In your eyes, which fighting game franchise is the definitive #2 in the genre?

I voted for Mortal Kombat, but I could see a strong case for Virtua Fighter or Tekken as well.

Tekken's gotta be the biggest 3D fighting series, right? It continually evolved and got better, hitting a peak for me in Tekken 5. It seems to be doing well enough to have such a consistent lifespan, and since there are years between installments it never feels oversaturated.

It's not only a great game, it's just an extremely well-done franchise.

It's Smash in my heart and Tekken in terms of the largest playerbase, because the Playstation had and has such a hold on people here.

I'll sign off on MK being a very US thing. I don't think I've ever known more than like two people who ever played any of them here, and I get most of my internet exposure to it from this very site, since most of the cast are into it(It's practically a local team for them, right?). Frankly I don't mind, Netherrealm's art style, animations and gameplay are really not my thing judging from the various demos they've put out.

I think it's funny and justified that Street Fighter is #1 by default.

1. asuka 120% special burning fest

2. nitroplus blasterz

3. ???

I won't pretend that Guilty Gear or Soul Calibur are popular enough to take that spot, but I definitely enjoy them way more than whatever would place there.

Rival Schools is the only fighting game I need. (This might be a lie and I might be terrible at fighting games so I rarely play it).

@redhotchilimist: hey, where you from?

@liquiddragon: Should've specified. Norway!

@redhotchilimist: oh very cool!

My heart says KI, so my vote says KI also. I'll die on this hill.

I could see an argument for MK, or more precisely "the current NRS game." Every time a Mortal Kombat or Injustice iteration drops there's a huge amount of casual buzz, a big competitive scene builds up around it, the game steals SF's throne as the headlining game at a few majors, and then something or other brings the game undone and it recedes to a respectable but not amazing tournament presence until it just dies completely when the next NRS game comes out.

The question arises of what else might contend with MK. A Smash game? Frankly, yes: Smash4 and Melee are the second and third biggest fighting games, in some order, but people aren't going to accept that answer and that kinda sucks. Tekken? I think the fact that that game has been at Evo without a global launch for two years speaks volumes...but not in a good way -- if the game really mattered they'd've found the cash to publish it already. Guilty Gear or another Arcsys game? Xrd has a reasonably large dedicated following even outside of Japan, but broader audiences are kept out by complexity and anime stigma, however unfairly. KoF? Hell no, KoF is dead. XIV probably shouldn't even be in the Evo lineup, its inclusion is probably a good sign that Evo isn't entirely about the money or the fan support. I also associate Arcsys games and KoF with this boutique Japanese PS4-exclusive-by-default vibe, which they could shake if they managed to release all content cross-platform to Xbox and PC in lock step. (Likewise for the Tekken situation with releasing the game in Japanese arcades a full 2 years before releasing to platforms that a global player has access to.)

The only other game I think should be mentioned here (everything else in the poll is dead) is Mahvel. I don't think MvC3 is number 2 by any stretch of the imagination, but I think come this time next year, the number two game could be Street Fighter V. MvCI has a lot going for it: the game combines the most prominent property in fighting games with the fricken Marvel Cinematic Universe, the series already has a rabid fanbase which encompases some of the strongest players in the FGC, and the game is coming at a time when SFV is just an utter commercial failure and is pissing off a lot of competitive players as well. One wonders if Capcom will fuck this game up too even with Disney breathing down their necks, but if all goes right then I think it's very easy for Infinite to usurp SFV.

I honestly don't know what my answer would be... I guess it depends on what would make a franchise important? And is it a question of which is important universally, or just which one for me, personally? Presumably the former, since the question is phrased with the assumption that Street Fighter is number one?

Mortal Kombat is super popular, at least in the west, and always has been, but it didn't really bring much in the way of good ideas to the genre beyond novelty like the fatalities etc, and the number of genuinely good fighting games in the franchise is fewer than half the entries.

Virtua Fighter is important for basically starting the 3D subgenre, but it's never been that big outside of Japan. Tekken is basically the flagship 3D series and really popular, so strong argument there. Soul Calibur was also really popular, particularly early on, but it feels a bit like it was all downhill after Soul Calibur II.

