My friend had a copy of Street Fighter vs Mortal Kombat in 1997…

Are we experiencing a new ‘Golden Age’ for fighting games? With Evo 2023 wrapping up, and major releases coming from some of fighting games’ most beloved franchises, I start to wonder how this brave new world compares to the decades prior. Don’t worry, I’m not just yelling at clouds…

The scene was set for the next generation of consoles, with a new competitor entering the world of video game hardware for the first time. 1998 was a mix of established platforms alongside brand new ones, a mix of optimising old hardware and of experimenting with new potential.

The 1990s were a whirlwind decade for video games, with an incredible amount of change happening from the start of the decade to the end.

The world was marching forward into a new millennium with a mix of excitement and fear. The world was changing, but then, when wasn’t it?