24:36 - 25:23 Golly, that's deep. Reminds me of Shinichiro Obata's words about what he and his team wanted to achieve when creating the game. *"You know, there are many different approaches you can take to game design. One approach, which we took in SF3, is to design your game around "unanswerables." I think with any game, players will search for the best tactic, the best strategy ... like, if X happens, you should always do Y; if you do this here, you'll always win. There's competitive games like that, where the match is essentially a confrontation of theoretical knowledge that each player has built up. But Street Fighter 3 is a game that, by design, doesn't have a fixed answer to those questions. There is no "best" tactic; you can spend your whole life trying to find the perfect theoretical approach to a situation in SF3, but it will never be quite right. You always have to be reading your opponent in the moment; you can't just fall back on your theories. It's a game that lets you search for answers forever..."* I hope Obata and his team watch this video just to listen to Max's words about the masterpiece they created. I bet they would be very satisfied and happy for all their hard work ☺️
@@DracobyteMatt McMuscles has a excellent deep dive on SF3 (Wha Happund). How it failed, got reiterated, and how it ultimately became the legend we all know & love. Highly recommended.
I think it comes down to Microsoft. Another platform would have immediately capitalised on the success of KI 2013. Much like what happened to Rare, Microsoft instead chose to focus elsewhere and discard that success as "niche".
@@pious83 which is crazy because they could easily pivot it into an XBOX/Microsoft smash bros-esque game without having to compete with platform fighters. A sort of snk games into KOF type of deal.
Third Strike legit saved my life. I was going through a dark period in my life when a co-worker just happened to be playing 3rd Strike on a home-made arcade stick (a Byrdo stick) in a corner on a PS2. I sat down and asked him to show me the game and was blown away at how quirky and colorful and jazzy it was. I never had the chance to grow up with arcades due to where I lived and so my brain was just not ready for this game, and was not ready for playing on a stick. Needless to say I got my ass handed to me by my co-worker day after day until I slowly started learning some of the fundamentals. But I stuck with it and started a journey into the FGC that really helped me get out of a rut in my life. I still love 3S more than any other fighting game and spent many hours playing it on the old GGPO before that shut down. Its been a while since I've seriously sat down and played but I am super hype to see that it will be on the main stage at Evo this year! Fun fact, that co-worker went on to be a producer for the PS3/360 releases of 3S. If you're reading this I hope you are doing well!
Listening to Max talk about Street Fighter 3 Third Strike, he mentions how "not balanced" it is several times. Which makes me wish he would make a Top 10 list of Most Balanced Fighting Games. 🔥🔥🔥
@@moon-berserker8870As long as there is a reason to pick every character in the game, I’m good. Not all characters have to be equal but every character needs at least one reason to play them. One tool that gives it an advantage, even if only in certain situations. Just so that there is at least some reason to choose each character. If only for the sake of being able to see variety.
I really can't blame Max for putting all the MvC titles in his list, they are all amazing games. I remember as a kid just walking to the arcade and hearing in the distance X-men vs Street Fighter, Marvel Superheroes vs Street Fighter, and MvC Clash of Superheroes, so you naturally get hyped. I played them and grew to love all the subsequent games and every game attached, new and old.
Not gonna lie this is actually a good list, glad to see im not the only one that likes the 1st marvel vs capcom more than the others. Also can we please get a rebooted Bloody Roar game lol ill keep dreaming
The 1st MvC has the best presentation and music in my opinion! Gameplay is solid. Only thing lacking is some of the sound effects were weak and a small roster.
I chose 1 over 2 almost every time. Especially watching versus play in the arcades. 2 is the same 5 teams doing the same combo/infinites while 1 had more charm,strats, and saw pretty much the entire roster including hidden characters used all the time.
I really appreciate you making separate lists for the best fighting games and your personal favorites. I’ve seen a lot of countdowns that combine the “greatest” and their personal favorites (not just fighting games, but practically anything you can rank), and it can get confusing fast. I really prefer this approach.
I swear I’m not even into the fighting game stuff but just hearing max talk about shiz he likes is so good, he’s like your buddy lecturing you in the most interesting and fun way possible about his interests
Awesome list, Max! The Modern KI roster too really shot it up to prominence, especially in appealing towards casual audiences; you had the freaking Arbiter and RAAM playable, of all people lol.
Killer Instinct was a really good first run at a fighting game by a developer that had never done them before. Not only did it meld SF and MK, but it brought some of Primal Rage and Dark Stalkers in (via character choices), had the changing camera angles like MK's stage fatalities, crazier combos than any game before it, some blood, some fatality-like fight enders, you could buy its soundtrack, and it didn't look like anything else. Rare did a great job making it stand out as a total product to sell a game AND a new development platform.
Killer instinct was louder than virtua cop, and pinball machines in the arcade. I walked into an arcade, and when that intro hit everybody stopped and looked. Maaaaannnn…
My Top 10 Personal Favorite Fighting Games 1. Street Fighter: Alpha 3 2. Mortal Kombat Trilogy 3. Tekken 5 4. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 5. Dead Or Alive 4 6. Killer Instinct 2 7. Capcom vs. SNK 2 8. Virtua Fighter 4 9. Soul Calibur IV 10. King Of Fighters
Something came up to me when max brought up that killer instinct has an uphill battle like smash. Both games brought back their FULL rosters from every past game and added new crazy characters in the mix. They both have the unfortunate battle of having to most likely cut some characters. Very interesting both have a similar problem and are the apex of their series
I already knew what Max's top 2 would be and was curious what the other 8 would be just from his passion. Which feels like a testament to how the FGC can expose peoples personalities in a good way.
only major difference between this list and my own personal is GGXX holds a special place in my heart as the first fighting game i actually learned and none of my friends could beat me after a point. Learned almost the whole roster and could smoke everyone with anyone or at least make it very hard for my pals if they were using their main.
It's not necessarily on my top ten list of fighting games, but an honorable mention imo is Fighting EX Layer is definitely on my top 20. Especially since I've been recently playing it, it's been hella addicting with it's fighting system. I always wanted the EX characters in the SF EX series in their own game, and Arika delivered that plenty. And having Terry as a guest character was icing on the cake. Just wish it got more love online and wish Arika would come out with a sequel. I heard that they're going bankrupt 😣
If Capcom and Disney ever agree to release MvC2 on consoles again, I hope they add a new optional "ratio" mode. It's such a great idea and forces you to explore characters that were considering garnage and people are still discovering new tech with those characters.
