Does IGN know ANYTHING about Fighting Games???

[@EdgarAllanBro77]

Hey, Enjoyed this video. Probably gonna open myself up to people being mean, but I helped work on this list (helped pick the games, chose the order, wrote 3 of the blurbs). I thought folks might be interested in our process, so I figured I'd address a couple things: This was made by several people, so while I've been a GG fan forever, Strive was the first GG many of the crew had really sat down and taken the time to learn, which influenced how we chose (Xrd is my personal favorite, for the record, but I also love +R). We said no platform fighters out of the gate, so no SBB, and wanted to balance influence, the game being fun to play today and accessible, good netcode, etc. This also means that you had to be able to play it on modern hardware and like... buy it, which was part of the reason we picked Marvel 3 over Marvel 2 (man, I wish it was easier to go buy Marvel 2). We wanted anyone who watched the video to be able and go out and get a game if they thought it looked cool. I think we made an exception for MK9 because of how important it was and how much all of us liked it. It also meant that certain games didn't make the cut because only a few of us had played them (I advocated for CvS2 and Garou, but I was the only one who had put a substantial amount of time into either). We also thought about SoulCalibur 2, as an example, but you can't easily get it and even the re-release had spotty netcode. Last thing: people like to dunk on IGN but everybody who worked on this absolutely adores fighting games and plays them extensively in their free time. It's my favorite genre, and several of us have traveled and competed in tournaments, etc. So it was a passion project, and we tried to do right by the FGC because we all care deeply about the genre and love each and every one of those games. Anyway, big fan, enjoyed the video, and hopefully people got something out of it.

[@jamesmckinnon7346]

that makes allot of sense!

[@moloko912]

Thank you for the feedback.i also really liked this list. You clearly knew what you were talking about. People like to bash IGN purely because it gives them a sense a superiority or a false sense of legitimacy. Keep it up

[@benjaminwalker9369]

Good response

[@gwen9939]

I thought it was pretty obvious that it came from a person(or a group) that was clearly knowledgeable about the genre and that it was informed by a mix of criteria where one of them would have to be personal taste to some extent. because that's just what lists are, they're personal. I did notice a lot of mean-spirited attitudes on the main channel of the video from people who didn't know what half of the games on the list were but through their nostalgia glasses simply noticed a distinct lack of Soul Calibur 2 and defaulted to dunk on IGN. I wouldn't have been mad about Xrd over Strive but I think rollback still not being fully out for Xrd I'd be scratching my head a bit. Technically the game is not as playable as Strive right now, however that wouldn't be the case if this list was made after Xrd Rollback is out. And Xrd being more similar to older GG and Strive being the streamlined reinvention of the formula I think Strive deserves a lot of praise for the way it handled accessibility and character balance without sacrificing too much complexity, skill ceiling, and expression.

[@oussamaokbi]

Strive is a great game, you don't have to justfy the pick just because it's a popular game. It got most of us into guilty gear but we don't really care about the old games. I grew up on sf2 mvc1 and all that so i always knew of guilty gear but strive was the one to get me to try the franchise. List is pretty good mvc2 is the exception but as you stated even capcop gave up on the game, freemvc2 was fine and all but mvc3 was a worthy sequel that is getting shat on for no reason other than old heads liking what they liked as kids...

[@samfivedot]

Honestly the variable team size of Skullgirls was kind of what helped me get into fighting games, because I could focus entirely on learning one character and then branch out to learning assists and DHCs once I felt I was comfortable enough. Wish more team fighters had this system

[@tedjomuljono3052]

CVS series had the ratio system tho people tend to just do 3v3 when it comes to official tourneys?

[@gamelord12]

@@tedjomuljono3052 You'll see 3v3 most often in Skullgirls, but honestly, there are people playing every team size. There's a guy who's been playing the same duo since the game launched, and a solo Beowulf player made Evo top 8.

[@noobtuber10]

@@gamelord12 swiftfox/tj and Nezo i assume

[@gamelord12]

@@noobtuber10 Exactly.

[@michaelcollins4534]

Fighterz but I can finally only be Z broly

[@17thknight]

I'm not kidding, this list alone brought IGN a ton of respect from me. Really good choices for intelligent reasons. Yeah there's differences in opinion, but ultimately this was a list I could watch and enjoy

[@limitedbom2206]

The only thing that matters with lists like these is making it, and trying to be #1. If you're not #1 it doesn't matter as long as you made the list it's all chillin. Oh and as long as they didn't do something like put mk11 on the list. Then I'm personally happy.

[@Blueskiesnclear]

@@limitedbom2206 what the hell are you trying to say lol

[@andresbolano3143]

It’s an IGN guy that likes the the fighting game genre. Normally IGN puts journalists or reviewers that don’t like the source material.

[@nathanrushton627]

​@Limitedbom i mean the mortal kombat disrespect is wow but hey not for everyone I get ya

[@limitedbom2206]

@@nathanrushton627 Oh I love mortal kombat, in mkx I was top 30 on the online leaderboards. I played TONS of games, mk11 is just a horrible game.

[@PigDaddy2020]

I definitely prefer MK9 to X or 11, mostly for 2 reasons. Tag team kombat mode & no character moveset limitations tied to character variations. Also has the best single player story, IMO, being a retelling of the first three games, & the challenge tower with 300 unique challenges is also great add'l content if you're not just looking for multiplayer.

[@juuzoucronastrange7321]

Fact’s and the roster and the movement

[@SuperBabyMario0C]

But MKX didn’t limit you, mk 11 did lmao. You could pick your character in x with all their base moves without variations, all variations was add moves or change the properties/functions of a move that fit that variations theme…never took away so idk what you mean there bro. Mk 11 was more like a loadout system tbh, take one move off and swap it for another n it didn’t add any theme or anything changed with a move, you literally just swapped a moves input for another.

