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Best fighting games of last gen

O

oni-link

Member
Watching some reviews of Guilty Gear Xrd has rekindled my desire to get into fighting games, only the thing that has always been holding me back is the fact online play does little for me, and I believe isn't that great in fighting games anyway due to lag, and the fact I don't have many people to play with in real life, so really I have two questions:

1) What are/were the best fighting games of last gen, the best games and best versions of them etc (I'm aware SFIV has had a good few versions etc)

2) What is the best way to find/get into a fighting game community? I'm based near London in the UK, I have little hope of finding anywhere closer than London, but is there a site or way of finding out where meet ups are held?
 
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Ultra Street Fighter 4, KOFXIII, Persona 4 Ultimax, and Skullgirls.

Come to FGW sometime. I know Gaffer Huw_Dawson is from London as well. Maybe he can help.
 
Under Night In-Birth will be coming to NA this year.
I imported it, and it's a great fighting game with some really cool gimmicks.

Also can't go wrong with VF5:FS, KOFXIII, or P4U.

I'd say Arcana Heart 3 LM, but I'm not sure how much support I'd get ...
*avatar quote*
 
Hey buddy.

First, hit up shoryuken.com and look around to see where your local scene gets together.

Second, I play fighting games single-player all the time (as do many others) so don't let people convince you that they're only good with other people.

Third, there aren't that many bad ones to be honest! This isn't the 90's anymore. If a studio makes a fighting game these days, they generally put a good deal of effort behind it! Lucky for us, that means they're all pretty great.

Fourth, arcade sticks are great but not everyone needs them. I've seen some amazing controller players at tournaments. Personally, I'm a stick guy so if you've got the budget and the interest I think they're well worth it. But I just thought I'd throw that out there.

And finally, here's my list of personal favorites, all available on last gen consoles:

-Tekken Tag Tournament 2
This is the most robust fighter in terms of content and roster. One of the best fighting games ever, IMO.

-Soul Calibur V
Its the best SC game since the 2nd one and the only weapons-based 3D fighter that is still alive and kicking.

-Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
This is worth getting into just because its so fast, so crazy, and so over the top. A few views on youtube and you'll see why its so crazy. 3 on 3 tag action. Nothing else quite like it.

-Ultra Street Fighter IV
Deep mechanics and a giant roster spanning decades of history. This will probably be the game with the most longevity among the hardcore scene.

-Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate
Not my favorite DOA game, but its the one that plays the best. I'm just not a fan of a lot of the stages and music. The best ones are the Halloween one and some of the returning favorites like the Autumn Forest. The new ones are the ones that leave me cold.

-Mortal Kombat
This is definitely a great choice for your first fighting game. I think it feels a bit clunky compared to some of the others above, but I still love it and it has a great story mode. Its the only gory fighter out there but somehow its also the one that feels the most casual and fun, IMO.

Not sure if its still available due to licensing stuff, but Marvel vs Capcom 2 was up on PSN and XBL. Its sorta old looking now, but I love it and the gameplay holds up. Also worth finding Virtua Fighter 5 and soon Dead or Alive 2 Hardcore will be coming to PSN.

Welcome!
 
Silky said:
OP pick up 3rd Strike OE. Get a feel of different SF titles.
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The only 2 fighting games I've put significant time into are Soul Calibur II back on the Gamecube, and Capcom Vs SNK 2 on PS2, and I really liked both

I'm not counting the first 3 Smash games, but I'm planning to get Smash 4 on Wii U when I get a Wii U anyway
 
My personal favorite fighting game this generation was SoulCalibur 5.

Best gameplay in the series. Addition of meter changed the way matches ebbed and glowed, added another layer of strategy. The changes to GIs were great and one of only two times in the series they worked as intended. There were some balance issues, and the only patch the game got changed it for the worse (imo). The game is a super version away from being my favorite fighting game ever.

Dead or Alive 5 has been AMAZING this generation. The support and level of devotion Tecmo has shown to the game and to the competitive scene is better than any other game save SF4 (which says a lot, since it's small fries in comparison). The gameplay is almost the best it's ever been (still prefer a lot of stuff in doa3.1), but overall, I think it's the best entry in the series.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was pretty much a love letter to long time fans of the series. I think it literally has anything a Tekken fan could ever want. It's why I'm sad they didn't try anything particularly new (so far) with T7. I'm sure it'll be great, but feels really close to other Tekkens right now.