Wow that modern KI game sounds interesting, if only there was a podcast where they talk about it every episode, along with Final Fight Revenge for some reason
Killer Instinct is such an A+mazing fighting game, 10 years later and still going strong ! So HYPED for the upcoming Anniversary update and possibly a season 4-5
KI 2013 is an "acidental" masterpiece! It is one of the greatest fighting games ever, and they were actually not even trying, they just wanted to make it as cool as possible, but they achieved the impossible
I found you through KI 2013 and youve gotten me to try so many fighting games after only playing games like smash. You gave me that interested in trying new games and putting in the effort to actually learn them rather than roll my face in the controller because i saw the cool shit you could do in fighting games and wanted to show my friends the same cool shit!
Man you remember me when I was playing in the middle to the end of the 90's playing fighting games with my friends. It's makes me happy to hear you talk about those games because I feel the damm exact thing.
my top 10 would be 1. Tekken 3 (first fighting game I played) 2. Soul Calibur 3 3. Street Fighter 3rd strike 4. Mortal Kombat 9 5. Bloody Roar 4 6. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus 7. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 8. Dead or Alive 5 9. Killer Instinct (2013) 10. King of Fighters 2002 this top 10 was based on how much time I spent playing these games, and how much I enjoyed them since I was a kid
Relatively new to fighting games at this point, for reasons that will be apparent, here's my list in the year 2023: 1. Melee - I can't take issue with Max's reasoning on Ultimate over Melee, but to me, the responsiveness of Melee can't be touched by 6 frames of input delay. 2. Rivals of Aether - This one's here for sentimental reasons and also I have a blast every time I play it 3. Tekken 7 - It's at this point I have to acknowledge that my enjoyment of a fighting game largely has to do with the time of my life where any particular friend would play one with me. 4. Street Fighter 6 - I'm new to SF, having a good time, nobody I know is playing Third Strike, give me a break. 5. Smash Bros. Ultimate - This might have been higher in a previous year, but there's a lot that has been soured by time for me. 6. Slap City - I was born in platform fighters, molded by them. 7. Skullgirls - I've played it a few times 8. Guilty Gear Strive - I've played it less than Skullgirls 9. Rivals 2 - It's not out yet, but I'm running out of ideas because I refuse to add another Smash game. 10. Nidhogg - Does this even count?
Since Max is sharing his top 10, I'm gonna share my personal top 10. 1: Pokken Tournament DX. After playing this game again, I can't even. it's too fun. And too cute and awesome and cool. it's my two favorite things in one. 2: Tekken 5: The game that made me. Jinpachi was my first ever boss rage moment, and I will never forget how utterly horrified of this man when I first saw him. 3: Streetfighter 3rd Strike. I Love this game. Another game that combines 2 things I love. this time Streetfighter and hiphop. The soundtrack though. 4: Mortal Kombat Armeggeddon. Yes, this game is up there. It's a weird one, but it's the most played Mortal Kombat game I played next to 11 and Trilogy. So much nostaljia. 5: Marvel VS Capcom 3. It's just fun. what can I say. I don't care how crazy Zero is. He's my favorite. 6: Tekken 7. First preordered game, first game I ever bought DLC for, and probably the game I played the most. 7: King of Fighters 15. My second preordered game. And boy am I enjoying learning the ins and out of this game. First game where I had to look at a tutorial for. 8: Smash Ultimate. This game had me excited just from the music and the trailer alone. Also, it was announced while I was working. 9: Smash 4. The game that got me into Smash and why I got Ultimate. 10: Streetfighter 2. Just in general. No specific type. the game that got me into fighting games. My dad got me into Streetfighter as a kid. Too many memories to count.
Why is Smash considered a fighting game? It’s like a party brawler...and just because it takes skill for high level play doesn’t make it a “fighting game”
@@ReeceHoward06 apart from the various iterations of SF2, I don't think I've played any game in the arcade more than XvSF. Having Killer Bee and Gambit fight as a team - hell yeah!
It's nice to see MvC3 in the list because if there's something that represent a game that is loved, is the fanbase leaving the role of just a player/spectator and going towards to producing content for the other players, it's a strong sign that a game can (and shall) outlive the limitations imposed by the developers.
Love the MVC1 love and arcade experience commentary. I have very fond memories of family trips to CA, where I would specifically get excited to visit this boardwalk arcade, to play that game. So good.
I super respect how well Max is able recognize and acknowledge his bias with these things. Like, when other people say "This isn't my bias", you raise an eyebrow. But whenever Max says it, I believe him. Mainly because he's also really good at admitting when he IS biased. 😆
I'm sad no Guilty Gear game made your list! As for me, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 became my favorite ever. It plays PERFECTLY, awesome OST, characters, and even a story that made me tear up a couple of times! The most complete package and enjoyable fighting game I've ever played, especially if you're a single/local player (and now it also has rollback netcode). It's the one fighting game I put the most hours in (besides XX Accent Core + on the PS2). Not even Tekken games (my 2nd favorite fighting franchise) made me so glued to the sofa when playing and gave me the feeling to need to go back home ASAP and play until tired every single day!
DAMN! Looks like I was wrong! Killer Instinct Reboot (2013-2017) is DEFINITELY Max's favorite of all time! Even if is in Top 2, but Top 1 in 2010's Fighting games! My Part 2 of the comment from : Max Dood's The Top 10 Greatest Fighting Game of All Time.
I think I like Marvel vs Capcom 1 best out of all the versus games too. Really, really makes me wish Capcom still had awesome 2D art styles for their fighting games. The chunky 3D of Street Fighter 4, 5, 6 don't do it for me and don't age well compared to Third Strike or Alpha, IMO.
Just imagine a modern day fighting game with a MvC 1 artstyle in a crisp 4k format plus a big roster 🤯 it's the truth that some things just work better in 2D than 3D no matter how much 3D polishes it over the years.
Ah MvC1 will always be my favorite MvC. That character select music fills me with such nostalgia and excitement that will never go away. So glad it made the top 3.
Listening you talk about MVC2 and just remember running War Machine, Serv Bot, and I think Megaman. Why? Because the full team super did more chip damage than actual damage. So when the person blocked you could mash and it'd do a stupid amount of damage via chip. Also just jumping around as serv-bot was absurd and fun
I would probably have more SNK titles like Garou and KOF in the top 20 since that's what I grew up with. This is a great personalized list showing how you can love all games of a franchise aside from MVCI.
