Introduction
Fighting games have always been a niche genre of games. However, with the growing popularity of this genre in recent years, and with new fighting games coming out to high praise, the question needs to be asked: “Which fighting game should I start with?” Well, with the holiday season behind us and new fighters having joined the fight, it is time to finally answer the question of which fighting game new players should pick as their starting game.
Traditional or Unorthodox?
Now, when we talk about fighting games, there are a few types within the genre that vary in playstyle. Most people are familiar with the Traditional Fighters such as Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Tekken. These games dominate the fighting game scene but there are much more out there that players aren’t as exposed to. This isn’t even scratching the surface of the genre as there are various other styles of fighting games with the most notable being the Platform Fighter.
Games such as Super Smash Brothers, MultiVersus, and Rivals of Aether are the most popular of this subgenre. One last subgenre worth note would be the Arena Fighter with games such as NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Storm and Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero being the most notable games. There is a whole lot to choose from between these games alone, and the decision can be very daunting – but do not fret. We will be diving deeper into each game subgenre to help with your decision.
Going with the Classics
Starting off with the Traditional Fighter, we have many games to choose from, as this subgenre is the most popular and expansive out of the three we will be talking about. To help narrow down the game selection, I will be going into each game by the theme to give you a better idea of what to expect when deciding on a game. If you are just looking to have an easier time to learn how to play a fighting game, then games such as Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1 are a good starting point. These games have a very good training mode to help with learning the fundamentals of a character and have big enough player bases that you won’t run into many players that have more experience than you.
If you are into the anime aesthetic, then games such as Guilty Gear -Strive- and Dragon Ball FighterZ are perfect games to pick up. Both games have a very pretty artstyle with fluid-feeling combat, which, for a fighting game, is very necessary for the lifetime of the game. These games do have a smaller fanbase, so going up against players online can feel very daunting. You will run into more skilled players more often than not, so if you don’t want to deal with that as your first fighting game, I would avoid this subgenre.
All the games I have mentioned so far have been 2D fighting games, but if you want more movement options, then Tekken 8 is the game for you. What makes this game different from the others is that it is a 3D Traditional Fighter where you can move up and down in conjunction with the forward and backwards movement in 2D Traditional Fighters. This game also has a very extensive training mode that is the best out of the current crop of fighting games on the market. The main issue with the game when it comes to new players is that it is very hard to learn. You need to keep in mind that you are now fighting in a 3D space, in which you need to learn way more moves in order to get ahead of the competition. If this is too much for you, then I wouldn’t recommend Tekken 8 as a starting game.
That being said, all of these choices are a great option to start off with if Traditional Fighters are your speed. Each game has something unique solely to them, and all of them are going to require you to learn the fundamentals of your chosen character. Other notable Traditional Fighting are as follows; Killer Instinct, Soul Calibur, Skullgirls, Fatal Fury, and King of Fighters.
Hopping Around the Battlefield
If Traditional Fighters aren’t for you, then Platform Fighters are the next best thing. What makes Platform Fighters different from the rest is the fact that these games heavily rely on movement-based fighting. With these games, an added emphasis in jump attacks is king compared to the grounded level fighting that Traditional Fighters provide. The unequivocal most recommended fighting game in this subgenre would have to go to Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate, as it is the premium option for the Platform Fighting subgenre. This game can easily be learned by anyone and it is the biggest collection of characters from the Nintendo roster of characters plus some other guest characters from a wide range of games such as Joker from Persona 5 and Banjo & Kazooie from the Banjo – Kazooie series.
Smash Brothers isn’t the only one of these games that has a collection of characters that don’t normally collaborate, as MultiVersus is another Platform Fighter that has a multitude of characters this time from the Warner Bros list of IP to duke it out. What makes this different from Smash Brothers is that MultiVersus adds an emphasis in teamwork-based moves in 2v2 fashion. The main issue surrounding MultiVersus however is that this game is required to be only online so if you don’t have an internet connection, then you aren’t able to play the game.
If you want to play a Platform Fighter that has original fighters with some guest characters here and there, Rival of Aether is the perfect game for you. This game functions similarly to Smash Brothers but it doesn’t rely on the cast of established characters. Instead, it brings players in with its own identity and much faster pace fighting that some people may prefer over the competition.
All of these Platform Fighters are much easier to get into compared to the other subgenres, but still require work if you want to become better at fighting games. Even though these games are much easier, they also run into the problem of not giving players that much of a challenge compared to the competition. So, if it’s a challenge you are looking for, then Platform Fighters are not the subgenre to go with. Other notable Platform Fighters are Brawhalla and Nickelodeon All Star Brawl as these games offer even more Ip’s from Nickelodeon to Star Wars with their own unique mechanics that players can enjoy.
Fight like a Gladiator
If free reign movement is more your speed, then Arena Fighters are the way to go. Arena Fighters bring 3D Traditional Fighters to the max by allowing you to move around the entire battlefield within a 3D environment. The game that made this subgenre popular would be the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Storm games. The series offers a story mode that follows the Manga/Anime, while you get to play the fighting parts of the story. These games can get very fast very quickly so you need to get ready to fight if you want to get ahead of the competition. These games also offer a huge roster of characters from the Manga/Anime to choose from, so you won’t be tired of the characters too quickly.
Another game that had released recently would be Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero which had launched to a huge success. This game allows the players to fly around the arena at breakneck speeds, which gives players even more movement options than before. This game offers 182 characters at launch, which is the biggest number of characters in any fighting game that has been released, giving players a multitude of options to choose from.
The only gripe with this subgenre is that many of the other games are essentially clones of the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Storm series, but with a different anime as the selling point. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is the exception to this, as it is unique enough that it warrants its own shout out.
Conclusion
If after reading this entire article you still aren’t sure what game you want to start with, then the only real thing I can tell you is to pick a game that you think looks cool. It’s all about preference at the end of the day, and if you think a game looks really fun to play, then you should pick that game to start learning. Fighting games are hard to get into, so with this article I hope you find a good answer to which fighting game to start with.
Check out Jason’s article titled “Top 10 Movies of 2024” and Ronny’s review on Marcel The Shell with Shoes On if you haven’t already! For more on games, movies, etc. stay here on Geekwave.
References
Guilty Gear -Strive- Steam Page
Dragon Ball FighterZ Steam Page
Super Smash Brothers EShop Page
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 4 Steam Page
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Steam Page
