Although Arcade popularity is long since past, competitive fighters are still quite popular with all age groups. Street Fighter and Capcom have become synonymous with fighting reiterations with both the SF and Capcom fighting labels releasing more than 10 new games, compilations and re-releases in the past 5-years. Not to mention that, within that time, there has been an upswing of new fighting titles.
Mortal Kombat saw it's first title since Armageddon on the PS2. BlazBlue took the seat of its predecessor, Guilty Gear, and released 3-reiterations of the original. Tekken, King of Fighters, Marvel vs. -- all throwing a hand in the new fighter market. New franchises peek like Naruto, PlayStation All-Stars and Persona 4 Arena. But, where does that leave fighting fans?
Fighting fans are extremely particular. If you like Street Fighter, that probably means you're not as much a Tekken fan, but you can get down on some BlazBlue. Same deal with Tekken fans: If you dig Tekken then a Naruto or Mortal Kombat may be a little more your thing.
We've seen more fighters on this generation than we had during the PS2 days. If you include all the downloads, reiterations, ports and collector's bundles -- this gen has more than 60 different titles.
So, what are the best?
10) Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 [PS3]
- Why didn't I say 3? Also, why even say Naruto at all? Well, there were a lot of things I liked about three and then there were a lot of things I noticed they changed that felt better in 2. Although 3's character listing is larger, contains more features and plays/runs smoother, I spent more time playing this one [oddly enough]. No reviewers ever felt this was a title to write home about, but with more than 1.5 million units sold worldwide to date, I feel some fans may disagree. It's entertaining, why should it matter if it's "shallow"? Either way, regardless of how you feel of the show, Naruto's fighting titles are some of the most entertaining, 3D style fighters I've ever played [Even as a non-fan of the show.]. Simple, easy to pick-up-and-play style, difficult to master and, above all else, fun.
- Released in 2010 by Namco Bandai, Naruto 2 is the first in their long-line of game series to delve into the world of Shippuden. Shippuden is the fast-forward part of the series that shows the characters peaking in their teenage years and forced to face more adult situations. NS:UNS2 features 23 fighting stages including 9 chapter stages, Awakening Mode jutsu and combos, and 44-playable characters.
9) Skullgirls [360]
- As one of the few popular, download only fighters -- Skullgirls is a fast-paced, 2D fighter with an Art Deco flair. This cartoony fighter, think old 20's "Steamboat Willie" or 30's "Looney Tunes" style and not really an anime, has the coolest and most unique art styles I've ever seen in a fighter. Aside from the quirky art, the game plays pretty smoothly. Not a title that's easy to pick-up-and-play like Naruto, but surely a fun one for 2D fighter fans.
- Released in April of 2012, Skullgirls is an 8-character, all-female cast [hence the name] of over-the-top spectical published by Autumn Games and Konami.
8) Tekken 6 [PS3]
- Tekken is one of the obligetory fighting titles. I could never respect myself or anyone else that did a top anything without recognizing both Tekken and Street Fighter. Tekken 6's biggest complainant from reviewers was that it was same-old, same-old to which I replied, "Thank you for being the reason so many sequels are broken these days [i.e. Final Fantasy]." This reviewer is a fan of the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" motto, and I surely stick with it. So, Tekken isn't a fresh take on the series. It plays cleanly, has a good framerate, looks pretty and brings back all my favorite characters. What more do you really want from a Tekken title?
7) King of Fighter XIII [PS3]
- Wow, was XII broken. It made me incredibly sad after purchasing day one, as well. But Atlus took the reins for XIII and did a pretty bang-up job, too. Clean play, classic style, gorgeous backgrounds, decent framerate -- KOFXIII is pretty well put together. And it's about time, we were missing some KOF in our lives.
