Later entries expanded the game’s fanciful roster, providing an arena for Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and J-Lo doppelgangers to clash with pandas, joey carrying kangaroos, and even an anthropomorphic oak dummy.
The first arcade cabinet lured me in with unabashed quirk, offering an opportunity to control manic marionettes who flogged each other with liquefied grace. While fighting game purists have consistently championed Street Fighter’s ubiquitous output and advocated for Virtua Fighter’s often byzantine brawling, I’ve always fancied the Tekken series.