Love this list Max, I totally agree with your top two! The rest of my top ten would be quite different, but I appreciate your reasons and placement of the others. 👍
Max's personal top 10 1. Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike 2. Killer Instinct (2013) 3. Marvel vs. Capcom 1 4. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 5. Soul Calibur 6. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 7. Mortal Kombat X 8. Tekken 3 9. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 10. Killer Instinct (1994) It's not a bad list. I'll share my personal top 10 1. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo 2. King of Fighters 98 3. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 4. Capcom vs. SNK 2 5. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 6. Tekken 3 7. Virtua Fighter 8. Melty Blood Actress Again 9. Killer Instinct (94) 10. Super Smash Bros. (99)
I didn't even see the arcade version of SoulCalibur 1 before I was purely blown away by the Dreamcast version at a party. I had played a bit of Soul Edge via an arcade section at a pizza place, but SC1 was on another planet graphically. Also music was fire. Glad Max touched on the movement of Soul Calibur and its 8 way run, that for some reason makes it impossible to enjoy the act of stepping in other 3D fighters. Then came Soul Calibur 2, and while I was already pre-hyped thx to experience with the original, I was not prepared for it to be so addictive and polished and my 2nd fav fighting game ever haha
I was 3 years old at my cousin's house and he had Killer Instict. My granddad had NeoGeo ROMS like KOF on his PC in the 90s Then SF4 released when I was in high school and I had friends to play with, and that was the point where I truly fell in love with fighting games
It hurts me everytime I see Tekken 3 et Soul Calibur 1 in Top 10 but that Soul Edge / Soul Blade is never even part of the conversation. As a kid, I never spent so much time in a fighting game more than in the Edge Master Mode to unlock the Soul Edge for most characters. This mix of combo trials/challenges & story mode all in one is still to this day one of my favorite game mode in a fighting game ever and I probably the best introduction to fighting games anyone could ask for and that was years before Tekken 3.
I remember hearing before from some list that Alpha 3 was the greatest fighting game of all time. The sizable roster plus the "ism"s gave you a million ways to play the game. Sad I don't hear about that game much anymore.
I think most people in the FGC consider SFA2 to be the superior Alpha game - I'm not one of them. The PS version of SFA3 especially - I probably sank more time into than any other game on my PS.
@@yrh002b8 i asked someone else who put SFA2 at the top of his list what about it was so good, and they said the custom combos and all the supers being available just gave you so much freedom and made games more bonkers.
@@Aramane yeah, people all have different takes on Alpha 2. I remember someone or maybe it's Max that said Alpha 2 seems faster. Some also prefer 2 due to balance and presentation. The only reason I point to the West vs East thing is because most Westerner you asked would prefer 2 over 3 and most people in the Asia region would say 3.
@@yrh002b8 LOL its funny, because I'm Australian, so we by default usually get lumped into Asian region geographically. Max talks often of characters, and my love of 3 over 2 can all be sourced to one character - Cammy. She's been my main since SSF2 and she wasn't in Alpha2, so I'm always going to choose a game with Cammy over a game without.
I got into Third Strike during shelter in place having not ever really been into fighting games aside from Tekken growing up, and it finally clicked - I understood why people liked fighting games. That opened the floodgates and while I explored other games from that era like Project Justice 2, MVC2, and SNK vs. Capcom 2, Third Strike controlled with a weightiness that was incomparable to me. Also, the OST is top tier.
Looking to far into this but it’s so true that how a game “feels” is everything. I almost get addicted to the way I can move around and how mechanics feel to pull off in certain games and those are the ones I always go back to. Even if there are 100% other objectively better games to be on probably
Damn max the only person I’ve seen leave out Capcom vs SNK 2 …but I like this list ….but damn CAPCOM vs SNK 2 is on the same legendary status as marvel vs Capcom 2
The majority of people on Max channel and watching this video weren’t born yet when Max and us were playing the first installments of these games. Let that sink in. To anyone from Max generation, we old af 😂
Id put it as my number 1 for nosatlgia reasons. Miss the days of doing 3v1s with my bros mashing buttons because we did not know any real combos. Wasnt till MKX that I realized there was more to fighting games than mashing buttons or spamming fireballs.
What I like about this list is that when you say "personal", you really meant it. I like how a big factor in the choices was just the impact it had on you, while still being overall nice to go back to. My own top 10 would be this: 10. Super Smash bros. Ultimate 9. King of Fighters '98 8. Garou Mark of the Wolves 7. Vampire Savior 6. Dragon Ball FighterZ 5. BlazBlue Centralfiction 4. Under Night In-birth Exe:Late[cl-r] 3. Guilty Gear Xrd Rev2 2. Touhou Hisoutensoku 1. Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code
In the middle of watching this video, but gotta continue it later. So far, very much a respectable list! I have a nostalgic reason for putting UMVC3 on equal grounds with Tatsunoko, that being because I just put so much time into Tatsunoko (in part because I was never able to get a PS3 or 360 until a couple of years after I bought Tatsunoko, funny enough). That said, I readily agree that UMVC3 deserves to be on this list more, for a number of reasons not totally dissimilar to Smash Ultimate. Idk if Max has a video on Tatsunoko, but I would totally be down for seeing him spend some time with the game should he ever decide to do a video on it! Also, I know YoVideogames has done videos on a few DOA games, but I don't remember point blank hearing what Max thinks of that series in total, so I would also be interested in that if he wanted to talk about it! I do remember that he said he's not all too familiar post-DOA2, though. Out of partial personal preference, between the five that I've played, DOA2 is about tied with DOA3, and DOA4 fluctuates between being on their level and just under for the best of the bunch. DOA:Dimensions was one that I found to be easily one of the best fighters on a handheld, and a surprisingly competent and almost console-like combat with an active online multiplayer mode.
Being a PS2 owner and seeing SC on the Dreamcast for the first time was like the first time you see HC P**n as a young teen. My heart rate sky rocketed and I got all these "feelings" in my body.
My Top 10 Personal Favorite Fighting Games... 1. The King of Fighters '95 (1995). 2. Virtua Fighter 2 (1994). Had a tough time deciding between VF2 & VF5. 3. Capcom Vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 (2001). 4. Street Fighter Zero 2 (1996). 5. Samurai Shodown II (1994). 6. Bushido Blade 2 (1998). 7. Marvel Super Heroes (1995). 8. Battle Arena Toshinden Remix (1995). 9. World Heroes Perfect (1995). 10. Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1984).
