I have a sudden urge to play a fighting game. But which one...? SSFIV seems to be pretty good ánd you can get it for pretty cheap these days. But MK is no slouch either. The demo was fun. But it only just came out, so the price will be a bit higher.

The problem is that I kinda suck at fighting games. Between these 2 games I want the one that is the easiest to pick up and play. Not necessarily a button masher, but a game where you don't need a spreadsheet and a lot of dedication to have fun with it.

And maybe one with good matchmaking, so I can play against people who are just as bad as me at the game.

Anyone? :(

You aren't necessarily going to need a spreadsheet for either, but you will have to dedicate time to improve. I spend hours and hours in practice mode in MK just trying to learn new combos and sometimes it can take me a little while just to learn/master a single one. It's what fighting games are all about. I'd say MK is easier, but they are both great games. 

Of the two I prefer Super Street Fighter IV, far and away.  

" Of the two I prefer Super Street Fighter IV, far and away.  

@DulleNL: you should TOTALLY get street fighter.  It's cheaper, and the fighting system is far more complex, but not in a challenging way.

"

" Both. "

IMO SSFIV is by far the better game.  The game is well balanced and is great fun with other people.  Also, the netcode is far better in SSFIV then MK.  Plus the Arcade Edition update is coming to SSFIV on June 7th.  The update rebalances the game, adds 4 more characters, and offers an update to the replay channel.  Plus the game is only $20 now I think.

As in terms of single player and easy for beginners, I would have to say MK is easier to pick up.  The single player content in SSFIV isn't that good while MK has the story mode which is pretty solid for the most part and it also has the challenge mode.  MK uses button presses for combos while Street Fighter uses motions on the joystick, which can be hard for some.

This is from a person who has put in 600+ hours into SSFIV.

For a new player, MK is the much more enjoyable game, for me at least.  I tried to pick up SF4 a while back and just couldn't get into it, but I LOVE MK so much.  The singleplayer content is the best of any fighting game I've ever seen, and online modes as well as local multiplayer seem to be no slouch either.  I find MK is much much easier to learn than SF4 as well.

If you want a fighting game SF.

If you want 'fun' MK.

If you're looking at accessibility, MK is the way to go. In terms of barrier of entry, remember SFIV has been out for some time now so people who are still playing it are probably pretty good. SSFIV feels more polished of the two and is probably the better pure fighter. On the contrary, MK is still pretty new so people are still feeling out what works so if you were to jump in soon you wouldn't be too far behind. The online matchmaking is pretty bad right now in terms of lag but tough to say if that's just your regular release week latency or will always exist.

I guess all that being said, are your friends playing either? Playing against a friend of the same skill level as opposed to some random who could work you over pretty good has always seemed more fun to me.

Honestly Mortal Kombat is a better "game" than Super Street Fighter IV but, maybe not the better "Fighting Game". However it's no slouch, this version of Mortal Kombat has a lot more depth then people want to see and just toss it aside as "LOL BLOOD!!!!". It has ALOT more to do offline, the BEST Story any fighting game has ever had, a Challenge Tower in which you actually have to learn the characters they give you to get past it as apposed to Street Fighter that just has "Yo do this combo that is completely useless and you'll never do in a real match..."

They both have an Arcade/Ladder mode but, in Mortal Kombat there are (like all the other MKs in the past) secrets that you get for doing certain things, while Street Fighter is more traditional, just fight these dude and you're done. 

Online right now from what I can see... Street Fighter has a lot of people who know what they are doing and will beat you silly. Mortal Kombat... Almost EVERYONE is HORRIBLE... In 70+ games I've run in 1 guy who knew how to play... 1! So getting MK would be better since EVERYONE is still learning the game and you'll get to grow into it. Street Fighter... That's just gonna be a up hill battle the whole time. However, not matter which game you pick expect alot of Ryu/Ken (Street Fighter) and Scorpion (MK) but, that's just how fighting games are I guess haha XD

Honestly it's still up to you, if you want "Tradition" get Street Fighter, if you want something on the "Crazy" side get Mortal Kombat. Either way you'll enjoy both! They're both great games!

Buy both!

Thanks for all the replies!
It really seems MK is the way to go.

I also just saw a nice price of €11 for SSFIV. With that price I might even pick that up too, even if it's just for the visual style that's more appealing to guests. ;) (less ripping limbs off and all that). Dunno about that yet though, but MK is at least a definite purchase.

Looking forward to it. :) It's been too long since I've played a fighting game! (and even then I was no good, but who cares)

Considering the price difference and knowledge base online for helping you ease into the game SSF4 is the best bet.

You will have more fun with MK if you are not good at fighting games. 

" If you want a fighting game SF.If you want 'fun' MK. "

I recently wanted to dive into them as well. Could 'not' get into SSFIV. The special attacks simply take too much to pull off--which creates a massive barrier to entry for new players. Loving Mortal Kombat though--takes 10 seconds of looking at the moves list and you're already throwing fireballs and zipping around the arena with any character.

The biggest problem I had with SSF4 was that I had no incentive to play the singleplayer, and that's the way you at least start to get good at these type of games. Everything except for taunts and colors for primary costumes are unlocked for the get-go and you have to pay money for anything extra. The new MK at least gives you incentive yo play the singleplayer and affords you numerous opportunities (read; forced you to) become familiar with nearly every character. 

