Fighting games are some of the most difficult and intimidating to learn. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed by all of the variables at play, from complex button inputs, to a seemingly endless stream of online competition ready to beat you to a pulp and brag about it. Even fights against the computer can prove difficult when it appears to have a counter to all of your tactics. How does one get better at fighting games?

Before the advent of training mode, all you could do was suck until you eventually didn’t suck. Then training modes became standard on console fighters, though it was mostly used as a place to practice combos rather than actually learning the nuances of combat. As a means of addressing this shortcoming, fighting game developers have implemented tutorial-like modes into their games. However, I still feel like they’ve all fallen short in some way or another. The end result is the fact that most games in the genre do an inadequate job of teaching players how to actually play, which will drive those dedicated enough to seek information elsewhere, or drive others (maybe most) away.

What can fighting game creators do to help players become better grasp their games? I think they’re almost there, but not quite. Why?