Which is the Best Fighting Game?

[Wolf Kanno]

Now I love my RPG'a and I have a strange affinity towards rythm games (I love my DDR and Gitaroo Man) but my other great joy are fighting games. Now I feel this genre has really suffered and I find fewer and fewer new (non rereleases) fighting games I really want. Perhaps it's because I feel that the move to 3D never transitioned well and no one is going to bother trying to bring the frenzied action of the old SNK days back but I was curious as to what anyone else thinks.

I feel the last really good fighting game to be released was Guilty Gear XX: Midnight Carnival (Guilty Gear X2 to you noobs) with Soul Calibur 2 as the only really decent 3D fighting game out now.

Your thoughts? Feeling? Rants? Blasphemous Lies?

[RiseToFall]

I'm a Street Fighter and KoF fan, to me 3rd strike is the perfect fighting game, with Garou: Mark of the Wolves closely behind(it's not KoF but it's still SNK). I do want to try out the Guilty Gear series though.

[Markus. D]

I have been playing Street Fighter Anthology all day.

since I got home...


soooo about, 4 hours ^-^

[Necronopticous]

to me 3rd strike is the perfect fighting gameOh, not just to you.

3rd Strike is the best fighting game ever created.

[Rocket Edge]

The tekken series, but it has it's faults. You can win a game by doing things like using some moves repetitively which is annoying.

[blackmage_nuke]

Street fighter, Hadoken just looks and sounds so cool

[Mo-Nercy]

The tekken series, but it has it's faults. You can win a game by doing things like using some moves repetitively which is annoying.
I think I know your problem. Block low. :D

I'm better at Soul Calibur but I've come to love Tekken a whole lot more. The size of the movelists, the possibilities with mixups, and the number of delayable attacks, cancellable strings etc. means that winning doesn't just come down to the character your using or even the moves you use, but how you psychologically wear down your opponent.

Any critics of Tekken will tell you it's "too easy to win" because a juggle will knock off 60+ health at a time. But the beauty of Tekken lies in one's ability to read a launcher and the moves that set it up. Better players will hardly get launched and at all and victory will go to the one who applies better pressure.

[Roto13]

Don't smoosh 2D and 3D fighters together. :P

Soul Calibur

[Sylvie]

I say Tekken. I love Mortal Kombat, but I can't say its that good. It's just that I grew up with it and came to enjoy it. Street Fighter and Soul Calibur are also great games, but Soul Calibur kind of becomes repetitive to me after awhile.

[JKTrix]

2D and 3D fighters together? Sacrilege! My deciding factor for deciding which is the 'best' is the one that displays balance, depth and control at a very high level. Thus, the absolute best fighters in each genre are:

Best 3-D Fighter: Virtua Fighter (not Virtual). No contest. You all really need to give Virtua Fighter a serious effort. Games like Tekken and Soul Calibur allow you to get really really good with many characters, but VF takes a commitment to one character to learn all of their ins and outs. You can still use other characters, but the amount of time it takes to 'master' one character in VF is substantially more in-depth than any other game. And it pays off once you do.

Best 2-D Fighter: Street Fighter. Despite the fact that my avatar and sig is a character from KOF (which isn't on the list, though I guess it could be grouped under Fatal Fury), I'd still pick SF as the top 2D. Guilty Gear is awesome, but SF still edges it out.

For the poll though, I picked VF.

[Breine]

I'd say the Tekken series... but the Soul Calibur series is a very close runner-up.

[Mo-Nercy]

Best 3-D Fighter: Virtua Fighter (not Virtual). No contest. You all really need to give Virtua Fighter a serious effort. Games like Tekken and Soul Calibur allow you to get really really good with many characters, but VF takes a commitment to one character to learn all of their ins and outs. You can still use other characters, but the amount of time it takes to 'master' one character in VF is substantially more in-depth than any other game. And it pays off once you do.
VF doesn't have a big enough arcade following for me to get into it. I walk into Galaxy World and I see 12 Tekken DR machines while VF finds itself next to all the other "niche" fighters lined up against the wall. Soul Calibur 2 was once badass but once it got shifted to that wall, no one played it anymore. Now it's not even there. Samurai Showdown sits in it's place. *mourn*

I only ever really got into Tekken because SC was taken away. But given a good enough community of gamers, I can get into practically any game.

[Devourment]

What?! Where's Killer Instinct Gold?

Anyhow, for me it's a tie between Dead or Alive & Soul Calibur.