6) Persona 4 Arena [PS3]
- Well, is this necessarily a fighter for everyone? No, not at all. If my fan-girl was more powerful than my levelheadedness, then this would be number one. But, as it goes, this really is best suited for one of any of the following gamers: A) Fan of Persona B) Fan of 2D Guilty Gear Style Fighters C) Japanese Style Hyper Fighters. Above all else, Persona 4 Arena is incredibly entertaining. Tons of fun and familiar for fans of 4 plus additional storyline components [adding more than another 20 hours of catch-up with you favorite citizens in the TV].
5) Tatsunoko vs. Capcom [Wii]
- Tatsunoko vs. Capcom performed a miracle seeing North American shores, not even to mention its exclusivity to the Wii. Tasunoko vs. is one of those games that makes old school anime fans smile ear-to-ear while playing. Who wouldn't love to pit Gatchaman and Rival School characters against the likes of Ryu and Viewtiful Joe. Tatsunoko vs. combines nostalgia, awesome gameplay with Capcom's versus series panache. The best out of the versus games for next-gen? Absolutely. Marvel disappointed and Cross only made a Capcom variation of a 3D style game. Tatsunoko played into the versus library with a just-right feel, even on the Wii.
4) BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend [PS3]
- BlazBlue is probably the most technical fighter I've ever had the opportunity to play. As a spiritual predecessor to Guilty Gear, BlazBlue combines staple styles such as the bright and vivacious color schemes, fast-paced action and devastating combos while adding one of the most unique character playstyles. One of the game's greatest features is built upon the character's fighting style and how each character is unique from the other. You can play with Jin, and get really good too, but you won't be able to transfer that ability to any other character in the game. Bright, flashy and colorful with a wonderful framerate and playstyle make for some of the most time consuming fighting to encounter ever.
3) Mortal Kombat [PS3]
- There's a good amount of reasons we gave Mortal Kombat the number three spot, and it's not just nostalgia. Local heroes Midway may have ceased to be, but not the company's greatest creation. After being picked up by WB, Ed Boon decided to go back to the drawing board for the series. What did he come up with? A new varition of the classic style. MK plays almost exactly like it's originator, just a hell of a lot prettier. After years of attempting to reinvent the series, Mortal Kombat has seen some pretty awful titles dating back to the original PlayStation days with Mortal Kombat 4. With more than 25 characters and a multitude of play modes, MK offers up more than 40 hours of gameplay and immense replay value.
2) Super Smash Bros. Brawl [Wii]
- You can ask anyone in the world, gamer or not, who Mario is and they'll tell you. Miyamoto is infamously particular about protecting his creations by ensuring that they only be placed in high quality titles. The times that Nintendo went over his head, they learned their lesson, and quickly. Take someone as widely known and loved like Mario and throw in some Pikachu, Ness, Link and Kirby and you have yourself an instantaneous monster hit on your hands. As long as Nintendo ensures its entertainment value, nothing can stop something like Super Smash Bros. Smash Bros. perfectly combines easy to pick-up-and-play elements, lovable and iconic characters, addictive play style and content that appeals to all-ages across the globe and you have not only one of the greatest fighting games of all time, but one of the greatest games of all time period.
1) Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition [PS3]
- Rating top whatever of anything is pretty difficult, but after one of the greatest eras for fighting games, it's even harder. Figuring out a number one for this is one list took a bit of diliberating. In the end, it was decided that Super Street Fighter IV Arcade should take the top spot for a great number of reasons. 1) Street Fighter IV was the game to start the avalanche of fighting game titles and popularity for the 360, PS3 and Wii generation. 2) Incredibly fluid, fun and beautiful. 3) Influenced other developers to restyle their titles in their original formats when bringing out a sequel [ex: Mortal Kombat]. || Above any and all other things, none of these games could even be recognized if it wasn't for the likes of the original Street Fighter. Without the popularity of the original Street Fighter, and again for this generation's titles, none of these other games could even be here. Super Street Fighter IV Arcade combined all the DLC of extra characters, outfits and levels for IV, which started the fighting game DLC frenzy. Above all else, SSFIVA is the most fun you can get from a current gen fighting game, hands down.
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