[@Yesnog05]

Capcom vs SNK 2 should be on that list. It may not sold as much, but it blew the fighting game community up! Two fighting game giants from Japan in one game was truly...the fight of the millennium!

[@TonyTheTGR]

Not disagreeing with this - but I think we can even splinter into modern/retro fighting games at this point; and the premise of a CvS 3 - now that it won't be the rush job that 1 and 2 were - would be amazeballs. I'm fairly confindent there's gonna be some "Smash Bros. of Fighting Game Crossovers" happening in the next 10 years, once they can all agree on a control scheme!

[@oussamaokbi]

I'm not a huge fan if cvs 2 and i can honestly say that game needs to be on any top fighting game lists. The roster, the diversity, the music!!!

[@goldenogregames]

The biggest problem is availability. CvS2 never got a release for online play during the 2009+ era of the rebirth of fighting games. The only way to play the game online was during that brief period it was available on the original xbox. It was on gamecube and PS2 but I don't think they had online play. The other option is FightCade which the majority of people are either seasoned pros, or they're just playing Super Turbo, KoF 98./2002, 3rd strike or alpha 3. CvS2 just never got any love which is why a CVS3 in the style of maybe kof14 or SF4 graphics with tons of characters would do absolutely amazing.

[@skunkface_]

CvS2 has a ton of huge issues that hold it back from legend status imo. Rolling while holding charge, Blanka's RC timing 50/50 mixup, Sakura guard crushing everyone and being a hard counter to 2 entire grooves, Cammy being able to confirm into super even off of a trade, Bison setting up CC from anywhere, etc.

[@fslayer1290]

Capcom vs SNK2 was AMAZING! I still haven’t beaten Blood Rugal though. 😤

[@AdamJorgensen]

KIs tutorial taught me a lot and got me much more able to really play properly compared to the games I played before. The SP content also deserves a shout-out, I wish more games had a Shadow Lords style mode.

[@yugijak]

Not to the same level but Them's Fighting Herds has something to scratch that itch with the salt mines. You can randomly encounter ai fighters on top of npc only unique enemies that help you learn to deal with different scenarios

[@radelta]

LOL

[@TonyTheTGR]

Shadow Lords is probably my favorite Single Player content since SC3's Chronicles of the Sword. I LOVE how it's got a sense of ongoing continuity and buildup to it, like you work ALL WEEK to get to the final boss encounter; and you can do it at whatever pace you'd like. It's something a lot of FGs can pick up on. SC6 has a kind of similar adventure mode to it that I'm liking a lot so far too, and Guilty Gear Xrd has that fun M.O.M. Mode as well. Ultimate Marvel 3's Heroes and Heralds was also great with that sense of continuity AND having an online-versus component about it, too!

[@ajpiskel]

Yeah, as an old head I'm okay with KoF13 getting the nod in terms of revitalizing the series for the larger FGC tournament scene. It may not be my absolute favorite KoF, but it's up there and I still think it was a solid, fun game.

[@Thor-Orion]

98 maybe for the very best in the series?

[@Tremuoso]

I wish there was a version of SFIII where you could play by 3S rules (or even some kind of version select implemented) where all the New Gen and 2nd Impact stages and music were also available. That would make it far and away the most beautiful spectacle of a fighting game.

[@leomariano2735]

It’s time for Hyper Street Fighter III - Anniversary Edition

[@AdamJorgensen]

Strive was my first GG game, I tried Xrd during the rollback beta and enjoyed it more than Strive. The simplified gatlings and air-movement actually felt less newbie friendly to me because it reduced the options which made it less likely random mashing would yield much. Strive is fun tho, now if only they'd add Jam...

[@kylekiske_]

Before I played River City Girls 2 I wouldn't really have had Jam on the list, but since she is the one that made it in as a crossover next to Sol, she's definitely in. I personally miss Slayer.

[@nosferatu24]

Based jam enjoyer

[@TheCJRhodes]

dude, just play DNF duel, they got Jam in there too!

[@Kammithekiller]

You play GGST and you played KI? Dude we need to be friends RIGHT NOW! (edited: a word)

[@solblalock8458]

Man sol with no dragon install isnt sol

[@shawnpearson5363]

Being 51 and started playing fighting games with karate champ ( yes that long ago lol) and having played every game on this list except dragon ball, I can say this list is legit. I would have put CVS2 on this list myself but for the most part a very solid list.

[@whatthepop925]

45, also started with Karate Champ (or maybe Budokan, can't remember which was first), and have played every game on this list except Skull Girls and KI (but have watched plenty of coverage of both). I would make minor changes to the order of this list and maybe some of the entries they chose for franchises (eg MKXL is the best MK for me), but this is a damn solid list.

[@antonsimmons8519]

Skullgirls' 1-3vs1-3 system is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. And solo-maining is entirely viable, as shown at tournament-level.

[@youngrizziepoppin9225]

Bro it was stolen from capcom vs snk, ratio mode

[@antonsimmons8519]

@@youngrizziepoppin9225 Fascinating info. I've never played that crossover franchise, so I was unaware for that reason. =)

[@cleyra8550]

@@youngrizziepoppin9225 it was expanded upon. It's ratio plus the ability to use assists and dhc's like mvc.

