Top 25 2D Fighting Games

[Kroogah]

Discuss.

Capcom Vs. SNK 2
Cyberbots
Fatal Fury Special
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Guilty Gear
Guilty Gear X
JoJo's Bizzare Adventure
King of Fighters '98
King of Fighters 2000
Last Blade 2
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2
Mortal Kombat 2
Pocket Fighter
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
Samurai Shodown 2
Samurai Shodown 3
SNK Vs. Capcom Match of the Millenium
Street Fighter 2 Turbo
Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike
Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
X-Men Vs. Street Fighter
Vampire Savior
World Heroes Perfect

[ubersaurus]

I say replace SF2 World Warriors with Sam Sho 3. WW just well, sucks in light of later SFs, broken as hell too. Guile owns all except Dhalsim, effectively reducing play for that game to those two guys. Sam Sho 3 is arguably the best of that whole damn series.

I'd also replace KOF 97 with World Heroes Perfect. 97 is essentially 98 with less characters, and a dumber advanced mode, and is redundant in my book. WHP though, is a great fighter, truly a masterpiece.

[Kid Fenris]

I'd drop Art of Fighting 3, Fatal Fury Special, The King of Fighters '95, and Samurai Showdown 4.

Add Samurai Showdown 3, I say. SS4 may have actual endings, but it's mostly just a rehash of the previous games.

The King of Fighters 2000 also deserves a spot, being the best of the "new" KoF games. And keep KoF '97. It's the fan favorite of the series for a reason.

The original Guilty Gear would be a good choice for one of the two remaining spots. Even with a sequel out, it's still a wonder of design and intense, stylized play.

Cyberbots, Capcom's little-known mech brawler, is another suitable pick. It's simpler than other classic fighters, but the presentation, atmosphere, and sheer guilty pleasure of it make up for the semi-basic gameplay.

I might recommend World Heroes Perfect, but I could never get past the franchise's ridiculous characters.

[nesman85]

i think killer instinct should be on there.

[ubersaurus]

Those ridiculous characters were the best part ;p

AOF3 and FFS, I can see why they are on there, personally. Both of which are two of the finest games old SNK made, and were played for years after their releases. Hell AOF3 is considered by many to be one of the top 3 Neo Geo fighters (alongside Last Blade 2 and MOTW). I say it should be on that list still, at least over 97. what was 97 anyhow?

It was 98 with a plot (and plots are just icing for a fighter), an advanced bar that gave you infinite supers (WTF?) when Maxed out, a few infinites, and 2 hidden characters that were a god-tier of their own. Gameplay wise it's not a loved KOF in comparison to the superior 98, which is why I recommend its death ;p

You can't even say it had sweet music! It had like 3 songs!

[Kid Fenris]

Art of Fighting 3 may have been the best of the series, but that's really not saying much. The gameplay was burdened by constant knock-downs, the characters were forgettable (except maybe Kasumi), and it was just bland, especially in comparison to other SNK fighters.

KoF '97 is more deserving of the list, as it was an excellent game upon its initial release, and it's still fun in spite of the four sequels that have since followed. The unlimited supers make for some spectacular matches, and it has a far better sense of style than the rehashed aura of '98. And though fighting-game stories usually don't count for much, KoF '97 did a comparatively good job of exploring its plot and providing nice and lengthy endings. Because of that, the game's far more fun to tackle in the one-player mode than most of the franchise.

What's more, '98 has the Sports Hero Team. Ugh.

[buttasuperb]

add time killers :lol:

[ubersaurus]

Art of Fighting 3 may have been the best of the series, but that's really not saying much. The gameplay was burdened by constant knock-downs, the characters were forgettable (except maybe Kasumi), and it was just bland, especially in comparison to other SNK fighters.

