Top 6 Fighting Game Franchises

This year, there has been a huge growth in the Fighting Games Community (FGC) with the releases of Tekken 7, Injustice 2, and the upcoming Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite. Gamers all around the world are getting there hands on their favorite characters from these franchises to duke it out in 1v1 competition with friends or random opponents on the internet. Whether you're a professional who practices combos for hours in the lab, or just looking to mash some buttons with a couple friends, there's always a game and character out there for you.

With the popularity of fighting games on the rise, fighting game tournaments have started to broadcast on TBS, ESPN, and online services like Twitch.tv. This makes it's important to look back and recognize some of the greatest franchises that have kept the genre alive over the last 30 years. Here is my list for the top fighting game franchises of all time.

6: Super Smash Bros.

What started out as a simple party game turned into one the most popular fighters of all time. Hosting an all-star cast of characters from the Nintendo including Kirby, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, and Mario, everyone can find a their favorite character to jump into the arena with and beat up their opponents in a 2D battle royale. With multiple game types such as teams, free-for-all, and loads of single-player content, there's a game mode for everyone there. With the franchise boasting four titles across five platforms, and a future title in the making, the smashing will continue for years to come. And how could throwing Jigglypuff off a ledge as your favorite plummer ever get old? Right, it can't.

5: SoulCalibur

A weapon based 3D fighter produced by Bandai Namco Entertainment, SoulCalibur is a spin off of the Arcade title Soul Edge. The first title hit home on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999 and was positively received by players for its accessibility to start and getting more complex as more and more strategies and play styles began to rise. With the next generation of consoles, we got SoulCalibur II which offered better graphics, refined game mechanics, and a robust "Conquest Mode." It wasn't hard for players of each console to find something to love. On top of that, SoulCalibur II had console-specific guest characters, including Link from Legend of Zelda for Gamecube, comic book anti-hero Spawn for Xbox, and Heihachi Mishima from Tekken on Playstation 2. Guest characters would become the norm for future titles in the series, including Darth Vader (Star Wars), Kratos (God of War), and Ezio Auditore (Assassin's Creed). I look forward to more entries in the future, hopefully sooner than later.

4: Killer Instinct

"C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!" Even if you haven't played the series before, the iconic scream should resonate with every fighting game fan. Killer Instinct is a 2D fighter from publisher Rare and was released in arcades in 1994, and had a console port to the SNES. Featuring a complex combo system, 3D generated character models, and an explosive announcer, KI was an instant hit. The series spawned it's first sequel two years later with Killer Instinct 2 on arcade, but was renamed Killer Instinct Gold for it's Nintendo 64 release. Rare had teased a third game in the series for many years following the release of KI2, but the series didn't get a new title until Microsoft published Killer Instinct in 2013. What emerged was a reboot to the beloved series for Xbox One as a "free-to-play" downloadable title. The new Killer Instinct started with only 8 characters, but now boasts huge cast of 28, with a new character coming out this month. The series is a personal favorite with the 2013 installment being a big influence for becoming a more high-caliber player. It's extremely accessible to new players of the genre and features the most comprehensive training system of any fighter. Great for any new player, and hell, it's free to try. Everyone loves free.

3: Mortal Kombat

Finish Him! A franchise that is suited for just about any gamer, Mortal Kombat has one of the biggest followings of any video game out there. The original Mortal Kombat was released in arcades in late 1992 and was instantly recognized for it's unique digitized character models, and extreme violence. Players flocked to the cabinets with lines stretching through the arcades halls, players ready to throw away quarters to the guy who knew every special move and, of course, the extremely brutal Fatalities. To today's standards, they are pretty tame, but back in the early 90's, this title sparked the debate of censorship in violent video games. But that didn't stop creators Ed Boon and John Tobias, as they went on to make many sequels in the following years, featuring even bloodier finishers. The series became one of the most successful in all video games, generating $5 billion in revenue by 2000. However, it hit a low point in the late 2000's with the poorly received Mortal Kombat Armageddon and Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. Publisher Midway eventually went bankrupt and sold off it's IP to Warner Bros Entertainment. Luckily for fans everywhere, Warner Bros saw the potential in the series and brought on MK team as renamed NetherRealm Studios to reboot the series in 2011, simply titled Mortal Kombat (MK9 to fans). The franchise is the biggest it has ever been with the release of Mortal Kombat X, thanks to great marketing and a complex, yet easily accessible fighting system. Look forward to seeing more from the series in the upcoming years.

2: Tekken

"Fighting is about who is left standing." One of the earliest 3D fighters, Tekken was developed and released by Namco in 1994 for arcades and getting a port to the Playstation in 1995. The series went against the traditional fighting game button commands, which are typically strength based, and instead featured a 4-button system with each button being assigned to a limb of the character. Players were instantly drawn to to the visuals and unique fighting mechanics of the series. Namco went on to release several sequels and spinoffs, including the very popular Tekken Tag Tournament as a launch title on the Playstation 2 in 2000. Throughout the years Tekken has stayed strong with an always-evolving fighting system that only gets better and better with each release. On June 2 2017, Tekken 7 was released on home consoles and PC with overwhelmingly positive reception. Tekken 7 features a huge cast of characters and special guest character Akuma from Capcom, being written deep into the lore of the series. That's pretty uncommon for guest characters in fighting games. Speaking of Capcom, we also received a crossover game titled Street Fighter X Tekken (Street Fighter Cross Tekken), with a cast of characters from Tekken entering the 2D fighting environment of the Street Fighter Series. Currently, Tekken 7 is the most popular fighting game on the market, with player counts rising every day. Look forward to seeing Tekken 7 on the tournament scene for years to come.

1: Street Fighter

Hadouken! It's no surprise, Street Fighter is the most influential fighting game franchise ever. By now most people have forgotten about the first title in the series, but it was the ground breaking Street Fighter II that really set the standard for all fighting games to come. The second title is the first fighting game to let players choose from a diverse cast of characters, featuring different playstyles and special moves. The title also accidentally created a game mechanic referred to as Cancels. Cancels started as a glitch where a couple characters could cancel the animation of a normal attack with the input of a special attack, resulting in being able to hit your opponent with a combo. Cancels became a feature in the following iterations of the game and in many other fighting game franchises. Capcom went on to make 5 different versions of SFII. Street Fighter II was huge success, selling more than 14 million copies for home consoles. The series has gone through many changes throughout the years, with many spin-offs and even puzzle fighting games. Right now, Street Fighter V is on the market and has been dominating the FGC since it's release. Fans and newcomers alike are able to pick up the newest title and have the ability to jump right in. If you're serious about "gettin' gud" at fighting games, Street Fighter will always be a top suggestion to start with, as it will teach you all the base fundamentals you will need to grow as a competitor.

And there it is, that's my list of the top fighting game franchises. Did I miss your favorite fighting series? Let me know in the comments. And if you're looking for live gameplay of some of today's biggest fighting games and other stuff, check out my channel over at www.twitch.tv/vinnymcboomboom . Thank you for reading!