What makes a good fighting game? What Makes a great one?

Getting my ass handed to me On Line in Arcana Heart 3 left me to ponder this.

No bitching about character designs. Gameplay only. Skull girls has appealing visuals. but the game it self is ass. You might not like Guilty Gear's visuals but it's a solid fighter.

So GO. I'll throw in my two cents when I wake up.

 

Some games, especially in the 16 bit era kinda had "floaty" physics and I could never judge where I would land after a jump.

 

My favorite fighting game from when I was a kid was Tekken 3 and Tekken Tag Team. It's kind of hard to remember exactly why having been so long now since I've played them but I think it's probably mostly due to the game being quirky with very different characters and just simply being very fun. I guess it was all about straight fun for me then. CTR was my favorite game overall (not fighting) just cus of how simply fun and entertaining it was

 

Tekken 2, load up Paul and button mash!!!, instant ass rapage

 

Then 3 came out and Eddy took mashing to a whole new level.

 

I don't care about presentation. When Arcana Heart came out and people were like WTF LOLIS - all I cared about was hitboxes and frames.

Balance, good physics, and appropriate hitboxes are pretty key.

 

Jin and King were my jam. Nina was my eye candy :love-struck: . I think I'm going to set up my playstation tomorrow and pop in Tekken 3 and have myself a grand old brawling time

 

I went back to play the first Arcana Heart today Like you ignoreing lolis. and GOOD LORD I had no idea what I was doing. Went back to Arcana Heart 3 and found the sequel to be a bit more palatable. But to get my ass kicked like I did online today I'm not so sure now how accessible Arcana Heart 3 really is.

Oddly I also find Persona 4 Arena to play a bit better on PS3 than on 360, even off disc the loadtimes are faster. But there is just subtle things in gameplay don't ask what that make me think P4 Arena plays best on PS3.

Tekken 3 looks great on PS3. But I can't use my Arcade stick. Also I too love Nina. in Tekken 6 I dress her in the skimpiest outfits I can.

 

after many years of playing i think i crown KOF2000 (not the '98) as the most pleasant fighter with KOF2002UM runner up.

Fast, but not blindly so, requires, very good timing and knowledge of the whole moves packet, when you land blows, they feel heavier and more effective than in most games and any battle amongst 2 same level players is a pleasure and exciting one.

 

No ADHD pace or overreliance on combos.

 

NO button mashing
Most importantly, very easy to get into but extremely brutal to master....probably the reason why the Street Fighter franchise still stands as the gold standard in fighting games...u can play it everyday for a year & there'll still be things you can improve & learn from

 

So what game falls into this category? Or are you legit saying that no fighting games are good?

 

I'm shocked 7force adhered to my paremeters had I not said don't say anything about design that single sentance would have been a full on complain fest about anime character designs.

KOF2000 probably has the best music in the whole series. Even the Boss isn't a bitch. But the endings are such downers. SOUTH TOWN GO BOOM!

 

Not all fighters rely on combos. Street Fighter is NOT a combo heavy game - it's about spacing and footsies mostly. Pokes that lead into combos.

What 7Force is saying is Killer Instinct is shit tier. Which is a true factual statement.

Killer Instinct is shit with style over substance.

 

To focus only on gameplay and ignore graphics, sound, character design, backgrounds, etc. is a pretty serious limit, as I think those things are really important to the overall experience of a fighting game - just as they are to almost any game.

However, since that's what you're asking, I'll try. Just a few thoughts: controls that allow for complex moves, but not so difficult to pull off that you find yourself repeated trying to hit the same sequence while you're getting pummeled. Balance is important, obviously: not only in the sense that you don't want an overly powerful character, but also that every move (or most moves, at least) should have a potential to countered/blocked/dodged. As others have said, the jumping mechanics are important: this is one thing I've always loved about the Virtua Fighter series. For those of us who mainly play alone (i.e. me), AI is very important. Clay Fighter 33 1/3 is an example of some of the worst fighter AI I have ever seen: it constantly tries to jump away from you, and repeats the same moves over and over. That's about all I can think of, for now.

With all those things in mind, Virtua Fighter 3 (arcade) is probably my favorite fighting game, as you can probably tell from my avatar. Dead or Alive 2 is probably a close second.

 

Well if you hate a game just because it's "Animu" you might be missing out on something that plays really well. Arcana Heart 1 and 2 are shit but not because they're Animu Fighters. 3 Hit that sweet spot with a decent system.

You are right there is more than JUST gameplay but I really wanted to avoid "It's shit because it's Animu"

Music does factor in alot yes, I didn't like Battle Fantasia for quite a few reasons music, gameplay, and design. So yes that is true you do need a whole package.

 

The gameplay makes it a good fighter. It's the other stuff: character design, music, backstory that makes a fighting game "great".

If the gameplay is there, it'll get played at evo. If the other stuff is there, it'll get played by everyone.

 

A great fighting game is one that grows with your skill. Virtua Fighter 4/5 is a great fighting game, so is Garou Mark of the Wolves. The better you know the strengths and weaknesses of your character, the more advanced your strategies for using that character will become. There can be 10 people playing the same character in Virtua Fighter 4 in a tournament, but their fighting styles all look completely different. For me, this is what makes a truly spectacular fighting game.

On the opposite end, take a pile of steaming poo like Mortal Kombat. 10 people play the same fighter, they all look the same. Punch, kick, press the button-combo and that's it.

 

Depends on the Mortal Kombat though MK 2011 (Or MK9 as the kids call it) is quite good almost great. It's one of my favorite fighter's this gen.

Virtua Fighter is so technical yet easy to pick up and play it's the Chess of fighters. Garou is one of SNK's best I'm surpirsed KOF XIII ended up being the EVO KOF when SNK had just as many other good technical fighters in their back log.

 

That's because it's about sponsorship too, and that's why companies put their newest games on EVO. After all, would anyone really argue that SFXT deserves to be an EVO game instead of, for example, SFIII? (disclaimer: I haven't played SFXT after the 2013 patch, so maybe it's actually good now, but before that it was horrible)

Speaking of SFIII, defensive features like parry/focus/Just Defend are also features that help make a fighting game great.