So, I was just thinking about how ridiculous some fighting game finishers are. Honestly, who sits in their developer’s chair and says, “You know what this game needs? A finisher where a dinosaur literally drops from the sky and eats the opponent whole. Yes, that’s exactly what it needs.” But here we are, living in a world where that’s not even the most bizarre thing I’ve seen in a fighting game. Seriously.
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I mean, take Mortal Kombat for instance. I’m pretty sure they have a whole department dedicated to coming up with the most gruesome, over-the-top ways to off a character. It’s like, how many ways can you creatively rip someone in half? At some point, it crosses from ‘Whoa, that was cool’ to ‘Should I be worried about whoever thought this up?’ (If you ask me, the answer is yes.)
finishers list here with a move where the character turns into a giant foot and just crushes the opponent. Bam, fight over. It’s absurd but also kind of genius? Can’t decide. All I know is that it leaves me questioning what kind of fever dream inspired these developers. Like, did someone have a bet going on in the break room? “Ten bucks says you can’t top that last finisher.”
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And it doesn’t stop with Mortal Kombat. Street Fighter has had its fair share of questionable moments. I’m looking at you, Zangief and your spinning piledriver from supposedly several thousand feet in the air. Physics? Who needs them?
Anyway, what’s even better is watching people react to these finishers. Faces are priceless—jaw drops, eyes bugged out, the whole nine yards. It’s like, are they horrified, amazed, or both? I guess there’s something hauntingly captivating about the mix of violence and creativity on display.
But maybe that’s the draw of these strange, outlandish moves. We keep coming back to see if they’ve somehow topped themselves with something even stranger, even if it means briefly questioning our own sanity (or theirs).
My eyes still hurt. I need coffee. Ugh.