[JKTrix]

VF doesn't have a big enough arcade following for me to get into it. I walk into Galaxy World and I see 12 Tekken DR machines while VF finds itself next to all the other "niche" fighters lined up against the wall.

Virtua Fighter is just too hardcore for most people.

Where I live, arcades don't even exist. So the arcade thing isn't a factor for me at all. Virtua Fighter 4/Evolution on PS2 is an incredibly deep game. Evolution actually emulates the arcade experience in the 'Quest Mode', taking real data from real Japanese players from the arcades VF.net service (complete with their nicknames and whatever custom costume they come up with). I imagine VF5 will do something similar with the data gathered from VF.net so far, but I hear the PS3 game will actually function directly with VF.net.

Back to VF4, it has the best and most expansive training mode in any game of any type ever. It goes way deeper than simple move lists. Soul Calibur 3 tried something similar in its tutorials, but it's merely a small fraction of what is available in VF4. When you delve into the training lessons and see what it has to offer, the sheer amount of depth in the game is mindblowing. The trainings are different for each character as well, since every character is in fact very different and deep in their own right.

It's too bad that VF isn't that popular over there. But get it on PS2, it's one of those 'Top Hits' discount games. This is the game that got me into arcade sticks, for the sheer precision it takes to play effectively.

[Jowy]

Given the amount of memories it holds, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is my personal favorite. In terms of having a polished engine, SF3:Third Strike.

With a 3D fighter though, give me some of that hot-hot Soul Calibur action.

[Ender]

I voted for Tekken. I'm rather attached to the Mortal Kombat games because I played them so much in high school, but once I got into college and everybody was playing the Tekken games I came to believe that they offered a vastly superior player vs. player experience, which is really the essence of fighting games IMHO.

[black orb]

>>> GGXX..

[Dreddz]

A far as 3D fighters go, Tekken and Rival Schools take it hands down. Ive got a feeling Virtua Fighter might be up there after Virtua Fighter 5, as it easily looks like the best Next-gen fighter.

As for 2D fighters, my instant gut reaction would be GGX2 ( I chose Guilty Gear ), but Street Fighter and KOF have stuck with me since Childhood and it would be wrong not to praise them. I would say KOF 2003 and Street Fighter 2 are the best from both series. Everyone nowadays says 3rd Strike is the best Street Fighter but I'd much rather play SF2, nostalgia mixed with classic gameplay easily dominates 3rd Strike.

Im slightly shocked with no mention of any Samurai Shodown games, Samurai Shodown 4 was up there with 3rd Strike and all, shame it didnt get as much praise.

Honerable metions from both 2D and 3D are, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, The Last Blade 2, Project Justice, Art of Fighting 3, Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower and lastly Fighting Vipers.

[Yew-Yevon]

there all beautyfull but my vote goes to Soul Caliber

[Martyr]

Mortal Kombat, i guess.

I mean, Street Fighter II is probably the best fighting game ever, but it isn't the best series.

Mortal Kombat was always fun, and the games were always better and more intense than before (For the most part)

As far as the other games go... I dunno. I think Virtual Fighter is too wierd, Tekken is slow and annoying, Soul Calibur is repetitive, as has been said, and Dead or Alive I've never played, wven though it looks cool in the commercials.

The rest I've never heard of.

[Fatal Impurity]

soul blade (the prequal to soul calibur) its the weapon master mode and how it explores the journey and the lives of the characters alot more than any other fighter.....a runner up would be soul calibur 1 (because the action was slowed down for SC2 and the mission mode was better in SC1) and third place goes to tekken 5 (for the inclusion of the arcade modes of tekken 1-3 and the large array of characters plus the story aint that bad either)

[Black Mage FF1]

Street Fighter easily. 2D fighters are the best IMO

Capcom Vs SNK 2 = Best fighting game ever.

[Roto13]

What?! Where's Killer Instinct Gold?

Hopefully where nobody will ever find it.

[Erdrick Holmes]

Guilty Gear XX #Reload is the best fighting game ever made, anybody who says otherwise can safely be called an idiot.

[Ashley Schovitz]

Tekken, Soul Calibur, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter as for Virtua Fighter where's the story?

Tekken is fast, fluid, and addictive and has a good storyliner that they could shape up better in a quest mode, not Tekken Force, or Devil Within,
Street Fighter I haven't played in years and the sanme for Mortal Kombat, but I loved them. Sometimes I think Soul Calibur lacks moves, compare the command list to Tekken and Soul Calibur, and Tekken wins.

