All the best fighting games are both a button-masher and a technical game with long combos. That way two drunks at a party can pick it up and just kick the crap out of each other by tapping buttons randomly, and two skilled and experienced pwnerers can really challenge each other's technique. I'm hoping this game will be the same.
Fight Night Round 3 has the chance for a one-punch KO, which I think is a worthwhile element in this game, but more than anything I'd like to see them set it up so 95% of the fights don't end in the first couple of minutes, which is what my experience with Tapout 2 was like.
I'm not against power bars, because they need to account for damage done (although this can be invisible to the players). More important is managing stamina -- let's say that striking and sub attempts burn stamina, which replenishes when you're on the defensive. You can also maybe get a boost to your stamina if you pull off a big move on your opponent -- sort of like an adrenaline rush when you smell blood.
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