Top 5 Fighting Games for CASUAL Play - Retro Bird

[@ScottAskins-t3n]

Retro Bird creating the best content on KZbin, and having a blast doing it.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you!

[@XDevonBueno]

big facts retro bird is the goat!!

[@G.G.___162]

Absolutely man; this is literally my favorite KZbin channel. Go Bird!

[@michaellentner9141]

I have other gaming channels I watch, but I really belive I've never been as excited for any of their videos to drop as I am for retro birds on fridays, thanks man!

[@-Astro--]

100% 😃

[@robertallshouse500]

I love fighting games. In the 90s, they were king. I’m glad they’ve experienced a renaissance as of late. Great content! Glad you’re showing the genre some love

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yeah, they've been doing all right as of late!

[@PhyA52]

Wanna feel old? The so called "Renaissance" of fighting games has been going on significantly longer than it's initial reign in the nineties. 😬

[@ultimateman55]

Same. Sometimes it feels like there's little overlap between fighting game fans and retro gamers, what with all the attention the platformers and RPGs get. But fighting games have so much to offer! Some people are really missing out.

[@PanicAttackTwo]

Regular viewer, this dude should have way more than 62k subs. Such high quality content all around, I figured he’d be at half a mil at least.

[@elwinroyale]

Just watch, he'll grow

[@MKF30]

SF II and MK2 will never get old tons of fun.

[@truth4fun]

Retro bird's Friday video releases helps me keep track of what day of the week it is.

[@MultiDudeman]

Soul Calibur 2 was one of my favorite fighting games when i was a teenager

[@sahamal_savu]

I was, and still am, undefeated as Mitsurugi 😈

[@edwardnarro3323]

Mortal Kombat 1&2 was my jam, its the games that re-lit my retro fire.

[@ultimateman55]

Oh man, MK2 was absolutely EPIC when it hit arcades in '93. It had incredible visual and sound design and popularized juggle combos in fighting games. The 12 man roster seems meek nowadays, but if you were there, you know what's up.

[@edwardnarro3323]

@@ultimateman55 spot on! There wasn't a machine around that wasn't huddled around and lined with quarters from end to end.

[@nopenop1495]

Since 2022 I've started holding Vampire Savior mini tourneys at my local gamer pub; lots of oldheads show up and even bring some younger gamers along, it's a lot of fun.

[@G.G.___162]

Man that's so awesome! I wish I lived in that community lol

[@cultivatedgamer]

@@nopenop1495 That is so cool

[@BrandonTheAnimeGuy]

I love seeing the Saturn and Dreamcast getting awesome recomendations. Cheers to you Retrobird!

[@koolaid33]

They are probably some of the best platforms for fighting games.

[@MC-bh8ph]

We had a TREMENDOUS amount of fun with Killer Instinct before we even knew how to do special moves and combos! Just mastering high and low attacks and blocking is an entire fun game in itself, and kinda just makes it feel more like a somewhat more grounded kickboxing game. Then eventually you learn how to play and it gets even better

[@inceptional]

Yeah, not including Killer Instinct seems like a bit of a fail for him imo, but it seems he was finding it rather difficult to look beyond his Sega Saturn/Dreamcast collection to be honest. And I feel like he really only included Smash because he knew he'd be smashed by all the fans if he didn't included it.

[@streamingnowstreamingnow2568]

This guy is a Global Treasure. Protect him at all costs!

[@0x44_]

Your theme song is such a banger. 🐦🍌

[@jasonfell4321]

You nailed it with SFA3. I remember showing someone that only played tekken 3 SFA3, and he changed favourite games almost overnight.

[@edmontoniangamer]

I would even recommend Soul Calibur on DC. Great one to pick up and play!

[@sahamal_savu]

I was trying to remember the name of this game while scrolling through the comments, glad to see someone else loved that game as well. 👍

[@erneststackhouse1133]

Awesome list but my go to fighting game is Tekken on the PS1. The buttons for it are awesome! Easy to learn because right top button is punch right. Right low is kick right. Top left button is left punch. Left low button is left kick. Everything makes sense, so your not just mashing your buttons!

[@kingedwin]

The first fighting game I was able to get into was World Heroes, because it's designed to make it easy to do special moves. It also helped that people weren't obsessed with it like other SNK games, so I wouldn't immediately get whooped in the arcade.

