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Street Fighter 6 is the next fighting game in the franchise which was officially revealed with a new gameplay trailer at the latest PlayStation State of Play event. While it is not due for release anytime soon, it is natural for fighting game enthusiasts to be feeling that itch in their palms to pick up a controller and duke it out with a friend.
Luckily for them then, there are numerous fighting games that they can get into aside from the Street Fighter series which will keep them sated for the foreseeable future. These fighting video games come in many forms, each with their own take on the genre and offer a unique experience.
Here are 5 such different fighting games that players can keep busy with, at least until Street Fighter 6 hits the shelves, which may happen next year.
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinons.
5 competitive fighting games to get into before Street Fighter 6 arrives
1) Injustice 2
As far as superhero games go, it’s safe to say that no one was expecting Injustice: Gods Among Us to be the surprise hit it became. The story and narrative were compelling enough that it became one of the instances when media inspired a comic book arc.
So, with that success under its belt, NetherRealm Studios released its successor, Injustice 2, which streamlined the previous game into a much more enjoyable experience.
Featuring even more superheroes and supervillains, this fighting game sees Batman and Superman clash once more as the alien entity known as Brainiac launched an invasion on earth. The two must set aside their bitterness and strife to work together like they used to in the past.
In the Injustice games, each hero and villain is equipped with a special power that may take any form depending on their abilities. Aside from this, the game features basic combos, and special and super moves.
Additionally, there is also a gear system, which imparts buffs and extra abilities to each character, giving players the chance to customize each of them however they want to.
2) Tekken 7
While Tekken hasn’t had a new release since 2015, Tekken 7 is still a great fighting game to enjoy with friends. The first game in the series was released in arcades by Namco in 1994. Featuring a host of characters with very distinct and iconic fighting styles, Tekken brought people in with its diverse cast.
Players can play as an alien, a panda, a lion headed boxer or even as a literal dragon at times. Each character’s different fighting style means players needed to acquaint themselves with it first before getting competitive. Tekken also has quite an intuitive combat system, with numerous variations for each button to produce different attacks.
While the overarching story revolves around Heihachi and his progeny, it was merely a way to drive the narrative forward. Players can enjoy this game without any need to get through the story, with a multitude of characters not even remotely related to the main story being available to choose from.
3) Mortal Kombat 11
The Mortal Kombat franchise first launched in 1992 with the first game being available only on the arcade initially. Yet it saw quite the rise in popularity, mostly with thanks to its fighting style centered around visceral depictions of certain moves. These are now iconically known as Fatalities.
The most recent outing in this fighting game series wass Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019. Featuring the return of many series mainstays as well as some newcomers, MK 11 took the story forward with a new villain and gave larger character arcs to certain characters like Raiden and Liu Kang.
Mortal Kombat's Fatality feature is what earned it the fame that still lives to this day. With each character having an iconic finisher or two, it helped give them a characteristic feel back when games couldn’t include dialogue or voice acting. It has become a franchise on its own with multiple animated as well as live-action movies to complement the lore of these games.
4) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
For the Nintendo fans, Super Smash Bros is the equivalent of Avengers: Endgame, where characters from across numerous Nintendo games crossover and meet, leading to some spectacular battles. The latest instalment was released in 2018 for the Nintendo Switch and was titled Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
This fighting game allows up to 8 people to participate in 4v4 matches, while smaller matches can also be arranged. Players can play in local multiplayer or online, or against other AI opponents. Custom battles can be prepared with a handicap or various prearranged rules.
About 40 different franchises are a part of this game, with 76 playable characters, plus 16 in DLC. The levels are 2D, but require players to do some platforming to have the best advantage. Each character has their own unique abilities as well as a ton of different costumes.
5) Guilty Gear Strive
The Guilty Gear series has been a lesser-known staple of the fighting game series since 1998, when it first came out for the original PlayStation. Since then it has gone on to spawn several successive outings with a total of seven main games in the series, with Guilty Gear Strive being the latest title.
Guilty Gear’s dynamic is based on its art style, which involves anime-like characters, and cell-shaded shaded graphics for the more recent outings. Striverevamped a lot of the game’s mechanics, while also adding level transitions.
Playing out primarily in 2D, with character movements and moves looking similar to older 90s retro games, this game resembles Street Fighter in a lot of ways.
Similar to the Street Fighter franchise, there is an overarching narrative, although the story follows a main character known as Sol Badguy (no jokes). Guilty Gear is known for its weird over-the-top characters and sometimes even their creepy nature, which simply adds to their unpredictable movesets and powers.
