What is the most noob-friendly fighting game you can think of?

[AstroManLuca]

So I am really bad at fighting games, generally. I played the demo for Street Fighter II on XBLA and my matches are hilariously bad since pretty much everything in that game requires a specific combo.

On the other hand, I've done pretty well with the Soul Calibur series in the past since its "combos" generally revolve around a single direction + one or two buttons pressed at once, rather than a sequence of buttons that I can never remember, much less pull off in a hectic fight. The hit/guard/throw system works nicely too, even though it's just a simple rock/paper/scissors thing.

Since I'd be playing locally with friends, I'm looking for a fighting game that is easy to pick up and play and doesn't require you to get too deep to do well. Any recommendations?

I was thinking either Soul Calibur IV or the original Soul Calibur XBLA game. Any other recommendations? People rave about SF IV but I'm afraid it's not very noob-friendly... if anyone wants to set me straight, please do so.

PS Didn't mention this at first, but I'm on an Xbox 360. I figured it was obvious because I was mentioning the XBLA, but I should still point that out just in case.

 

[Dumac]

Super Smash Bros

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

Capcom VS SNK 2 EO for the original XBOX.

You literally flick the right analog stick in a direction and it performs a move for you.

 

[nitromullet]

If you've played Soul Calibur before and liked it, SC IV is more of the same. I dig the SC series, and I owned it for PS1 and XBox in the past. I saw it for a good deal for the 360 at my local GameCrazy, so I picked it up. Same game, better graphics.

 

[sourceninja]

the new UFC game is very easy to pickup. The fighting is not crazy button combos, but real life combos (Jab cross for example is just pressing the left punch, then the right one). I feel the game is actually anti-button mashing.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Might have to try the UFC demo. I picked up Fight Night Round 3 a little while ago for cheap, but the control system is unnatural and I just can't get the hang of it.

 

[purbeast0]

Soul Calibur or Dead or Alive series.

Tekken is also pretty noob friendly, in that the whole game revoles around dial-a-combos which means you just have to basically memorize button combinations in order and "dial in the combo", and the timing is not very strict at all. it's really easy to learn combos and execute them in tekken.

 

[nakedfrog]

I'd go with Soul Calibur or Tekken. In Tekken, two buttons represent left/right hand, and same with the feet.

Originally posted by: sourceninja
the new UFC game is very easy to pickup. The fighting is not crazy button combos, but real life combos (Jab cross for example is just pressing the left punch, then the right one). I feel the game is actually anti-button mashing.

I tried the demo... definitely not pick up and play.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
Soul Calibur or Dead or Alive series.

Yeah, I thought about mentioning DOA as well.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: sourceninja
the new UFC game is very easy to pickup. The fighting is not crazy button combos, but real life combos (Jab cross for example is just pressing the left punch, then the right one). I feel the game is actually anti-button mashing.

This is totally false. UFC is a great game but is very complex. Going through the tutorials take a while, and after doing them all I still didn't get it all. SF is quite a bit simpler than UFC and it's still too hard for the OP

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: sourceninja
the new UFC game is very easy to pickup. The fighting is not crazy button combos, but real life combos (Jab cross for example is just pressing the left punch, then the right one). I feel the game is actually anti-button mashing.

This is totally false. UFC is a great game but is very complex. Going through the tutorials take a while, and after doing them all I still didn't get it all. SF is quite a bit simpler than UFC and it's still too hard for the OP

Thank you for understanding my skill level. Looks like UFC is going to be way too complex if it's harder than FN3 or Street Fighter.

 

[Kev]

UFC is probably the last fighting game I will ever try. I just don't have the time or patience to learn all the moves.

 

[bl4ckfl4g]

Karate Champ

or if you want something newer, Killer Instinct. It has combos but they are very noob friendly.

 

[Dumac]

I'm surprised no one else said SSB!

It is pretty much the casual version of fighting games. There are no combos, just normal and special attacks in different directions. It's really fun though, especially with friends.

You manage to beat people up without them getting all pissy like in SF4....

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: Dumac
I'm surprised no one else said SSB!

It is pretty much the casual version of fighting games. There are no combos, just normal and special attacks in different directions. It's really fun though, especially with friends.

You manage to beat people up without them getting all pissy like in SF4....