Street Fighter 4...I had a long, hard relationship with it. There are tons of things I hate about it. OS, vortex, easy inputs, shortcuts. Took me a long time to adjust to the floaty jumps and knockdowns. Game just feels a bit off to me from other SF games. I hate how easy it is to reversal.

But, these past two years, I've tried to approach it as another game and not another SF game and it has grown on me. As a competitive player, I can't help but appreciate the diversity this game shows at upper levels. It is by far the most balanced SF game ever and that is amazing given the cast. Still playing it, and can't wait for it to come out on PS4. Don't see myself not playing this for a long time.

KoF13 love the game, think it's a great entry, but didn't bother playing it much. Broken online made it hard, especially with how execution intensive it is.

Then there were tons of re-releases that will always get play from me: Marvel Origins, Vampire Savior, STHD.

Such a good generation for fighting game players. :D

Also: Shoutouts to Markman and Madcatz for ushering in fightsticks with premium parts and builds.
 
Street Fighter 4 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 brought the fire

I'd mention that other Namco series that took out all the dark-skinned characters in the sequel but gosh I just don't have the development time
 
SFxT was my personal favorite Capcom game of last gen followed by Super Street Fighter IV. Yes SFxT it's better than Marvel 3.
 
King of Fighters 13

I played SF4 variants more, but KOF is the better game.

oni-link said:
2) What is the best way to find/get into a fighting game community? I'm based near London in the UK, I have little hope of finding anywhere closer than London, but is there a site or way of finding out where meet ups are held?
Click to expand...

I'm also "near" London. Good luck.

There are a couple of arcades in London which have regular meet ups, but there really isn't much around. Depending on where you are, something like Heart of Gaming might not be easy to get to.
 
It was a fantastic generation for fighting games. My vote will have to go to the SF4 series, with Super Street Fighter 4 specifically. I felt that it was the most all-around balanced and polished before things started getting a little dicey with v2012 and Ultra.

But KOF XIII and TTT2 are both right there with it in terms of overall quality IMO. Such great games.
 
MK9

they stood out from being just a flashy fighter to their first FG with Depth and tourney presence all though they still have things to iron out they def heading up the right tracks 100 miles per hour, Finding that sweet shot between casual and tourny. while still keep there gory charm
 
Smash Bros. Brawl, despite apparently GAF's consensus that it's horrible. I enjoyed it a lot, 200+ hours spread across a few years and I regret nothing.
 
oneida said:
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
Click to expand...
Yes.
Beach Head said:
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
Click to expand...
Yes.

Jaeger said:
DOA5 is amazing.
Click to expand...
No (not just because of personal reasons). Even though it's very mash-friendly, DOA does a lot of stuff backwards compared to every other single fighting game out there. If you're just starting out and want to get better at the fighting genre, I suggest looking elsewhere.

Honestly, my recommendation is whatever game seems appealing to you. In the OP's case, that'd be GGXrd.
 
Skilletor said:
My personal favorite fighting game this generation was SoulCalibur 5.

Best gameplay in the series. Addition of meter changed the way matches ebbed and glowed, added another layer of strategy. The changes to GIs were great and one of only two times in the series they worked as intended. There were some balance issues, and the only patch the game got changed it for the worse (imo). The game is a super version away from being my favorite fighting game ever.

Dead or Alive 5 has been AMAZING this generation. The support and level of devotion Tecmo has shown to the game and to the competitive scene is better than any other game save SF4 (which says a lot, since it's small fries in comparison). The gameplay is almost the best it's ever been (still prefer a lot of stuff in doa3.1), but overall, I think it's the best entry in the series.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was pretty much a love letter to long time fans of the series. I think it literally has anything a Tekken fan could ever want. It's why I'm sad they didn't try anything particularly new (so far) with T7. I'm sure it'll be great, but feels really close to other Tekkens right now.

Street Fighter 4...I had a long, hard relationship with it. There are tons of things I hate about it. OS, vortex, easy inputs, shortcuts. Took me a long time to adjust to the floaty jumps and knockdowns. Game just feels a bit off to me from other SF games. I hate how easy it is to reversal.

But, these past two years, I've tried to approach it as another game and not another SF game and it has grown on me. As a competitive player, I can't help but appreciate the diversity this game shows at upper levels. It is by far the most balanced SF game ever and that is amazing given the cast. Still playing it, and can't wait for it to come out on PS4. Don't see myself not playing this for a long time.

