

Tekken 7 delivers in spades in the fisticuffs-heavy field. You may not understand the nuances of ukemis and stage transitions mid-fight, but you should know an entertaining-looking fight when you see one. Having this, as well as a defined art style and visual flair, helps to make it even fun to spectate. One feature makes this game a treat to watch: the slo-mo last hit camera. It’s sure as hell isn’t dumbed down: experts like Jeodding, Knee, and Qudans have stated that this is the best iteration of Tekken yet. It’s not just that the fighting system itself is solid and balances old and new mechanics so that even newbies can join in. Just goes to show that the guest character additions help a lot. The game features a huge roster of new and old fighters, as well as awesome guest characters like Noctis from FFXV, Geese Howard and Akuma, and even Neegan from The Walking Dead. Yet here we are with the 9th mothership Bandai Namco Fighting game in the series. Out of all the games on this list, we never expected Tekken to outlast & outpopularize Virtua Fighter & Dead or Alive in the 3D fighting game space. It was a game made out of pure sweet love, unlike the 2v2 flawed-but-kinda-well-meaning mess that followed. If you want to see a display of confusing-yet-exhilarating fireworks in your 3v3 fighting, you can’t go wrong watching pros fight in MvC3. What was also fun was seeing better players like the Singapore MvC3 folks and pros like ChrisG go at it with their assists and Helm Breakers being thrown around like nobody’s business. Seeing Ryu and Wolverine duking it out as well as Amaterasu teaming up with Viewtiful Joe was a sight to behold.

I admit: I was hyped AF when I saw the preview trailers for Marvel vs Capcom 3. Marvel vs Capcom 3/Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 Not only is the roster filled with luminaries like Blue Beetle, Black Canary, Gorilla Grodd, and even Deadshot, but you get to customize them to your liking and set them loose in online play. First up: DC fans are given a lovely treat by way of the second Injustice game. The next two entries are for the comic book fans in all of us. There are people out there who still play this bizarre-yet-fun-looking fighting game in the highest level possible. Skullgirls also proved that with the best community, your game will live on even if it’s not featured on the biggest fighting game tournament on the planet. You can opt for a 1v1 or tag-team/3v3 onslaught with the crazy cast of the game ranging from an Egyptian princess to a carnie performer with four hands and a huge pair of….eyes. This colourful-looking fighting game is a huge labour of love from fighting game fans. You even have a kid who fights using a friggin’ bed, and it’s not as lame as it sounds. You have new characters with awesomely unique fighting game mechanics like Elphet Valentine and Jack-O-Valentine. You have old-school Guilty Gear folks like Baiken. You have good ol’ Ky and Sol Badguy for your standard revved-up shotos. Pesky bunch.Ĭontrolling each of the cast feels so good and unique. Unless you count all those legacy Guilty Gear X players of course. And it’s easy for newbies to pick up too and get good at. Whichever version you play, Guilty Gear Xrd introduced the 2D cel-shaded 2D-in-3D animation style to the world. Plus, KOF’s all about the action and speed, and it is still as hectic as ever. Okay, maybe the graphics aren’t as revolutionary as KOF XIII, but at least SNK improved the 3D artwork and detailing over time. With slick controls, a bountiful cast of characters, and a rockin’ soundtrack, there isn’t much to hate about this version of KOF. With a roster of 40+ characters and a fighting engine that’s a mimicry of KOF 98 (but in 3D), this 2D fighter does fanservice right. This recent King of Fighters game is one such comeback. I assure you that you’ll be seeing a lot of franchise comebacks and revamps on this here list. It’s also serendipitous that Capcom, the guys who popularized the 3v3 tag team fighting mechanic, s*** the bed with Marvel vs Capcom Infinite last year, so you have most of your MvC guys and gals jumping ship.

The game could have been a mess, but it isn’t. If you take the 3v3 Mechanic of an already popular fighting game and add in characters from an already established anime juggernaut, and then have the guys from Arc System Works on the project, you will spawn a hit. Let’s start off with this year’s non-surprise hit.
