Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden Creator Itagaki Passed Away at 58

Plus the block and guard system was really easy. It turned the fight into something super simple: attack, control spacing, bait into parry. I think the later games became more sophisticated, which appeals to the fighting game community but loses the more mainstream players.

If you want to play something like that nowadays, I would recommend Nidhogg, Samurai Gunn, and maybe even the Soul Caliber series still.