Essential fighting games. need list

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El Guaraguao

Diamond Member
May 7, 2008
3,468
5
81
I didn't say street fighter 4 was the worst, I was referring to Street Fighter X Tekken, that game was awful. It was awful though because it was a Street Fighter game, and if you honestly think SF4 can compete with even old Tekken games then you really need to play Tekken. Go download Tekken Revolution from PSN and play online.


Playing any Tekken game always felt like I was playing with these

5869607361.jpg



(boxing puppets)
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
SF4 can compete with even old Tekken games then you really need to play Tekken

I just saw this (guess I missed it before), but SF4 is better than even the best Tekken. The Tekken system itself has always been rather clunky. The best Tekken (imo) was Tekken Tag, and even that was not great. Every main SF game has out shined Tekken in every way.
 

El Guaraguao

Diamond Member
May 7, 2008
3,468
5
81
I just saw this (guess I missed it before), but SF4 is better than even the best Tekken. The Tekken system itself has always been rather clunky. The best Tekken (imo) was Tekken Tag, and even that was not great. Every main SF game has out shined Tekken in every way.

Growing up I was there for the golden age of SFII arcades. At the time, if you walked into an arcade and saw a bunch of people around a machine, chances are it was SFII. When they came to consoles, damn near everyone of my friends had it. Fast forward to today, Its still sort of the same now. Although I never been to EVO champion series, the games I guess would count as main events, were the SF games. Which gave birth to top players like Diago and Justin. Tekken is good, but not Street Fighter good.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,038
5,920
126
they are just totally different games. some people prefer 2d, some prefer 3d. one is dial-a-combo, one is chain/link combos. some can enjoy both.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,038
5,920
126
Dial-a-combo is a joke.

that is funny how you edited your post from "a true fighting aficionado can appreciate both" to saying dial-a-combo is a joke.

a true fighting aficionado can enjoy what they like and play what they like, while not caring about what they don't like and not worrying about trying to convince people why what they like is superior.
 

xeledon20005

Senior member
Feb 5, 2013
300
0
76
Tekken 3, tekken 4, tekken tag tourn, Soul calibur 2 for ps2

Mortal kombat 3 ultimate for SNES god damn those games kicked ass.
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Growing up I was there for the golden age of SFII arcades. At the time, if you walked into an arcade and saw a bunch of people around a machine, chances are it was SFII. When they came to consoles, damn near everyone of my friends had it. Fast forward to today, Its still sort of the same now. Although I never been to EVO champion series, the games I guess would count as main events, were the SF games. Which gave birth to top players like Diago and Justin. Tekken is good, but not Street Fighter good.

Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat around here were the top two.

Honestly I had fun with Tekken but around the time it came out I had already played Virtua Fighter which with it's truly 3D environment and sidestepping, it was simply a better game to play IMO. I have always been big into martial arts so games that had some sense of realistic martial arts moves were appealing to me. Both Tekken and Virtua Fighter, as well as Soul Calibur had this. It just happens that I preferred the 3D environment more for that type of game. In 2D games, nothing really topped Street Fighter for me. There was a time when Mortal Kombat was new and different and was super popular. I played a ton of it too, admittedly because of the violence factor lol.
 
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cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Tekken 3, tekken 4, tekken tag tourn, Soul calibur 2 for ps2

Mortal kombat 3 ultimate for SNES god damn those games kicked ass.

I have UMK3 on mame(arcade version)...is there something added to the console version that is superior?
 

TerryMathews

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,464
2
0
that is funny how you edited your post from "a true fighting aficionado can appreciate both" to saying dial-a-combo is a joke.

a true fighting aficionado can enjoy what they like and play what they like, while not caring about what they don't like and not worrying about trying to convince people why what they like is superior.

I didn't see your last sentence in your post when I replied, I don't know if Tapatalk didn't load it or you edited it. Since we said practically the same thing there was no point to my post.

Your comment is false equivalence though. Dial-a-combo is like an aimbot in an FPS. I don't see anyone arguing the merits of that.
 

TerryMathews

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,464
2
0
Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat around here were the top two.

Honestly I had fun with Tekken but around the time it came out I had already played Virtua Fighter which with it's truly 3D environment and sidestepping, it was simply a better game to play IMO. I have always been big into martial arts so games that had some sense of realistic martial arts moves were appealing to me. Both Tekken and Virtua Fighter, as well as Soul Calibur had this. It just happens that I preferred the 3D environment more for that type of game. In 2D games, nothing really topped Street Fighter for me. There was a time when Mortal Kombat was new and different and was super popular. I played a ton of it too, admittedly because of the violence factor lol.

Played the original Virtua Fighter to death. Loved being Jackie, got to the point where I could beat Dural on 1cc
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,038
5,920
126
Your comment is false equivalence though. Dial-a-combo is like an aimbot in an FPS. I don't see anyone arguing the merits of that.

that isn't even close to being true. your comparison doesn't even make any sense.

there is a block button so just because you can do a 10 hit combo in tekken doesn't mean you are guaranteed to beat anyone. infact, nobody in high level tekken play ever uses the 10 hit combos because it's easy as shit to counter them when blocked.
 