Personally CvS2 is probably my favorite fighting game. I played it a handful of times when I was a kid then revisiting as an adult after I became "good" at fighting games its honestly my favorite. Its like culmination of all capcom and snk 2d fighting games of the 90s into one game. The amount of playstyles and strats the grooves offer theres just so much depth imo. 3S I never really got that into but CvS2 is one of those games where I can play a ft10 against someone whos really good at the game and get 10-0'd and I still had fun playing it.
CVS2 was the last one that "felt" like Street Fighter 2 to me in terms of system mechanics. I remember picking up SF4 and feeling very disappointed that it seemed to be 3s in terms of responsiveness. I played the hell out of CvS2 and would do so again in a heartbeat.
My top 5 (Not a hyper competitive fighting gamer just a gamer who likes to have fun). So you probably won't agree with any of these. Number 5 -- Tekken Tag. That game was so fun Number 4 -- MK Deception. -- laugh all you want Midway built a fun game with a built in RPG, MK chess, which btw is super underrated in the strategy elements of how it is built, and MK Tetris (aka "Puzzle Kombat") which is one of the funnest things you will ever play competitively with another player. Deception also had stage fatalities that were super fun, and yeah competitive players might hate it but again SO FUN. Number 3 -- Capcom's Rival Schools (United by Fate). If you know, you know. If not, I'm not going to bother trying to explain it. Number 2 -- Soul Caliber 2. I'm a sucker for games within games and S.C. 2 had a SUPER fun strategy game mode (Conquest Mode) built into the game. ALSO.. you could build your own characters.. and I'm not talking about just reskinned moves from existing roster, I'm talking about I think 5 or 6 alternate and different character classes you could unlock in game with their own unique moves and weapons. This game was fire, and the fact it gets largely overlooked makes me sick to my stomach. Later S.C. games were GARBAGE compared to the amount of content this one had. RIP PS2 era. NUMBER 1 -- Samurai Showdown. This game was my childhood. Most of my time in arcades were spent on Neo Geo machines, and this game was the best time I have ever had playing a fighting game. Pure nostalgia puts it in my top spot.
![[ 철권 태그 ] 미원(데빌 진) VS 버니어캘리퍼스 (화랑 리)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3gf1jyL-d3A/mqdefault.jpg)
24:36 - 25:23 Golly, that's deep.
Reminds me of Shinichiro Obata's words about what he and his team wanted to achieve when creating the game.
*"You know, there are many different approaches you can take to game design. One approach, which we took in SF3, is to design your game around "unanswerables." I think with any game, players will search for the best tactic, the best strategy ... like, if X happens, you should always do Y; if you do this here, you'll always win. There's competitive games like that, where the match is essentially a confrontation of theoretical knowledge that each player has built up. But Street Fighter 3 is a game that, by design, doesn't have a fixed answer to those questions. There is no "best" tactic; you can spend your whole life trying to find the perfect theoretical approach to a situation in SF3, but it will never be quite right. You always have to be reading your opponent in the moment; you can't just fall back on your theories. It's a game that lets you search for answers forever..."*
I hope Obata and his team watch this video just to listen to Max's words about the masterpiece they created.
I bet they would be very satisfied and happy for all their hard work ☺️
That quote makes the game sound oddly meditative. Focusing on the present and all that. Truly an incredible game.
Where did he said? Do you know where I can read it?
@@DracobyteMatt McMuscles has a excellent deep dive on SF3
(Wha Happund).
How it failed, got reiterated, and how it ultimately became the legend we all know & love. Highly recommended.
Max is making his top 10 and he's DEFINITELY NOT GONNA SUGARCOAT IT
NieR make brain go funny happy chemicals
AS HE SHOULD
His 100% unbiased personal top 10
@@kingofdragons7 100% not sarcastic
DAAAAAAMN
The joys of a top 10 fighting games list
And by someone who actually understands fighting games
@theoneandonly I'm pretty sure he's more biased towards MVC, haha. And he's pretty open about it too
@theoneandonly Street fighter the Goat
@@pleaseshutup7053 kof 02 is godly
SF4, KoF 14.
It blows my mind Killer Instinct hasn’t had another title but the 2013 version still looks and plays incredibly
I think it comes down to Microsoft. Another platform would have immediately capitalised on the success of KI 2013. Much like what happened to Rare, Microsoft instead chose to focus elsewhere and discard that success as "niche".
@@pious83 Microsoft always turns out something cool and then runs it nowhere
@@pious83 which is crazy because they could easily pivot it into an XBOX/Microsoft smash bros-esque game without having to compete with platform fighters. A sort of snk games into KOF type of deal.
@@wildercerrate7295 Unless things immediately do CoD/Halo sales numbers. They just don't seem interested.
@@islandboy9381It doesn't help that for the longest time, one would have to buy a goddamn xbox one.
Playing Mortal Kombat X at a friend's house is what began my fighting game addiction
Same. Today still, MKX is my favourite game of all time.
I love Street fighter most and mortal kombat and soul calibur
MK9 is way better can’t believe people prefer X so much.
@@BattleBrotherCasten opinions are a thing
@@BattleBrotherCastenif you can’t handle people liking something else, that’s a bad look for u
Third Strike legit saved my life. I was going through a dark period in my life when a co-worker just happened to be playing 3rd Strike on a home-made arcade stick (a Byrdo stick) in a corner on a PS2. I sat down and asked him to show me the game and was blown away at how quirky and colorful and jazzy it was. I never had the chance to grow up with arcades due to where I lived and so my brain was just not ready for this game, and was not ready for playing on a stick. Needless to say I got my ass handed to me by my co-worker day after day until I slowly started learning some of the fundamentals. But I stuck with it and started a journey into the FGC that really helped me get out of a rut in my life.
I still love 3S more than any other fighting game and spent many hours playing it on the old GGPO before that shut down. Its been a while since I've seriously sat down and played but I am super hype to see that it will be on the main stage at Evo this year!
Fun fact, that co-worker went on to be a producer for the PS3/360 releases of 3S. If you're reading this I hope you are doing well!