[@serenaso4669]

@@youngrizziepoppin9225 it was a huge improvement on the concept, one major example is how snapback attacks work when used by or against a solo character. It's also like saying that every 3v3 fighting game stole from mvc2, wich is incredibly shortsighted

[@nomenclature7662]

@@serenaso4669 what happens when you snap back a solo character in skull girls?

[@ForestOfSleep]

My mount rushmore of fighting games would have to be: GGXX: We had it in the arcade near where I lived and the dude running it set me up for infinite free plays one day. Tekken 5: My best friend and I killed so many pads with that game. Fatal Fury as a series because my uncle had it for the PS2 and I love the characters Samurai Shodown 2: This game was so vastly different from anything I had ever played and I just loved every second of it. The possibility of losing at any moment if you make one wrong move was incredible and I will never forget it. It turned Samsho into my personal favorite fighting game series.

[@GnJs6PackTraining]

Shoutout for samurai showdown, loved that game.

[@whatthepop925]

The SamSho collection was on sale for AUS$6 on PSN (still might be, not sure if that sale is over). Best $6 I ever spent.

[@ed0mame]

3rd Strike is such a fun game to play and also pretty technical but when you learn it's system it's very satisfying to play. Chun Li and Yun may be a bit op but the parry system kind of evens out all the players. I also liked sf3 because they went with an approach that may have deterred a lot of people and that is, the roster being all new characters besides Ryu, Ken, and Chun. This game is still enjoyable to play and watch. If you're one of the few who haven't played it yet, I would recommend you give it a try.

[@ed0mame]

@@doin10hitcombos you gotta start somewhere. Once you get used to the combo system and parrying, you'll understand why that Daigo evo moment was so insane.

[@next_man]

third strike made me punch my controller and break the right stick today. i love this game. (i don’t wanna talk about the fact that i’m still playing on controller)

[@ed0mame]

@@next_man I played it on the ps2 mainly on my ps2 pad too. It came along with sf: anniversary edition. It can get frustrating at times but watching others play and do some wild combos and setups I've never seen before kept me wanting to keep playing. I'm not that great with a fight stick for 3rd strike but have been using it more now.

[@omegaweapon116]

It's the last great Street Fighter imo

[@WeirdEdz]

@@omegaweapon116 its still over hyped for me.

[@UknMatt]

5:05 as a super casual fighting game fan, I never know Skullgirls has variable team sizes and that is insane!! Honestly every FG would be sooo tight with this

[@DANCERcow]

Do you don't play fighting games that often?

[@hellfrozenphoenix13]

Its a blast. Having one healthier, harder hitting character or a team for flexibility is freeing imo

[@geminifiend5775]

how you didn't know? before you pick the game ask your team size XD

[@hellfrozenphoenix13]

@@geminifiend5775 if they never played it, how would they know?its wasnt implied they played it before.

[@geminifiend5775]

@@hellfrozenphoenix13 Your right I could be assuming wrong

[@serenaso4669]

Honestly, the one thing dragging (and that ultimately killed) KoFXIII as a game is the Delinquent Duo made of EX iori and Mr.Karate. They are so much better then anyone else on the roster that every tounament team ended up with them and a third charachter, usually Kim. Resulting in EVERY tournament made up of mostly mirror matches... how thrilling :( One more balance patch before PC release and a better netcode and XIII would have been the best of all time...

[@somerando9475]

Even today 25 years later they haven't made Ryus donkey kick look as heavy and as good as it was in Street fighter 3. The animation for it is so much better. He actually steps into it rather than sliding along the ground.

[@MaximumCarter]

If it hasn't happened already... can we get jmcrofts on the TKO podcast!?

[@RedsHitpostMedia]

Any topic thats "top 10 x" is bound to drum up controversy. But the fact it was about Fighting games,from IGN, and still mamaged to NOT piss me off now thats an achievement

[@friendlyboomer1429]

Seeing Skull Girls with the variable team size really makes me wish we got that with Fighterz. It would be so fun to have a stronger version of certain characters so they feel like the singular threat they were in the show.

[@hellfrozenphoenix13]

I agree. I feel like its a system most games dont do much, and (fairly new to skullgirls), i think it feels well balanced one stronger hitting, more health ally, or 3 weaker characters to promote flexibility? It would do well in almost any team-based fighters. Heck, id love if Project L would do that, but they are already dedicated to 2v2, and its a big ask to change that. But i digress

[@tenworms]

I mean I just wish Fighterz was a one on one game with bigger move lists per character.

[@hellfrozenphoenix13]

@@tenworms i can honestly see that too. Maybe a fighting game will allow adjustable team size, with smaller sizes perhaps having access to more individual moves to compensate for the lack of assists? Idk, could be cool if done rivht.

[@fatyoshi696]

you can actually change your team size in fighterz, but the option is only available in offline versus mode and health and damage don't scale, so it's really just a handicap option to play with friends

[@jecc9884]

ironically enough dragon ball supersonic warriors had something like that

[@TheSuperSmashBros01]

The guy that made this list gives off a vibe of: I love fighting games so I’m going to put together a list of the ten greatest fighting games, their importance and why they are as beloved as they are today. And yeah I definitely agree with a lot of the entries on this list. And seeing so many people respond positively to it make me glad to be a part of this community.

[@LordBaktor]

From a strictly spectator perspective, KI and 3rd Strike are my favorite games to watch. KI's combo/combo breaker system and 3rd Strike's give me the biggest "anything can happen in this fight" feeling compared to most other games I've watched. The whole era of streamlined, simplified fighters may be great for high level players, but to me it feels less exciting to watch because people are just trying to land the one thing that works over and over again. SF6 looks great though, I'm even considering jumping from casual viewer to casual player on that one.

