Amiga
PCOverview
Pit-Fighter is a 2D belt-scrolling fighting game developed by Atari Games and released by Atari Games (Konami in Japan) for arcades in August 1990.
Similar to Violence Fight and Street Smart, Pit-Fighter is an early example of a fighting game that incorporates the belt-scrolling movement system from beat-'em-ups such as Double Dragon and Final Fight. It is also the first fighting game to incorporate real-life actors for the game's characters (through blue-screen digital processing), a technique later becoming popular due to the Mortal Kombat series.
Up to three players fight their way through an underground fighting circuit as either ex-pro wrestler Buzz, kickboxer Ty, or karate black belt Kato. Unlike other fighting games of the type, the game focuses primarily on co-operative play (rather than a free-for-all, where only one player can remain standing) similar to other brawlers, as more enemies are fought simultaneously when more players are playing.
The game is known for its ports of varying quality throughout 1991 and 1992 for numerous platforms, including the Sega Genesis (the only port with a Japanese release), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (published by THQ), Game Boy (also published by THQ), and Atari Lynx. Tengen, Atari Games's home brand, was the publisher for the Genesis version and the developer for the SNES, Game Boy, and Lynx versions. The game was also ported to various computer-based systems in Europe (the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, PC, and ZX Spectrum), all of which were published by Domark.
The original arcade version of the game was also included in various Midway compilations for sixth-to-seventh generation consoles, including the 2004 Midway Arcade Treasures 2, the 2006 Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition, the 2006 Japan-exclusive Game Center USA: Midway Arcade Treasures, and the 2012 Midway Arcade Origins.
Characters
Pit-Fighter was short on available fighters, and only three were available at the select screen: Buzz, Ty and Kato. These three fighters operated in a similar fashion gameplay-wise but had their own unique attacks and fighting styles to make up for this.
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
 | Buzz is an ex-pro wrestler, has a slow movement speed but makes up for this in his brutal available attacks which included a body slam, a headbutt, and a pile driver. |
 | Ty is slightly faster than Buzz, though not to a great degree. He has great leg reach due to being a kick boxer, and could execute a roundhouse kick, a flying kick and a spin kick. |
 | Kato is the most agile of the fighters, is the easiest to KO, but uses very formidable Karate skills to make up for this, such as a powerful backhand, a flip kick and a combo punch. |
There were also eight unplayable characters who were, nonetheless, given a digitized sprite just like the main characters, and were available as opponents as the game progressed.
These unplayable characters, in order of appearance, include:
- Executioner - Wears a hood and flexes his muscles. He is the first available boss.
- Southside Jim - A black, normal dressing street character, who is extremely fast.
- Angel - A femme fatale, who has fast combo kicks and incredible agility.
- C.C. Rider - A generic biker, who has extremely powerful punches but slow speed.
- Mad Miles - A dreadlocks sporting maniac, has some punishing combos.
- Heavy Metal - Has a very reminiscent 80's rocker look.
- Chainman Eddie - Has a chain mail chest and a look close to Bennett from the Arnold Schwarzengger film Commando.
- Masked Warrior - The final boss, has a terrifying mask and is extremely difficult to KO.