Loved reading this, it brightened up my day and glad you’re doing better
I feel like i'm living in the loop, each day there another Max top 10 fighting games tier list video.
Tbh it’s cool you’re putting every Marvel vs. Capcom game on the list. It’s a legendary GOAT’d series!
Infinite left the chat 😂😂
Listening to Max talk about Street Fighter 3 Third Strike, he mentions how "not balanced" it is several times. Which makes me wish he would make a Top 10 list of Most Balanced Fighting Games. 🔥🔥🔥
#1 is street fighter 1 both characters available are exactly the same so it’s perfectly balanced
Bro most balanced doesnt mean better bro imo. For me fun and skill-ceiling is the most important.
@@moon-berserker8870As long as there is a reason to pick every character in the game, I’m good. Not all characters have to be equal but every character needs at least one reason to play them. One tool that gives it an advantage, even if only in certain situations.
Just so that there is at least some reason to choose each character. If only for the sake of being able to see variety.
I really can't blame Max for putting all the MvC titles in his list, they are all amazing games. I remember as a kid just walking to the arcade and hearing in the distance X-men vs Street Fighter, Marvel Superheroes vs Street Fighter, and MvC Clash of Superheroes, so you naturally get hyped. I played them and grew to love all the subsequent games and every game attached, new and old.
Not gonna lie this is actually a good list, glad to see im not the only one that likes the 1st marvel vs capcom more than the others. Also can we please get a rebooted Bloody Roar game lol ill keep dreaming
The 1st MvC has the best presentation and music in my opinion! Gameplay is solid. Only thing lacking is some of the sound effects were weak and a small roster.
I chose 1 over 2 almost every time. Especially watching versus play in the arcades. 2 is the same 5 teams doing the same combo/infinites while 1 had more charm,strats, and saw pretty much the entire roster including hidden characters used all the time.
I really appreciate you making separate lists for the best fighting games and your personal favorites. I’ve seen a lot of countdowns that combine the “greatest” and their personal favorites (not just fighting games, but practically anything you can rank), and it can get confusing fast. I really prefer this approach.
You earned my respect with killer instinct 2013 at #2. well put together list.
Clay Fighter 63 1/3 should’ve been #2 tbh
This is a personal top 10 list. He's not looking to earn anything from anyone.
I swear I’m not even into the fighting game stuff but just hearing max talk about shiz he likes is so good, he’s like your buddy lecturing you in the most interesting and fun way possible about his interests
Awesome list, Max! The Modern KI roster too really shot it up to prominence, especially in appealing towards casual audiences; you had the freaking Arbiter and RAAM playable, of all people lol.
You know Tekken 3 is good when it's on both lists.
Killer Instinct was a really good first run at a fighting game by a developer that had never done them before. Not only did it meld SF and MK, but it brought some of Primal Rage and Dark Stalkers in (via character choices), had the changing camera angles like MK's stage fatalities, crazier combos than any game before it, some blood, some fatality-like fight enders, you could buy its soundtrack, and it didn't look like anything else. Rare did a great job making it stand out as a total product to sell a game AND a new development platform.
Killer instinct was louder than virtua cop, and pinball machines in the arcade. I walked into an arcade, and when that intro hit everybody stopped and looked. Maaaaannnn…
My Top 10 Personal Favorite Fighting Games
1. Street Fighter: Alpha 3
2. Mortal Kombat Trilogy
3. Tekken 5
4. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
5. Dead Or Alive 4
6. Killer Instinct 2
7. Capcom vs. SNK 2
8. Virtua Fighter 4
9. Soul Calibur IV
10. King Of Fighters
Props for SC4
Which KOF?
Snk 2 is terrible unbalanced
Thank you for putting video footage of the games
Great list....if i may add, i think Capcom vs. Snk 1 and 2 are hugely underrated fighting games as well
Something came up to me when max brought up that killer instinct has an uphill battle like smash. Both games brought back their FULL rosters from every past game and added new crazy characters in the mix. They both have the unfortunate battle of having to most likely cut some characters. Very interesting both have a similar problem and are the apex of their series
Ki 94 man I'm a 2000s kid but thankfully my dad had his snes and killer instinct he always had us fighting irl w this game man so many memories
I already knew what Max's top 2 would be and was curious what the other 8 would be just from his passion.
Which feels like a testament to how the FGC can expose peoples personalities in a good way.
Thank you for giving Soul Calibur the respect it deserves. Should be on everyone’s list.
Soul calibur -1 so good!!!
This is max's personal list. There is no game that should or should not be in someone's subjective top 10
Soul Blade has the best music
Soul calibur 3 is the only fighting game I ever actually played single player extensively
I prefer Soul Calibur 2
only major difference between this list and my own personal is GGXX holds a special place in my heart as the first fighting game i actually learned and none of my friends could beat me after a point. Learned almost the whole roster and could smoke everyone with anyone or at least make it very hard for my pals if they were using their main.
KI and Ultimate are so good to make a sequel is going to be close to impossible
It's not necessarily on my top ten list of fighting games, but an honorable mention imo is Fighting EX Layer is definitely on my top 20. Especially since I've been recently playing it, it's been hella addicting with it's fighting system. I always wanted the EX characters in the SF EX series in their own game, and Arika delivered that plenty. And having Terry as a guest character was icing on the cake. Just wish it got more love online and wish Arika would come out with a sequel. I heard that they're going bankrupt 😣
If Capcom and Disney ever agree to release MvC2 on consoles again, I hope they add a new optional "ratio" mode. It's such a great idea and forces you to explore characters that were considering garnage and people are still discovering new tech with those characters.
I spent so many hours of my childhood playing KI on the SNES. I love KI, glad to see it on your list
I still listen to the ost
Bushido blade 2 is one of my all time favorites. I think you'd love the sword fighting mechanics of that game!
I love Last Blade 2
Wow that modern KI game sounds interesting, if only there was a podcast where they talk about it every episode, along with Final Fight Revenge for some reason
is there?
Waves in MvC collection from the future ❤
My personal 10 favorite FGs, in no particular order of preference:
SFA3 (PS1)
KOF98 (PS1)
TK3 (PS1)
KOF2002 (PS2)
CVS2 (DC)
MVC2 (DC)
USF4 (PS3)
UMVC3 (PS3)
SFXT (PS3)
DBFZ (PS4)
I think I sank more hours into SFA3 on PS1 than I did on any other game for the PS.