[Madame Adequate]

Soul Calibur, quite simply.

[RiseToFall]

Tekken, Soul Calibur, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter as for Virtua Fighter where's the story?

If it plays good, I really don't give a /xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gif about the story.

[Mirage]

I don't really care for 2D fighters at all. Soul Calibur for me.

[Roto13]

I wrote a storyline guide for the Soul Calibur series (award winning, fool!), but even I play it for the gameplay and not the story. :P Virtua Fighter is among the best (if not the best) in the world, story or not.

[Timerk]

I think Dark Stalkers has always been underrated, what more could you want from a game then hot vampires and catgirls?

[Lindy]

Streetfighter : The Movie, the Game.

[Auragaea]

Although far from my favorite fighting game, Virtua Fighter is definately the best fighting game in terms of overall balance. My favorite, however, is Soul Calibur because of the music, characters, and story.

[Wolf Kanno]

First, I'm sorry for mispelling VF :riiight: I didn't mean to but I decided to start this post at like 2 in the morning and the mind gets foggy. Anyway, I truly love my fighting games for different reasons. I haven't played VF since the first game and though I really enjoyed it, I had to play it on the Sega Saturn controller (for those of you who never touched the Saturn or even heard of it, it was a flimsy piece of crap that felt like it was held together by Children's glue and the hopes and dreams of the orphans who made them)

As for lumping 2D and 3D together, I felt if we were to have a proper discussion about Fighting games we would need both to do it. I prefer my 2D but most people play 3D. I listed the ten most popular series (though Soul Calibur as a "series" is a stretch) but obviously I'll miss a few or I didn't mention them cause I spent the better half of a decade trying to forget about them...

I like the GG series cause it combines the best qualities of SNK and Capcom fighting games (which would figure since the developement team is formed from former employees from both companies) It's fast, chaotic, and stylish and yet at the same time it is incredibly deep. It's also the only fighting game I know that actually penalizes you for playing defensively. I hate players that just do that, scratching away at your life slowly and relying on time outs or delay tactics to fight. It's all about the epic brawls and climatic moments that decide the outcome that makes me love this genre. Besides, the series shows that you can still play mind games and not resort to annoying defensive tactics (I'm remembering some abnoxious moments in the DOA series...) All 3D fighters feel slow to me and the obnoxious damage systems used in all of them bug me. Fights end quickly yet I feel like I never really did anything.

Overall, I have more wonderful memories of playing 2D games where I can honestly say "Hey, remember that time we played Mvs.C and I was Ryu and you were Captain America and we had that epic battle that made our other friend just sit there in utter awe? Or how about our bouts with Terry and Iori? Or even Sol vs Ky?"

[Lionx]

I personally dont believe Third Strike to be the best balanced game..its pretty balanced until you get to Chun Li SA2 which takes off half your life easily or Yun's Custom or Aegis Reflector bs....

I also find it funny King of Fighters is not among the list..

I voted Guilty Gear XX Slash however...its heralded as the best fighter out there, and in a way it is, because every character is unique and has their own set if bs, however there are universal ways to defend and break through things thats shared. That and the game is action oriented and is quite anti-turtling in general(for better or worse).

Other than that i love Capcom vs SNK 2 which though also has its share of bs, is fun and quite diverse in general. So Street Fighter and King of Fighters follow suit very close by, then Smash Bros. I also give honorable mention to the Gamecube's Naruto Ninja Taisen(or in america, Clash of the Ninja) fighting game #3 and up, as well as Garou Mark of the Wolves, and Marvel(as broken as it is, its fun to watch and play). I do agree on the side that Virtua Fighter is way too hardcore for most to pick up.


Guilty Gear XX #Reload is the best fighting game ever made, anybody who says otherwise can safely be called an idiot.

The new Slash version and then the AE one xD; HA!

[JKTrix]

Keep in mind that Street Fighter has been the pioneer for 2D fighting games. Street Fighter 3 came out in '97, with its last revision (3rd Strike) in 1999. The original Guilty Gear came out in '98, and it has had at least 4 more versions of increasing quality since then, with XX Slash coming out late last year.

3rd Strike has been *that good* since 1999 (conversely, SF2 since 1994) while the other games are still striving to get to a level where they can leave it alone. Sure, games that come after it may feel fresher with more style and substance, but that's to be expected.

Street Fighter 4 (look for an appearance next year) may just blow everything else out of the water if it doesn't tank.

