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The 18 Best Fighting Games

• By GamePro Staff
• November 21, 2008 15:30 PM PST
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#12: Virtua Fighter 5

Like most fighting games, Virtua Fighter 5 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 pits two players against each other in a tournament, introducing new and familiar characters from the series. The implementation of a ranking system differs from the previous series with a pseudo-RPG element of gaining experience points to achieve a prestigious title depending on the winning percentage. It's come a long way since the original title with blocky polygonal shapes, making this arcade series an all-time hit with the fans.

#11: Dead or Alive 4

The first new-generation fighter to be released, Dead or Alive 4 still makes a strong case as the best one. With a plethora of fine fighters -- including a bevy of bosomy babes and a Halo character cameo, amazingly fun multi-tiered stages, and a robust online versus mode, Dead or Alive 4 was the pinnacle of Team Ninja's Xbox 360 output. Dead or Alive 4 has the accessible gameplay and titillating graphics of the previous entries, coupled with a great batch of new features. This is a fighting game that can stand in the ring with any major series.

#10: Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves

Taking place ten years after the original Fatal Fury, 1999's Mark of the Wolves chronicled new and old SNK characters alike in one of the most intense fighting games to date. With a brand new fighting engine unique to the franchise, Mark of the Wolves also featured some of the finest 2D animation to date. With one of the most diverse yet evenly balanced casts of any fighting game, Mark of the Wolves was a revolution for not only the Fatal Fury franchise, but the fighting genre itself.

#9: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

From start to finish, Punch-Out is a unique fighting experience that no other game (its sequel excepted) has really matched. Featuring Little Mac, gaming's greatest underdog, squaring off against a cast of memorable characters with unique moves, Punch-Out is a game that's equal parts fighter, rhythm, and puzzle. Figuring out when an opponent will throw a punch and how to counter it best is done in an extremely different way than most brawlers, and we're confident the upcoming Wii iteration will uphold that tradition.

#8: Guilty Gear X2

Despite all of the other 3D fighting games at the time of its release, Guilty Gear X2 stays true to the 2D comic book look, inspired by Heavy Metal, with an eclectic character-driven story mode, featuring new and bizarre characters such as the seductive I-No and the androgynous Bridget. The culmination of combos and attacks form the greatest explosion of graphical eye-candy and provides one of the best rock/thrash/metal soundtracks to accompany the game.

#7: Street Fighter IV

It finally happened. After six separate arcade releases of Street Fighter II, a live-action movie, an original animated film, and a couple television series later (not to mention a little game known as Third Strike in between), Capcom finally buckled down and created the fourth installation in the legendary Street Fighter franchise - and, man, what a long way we've come! The World Warriors are back in glorious 3D with the fourth installment of the Street Fighter franchise, seeing a firm return to series roots. Based in a 2D environment, Street Fighter IV plays like coming home; a familiar cast of characters (not to mention an amalgam of kick-ass new ones), memorable special attacks with next-gen overhauls, and beautifully detailed stages are all prominently featured in this epic title. Don't believe us? We challenge you to one round of button mashing, fireball-flinging gameplay, and we can almost guarantee an instantaneous conversion.

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