"Top 10 and I'm not here to make anyone happy"
*His based energy is rising. It's overflowing!*
Killer Instinct is such an A+mazing fighting game, 10 years later and still going strong ! So HYPED for the upcoming Anniversary update and possibly a season 4-5
KI 2013 is an "acidental" masterpiece! It is one of the greatest fighting games ever, and they were actually not even trying, they just wanted to make it as cool as possible, but they achieved the impossible
They absolutely were trying. Greatest doesn't happen accidentally.
I found you through KI 2013 and youve gotten me to try so many fighting games after only playing games like smash. You gave me that interested in trying new games and putting in the effort to actually learn them rather than roll my face in the controller because i saw the cool shit you could do in fighting games and wanted to show my friends the same cool shit!
Your personal list hits harder than the professional list ( aside from that number 2 pick- that hit hard)
Love it so much
I always loved SC1 the best in the franchise. The graphics blew me away as a kid and still fun as hell. Aged like fine wine 🍷
Man you remember me when I was playing in the middle to the end of the 90's playing fighting games with my friends. It's makes me happy to hear you talk about those games because I feel the damm exact thing.
my top 10 would be
1. Tekken 3 (first fighting game I played)
2. Soul Calibur 3
3. Street Fighter 3rd strike
4. Mortal Kombat 9
5. Bloody Roar 4
6. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus
7. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
8. Dead or Alive 5
9. Killer Instinct (2013)
10. King of Fighters 2002
this top 10 was based on how much time I spent playing these games, and how much I enjoyed them since I was a kid
Relatively new to fighting games at this point, for reasons that will be apparent, here's my list in the year 2023:
1. Melee - I can't take issue with Max's reasoning on Ultimate over Melee, but to me, the responsiveness of Melee can't be touched by 6 frames of input delay.
2. Rivals of Aether - This one's here for sentimental reasons and also I have a blast every time I play it
3. Tekken 7 - It's at this point I have to acknowledge that my enjoyment of a fighting game largely has to do with the time of my life where any particular friend would play one with me.
4. Street Fighter 6 - I'm new to SF, having a good time, nobody I know is playing Third Strike, give me a break.
5. Smash Bros. Ultimate - This might have been higher in a previous year, but there's a lot that has been soured by time for me.
6. Slap City - I was born in platform fighters, molded by them.
7. Skullgirls - I've played it a few times
8. Guilty Gear Strive - I've played it less than Skullgirls
9. Rivals 2 - It's not out yet, but I'm running out of ideas because I refuse to add another Smash game.
10. Nidhogg - Does this even count?
Since Max is sharing his top 10, I'm gonna share my personal top 10.
1: Pokken Tournament DX. After playing this game again, I can't even. it's too fun. And too cute and awesome and cool. it's my two favorite things in one.
2: Tekken 5: The game that made me. Jinpachi was my first ever boss rage moment, and I will never forget how utterly horrified of this man when I first saw him.
3: Streetfighter 3rd Strike. I Love this game. Another game that combines 2 things I love. this time Streetfighter and hiphop. The soundtrack though.
4: Mortal Kombat Armeggeddon. Yes, this game is up there. It's a weird one, but it's the most played Mortal Kombat game I played next to 11 and Trilogy. So much nostaljia.
5: Marvel VS Capcom 3. It's just fun. what can I say. I don't care how crazy Zero is. He's my favorite.
6: Tekken 7. First preordered game, first game I ever bought DLC for, and probably the game I played the most.
7: King of Fighters 15. My second preordered game. And boy am I enjoying learning the ins and out of this game. First game where I had to look at a tutorial for.
8: Smash Ultimate. This game had me excited just from the music and the trailer alone. Also, it was announced while I was working.
9: Smash 4. The game that got me into Smash and why I got Ultimate.
10: Streetfighter 2. Just in general. No specific type. the game that got me into fighting games. My dad got me into Streetfighter as a kid. Too many memories to count.
Why is Smash considered a fighting game? It’s like a party brawler...and just because it takes skill for high level play doesn’t make it a “fighting game”
MvC 1 has one of my favorite boss fights of all time. When I first fought Onslaught at the arcade, I was like 😮
Same reaction for me fighting Apocalypse in X-Men v SF
@@Aramane Not gonna lie, XvsSF had the biggest impact on me as a kid. I'll never forget seeing it in the arcade for the 1st time!
@@ReeceHoward06 apart from the various iterations of SF2, I don't think I've played any game in the arcade more than XvSF. Having Killer Bee and Gambit fight as a team - hell yeah!
It's nice to see MvC3 in the list because if there's something that represent a game that is loved, is the fanbase leaving the role of just a player/spectator and going towards to producing content for the other players, it's a strong sign that a game can (and shall) outlive the limitations imposed by the developers.
Love the MVC1 love and arcade experience commentary. I have very fond memories of family trips to CA, where I would specifically get excited to visit this boardwalk arcade, to play that game. So good.
Phantasy star online music on the background 🤌🤌
I knew it was gonna be but I still yelled "YES" when he put 3rd strike on top.
A game for the ages.
OG Soul Calibur.... I brought my Dreamcast over to multiple friends' houses and we would back and forth all night.
I super respect how well Max is able recognize and acknowledge his bias with these things. Like, when other people say "This isn't my bias", you raise an eyebrow. But whenever Max says it, I believe him. Mainly because he's also really good at admitting when he IS biased. 😆
I'm sad no Guilty Gear game made your list!
As for me, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 became my favorite ever.
It plays PERFECTLY, awesome OST, characters, and even a story that made me tear up a couple of times!
The most complete package and enjoyable fighting game I've ever played, especially if you're a single/local player (and now it also has rollback netcode). It's the one fighting game I put the most hours in (besides XX Accent Core + on the PS2).
Not even Tekken games (my 2nd favorite fighting franchise) made me so glued to the sofa when playing and gave me the feeling to need to go back home ASAP and play until tired every single day!
DAMN! Looks like I was wrong! Killer Instinct Reboot (2013-2017) is DEFINITELY Max's favorite of all time! Even if is in Top 2, but Top 1 in 2010's Fighting games!
My Part 2 of the comment from : Max Dood's The Top 10 Greatest Fighting Game of All Time.