[@brichan1851]

World Heroes and World Heroes 2 were great ice breaker games. I loved them for the SNES and Neo Geo!

[@Hola-ro6yv]

World Heroes is one of the greatest fighting game series of the 90s but it’s not as easy as you make it sound. To this day I still haven’t beat it. btw World Heroes was developed by ADK not SNK although I guess it could still be called a SNK game since it’s on the Neo Geo

[@jwill7998]

Other Notable Games: Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style WWF No Mercy The Outfoxies (emulated on MAME) TMNT Tournament Fighters Dong Dong Never Die

[@dannys1392]

Wu Tang: Shaolin Style is super underrated!

[@Ninjaswithipods]

00:54 Maxdood shout out! #ShineOn

[@BlankSpacePub]

Street Fighter EX 3 is pretty decent for casual players. Good controls, lots of features, and pretty easy moves to execute.

[@thegreatzotika]

Retro Bird carrying the gaming culture.

[@nonya6540]

From a fellow fgc i appreciate ppl just having fun with fighting games treating them like games with ur buddy's

[@AMDGBananaBen]

Good stuff Bird. As someone who's pretty active in his local Fightin game community, it's an excellent time to get into them! Between Fightcade, modern re-releases there's a game for everyone even at a casual level =)

[@matthewheupel8960]

I always loved fighting games, ever since I first got Street Fighter II Special Championship Edition. I still remember trying to figure out Ryu's fireball and struggling to make it happen. Once I got that figured out, I was all in on fighting games for years. My favorites to this day are Street Fighter Alpha 2 and any of the Dark Stalkers games.

[@elgatofelix8917]

Street Fighter 2 and Fatal Fury was what got me into fighting games. Then Mortal Kombat and Samurai Showdown came out and I was hooked. World Heroes, Primal Rage, and Virtua Fighter kept me interested and coming back for more. Although I love other genres of games as well, fighting games are the most engagingly interactive and require a more intense focus and quick reactions from players than other types of games.

[@Supersmallchibiwolf]

Street Fighter Alpha 3 is a amazing game and It's one of my favorite PlayStation 1 games of all time. It's on my top 3 PS1 games and I'm happy you saved it for last. Darkstalkers , Street Fighter 2 and other games mentioned are also fun and I love fighting games. Cool video. ^_^

[@brichan1851]

Let’s be real; I fancy myself as a semi-competitive fight game fan, but I’m just not good enough, nor have I ever been. No, I’m a casual fighting game fan with a competitive spirit, if that’s a thing. I am a great lover of this genre of games. I always have been. Since I first played Street Fighter II on my SNES in 1992, I have poured myself into fighting games and spent countless hours and nights playing both the computer and my friends. Heck, it may even go further back for me, as I loved playing Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!! (not a real fighting game) and Karate Champ back on the NES. The reason I’m not good enough is that I reached my peak somewhere in the late 90’s to the early 2000’s when it comes to skill. That doesn’t take away from my love of playing these games. It just means that I never have gone beyond what I learned way back when. I’ve plateaued and that’s okay by me. My dedication to the fighting genre can be seen clearly in both my hours logged in playing these games and in my collection. I have quite a few fighting games on all of my consoles. What has been the best thing for me is coming to terms with exactly what kind of fighting game fan I am. I love to play and I love to compete, but I am at a good casual level of skill. I feel like I could get better, but that might take away from the fun of it, which defeats the whole purpose. Right now, I’m focusing on the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection, as many fighters are as of this video’s premiere. These are games I haven’t played in decades. It’s such a joy to go back and “drill claw” my way to victory with Wolverine. If I were to dedicate more time, I imagine I could get really good at Marvel vs. Capcom 2, but that would mean I’d have to neglect my girlfriend and probably ignore the other 6 games in this collection. On top of that, I’d have to get really serious and beat myself up in real life for missing a special cancel and not landing an infinite combo. Where’s the fun in that?! I’m very cool with where I am in my love for the fighting game genre. I’m not the best, but I have the most fun with these games when comparing to many other types of games out there (with JRPGs and a few actin games being exceptions). Having a blast is a lot more important to me than being the greatest fighter out there. I may not win a million dollars, but my smiles are worth their weight in gold. That makes it all worth it to me.

[@ultimateman55]

My story is similar to yours, been loving the genre since its infancy in the 80s. What I will say is that you definitely haven't hit your skill cap. If you have a growth mindset and can put the time in, you can always improve. I was always fairly strong against my friends, but what really got me to learn was playing online regularly in SF5. Admittedly, it took a few thousand hours of play, but I'm now Master Rank in SF6 as an old hat (42 years old.) I only mention this because I want you to know that you can get better if you decide you want to. It just takes a lot of time and practice like any other skill. That being said, you're spot on with your assessment: having fun is always more important than being good. But keep in mind that sometimes getting better can be a lot of fun!

[@brichan1851]

@@ultimateman55 well, winning a lot IS fun, but I don’t have a ton of time. I do my best. I’m 46 and with life being what it is, I just don’t have as much time to devote to it as I would like.

[@ultimateman55]

@@brichan1851 Yep, no shame in that. Just wanted to make sure you understood you COULD do it if you wanted to. It's all about time investment and perseverance. And there's no shame in simply deciding it's not worth it to you. Keep on having fun!

[@brichan1851]

@@ultimateman55 you and I are on the same page!

[@mallow2902]

You don't have to be ripping optimal combos the first time you play a fighting game, heck you don't even need to make sure a fighting game is "easy for beginners", just pick one with cool characters you like, grab some friends, and just have fun. The advanced stuff can come later if you really get into it.

[@koldking]

Top tier content as always! I am betting your channel is going to quadruple in size easily by this time next year.

[@cultivatedgamer]

I really like Capcon VS. SNK 2 for the PS2

[@Hola-ro6yv]

If you like that Try KOF 11 for the PS2

[@ShinSynZero]

I never thought I'd see a vid about fighting games from the Retro Bird, very cool. Other than Smash Bros, I think that's a solid list. I think Capcom's Vs series and Namco's Soul series games are also worth checking out for casual play. The best part is, once someone gets better at fighting games, they can go as far down the rabbit hole as they want.

[@nickparsons337]

I've always loved Power Stone and to this day; I'm baffled that Capcom never made more than two. Such a shame. I'd have to add the first three Samurai Showdown games as a personal pick. The roster, the gorgeous pixel art with fluid animations and an authentic Edo period style soundtrack has had me coming back to those games since I first played them in the arcade as a kid. One of my friends back in the day said playing those games "felt like an anime that you were in control of the plot." And of course; there's ALWAYS time for a well placed "Rocket Knight Adventures" plug. Man, are we some fanboys or what? Lol

[@RetroBirdGaming]

A new Power Stone game could be pretty awesome! Maybe one day...

[@aidansearle5023]

Nobody asked

[@nickparsons337]

@@aidansearle5023 Well, nobody asked you; that's for sure. Go harass the other people talking about their favorites while you're at it.

[@MonkeyBall2453]

The Def Jam fighting games for PS2/GameCube, particularly the sequel, are perhaps the greatest casual fighting games of all time IMO.

[@XDevonBueno]

def jam was great on ps2

[@SAM-ru4vx]

Yup use your fav rapper as you fight for New York.

[@MonkeyBall2453]

@@SAM-ru4vx Ghostface Killah. 🐐

[@brianhatcher2799]

As a long time fan of Street Fighter 2, I like so much about it; even the one-liners that the fighters say to their opponent after defeat are fantastic!! Like “Seeing you in action is a joke” or “Get up you wimp!” At least one is quoted on the Internet quite a bit and has practically become a meme: Guile- Go home and be a family man.

[@brianhatcher2799]

I noticed my comment is somehow getting posted twice. Don’t know how that’s happening, but for what it’s worth, sorry.😊

[@elgatofelix8917]

@@brianhatcher2799 no need to apologize. That happens to me sometimes and in fact sometimes my comment will get duplicated times ten! It's just a weird YT glitch! I would rather have that than the rampant censorship YT has become notorious for. It's when my comments don't appear at all that's REALLY INFURIATING 😬

[@elgatofelix8917]

I love when Guile says "Go home and be a family man" when he defeats Chun Li 😂

[@nemoisnobody]

You're absolutely right! Fighting games are at their BEST when you're enjoying them with your buddies! Just hit buttons and have good time! Don't worry about "tiers" or "balance". I'd also recommend any of the mainline SoulCalibur games, for a good casual session.

