4/9/2008 - When two Falcon Punches collide.

Each 2-D fighting game has a signature special move. For Street Fighter II, that would have to be the Shoryuken: Ryu and Ken's rising uppercut that is named after the battlecry they scream while doing it. It was such a great offensive move back on the original SF2 that everybody scrambled to learn it. In fact when other special moves are based on the same joystick movement, you can describe how to do the move by just saying its name. For example, Fei Long's flame kick is done with a backwards Shoryuken with the kick button. For the longest time, it was believed that Sagat's scar was caused by Ryu's Shoryuken.

With Mortal Kombat, the signature move is probably Scorpion's spear: it's so recognizable because when it hits, Scorpion bellows out "Get over here!" or "Come here!" in such a primal way that it probably inspired the entire dialog of 300. The signature move of Killer Instinct is a tough call, but I would have to say it is Glacius' teleporting uppercut. It's kind of a ripoff of the Shoryuken, but it looks so cool when Glacius melts into the ground and then smacks you with the move.

For Super Smash Bros., it's an easy call: The Falcon Punch. Captain Falcon is such a flamboyant character that he stands out from the rest of the pack. He has a cool taunt ("Show your moves!") and announces his special moves ("Falcon kick!", "Falcon punch!"). The punch, though, is a powerful move that takes a long time to charge and leaves you vulnerable if you don't connect. So if you do connect, it's a really satisfying feeling. But what happens when you have Captain Falcon versus another Captain Falcon, and they perform the Falcon Punch at each other exactly the same time? This footage was recovered from the wreckage: