Explore
 Lists  Reviews  Images  Update feed
Categories
MoviesTV ShowsMusicBooksGamesDVDs/Blu-RayPeopleArt & DesignPlacesWeb TV & PodcastsToys & CollectiblesComic Book SeriesBeautyAnimals   View more categories »
Listal logo
1
vote
102 Views    Share:

2D Fighting Games of My Interest

Game list created by Paulo Júnior Avatar

Sort by: Showing 1-50 of 63
Rating: List Type:
Add items to section

Bestest

More best they are
People who added this item 44 Average listal rating (31 ratings) 7.7 IMDB Rating 0
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 - Sega Genesis and Mega Drive
I like: the gritty, moody tone, dial-a-combos, they are too scripted but at least don't take over the entire gameplay system like in other games. Arena transitions when you uppercut the enemy in some places, run button, great soundtrack and sound effects and a lot of (cool) characters to choose. Soundtrack and sound effects are also spectacular. The functions the special moves of the characters have. Of the home versions that have extra characters and secret characters unlocked, Genesis's is the best one, with better sounds, more arenas and better gameplay. Even better on the hacked 0.71 version.


Similar versions on SNES, Sega Saturn, PS3 (Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection)
Arcade is also a good edition, and there's the balanced (by fans) version, Tournament Edition.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
KoF is my favorite fighting game series and this is my favorite one.
I like: sleek moves, neat counter-throw, unique 3 people battles, dodges and supers. Also has choice between two types of meter (Extra and Advanced). The roster is immense and memorable, music tracks are awesome. The locales are exotic and evocative and change from round to round and your teamates appear there and have reactions.... Even though this is a dream match, it has cutscenes so it doesn't feel lacking in this department. This also has some of the best versions of these characters, with the best movesets.

Also on Saturn, PS1 and DC.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
Killer Instinct 2 - Arcade

It's Killer Instinct, what more do you want said? I will say something, though. The atmosphere is better in the first game, but the gameplay is significantly better in this second. Easier combo breakers! Throws! Supers!
Great atmosphere. Kinda like AoF (cool zooming inlcuded) but the game's not excessively hard. It's a tag game though. Also, it's a bit clunkier than the very best fighting games.


People who added this item 5 Average listal rating (5 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 0
Killer Instinct - Arcade
The original outstanding-looking and awesome-sounding moody arcade beast. The roster is cool and combos are fun. It even has combo breakers, it created them! It's abit too bureaucratic in these breakers though, they're too much of a hassle to pull of. It's repetitive, though.


Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 4 Average listal rating (3 ratings) 4.7 IMDB Rating 0
Tuff E Nuff - Super famicom and SNES
Dead Dance. The atmosphere is very good, very to my tastes and the game is decent. It's not as good as the biggest fighting games, but it's something unique that I like and wish had continued and improved. It's biggest holdback is only having 4 playable characters (and the bosses through a complex cheat method). Also, shamefully the western release cut a looot of stuff, like the damage that characters suffer during fights and even the endings! 


People who added this item 19 Average listal rating (10 ratings) 8.3 IMDB Rating 0
Garou: Mark of the Wolves - PlayStation 2
It has a great cast, great graphics and sound both art-wise and technical-wise. It's also stylish.  Ther best-looking SNK fighter, perhaps the best-looking fighter period. It also features a dodge and a parrying system that's much better than the excessively technical implementation in SFIII and a system where some options are opened to you when your life is at a point of the bar of your choosing.


Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 42 Average listal rating (26 ratings) 6.7 IMDB Rating 0
Eternal Champions - Sega Genesis and Mega Drive
Too hard, but with good 16-bit graphics, cool roster and arenas, cool soundtrack, nice unique special moves and the best "fatalities" ever. I also really like the visual style that sits between the cartoony of most 2D fighting games and the gritty realism of MK/KI.

Challengers from the Dark Side on Sega CD is an improved version of this but the soundtrack is worse. I'd rather play the Special Edition fan hack for Genesis.
Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 8 Average listal rating (8 ratings) 8.3 IMDB Rating 0

Best iteration of classic SF before it started getting imo crazier and generic-er in 3/Alpha 3. I prefer SSFII's art style but this plays better. Soundtrack is a tad bland, though.
Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 6 Average listal rating (4 ratings) 8.8 IMDB Rating 0
The Last Blade 2 - Arcade
This has dashing, enhanced special moves and a parry system that's easy to grasp. I also think the cast is rather bland. Each character has two modes for the player to choose from: Power or Speed, which changes certain characteristics of how they play. The use of stages without music, with only ambient noise, works well in this game and helps give it personality.


