One "simple" trick to tell if somebody is into fighting games or not

[Pseudo64]

Fo

I consider that an advanced fightin' nerd detector method. This is for the layman.
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For anyone wondering, this artwork is called Merlin and it is by an artist called Earl H. Norem.

 

[DinoRexMax]

YOU ARE KINOKO
WE ARE KINOKO

 

[NotReallyHere]

They don't stick to flashy moves and are happy to kick ass with just normals. And it's really fun to watch pros play.

I think this a perfect way to gauge the potential age / experience level of your opponent, as well. Because if you're a true fighting game oldhead, you remember a time where there either weren't more than one or two special moves, or you simply didn't know the button combinations to activate them. If you walked into an arcade and played a new fighting game for the very first time, sometimes all you had were the default punches and kicks to fall back on.

We are so spoiled nowadays, to be able to pause a game and look at the move list whenever we want. Not saying this is a bad thing - because it certainly isn't - but it's a luxury we straight-up didn't have way back when.

I've always treasured true combos - not special moves. And it was so rewarding to discover a combo on your own, whether by accident, against an opponent, or in Training Mode. Mortal Kombat 3 / Trilogy / UMK3 was infamous for its "Dial-A-Combo" systems, but gruddamn, was it ever fun to figure out how to string together a few LKs into HKs and finish with a HP or uppercut

On topic...

If someone says they're into "fighting games," but plays exclusively Smash Bros, I'm out

 

[redux007]

I think this a perfect way to gauge the potential age / experience level of your opponent, as well. Because if you're a true fighting game oldhead, you remember a time where there either weren't more than one or two special moves, or you simply didn't know the button combinations to activate them. If you walked into an arcade and played a new fighting game for the very first time, sometimes all you had were the default punches and kicks to fall back on.

We are so spoiled nowadays, to be able to pause a game and look at the move list whenever we want. Not saying this is a bad thing - because it certainly isn't - but it's a luxury we straight-up didn't have way back when.

I've always treasured true combos - not special moves. And it was so rewarding to discover a combo on your own, whether by accident, against an opponent, or in Training Mode. Mortal Kombat 3 / Trilogy / UMK3 was infamous for its "Dial-A-Combo" systems, but gruddamn, was it ever fun to figure out how to string together a few LKs into HKs and finish with a HP or uppercut

On topic...

If someone says they're into "fighting games," but plays exclusively Smash Bros, I'm out

I think Marvel vs X-Men or SF 2 were the first fighting games to have easily executable specials. With MVX actually having a few projectiles mapped to single face buttons.

 

[PhaseJump]

Fighting games are great. The back and forth competition is pure. Virtua Fighter is universal and the most balanced franchise. Easy to grasp, hard to master.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of cheesing your way through a few rounds by not being serious, and then totally springing some pure punishment on unsuspecting players.