Martial arts games with a sense of humour
Mortal Combat
Combat games have always been a popular part of the arcade game selection. What started out as very simple fighting games with one of two moves and graphics so pixellated you could hardly make out a character's features, has no developed into combat adventures with whole backstories to every amazingly designed character. The 2D one character opposite the other layout has come a long way, now involving rotating camaera angles, 3D characters with signature moves, and backgrounds which may even receive damage from the fights. Think of, for instance the
Tekken series, or the iconic Mortal Combat games.
Humour
Just because these combat games are a serious industry doesn't mean, however, that they can't do a bit of humorous fan-service. Think of, for instance, the hilarious but amazing
Mortal Combat vs The DC Universe game, in which the famous warriors of the Mortal Combat series are pitted against some of DC Comic's most famous superheroes, including Superman, Catwoman the Flash, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Online Combat Games
Especially in the online derivatives of these combat games there is a lot of room for humour as well as fandom. There are
combat gamesbased on certain popular cartoon series such as Naruto and Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as humorous Street Fighter and Mortal Combat parodies in which the signature moves are all part of the joke. Where you're fighting with the cast of Dragonball Z or playing Mortal combat with US presidential candidates, combat games will never lose their attraction as arcade classics.
