I remember when Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat were the new games in town. I’ve thrown pockets of quarters into their slots. My love of fighting games followed me though several generations of video game consoles, but I’ve hit this generation and have to ask, what happened?

In a few short weeks I picked up the latest Soul Calibur, Tekken, and Blaze Blue. One thing really stood out in my mind. Why must I wade through the corniest stories this side of a Power Rangers episode? All I wanted was to jump in, select my favorite fighter, and go to town on some poor bastard. Now I have to sit through screens of dialogue about stuff I don’t care about.

I know story can make a game an experience. I love my RPGs, the deeper the story the better, but I’m not playing a fighting game for the story. I suppose there are gamers who would wonder why play a fighter that had no story. If that’s what works for you, hey enjoy. Right now I’d kill for some old fashioned throw downs for eight rounds with a couple screens at the end telling me what just happened.

Maybe I’m just too old for this crap. That’s why I keep my PS1 and Saturn around. Tekken 3 and Vampire Savior didn’t need screens of exposition to draw you in. I don’t really need to know what would motivate a mummy to kick a Succubus’s ass. All I know as a long time arcade and home video gamer is that some things don’t always change for the best.