KoF13 love the game, think it's a great entry, but didn't bother playing it much. Broken online made it hard, especially with how execution intensive it is.

Then there were tons of re-releases that will always get play from me: Marvel Origins, Vampire Savior, STHD.

Such a good generation for fighting game players. :D

Also: Shoutouts to Markman and Madcatz for ushering in fightsticks with premium parts and builds.
Click to expand...

Your tastes are very similar to mine.

I couldn't get into Marvel 3 at all. Just not my game.

The last Marvel game I enjoyed was MSH, which we finally got an arcade perfect port in Marvel Origins luckily.
 
The virtua fighter games made the last gen AWESOME..

Able to play with my brother thousands of miles away, just like we used to play on the Saturn back in the 90s? Incredible.

Huge virtua fighter fan here. In fact, now I want to play some.
 
Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

There's nothing else for me. Though I still want to get more into Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown.
 
SF4 is probably my favorite (set of) traditional fighting game(s) ever, so that :P I love the pacing, mechanics, roster, etc.

KOF XIII is superb too, but the reality is I don't enjoy team based fighters as much, and the terrible netcode made me drop it.

Tekken, this generation I drifted away from Tekken, somewhat. I enjoyed Tekken 6 a lot, but just as with the original one, TTT2 didn't keep my interest for long. Weird, I used to be such a huge fan.

I liked what I played of Virtua Fighter 5, I want to give it another chance.

Brawl was genuinely my favorite SSB game before SSB4, so that too. Extremely unbalanced game, but otherwise I loved the gameplay and roster. Competitive 2v2 is awesome.

MK and Injustice are okay, fun games, but not really my style.

And finally, it's a shame I don't enjoy Mahvel or Tatsunoko because their rosters are awesome :( I want Roll, Mega Man Volnutt and Arthur in a Street Fighter-like game.
 
Oh yeah! I forgot Injustice! It's just a fun game that anyone can pick up and get down the basics pretty quickly. Plus the story mode is great and very much like the one in Mortal Kombat.
 
I don't know about the best but I like Virtua Fighter 5 and the games by Netherrealm Studios the best.
 
entrement said:
Your tastes are very similar to mine.

I couldn't get into Marvel 3 at all. Just not my game.

The last Marvel game I enjoyed was MSH, which we finally got an arcade perfect port in Marvel Origins luckily.
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I appreciate the Marvel games, just can't get into them. In general, I dislike team games. 2v2 is the most I can tolerate.

MSH is my favorite Marvel game capcom has made, though. It's how I test new sticks out :), lol. First thing I do with every new stick is the Iron Man infinite, then I boot up whatever Tekken is out and do EWGFs.

Totally forgot about VF, though. That's also one of the best fighters out, and at a great price with good netplay.
 
Street Fighter IV (Pick a version)

None of the other fighting games released last gen held my interest like SF4 and it was probably the most important fighting game release last gen as well.
 
Tekken 6, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, King of Fighters XIII, Persona 4 Arena, Skullgirls, Soul Calibur V, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl and I don't give a fuck what y'all say. Like the brother above, I think I spent 200+ hours playing the game and I would give to be in charge of the studio that created that game.
 
VF5FS is still pretty active on PSN, was finding games without any difficulty at 9AM today.

pretty dead on XBL last time I checked though.
 
grap3fruitman said:
Yes.

No (not just because of personal reasons). Even though it's very mash-friendly, DOA does a lot of stuff backwards compared to every other single fighting game out there. If you're just starting out and want to get better at the fighting genre, I suggest looking elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Don't listen to get this guy.
 
I had a lot of fun with Dead or Alive 5, the free-to-play version no less. Persona 4 Arena was decent fun too. Soulcalibur V would be a whole lot better if it had Guard Impact, but still solid. Didn't play VF5 or any Tekken game this gen.
 
USFIV
KOF XIII
Skullgirls
DoA5U
VF5 (vanilla or FS)
SFIII OE
MotW (nlt sure if this counts, since it's just a re-release with online)

Didn't find the others good enough due to some flaws, but overall, this was still a good gen for fighters.
Honorable mentions for Smash and P4A since I had fun with them.
 
I tried Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Dead Or Alive, Streetfighter and Soul Calibur.
The only one I liked was Soul Calibur.
Don't know exactly what it is, maybe the weapons. I really don't like that the other fighers are pretty much only punches and kicks. Thats boring to me.
I'm probably a pretty casual fighting game player.
 
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