History DuelingWorks / FightingGame

|| ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' (2017) || ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' (2017) || Sequels to TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains for TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames. || The sequel (no pun intended) to the squabble between these two same franchises from last generation. This time, both games are coming out within 12 months of each other. Additionally both are trying to be mroe casual friendly compared to other games in their developers stable. Injustice 2 introduces the gear system that allows casual players to customize their characters, however it is banned in TournamentPlay, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite goes back to the 2 on 2 format of earlier games, while ditching a lot of old mechanics in favor of a new freeform tag system while bringing back the Infinity Gems from ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes''. || Too early to call. Both games have yet to be released. That said, Marvel is coming off a still strong tournament showing, while Injustice hasn't really had a major tournament presence ever since the community moved on to ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. ||
|| ''[[VideoGame/BrawlMinus Brawl-]]'' || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' || {{Game Mod}}s of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' that seek to [[CompetitiveBalance create more dynamic game-play and better balance the roster.]] || Both Mods rose from the failed ''Brawl+'', the first attempt at a major ''Brawl'' Mod. ''Brawl-'', created by a standalone team, seeks to balance the game by making '''everything''' a GameBreaker. ''VideoGame/ProjectM'', made by former ''Brawl+'' modders, more-or-less embraced the "''Melee'' 2.0" criticisms aimed at ''Brawl+'' by replicating the more MetaGame-oriented physics of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Melee'', and re-balancing the cast to match. ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' also goes even further by restoring removed stages, creating new alt-costumes, and even bringing back two characters cut from ''Brawl'', Roy and Mewtwo. ''Brawl-'' followed suit by restoring Roy and Pichu. || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' wins by a country mile, if its coverage by major gaming news sites and appearance in tournaments is any indication. This ended up being its undoing, though, as it got so big that the makers ended up shutting ''Project M'' down upon learning that Nintendo would now have grounds to ''sue'' instead of issuing a Cease and Desist. So in terms of longevity, ''Brawl-'' wins. ||
|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash 2'' || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosCrusade'' || Fan-made ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games. || ''SuperSmashFlash 2'' is a sequel to ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash'', which [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny hasn't aged well]] and [[CanonDiscontinuity is best forgotten]]. || Both games are nearing completion, and [[GeniusProgramming what they have now are very impressive replications of]] ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' game-play, especially in the case of ''[=SSF2=]'', which runs UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash. Overall, ''[=SSF2=]'' has more polished graphics, well-balanced game-play, and is more well known. ''SSBC'' has a stronger GameEngine, having a larger roster that includes gimmicky, memory-intensive fighters such as the VideoGame/{{Ice Climber}}s and [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} Capt. Olimar]]. ||