[@LateralusPls]

Fun fact, all ten games were written by various IGN staff outside of the editorial team. A lot of them are active in the FGC plus some casual staff of fighting games and was deliberated by committee to rank all the games.

[@AdamJorgensen]

Yeah, I remember Max reacting to this video, he was equally surprised by the picks as he went into it expecting similar picks to a WatchMojo list that was done 🙂

[@MrKickassFTW]

This is a good list for sure

[@JPWestmas]

I really like how you guys still play 10+ year old fighters. This non-disposable player base attitude is really fun and thought provoking. Thanks!

[@FFKonoko]

Dark Souls is over 11 years old. Minecraft is over 11, too. People are still playing ports of symphony of the night, which is 25 years old. Mario 35 was, essentially, a variant of a 35 year old game. I'm not even sure how old the tetris version that still gets played competitively is, but I think it's at least 30 years old, too. Games that have a devoted fan base will just...stick. Game developers in general often love such an attitude and will aim for it... Though then there's the yearly sports game and shooters and such. Very different attitude....

[@PwnerGeist]

The biggest award goes to Super turbo japanese businessmen and Melee players those guys are the real ones

[@oldmanbiscuit7518]

I play 10 year old games period, because there hasnt been a good game since 2017.

[@ZeroKitsune]

@@oldmanbiscuit7518 Hey, there's been a few! Probably ONLY a few...

[@DiMaN51Rus]

«Not many people would say Mortal Kombat 9 is the best Mortal Kombat.» Stopped and closed the video. What an amateur reviewer.

[@vitorodino8760]

"I'm actually on-board with the list" video title "DOES IGN KNOW ANYTHING!!?!?? ABOUT FIGHTING GAMES?? thumbnail: FACEPALM WTF

[@xluispx4477]

Well it is a question, the answer was yes, not the most outrageous "clickbait"

[@MigoMacayan]

They got it right with having MK9 as the best MK, if youd look at most polls done in TYM, twitter, and MK KZbin channels, casual players and tourney players are in agreement that 9 is the best overall, in terms of gameplay, roster, story and all

[@thatlonzoguy]

Virtua fighter 5 is massively underrated, my dad and I climbed the ranks on ps3.. amazing game

[@keeng]

This is definitely an unusual take and I assume it won't be a very popular one here, but it's how I've felt for years and there's plenty of evidence for it. Most FGC die hards don't know much about the game industry. We obviously know a ton about fighting games and we're learning more about esports and content creation as the genre expands. But the overall industry - the journalist side, the history (aside from arcades), the technology, the scope - seems way outside the bounds of what most of the FGC can intelligently discuss. That matters here because of the premise behind this video. While this and the IGN video ended up being fine and way more palatable than any of use probably expected, part of the reason why everyone came into this with an "Aw, here we go with the BS" mentality is because most of the FGC just rides the general Twitter sentiment when it comes to games journalism: that all journalists are scrubs who only know how to write flowery words about AAA games or whichever indie made them cry that week. Yes, people like the reviewer whose footage always shows them playing a shooter terribly or the person who says Smash is a 10/10 because they liked the single player exist. But the industry pillars are usually actual good journalists. This IGN list was clearly curated by a group of people willing to do the research and who also had personal stake in this ranking. So I guess my point in this super long comment is just stop gatekeeping. Give people the space to make their takes and have their opinions without prejudging them. Listen to perspectives in good faith. It can only grow the FGC and us as individuals.

[@eastcoasttone3952]

It definitely surprised me that they chose Strive and placed it so high. Saying that you prefer Accent Core or Xrd over Strive is like one of the easiest ways to get "cool points" in the FGC lol

[@Bushidounohana]

Man I have to say just how much I appreciate your great attitude! You acknowledgement of great points and kinder rebuttals of choices you don’t agree with is so refreshing. I’m more a filthy casual than anything else, though I’ve been loving fighting games since popping quarters in the original Word Warrior as a kid when it came out. Always enjoy your breakdowns and perspective on things. Great work!

[@carlschafer345]

There were a few representatives that I disagreed with (I would have replaced Tekken 7 with 5 and Strive with Guilty Gear X and MvC2 should have absolutely been on this list instead of Ulimate), but the overall choices were solid. I probably would have dropped Skullgirls (even though I did enjoy it) and put Soul Calibur 2 on the list.

[@Thor-Orion]

I think you kind of have to go with Tekken 3, it’s the giant leap in the series from kind of slow and ugly to beautiful and fast.

[@justkeepmiffing]

I’ve been active in mostly the NRS community until recently. A LOT of people prefer 9 to 10 and DEFINITELY prefer it to 11. The main reason a lot of the kommunity isn’t on it is the fact that there’s no servers running it.

[@gaminglakitu]

I think that the IGN list was very good and shared great points for people who are casual and hardcore. Single player content is one of my biggest sticking points when it comes to buying fighting games these days because I can't spend full price on a fighting game that I can't play online on Playstation (because I got no PS Plus) and not finding anyone on Switch because of lack of crossplay. Having both great competitive/online and fun single player and casual elements is what I feel like more fighters should Strive for, which I why I've been playing TFH religiously as of recently and have no doubt that SF6 will become the new GOAT once it releases this year

[@adh6886]

Wow, I must be old when people start lying about playing Third Strike!

[@SOCHICBEM]

3rd Strike was fun. I'm glad I got it way back in the day. But for my favorite number one Street Fighter, and favorite fighting game, it's Street Fighter Alpha 3. The amount of classic characters, plus amount of moves each character has available, plus the amount of modes it has. It's peak Street Fighter to me. Especially the PSP port with a few extra characters added. If they came out with SF3, but with added classic characters in the roster, that would be so hype. But like you said, you really can be okay picking from a number of Street Fighters and having a solid argument. Even SF4, watching old videos, they are still so absolutely hype to watch.