KoF '97 is more deserving of the list, as it was an excellent game upon its initial release, and it's still fun in spite of the four sequels that have since followed. The unlimited supers make for some spectacular matches, and it has a far better sense of style than the rehashed aura of '98. And though fighting-game stories usually don't count for much, KoF '97 did a comparatively good job of exploring its plot and providing nice and lengthy endings. Because of that, the game's far more fun to tackle in the one-player mode than most of the franchise.

What's more, '98 has the Sports Hero Team. Ugh.

Don't be raggin on my sports team!

I don't think the point of fighters has ever been the one player mode, not since SF2 came out. It's always been about playing other people, and I think thats whats important. That rehashed aura of 98 was because it used the basic engine of 97 ;p I'd say it;s only still frun cuz 99, 2k, and 2k1 were such departures from the original style that many people just didn't like them very much (that and 99 just plain sucked ass). That's of course why I'm not as big a fan of 97. It's just KOF 98 v.5 in essence. 98 did everything better then 97 as far as gameplay goes. The unlimited supers, in high level play, really screwed things up. And the lack of a soundtrack save for like 5 characters/teams really hurt the style of the game, which, though a minor point, was a point that 98 had in spades over it.

I could argue the virtues of 98 over 97 all day ;p the simple fact is, the only KOFs people will play if given a choice will be either the latest release or it will be KOF 98. This is why 98 is considered so damn great-because it plays well, and isn't dominated by the top tiers so badly that its unplayable (I still hate Goro though, that punk), and the engine is pretty much perfect, outside of extra mode blowing complete ass. Though 97 is a good game, like I said, its redundant to have that AND 98 on the same list when they are so close (just one more refined).

[Kroogah]

As much as I love KoF '97, I suppose ubersaurus has a point. I think our style quotient is filled by Samurai Shodown 2. ^_^ That game has enough style to cover the other 24 games on the list!

[Kid Fenris]

It seems I've been outvoted. That's democracy for you. :wink: Still, World Heroes Perfect is a better pick that AoF3.

Here's another one to consider: NightWarriors. Vampire Savior's my favorite in the series, but NW is still a first-rate fighter, and notably different in gameplay. I've seen more than a few people claim that they prefer it to VS.

[ROBOTRON]

AOF3...Yikes! I sold that game, didn't like it.

My add ons won't be very popular, but here goes:

Savage Reign-This game was sweet and innovative, too bad I can't get Ubersaurus and the rest of the gang to play it! :D

Kizuna Encounter
AOF2
WH2

Rage of the Dragons is cool too...My most recent Neo-Geo game.

[hurstman]

What no Pit Fighter? lmao jk :P

[digitalpress]

Well, I can honestly say that any game I would have considered is on the existing list. Except for maybe Eternal Champions CD, which isn't for all tastes.

[ubersaurus]

After yesterday, I can safely say that KOF 2k should go in favor of KOF 2k2. It's as good, if not better, then KOF 98, and both are better then 2k. 2k2 is fast paced, the characters have all been tweaked to various degrees (some, like takuma and Yuri, are like whole new characters), and the inclusion of a custom combo style mode was very nice, and added more to the gameplay then strikers ever did.

[jaydubnb]

Discuss.

Capcom Vs. SNK 2
Cyberbots
Fatal Fury Special
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Guilty Gear
Guilty Gear X
JoJo's Bizzare Adventure
King of Fighters '98
King of Fighters 2000
Last Blade 2
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2
Mortal Kombat 2
Pocket Fighter
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
Samurai Shodown 2
Samurai Shodown 3
SNK Vs. Capcom Match of the Millenium
Street Fighter 2 Turbo
Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike
Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
X-Men Vs. Street Fighter
Vampire Savior
World Heroes Perfect

I say dump World Heroes and add either Last Blade 1 or the underrated Marvel Superheroes.

[Magus]

I dont see KOF:Evolution on there...

