As gamers, we must have found ourselves many times sitting on a couch and enjoying gaming. In TeCuriosity’s opinion, video games are art. Complex but great pieces of artistic presentations for our imaginations. 

Video games also have multiple genres like most other art forms. One of the many genres is fighting games. Basically, a fighting game is where there is a close combat style. There are health bars accompanied by power moves, lots of punching, kicking, and the good old KO (Knockout).

Fighting games are an impeccable part of the industry. Countless games have been spawned for decades. But, there are a select few franchises that have left a mark on fans and the market alike. Let’s delve into the fantastic world of fighting games and observe the games that completely revolutionized the gaming industry and gifted us hours of entertainment.

Following is the list of TeCuriosity’s five best fighting video game franchises of all time.

Ryu Vs. Ken: Street Fighter 2

Street Fighter

The masterpiece called ‘Street Fighter’ is a gaming franchise by Capcom©, a company based in Japan. This very game set many conventions that were followed by numerous fighting games in coming years. The first game of the same name was launched in 1987 for arcade machines.

The true success was, however, achieved by the second game called Street Fighter 2, released in 1991. It became immensely popular and turned Street fighter into a multimedia franchise. This was the first fighting game in which you could choose from a roster of different characters, each with unique moves and powers. The series gave us some of most the unforgettable characters like Ryu, Chun-li, Blanka, Dhalsim, E-Honda, and Guile just to name a few.

What makes this series really enjoyable is its fast-paced action. The character design is beautiful and engrossing environment. It has that typical anime feel to it with flashy explosions and addictive music. The game appeals globally as the characters are billed from all over the world. For instance, Dhalsim is from India, and when you fight him in campaign mode, the stage is themed as Indian with elephants and many other cultural touches.

The Street Fighter franchise has also jumped on to other media of entertainment. There are movies, comic books, animated series, card games, board games, and even a slot machine related to the game. The series has found its way on all major gaming consoles. While the latest game of the series is Street Fighter 5, the major sixth rendition (Street Fighter 6) is all set to launch in 2023. With a legacy of over three decades in the industry, the game has truly aged fine like old wine.

A round in TEKKEN 3

TEKKEN

First released in 1994 by Namco©, Tekken is as polished as possible for a fighting game. Each and every fighter has a unique style. The gameplay is smooth with awesome artwork. The 3D animations are beautiful and crisp. The fight mechanics are easy to get used to. 

There are four separate buttons for each arm and leg, and the combinations of these buttons result in various special moves that are just breathtaking to watch. Tekken 3 is often regarded as one of the best games on the PlayStation console because it is so much damn fun. It also has a bonus beach volley level. Who does not like beach volleyball, eh?

Each character is unique and exciting to play with. The roster is full of distinctive characters like King (A tiger-headed wrestler), Yoshimitsu (an alien), Gon (A little dino-like creature), and also some normal martial artists/humans too. Every fighter brings something new to the table that doesn’t make the game repetitive.

Unlike other games, Tekken has a dedicated moves list for each character during gameplay that helps you perform special moves without smashing buttons like a crazy ape. Also, at the end of each round, an action replay is shown of how the round came to its climax. This feature had gamers always striving to perform a perfect finishing move so that they could get that awesome replay.

For the early stages of the game, the Tekken series set the bar very high for a fighting game. What makes it stand out is the emphasis that is laid on the story. The rivalry between Kazuya and Heihachi is the central plot point in most games. Fighting games don’t generally have a story as engaging as Tekken. Even if there is a story, it’s just time filler for the actual fight sequences. The Tekken franchise shines as a unique and untouchable fighting game franchise.

TEKKEN 7 Art

A shot featuring Scorpion from The Mortal Kombat movie.

Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat is arguably the bad boy of fighting games. The series is known for its intense violence, blood, and over-the-top gore. The initial team behind Mortal Kombat consisted of only four people – one programmer, two art guys, and a sound specialist. Ed Boon and John Tobias are credited for creating the game.

However, the Unique Selling Point of the game is its ‘fatalities’. A fatality is a special finishing move that is performed after defeating the opponent, which involves brutally murdering and obliterating his or her body in a very bloody manner. Performing fatalities needs precision as it involves pressing a series of pre-defined buttons on the controller.

