
Bestest
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.

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.


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!




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.

Also released on the PS2.

Also on PS1, PS2 and DC.



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


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.


Lower best
I like: fun combo system, cool roster, awesome soundtrack, interesting theme, tone and storyline.
I dislike: repetitiveness, all characters play similar.

Also on PS2 (NESTS Collection) and GOG.


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

Also on Steam.

Also on Steam.

Also on PS1.

Also on PS2.


Also on PS1, Saturn, PS2 and PS3.




Also on DC, PS2, PS3.

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


Promising
Also on Steam.
Also on X-Box One.

Also on Saturn.

MAYBE
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.