Fighters’ Impact

Fighters’ Impact is a 3D fighting game developed and released by Taito (in conjunction with Polygon Magic) for arcades (in Japan only) on August 1996.

With gameplay similar to the Virtua Fighter and Tekken series, Fighters’ Impact is known for its multiple fighting styles per character (with sub-styles that change both the movesets and the appearance of each fighter). It’s also known for its unique combo meter, which shows each player’s progress in their custom combo chains (while also adding a risk-reward system for high-length combos, as re-using the same attacks can leave the fighter stunned).

Along with a home port (in Japan only) for the Sony PlayStation on April 25, 1997, the game received a 1997 update, titled Fighters’ Impact A, that tweaks the gameplay mechanics (removing the unique combo system in favor of pre-determined combos). The game was later used as the base for the THQ-released fighting game Vs.