube)
The esports Moment that Changed Fighting Games Forever (IGN Games/YouTube)
The Most ICONIC Moments in EVO History (theScore esports/YouTube)
Best of Justin Wong at Evo (Evo Events/YouTube)
Act 2: How to Get into Fighting Games
Nine Tips For Women (And Anyone Else) Attending Their First Fighting Game Tournament (Kotaku)
The Women Of The Fighting Game Community Have One Clear Request: ‘Listen’ (Kotaku)
Find My FGC (findmyfgc.cc)
EVO Locals (EVO)
Tekken 8 (Steam)
Meet SonicFox, The Queer Furry Who’s Destroying Everyone Else At Fighting Games (Kotaku)
‘Defender of trans rights’ SonicFox claims WePlay UFL Mortal Kombat championship (Outsports)
Funniest BRIDGET Memes! (YukkoEX/YouTube)
Why Guilty Gear Strive’s Bridget Is Such a Big Deal for Trans Gamers (Them)
MUSLIM BECOMES BEST TEKKEN PLAYER IN THE WORLD (Smile 2 Jannah/YouTube)
Marvel vs. Capcom - The COMPLETE History (1993-2020) (Johnny Vector/YouTube)
The History of Marvel vs. Capcom & It’s Many Defeats (It Was Just 2) (Secret Galaxy/YouTube)
Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection (videogamedunkey)
Fighting Game Content Creator Mega List (r/Fighters)
Act 3: Why Marvel Tokon Is Getting All the Hype
MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls (Steam)
Marvel Tōkon Launches To Abysmal 44% Rating On Steam: ‘They Should Have Pushed The PC Release Date Back Until They Figured This Out’ (Kotaku)
Marvel Tokon Stumbles to Mixed Steam Reviews as ‘Miserable’ PC Port Complaints Prompt Response From Arc System Works (IGN)
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is a gorgeous fighting game with Hulk-sized problems (Kotaku)
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Review So Far (IGN/YouTube)
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother | Official Trailer (Amazon MGM/YouTube)
Patreon Bonus: The 5 Ingredients of a Perfect Summer Game
A Short Hike (Steam)
Dave the Diver (Steam)
Keep Driving (Steam)
Super Mario Sunshine (Nintendo)
Boku No Natsuyasumi 2 (Hilltop/Patreon)
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (Nintendo)
Pokemon Sun and Moon (Wiki)
Paradise Killer (Steam)
Wave Race 64 (Nintendo)
Tchia (Steam)
Street Fighter: The Movie — What went wrong (Polygon)
The Making of Street Fighter: The Movie (Audiobook) (Post Games Patreon)
Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 English Patch Release! (Hilltop/Patreon)
action button reviews boku no natsuyasumi (Action Button/YouTube)
This Week in Video Game Links
Lust in space: Stellar Blade vs. NieR: Automata (Mothership)
Hardcore FPS immediately becomes Steam top seller as devs list ‘10 reasons not to buy’ it (PC Gamer)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: The Kotaku Review (Kotaku)
REVIEW The Pico GX Makes One Of Console Gaming’s Most Infamous Flops Infinitely More Appealing (Time Extension)
Nanashi no Game Me: A real eye-opener (Kimimi)
Amazon Wants To Use Twitch Streams To Train AI (Aftermath)
Free Game of the Week: Knytt Classic
A remake of one of the great early indie games is available for free. To call Knytt Classic the best deal of the week is somehow an understatement. Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the indie freeware classic, rebuilt for modern machines! Explore a maze-like planet as the Knytt, a peaceful being abducted by aliens, find your missing ship parts, and get back home in this zen-like atmospheric platformer.” (Steam)
What Else I’m Enjoying
A playboy NFL agent was in line to run the Seahawks. Then came the crossbow killing (The Athletic)
For ‘One Night Only,’ Impotence Is Bliss (The Ringer)
Charli XCX | Outside Lands 2026 | Full Set (RemasterKingdom4.0/YouTube)