[@MrEd20901]

You had me at "Bear in a safari hat". Nice list. Fighters are fun for casuals when either no one or everyone knows the special moves. If only one does, it gets lopsided and not much fun. SFII turbo and KI on SNES were go tos back in the day.

[@ChenKen991]

Dead Or Alive 2 and DOA in general is like a more casual Virtual Fighter. Very easy to learn and even players playing for the first time can learn to counter some attack by their second or third fight.

[@carlataylor9924]

Haha fighters mega mix with the nascar character! Now thats right up my alley of awkward fun! Great list Retro Bird! My casual nostalgia fighter was and still in killer instinct. There was nothing quite as fun as turning orchid into a fire cat and never really knowing how i did it!

[@elgatofelix8917]

I like Retro Bird's channel overall and I like that he made some kind of attempt to pay tribute to this genre of games with this video but my honest thought is that this list is difficult to take seriously, for three main reasons: 1. Not a single SNK game made this list. Not even an honorable mention. This is a company which is not only perhaps primarily known for their fighting games but also has done just as much if not more than Capcom has for the genre. Not to mention the fact that the developer who invented Street Fighter to begin with (Takashi Nishiyama) was also the brains behind some of SNK's most beloved titles. 2. Not a single weapon based fighter was included. No Samurai Shodown. No Soul Calibur. No Laat Blade. Nada! 3. Nothing against Smash Bros but due to the fact that it is a platformer/fighter hybrid, it doesn't really deserve to be on a list of best fighting games, especially when a Neo Geo title, or a Mortal Kombat game could have taken it's place. And just because Terry Bogard made it into Smash does not make it a true fighting game either. I've never played Power Stone but it kinda looks like maybe another hybrid type game as well. Point being: if you're going to make a list of best fighting games then please stick to that genre. Why Rocket Knight was even mentioned in this video makes no sense whatsoever.

[@ultimateman55]

I feel like there are a lot of retro gamers out there who have never given fighting games a real chance. You want to talk about hours of entertainment available for cheap from an untapped resource? If you're a retro gamer who doesn't collect/play fighting games, give them another shot. There's so much fun to be had, even playing against the CPU.

[@dannys1392]

There's also a Reverse Dramatic battle mode on the Saturn version of Alpha 3 where you play against 2 opponents! It's a pretty cool, competitive mode

[@tomlion0116]

YES! Started to play Street Fighter Alpha 3 a month ago and it is a really REALLY Fun time. Is my first SF game and I just love all the different game modes as a casual gamer! 😊

[@deionmoore10]

Another birdie BANGER! ❤️

[@justinbremer2281]

I think my favorite fighting game is Flying Dragon on the N64, though that RPG grind is anything but casual

[@Sorcerers_Apprentice_11]

Ty for this one! I sometimes feel guilty being so terrible at fighting games. Like a money handed controls to a space ship, but they are fun.

[@koolaid33]

I think this roster is a pretty good selection. I own Street Fighter Alpha 3 for the Dreamcast, and it's one of those games I consistently turn on when I'm bored, play a match or two, and turn off, like a comfort game. Smash Bros. has always been probably the easiest for casual fans to jump in on, I mean I didn't play any till the 3DS release, and I would not say I was even very good at it, but I still won lots of matches against AI, and even real players on occasion. The only series I'd largely avoid as a casual fighting game fan is Mortal Kombat, some entries are pretty noob-friendly, but most other entries are extremely difficult even at their easiest settings, especially the older entries.

[@robertdanker6193]

This is a great list!! I love all the games mentioned. SFA 3 and Fighter's Megamix are 2 of my all time favorites!!👍👍👍

[@leecroft1983]

One of my favourite fighters is still Killer Instinct on Xbox & PC. I love the flow to the game, and the music in the game is great.

[@PluckyD]

It's not often cited, but the semi RPG elements of Flying Dragon on N64 was really enjoyable to me. Some of it can be cryptic, but getting new items and cooler specials is pretty fun.

[@stephen44gxp]

The fact you put MegaMix in the thumbnail just makes my Sega Saturn powered heart happy😊 best fighter on the Saturn...best fighter ever made by Sega...BEST fighter EVER MADE really!

[@sunwentai1]

I was about to mention Strret Fighter Alpha 3! :D Tons of characters and you can go as deep or as shallow as you want with the game modes. It's my favorite fighting game of all time!