Also released on the PS2.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
I simply like the art and ost more before Super.
The graphics got better and the presentation (HUD, menus, transitions) is super sleek. Soundtrack is also great. Roster is lacking, but there are some cool new characters such as Whip and Bao. And strikers is unfitting of KoF, but makes for unique games. It also added counter and armor modes. The implementation of dodges is bad, though.


Also on PS1, PS2 and DC.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 21 Average listal rating (12 ratings) 8.5 IMDB Rating 0
It has not only dashes, also air dashes, air combos, special defenses of all kinds and also defense-breaks. Steep learning curve. It's also somewhat moody, it has sort of a grit to it that I like. Also, extreme emphasis on combos makes the game very repetitive. I don't like this combo ideology where combos are too contextual, cancelled moves that can only be cancelled on hit, it makes them too detached from the rest of the gameplay; it's like they are a mini-game shoehorned into the system. Burst and dead angle attack are combo break mechanisms. I like roman cancel too.

Also on PS2 and Steam.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 217 Average listal rating (133 ratings) 8.2 IMDB Rating 0
Mortal Kombat - PlayStation 3
It was really, objectively, the best MK to date. I like the idea of supers in MK (in the form of x-ray moves), but I don't like the implementation, it's too long and hurts the pacing of the matches. It's especially too long considering it's so easy to execute. Animations are also below average graphically, which is baffling considering MK had the best animations of all fighting games during the original trilogy. Apparently, it even has combo break mechanism.


Paulo Júnior's rating:
I'm not much of a fan of planes, and that's why you won't see many Fatal Fury games here. This one is an awesome game, perhaps the best FF game other than MotW (but that is almost a spinoff). Although it feels dated to me, simplistic even.


Also on PS2 and PS4 on Fatal Fury Battle Archives 2.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 6 Average listal rating (5 ratings) 8.6 IMDB Rating 0
YūYū Hakusho: Makyō Toitsusen - Sega Genesis and Mega Drive
2 planes, possibly four characters, transitions in some stages, Desperation Moves, some characters can double jump, there are dashes and dodges.


Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 3 Average listal rating (2 ratings) 8.5 IMDB Rating 0
Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR - PlayStation 3
I like: great tutorial mode, deep systems, the roman cancel system (I especially love the added slowdown to this iteration of it), great characters and movesets, great graphics and sounds. Burst and dead angle attack are combo break mechanisms.

I dislike: way too strict timings for inputs, unecessary clutter mechanics, excessive focus on combos and excessive hitstops. I actually prefer XX #REload, but that might be due to nostalgia. Xrd wins, in the end, due to the tutorials.


Also on Steam.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
Add items to section

Lower best

Best but not the bestest
People who added this item 208 Average listal rating (143 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 0
Killer Instinct - Super famicom and SNES
Perhaps it's nostalgia goggles. I don't know, but I really like this version of this game.

I like: fun combo system, cool roster, awesome soundtrack, interesting theme, tone and storyline.

I dislike: repetitiveness, all characters play similar.


Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 17 Average listal rating (13 ratings) 7.2 IMDB Rating 0
Much better implementation of strikers. No pre-fight special character interactions and soundtrack's just decent, though. Has the same improved graphics and sleek presentation of 99, but with a good roster and the dodge mechanic fixed. I like its style, but it seems watered down from 99 and I also don't think it plays as good.


Also on PS2 (NESTS Collection) and GOG.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 10 Average listal rating (7 ratings) 8.4 IMDB Rating 0
The most complete version of MK3, it as a lot of content. The aggressor bar is not a great addition but it can be disabled. PS1 and Saturn versions had terrible loadings but PC doesn't have them.


http://cubanraul.altervista.org/mkt/index.htm

People who added this item 12 Average listal rating (9 ratings) 6.6 IMDB Rating 0
As an SS game, it's not as simplistic (both graphically and gameplay-wise) as the older SS games, but it's also not as weird gameplay-wise as other ones. I also like the slightly darker tone.


A plane-less Fatal Fury game of the Real Bout era. Good scenarios, great soundtrack, good roster, good gameplay.



I really like its atmosphere, awesome soundtrack and soft sense of grit that the more anime sequels lack. SSFIITurbo imo didn't add enough to make up for the weird color choices.
People who added this item 25 Average listal rating (20 ratings) 7.9 IMDB Rating 0
The art is really awesome, both visually and soundwise. Most certainly the best KoF that is not a Dream Match (has a story). Roster is also great! The biggest downside is sound design, with stages randomly having either music or just ambient noises.


Also on PS1, Saturn, PS2 (Orochi Collection).

Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 37 Average listal rating (23 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 0
The King of Fighters XIII - PlayStation 3
It looks stunning, although definitely lacking in visual content compared to older KoFs (team partners in scenario background, differences in the arenas from round to round). The engine is fast, furious and faithful to how a KoF should play (not too combo-based and with short supers that don't hurt the pacing of matches). The interactions through textboxes are nice, but I'd like sprite animations too. Combo timings are very weird and tight though.