||''VideoGame/Injustice2'' (2017) || ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' (2017) || Sequels to TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains for TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames. || The sequel (no pun intended) to the squabble between these two same franchises from last generation. This time, both games are coming out within 12 months of each other. Additionally both are trying to be mroe casual friendly compared to other games in their developers stable. Injustice 2 introduces the gear system that allows casual players to customize their characters, however it is banned in TournamentPlay, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite goes back to the 2 on 2 format of earlier games, while ditching a lot of old mechanics in favor of a new freeform tag system while bringing back the Infinity Gems from ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes''. || Too early to call. Both games have yet to be released. That said, Marvel is coming off a still strong tournament showing, while Injustice hasn't really had a major tournament presence ever since the community moved on to ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/BrawlMinus Brawl-]]'' || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' || {{Game Mod}}s of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' that seek to [[CompetitiveBalance create more dynamic game-play and better balance the roster.]] || Both Mods rose from the failed ''Brawl+'', the first attempt at a major ''Brawl'' Mod. ''Brawl-'', created by a standalone team, seeks to balance the game by making '''everything''' a GameBreaker. ''VideoGame/ProjectM'', made by former ''Brawl+'' modders, more-or-less embraced the "''Melee'' 2.0" criticisms aimed at ''Brawl+'' by replicating the more MetaGame-oriented physics of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'', and re-balancing the cast to match. ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' also goes even further by restoring removed stages, creating new alt-costumes, and even bringing back two characters cut from ''Brawl'', Roy and Mewtwo. ''Brawl-'' followed suit by restoring Roy and Pichu. || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' wins by a country mile, if its coverage by major gaming news sites and appearance in tournaments is any indication. This ended up being its undoing, though, as it got so big that the makers ended up shutting ''Project M'' down upon learning that Nintendo would now have grounds to ''sue'' instead of issuing a Cease and Desist. So in terms of longevity, ''Brawl-'' wins. ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/BrawlMinus Brawl-]]'' || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' || {{Game Mod}}s of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Brawl'' that seek to [[CompetitiveBalance create more dynamic game-play and better balance the roster.]] || Both Mods rose from the failed ''Brawl+'', the first attempt at a major ''Brawl'' Mod. ''Brawl-'', created by a standalone team, seeks to balance the game by making '''everything''' a GameBreaker. ''VideoGame/ProjectM'', made by former ''Brawl+'' modders, more-or-less embraced the "''Melee'' 2.0" criticisms aimed at ''Brawl+'' by replicating the more MetaGame-oriented physics of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'', and re-balancing the cast to match. ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' also goes even further by restoring removed stages, creating new alt-costumes, and even bringing back two characters cut from ''Brawl'', Roy and Mewtwo. ''Brawl-'' followed suit by restoring Roy and Pichu. || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' wins by a country mile, if its coverage by major gaming news sites and appearance in tournaments is any indication. This ended up being its undoing, though, as it got so big that the makers ended up shutting ''Project M'' down upon learning that Nintendo would now have grounds to ''sue'' instead of issuing a Cease and Desist. So in terms of longevity, ''Brawl-'' wins. ||
|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash 2'' || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosCrusade'' || Fan-made ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games. || ''SuperSmashFlash 2'' is a sequel to ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash'', which [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny hasn't aged well]] and [[CanonDiscontinuity is best forgotten]]. || Both games are nearing completion, and [[GeniusProgramming what they have now are very impressive replications of]] ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' game-play, especially in the case of ''[=SSF2=]'', which runs UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash. Overall, ''[=SSF2=]'' has more polished graphics, well-balanced game-play, and is more well known. ''SSBC'' has a stronger GameEngine, having a larger roster that includes gimmicky, memory-intensive fighters such as the VideoGame/{{Ice Climber}}s and [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} Capt. Olimar]]. ||
|| ''VideoGame/EternalChampions'' || ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' || [[DarkerAndEdgier Dark]], [[BloodierAndGorier violent]] fighting games made by the leading console manufacturers at the time as a FollowTheLeader answer to ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'', with outlandish character designs and gallons of RuleOfCool. || Though spearheaded by Creator/{{Sega}} and Creator/{{Nintendo}}, respectively, each game was actually made by a western developer (''Eternal Champions'' was developed by Sega's America-based Interactive Development Division, whereas ''Killer Instinct'' was made by Nintendo's newly-acquired second-party developer Rare.) ''Eternal Champions'' was developed specifically for the Mega Drive/Genesis, while ''Killer Instinct'' was released in arcades first, and later ported to the SNES (rather ironic, since Sega's primary market have always been arcades, whereas Nintendo had otherwise stopped making arcade games by that point). Gameplay-wise, ''Killer Instinct'' relied heavily on {{combo}}s, while ''Eternal Champions'' played more similar to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' with the addition of a "special attack meter" to prevent players from abusing special attacks. In lieu of Mortal Kombat, both games also had violent {{Finishing Move}}s, though the ones in ''Killer Instict'', while featuring large amounts of blood, had relatively little gore compared to both ''Mortal Kombat'' and ''Eternal Champions''. || ''Killer Instinct''. Both games followed a similar curve after release (a highly successful original game, a single sequel that wasn't as well recieved, and then promptly disappearing off the face of the Earth). In terms of legacy, ''Killer Instinct'' is much better remembered and retains a cult following, while ''Eternal Champions'' is largely forgotten and is usually only brought up in "AnyoneRememberPogs" kind of conversations. ''Killer Instinct'' was also successfully revived in 2013, further cementing this. ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/BrawlMinus Brawl-]]'' || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' || {{Game Mod}}s of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Brawl'' that seek to [[CompetitiveBalance create more dynamic game-play and better balance the roster.]] || Both Mods rose from the failed ''Brawl+'', the first attempt at a major ''Brawl'' Mod. ''Brawl-'', created by a standalone team, seeks to balance the game by making '''everything''' a GameBreaker. ''ProjectM'', made by former ''Brawl+'' modders, more-or-less embraced the "''Melee'' 2.0" criticisms aimed at ''Brawl+'' by replicating the more MetaGame-oriented physics of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'', and re-balancing the cast to match. ''ProjectM'' also goes even further by restoring removed stages, creating new alt-costumes, and even bringing back two characters cut from ''Brawl'', Roy and Mewtwo. ''Brawl-'' followed suit by restoring Roy and Pichu. || ''ProjectM'' wins by a country mile, if its coverage by major gaming news sites and appearance in tournaments is any indication. This ended up being its undoing, though, as it got so big that the makers ended up shutting ''Project M'' down upon learning that Nintendo would now have grounds to ''sue'' instead of issuing a Cease and Desist. So in terms of longevity, ''Brawl-'' wins. ||

|| ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' (1996) || ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' (2008) || Established fighting franchise [[IntercontinuityCrossover crossing over]] with established comic universe. Capcom achieved such success with this formula back in TheNineties. ||While Capcom lost the rights to make more games a few years back, they were finally able to convince Marvel to let them make ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. Midway's ''Mortal Kombat'' staff, on the other hand was bought by WarnerBrothers, DC's parent company, shortly after ''[=MKvsDCU=]'' came out. || No contest. ''Marvel vs. Capcom'', specifically ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'', has been a tournament staple for over a decade now and still sees more serious (and casual) play than [=MKvsDCU=] ever did. In fact, ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' on one side and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' on the other are seen as bigger and more comparable rivals to ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (though moreso the latter because of release time frames) in the competitive community than [=MKvsDCU=]. ||

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' (1999) || ''VideoGame/PlaystationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' (2012) || [[UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars Console-specific]] {{Mascot Fighter}}s, each with a roster of characters associated with the console it is on. || You defeat opponents in ''Smash'' with {{Ring Out}}s. In ''PSASBR'', however, you defeat opponents with {{Limit Break}}s instead. The deeper mechanics of the two are very different as well. Sony acknowledges their game's inspiration from ''Smash'', though they also note that many other fighting games served as inspiration as well. || ''Smash'' wins, financially speaking, on account of being unopposed for so long that no other game could hope to dethrone it. ''PSASBR'' received generally favorable reviews in comparison to ''Smash's'' unanimous critical acclaim. To ''PSASBR's'' credit however, it has gained a significant following and online community by those who played it. After PSASBR "outlived its cycle," Sony cut ties with Superbot Entertainment, though a sequel is still possible as Shuhei Yoshida himself basically said to never give up hope.||

|| ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' (1996) || ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' (2008) ||Established fighting franchise [[IntercontinuityCrossover crossing over]] with established comic universe. Capcom achieved such success with this formula back in TheNineties. ||While Capcom lost the rights to make more games a few years back, they were finally able to convince Marvel to let them make ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. Midway's ''Mortal Kombat'' staff, on the other hand was bought by WarnerBrothers, DC's parent company, shortly after ''[=MKvsDCU=]'' came out. || No contest. ''Marvel vs. Capcom'', specifically ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'', has been a tournament staple for over a decade now and still sees more serious (and casual) play than [=MKvsDCU=] ever did. In fact, ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' on one side and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' on the other are seen as bigger and more comparable rivals to ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (though moreso the latter because of release time frames) in the competitive community than [=MKvsDCU=]. ||

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros (Brawl)'' (2008) || ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesSmashUp'' (2009) ||{{Mascot Fighter}}s with similar combat systems.||''TMNT Smash Up'' was developed by one of the teams who worked on ''Smash Bros. Brawl''.||''TMNT Smash-Up'' is widely considered inferior to ''Smash Bros.'', though some argue that it's a decent game on its own and the comparison to ''Smash Bros.'' only hurts it. ||
|| ''[[UpdatedRerelease (Ultimate)]] VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (2011) || ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' (2013) || TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains. || Another Marvel vs. DC squabble, akin to ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' and ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' above. While [=MvC3=] crosses the Marvel universe with a cast of Capcom characters, ''Injustice'' has a roster composed entirely of DC characters[[note]]with the exception of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat''[='s=] mascot character, Scorpion, as a downloadable character[[/note]], despite being made by the studio behind ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. [=MvC3=] is more of a traditional VideoGame/CapcomVsWhatever fighting game, while ''Injustice'' experiments with a number of gimmicks that are either uncommon in fighting games or new to the genre as a whole. || ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' has a several-year lead and a very strong franchise history to back it up, but ''Injustice'' may have time to grow its fandom, as ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''[='s=] update cycle has ceased and its core development team members have moved on to other projects. Both games have received similarly high critical acclaim from reviewers, although the fighting game community is more wary of ''Injustice''[='s=] viability as a competitive fighter due to its stage-based gimmicks. ||
||''VideoGame/Injustice2'' (2017) ||''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' (2017) || Sequels to TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains for TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames. || The sequel (no pun intended) to the squabble between these two same franchises from last generation. This time, both games are coming out within 12 months of each other. Additionally both are trying to be mroe casual friendly compared to other games in their developers stable. Injustice 2 introduces the gear system that allows casual players to customize their characters, however it is banned in TournamentPlay, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite goes back to the 2 on 2 format of earlier games, while ditching a lot of old mechanics in favor of a new freeform tag system while bringing back the Infinity Gems from ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes''. || Too early to call. Both games have yet to be released. That said, Marvel is coming off a still strong tournament showing, while Injustice hasn't really had a major tournament presence ever since the community moved on to ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. ||

|| ''VideoGame/InternationalKarate'' (1985) || ''VideoGame/TheWayOfTheExplodingFist'' (1985) || SerialNumbersFiledOff ports of ''VideoGame/KarateChamp'' released for the Commodore64 in 1985. || They're pretty much indistinguishable gameplay-wise, but ''VideoGame/InternationalKarate'' is notable for featuring one of the most popular SID tunes ever written, courtesy of Rob Hubbard. || ''VideoGame/InternationalKarate'' sold more and is now more famous thanks largely to its music.