[@TimKapow]

Another awesome video! Great list! I have the most love of the street fighter series too, have extremely fond memories of playing street fighter 2 on the mega drive in the early 90s with my friend! I played with Cammy.....😂 Funny that alpha 3 was top of the list, I just recently went through an alpha 3 kick myself! Cheers from South Africa 🇿🇦

[@superjupi]

I credit Vampire Savior for getting me into the scene. I'd played Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II even Street Fighter Alpha enough to feel comfy around them, but Vampire Savior is the game that took me from casual to enthusiast. It's so easily accessible with depth that comes out in layers, and it manages to be fun in a way that no other game comes close to. While we're on Japanese-exclusive Saturn titles though, honorable mention to Pocket Fighter. I was taken aback many years later when I finally got to play Red Earth and realized it was just not-chibi Pocket Fighter.

[@mattb6522]

Great video! I'm an extremely casual fighting game fan and, oddly enough, all the games you listed I grew up playing. I will highly recommend one more casual fighting game I owned as a kid called *Pocket Fighter* for the PS1 (or aka *Super Gem Fighter Mini* at the arcade). It transforms well-known Capcom fighting characters into chibi versions and simplifies the fighting mechanics a bit so anyone can learn to play. Not to mention, it is incredibly wacky! It is great for casual fighting fans to get their feet wet as moves are much easier to pull off than some of your more technical fighting games.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I agree :) Pocket Fighter is some good fun too!

[@Cruper380]

Knife tension joke was gold. Lol.

[@PlayGameSteve]

Ive never gotten into fighting games. However i have been obsessed with Ninja Masters on Neo Geo recently ! So i was looking forward to this video. Thanks for the entertainment :)

[@gregatrongaming]

It's a good list, I'm glad the Alpha series got some love, I always enjoyed it more than 3rd Strike...though I like 3rd Strike too. I think my number 1 casual fighting game is probably Soul Calibur 2. When I had just graduated high school, we used to sit around and play Soul Calibur 2 on PS2 after working at the grocery store. I feel like every one of my friends and their siblings at the house enjoyed playing it regardless of if they were good or not. I think button mashing can get you far in it too.

[@ParsnipCelery]

Third Strike is good. I'm pretty sure Justin Wong just won some tourney playing it. *EDIT* CEO is the tourney he won. Pretty damned amazing.

[@davidmoss4228]

We need sleepy time compilations! Imagine the soothing retro bird voice helping you drift off to dream land!

[@Hola-ro6yv]

I’m surprised Retro Bird hasn’t really been covering the development of Garou City of the Wolves and before someone says “well that’s a newer game and this channel is focused on retro gaming “ I would remind you that CotW is actually a sequel to Fatal Fury which is a retro game series so yeah it still counts as a retro game.

[@ben501st]

Dead or Alive 2 was my only experience with a Sega Dreamcast many years ago. I was very young, had no idea what was going, but boy was I enjoying it.

[@danbauer3669]

Fighting games are great! I have 59 physical copies of Mortal Kombat games and I don't even have them all. Fighters, shooters and beaters are perfect for arcade stick controllers, too! I got 15 of those, so, we try to play these games as much as possible!

[@Adamchevy]

I'm a huge fan of the Street Fighter Alpha series but for my money its always going to be 3rd strike on the dreamcast! Great video!

[@PSKuddel]

Street Fighter 2 Hyper Fighting all the way! It‘s the iconic original with all major improvements since the starting version (playable bosses, mirror matches, better balance, higher optional speed), but without adding all the detailed complexity of later versions (super meters, alpha counters, parrying, …).

[@ParsnipCelery]

I love fighting games, I play them a lot. Brian Foster and Justin Wong are great FGC ambassadors.

[@Hellenicheavymetal]

I was obsessed with Street Fighter games as a kid and loved Fighters Megamix but I think Power Stone 2 is by far the best. There's so many weapons (121) , complex stages, stage enemies and other items. Really the best party fighting game ever. I'm excited that it is coming out on PS4 next year along with the first.

