Pretty much since the inception of the genre, fighting games have been dominated by a handful of major publishers and developers, such as Capcom and SNK. Outside of the hack-fest known as Mugen, I can’t think of an indie fighting game that’s made any sort of impact on the scene. Skullgirls aims to kick history in the face by being an indie fighting game that makes a big splash. The game is available now on PSN and XBOX Live Arcade.
Why should you care about Skullgirls? Because it’s a game that seems to bring forth a number of fresh ideas to the genre. The game design was created by Mike Z, who is a long time fighting game tournament competitor. Some of the cool things that Skullgirls has introduced to the genre includes the ability to choose 1 to 3 characters going into a fight, manually set assist moves, a unique combo system that prevents infinites and an extensive tutorial mode that teaches fighting game fundamentals that will prove handy in any fighting game you play.
Skullgirls also provides a very unique look that I don’t recall seeing in any other game, ever. The art was handled by Alex Ahad and I think the game looks and moves brilliantly.
I picked this up on PSN yesterday, so you’ll likely find a verdict on Skullgirls from In Third Person at some point in the future. I’m excited to find out if Skullgirls has what it takes to stand up to the giants of this genre. If you have any interest in trying this game out, the demo is available on both PSN and XBOX Live.
In Third Person 
I’m not big on fighting games, but maybe I’ll check this one out.
This one looked awesome last year at PAX East, and now that it’s out it looks even better! I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Now I just need to find time to download it and get decent playtime in.
You were at PAX East? How was that like?
I didn’t go this year, I went last year, in 2011. I loved it, and highly recommend going sometime. I am planning on going again next year, or maybe even sooner to PAX prime. There’s really nothing like it, and that’s awesome!
Glad to hear you had a blast! I’ve never been to PAX, but I’d love to go someday. Since I live in Canada, making a trip like that isn’t easy. Maybe in the future I’ll find a way to make it work.
When do you plan on picking up Skullgirls?
I don’t know really. I am too busy this weekend, so it’d be after that. And that’s assuming I have the time to grab it between work and whatever else I’ll be playing :p