Also on Steam.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
Love that this is a "Dream Match" game with 99's roster additions, decent soundtrack and good arenas. And I also like the introduction of 'Super Movie Portrait Attacks'. Lack of character interactions before fights and no change in the stages between rounds hurt it, IMO. Combat system also starts getting too combo-focused for a KoF game. It's also a bit bland to me, not as charismatic or atmospheric as 98 and 2000. At least 2002UM has great characters that 98 lacks and is not a strikers game.


Also on Steam.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 9 Average listal rating (7 ratings) 8 IMDB Rating 0
Love the roster, movesets, gameplay and the graphics. The sequel uses too much 3D for my tastes. This one has dodges, super moves and a system where teams have 2 or 3 characters depending on the strength of the character chosen. It also has a choice of type of meter. Soundtrack's kinda awful though.


Also on PS1.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 10 Average listal rating (9 ratings) 6.2 IMDB Rating 0
Roster's lacking, stages look from average to bad with dull color usage. Gameplay's solid as are the soundtracks, though.


Also on PS2.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 4 Average listal rating (2 ratings) 8 IMDB Rating 0
Neo Geo Battle Coliseum - PlayStation 2
KoF was a crossover of three of SNK's franchises. This is a crossover of all of them! It looks, sounds and plays well and the roster is good. Scenarios, movesets and soundtrack are great. The only unique thing about this is being tag battles where only character of a duo must be beaten. The structure is odd consisting of 3 one-round battles per time and only then a change of scenario. It's annoying that Leona is never in any of these crossover games.


Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 10 Average listal rating (9 ratings) 8.2 IMDB Rating 0
A.k.a. Darkstalkers 3. Good roster, amazing visuals both art-wise and technically (great animation!), great soundtrack and great, well-paced, fluid gameplay. I also like the implementation of the block reversal mechanic named guard cancel. It also has dashing, enhanced special moves using meter (ES moves), supers (EX moves) and airblocking. It does have typical combos based on cancelling, but they don't take over the gameplay. It's a bit too lighthearted for my tastes, though. The Darkstalkers Ressurrection collection has a tutorial mode for Darkstalkers 3.


Also on PS1, Saturn, PS2 and PS3.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
The best Power Instinct game.

Also on PS2 as Shin Gōketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnō Kaihō.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 48 Average listal rating (30 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 0
The King Of Fighters XI - PlayStation 2
A tag team KoF. It plays really well. It also looks good, having come in a new arcade system. The addition of MoW characters in 2003 was neat, giving a sense of progression to the series, and it's nice seeing this continuing here. Roster's a bit lacking, though (no Leona, Mai's an unlockable). Good scenarios and soundtrack. Unlike most prior KoFs, this also feels somewhat new and fresh and the tag system feels more fit to KoF than strikers were.


Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 2 Average listal rating (1 ratings) 7 IMDB Rating 0
I like how flashy the visuals are, and how eccentric yet charming it all is, and the use of guardian spirits is a neat piece of uniqueness. But the art is a bit too eccentric for me.

Original version also on Arcade, DC and PS1.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
A less bland SF with cool new characters, an excessively difficult parry system (the first of its kind), incredible graphics and jaw-dropping animations. It kind of doesn't play like an SF game.


Also on DC, PS2, PS3.

Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 6 Average listal rating (5 ratings) 8.2 IMDB Rating 0
It's classic SFII, but with a Super bar. The best iteration (and last iteration) of the classic. Vanilla SF's cast is bland to me, but it gets away with it for being the first of its kind. The game feels a bit dated to me. Yoko Shimomura also made a really iconic soundtrack.


Also on PS2 (Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2), PS4 ( Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection).

Paulo Júnior's rating:
Add items to section

Promising

I need to play 'em more to judge.
People who added this item 10 Average listal rating (5 ratings) 8.4 IMDB Rating 0

Characters with unique character traits, lenient combo system.

People who added this item 25 Average listal rating (19 ratings) 7.1 IMDB Rating 0
Mortal Kombat 11 - PlayStation 4
An interesting story with time-travel shenanigans that ends the plot started in 9. X-rays were replaced with something more interesting. Annoyingly, stage interactions are still here. Also, combo break mechanics has been turned into a weak, clunky thing. Although the roster's good, the only one missing is Ermac. They also say the tutorial mode is really good. Atmosphere seems on point and reminds me of MK3!