[@JozefLucifugeKorzeniowski]

I am or WAS a big vf5 guy. I was used to the old street fighter games so it took me time to pick up the vf5 fighting style, there's no specials or supers, there's just tons of variable combo routes and stance dependent moves. it feels amazing when you get good at it and when you're getting your ass kicked by someone else you're still hype because your opponent is probably doing some difficult shit you can appreciate. too bad vf5 is stuck in the online stone age or id still play it. the thing that separates vf5 from all other Fighting games I know is each character has such a vast pool of combos you can watch 2 people play the same character and they don't have to use any of the same combos. i get especially hype when people bust out the rare combos you usually don't see. the first time I watched competition level vf5 of my 1st main character (kage) I kept expecting them to pull out the stuff id been using to kill online and they actually used almost none of it which blew my mind. there is shit in vf5 youve never even thought of, some characters only have combos that work if you block them. if it hits it will do 2 hits but if you block it's a 10 string. the bummer about vf5 besides the netcode is that, while you can just mash and do cool stuff with everybody, some of the coolest characters like lei fei or kage require you to go a bit in depth to unlock the sickest combos. like, kage has very few combos that don't use combo buttons. you have punch kick and guard but then you have like 4 other buttons that are combos of the first 3. 1 of which is just grabs 1 is mostly stance shit and the other 2 are special strikes and kage's good shit is only on those last 2 and barely uses the regular buttons.

[@danielpagan2848]

Virtua Fighter should've been top 5 considering is the most important 3D fighting game as it was the first. Also Dead or Alive 5 should've been in there.

[@nayyarrashid4661]

I was surprised if this list is being labelled as objective without Virtua Fighter not right behind Tekken or even above it.

[@sablesoul]

List has heavy recency bias but I think for A LOT of modern players, this is their top 10 video games list and it's a reasonable one.

[@figureitout2973]

I've never played third strike but seeing your games makes me want to learn it. The pixel art the, the parries and chun li make love seeing it

[@MajinErick]

Number 1 is definitely not Street Fighter III Third Strike. I'll take the 1994 version of Killer Instinct over that.

[@Jackrost01]

They need to mention that Skull Girls also has good tutorial. But, of course, Them Fighting Herds make it much better.

[@dectilon]

I'm not good at any of the games, and I do agree that Strive is the most important entry in the series (hell, I know for a fact it got people into fighting games that never would've touched one otherwise) but... I feel like the older games have just... more cool shit. Crazier character designs. A more open playing field, more like mvc's, where you can allow more crazy stuff to go down because there's more room to dodge it. Crazier movement, and of course, more combo variety.

[@mallow2902]

Strive looks like a snooze fest when you start seeing Sol do Sidewinder loops in +R.

[@kittydimples5717]

I agree

[@lostvayne9146]

and all that "crazy stuff" failed in getting them sales. Do you know why street fighter is popular while most anime games aren't? Even though airdashing games have far more tools than any street fighter. All that cool shit is fluff. Strive succeeds because its readable.

[@Halfaxa7]

No Soulcalibur 2’s like a slap in the face

[@Xoulrath_]

One of the best fighting games of all time for sure. I still think that I probably preferred the original to 2. That game alone made the purchase of my Dreamcast worth it. A buddy of mine and I got so good at it that we almost never picked our mains against each other. We just went Edgemaster.

[@RaengStinger]

I think the list is decent, but it also reeks a bit of recency-bias. Granted there are so many fighting games, it's hard to do them all justice. But the absence of games like Soul Calibur II and DoA2U, or something like SF2 (3s is hype tho, as is 4), or Tekken3 or CVS2 - just feels off. I think I'd be more interesting to just note "top 10 fighting game series" maybe.

[@mallow2902]

Strive at number 2 when +R, Xrd Rev2, and BBCF exist 💀

[@geminifiend5775]

exactly

[@peteroneill1859]

Third strike, mvc2, cvs2, ST, usf4, Alpha 2 and Mkx. These are the best fighting games ever made.

[@Ronnie06spartan]

Tons of people prefer MK9 over MKX and MK11. Even the MK subreddit is filled with people preferring MK9. Not just necessarily because of the broken-ness of the game, but because it's basically a modern MK Trilogy and still has that classic MK feel to it (for lack of better words)

[@CarmenOfSpades]

I love the good vibes from this video! It's really easy to hate when casuals make a top 10 list, so it's refreshing to hear all the positivity!

[@fslayer1290]

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 sustained us fans for years! I remember being in college, playing my friends while we all dreamed about how amazing 3 could be. When 3 finally came out the… HYPE WAS REAL!!!🤩 PS: Sooooo good!!!❤

[@kabutoclone2]

I do like MK9 over Mk10. I felt like 10 was too unforgiving for scrubs like me and I never could dig the variations, I simply hated having characters iconic moves split between multiple variations, not to mention that the roster of 9 was perfect.

[@BigCrockDawg]

It’s funny, Max understood the reasons for the positioning on the list pretty well but JM is having almost none of it lol.

[@Tinil0]

Hey jm, I just want to say as more of a casual fan who has mostly only started following fighting games due to you and your channel, thank you for your work. Your endless positivity really makes your videos for me. My only real complaint here is that you talked over the other video and some of the points they were making a few times where I couldn't hear if they were saying something insightful, so I wish you paused a little bit more liberally before diving into what you were gonna say, but that's minor.