[10-Breaker]

You forgot Bloody Roar... :(

[RiseToFall]

You forgot Bloody Roar... :(

Didn't that series take a huge dive into /xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.giftyness after the second one? Or was it the first?

[Dreddz]

You forgot Bloody Roar... :(

Didn't that series take a huge dive into /xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.giftyness after the second one? Or was it the first?

The second improved upon the first in fact, but the series was rotten to the core so it had no future. Bloody Roar 4 was so horrific that I doubt the series will carry onto next-gen platforms.

[MAS82587]

its got to be street fighter, i mean once you and your friends master the moves of your favorite characters, the game becomes like a big chess match and a bunch of little rock paper scissors games.

[Dreddz]

its got to be street fighter, i mean once you and your friends master the moves of your favorite characters, the game becomes like a big chess match and a bunch of little rock paper scissors games.

Please explain, I dont understand what you mean by its being a Chess Match and RPS relys on luck, which dosent apply with fighting games.

[chaos_ghost]

Mortal Kombat by far. Where else can you see a lizard man eat his opponent and then give a festive burp?

[Roto13]

its got to be street fighter, i mean once you and your friends master the moves of your favorite characters, the game becomes like a big chess match and a bunch of little rock paper scissors games.

Please explain, I dont understand what you mean by its being a Chess Match and RPS relys on luck, which dosent apply with fighting games.

Big strategy, peppered with luck. :P

[Lionx]

I dont know about chess(maybe outthink the opponent? If so i agree), but for RPS it is the balancing factor...take third strike for example.

Strikes beats throws
Throws beats blocking/parry
Parries beat strikes

Something like that.

[black orb]

Guilty Gear XX #Reload is the best fighting game ever made, anybody who says otherwise can safely be called an idiot.

The new Slash version and then the AE one xD; HA!
>>> Old news, the best is the new GGXX Kick my Nards version..

[Bloodline666]

Before I even touched RPGs, I was a huge fighting game fan, and at one point in my life (before picking up Final Fantasy VII), fighting games would be all I would ever play.

I voted for Mortal Kombat, because it just so happens that that was the very first fighting game I ever played. When that game first came out, my mom grounded me for sneaking that game into her house when I had friends over, because she didn't like the blood and the fatalities.

[Wolf Kanno]

Before I even touched RPGs, I was a huge fighting game fan, and at one point in my life (before picking up Final Fantasy VII), fighting games would be all I would ever play.

I voted for Mortal Kombat, because it just so happens that that was the very first fighting game I ever played. When that game first came out, my mom grounded me for sneaking that game into her house when I had friends over, because she didn't like the blood and the fatalities.

I had a similiar experience, I loved my Fighting games way before I ever touched RPGs. I got a SNES just so I could play SFII (though I voted for GG, SF is still my favorite fighting game series. I haven't played 3rd Strike but it looks like I'll have to now) It was only later that a friend of mine loaned me Seiken Denetsu II and then Final Fantasy VI. See, everything happens for a reason;)

[Lynx]

killer instinct is the best fighting game ever!!!!! in my opinion

but out of your choices id say soul calibur

[Martyr]

And how about Primal Rage?

[Roto13]

killer instinct is the best fighting game ever!!!!!

Why?

[Lynx]

killer instinct is the best fighting game ever!!!!!

Why?

its a lot of fun has cool combos and everything about it is just plain awesome. besides it was pretty much the only game that i could go to an arcade and NO ONE could beat me in it. which made me enjoy it more.

saberwolf is the best

[Wolf Kanno]

It's also a broken, unbalanced piece of /xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gif but that's just my opinion. It had it's moments but I can't really think of it as a real fighting game. Just like Smash Bros. Besides, Cynder was way better and cheaper...

[Lionx]

^ You havent really played smash..you need to look at the top tier players on youtube or smashboards..its not that simple and i would consider it a real fighting game with the right settings.

I also dont see whats so good about Soul Calibur..its not bad but the third one wasnt that great...second one was ok but i dont see the greatness of it compared to say Samurai Shodown.

[Dreddz]

I also dont see whats so good about Soul Calibur..its not bad but the third one wasnt that great...second one was ok but i dont see the greatness of it compared to say Samurai Shodown.

Its ignorance, most people cant appreciate Saumrai Shodown likely because its 2D, its a shame as Samurai Shodown 2 and 4 are some of the greatest fighting games ever made.

[JKTrix]

Love (http://www.gamebrink.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11901)