Fighter's History (1993). Play online

Summary

Fighter's History landed on the Super‑Nintendo in 1994 and instantly felt like the hidden cousin of Street Fighter II, but with a twist: a weak‑point system that lets you stun an opponent after pounding the right spot. The SNES version kept the original’s six‑button layout—light, medium and heavy punches and kicks—while giving nine fighters to choose from, plus the two hidden bosses Karnov and Clown if you hit the right code. I loved swapping between CPU Battle, Survival (five‑on‑five team bouts) and Versus, which let friends queue up on the same couch.

The title sparked a famous lawsuit when Capcom claimed infringement, yet the court ruled in Data East’s favor, arguing the overlapping elements were merely scènes à faire. Critics were split: Electronic Gaming Monthly praised it with scores up to 8/10, whereas Nintendo Power slammed its sound and lack of originality. Retro magazines now call it a fun, if familiar, street‑fighter knock‑off. After a 2011 Japanese digital release on Project EGG, Retro Bit gave it a limited 2017 cartridge re‑print, and it even resurfaced on Nintendo Classics in 2022.

Storyline

Fighter's History on the SNES puts the player into a classic single‑player tournament. You battle a lineup of diverse fighters, each with their own moves and quirks, advancing round after round. The climax is a showdown with the tournament’s sponsor, Karnov, the hero from Data East’s own action game. Defeating Karnov crowns you the champion and ends the story. The whole mode is framed as a straightforward fighting competition that culminates in the iconic boss.