|| ''VideoGame/TheOutfoxies'' (1994) || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' (1999) || 4-player arena fighting games. || The former is an arcade game with original characters, while the latter is a console game featuring characters from Nintendo's franchises, released 5 years apart from each other.||''Smash'' wins this one easily. It is the more well-known of the two and the series is still living on to this very day, whereas ''The Outfoxies'' has faded into obscurity. ||

|| ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' (1993) || ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', (1994) ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' (1996) || 3D {{Fighting Game}}s with an emphasis on realistic martial arts styles||''Virtua Fighter'', like ''StreetFighter'', is considered the UrExample of 3D fighters and most games made after it deliberately ape it. ''Tekken'' combined VF's realistic gameplay with a ''Street Fighter''-like cast of misfits. ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' took VF's gameplay, added a dopey exploding arena gimmick, and utilized some [[JigglePhysics very]] fascinating [[{{Stripperiffic}} character]] [[FanService concepts]]. || ''Tekken'' has remained as the top selling 3D fighting game series. ''Virtua Fighter'' is lauded by tournament players but only has a very small competitive scene in the west. ''DOA'' has slowly mounted a comeback a steadily growing competitive scene since its fifth installment came out. ||

|| ''VideoGame/EternalChampions'' || ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' || [[DarkerAndEdgier Dark]], [[BloodierAndGorier violent]] fighting games made by the leading console manufacturers at the time as a FollowTheLeader answer to ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'', with outlandish character designs and gallons of RuleOfCool. || Though spearheaded by Creator/{{Sega}} and Creator/{{Nintendo}}, respectively, each game was actually made by a western developer (''Eternal Champions'' was developed by Sega's America-based Interactive Development Division, whereas ''Killer Instinct'' was made by Nintendo's newly-acquired second-party developer Rare.) ''Eternal Champions'' was developed specifically for the Mega Drive/Genesis, while ''Killer Instinct'' was released in arcades first, and later ported to the SNES (rather ironic, since Sega's primary market have always been arcades, whereas Nintendo had otherwise stopped making arcade games by that point). Gameplay-wise, ''Killer Instinct'' relied heavily on {{combo}}s, while ''Eternal Champions'' played more similar to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' with the addition of a "special attack meter" to prevent players from abusing special attacks. In lieu of Mortal Kombat, both games also had violent {{Finishing Move}}s, though the ones in ''Killer Instict'', while featuring large amounts of blood, had relatively little gore compared to both ''Mortal Kombat'' and ''Eternal Champions''. || ''Killer Instinct''. Both games followed a similar curve after release (a highly successful original game, a single sequel that wasn't as well recieved, and then promptly disappearing off the face of the Earth). In terms of legacy, ''Killer Instinct'' is much better remembered and retains a cult following, while ''Eternal Champions'' is largely forgotten and is usually only brought up in "AnyoneRememberPogs" kind of conversations. ''Killer Instinct'' was also successfully revived in 2013, further cementing this. ||
||''VideoGame/Injustice2'' (2017) ||''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' (2017) || Sequels to TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains for TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames. || The sequel (no pun intended) to the squabble between these two same franchises from last generation. This time, both games are coming out within 12 months of each other. Additionally both are trying to be mroe casual friendly compared to other games in their developers stable. Injustice 2 introduces the gear system that allows casual players to customize their characters, however it is banned in TournamentPlay, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite goes back to the 2 on 2 format of earlier games, while ditching a lot of old mechanics in favor of a new freeform tag system while bringing back the Infinity Gems from ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes''. || Too early to call. Both games have yet to be released. That said, Marvel is coming off a still strong tournament showing, while Injustice hasn't really had a major tournament presence ever since the community moved on to ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. ||

|| ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' (1987) || ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' (1992) || The Samurai vs. Knight of fighting games. ''Mortal Kombat'' brought a BloodierAndGorier style, [[FinishingMove Fatalities]], and a much more brutal combat system. During their heyday in the early 90s, "SF vs. MK" was the equivalent of "WRPG vs JRPG" nowadays, with the same amount of prevalent (and annoying) topics devoted to it. ||''Mortal Kombat'' had more unique games churned out for it than ''Street Fighter''. || ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' did well initially, and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat2'' saw it briefly take the lead in the fighters' market. In the long term though, ''Street Fighter'' was the winner by a long shot as most of the ''Mortal Kombat'' games after the second proved to be the laughing stock for competitive fighting game players and the series was later fed to the PolygonCeiling, further destroying its reputation with casual gamers. However, ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' not only cleared that reputation away but also proved to be ''not'' a laughing stock for competitive fighting game players, effectively bringing the bloodbath back to square one. ||
|| ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' (1993) || ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', (1994) ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' (1996) || 3D {{Fighting Game}}s with an emphasis on realistic martial arts styles||''Virtua Fighter'', like ''StreetFighter'', is considered the UrExample of 3D fighters and most games made after it deliberately ape it. ''Tekken'' combined VF's realistic gameplay with a ''Street Fighter''-like cast of misfits. ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' took VF's gameplay, added a dopey exploding arena gimmick, and utilized some [[JigglePhysics very]] fascinating [[{{Stripperiffic}} character]] [[FanService concepts]].||''Tekken'' has remained as the top selling 3D fighting game series. ''Virtua Fighter'' is lauded by tournament players but only has a very small competitive scene in the west. ''DOA'' has slowly mounted a comeback a steadily growing competitive scene since its fifth installment came out. ||

|| ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' (1995) || ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' (1995) || Early 3D weapons-based fighting games. || Both were released in 1995; ''Toshinden'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, ''Soul'' for arcades (and ported to Playstation the following year). Although not obvious at first, ''Toshinden'' actually takes place in the (then-) present, while ''Soul'' takes place in the 16th century. ''Toshinden'' also has a clear anime-based style while ''Soul'' went with more stylised realism (similar to its sibling series ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''). ||''Soul Edge'', without a doubt. ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' gained a lot of acclaim and sales at first, thanks to novel features like sidestepping, lots of promotion by Sony and being one of the only fighting games for the Playstation at launch. It became the official pack-in game with the Playstation for a while, was ported to {{PC}}, UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and GameBoy and had three sequels, the first of which even got an arcade release. Despite all this, the game was quickly forgotten. There weree many internal issues regarding its development, as Takara screwed itself over by having the series developed by an umbrella of smaller developers who were severely underpaid, and that they focused more on merchandise than the actual game. As newer, better and more refined fighting games came out, the series became [[DeaderThanDisco/VideoGames Deader Than Disco]]. Among nostalgic early Playstation owners, the series has gotten a bit of a CultClassic status though. ''Soul Edge'', on the other hand, was very successful both in arcades and on the Playstation, and thanks to the [[EvenBetterSequel awesome]] sequel ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'', managed to keep the momentum going and has become one of the most popular and beloved fighting game series around. ||
|| ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' (1996) || ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' (2008) ||Established fighting franchise [[IntercontinuityCrossover crossing over]] with established comic universe. Capcom achieved such success with this formula back in TheNineties. ||While Capcom lost the rights to make more games a few years back, they were finally able to convince Marvel to let them make ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. Midway's ''Mortal Kombat'' staff, on the other hand was bought by WarnerBrothers, DC's parent company, shortly after ''[=MKvsDCU=]'' came out. || No contest. ''Marvel vs. Capcom'', specifically ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'', has been a tournament staple for over a decade now and still sees more serious (and casual) play than [=MKvsDCU=] ever did. In fact, ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' on one side and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' on the other are seen as bigger and more comparable rivals to ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (though moreso the latter because of release time frames) in the competitive community than [=MKvsDCU=].||

|| ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' || ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' || After playing it safe for several years, in the brave new year of 1997 the premier fighting game series were ready to take their next installment in bold new directions. || ''Mortal Kombat 4'' took the step into the third dimension, while ''Street Fighter III'' stayed in and perfected 2D (it was one of the best-looking 2D-games ever at the time of its release). Both games did away with a substantial part of their established cast in favor of new faces, but ''Street Fighter III'' especially so (only Ryu and Ken returned, although later updates reintroduced Akuma and Chun-Li). While ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was now 3D, the gameplay still largely took place on a two-dimensional playing field and with the exception of a sidestep maneuver and the introduction of a weapon-system, the gameplay was largely unchanged. ''Street Fighter III'' on the other hand had substantially altered gameplay with the introduction of dashing, "super arts" and the new parry-system. || At the time of release, ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was the winner, performing well in arcades and being a financial success for Midway. ''Street Fighter III'' on the other hand was met with widespread apathy, with factors including it coming out too late after the Street Fighter-craze had largely died off, being a 2D-game at the height of the VideoGame3DLeap, having a really expensive arcade board meaning few arcade operators could afford it, being too inaccessable for beginners, and players finding it too different and with almost no familiar characters ([[UnpleasableFanbase ironically the very things people had complained about with the countless updates for]] ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''). It also didn't help matters that ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was ported to every system available at the time but ''Street Fighter III'' was originally only ported to the ill-fated Dreamcast more than two years after its release. In the long run, the situation has reversed. ''Mortal Kombat 4'' did not age well and is now regarded as the weakest entry in the series, while ''Street Fighter III'' has become VindicatedByHistory is now an incredibly well-regarded game, a TournamentPlay staple and a CultClassic. It goes to tell when ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was excluded from the digital compilation ''Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection'' whereas ''Street Fighter III'' is one of the consistently best-selling digital download-titles around. In the end, ''Street Fighter III'' is the winner. ||
|| ''VideoGame/InternationalKarate'' || ''VideoGame/TheWayOfTheExplodingFist'' || SerialNumbersFiledOff ports of ''VideoGame/KarateChamp'' released for the Commodore64 in 1985. || They're pretty much indistinguishable gameplay-wise, but ''VideoGame/InternationalKarate'' is notable for featuring one of the most popular SID tunes ever written, courtesy of Rob Hubbard. || ''VideoGame/InternationalKarate'' sold more and is now more famous thanks largely to its music.

|| ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' || ''VideoGame/AvengersInGalacticStorm'' || Arcade fighting games based on Creator/MarvelComics. || Something so unusual as dueling titles made by rivaling companies (Creator/{{Capcom}} and Creator/DataEast, respectively) based around the same license. Both games featured ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/IronMan as playable characters, but otherwise had very little in common. ''Marvel Super Heroes'' was a sequel to ''VideoGame/XMenChildrenOfTheAtom'', was loosely based on the "Infinity Gauntlet" storyline from the comics, had traditional sprite-based 2D-graphics, and a special "gem" system that gave your character temporary perks by fulfilling certain criteria during the match. ''Avengers in Galactic Storm'' was based on the "Operation: Galactic Storm" storyline, had pre-rendered CG characters and backgrounds on a two-dimensional playing field and was the first fighting game to feature {{Assist Character}}s. || ''Marvel Super Heroes'' by far: its success eventually led to the beloved ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' games. ''Avengers in Galactic Storm'' slipped by almost unnoticed, and didn't even recieve a home port. ||
||''VideoGame/Injustice2'' ||''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite''||Sequels to TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains for TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames.||The sequel (no pun intended) to the squabble between these two same franchises from last generation. This time, both games are coming out within 12 months of each other. Additionally both are trying to be mroe casual friendly compared to other games in their developers stable. Injustice 2 introduces the gear system that allows casual players to customize their characters, however it is banned in TournamentPlay, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite goes back to the 2 on 2 format of earlier games, while ditching a lot of old mechanics in favor of a new freeform tag system while bringing back the Infinity Gems from ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes''.||Too early to call. Both games have yet to be released. That said, Marvel is coming off a still strong tournament showing, while Injustice hasn't really had a major tournament presence ever since the community moved on to ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''.||

|| ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' (1995) || ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' (1996) || Early 3D weapons-based fighting games. || Both were released in 1995; ''Toshinden'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, ''Soul'' for arcades (and ported to Playstation the following year). Although not obvious at first, ''Toshinden'' actually takes place in the (then-) present, while ''Soul'' takes place in the 16th century. ''Toshinden'' also has a clear anime-based style while ''Soul'' went with more stylised realism (similar to its sibling series ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''). ||''Soul Edge'', without a doubt. ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' gained a lot of acclaim and sales at first, thanks to novel features like sidestepping, lots of promotion by Sony and being one of the only fighting games for the Playstation at launch. It became the official pack-in game with the Playstation for a while, was ported to {{PC}}, UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and GameBoy and had three sequels, the first of which even got an arcade release. Despite all this, the game was quickly forgotten. There weree many internal issues regarding its development, as Takara screwed itself over by having the series developed by an umbrella of smaller developers who were severely underpaid, and that they focused more on merchandise than the actual game. As newer, better and more refined fighting games came out, the series became [[DeaderThanDisco/VideoGames Deader Than Disco]]. Among nostalgic early Playstation owners, the series has gotten a bit of a CultClassic status though. ''Soul Edge'', on the other hand, was very successful both in arcades and on the Playstation, and thanks to the [[EvenBetterSequel awesome]] sequel ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'', managed to keep the momentum going and has become one of the most popular and beloved fighting game series around. ||

|| ''VideoGame/TheOutfoxies'' || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' || 4-player arena fighting games. || The former is an arcade game with original characters, while the latter is a console game featuring characters from Nintendo's franchises, released 5 years apart from each other.||''Smash'' wins this one easily. It is the more well-known of the two and the series is still living on to this very day, whereas ''The Outfoxies'' has faded into obscurity. ||
|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros (Brawl)'' (2008) || ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesSmashUp'' (2009) ||{{Mascot Fighter}}s with similar combat systems.||''TMNT Smash Up'' was developed by one of the teams who worked on ''Smash Bros. Brawl''.||''TMNT Smash-Up'' is widely considered inferior to ''Smash Bros.'', though some argue that it's a decent game on its own and the comparison to ''Smash Bros.'' only hurts it.||

