I would like to get into fighting games but I don't know how.

I have a confession, you know those people who Jeff talks about? The ones that claim super smash bros is a super serious fighting game and there is a hidden depth? I was one of those people. Granted, yes there is a lot of skill in it and does require fast reflexes but alot of the "skill" came from a few exploits (wave dashing and such). Recently in college I have played more then my fill of smash when I was dorming my first year of college and was looking for another fighting game to fill the void. The obvious answer to this question is street fighter but I feel that's such a set franchise that getting into it and actually getting good seems almost impossible, which is important to me. I'm not super competitive in any other games and mainly play for fun however something about smash (probably my endlessly shit talking ex dorm mates!!) made me super competitive with that one game and I feel that I would be the same if I tried to jump into more serious fighting games. So my question is how can I go about getting at least not decent? I was looking at maybe just picking up super street fighter II hd remix on the XBLM first. Would that be a good place to start? And I'm not living with the same people so I don't really have people I can practice with alot so would I be able to learn on my own? Thanks for the help and sorry if I offended you by saying smash isn't a serious fighting game....

The new Mortal Kombat is amazing even though I'm not much of a fighting fan either.

I don't know how to either, the difference is I don't want to know. Fighting games aren't my thing, I suppose.
 
Story, much? :(

Try the new MK. As someone who hasn't played a fighting game since the SNES, it was pretty easy to get into. I only played the demo on my PS3 and after an hour or two of screwing around on easy and constantly looking at the move list I was getting into it. If I had of had the money I would have bought the full game.

I like the new MK. I would also vote for street fIghter 4. The hd remix isn't a bad idea for a start though. Go with that.

You really shouldn't play SF unless you have a fight stick. 6-button fighters don't work well on pads.  
 
The new MK is a good choice. There's depth to it, but it's ceiling is a lot lower than SF's. It also has a ton of single player content that will help at least familiarize you with all the characters and the mechanics. 

Hmmm alright MK seems to be the favorite, I should also mention that I did play an unusual amount of tekken dark resurrection on my psp, I was never very good but this brings me to another question, how does each series differ? I know vs series are really crazy (according to Jeff) And tekken on the psp was literally only about memorizing the long ass combos. Actually in retrospect it probably had more depth then that but I never understood it I guess, probably why I was so bad.

If you're going to pick up SF you might as well start with SSFIV. Not as many people play SSFIITHDR anymore so you're better off picking the game with the larger player base. I would personally suggest SF because it offers a good bit of depth but is still fun even at lower players (also easy to find people to play with).

MK is also a fine choice since it's a ton of fun even when you're not good at it, but at higher levels it's all about trying to land 30-50% combos and saving your meter for breakers.

@GoodKn1ght: I used to play Tekken and some other stuff years ago, and then I didn't play fighting games for a long time.

Until something got me back into them, and it TOTALLY WAS Street Fighter 4. If you're only playing people in real life then don't worry about it, cos only like 2% of actual people are good at Street Fighter.

I reviewed it from the perspective of someone who doesn't play fighting games. It's basically each character has 2 or 3 special moves, and you have to use them to catch your opponent off-guard. So like-- uppercutting a guy when he's in mid-air, or shootin a fireball when he's far away. That's pretty much all you do for a while, and it's a tonne o fun just because all the characters have different moves and styles. Then, obviously, there's months and months of room to expand into combos and focus moves n whatever. I went like 2 months without knowing how to do an EX move in this game, but I'd play it all the time cos it's a FUN GAME!

Unless you wanna play people online. In which case don't get that game, cos it's pretty much only experts, and fuuuuuuck that!

@I_smell: Hit the nail on the head there.

Definitely more fun when you're playing with people in real life and you're figuring the game out as you go. Not much memorization of combos either, at lower levels combos usually end up being two or three normal attacks cancelled into a special attack. Characters also offer a ton of variety and each has their own features that actually make them feel unique (no universal moves here outside of C.HK being sweep).

I didn't even think about combos for weeks, I just decided "this game doesn't have combos". Then I started usin regular jabs and kicks in-between the moves I was doing and realised you can rush people.

If you want to get into fighting games, the secret is to have friends who are already into fighting games. 
 
The only way you are going to really get into fighting games is to have friends to learn by playing against and to guide you, plus its just way more fun to play with friends.

@Xeiphyer: Yeah that's how smash became so big, everyone in the dorm played it and we jsut kinda got into it together. Too bad no one had any other fighting game. Well thanks for the help guys but basically it seems like this is just kinda something you just kinda jump in and figure it out on your own.

As many others have said...go with the new Mortal Kombat.
 
The variety of modes and gameplay will keep you coming back for more.  It also eases you and the story mode allows you to learn every character as you complete it.

I always wanted to get into them, too. I figure I am too old (mid 30s) for it, though. I picked up Mortal Kombat and the tournament stick that came with it this year on launch (it's pretty awesome, too). I haven't played it a lot yet, but I think it's a good way to get into it. I would love to be some super skilled Street Fighter expert and I'd buy a sweet $300 Viewlix based stick just for it if I thought I stood a chance . . . but I don't think I have the capacity at this age to even approach competitiveness with anyone in such a layered and complex game.

Mortal Kombat, on the other hand, allows me to be a little competitive without being too insanely dedicated and focused on it. I can play and just have a good time. And it's something you can progress in, too. Maybe at some point, feel competent enough (you - not me) to move into a Street Fighter. I just wish I knew people who played fighting games, because I think it'd be way more fun than playing against random strangers on the internets.

GB needs a Pro Play segment where Jeff/Brad go into detail about MK

Like what these people are saying in here, start with MK since it's easy. If you feel like getting into a more advance/technical fighter, then get Street Fighter IV. Been playing SF4 since it came out on consoles and I still play it to this day. Some of the most fun I have ever had with a video game.

@mosdl said:

GB needs a Pro Play segment where Jeff/Brad go into detail about MK

GiantBomb should have a regular feature where a few guys who are experts at a certain game or genre of games teach us stuff every week or month. I love watching existing quick looks with the GiantBomb staff, but I'd like to watch videos with people who know how to play videogames, too.

Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. Don't play on an Xbox pad.