[@huskerdee1431]

Where’s Clay Fighters??

[@jemalale8435]

Poverty 😅

[@LeonidThe90sKid]

Personal mount rushmore: 1. Third Strike 2. tekken 3 3. Virtua fighter 3 4. Dead or alive 3 Special mention. Def Jam fight for ny These are probably the games that make the player feel the most like he is the protagonist of a martial arts movie, and to me that’s what gives true fighting games their style!

[@tgbennett30]

Thumbs up for mentioning Def Jam, a seriously underrated gem

[@Walond-pac]

I still play Def Jam Fight For NY, DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 3 and Naruto Ultimate Ninja 5. For me, that's the triforce of the ps2.

[@avnidvyi]

no way you put tekken3 before virtual fighter3..

[@LeonidThe90sKid]

@@avnidvyi haha, i will agree that positions can be switched. As a fighting games fan there wasn’t anything like walking in an arcade and seeing vf3 there.

[@theotherjared9824]

Something about kof13 specifically strikes a chord with casual players, which is great for it and it's legacy.

[@foxkentendo1151]

I've always loved the older tag team games. X-Men Vs Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes Vs Street Fighter, Marvel Vs Capcom, and most notably Marvel Vs Capcom 2.

[@charlieb8735]

Always down for an IGN roast

[@GrandpaMunster86]

It's not really a roast worthy video though. This is a very well put together list, and they brought up excellent points. So, yeah, there ya go.

[@RandoBox]

You sound so happy and fresh in this video. Glad the new year is starting well for you.

[@shekeib]

Virtua Fighter is some of the most fun fighting gameplay out there once you get to a certain level. I strongly believe it is a better 3d game than Tekken once you get into the fast paced mind games

[@nicolaspace1182]

First time I played it in Japan in an arcade, I got challenged by a pro and they ringed me out without attacking me, they just jumped around like crazy with Pai, and the camera pushed me out of the ring.

[@Thegamer-qd7eh]

no

[@ExzoSSG]

I'm glad you put some praise on C vs SNK 2 because it is up there for my top 3 fighting games ever.

[@purenstinctxi]

Best comment. My favourite game aswell

[@Darkkfated]

For all the crap the Internet gives IGN (even if a lot of it IS deserved), this is a solid list. I would personally shuffle a few entries around, probably swap MvC3 with MvC2, but honestly it's surprisingly comprehensive and well-reasoned. So let's give IGN props for this one. If we can trash them when they suck, let's at least acknowledge when they put out something solid.

[@Matt-ov1qp]

My list would be a similar bias of what games are considered the best from an OG perspective. My top 5 would mostly be Street Fighter but if I have to pick one for each game the Mount Rushmore would be this: 1. Third Strike 2. MVC 2 3. Tekken 7 4. Melee

[@FoolsGil]

I'm glad that SG is getting love, even if I can't play the game.

[@Snakestube]

I’m going to let you finish, but guilty gear, strive is the worst fighting game i ever played in my life. im starting from the street fighter two/tekken3 days

[@vagelistsirogiannis1799]

Found the list pretty solid imo.

[@Mene0]

True.

[@tyler755]

This is probably the best IGN list I've seen in a long time. Everything they used to justify their picks was subjective, but not untrue like most of their lists lol

[@Espeon5]

29:51 personally I like how 2nd impact looks a lot more, the stages are just 👌

[@chamchamtrigger]

I prefer 2nd Impact's soundtrack, at least.

[@poison6084]

I like 3rd strike character sprites and soundtracks better. But 2nd impact stages look alot better imo

[@Trepie]

I'm actually someone who likes MK9 the best from that series. It just has the perfect roster. My top 5 would be Street Fighter 4, Capcom vs SNK 2, Mortal Kombat 9, SoulCalibur 2, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

[@gauravnegi4312]

why are so many youtubers nowadays making clickbait titles on ign list and then saying, "Damn it's pretty good."?

[@streetstroller]

Can you only get off to rage content?

[@ceasergomez4156]

My top 5..ignoring 1 per series Street Fighter II Street Fighter Alpha 2 Guilty Gear Accent Core plus R KOF 02 Smash Ultimate

[@ebls2000]

I like the IGN list, but it's impossible to name the best 10 in fighting games today. There are so many great games. What about Soul Calibur 1 or 2 (the first 6 directions movement), for instance?

[@aceassn716]

It was 8 way but agree I have the original on Sega Dreamcast Soulcalibur II Gamecube Im a Lefty Link my mans

[@SirBranDon24]

I'm really hoping harada and the team put more effort into the online functionality. Instant rematches with ranked being 2/3 is my preference, can't tell you how many messages I get for not death matching for about 30 minutes lol.

[@thicczagoon]

