Pit-Fighter + Raiden
Pit-Fighter
Atari’s Pit fighter took a step into the future of arcade gaming upon its release in 1990, as it was the first example of using digitised live actors for in game scenes. This was created through the blue screen method wherein an actor would act out the moves and speech which would then be replayed in the game.
There were three playable characters to choose from in the game who were: Buzz (ex-professional wrestler), Ty (kickboxing champion) and Kato (3rd degree black belt). When in action, the player could press all three buttons simultaneously to perform the characters ‘super move’. Random objects such as knives, crates, sticks, motorcycles and bar stools appeared in the arena and it was possible to pick one up and use to attack the opponent with. Another item that would have appeared was the ‘Power Pill’ that would temporarily make the character stronger and take less damage from hits.
The crowd could also interfere in the round, with two characters ‘Knife Man’ and ‘Knife Woman’ running onto the ring attempting to stab the player. Furthermore, there was also a bearded man who carried a stick who would attempt to hit the player. The player was able to knock all of these down in one hit!
Every third fight was a bonus round called the ‘Grudge Match’, in this the player would fight against the clock and the first to be knocked down three times is eliminated from the round. Though this did not eliminate them from the game, it simply awarded the winner bonus money to progress in the game.
The final battle in the game was a ‘Championship Match’ where the player, if playing against the computer, will face the Masked Warrior (a mysterious entity that will taunt the player throughout the match). If two or more players went head to head in this round, they would fight to the death.
The opponents that the player would face were the Executioner, Southside Jim, Angel, C.C. Rider, Mad Miles, Heavy Metal, Chainman Eddie and finally the masked warrior.
The legacy of Pit-Fighter was succeeded with a game called ‘Guardians of the Hood’ which featured the same style of digitised bluescreen acting. There was said to be a new range of characters and new style of fighting though many fans of the original game have slated the sequel as being exactly the same as the first game with different characters.
Raiden
Set in the year 2090, Raiden’s plot revolves around an alien race called the ‘Cranassaigns’ attacking the Earth. To defend humanity, a Supersonic Attack Fighter Ship was created to battle against the oncoming attack.
The player would have been tasked with 8 missions where they would dodge and destroy enemy robots, buildings, ground targets and aircraft. The aim was to collect medals along the journey as well as being awarded power-ups.
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