Virtua Fighter

Virtua Fighter was Sega's attempt at competition for and  and turned out to be the first 3D fighting game ever. It was considered revolutionary upon release, and was the beginning of a long-running series that still exists today. Additionally, it inspired the series and  series.

The Virtua label indicates that the onscreen action takes place in 3D. The images were created using wireframes and flat-shaded quads. Beyond 3D, it retained the staple of multiple characters, each with their own distinctive moves.

Unlike other fighting games of the time (such as Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat), the game relied on a control stick and only three buttons, Punch, Kick, and Guard (block) although different situations and button combinations led to a vast variety of moves for each character.

The player faces all eight characters (including a duplicate of the chosen character) in a pre-determined order, followed by a fight with the game's boss, Dural. Each fight is a best-of-three match, and the player has three ways to win: knocking out the opponent, forcing him/her out of the ring, or having more health left when time runs out.

The game is highly regarded for its in-depth fighting engine and real world fighting techniques, and was considered revolutionary upon release.