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash 2'' || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosCrusade'' || Fan-made ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games. || ''SuperSmashFlash 2'' is a sequel to ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash'', which [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny hasn't aged well]] and [[CanonDiscontinuity is best forgotten]].||Both games are nearing completion, and [[GeniusProgramming what they have now are very impressive replications of]] ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' game-play, especially in the case of ''[=SSF2=]'', which runs UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash. Overall, ''[=SSF2=]'' has more polished graphics, well-balanced game-play, and is more well known. ''SSBC'' has a stronger GameEngine, having a larger roster that includes gimmicky, memory-intensive fighters such as the VideoGame/{{Ice Climber}}s and [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} Capt. Olimar]]. ||
||''[[UpdatedRerelease (Ultimate)]] VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' ||''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs''||TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains.||Another Marvel vs. DC squabble, akin to ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' and ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' above. While [=MvC3=] crosses the Marvel universe with a cast of Capcom characters, ''Injustice'' has a roster composed entirely of DC characters[[note]]with the exception of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat''[='s=] mascot character, Scorpion, as a downloadable character[[/note]], despite being made by the studio behind ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. [=MvC3=] is more of a traditional VideoGame/CapcomVsWhatever fighting game, while ''Injustice'' experiments with a number of gimmicks that are either uncommon in fighting games or new to the genre as a whole.||''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' has a several-year lead and a very strong franchise history to back it up, but ''Injustice'' may have time to grow its fandom, as ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''[='s=] update cycle has ceased and its core development team members have moved on to other projects. Both games have received similarly high critical acclaim from reviewers, although the fighting game community is more wary of ''Injustice''[='s=] viability as a competitive fighter due to its stage-based gimmicks.||
|| ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' || ''VideoGame/MaceTheDarkAge'' || Arcade weapons-based fighting games in a HistoricalFantasy setting revolving around a titular ArtifactOfDoom weapon. || East vs. West, ''[[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]]'' vs. ''[[Creator/MidwayGames Midway]]'', Samurai vs. Knight (literally, in this case). To oversimplify: ''Soul Edge'' is ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' with swords, ''Mace'' is ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' with swords. It's also worth noting that the home port of each game was released exclusively on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} respectively. || ''Soul Edge'' spawned a very successful franchise still going strong. ''Mace'' was largely overlooked and had no sequel. ||

|| ''StreetFighter'' (1987) || ''VideoGame/FatalFury'', (1991) ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting,'' (1992) ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' (1994) ||2D {{Fighting Game}}s with a heavy emphasis on mystical and impossible special moves. Later installments of both ''Street Fighter'' and ''KOF'' involve worldwide conspiracies. || ''StreetFighter'' the TropeMaker of {{Fighting Game}}s in the early 90s, and AOF and FF were created to ride the wave of its success. Realizing that neither series had the staying power to compete with Capcom's flagship, {{SNK}} combined the rosters of these two titles to create ''KOF''. Both ''SF'' and ''KOF'' liberally crib ideas from one another, and [[SNKVsCapcom have even joined forces on some occasions]]. || ''StreetFighter'' is well known around the world, whereas outside of Japan ''KOF'' is a cult hit at best, with [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff a surprising following in places like Mexico]], where the low-priced UsefulNotes/NeoGeo cabinets proved to be appealing to store owners and players. ||
|| ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' (1987) || ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' (1992) || The Samurai vs. Knight of fighting games. ''Mortal Kombat'' brought a BloodierAndGorier style, [[FinishingMove Fatalities]], and a much more brutal combat system. During their heyday in the early 90s, "SF vs. MK" was the equivalent of "WRPG vs JRPG" nowadays, with the same amount of prevalent (and annoying) topics devoted to it.||''Mortal Kombat'' had more unique games churned out for it than ''Street Fighter''. || ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' did well initially, and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat2'' saw it briefly take the lead in the fighters' market. In the long term though, ''Street Fighter'' was the winner by a long shot as most of the ''Mortal Kombat'' games after the second proved to be the laughing stock for competitive fighting game players and the series was later fed to the PolygonCeiling, further destroying its reputation with casual gamers. However, ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' not only cleared that reputation away but also proved to be ''not'' a laughing stock for competitive fighting game players, effectively bringing the bloodbath back to square one. ||

