T5W#297-Top 5 Fighting Video Game Franchises

In my humble opinion, everyone should have at least one fighting game in their video game library.  There’s nothing like the feeling of being a highly trained and super dangerous bad ass and being able to have a “friendly” sparring match with your closest friends or with players from around the world (if the game offers that kind of matchmaking).  Fighting games really hit it big when I was growing up in the 90s and haven’t really slowed down, if nothing else theyre stronger than ever (no pun intended).  On todays Top 5 Wednesday, to celebrate the release of the new Mortal Kombat movie coming this Friday (along with a review here at the Anime Corner), I’ll be counting down my Top 5 Fighting Video Game Franchises, long running series that have been making adults out of teens and enemies out of friends for decades. 

#5-Marvel vs. Capcom

Long before Avengers Infinity War and Endgame brought an entire universe together, two of the biggest names in nerdom united a pair of unlikely worlds in the ultimate throwdown.  Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite’s devisivness aside, the rest of the MvC franchise is a dream come true for Comic Book Fans and Otaku everywhere.  Where else are you going to see Chris Redfield throwdown with Doctor Doom or Ryu square off against the Hulk?  The flashy animations and ability to create your own dream team of fighters only add to the experience of creating the ultimate fan fiction battle in the multiverse.

 

#4-Soul Calibur

While most fighting games center on hand to hand combat, Soul Calibur is one of, if not the only, games on the market where its all about melee smashing chaos.  Swords vs. Spears, Chain Whips vs. Rapiers, Battle Staves vs. Lightsabers-yes they too have made an appearance.  Soul Calibur boasts some very impressive weapon mechanics that are fun to figure out and even more fun once mastered.  There’s also the colorful assortment of bad ass warriors from throughout the ages…and other dimensions as the series has seen guest appearances powerful fighters like Star Wars’ Darth Vader, Link from The Legend of Zelda and Geralt from The Witcher.  Honestly, this is probably the closest we’ll ever get to a Highlander video game. 

 

#3-Dead or Alive

Dead or Alive.  We all love to play but I think it’s more obvious WHY we all love to play it.  I wont hide it: this series has some of the hottest fighters in all of gaming and it’s fun to watch them kick all kinds of ass.  Kasumi, Hitomi, Lei Fang, Helena, Mila, Ayane, all these girls and more are the object of a lot of fantasies.  Nevermind trying to be their Knight in Shining Armor when these girls can handle themselves or do worse to anyone who tries to start something.  There’s also a story about ninjas waging war against a sinister corporation trying to create the ultimate fighter using the DNA of the worlds greatest warriors or something like that…idk, let’s just go back to Kasumi and Ayane trading blows again.

 

#2-Street Fighter

You know a fight game franchise has stood the test of time when the second game in the series is still being used in official tournaments worldwide today.  While few even remember the fact that there was a first game, Street Fighter II and every entry that’s come since has brought a special kind of magic to the fighting game genre.  Be it actual magical moves like the Hadoken or the amazing beauty of Chun Li or the gloriousness of Raul Julia as M. Bison in the so cheesy its entertaining Live Action Movie (I’ll review that someday), Street Fighter staying power is undeniable and its still as strong as it ever was.  However, these is one other franchise, a cousin of sorts, that has stood alongside it and even surpassed it in a few ways…you know what I’m talking about…

 

#1-Mortal Kombat

Honestly, if it wasn’t Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat is the only franchise that would top this list.  And why not?  While Street Fighter brought speed and color to fighting games, Mortal Kombat took things a step further and added hard hitting combos and a hefty amount of blood and gore.  From it’s game changing 2D roots to its rocky entry into the realm of the third dimension to it’s better than ever current age, Mortal Kombat has a series history as epic as the lore within it.  It’s a massive cultural icon too.  Everyone knows who Sub Zero and Scorpion are.  Everyone knows what to expect when they hear, “GET OVER HERE” or “Toastyyyy”.  Did I forget to mention the theme song from the original movies that might as well be the entire franchise theme?  Almost 30 years and 11 games in, Mortal Kombat is still school the entire competition.  Now, if only we can get that Mortal Kombat vs. Street Fighter crossover I’ve always wanted (Seriously, we get a half assed MK vs. DC Universe as a gateway to Injustice but we cant have two of the biggest fighters of the 90s go head to head? Shame, SHAME I SAY!!!)