As much as I love fighting games, playing and watching them, I've rarely played many of them, and even rarer played them competitive, mainly because I don't have the money or consoles. So instead I'll rank the games I've played from least to most favorite based on my casual opinion Street Fighter X Tekken - The main disappointment I have with this game is the combo system. As someone who came from playing MK9 and UMVC3, this game didn't satisfy my hunger for spectacular combos I was hoping it would have, especially when Tekken is known for its flashy juggle combos. Other than that, they certainly had great and creative ideas that I would love to see get explored in other games. The gem system that gives you buffs based on meeting certain conditions, I can see that being perfect in a Red Earth sequel due to it's RPG-esque gameplay. Hell even a gatcha fighting sounds like a fun idea to explore, so long as it's not too p2w. I also think Pandora was a neat addition to the lore I would like to see get expanded on. Overall, to me it's ah-ight but not amazing MKX - I mean it's fine, but somehow graphically it looks worse than 9 imo. And don't get me started on those atrocious animations. I do like the combo system though, and I like how they handled the variation system in this game. Kitana and Mileena were so fun to play SF4 - I've only played this game once and I rented it and only played arcade mode. I think the game is fine, but not my favorite in the franchise. Don't really have any opinions MK9 - one of the few games I played competitively. Loved the combo system. Story was fine (probably the best out of the Netherelm trilogy, and that's not saying much) each character was fun to play and I loved the combo system. Overall pretty great game. Injustice - honestly the injustice series is better than the MK games imo. I do like the in depth combo system and the individual character gimmicks. Only problem with this game are the zoners and Batgirl. Ugh, good God Batgirl... SF3 - I do agree that they are very beautiful games. Visually, I prefer 2nd impact over 3rd Strike because 2nd impact just had more visually appealing stages imo, and the music is great too! (3rd Strike still is beautiful and has great music, but on those fronts, the previous iterations beat it out imo). Idk if there are any gameplay differences between the two versions, but I do agree it's one of the best in terms of gameplay and visuals. But yes, the game balancing doesn't do the game justice. MVC2 - here's where the games will start to be more personal and near and dear to me. And yes what a great game this was. Again, character balancing was atrocious, but this game was such a spectacle of it's time. Truly one of the greatest SFA3/SFA - while I do agree 3rd strike is one of the best looking and animated games in the series, and possibly ever, I think the alpha series has it beat because this game look absolutely flawless and I love the more anime aesthetic. I do prefer SFA2 just slightly more (more on that later) but all three games are just perfect in every way. SF2 (mostly Super Turbo) - another childhood classic. I grew up on the SNES, so this was pretty much one of my first exposures to fighting games. It's also legendary given it pretty much gave rise to the boom and renaissance of fighting games at the time. One of the first robust fighting games to exist that still holds up to this day. SFA2 - while I may not have played this one as a child and I only more recently played it via the 35 anniversary collection on switch, I say the mechanics are more robust and tighter than the other two iterations. The stages are also the best of the alphas, and possibly even the best in the series. Such a great game CVS2 - everything about this game was perfect! From the variety of different gameplay styles that completely change up the game ala grooves, the vibrant visuals, the gameplay, the cast of fun and unique characters that are just great to play. Just perfection! UMVC3 - this is the game I played the most, and while everything about it makes me mad, from the overpowered and straight up broken characters, constant left right up down mixups, and to the fact that this game was abandoned right after the first balance patch; everything else was just so perfect. The combos, the fast paced gameplay, the teambuilding that let you create different synergies, the art direction and graphics, the music. All of it! It's a broken mess, but it's something special. Truly an absolute marvel to behold! Pun intended And yeah I'm aware of the irony of not having played a KoF game despite the fact that I have my favorite character in my pfp lol

[@RoyArkon]

MKX's animations are fantastic, all stories of NRS/WB are incredible, and the Zoners in IJ games are fine as they are, and as good as IJ is, MK is the better franchise. That's the truth.

[@JcgLounge]

Me personally I dropped GG Strive not too long ago. I switched to Xrd Rev 2 solely because of two reasons. One: It’s faster. The gameplay just feels more fluid and moving your character around feels better. Two: they have the option of stylish controls/auto combos. Something that I wish Strive would implement. Because I could hardly get a grasp of how to do certain combos in Strive.

[@Andres.Guzman]

Super Turbo is my subject #1 pick. But, because IGN was factoring in "importance", World Warrior is the objective #1. It sired every modern fighting game today

[@MuseseekerMan]

After Art Of Fighting, Mortal Kombat, and Super Street Fighter 2, I got soulcalibur 2 and never looked back. Then I got DOA5LR which was right up my alley. Now I am at DOA6 and Soulcalibur 6 and I'm very happy. I can't even imagine playing any other fighting games except for Street Fighter 3 3rd strike and maybe Street Fighter 6.

[@nobbuchan5333]

Ok but wheres BlazBlue?

[@Lethcode]

I think you forget where the fighting game community was when dbz came out. I think it overall brought another generation into fighting games that the old guard didn't capture.

[@karaokehammick5215]

Street fighter 2 series should be on the list period. It is the most played fighting game of all time. It is a game of literal perfection. This list should of been called the top ten fighting games of the past 11 years.

[@nestorgonzalez8021]

But is it because of SNK do mechanics and supers before Street Fighter II saids a lot

[@rickykeim2005]

Virtua Fighter 5 final showdown should be on the list somewhere. It's one of the most Technical Games I've ever played I put so much time into it and learned how to play several different Characters pretty well. there's so many styles of play between all the Characters. I have won and Lost Matches in VF by mere inches and that is exhilarating

A common pattern in the genre is when a new entry in a series, or a new game that models itself strongly on a different franchise, takes an emergent feature of its predecessors and streamlines it, turning it into a Real Thing. See for example how SF6 incorporates the FADC of SF4 into the drive system. I think KBD is the biggest game design problem in Tekken. I think it's way too hard to learn, but it's also absolutely essential if you want to play the game seriously. So I wonder, how could a future Tekken game - or indeed a Tekken-like - streamline KBD? It's certainly a cool feature, and I wouldn't want it to be removed entirely, but I feel like there has to be a way to smooth it out and make it a bit less ridiculously daunting for the 0-2 gang.

[@jairusmc3893]

I'd say that MK9 was a fairly beloved reboot that helped kickstart competitive MK. So I do think it makes the list I guess.