When I seen that thumbnail I immediately thought if people got on max about the other 2 list can't wait to see his actual personal top 10 list 🤣
@@kingofdragons7 say that to the haters 🤣
I think I like Marvel vs Capcom 1 best out of all the versus games too. Really, really makes me wish Capcom still had awesome 2D art styles for their fighting games. The chunky 3D of Street Fighter 4, 5, 6 don't do it for me and don't age well compared to Third Strike or Alpha, IMO.
Just imagine a modern day fighting game with a MvC 1 artstyle in a crisp 4k format plus a big roster 🤯 it's the truth that some things just work better in 2D than 3D no matter how much 3D polishes it over the years.
Ah MvC1 will always be my favorite MvC. That character select music fills me with such nostalgia and excitement that will never go away. So glad it made the top 3.
You gave us the best objective list out there with sound reasoning, and I'm glad you gave us the personal one too!
"KI is a perfect mixture of what Capcom was doing with Midway"
Holy shit, never thought about it like that but that's so god damn true
Whoever edited this video I would like to say to you that I appreciate the of PSO music in the background.
Listening you talk about MVC2 and just remember running War Machine, Serv Bot, and I think Megaman. Why? Because the full team super did more chip damage than actual damage. So when the person blocked you could mash and it'd do a stupid amount of damage via chip. Also just jumping around as serv-bot was absurd and fun
0:23 bro hit the perfect mk announcer laugh
With all Max's knowledge and fighting game wisdom - I feel like he has the most balanced view of the top 10 fighting games of all time.
except for ultimate being there, id swap it for darkstalkers 3, xrd or alpha 2 or 3 any day.
I would probably have more SNK titles like Garou and KOF in the top 20 since that's what I grew up with. This is a great personalized list showing how you can love all games of a franchise aside from MVCI.
MVCI is in his top 20 so I think he does like it
I would just like to say I've been waiting years for this video and I think we all have. Thank you, Max
Love this list Max, I totally agree with your top two! The rest of my top ten would be quite different, but I appreciate your reasons and placement of the others. 👍
Can you do your top fighting game characters of all time ?
Yes pls
Max, you and me are on such the same wave length. Mvc1 and KI were God tier for me as a kid.
Mvc on was why I learned stick. And it is definately my fav art style of all fighters even to this day.
Max's personal top 10
1. Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike
2. Killer Instinct (2013)
3. Marvel vs. Capcom 1
4. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
5. Soul Calibur
6. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
7. Mortal Kombat X
8. Tekken 3
9. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
10. Killer Instinct (1994)
It's not a bad list. I'll share my personal top 10
1. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
2. King of Fighters 98
3. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
4. Capcom vs. SNK 2
5. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
6. Tekken 3
7. Virtua Fighter
8. Melty Blood Actress Again
9. Killer Instinct (94)
10. Super Smash Bros. (99)
MKX was the reason I found Max on youtube and never looked back! Thankful for that game :)
Hearing the PSO music makes me so happy. Please play it again on stream with the doods
I'm 24 and an old arcade with MvC1 got me into fighting games.
I didn't even see the arcade version of SoulCalibur 1 before I was purely blown away by the Dreamcast version at a party. I had played a bit of Soul Edge via an arcade section at a pizza place, but SC1 was on another planet graphically. Also music was fire. Glad Max touched on the movement of Soul Calibur and its 8 way run, that for some reason makes it impossible to enjoy the act of stepping in other 3D fighters.
Then came Soul Calibur 2, and while I was already pre-hyped thx to experience with the original, I was not prepared for it to be so addictive and polished and my 2nd fav fighting game ever haha
NOT including platform fighters which is my favorite sub genre, my top picks are
1-Souclaibur 6
2- BBTAG
3- Darkstalkers 3
No Virtua Fighter but three MvC games?! This is insanity! :)
Nice job bro. I really enjoy seeing your Top 10 lists. You are awesome and incredible
I was 3 years old at my cousin's house and he had Killer Instict. My granddad had NeoGeo ROMS like KOF on his PC in the 90s Then SF4 released when I was in high school and I had friends to play with, and that was the point where I truly fell in love with fighting games
Everyone has their own biases, my favorite 10 lack serious diversity:
Tekken Tag 1, Tekken 3, Tekken 4, Virtua Fighter 5/Final Showdown, Virtua Fighter 2, Tekken 5/Dark Resurrection, Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, Soul Calibur 3, Soul Calibur 2, Last Bronx.
Finally someone mentioning last bronx ! Badass game !
It hurts me everytime I see Tekken 3 et Soul Calibur 1 in Top 10 but that Soul Edge / Soul Blade is never even part of the conversation. As a kid, I never spent so much time in a fighting game more than in the Edge Master Mode to unlock the Soul Edge for most characters. This mix of combo trials/challenges & story mode all in one is still to this day one of my favorite game mode in a fighting game ever and I probably the best introduction to fighting games anyone could ask for and that was years before Tekken 3.
I remember hearing before from some list that Alpha 3 was the greatest fighting game of all time. The sizable roster plus the "ism"s gave you a million ways to play the game. Sad I don't hear about that game much anymore.
I think most people in the FGC consider SFA2 to be the superior Alpha game - I'm not one of them. The PS version of SFA3 especially - I probably sank more time into than any other game on my PS.
@@Aramane it's a West vs East thing in the fgc. West prefer Alpha 2, most of Asia prefer Alpha 3.
@@yrh002b8 i asked someone else who put SFA2 at the top of his list what about it was so good, and they said the custom combos and all the supers being available just gave you so much freedom and made games more bonkers.
@@Aramane yeah, people all have different takes on Alpha 2. I remember someone or maybe it's Max that said Alpha 2 seems faster. Some also prefer 2 due to balance and presentation. The only reason I point to the West vs East thing is because most Westerner you asked would prefer 2 over 3 and most people in the Asia region would say 3.
@@yrh002b8 LOL its funny, because I'm Australian, so we by default usually get lumped into Asian region geographically. Max talks often of characters, and my love of 3 over 2 can all be sourced to one character - Cammy. She's been my main since SSF2 and she wasn't in Alpha2, so I'm always going to choose a game with Cammy over a game without.
I got into Third Strike during shelter in place having not ever really been into fighting games aside from Tekken growing up, and it finally clicked - I understood why people liked fighting games. That opened the floodgates and while I explored other games from that era like Project Justice 2, MVC2, and SNK vs. Capcom 2, Third Strike controlled with a weightiness that was incomparable to me. Also, the OST is top tier.
