Fighting Games buying guide

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Fighting Games

It all comes down to one-on-one combat in fighting genre entries. In the early 1990s these games were all the rage at arcades, as players pumped in quarters to settle their differences with virtual punches and jumpkicks. Gamers will tell you that fighting game tournaments make for excellent parties.

Consoles

Mortal Kombat: Deception : Every Mortal Kombat character you've ever heard of steps into the arena for a grand throwdown. Finally you get to see how Reptile would handle Kung Lao's kick attack.

SoulCalibur III : Some call the third SoulCalibur the finest fighting game to date. The fantasy-themed game features weapons such as maces and battle axes, as well as a diverse character set.

Dead or Alive 4 : Gorgeous, scantily clad women just can't seem to get along. They battle each other mercilessly in this Xbox 360 title. The action gets fast and furious.

Gundam : What's cooler than the concept of robots? Robots fighting each other. What's even cooler than that? Robots fighting each other in outer space. This game's got it.

Handhelds

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max : One arena in which the PSP dominates the DS is fighting games. This Street Fighter entry is one of the most exciting and fluid fighters you'll find.

Guilty Gear : Androgynous anime-inflected characters do battle in 2-dimensional multi-level structures. The action is so lively it fills both DS screens.

Tekken: Dark Resurrection : Tekken games rivaled Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat for arcade supremacy, and now the battle continues to the PSP. Tekken's got a jump-kicking leg up due to its superior graphics engine.

Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower : The first fighter released for the PSP is still one of the finest. Humongous monsters do battle in two dimensions, shooting lasers at one another and transforming in mid-fight.

Computer

Virtua Fighter PC : The roster of fighters is weak for PCs, with few console and arcade franchise even attempting the crossover. At least there's a PC version of Tekken,a 3-D battle royale.

Celebrity Deathmatch : Overhyped popularity junkies throw down in bitter one-on one matchups, and there are no publicists to step in and stop things from getting ugly.

Robot Arena : Picking up on the battling robot theme once again, in this game the mechanized ones settle their disagreements in an enclosed arena for our entertainment. And we wonder why they secretly want to take over and rule the planet.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus : The turtles have made their martial arts mark in a number of adventure titles, but this one is set at the practice dojo. Leo, Mike, Raph and the rest spar to get themselves into fighting shape.

Classic

Mortal Kombat : In the early 1990s, fighting games were seemingly all anyone ever talked about. That's probably because the gameplay was so darn spectacular. The game's comically disgusting finishing moves were thrilling, and a four-armed boss character called Goro still gives people nightmares.

Street Fighter II : Mortal Kombat's consummate rival was the Street Fighter series, which recovered from a weak first outing for a masterpiece sequel. The characters were well-balanced and had glaring strengths and weaknesses. Kids would play all night and argue all day at school about which fighter was the best.

Pit Fighter : While not as strong or popular as either Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, the simplistic, straightforward Pit Fighter also has its supporters. In a harbinger of the film, "Fight Club," bare-chested brawlers do battle in underground clubs.

Joust : The Atari 2600 predated the arena fighter concept we know today, but at least the system did have a port of the classic arcade game that pitted ostrich-riding warriors against one another.

External Links

GameSpot -- One of the top gaming resources on the net.
IGN -- Covers video games as well as the rest of the entertainment world.
Game Informer -- An excellent video game magazine's home page.

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Consoles

Mortal Kombat: Deception : Every Mortal Kombat character you've ever heard of steps into the arena for a grand throwdown. Finally you get to see how Reptile would handle Kung Lao's kick attack.	SoulCalibur III : Some call the third SoulCalibur the finest fighting game to date. The fantasy-themed game features weapons such as maces and battle axes, as well as a diverse character set.	Dead or Alive 4 : Gorgeous, scantily clad women just can't seem to get along. They battle each other mercilessly in this Xbox 360 title. The action gets fast and furious.	Gundam : What's cooler than the concept of robots? Robots fighting each other. What's even cooler than that? Robots fighting each other in outer space. This game's got it.

Handhelds

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max : One arena in which the PSP dominates the DS is fighting games. This Street Fighter entry is one of the most exciting and fluid fighters you'll find.	Guilty Gear : Androgynous anime-inflected characters do battle in 2-dimensional multi-level structures. The action is so lively it fills both DS screens.	Tekken: Dark Resurrection : Tekken games rivaled Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat for arcade supremacy, and now the battle continues to the PSP. Tekken's got a jump-kicking leg up due to its superior graphics engine.	Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower : The first fighter released for the PSP is still one of the finest. Humongous monsters do battle in two dimensions, shooting lasers at one another and transforming in mid-fight.

Computer

Virtua Fighter PC : The roster of fighters is weak for PCs, with few console and arcade franchise even attempting the crossover. At least there's a PC version of Tekken,a 3-D battle royale.	Celebrity Deathmatch : Overhyped popularity junkies throw down in bitter one-on one matchups, and there are no publicists to step in and stop things from getting ugly.	Robot Arena : Picking up on the battling robot theme once again, in this game the mechanized ones settle their disagreements in an enclosed arena for our entertainment. And we wonder why they secretly want to take over and rule the planet.	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus : The turtles have made their martial arts mark in a number of adventure titles, but this one is set at the practice dojo. Leo, Mike, Raph and the rest spar to get themselves into fighting shape.

Classic

Mortal Kombat : In the early 1990s, fighting games were seemingly all anyone ever talked about. That's probably because the gameplay was so darn spectacular. The game's comically disgusting finishing moves were thrilling, and a four-armed boss character called Goro still gives people nightmares.	Street Fighter II : Mortal Kombat's consummate rival was the Street Fighter series, which recovered from a weak first outing for a masterpiece sequel. The characters were well-balanced and had glaring strengths and weaknesses. Kids would play all night and argue all day at school about which fighter was the best.	Pit Fighter : While not as strong or popular as either Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, the simplistic, straightforward Pit Fighter also has its supporters. In a harbinger of the film, "Fight Club," bare-chested brawlers do battle in underground clubs.	Joust : The Atari 2600 predated the arena fighter concept we know today, but at least the system did have a port of the classic arcade game that pitted ostrich-riding warriors against one another.