The gameplay of the original Mortal Kombat is not as in-depth as other fighting games of its era. This is because, in early versions of the games, most of the characters fight mostly the same. There is no difference in fighting styles except for special moves and fatalities. 

But that does not mean that it is not fun. The series has evolved over the course of time and has become one of the greatest fighting game series. As the technology progressed, each fighter got a unique fighting style and personality. 

Digitized sprites were used at the beginning of the series. This was a novelty as compared to other games that used cartoonish, hand-drawn graphics. The game also notoriously used the same sprites for some characters with different color palettes to create a wholly different character. For example, Scorpion and Reptile were the same models, the only difference being the yellow and green color, respectively. 

Mortal Kombat 4 was the first 3D game of the series. Multiple live-action movies have been released of the same name as the game, and the latest one came out in 2021. Comic books and animated series can also be found in the list of spinoff multimedia of the game. 

The characters have always been very memorable. Raiden, Scorpio, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, etc., are mostly focused on.

The excessive gore created some controversies on the way too. The game was banned in several countries due to its violent content. Mortal Kombat also played a giant role in the creation of the ESRB rating system for video games to determine the age group on which the game is targeted. 

Needless to say, the franchise has set many benchmarks for this genre and has helped the evolution of the video gaming industry itself.

Scorpion performing his Fire Skull Fatality | Source

In clockwise order: Sonic, Pac-Man, Mario, and Megaman | Source

Super Smash Bros.

Super Smash Bros. is a fighting game published by Nintendo. This game is very different from all the games we have discussed on this list. It is not about revenge or vengeance or even winning a fighting tournament to capture glory. It is just about having endless fun while you smash your opponent until he or she falls from the platform!

The first game of the series was released on the Nintendo 64 console in 1999. The game is super addictive, and the aura is unmatched by any other fighting game. Nobody could have imagined at that time that a funny party multiplayer game would be standing toe-to-toe with other great fighting games.

The games contain characters from all of the Nintendo Universe. The household names like Mario, Bowser, Pikachu, Link, Princess Peach, and many more fight each other to create an ultimate party fighting experience.

The game is very light-hearted, unlike other games listed here, which are rather serious. Humor is the specialty of the game. It is damn funny to see Mario fight his own princess, isn’t it?

The later titles also contain third-party characters like Megaman and Ryu from Capcom, Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega (Nintendo’s rival company), and more that gave this game an edge over other crossover titles in the market. 

All the games have always received positive feedback from players and critics alike. The series is expected to grow and ensure that its legacy is kept alive as one of the greatest fighting games of all time.

Mario and Army | Source

Jacky Vs. Sarah in VF2 | Source

Virtua Fighter

This might come as a surprise for many. But hear us out. Virtua Fighter has earned its spot here. The Virtua Fighter video game series was created by Sega Co. Ltd. The first Virtua Fighter is regarded as the first fighting game to use polygon-based graphics, i.e., it was the first 3D fighting game released.

The objective is similar to other games, ‘beat the hell out of the other guy and win’. The gameplay mechanics use a kick, punch, and a guard button. There is an additional control for grappling moves. The combinations of the controls result in special moves. However, you have to be skilled to perform all the moves. 

As they say, easy to play, hard to master. With an array of different game modes, this is a game to beat. The gameplay is fluid and addictive. The roster is one of the most in-depth in terms of fighting games; Jacky, Pai Chan, Kage, Shun-Di, and Dural are some of the most famous ones. The game also introduced the concept of ring-outs and sudden death.

The game is always looked upon as the pioneer in the 3D fighting genre. It paved the way for an entire industry and showed that 3D fighting games could be fun and successful at the same time. In addition to its legacy, the series has several Guinness World Records to its name.

Like other games in this list, Virtua Fighter also has its fair share of media spin-offs like animated series and manga. It is sad to realize that the final game was Virtua Fighter 5: The Final Showdown, released in 2012, and the series is no longer expected to get its sixth installment anytime soon. Still, PlayStation gamers were lucky to get their hands on Virtua Fighter 5’s enhanced remaster in 2021.

Major Virtua Fighter Characters | Source

Do you agree with this list? Is there any great game we should have included? Who is the most recognizable fighting game character of all time, in your opinion? 

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.  And subscribe to TeCuriosity’s newsletter, where we deliver similar kinds of gaming content goodness right in your inbox!