Why would we say it again when you already did? It doesn't add anything to the suggestion box that isn't there.

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: sourceninja
the new UFC game is very easy to pickup. The fighting is not crazy button combos, but real life combos (Jab cross for example is just pressing the left punch, then the right one). I feel the game is actually anti-button mashing.

This is totally false. UFC is a great game but is very complex. Going through the tutorials take a while, and after doing them all I still didn't get it all. SF is quite a bit simpler than UFC and it's still too hard for the OP

Thank you for understanding my skill level. Looks like UFC is going to be way too complex if it's harder than FN3 or Street Fighter.

If I can be frank OP, it doesn't sound like fighting games are right for you at all really. The genre as a whole is a slurry of combos and timing which is what you're trying to avoid. Any fighting game that doesn't have combos and require practice isn't going to be something a fighting fan would recommend. I would rent Soul Calibur IV and see if it's right, but honestly it's just like any other fighing game with timing and combos galore.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: Dumac
I'm surprised no one else said SSB!

You shouldn't be. I have an Xbox 360 and mentioned it in my post. I used to have a Wii and I did somewhat enjoy SSBB, but I got bored of the Wii pretty quickly and sold it over a year ago.

To respond to gocorps: I'm not really good at any games. I have fun with them but I'm not very competitive in any of them. FPSs are really the only games where I even approach competitiveness, and as a result they're the only ones I play online. A fighting game would be strictly for local multiplayer with my friends, who are generally even worse at most games than I am.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Dumac
I'm surprised no one else said SSB!

It is pretty much the casual version of fighting games. There are no combos, just normal and special attacks in different directions. It's really fun though, especially with friends.

You manage to beat people up without them getting all pissy like in SF4....

I didn't know SSB was on the 360?

 

[Dumac]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: Dumac
I'm surprised no one else said SSB!

It is pretty much the casual version of fighting games. There are no combos, just normal and special attacks in different directions. It's really fun though, especially with friends.

You manage to beat people up without them getting all pissy like in SF4....

I didn't know SSB was on the 360?

Whoops, my bad. I don't know why I just assumed the OP had a Wii.

 

[sourceninja]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: sourceninja
the new UFC game is very easy to pickup. The fighting is not crazy button combos, but real life combos (Jab cross for example is just pressing the left punch, then the right one). I feel the game is actually anti-button mashing.

This is totally false. UFC is a great game but is very complex. Going through the tutorials take a while, and after doing them all I still didn't get it all. SF is quite a bit simpler than UFC and it's still too hard for the OP

Thank you for understanding my skill level. Looks like UFC is going to be way too complex if it's harder than FN3 or Street Fighter.

Here is all you need to know to play UFC

you have 4 buttons and 2 thumb sticks. The 4 buttons are as follows

Left punch | right punch
Left kick | right kick

If you press these they are weak strikes, pressing foward is heavy strikes.

You have a left trigger and a left bumper. These are high and low attacks. Pressing one and then a attack will make it high or low. You have a right trigger and bumper. these are high and low blocks.

You have a left thumb stick, this moves you.

You have a right thumb stick. This is grappling. Pressing it forward will engage a grapple, pressing away will throw or disengage a grapple. Finally on the ground moving it in quarter turns will move you around, and moving it in half circle turns will do major moving around. Pressing it attemps a submission.

That is it, there are no other combos, controls, or functions worth mentioning.

There is no back up down, press both bumpers, twoards twoards X to fire ultra mega super combo. Nothing else.

From there on it comes down to your ability to actually know how to make combos out of the above controls.

 

[Kabob]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I'd go with Soul Calibur or Tekken. In Tekken, two buttons represent left/right hand, and same with the feet.

As much as I love Tekken it is probably one of the most complex fighting games ever made...yes there's only four buttons but ever character has X amount of 10 hit combos, every action (tap a direction, sidestep, dash, jump) has a corresponding move, and becoming a good player requires you to learn alot of combos/juggles. If you've got patience then yes, it's a great game, but he's looking for noob-friendly and Tekken is about the least noob-friendly game I've ever played.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: kabob983

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I'd go with Soul Calibur or Tekken. In Tekken, two buttons represent left/right hand, and same with the feet.