[@Cosmic_Powers]

Got to also mention. TEKKEN 3 MvC2 RIVAL SCHOOLS

[@creechrfeechr8094]

I think for me, as much as I adore the Street Fighters and Mortal Kombats and Soul Caliburs of yore, the game I return to every day even now, is Virtua Fighter 2. And I mean specifically the awesome Saturn version. It positively blew my socks off so much in 1997, that I still feel the shock wave in 2024. It completely rocks so much today, that even the incredible sequels that followed didn't quite capture the "something special" that it had in raw abundance. Suzuki-san, I salute you.

[@JEANS__]

Darkstalkers 3/vampire saviours is really great for casual play I'll back that. Combos can be simple to learn and can be universal. And the meter mechanics especially dark force are really fun to mess around with. The round system makes it always fast and fun even when i lose.

[@pixelpoppyproductions]

Vampire Savior is fire! Also the Saturn version actually has a complete English mode, hidden as an option after you beat it or with a patch. Fighter’s Megamix is also completely awesome. Super Smash bros - it’s the Guardian Heroes 6 player battle mode, but with better market timing and less depth. Power Stone was one of my favorite Dreamcast games.

[@tjkitsune]

Thank you for mentioning the SEGA fighters as Darkstalkers series! Playing fighting games casually is perfectly fine! Also, super nice arcade stick ya got!

[@rummyraisin]

I'll plug "Match of the Millennium (SNK vs. Capcom)" for the Neo Geo Pocket, which can also be found on Switch and Steam. It's such a well made game and not intimidating in the slightest to jump in and have fun with!

[@mekman4]

Great Stuff, as always!

[@Witchboard1]

Great list! My top 5 classic fighters in no particular order. 1. Super Street Fighter II Turbo 2. Tekken 3 3. Mortal Kombat II 4. Samurai Shodown II 5. Bushido Blade Honorable mentions King of Fighters `98. Love me some Neo-Geo. Gem Fighter Mini Mix - It's a good time with friends.

[@jayjones9225]

Great choices. Clay Fighter for the SNES is also a great casual fighting game

[@coffee84]

Great a list where every game is in my collection. I like them all but in no particular order

[@michaelturner2806]

At first I misread the title and thumbnail of your video as "Top 5 Fingers" and somehow I wasn't surprised. Half wondered, "Oh, I wonder if he'll do toes next. That could be dangerous territory..." Then! Oh, Fighters! Fighting games! That makes much more sense.

[@derekdavis5310]

My favorite genre! Love playing these games

[@Nggletkelly]

Great video man 👍🏽

[@outoftouchnetwork]

What a great list

[@ben501st]

The Star Wars Episode III game for Xbox and PS2 is a great fighting game. Most of the single player was more of a beat em up platformer, but the boss battles and multiplayer versus was 100% arcade fighter.

[@Tall_Order]

The competitive pro scene of any game is like this. New players will be overwhelmed by all the math precision and perfection, they may just move on. If they have to look at a spreadsheet to know what to do, it's even worse.

[@rodrigorocha2935]

Friday finally started! Been waiting for the video as always. Hey, what about a video about indie games retro games enjoy? Looking at you Shovel Knight.

[@HugoBonami]

Soulcalibur, Rival Schools, Power Stone 1/2 (minus mini-boss stage), and Super Smash Bros. Melee come to mind. Great call on Fighters Megamix, I played that and SF Alpha 2 all of the time almost 3 decades ago, but I'm not sure about the casual component due to the depth of move list and inability to successfully spam-attack the CPU.

[@Nightowl1981]

Battle Arena Toshinden for the PS1 was my jam back in the day, haha 😆

[@gingered]

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R (and any other Guilty Gear X variant) are solid fighters with a lot of choice for different play styles. Bloody Roar 1 and 2 are also solid if you're looking to beat up by a rabbit (and if your friend doesn't get mad when you jab during his "hold on just let me try something" moments)

[@Hola-ro6yv]

1:52 Who is your dentist? I want some of that laughing gas he is spoiling you with 😂

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I just try to be positive and make jokes with them. Makes things a lot better for everyone as I'm sure they're used to people who aren't very enthused to be there.

[@Mohammed1000real]

Now that's a nice selection for casual fighting!