TerryMathews

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,464
2
0
that isn't even close to being true. your comparison doesn't even make any sense.

there is a block button so just because you can do a 10 hit combo in tekken doesn't mean you are guaranteed to beat anyone. infact, nobody in high level tekken play ever uses the 10 hit combos because it's easy as shit to counter them when blocked.

Tekken isn't the only dial-a-combo system. How about CvS2: EO? All the specials are mapped to the right analog stick.

If you were thinking strictly of Tekken, then maybe you're right. But I would argue that a true dial-a-combo system like CvS2: EO is exactly like an aimbot, it takes 99% of the skill out of it.
I remember it but would you put it in the same league as Street Fighter and KOF?

Some of them. How about KOF: Neowave?
 

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
50,231
117
116
I remember it but would you put it in the same league as Street Fighter and KOF?

No, definitely not, though we did have fun with it for hours.

I think I actually liked a later iteration of the KoF series, not the first one. There have been so many I can't really remember which one it was.

KT
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,038
5,920
126
on the same level as clay fighters is tmnt tournament fighters. it's actually a really solid fighter.
 

I4AT

Platinum Member
Oct 28, 2006
2,630
3
81
TL;DR
My must haves:

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PSN/XBL)
-Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting (MAME, purists)
-Super Street Fighter II (MAME)
-Super Street Fighter II Turbo/X (MAME/Dreamcast, intro of super combos)

Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Dreamcast, MAME)
-Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (PS2)

Capcom vs. SNK 2 (Dreamcast, PS2, PSN emulated PS2 classic)

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (PSN/360, Dreamcast, PS2)

Darkstalkers Resurrection (PSN/360)
-Vampire Chronicle/Collection (Dreamcast/PS2 Japan only)
-Vampire Savior 2 (MAME)

Street Fighter 3 Third Strike (PSN/360, Dreamcast, PS2)

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus (PSN/XBL, PS2, Wii)
-Accent Core Plus R (supposedly PSN/XBL late 2013)
-Guilty Gear X2 #Reload (Windows, PS2)


Already been mentioned but worth restating, Capcom vs. SNK 2 is a masterpiece. Personally I think it's the peak of the 2D fighter generation. I used to spend like 6 hours a day in the training room trying to master shoshosho and paint the fence. It almost seems lazy how sprites were just pulled from different generations of games, like CPSII era Alpha sprites and CPSIII era SF3 sprites, but it's forgivable since the gameplay makes up for it. It's a game where balance was thrown out the window in favor of fun, which also made it one of the best games to spectate. The roll cancel glitch also added a whole new element to the game when it was discovered and is only maintained in the Dreamcast and I believe PS2 versions of the game, it was removed from the Xbox/Gamecube EO versions.

Your list is missing the entire Guilty Gear series, I'm partial to the X2 generation myself simply because of Bridget. Guilty Gear is even worse than Street Fighter when it comes to rehashes though, so you might be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of releases.

The entire Street Fighter Alpha series is also absent, as well as Darkstalkers-Vampire Hunter/Savior.

A couple of Capcom releases that were never majorly popular but had small cult followings are Rival Schools, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (apparently on PSN now), Warzard/Red Earth. The failed crossover Capcom Fighting Jam/Evolution. Oh and X-Men Children of the Atom which was the basis for X-Men vs. Street Fighter and eventually Marvel vs. Capcom.

I never did like SNK fighters, but if you're looking for completeness there's Art of Fighting, SNK vs. Capcom (nowhere near as good as CVS2), Garou (Fatal Fury) Mark of the Wolves, the Last Blade 2, Rage of the Dragons, and Neo Geo Battle Coliseum.

If you really want a collection of fighters from the golden age you should probably get a Dreamcast off of Ebay/Craigslist. It had the largest selection of true arcade original ports including Alpha 3, Third Strike, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Super Street Fighter II X, Rival Schools 2 (Project Justice), JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Guilty Gear X (a PS2 is needed for the majority of the Guilty Gear series), the exclusive but cult classic Powerstone 2, Vampire Chronicle (a mash up of Darkstalkers games, also available and updated on Japanese PS2), King of Fighters 99-02, Mark of the Wolves, and Last Blade 2. And there are .iso's for all of these games floating around online so you don't have to try and track down expensive originals and deal with having Japanese and North American consoles for the region exclusive releases.

Most of these titles are also available as PSN/XBL downloads. I quit playing/collecting fighting games a long time ago so I'm a little out of the loop, but somebody mentioned CVS2 is coming to PSN (from what I've read no online play, seriously?*), and Darkstalkers 2/3 came out a little while ago as well. That means for the most part the "must-have" titles are available on PS3/360 with the exception of Alpha 3, which may be coming eventually. I take issue with the Darkstalkers release though, cause even though they're arcade faithful, the Dreamcast/PS2 compilations had access to the full suite of characters. In the arcade versions either Pyron, Donovan, and Huitzil were unplayable, or John Talbain was missing. They really should have used the mash-up as the basis rather than just packing in 2 separate arcade ports, in my opinion.

