Atari's Pit Fighter was one of the games that pioneered the way for the use of digitized actors. Using graphic animation, punches, kicks, and all types of movement were acted out by hired performers in front of a video camera, a technique later popularized and perfected by Midway's Mortal Kombat. In essence, the game's on-screen character animation are replays of actual footage.
The game also allowed for up to three people to play at once. Most cabinets at the time only allowed for one or two (the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game being an exception). Later arcade games like X-Men would eventually allow up to six people to play simultaneously.
Not reliant on a story, the idea was simple enough. Gameplay was similarly simple, consisting of a jump, kick, and punch buttons. Basic combos could be performed, as could throws and jump attacks.
Players would select from three different characters, each a master in their own field of fighting.
Buzz was the ex-pro wrestler. The heavyweight of the crew, he was able to lift enemies the other two couldn't.
Ty was the Jean Claude Van Damn-esque kickboxer. Not as strong as Buzz, not as quick as Kato, he was the middle of the road type.
And finally there was Kato. Like his namesake, he was the quick as lightning karate master. His speed came with a drawback though, he couldn't inflict as much damage, take hits as well as the others.
Each player also came equipped with their own special move that a player could perform by hitting the jump, punch, and kick buttons simultaneously. Buzz would pile drive and body slam, Ty had a flying double kick, and Kato would throw a quick succession of punches, accompanied by a Bruce Lee like scream.
Players would pick their choice character and bash their way through from fight to fight, making money as they went along. Stages ranged from pool halls, bars, and junkyards. This sounds fairly typical, but there were a couple of twists that helped Pit-Fighter stand out among other fighters of its day. For one, Pit-Fighter allowed you to use the environment and objects within to your advantage. You could bash your opponent with just about anything that littered the stage, including barrels, chairs, pool cues, and crates. If you were lucky, you might even find a power pill (not available at GNC) inside the barrel you just cracked over your enemy's skull. Picking it up gave a temporary boost to your power and let you soak up punches like a sponge. But watch out, because your opponent could make use of the objects too, the potent pill included.
Onlookers in the crowd would also take their chances to get involved, sometimes stepping out to jab you with a knife. And if you don't like it, feel more than free to punch 'em in the jaw and take their weapon for your own purposes.
Players skilled enough to survive all the fights would eventually come face to face with the goliath Masked Warrior and his two bodyguards. Take them all out, and the money rains down from the heavens, you crowned as the new champion.
As seems to be the case for older technology, a game that's over 20 years old don't always survive the test of time, and players from today's generation will likely frown on this old school classic, especially when compared to games of today. It's definitely clunky, and doesn't provide the options that fighters today do, but that's to be expected.
If you can manage to find an arcade, let alone one that still has a working version of Pit-Fighter, drop in a quarter and give it a try. If you feel like a nostalgic walk down memory lane, or you've never even heard of Pit-Fighter, check the video below.