[@cd5sircoupe]

I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I was raised on the 90s fighting arcade experience and spent a lot of time with various titles over the decades on my home consoles. I was able to crush couch matches in certain games with ease though. Probably my favorite while growing up in the 90s was SF2. I spent most of my time with Champion Edition rather than Turbo, CE was actually my very first Genesis game believe it or not. I picked up both Vampire Hunter & Vampire Savior a few short years ago for my Saturn, fantastic games. Very familiar systems to anyone who's played a Capcom fighter in their life. I've got both Powerstones, but I never really got into them. They just didn't jive with me for some reason, then again I never gave them enough time to properly learn. If someone likes Powerstone I urge them to check out Square's Ehrgeiz, which is somewhat similar. It even has a Tobal style dungeon crawling mode as well. The Smash series is pretty self explanatory, everybody knows that one. I've got the original & Melee. Alpha/Zero 3 is definitely one of the greatest ever. I've got 1/2/3 across Saturn & PS1, fantastic titles. I don't know if you could consider these next games I mention fit for casuals, but they're not overly complicated. Two titles that I spent a large amount of time with were Capcom vs SNK 2 and Dead or Alive 2. I was at the point where I could pull off those insanely long supers that a bunch of characters have in CvS2, like 20+ input deep combo specials. Now DoA2, I was a damn machine in that game. I got so good at countering it was disgusting. I could even reliably pull off Ryu Hayabusa's Izuna Drop I think it was called, even off the counter initiation. I sincerely doubt if I jumped into any of these games right now I'd be anywhere near what I was 20 years ago. Oh yeah, one somewhat niche and very casual friendly fighting series was the Bleach: Heat the Soul series on PSP. Super simple mechanics, no convoluted combo systems or anything. Really fun games with a pretty low barrier for entry/pick up & play vibes.

[@JanTheMangaMan]

That's a great pick for #1. SF Alpha 3 is my favorite ST game. My #1 pick would be Smash Bros though

[@alannaramone3821]

Like and subbed well earned. I love you channel and content. ❤

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Welcome to the channel! Glad you're enjoying it :)

[@MattsFreeChannel1]

Good call on Melee. For me, it's the game's *weight* , that *does* it.

[@MagickPistacho]

Great list! I'd add SoulCalibur to it, from the Dreamcast entry to III they offer a hell of a good time for any casual play, be it with friends or playing through arcade and the story/extra modes. I'd say II with the guest characters and specially III with the great roster and character creator are perfect for a casual approach to fighting games.

[@Albert-ru7ob]

I never really liked fighting games. I’m no good at them and I never really understand what’s going on (like those percentages in smash bros), but perhaps I’ll give these games a try when I get the chance!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yeah, don't be afraid to jump in. You'll pick up some of the basics quicker than you think :)

[@ninjadeathoverlord3254]

As someone who sucks at fighting games, I've always felt that 3D fighters like Soul Caliber or Tekken are easier to pick up and play, and to feel like you know what you're doing. I've always wanted to enjoy Street Fighter but I could never get good enough at the controls, let alone the actual gameplay

[@Crankinthe90s]

That knife part sent me flying.

[@Gold_Bug]

The bird man makes me chuckle.

[@ninnyninponimrod]

My number one recommendation would be the first Bloody Roar on PS1. It has simple universal commands for 99% of the moves, and the beast system -which is basically tied to the lifebar and gives you more moves to work with- gently forces everyone to learn how the game mechanics work. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes. And once that's down, understanding the pace of the game becomes second nature, after which the learning curve opens up and it's a breeze to keep coming up with tactics on the spot. Fun game, that can be tweaked with the option settings (turn off walls etc) for more mayhem.

[@henrygpk]

Brief Karate Foolish (for free on Steam) is great for casuals and has a Japanese retro vibe with Japanese humor all over it. It is so retro it was made in 2016 using Windows 95

[@kmatlockii]

Tekken Tag is my go to good time series. There is so much depth that I refuse to learn because it's already a blast to judo throw a Panda and then switch to an Alien Samurai and spin until I pass out.

[@arancione8336]

I feel like Fighter’s Destiny and Fighter Destiny 2 on the N64 might be good candidates for casual fighting, as the point system allows for multiple methods to take down your opponent to gain points.

[@Djeroon-1234]

Interesting list! I've never played power stone. Maybe I should give it a try. One game I would definitely add to the list is Soul Calibur 1, 2, or 3. SC3 even has a character creation mode, which is fun to fool around with.

[@albert09]

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike. On Dreamcast & PS2.

[@XDevonBueno]

3rd strike is awesome but i wouldn't say its super casual friendly