Fighting gamesused to be the genre that kept the arcades going in the 1990s. Then, outsideTekkenorMortal Kombat,the genre went quiet in the 2000s. Now thanks to the rise of eSports,Street Fighter 4, and other high-profile releases, the genre is back in action.
King of Fightersrecently came back in style with its 14th and 15th installments.Guilty Gear Strivehas become the most successful entry in the series. Even hidden gems likeCyberbotsandBreakers’ Revengemade comebacks. So, it’s surely time for these cult fighting games to get a re-release, and hopefully get the recognition they deserve.
8Rival Schools
This 3D brawler got some attention whenStreet Fighter 5’slast DLC season brought back its biker fighter Akira Kazama. She even retained some ofRival Schools’mechanics like air combos and the Team Up Techniques via her V-Trigger and Critical Art. Akira fit intoSF5because the originalRival Schoolsplayed close enough toStreet Fighter. The difference was that the player could pick partners to do team-up attacks with, or use them to boost their health or super meter.
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The Dreamcast sequel,Project Justice, went one step further with 3-on-3 assaults. Now players could call in their partners to pull off a devastating Party-Up Attack, or help break it up if they’re on the defensive. The exciting gameplay, quirky character designs, and unique settings are dying for a revival. It would be the perfect series to leada secondCapcom Fighting Collectionwith.
7Star Gladiator
If there’s another series that would benefit from aCFC2, it would beStar Gladiatorand its sequelPlasma Sword. The series has been referenced on and off in other Capcom projects, be it Chun Li dressing up asSG’sown kung fu fighter June, or its lead Hayato making cameos here and there. Yet neither game has seen a fresh release since the PS1 and Dreamcast days.
It’s a shame, as the series combinedSoulcalibur-like gameplay with special Plasma attacks for counters and combo damage. If Namco’s tale of souls and swords got old, Capcom’s kooky sci-fi fighters could have been nice alternatives. The game’s look and designs felt likeStar Warsif it was done by Moebius, and could’ve been aStar Warsgame if ex-Capcom community manager Seth Killian was right. That would have been an interesting world to live in.
6Real Bout Fatal Fury
SNK like to re-release their back catalog on new consoles, yet they all peter out after a while. It’s easy enough for players to get the start of theFatal Furygames and play its ending inGarou: Mark of the Wolves.But the middle entries get little to no attention. Even so, players shouldn’t snooze on theReal Bout Fatal Furygames. They refinedFatal Fury 3’s formula, then redid it with bold, cartoon graphics that are spectacular to see in action.
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It helps that the games have aged well in the gameplay department too, moving much more smoothly compared to the originalFatal Fury.Players can technically pick the series up on PS4 via theFatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2compilation. The problem is that it’s an emulation of a PS2 collection, which suffers from bad input lag. It deserves a more dedicated release, like theSamurai Shodown Anthology.
5Kizuna Encounter
The same emulation issue plaguesKizuna Encounterand its predecessorSavage Reignin theFu’un Super Combopack. There are separate ACA releases for both games which play better, but they’d be more cost-effective if they were in a compilationwith other Neo Geo gemslikeAggressors of Dark Kombatand theWorld Heroesseries. While they were standard hand-to-hand brawlers,Savage ReignandKizuna Encounterwere weapon fighters with a twist.
They used a 4-button layout where, on top of the usual punching, kicking, and striking with a weapon, players could leap from the stage’s upper and lower levels like in a platform fighter.Kizuna Encounterboosted things further with tag gameplay, where players had to go to their side of the screen to switch to their partner. While it wasn’t as snappy as Capcom’s efforts, it made for inventive and intriguing gameplay.
4Bushido Blade
Squaresoft are better known for their RPGs, but when they published Lightweight’s unique fighting game, they made history in a low-key but respectable way.Bushido Bladedid away with the health bar, time limit, and super meters in favor of a variety of selectable weapons and a more realistic approach to armed combat. It used a Body Damage System where a character can be slowed down, crippled, or even killed if the right attacks struck the right spots.
The game also encouraged free-roaming around the stage to get the environmental advantage. It’s a friendly game for newcomers, since they don’t need to master long combos or tricky techniques. They just have to keep their wits about them. However, unless they track the game and its sequel down, the closest equivalent to a modern re-release is its upcomingspiritual successorDie By the Blade.
3Tobal No. 1 & 2
IfBushido Bladewasn’t enough, Squaresoft’s first foray into fighting games was critically acclaimed at the time of its release. Made by DreamFactory for Square,Tobal N.o 1combined a free-roaming approach with an interesting grapple and block mechanic that gave each of its quirky characters a rich set of throws and counters. That’s not to mention the fun Quest mode, where fighters could explore and battle it out in dungeons.
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Tobal 2improved on the formula with better models, more moves, fireball attacks, and an expanded Quest mode that felt more like a mini action RPG. Sadly, while the first game made it to the West, it didn’t sell well enough for Square to bring it out of Japan. Ironically, it would probably do better in sales today than back in 1996, given that character designer Akira Toriyama has become a bigger name worldwide since then,thanks to theDragon Ballfranchise.
2Fighters' Destiny
The PlayStation and Sega Saturn were full of fighters, but the selection was much thinner for Nintendo 64 owners. Sure,Super Smash Broswould break new ground and produce ever more popular sequels. But otherwise, there was little beyondMortal Kombat 4,Killer Instinct Gold, andClayFighter 63 1/3. But eagle-eyed players would be able to find this hidden gem by Opus Corp and Anchor Inc.
On the surface,Fighters' Destinylooks pretty standard with its so-so characters. However, it spiced up its gameplay with a unique points system. Players could earn points for knocking their opponents down, off the stage, or taking them out with special attacks. The first player to earn 7 points, or have more when the time runs out, wins. The characters could also learn new moves in the Master Challenge mode. While it didn’t become a household name,Fighters' Destinywas a fresh take on the genre that could do with more attention.
1Buriki One
IfBreakers’ Revengefelt like an odd game to bring back from the Neo Geo, thenBuriki Onewould be outright bizarre. Originally designed as aGrappler Bakigame,Buriki Onewas SNK’s attempt at an arcade MMA game. Made only for their Hyper Neo Geo 64 hardware, it was a 3D fighter where players used the buttons to move their character, then used the stick to do their moves. They could win by knocking their opponent out, making them submit, or winning the judges’ decision.
The game never made it out of the arcades, and hasn’t been emulated either due to the Hyper NG64’s complicated architecture and lackluster lineup. That said,Buriki Onewas perhaps the best game made for the hardware. It had neat presentation, and has received some love from SNK. Its version of Ryo Sakazaki, Mr. Karate II, was a character inNeo Geo Battle Coliseum, while its lead Gai Tendo and secret boss Silber made it intoKing of Fighters XI.If there was one Hyper NG64 game that deserves a comeback, it’sBuriki One.
