Street Fighter

Before Street Fighter became a cultural juggernaut, it was this humble 1988 DOS brawler where Ryu’s fists felt more like sluggish bricks than blazing fireballs. The controls were about as precise as a shopping cart with a flat wheel, but hey—this was the dawn of the fighting genre. Travel the world, punch people from different countries, and hope your keyboard survives the ordeal. While it lacks the finesse of its sequels, there’s something oddly charming about watching chunky sprites try to perform spinning kicks. A rough diamond? Maybe. More like a jagged rock—but one that started a legend.