[@paddlesawtactic9788]

The first fighting game I truly got into was Persona 4 Arena, so that holds a special place in my heart. But I think Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 might be my favorite. In terms of sheer fun, it's one of the greatest games of all time to me.

[@mallow2902]

Xrd Rev2 is goated. My favorite fighter tied with BlazBlue Central Fiction.

[@Avarice01]

Sir, Virtua Fighter came before Tekken. One of the original creator s actually joined Namco to make Tekken. Virtua Fighter has the more superior and technical fighting mechanics. Just the lack of flash and story failed to capture the casual audience. Tekken had all the flash and is more approachable(read easy to learn). Approachability is likely the reason Xrd doesn't net the casual crowd. New gamer generation is all about flash over depth. Awesome video otherwise.

[@thirdstrike000000]

Problem with the list and what people seem to not realize is that this list is for ALL TIME. This list just feels like "top ten fighting games of the decade" with two hipster picks.

[@Chraan]

I really miss Capcom vs SNK 2 here, it has the best feeling of any fighting game to me and the multitude of choices you can make are amazing. But I am more surprised that they didn't even bother to mention Smash, which spawned a sub-genre on its own.

[@r1konTheAutomator]

3rd strike is so perfectly done. I don't think they'll hit that level again, not in that same type. SF6 is awesome, it's one of my favorites, but I think 3rd will always be on top.

[@MrAnsatsuken]

SF6 would be superior to 3rd Strike if they kept the Parry System untouched tbh.

[@SyMbIoTe99]

It always will be the best fighting game ever created bro.

[@TheNodontdoit]

I stared at your logo in the corner for so long thinking it was hulk hogan😮. Great vid as always

[@Darksaige]

Is it safe to say Mike Z used the CAPCOM VS SNK ratio system when designing skullgirls? If more games used that system I think it would make Tag or team based games more fun

[@NeoBoneGirl]

It's pretty safe to say because basically every single mechanic in Skullgirls is either from MvC2, 3S, Darkstalkers/Vampire Savior, GGXXAC, or CvS2. It's one of the things that keeps me from playing it, cuz it just makes me thing "oh, I should go play Guilty Gear instead, that game rocks"

[@KaitouKaiju]

Somewhat but there are way more changes in Skullgirls based on the team you make along with the custom assists which no other fighting game has at all

[@CHICKENmcNUGGIESMydude]

4.asura blade 3. school rivels 2.capcom vs snk 2 1.marvel super heros vs street fighter arcade

[@ricardomontoya4254]

Personally in my opinion, this list might be more interesting if it included more games like their number one pick

[@Corydonn]

I think saying that your average gamer doesn't care about cutscenes is totally wrong! I had coworkers 10 years ago who came into work every day telling me about each new thing that happened in MK9s story and how cool it was.

[@gh0rochi363]

I would argue that casual fans appreciate it more sometimes. Casual fans won't buy the new me if the story is bad. A hardcore fan will not have the story affect whether or not if the story is bad.

[@bdove2007]

I prefer MK 9 over 10 and 11. 9 just felt like an old school MK game

[@scarfoflegend6239]

Listing things had me come up with a video idea for you. Can you Mr. jmcrofts name every game with "Street Fighter" in the title to include iterations like "Championship Edition "?

[@augustgreig9420]

VF4:Evo still has the best tutorial mode of any fighter ever. It literally teaches you all of your characters BnBs, set ups for them, frame advantage and how to take advantage of it, and most importantly defense, including what to do at frame disadvantage and crazy enough it goes as far as to teach you defensive option selects. If you've never tried it, you should. Would make a good vid, as you progress through the tutorial in stages. VF5:FS was just as good if not better than VF4:Evo in every way except for tutorial mode.It's my favorite FG series of all time. I love VF5, but they did nerf my main, Shun Di a lot in that game, so I still enjoy VF4.

[@Xoulrath_]

The only thing that I didn't like about VF4: Evo was the lack of anyone to actually play against. None of my friends would touch it after I steamrolled them on a regular basis.

[@El-Burrito]

That sounds amazing! I gotta check out VF4, I hope it's on steam

[@augustgreig9420]

@@El-Burrito Not only that, the single player features a Kumite mode, where you travel to different arvades of varying strengths and play against AIs that play like real humans, meaning they have tendencies you can pick up on, they drop combos some times, they will make reads, which you can then bait, etc. They play nothing like CPU and they don't read buttons or have crazy reactions. When you get to the best arcades, you'll face AIs of real players, including the VF4 champ, Chibita. You can even create your own AI that plays like you, and have your friends play against it!

[@jemalale8435]

CVS 1 n 2 needed to be here. Was so good n we still waiting for 3

[@skytroopr6189]

I actually found nothing wrong with the list

[@jmcrofts]

I thought it was a pretty good list overall! even if I disagreed with some of the explanations

[@chenkaixiang2455]

wheres smash tho

[@daquandavis5498]

MK9s KOTH mode specifically on the 360 was one of the greatest multiplayer game modes n one of the best experiences of all time… that’s shit was MW2 Lobby like😭

[@h1t0k1r1]

This list is okay if you’re taking casuals and recency bias into account

[@daric_]

Pretty decent list considering they're not tailoring it specifically to one specific part of the FGC community (casuals, competitors, etc.). Though I think BlazBlue was a big deal that got a lot of people (especially people who were more interested in anime and story who weren't previously fighting games fans) into anime fighters and kind of brought a lot of interest into that type of FG, which may have lead to Guilty Gear Xrd and Strive, Dragon Ball FighterZ, etc.

[@gh0rochi363]

Guilty gear is like 10 years older though, I would argue GG would bring someone to BlazBlue. Both great games.