People who added this item 9 Average listal rating (5 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 0
Fate/Unlimited Codes - PlayStation 2
Has breakers, also cool atmosphere and I like the lore. A bit too 3D-like imo.
People who added this item 4 Average listal rating (2 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 0
Groove on Fight - Arcade
Looks like a more serious Power Instinct game with great sinister atmosphere.
People who added this item 75 Average listal rating (31 ratings) 7.2 IMDB Rating 0
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger - PlayStation 3
Visual novel story  with choices and branching paths. The fighting system is good too, graphics are amazing. And there's a button that makes a different thing per character. I just think the inputs being simply light, medium and heavy is way too vague and confusing. Also I dislike most of the cast. Its tone also has some grit that I like.


Also on Steam.

People who added this item 2 Average listal rating (0 ratings) 0 IMDB Rating 0
Samurai Shodown - PlayStation 4
Mortal Kombat 1


I find the kameo system unappealing and a lot of stages look un-atmospheric but the gameplay seems like the best in MK to date, graphics are spectacular. It even has combo break mechanism (sadly tied to bar, though).
People who added this item 26 Average listal rating (12 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 0
Killer Instinct - PC Games
Although I prefer the old artstyle and 2's gameplay ideals. But I do like the gameplay style and the tutorials seem awesome. It even has a system that analyses the player's playstyle and turns into an AI, and a mode where players can fight offline against other players AIs. Combos seem to add repetitiveness, though. Has combo breaker, at least.


Also on X-Box One.

People who added this item 11 Average listal rating (9 ratings) 9.1 IMDB Rating 0
I've played it a bit but need to play more. It's nice to have all the new characters. Also on Steam.
Paulo Júnior's rating:
People who added this item 15 Average listal rating (14 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 0
The sequels got too crazy for me. I like the verticality in this and how any special move can be made in the air.


Also on Saturn.

People who added this item 1 Average listal rating (1 ratings) 8 IMDB Rating 0
Rumble Fish - Arcade
Cool, sometimes atmospheric.
Guilty Gear Strive
It's streamlined, seems like it has a more elegant gameplay design, more intuititve but not less complex. It also has stage transitions.


Add items to section

MAYBE

Thinking about it
People who added this item 31 Average listal rating (24 ratings) 5.9 IMDB Rating 0
Street Fighter V - PlayStation 4
People who added this item 5 Average listal rating (4 ratings) 9 IMDB Rating 0
Street Fighter 6 - PC Games
The Drive system seems cool. Single player story mode seems awesome.
Load more items (13 more in this list)

Voters of this game list - View all
Plastikcat
I love 2D fighting games. I also suck at them. Nevertheless, I like their dashing pixel art and how modern they can feel.

To understand this, it's probably better to explain my personal preferences. I like games that feel fast, that have dashes to close in on the opponent. I also enjoy flashy super moves, but not if they're so long that they hurt the pacing of matches. I also prefer them to not be too cinematic that they feel detached from the rest of the gameplay (that unfortunately has become the norm nowadayas). I like big rosters, I won't play with most of them but I'll at least get to fight against varied opponents. I like games that give personality to the characters through means of character interactions pre-fights and such (SNK is king at that). Of course I like good graphics, good soundtrack. I also for some reason like dodges, air defense and throw-escaping/teching in games. They make games feel modern and bold, along with things like air dashes. Stage transitions be it from one stage to another (UMK) or changes inbetween rounds (KoF98) are nice, too. I prefer games that don't feel repetitive, so I prefer games less combo-based, because combos are usually pretty boring chaining of similar-looking, similar-feeling normals (GG) and that means I prefer melee-based fighting games, cause white weapons-based ones are even more repetitive. A combo break mechanism is appreciated. I also like special moves with unique properties such as a weird hitbox pattern or, better yet, an effect like the ones in MK (freezing, pulling, etc). A good story is desired but neither required nor expected. A story mode, however, is a must. And in old games where arcade is the story mode, each character having a unique ending is a plus. I also don't like overly convoluted systems. That doesn't mean I like simplicity, cause I definitely don't. I like complex but elegant systems, intuitive systems, systems that are deep, which means easy to get and hard to master. Atmosphere is also something I love and need.

The order is defined by which games I think are most interesting to play with someone else in what I believe to be the optimal way to play this type of game: local multiplayer.

Added to




Related lists

Completed Videogames
33 item list by mrx1992
2 votes
Females Fighting
70 item list by Hyomil
48 votes 13 comments
Best Games of 2007
60 item list by Derron
9 votes 2 comments
Best selling Nintendo DS Games
50 item list by List-All
13 votes 2 comments
Best Selling PlayStation 2 Games
87 item list by List-All
33 votes 1 comment
Best Selling PlayStation Games
50 item list by List-All
34 votes 1 comment
Best selling N64 Games
50 item list by List-All
26 votes 2 comments
Best selling PS3 Games
45 item list by List-All
21 votes 6 comments
Best selling Wii Games
68 item list by List-All
21 votes 6 comments
Best selling X360 Games
82 item list by List-All
18 votes 2 comments

View more top voted lists