[congobongo]

CY, I would think this would be an obvious choice for you: Yie Ar Kung-Fu

[ubersaurus]

Though signifigant, Yie Ar isn't as playable as those other choices...the lack of a 2 player head to head mode on the arcade mode hurts it. Hell, even Street Fighter 1 had that, and it blew ass. I mean, SF2: World Warrior was signifigant, it was weak in comparison to the stuff that came after, even in it's own series.

[Kid Fenris]

I dont see KOF:Evolution on there...

KoF Evolution was the Dreamcast title for KoF '99, right? I think it's a decent fighter, but whatever it does, 2000 or 2001 does it better, and '99 lacks the character selection of previous KoFs.

And I'm not sure about 2002, uber. Though it plays well, the absence of strikers and the pared-down teams feel like a step backwards for the series. Plus there's no King OR Shingo, from what I've seen. I could tolerate a KoF losing one or the other, but not both.

[ubersaurus]

I dont see KOF:Evolution on there...

KoF Evolution was the Dreamcast title for KoF '99, right? I think it's a decent fighter, but whatever it does, 2000 or 2001 does it better, and '99 lacks the character selection of previous KoFs.

And I'm not sure about 2002, uber. Though it plays well, the absence of strikers and the pared-down teams feel like a step backwards for the series. Plus there's no King OR Shingo, from what I've seen. I could tolerate a KoF losing one or the other, but not both.


Well due to the limitations of the neo geo board, I could see why they would want to cut down on clones of characters (hence the exclusion of Shingo, a Kyo clone). King was excluded simply because she wasn't popular enough and was cut in the KOF 2k2 roster vote. Maybe she's something in the states, but in asia, I guess not ;p the lineup doesn't mean much to me when you have game features that it has.

[Tetsu]

I'd like to add, on a non-Neo Geo note, that Street Fighter Alpha 2 is not just a great fighting game, but an excellent game, period. It was the last time, apart from Street Fighter III, where Capcom actually spent time on developing an entire game, rather than an upgrade with more characters. The backgrounds were original, colorful, and had tons of cameos and inside jokes. (The girl playing a videogame in the background of Sakura's stage is supposed to be controlling Sakura, and gets mad if Sakura loses). The new music tracks were catchy, and the older tunes were remixed very well (see Ryu stage and Rolento, who's stage has the music from stage 3 of Final Fight). Depending on the character you pick in the one-player mode, you fight opponents that are consistent with the storyline (Ryu fights Sagat at the end, etc.). The endings for each character are all different, and really develop the storylines. Woooo! I can't stop playing it!

[ubersaurus]

Alpha 2 is fantastic...it's still one of the more popular games competetively of the alpha series (due to its easier to pick up and play then A3, which is more complex). Of course, it's dominated by alpha counters and the "Valle CC" bizarrity, but it's still a damn good game.

[Kid Fenris]

Alpha 2 actually reignited my interest in the series after I grew weary of SFII rehashes. It was fun to play, custom combos and all, but I really dug the sense of personality that came across in the backgrounds, characters, and storyline. Eliza's birthday party is a Capcom freak's Louvre, Sakura's stage music is forever lodged in my head, and Ken and Dan's pre-fight exchange ("Here's a quarter. Get your own moves.") remains a priceless moment.

[Arqueologia_Digital]

SF Alpha 2 is an excellent game, but i prefer SF Zero 3

[cheesystick]

I would like to second killer instinct.
-crispy

[Eternal Champion]

Dark Stalkers!!

[ManekiNeko]

Not Darkstalkers... NightWarriors. It's the sequel with more characters and improved play mechanics. No longer do you have to worry about your super meter running down the moment it's been filled up... you can stock up on as many super moves as you want in the second game.
Note that I left out Vampire Savior. It was a good game in its own right, but I didn't care for the new stylistic direction Capcom had chosen for it. Most of the new backgrounds and nearly all the new music was pretty crappy. Capcom had a habit of doing this to their other fighting game series... Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 suffer nearly as much from the new directions Capcom had taken both games. Tickertape messages in Alpha 3 and jazz music in MvC2... ugh.

JR

POST 26!