Make Fight Not Hairdo

How long will Japan’s fighter scene last?

Here’s proof – if proof be need be – that Sega’s 1996 candy cabinet Blast City is still relevant (and still working).

The game is The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match. KoF 2002 is a stubborn old thing itself, with the Unlimited Match refresh launched in 2009 to keep it relevant in the arcades for another decade or so.

If you wonder how deep the Japanese fighter scene goes, consider that popular franchises – even individual games – are older than their youngest players and have outlived their oldest.

Youngster office workers in Tokyo start on just enough to meet the ends of boxroom rent and three square convenience-store readymeals. This one chooses to spend his meagre disposables on Tekken bouts over haircuts.

There’s legs in fighters yet.