15 Games With the Best Fighting Mechanics
agramuglia
Published
02/13/2021
in
ftw
It's difficult nowadays to find a video game where you don't throw a few punches or toss an adversary across a room during combat. Games often are celebrated for their combat mechanics, especially in the fighting game community. However, which games play the smoothest? Which ones are the most intuitive to play and feel the most engaging?
Before you go, check out: 15 Design Mistakes That Made Good Video Games Trash .
Before you go, check out: 15 Design Mistakes That Made Good Video Games Trash .
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1. One of the all-time greatest fighting games, Street Fighter II revolutionized a system of fighting mechanics that every major fighting game since has aimed to duplicate. While Street Fighter II still runs smoothly and efficiently, it's hard to argue that later games didn't also include some pretty fantastic mechanics. Titles like Marvel vs Capcom and Darkstalkers included systems so similar, you might as well count them here, too.
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2. Dark Souls is a series that pushes the limits of unforgiving but fair fighting mechanics. While many players have now figured out the ins and outs of Dark Souls' mechanics, upon release, Dark Souls gained infamy for being one of the hardest games around. It still holds that title with cruel abandon. If you can get good at Dark Souls' 'poke the enemy in the butt with your swords mechanics', you have it made.
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3. Super Smash Bros has the ultimate pick-up-and-play game mechanics. This is why it's so perfect. While Dark Souls is an unforgiving game, Smash Bros is accessible for everyone. This intuitive gameplay makes it one of the best fighting games ever. It's easy, yet deceptively complex.
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4. Batman games can be marked in two eras: before Arkham Asylum and after Arkham Asylum. The Batman: Arkham games have some of the best stealth-combat mechanics of any game, allowing you simultaneously to sneak up on opponents while also brawling with seven other guys, all seamlessly. It's a difficult balancing act, but Batman makes it.
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5. For Honor served as a game where you could pit knights, samurai, and Vikings together in one battle royale. While the game certainly had its issues, its fighting mechanics were not one of them. The game showcased some of the most complicated swordplay in a mainstream title for its time, remaining a memorable fighting game despite its server issues and balancing problems.
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6. Mortal Kombat is one of those franchises that developed alongside Street Fighter but always remained strangely in its shadow. Regardless, the Mortal Kombat series -- and its later sister series Injustice: Gods Among Us -- showcases some brilliant technical combos. It's slower than Street Fighter, but, especially with the recent reboot series, has managed to carve its way into the fighting game pro-scene. Also, fatalities.
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7. Dragon Ball FighterZ is the surprise hit in the fighting game landscape. Not only is it a fantastic smooth combat-centric game, but it also allows players to engage in some killer, explosive combat. Despite being a part of a franchise famous for its uneven power levels and planet busting attacks, the gameplay is surprisingly balanced, with each character being uniquely crafted. It's telling that even years after release, this game is still regarded as an EVO-tier fighting game.
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8. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice comes from From Software, the same studio behind Dark Souls. However, unlike Dark Souls, Sekiro's gameplay is even more complex. Its nuanced combat allows players to fight until enemies are taken off-guard before delivering a killer strike. Much like Dark Souls, it's an unforgiving game that rewards patience and learned skill.
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9. God of War is one of the greatest game franchises of all time. The first three games incorporated a fluid, wild style of gameplay that rewarded over-the-top combat. However, the most recent entry in the God of War franchise toned it down quite a bit. Rather than swing your blades across fields of adversaries, you're more down to Earth with an ax and shield. You even have your son as a potential alley in the field of battle.
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10. Devil May Cry doesn't have the most complex gameplay around, but it has some of the most stylish. Devil May Cry, alongside Bayonetta, celebrates the rule of cool over logic and reality. The more over-the-top your fight goes, the bigger the reward for you as you carve through Hell's armies, looking cool.
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11. Many modern Star Wars games lack the refined style that the Star Wars: Jedi Knights series brought to the table. To date, its lightsaber mechanics remain unmatched. Sure, some people love Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but it lacked the complexity behind this game's lightsaber combat, which for us was half the fun.
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12. Stick Fight: The Game is another simple fighting game. However, in its simplicity, there is brilliance. The game features players as stick figures pounding one another either to the death or into a ring-out. They're given weapons in the process, but, ultimately the combat remains basic and straightforward. While it lacks the complexity of Smash Bros, it's another case of casual, pick-up-and-play party madness that's incredibly intuitive.
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13. There are several fighting games with incredible gameplay that get overlooked when compared to Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Killer Instinct is one of them. With its incredibly wild combo-centric fighting, the remake of Killer Instinct revived this long-stagnant franchise in style. While its "COMBO BREAKER" sound effect has become memetic, pulling off a combat breaker or perfect series of combos feels...amazing.
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14. Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is one of the best remasters of an action RPG ever. The action-centric gameplay of the original drew in a cult following that still loves the game to this very day. Sure, some reviewers have commented that the game has become somewhat dated in the years that followed, but that doesn't' change the fact that Kingdoms of Amalur, sports some incredible combat.
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15. The Witcher III is the gold standard for modern fantasy RPGs in terms of combat. Drawing more from the Arkham series with its fighting, The Witcher III balances smooth combat, intense action, and fantasy-centric magic. Every monster feels unique when you cross steel with them. Every encounter feels grand and larger than life. To this day, it remains unmatched.
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One of the all-time greatest fighting games, Street Fighter II revolutionized a system of fighting mechanics that every major fighting game since has aimed to duplicate. While Street Fighter II still runs smoothly and efficiently, it's hard to argue that later games didn't also include some pretty fantastic mechanics. Titles like Marvel vs Capcom and Darkstalkers included systems so similar, you might as well count them here, too.
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