GR: We’re going to start things off with a disclaimer: this is not a list of the greatest fighting games of all time. If you’re hoping for a list of the all-time best fighters, you’ll have to hold your horses – that’s a whole ‘nother list we’ve got cooking in the kitchen. Trust us, the debates over that list will be most heated indeed. Some real-life fights may or may not break out.
Instead, this is a list of the best fighting games that you can buy right now. As in, hop onto XBLA, PSN, or dip into a brick-and-morter store, purchase, and play without delay. Zero emulation, arcade proximity, or inflated eBay prices required. These fighters are this generation’s best, evoking everything we love about ‘90s brawlers and modernizing them with spiffy high-resolution graphics, online capabilities, and greatly improved user-friendliness. Whether you’re reviving your love for old favorites or diving into the fighting game community for the first time, you can’t go wrong with these modern-day classics.
Trevor Walker said: Fighting games have always been able to simultaneously experiment and innovate while staying true to their roots in the best of ways. Mechanics change, crossovers take place, and evolution occurs. One of the best examples of all three can be seen in the coveted guest character.
The fighting genre is full of mini-games, from Street Fighter's car destruction to Tekken Ball. Here's the best Mortal Kombat mini games.
Cultured Vultures: We've gone to the trouble of ranking the Mortal Kombat games across the series' history. Special Forces is clearly number one.
My favorite is always going to be Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. I know some people didn't like the addition of the run button. But, man that game is burned into my memory from childhood, lol.
That's the one I played the most as a kid. Fun times gaming on my Sega Genesis, the memories
MK2 will always be the best in the series. Been playing a lot of MK1 lately though. Definitely enjoying it more than any other NRS era MK game.
I will always have a special place in my memory for MK 1 and 2. You had to be there during that era at the arcades. Martial arts tournament fighting movies were still popular, and MK 1 was exciting. Real life motion captured characters done well (unlike Pit Fighter). A cast of characters we all liked like Bruce Lee(Lui Kang), Van Damme(Johnny Cage), the Lightning god(Raiden) from Big Trouble in Little China, and Ninjas, gotta have Ninjas. Goro was menacing as hell. The MK arcade had some of the best speakers similar to Killer Instinct as you could hear the loud crisp and bassy sound that was distinctly different than other arcades. MK 2 improved greatly on the controls and fighting mechanics
The King of Fighters XIII > all.
Soul Calibur V is second best? that's outrageously ignorant.
with all the various fighting game favorites, I think we should just fight each other to see who's the best!
SSF4:AE for me!
meh, too many games on this list. Brawl, King of Fighters, Tekken, and Blaze Blue are the only ones worth mentioning out of these titles. Where id Dead or Alive, Guilty Gear, or AquaPazza: AquaPlus Dream Match? WHy does this list have soul caliber 5 instead of 4? MvC3 over Tatsunoko vs capcom, really? Mortal Combat has ALWAYS been terrible! Take it off. Current gen can include international titles as well. Non localized titles are usually the hidden gems.