Loved this video Max! Now you know you have to make a video of the "Top 10 worst fighting games" you played.
Looking to far into this but it’s so true that how a game “feels” is everything. I almost get addicted to the way I can move around and how mechanics feel to pull off in certain games and those are the ones I always go back to. Even if there are 100% other objectively better games to be on probably
Damn max the only person I’ve seen leave out Capcom vs SNK 2 …but I like this list ….but damn CAPCOM vs SNK 2 is on the same legendary status as marvel vs Capcom 2
The majority of people on Max channel and watching this video weren’t born yet when Max and us were playing the first installments of these games.
Let that sink in. To anyone from Max generation, we old af 😂
Street fighter ex3 is criminally underrated. The freedom of that game, the visuals, the features. Idk, it's such a fun game.
Id put it as my number 1 for nosatlgia reasons. Miss the days of doing 3v1s with my bros mashing buttons because we did not know any real combos. Wasnt till MKX that I realized there was more to fighting games than mashing buttons or spamming fireballs.
MAX. The hair is looking good. I understand you're a busy RUclipsr but you should definitely keep it touched up.
What I like about this list is that when you say "personal", you really meant it. I like how a big factor in the choices was just the impact it had on you, while still being overall nice to go back to.
My own top 10 would be this:
10. Super Smash bros. Ultimate
9. King of Fighters '98
8. Garou Mark of the Wolves
7. Vampire Savior
6. Dragon Ball FighterZ
5. BlazBlue Centralfiction
4. Under Night In-birth Exe:Late[cl-r]
3. Guilty Gear Xrd Rev2
2. Touhou Hisoutensoku
1. Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code
I think mine would be mostly the various iterations of Street Fighter 2, 3, 4, 5 and MKXL, and possibly Tekken 3...
MBAACC is based. I really love that game. Same with BBCF and UNI.
My all time favorite game is CvS2 I just love everything about it and I think it’s very underrated
I had the same thought with Soul Calibur back in the day, really sad the first time we had something that surpassed the arcade machine at home.
So happy that my all time favorite fighting game franchise Killer Instinct still makes it on so many top fighting games lists!
In the middle of watching this video, but gotta continue it later. So far, very much a respectable list! I have a nostalgic reason for putting UMVC3 on equal grounds with Tatsunoko, that being because I just put so much time into Tatsunoko (in part because I was never able to get a PS3 or 360 until a couple of years after I bought Tatsunoko, funny enough). That said, I readily agree that UMVC3 deserves to be on this list more, for a number of reasons not totally dissimilar to Smash Ultimate. Idk if Max has a video on Tatsunoko, but I would totally be down for seeing him spend some time with the game should he ever decide to do a video on it!
Also, I know YoVideogames has done videos on a few DOA games, but I don't remember point blank hearing what Max thinks of that series in total, so I would also be interested in that if he wanted to talk about it! I do remember that he said he's not all too familiar post-DOA2, though. Out of partial personal preference, between the five that I've played, DOA2 is about tied with DOA3, and DOA4 fluctuates between being on their level and just under for the best of the bunch. DOA:Dimensions was one that I found to be easily one of the best fighters on a handheld, and a surprisingly competent and almost console-like combat with an active online multiplayer mode.
Being a PS2 owner and seeing SC on the Dreamcast for the first time was like the first time you see HC P**n as a young teen. My heart rate sky rocketed and I got all these "feelings" in my body.
My Top 10 Personal Favorite Fighting Games...
1. The King of Fighters '95 (1995).
2. Virtua Fighter 2 (1994). Had a tough time deciding between VF2 & VF5.
3. Capcom Vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 (2001).
4. Street Fighter Zero 2 (1996).
5. Samurai Shodown II (1994).
6. Bushido Blade 2 (1998).
7. Marvel Super Heroes (1995).
8. Battle Arena Toshinden Remix (1995).
9. World Heroes Perfect (1995).
10. Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1984).
You sir have great taste… some your games remind me of my youth
Personally CvS2 is probably my favorite fighting game. I played it a handful of times when I was a kid then revisiting as an adult after I became "good" at fighting games its honestly my favorite. Its like culmination of all capcom and snk 2d fighting games of the 90s into one game. The amount of playstyles and strats the grooves offer theres just so much depth imo. 3S I never really got that into but CvS2 is one of those games where I can play a ft10 against someone whos really good at the game and get 10-0'd and I still had fun playing it.
CVS2 was the last one that "felt" like Street Fighter 2 to me in terms of system mechanics. I remember picking up SF4 and feeling very disappointed that it seemed to be 3s in terms of responsiveness. I played the hell out of CvS2 and would do so again in a heartbeat.
What’s the song used the background, felt like I heard it before
Crazy how good KI is and if you think about it, it’s really just a patchwork of a game that came together really amazing in the end.
I wish someone could just mention
Bloody roar "primal fury"
I miss that game and I feel like almost no one has heard of it...
This video made my day better ❤️
My top 5 (Not a hyper competitive fighting gamer just a gamer who likes to have fun). So you probably won't agree with any of these.
Number 5 -- Tekken Tag. That game was so fun
Number 4 -- MK Deception. -- laugh all you want Midway built a fun game with a built in RPG, MK chess, which btw is super underrated in the strategy elements of how it is built, and MK Tetris (aka "Puzzle Kombat") which is one of the funnest things you will ever play competitively with another player. Deception also had stage fatalities that were super fun, and yeah competitive players might hate it but again SO FUN.
Number 3 -- Capcom's Rival Schools (United by Fate). If you know, you know. If not, I'm not going to bother trying to explain it.
Number 2 -- Soul Caliber 2. I'm a sucker for games within games and S.C. 2 had a SUPER fun strategy game mode (Conquest Mode) built into the game. ALSO.. you could build your own characters.. and I'm not talking about just reskinned moves from existing roster, I'm talking about I think 5 or 6 alternate and different character classes you could unlock in game with their own unique moves and weapons. This game was fire, and the fact it gets largely overlooked makes me sick to my stomach. Later S.C. games were GARBAGE compared to the amount of content this one had. RIP PS2 era.
NUMBER 1 -- Samurai Showdown. This game was my childhood. Most of my time in arcades were spent on Neo Geo machines, and this game was the best time I have ever had playing a fighting game. Pure nostalgia puts it in my top spot.
All 3rd Strike has is what the player makes of it. It is pure expression. An artform in both appearance and execution.