Also, I'm wary of all these remastered DLC games coming out so late in the PS3/360 generation, as I'm sure within the first year or two of PS4/Xbox One they'll shut down PSN/XBL on the previous gen consoles. But as long as you download them all and pray your HDD never dies I suppose you'd at least have local/offline access to them for as long as your console stays alive. Ten bucks says they re-release all of these games as PS4/Xbox One compatible DLC forcing everyone to re-purchase them to continue playing online as well.

There's also those couple of Atomiswave games that I think only made their way to Japanese PS2, like Fist of the North Star and Rumble Fish, probably not worth tracking down. Dead or Alive series never been a fan, Primal Rage from the Clayfighters/Killer Instinct era.

And of course Super Smash Bros. which has always been the red-headed step child of Evo.

*EDIT: Apparently CVS2 is not actually a PSN title but one of those emulated PS2 classics, which explains the lack of online play. I guess there are licensing issues with SNK Playmore that prevents an updated release? That also means it should be a last resort option only if you can't get a hold of a Dreamcast copy or even the original PS2 disc. Hell I'd even take the Gamecube EO disc version over the emulated PS2 classic since it's backwards compatible with Wii. The Dreamcast version will always be the most arcade accurate since CVS2 was originally released on Sega Naomi hardware, as was MVC2.
 
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cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Had anyone used the madcatz vewlix style arcade sticks with mortal kombat? How did you set the buttons up? I am thinking the following.
HP,blk,HK,
lp,run,lk

Also has anyone tried MK1 or mk2 with one of these sticks and noticed it is near impossible to do anything that requires a double tap forward or back? I was playing around with it and noticed I could not do any moves reliably that had a F,F or B,B command like scorpion's speer. Is it just me? I remember it being very simple in the arcade to do a double tap motion 100% of the time.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,038
5,920
126
it's just you with the controls. i have no issues with the commands.

as far as the "viewlex" style madcatz sticks, are you talking about the ones with the 8 buttons in the viewlex style like the TE? i'd assume so since i don't know of any that are 6 button without customizing them.

if i were to play mk3 on one of those i would make run the button that is on the bottom left, then i would use the right most 6 buttons for the "main" buttons, putting both of the middle buttons as block. that way you could hit the bottom left button with your thumb while using your fingers to press the others. also, it will be the closest placement to the arcade run button.

that is how i have mine setup for sf4, but the bottom left button is all 3 kicks. that is the button i hold when charging balrogs charge punch so that my fingers are free to press the punch buttons while charging.
 

TerryMathews

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,464
2
0
Had anyone used the madcatz vewlix style arcade sticks with mortal kombat? How did you set the buttons up? I am thinking the following.
HP,blk,HK,
lp,run,lk

Also has anyone tried MK1 or mk2 with one of these sticks and noticed it is near impossible to do anything that requires a double tap forward or back? I was playing around with it and noticed I could not do any moves reliably that had a F,F or B,B command like scorpion's speer. Is it just me? I remember it being very simple in the arcade to do a double tap motion 100% of the time.

Usually a difficulty to perform combos, setting aside player skill, stems from input bounce or stick throw length.

Have you tried a different stick or a fighting game pad? Are you really sure it's not you?
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Usually a difficulty to perform combos, setting aside player skill, stems from input bounce or stick throw length.

Have you tried a different stick or a fighting game pad? Are you really sure it's not you?

I am 100% positive it isn't me. Qcf works perfectly and anything that is just b,f works perfectly.

I do remember though that the sticks in the arcade machines were not sanwa. Maybe suzo happ? I don't know the mfgr for certain. Is the throw distance a big difference? That would make sense if it is expecting a slightly longer delay between the movement commands. I used to have an x-arcade two player stick and I cannot for the life of me remember if I had similar trouble. The quality is pretty low on the parts though. I guess I can see if I still have it and if so, dig it out and try that. Also I can do all the moves I have trouble with just fine on a ps3 controller. It just isn't as good for qcf and such.
 

Ancalagon44

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2010
3,274
202
106
Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Dreamcast, MAME)

I've always preferred SFA2 to SFA3. SFA3 has more characters, but for some reason, the announcer and music completely ruin it for me.

I do like the final battle in SFA3, that is pretty cool.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
I am 100% positive it isn't me. Qcf works perfectly and anything that is just b,f works perfectly.

I do remember though that the sticks in the arcade machines were not sanwa. Maybe suzo happ? I don't know the mfgr for certain. Is the throw distance a big difference? That would make sense if it is expecting a slightly longer delay between the movement commands. I used to have an x-arcade two player stick and I cannot for the life of me remember if I had similar trouble. The quality is pretty low on the parts though. I guess I can see if I still have it and if so, dig it out and try that. Also I can do all the moves I have trouble with just fine on a ps3 controller. It just isn't as good for qcf and such.

Chances are, you are just having execution problems. A lot of players prefer a pad for MK.
 

shadow_k

Member
Apr 22, 2012
68
0
0
Here are some more fighting games that you may enjoy.

Soul Calibur 2-5
Tekken 6
Street Fighter EX 2 Plus
Dead or Alive 5
Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3 HD
Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi 3 (ultimate tenkaichi sucks)
Capcom vs SNK 2