Top 10 Fighting Games
I’m a big sucker for the power fantasy. Doing things in games that I can’t do in real life is one of the big draws for me, and nowhere is that more evident than fighting games. Beating the crap out of your friends may get you in trouble in real life, so here’s the Top 10 Fighting Games to release that frustration.
10. Bushido Blade series: I remember walking into a video game rental place when I was younger looking for a game to play on my PlayStation. I had finally beaten Final Fantasy VII, and was scanning for a new game to bury myself in when I laid eyes on Bushido Blade. I eventually walked out of the store with that and Battle Arena Toshinden 3. I can hardly recall Toshinden, but when I booted up Bushido Blade and lost my first match with a vicious stab to the chest, I was completely and utterly hooked. Many more pints of blood were spilled those next few weeks, believe me.
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9. Virtua Fighter series: One of the earliest success stories in the 3D fighting genre, Virtua Fighter’s influence on the fighting game front is often overlooked. Game like Tekken and Soul Calibur, while certainly better done, are really just feeding off the blueprint Virtua Fighter created back in 1993. The 3D fighting niche was still in its infancy, and knocking people out of the ring for a victory was a novel experience for many people. It wasn’t perfect, but Virtua Fighter deserves its legacy.
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8. Killer Instinct: Killer Instinct occupies an interesting place in the fighting game hierarchy. While the game was undeniably innovative and stuffed full of good ideas, a number of problems in both the original arcade and the SNES port (not to mention the ill-fated Game Boy adaptation) prevented the game from becoming more than a cult classic. That’s shame, because pulling off a 74-hit combo with B. Orchid was a special experience for the kid in me. Maybe those rumors we keep hearing about Killer Instinct 3 will come to fruition…
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7. Tekken series: Never have I put more hours into a fighting game than I did Tekken 3. Seriously, I beat more people down as Eddy Gordo than I have with maybe every other character in any game ever combined. It was, and is I suppose, absurd. I unlocked everybody and their endings, an undertaking I am still proud of to this day, and still have chills when I think of Jin’s ending. A perfect example of a fighting game that is simply worth the money; not only because of the terrific fighting, but because of all the extraneous activities available.
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6. Marvel vs. Capcom series: Wolverine vs. Ryu? Storm vs. Chun-Li? Ken vs. um, alternate color Wolverine? While at one point that sounded like a simple nerd fantasy, Capcom and Marvel Comics made it a reality with the trio of Marvel vs. Capcom games. Not only do they feature some of the best dream match-ups you could imagine, they happen to be pretty incredible games as well, particularly MvC 3. A captivating combat system, gorgeous graphics and an awesome stable of characters, Marvel vs. Capcom has it all.
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5. Power Stone: Power Stone was great because it was such a surprisingly awesome game. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Power Stone was a must-have app for the Dreamcast. My cousin happened to have one of those, along with House of the Dead and Power Stone 2, and I really never got tired of kicking his ass with Ayame. Featuring some of the most straight-up fun available at the time, Power Stone was an undeniable success.
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4. Super Smash Bros. series: While not a traditional fighting series in my mind, this list simply wouldn’t be complete without Super Smash Bros. on it. If there has ever been a title that offered more fan service than Smash Bros., I would like to see it. But it’s not all fan service, as few titles offer as much wildly original fun, especially for four local player, and the ridiculous amount of unlocks helps keep the action fresh. Add in the excellent, and strange, Subspace Emissary mode from Brawl and you have a title that has some long legs.
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3. Mortal Kombat series: FINISH HIM! What self-respecting gamer hasn’t heard those words at least once? From the first time I epically swept Sonya’s legs out from under her up until my more sophisticated recent efforts, those words have been synonymous with one of the most legendary moments in gaming: the fatality. While the original visual style was…interesting, the series has obviously found ways to stay relevant, culminating in last year’s excellent release.
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2. Soul Calibur series: Has ever a game featured such sheer beauty as the Soul Calibur series? Tell me your jaw didn’t drop when you first played Soul Calibur II, and I will name you liar. From the awesome power of Nightmare to the aesthetic benefits of Taki and her wardrobe, few pieces of art can mix violence and beauty like Soul Calibur, and the nuanced 3D battle system is as elegant as can be. Now about Dampierre…
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1. Street Fighter series: What did you think was going here: ClayFighter? If ever a single series has defined a genre, Street Fighter is it. When Street Fighter II burst onto the scene in 1991, it was like we had never seen a true video game. Everything from the absurdly tight controls to the incredible graphics exhibited an unheard of amount of polish, and many an argument was settled through bouts of Street Fighter II. Through myriad iterations, Street Fighter asserted itself as the dominant player in the fighting game genre, and then resurrected its brethren single-handedly with the release of Street Fighter IV. Street Fighter is the undisputed champ.
