Have I played your favorite 2D fighter released 1993 - 2003?

Oddly specific, I know, and it's not like you could read that title and know the answer off-hand.

Short version: What older fighting games should I check out?

Let's elaborate.

I like fighting games.

If I were to make a list of my favorite entries from various series, it would go something like:

• Super Street Fighter II Turbo
• Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
• Street Fighter Alpha 3
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2
• Capcom vs. SNK 2
• Darkstalkers 3
• Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
• Killer Instinct

I've played most of the other entries in these series, so I feel pretty good about my favorites here.

Oh and I like Pocket Fighter. The old Jojo's Bizarre Adventure game is also cool. And Primal Rage is dumb, but I like that too.

There are so many other fighting games out there that I've barely touched or never played though:

Martial Masters, Last Blade, Asura Blade, Savage Reign, Kizuna Encounter, World Heroes, Rage of the Dragons, Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness. It's a long list. I've heard Guilty Gear XX AC and King of Fighters '98 are perhaps the best entries of those franchises, but I haven't played enough GG or KoF to arrive at that conclusion myself. Oh and I like Samurai Shodown 2 more than 1...but there's Samsho 3, 4, and 5...

Is Samurai Shodown 5 any good? Should I play any of the other KoF games? SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos? Killer Instinct 2? How bout that Golden Axe: The Duel game?

What should I check out?

No newer things like GG Xrd, BlazBlue, Skullgirls, MK X, etc. I'm looking for older arcade games here.

Well, Capcom vs SNK 2, Mark of the Wolves and Third Strike are on that list, so yes! Unfortunately, my knowledge of yon old skoole fighting games is pretty limited outside of the ones that have been re-released on various digital download services/I happen to own on PS2, but I can say that the only old King of Fighters games worth taking a look at are '98 and 2002.

Brutal: Paws of Fury. For the PC, it is just the right kind of terrible. Also the whole animals doing martial arts is interesting at first glance.

Well, if it's my favorite fighting game series then it goes to the Last Blade. I'd definitely recommend looking more those if you like the Samurai Shodown series. As long as we're on the Neo-Geo Waku Waku 7 is also an easy to pick up game that's fun to play and should at least be seen/experienced.

@arbitrarywater:2002 you say? Noted!

@tothenines: Oh my...

@spacerunaway: I will certainly play some more Last Blade. And Waku Waku 7, there's one I've never even heard of, and it looks rad, so thanks for that suggestion!

Need to play kof 98 really, last blade 2

I love me some One Must Fall: 2097 and it's freeware too :P

As someone who has recently played King of Fighters 98 properly for the first time that game is really worth checking out. It doesn't avoid a lot of the problems most fighting games have about execution and practice and all that but it feels so goddamn sharp it's a delight to get your hands on even if just for a bit.

I was recently in Hong Kong and King of Fighters '98 probably had the most players battling it out at the arcades. I'm kind of curious about Samurai Showdown 5 myself and I would take a look at a re-release.

@beachthunder: Oh man, I totally had that back in the day. That and FX Fighter and Xenophage. I still have my Xenophage CD.

Ha, I was totally going to recommend Xenophage as a joke.

Have you played Sango Fighter? Not sure if it holds up, but I really liked it in its time.

Street Fighter Alpha 3, so you definitey have.

I have fond memories of:

• Power Instinct Matrimelee: It's a fairly standard SNK fighter, but it's wrapped in a package that's so weird... Also, it has an incredible soundtrack.
• I've probably spent way too much time with the original Melty Blood than I should have. Yes, it is an anime fighter, yes, everything about its fighting system is almost broken, but the speed at which it plays just feels right somehow.
• And another vote for KOF 2002.

3s, samsho2, mark of the warves and kof '98 would be mine.

I also enjoyed the alpha series and xmen vs street fighter, but I never really played any of them all that much. CPS2 was such a kick-ass system.

I one of those weirdos that prefers SFII: Hyper Fighting to Super Turbo. And you are definitely lacking in the SNK representation. Most notably KOF 98 UM, Sam Sho II, and World Heroes 2.

Alright, you guys have already covered all the games I wanted to mention. Sango Fighter was my jam, and Xenophage has the dumbest fatalities.

Waku Waku 7!?

I'm going to rep Samurai Shodown V Special. Its a rebalance of regular Samurai Shodown V. I've never played V but I heard its worse that V Special.

V Special is amazing and also complete bullshit. Its got a ton of characters new characters ,match-up specific one-hit kills, violent fatalities, a burst, parries, suicides, a disarming move for when you're unarmed, a freeze time move that basically give a free combo and other nonsense. Ukyo has tuberculosis. Charlotte has a taunt where she laughs at you that she can cancel into any special/super/fatality/suicide. There's a girl like Galford, except she ride her wolf. There's a Dark Haohmaru. There's fatalities. Shits crazy. I love it.

I've also heard somewhat good things about 6. Apparently you can choose your "spirit select" which lets you select version of Samraui Shodown(1-6) do you want this character to play as. Which sounds pretty cool on paper, but I haven't messed with it much.

As for other games... Last Blade games look great but I never got into them. This infinite combo video is pretty good though.

Guilty Gear XX AC +R and KoF 98/2002 are the respective favorites of their series. The older KoFs are cool looking and have way shorter combos than KoFXIII. Its the series I wish I played when it was popular.

Thanks duders, definitely some great suggestions. Several games I haven't heard of, which is great! :D

Power Instinct Matrimelee?

A bit out of the date range but KoF Maximum Impact 2 is pretty damn good.