Smash is obviously huge, but maybe loses points for how much the community had to work to mould Melee into a competitive game, discovering all sorts of movement tech, turning off items, banning stages etc.

SNK definitely deserve props for putting out some GREAT fighting games. KOF, Fatal Fury/Garou, SamSho, all so good. SO GOOD. BRIAN BATTLER.

Marvel is important, invented its own thing, nothing else quite like it. Very good.

Guilty Gear... might be the answer for me, personally. My list of all-time favourites probably has a GG in second or third. Xrd is also about the only current FG I'm spending time with these days, because I just TOTALLY fell off SFV, playing, watching etc, even though it does a lot of things better than SFIV and I was never really that burned by the... ahem... questionable launch. Hm!

New KI is good! Better than anyone really expected! Old KI is bad! This disqualifies it!

It might have to be Tekken though. Now just imagine if they combined Street Fighter and Tekken! It'd be the best thing ever! SFxT actually ended up pretty good after some patching.

Sick burn on Skullgirls not making a list with Bloody Roar on it. Also, just have to give Darkstalkers some love. Some of the best video games that people just pretend they play. :(

@fnrslvr: ok, you clearly know what you're talking about when it comes to that scene but I think, in the history books, that scene is 1 or 2 chapters. I think these franchises live and die by players like me or Jeff, life long casual fighting game fans. That's why series like Tekken, Smash, MK out shine MvC all day. What do you think? Maybe you have a different pov.

Tekken is not as prevalent nowadays, but back in the 90's and early 2000's i remember tekken being a big deal. Bigger than MK in my mind.

also whatever SHAKEY JAKE happens to be in

The number two has to be a game that reaches the wider casual audience in the way Street Fighter *usually* does. By this metric the winner would have to be either MK or Tekken. I would give it to MK just because that it the game series I hear more about upon a new release but, I could see an argument for Tekken.

I don't think that Smash makes the cut because so much of the design of those games is anti-competitive. Main examples being items and the trip mechanic in Brawl.

MK to me has always been the best fighting game franchise. That said, I'm completely ignorant and terrible at fighting games and Mk has always given me a great single player experience.

I voted for Marvel as a gut reaction. Though MK definitely has a casual audience that most fighting games don't.

Where's the Street Fighter checkbox?

Gotta say Tekken. The arcade machines for Tekken 7 are occupied all the time in Korea. Plus most people I know have sentiment for Tekken 3 on PSX.

@flippyandnod: I think the OP is putting SF as number 1, which I agree with and I'd say a lot of other people would also agree with.

For me it's Tekken. I like Tekken more than SF but I acknowledge that SF is the daddy of them all. Tekken did amazing things for 3D fighters and for the Playstation.

I'm no fighting game guy, but I've always thought of Tekken being the next big thing after Street Fighter. At least in the late 90's early 2000's that franchise was pretty huge. Saw a fair share of Tekken arcades even here in Sweden back then, and then of course everyone played the games on PS1.

It's MK. At least here in England. Tekken was big for a bit back in the day but MK has been the one since the Mega drive days. I would bet it has a bigger casual base than SF these days.

@planetfunksquad: I can verify that. I used to like both a fair bit but then I realised I dont really enjoy playing either, I'm just into the goofy characters and universe.

The only fighting game I really play these days is DOA5. But I know that franchise is fairly niche, at least in the UK. I would play a new Soul Calibur if they put one out.

Mortal Kombat is the only one I remember ever hearing people who weren't hardcore into games talk about. Also the Mortal Kombat movie was a lot more successful than the Tekken one, which helps keep it in the public conciousness.

I would have said Street Fighter is #1 before, but after the disaster that is (and continues to be) Street Fighter V, that earns #2 for me.

In terms of depth and gameplay, Tekken 7 (I got to play it in arcades for a while, it's great) > Xrd R > KOF 14 > Ride to Hell: Retribution > Street Fighter V

#1. Tekken

#2. Street fighter

#3. Mk

#4. Soul caliber (1st one)

Mortal Kombat for a long time, then Tekken for a long time, and back to MK recently; though in terms of profitability both MK and Tekken shit on SF.