While this version of MK is a bit more 'technical' than previous installments, it's still very easy to pick up and play. And, as everyone else has already said, MK has a more compelling single player component. The Challenge Tower is loads of quirky fun, and also serves as a way to improve your skills. So I guess you can add another check mark next to MK on your list. : p

Go with MK. SSF4 will piss you off more than anything especially this late in its life. Also the timing on SF 4 combos is way more specific and don't offer a lot of freedom.
While in MK you can pretty much start a combo, cancel it into a launcher, and pretty much do whatever from there without much chance of fucking it up. Also everyone online is terrible. I you bother to go to the practice mode and memorize a couple combos you'll probably beat everyone online who doesn't use scorpion.

I'm not good at fighting games, but I picked up Mortal Kombat anyway. And boy, it's fun. But there's definitely still a learning curve. Just not as much as Street Fighter.

Wow you picked my two favourite characters! I'm into visual aesthetic and the thing which puts me off about Street Fighter 4 are the character models themselves, not the art style. The anatomy is too chunky, almost like Gears of War. MK looks slick as hell IMO and should be your first choice, especially cause it's new!

you said you wanted good matchmaking? DO NOT GET MORTAL KOMBAT. the online is the worst ive played on a fighting game. literal seconds of delay and the worst "matchmaking"

" Of the two I prefer Super Street Fighter IV, far and away.  

@DulleNL: you should TOTALLY get street fighter.  It's cheaper, and the fighting system is far more complex, but not in a challenging way.

"

" you said you wanted good matchmaking? DO NOT GET MORTAL KOMBAT. the online is the worst ive played on a fighting game. literal seconds of delay and the worst "matchmaking" "

" @Kyreo said:

" Of the two I prefer Super Street Fighter IV, far and away.  

@DulleNL: you should TOTALLY get street fighter.  It's cheaper, and the fighting system is far more complex, but not in a challenging way.

"

I haven't played Mortal Kombat yet but SSFIV was, for me, completely inaccessible. "

" @Pessh said:

" If you want a fighting game SF.If you want 'fun' MK. "

Who doesn't like fun? "

" @SoldierG654342:  its not so good on the live side of things. takes forever to get into a match and then even picking your character has a delay to it. completely unable to pull of combos at all so its basically just spam super moves. "

Personally I can't make Street Fighter work on a 4-button pad AT ALL.  I'm not above learning how to fight (hell I've picked up every 4-button fighting game pretty well I think) and I've been a long-time fan of MK.  From the sounds of it, MK is the perfect middle ground between super simple and super complicated as well as equal focus competitive and solo-play.  In addition, the game is not only new but is bound to draw in new players more frequently for much longer that SSFIV.  Chances are the only people playing SSFIV are the ones who take it serious (or in a lot of cases way too seriously) so the lifespan for a relative newbie is naturally longer.

I have nothing against SSFIV but I found the learning curve too steep for the rather pathetic single-player content designed to train you (whereas MK does it beautifully by comparison).  That and I've tried and failed multiple times to make SF work on a 4-button pad.  Get that 6-button pad or a stick for SSFIV if you foresee the same problem.  Or just get MK :D

" @tunaburn said:

" @SoldierG654342:  its not so good on the live side of things. takes forever to get into a match and then even picking your character has a delay to it. completely unable to pull of combos at all so its basically just spam super moves. "

I have seen absolutely no problems with the online so far, it seems to be based on where you live/are getting matched up much like any other Live game. "

I prefer MK and think it is much easier to get into. 

" @mazik765 said:

" @Kyreo said:

" Of the two I prefer Super Street Fighter IV, far and away.  

@DulleNL: you should TOTALLY get street fighter.  It's cheaper, and the fighting system is far more complex, but not in a challenging way.

"

I haven't played Mortal Kombat yet but SSFIV was, for me, completely inaccessible. "

How so?  It was rough for me, at first, but it wasn't insurmountable.  I also had a drive within me to get good at it to understand the draw of Street Fighter.  I now understand. "

I have both and honestly right now considering you are pretty new to it, I would recommend picking up Street Fighter on the cheap along with Mortal Kombat vs. DC on the cheap. You can get both these games for less then the price of Mortal Kombat. MK is a great game with a ton of replay value and content but by the time you get your feet wet with those other two games, MK might drop in price.

Super  Street FIghter IV is a bit harder, but the game is better... 
Mortal Kombat is easier but almost EVERYONE online "don't let you play" because they continuosly attack you with annoying combos that are impossible to avoid. That really bugs me, that's the mais reason why I preffer SSFIV 

Always disliked Street Fighter, MK9 is way better imo.

Man, I love Mileena's hair :) 
Anyways... I like MK better because the characters are cooler(imo) and I like the gameplay better also. Block dmg ftw :)

If you want a fun Fighting game get MK9...
Way better then SF, i grew up with SF i love it,but its kind of gotten stupid. plus the combo have to be spot on, no room for era.If your 1msec off then you drop the combo. SF has better online less glitches and that.But MK9 is just to good! MK is a brutal fun/annoying lol experience. but it cant be beat!!!!
MK9 is the new king of fighting games! just need to fix online, Theres Random De-syncing/disconnects that are just BAD!
MK9 Blew me away! 
Id say pick MK9 up,and when u got the money? buy Street fighter 3rd strike online. its better then SSF4 IMO and a lot cheap 1200MP

Honestly... if you want fun and just want to get in there and just go, Mortal Kombat 9 all day.

If you want to get good at fighting games, get SF, I would recommend Third Strike since it's cheaper and a more technical fighter. But if you are on XBox SSFIV is like 20 bucks on Games on Demand and you buy the Arcade Edition upgrade for an extra (15-20).