As much as I love Tekken it is probably one of the most complex fighting games ever made...yes there's only four buttons but ever character has X amount of 10 hit combos, every action (tap a direction, sidestep, dash, jump) has a corresponding move, and becoming a good player requires you to learn alot of combos/juggles. If you've got patience then yes, it's a great game, but he's looking for noob-friendly and Tekken is about the least noob-friendly game I've ever played.

i disagree.

i've seen plenty of noobs pick eddy and just mash buttons and do some cool stuff

on the other hand though i think tekken is very easy to learn BECAUSE of the dial-a-combo system in the game. you don't have to learn a lot of combos/juggles to get good at tekken. i used to main King and I would do pretty much the same 5-6 moves/combos the whole time and win a lot.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: sourceninja

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: sourceninja
the new UFC game is very easy to pickup. The fighting is not crazy button combos, but real life combos (Jab cross for example is just pressing the left punch, then the right one). I feel the game is actually anti-button mashing.

This is totally false. UFC is a great game but is very complex. Going through the tutorials take a while, and after doing them all I still didn't get it all. SF is quite a bit simpler than UFC and it's still too hard for the OP

Thank you for understanding my skill level. Looks like UFC is going to be way too complex if it's harder than FN3 or Street Fighter.

Here is all you need to know to play UFC

you have 4 buttons and 2 thumb sticks. The 4 buttons are as follows

Left punch | right punch
Left kick | right kick

If you press these they are weak strikes, pressing foward is heavy strikes.

You have a left trigger and a left bumper. These are high and low attacks. Pressing one and then a attack will make it high or low. You have a right trigger and bumper. these are high and low blocks.

You have a left thumb stick, this moves you.

You have a right thumb stick. This is grappling. Pressing it forward will engage a grapple, pressing away will throw or disengage a grapple. Finally on the ground moving it in quarter turns will move you around, and moving it in half circle turns will do major moving around. Pressing it attemps a submission.

That is it, there are no other combos, controls, or functions worth mentioning.

There is no back up down, press both bumpers, twoards twoards X to fire ultra mega super combo. Nothing else.

From there on it comes down to your ability to actually know how to make combos out of the above controls.

Well, thanks for the explanation, but my eyes glazed over part of the way through. I'll stick to Soul Calibur.

 

[nakedfrog]

Yeah, relatively straight-forward there, horizontal, vertical, kick, block. Throws are devastating to CPU opponents

 

[sourceninja]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: sourceninja

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: sourceninja
the new UFC game is very easy to pickup. The fighting is not crazy button combos, but real life combos (Jab cross for example is just pressing the left punch, then the right one). I feel the game is actually anti-button mashing.

This is totally false. UFC is a great game but is very complex. Going through the tutorials take a while, and after doing them all I still didn't get it all. SF is quite a bit simpler than UFC and it's still too hard for the OP

Thank you for understanding my skill level. Looks like UFC is going to be way too complex if it's harder than FN3 or Street Fighter.

Here is all you need to know to play UFC

you have 4 buttons and 2 thumb sticks. The 4 buttons are as follows

Left punch | right punch
Left kick | right kick

If you press these they are weak strikes, pressing foward is heavy strikes.

You have a left trigger and a left bumper. These are high and low attacks. Pressing one and then a attack will make it high or low. You have a right trigger and bumper. these are high and low blocks.

You have a left thumb stick, this moves you.

You have a right thumb stick. This is grappling. Pressing it forward will engage a grapple, pressing away will throw or disengage a grapple. Finally on the ground moving it in quarter turns will move you around, and moving it in half circle turns will do major moving around. Pressing it attemps a submission.

That is it, there are no other combos, controls, or functions worth mentioning.

There is no back up down, press both bumpers, twoards twoards X to fire ultra mega super combo. Nothing else.

From there on it comes down to your ability to actually know how to make combos out of the above controls.

Well, thanks for the explanation, but my eyes glazed over part of the way through. I'll stick to Soul Calibur.

It would take at least 3 times that to explain how to be good at a single character in soul caliber. All the combos and techniques.

 

[puffywulf]

Try going with Street Fighter IV. It kind of goes back to the old Street Fighter days ... less combos. Either that, or just go with Soul Calibur IV. You really can't go wrong with any of those.