| Art of Fighting click here: | | | | is also the setting for the Fatal Fury series, while the |
| Art of Fighting (龍虎の拳, Ryūko no Ken,? lit. | | | | third appears to take place in a fictitious area of |
| "Fist of Dragon and Tiger") is a trilogy of competitive | | | | Mexico. |
| fighting game titles that were released for the Neo | | | | The plot of Art of Fighting alludes to Fatal Fury. Art of |
| Geo platform in the early 1990s. It was the second | | | | Fighting 2, for instance, documents the rise of Geese |
| fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the | | | | Howard, a character in Fatal Fury, from corrupt police |
| Fatal Fury series and is set in the same fictional | | | | commissioner to crime lord of Southtown. Takuma is |
| universe | | | | said to be a contemporary of Jeff Bogard, father of |
| Gameplay | | | | Fatal Fury's main hero, Terry Bogard; Jeff Bogard's |
| The Art of Fighting series follows the conventions of | | | | murder at the hands of Geese Howard triggers the |
| the time in the sense that the player faces a variety of | | | | events of the Fatal Fury series. |
| opponents in best two-out-of-three matches. Each of | | | | [edit] Series' continuity |
| the game's characters have a unique fighting style and | | | | The Art of Fighting series originally served as a prequel |
| set of special techniques. The player has two basic | | | | to the Fatal Fury series, taking place during the late |
| attacks—punch and kick—as well as a utility button | | | | 1970s and early 1980s. This is reflected by the |
| that switches between punches, kicks, and throws. A | | | | characters' official birthdates in the series and given |
| fourth button is used for taunting. Art of Fighting's | | | | ages in each game. This is made even more obvious |
| contribution to the genre was the inclusion of a "spirit | | | | with the appearance of a young Geese Howard in Art |
| gauge" underneath the character's life bar. When | | | | of Fighting 2. The Hyper Neo-Geo 64 game Buriki One |
| characters perform special techniques, their spirit | | | | and the PlayStation port of Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition |
| gauge is depleted and their special attacks become | | | | features an older modern-day Ryo adopting his |
| weaker. Players can also drain their opponent's spirit | | | | father's former identity of Mr. Karate. While The King |
| gauge by taunting them. | | | | of Fighters series features characters from the Art of |
| The Art of Fighting series was also the first fighting | | | | Fighting series and alludes to events occurring in the |
| series to allow players to perform a "super attack." In | | | | games, it follows a completely different continuity from |
| the original Art of Fighting, the player's character learns | | | | that of the actual Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury games. |
| a super attack (dubbed the super death blow) by | | | | This was done so that the Art of Fighting characters |
| completing one of the game's bonus rounds (this | | | | could fight alongside the Fatal Fury cast and other |
| technique is available by default in the 3rd game). All | | | | characters without aging them; however, continue to |
| three games also feature "Desperation Attacks" that | | | | maintain the existing stories from the other games. |
| can only be performed when the player's health is low | | | | [edit] Games |
| and the life bar is flashing red. | | | | [edit] Art of Fighting (1992) |
| The series also introduced graphical scaling into the | | | | In the first game, Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia set |
| genre: as the characters move away from each | | | | out to find Ryo's sister, Yuri, who has been kidnapped |
| other, the camera will zoom out to keep both players | | | | by Mr. Big. Mr. Big has taken the girl to entice Takuma |
| on the screen. In previous fighting titles, the left and right | | | | Sakazaki, Ryo's father and originator of the fictional |
| sides of the screen acted as invisible boundaries; | | | | form of karate known as Kyokugen Karate ("Extreme |
| characters could only move as far from one another | | | | style"), and because Ryo refused to work for Big. |
| as the width of the screen permitted. Scaling allowed | | | | After they defeat Mr. Big, Ryo and Robert face the |
| for a broader range of movement; the only boundaries | | | | enigmatic Mr. Karate. Art of Fighting's story ends with |
| in Art of Fighting are the edges of the stage. | | | | a cliff-hanger; Yuri is about to disclose the true identity |
| Character sprites in Art of Fighting change as the fight | | | | of Mr. Karate as their father Takuma. |
| progresses to become more bruised and cut as | | | | Only Ryo and Robert are playable in the 1-player story |
| damage is taken. | | | | mode although eight of the characters are playable in |
| [edit] Plot | | | | the 2-player vs. modes. Mr. Big and Mr. Karate can be |
| The games follow the struggles of the students of the | | | | played in the arcade version by reaching the final |
| Kyokugen Karate Dojo, Ryo Sakazaki and Robert | | | | stage of the game then having a second player join in, |
| Garcia, in what appears to be the late seventies. Ryo | | | | and on the console versions via the use of cheat |
| is the son of the Kyokugen Karate discipline's creator, | | | | codes. |
| Takuma Sakazaki, and Robert is the wayward son of | | | | Art of Fighting's events are referenced often in the |
| a billionaire family from Italy. The initial two titles are set | | | | wider SNK universe; The King of Fighters '97, for |
| in South Town, a common location in SNK games that | | | | instance, parodies the events of the game in its ending. |