I know Street Fighter is no. 1 but in my books its no. 2. Mortal Kombat is more fun and in the arcade the sound and graphics were better than S.F.

1. Street fighter
2. Mortal Kombat

Is the way I've always seen in from the outside looking in.

Tekken for sure. But I'm also european so you know, MK isn't as big here.

Maybe it's because I'm an old man and remember going to arcades as a teenager and going ape shit over Tekken 3 on the PSX, but it went Street Fighter, then Tekken. I could have seen King of Fighters being up there, but not every arcade in our neck of the woods had a Neo Geo cabinet.

Sure, my friends and I dabbled in MK, but once you got over the novelty of it, there wasn't as much meat to sink into for us as the other titles.

If you asked me in 1999, it would be Soul Calibur. But that series fell off real fast - each time a new one came out, more and more of us stopped caring.

I'm not a fighting game fan but Tekken to me always seemed to be the obvious number 2 behind Street Fighter. I haven't heard much of Tekken in a while though, so at least in the west it seems like other than Mortal Kombat there isn't a strong number two anymore.

Well there is no 'definitive'. MK is more culturally relevant than SF. SF2 is always regarded as that 'one', but MK, I believe is superior because its deep enough (now) for 'Tourny players' but also simple enough for a larger audience( example as mems1224 above pointed out). Street Fighter has little appeal for 'casuals' (at least in my circles) I don't know anyone personally that played SFV, but I know a TON of people that bought MKX

Its MK, then SF, then Tekken

MK or Tekken.

Tekken 3 on Playstation is probably the fighting game I've put the most hours into but fighting games are meant to be played in the arcade and I played way more Mortal Kombat than Street Fighter in the arcade.

As someone who doesn't play fighting games, here's my list of fighting games I've had the most fun with:

1. Soul Calibur (1 and 2, tie)
2. Bushido Blade
3. One Must Fall 2097
4. The PC demo for Battle Arena Toshinden
5. Flying Dragon
(...)
999999. Super Smash Brothers Melee

Dont think I know a single person my age that used to be into videogames that didnt play tekken 3. That game and soul caliber seemed to be THE fighting games of my generation in the Netherlands. Still know a ton of people my age that dont like any 2d fighters. The 3d ones always seemed to have way broader appeal but since they dont make em anymore I guess I must be wrong... .

I also think the OP is putting SF as number 1 and I say a lot of other people would agree with.

But this is a poll, you're asking what others thing instead of just telling them what you think. So you should have an option for those who think SF is number 2 even if you think it is number 1.

Mortal Kombat for longevity, but Smash Bros. has to be in the discussion for popularity.

I'd say smash for popularity.

I'd say MK, but we have scientists to determine this sort of thing

Skullgirls because dammit it deserves to be in a top 3 somewhere. (It'll have a sequel someday)

I voted GG though because it's fun. I'd make a case for like 6 different series as number 2 but I play GG the most. Despite winning an MKX tournament I quickly fell off and then remembered why I dislike MK: the block button. It just feels wrong to me. It's like jump buttons in that it should just be something on the stick instead of a dedicated thing.

@wynnduffy: Ride to Hell is definitely a #2, come on dude.

In my eyes? Smash. But Smash was the only fighting game I really enjoyed competitively and even won a few tournaments for in my area, so that's a little biased. If I'm trying to be objective I'd go with the obvious Tekken or Mortal Kombat answer. Blazblue is pretty cool too, not #2 worthy, but I just want to give it and other anime fighters their props.

I don't get it. Why isn't Street Fighter an option?

Anothe vote here for Tekken, based on what I believe is the worldwide perspective. MK #2 in USA certainly.

If we're talking purely popularity and influence, at least in the United States, its either MK or Smash. Hard to say internationally.

Somebody please give Virtura Fighter a vote, this is sad. I put in Bloody Roar semi jokingly 'cause I like the name and the idea of it and even it got a vote.

Wait, when is the last time a Bloody Roar came out? I thought there were like 2 or 3 of those on PS1 and that's it?