|| ''StreetFighter'' || ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting''; ''VideoGame/FatalFury''; ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' ||2D {{Fighting Game}}s with a heavy emphasis on mystical and impossible special moves. Later installments of both ''Street Fighter'' and ''KOF'' involve worldwide conspiracies.||''StreetFighter'' the TropeMaker of {{Fighting Game}}s in the early 90s, and AOF and FF were created to ride the wave of its success. Realizing that neither series had the staying power to compete with Capcom's flagship, {{SNK}} combined the rosters of these two titles to create ''KOF''. Both ''SF'' and ''KOF'' liberally crib ideas from one another, and [[SNKVsCapcom have even joined forces on some occasions]].||''StreetFighter'' is well known around the world, whereas outside of Japan ''KOF'' is a cult hit at best, with [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff a surprising following in places like Mexico]], where the low-priced UsefulNotes/NeoGeo cabinets proved to be appealing to store owners and players.||
|| ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' || ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' ||The Samurai vs. Knight of fighting games. ''Mortal Kombat'' brought a BloodierAndGorier style, [[FinishingMove Fatalities]], and a much more brutal combat system. During their heyday in the early 90s, "SF vs. MK" was the equivalent of "WRPG vs JRPG" nowadays, with the same amount of prevalent (and annoying) topics devoted to it.||''Mortal Kombat'' had more unique games churned out for it than ''Street Fighter''.||''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' did well initially, and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat2'' saw it briefly take the lead in the fighters' market. In the long term though, ''Street Fighter'' was the winner by a long shot as most of the ''Mortal Kombat'' games after the second proved to be the laughing stock for competitive fighting game players and the series was later fed to the PolygonCeiling, further destroying its reputation with casual gamers. However, ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' not only cleared that reputation away but also proved to be ''not'' a laughing stock for competitive fighting game players, effectively bringing the bloodbath back to square one.||
|| ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' || ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' ||Established fighting franchise [[IntercontinuityCrossover crossing over]] with established comic universe. Capcom achieved such success with this formula back in TheNineties. ||While Capcom lost the rights to make more games a few years back, they were finally able to convince Marvel to let them make ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. Midway's ''Mortal Kombat'' staff, on the other hand was bought by WarnerBrothers, DC's parent company, shortly after ''[=MKvsDCU=]'' came out. ||No contest. ''Marvel vs. Capcom'', specifically ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'', has been a tournament staple for over a decade now and still sees more serious (and casual) play than [=MKvsDCU=] ever did. In fact, ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' on one side and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' on the other are seen as bigger and more comparable rivals to ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (though moreso the latter because of release time frames) in the competitive community than [=MKvsDCU=].||
|| ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' || ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''; ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' ||3D {{Fighting Game}}s with an emphasis on realistic martial arts styles||''Virtua Fighter'', like ''StreetFighter'', is considered the UrExample of 3D fighters and most games made after it deliberately ape it. ''Tekken'' combined VF's realistic gameplay with a ''Street Fighter''-like cast of misfits. ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' took VF's gameplay, added a dopey exploding arena gimmick, and utilized some [[JigglePhysics very]] fascinating [[{{Stripperiffic}} character]] [[FanService concepts]].||''Tekken'' has remained as the top selling 3D fighting game series. ''Virtua Fighter'' is lauded by tournament players but only has a very small competitive scene in the west. ''DOA'' has slowly mounted a comeback a steadily growing competitive scene since its fifth installment came out.||
|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros (Brawl)'' || ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesSmashUp'' ||{{Mascot Fighter}}s with similar combat systems.||''TMNT Smash Up'' was developed by one of the teams who worked on ''Smash Bros. Brawl''.||''TMNT Smash-Up'' is widely considered inferior to ''Smash Bros.'', though some argue that it's a decent game on its own and the comparison to ''Smash Bros.'' only hurts it.||
|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' || ''VideoGame/PlaystationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' ||[[UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars Console-specific]] {{Mascot Fighter}}s, each with a roster of characters associated with the console it is on.||You defeat opponents in ''Smash'' with {{Ring Out}}s. In ''PSASBR'', however, you defeat opponents with {{Limit Break}}s instead. The deeper mechanics of the two are very different as well. Sony acknowledges their game's inspiration from ''Smash'', though they also note that many other fighting games served as inspiration as well.||''Smash'' wins, financially speaking, on account of being unopposed for so long that no other game could hope to dethrone it. ''PSASBR'' received generally favorable reviews in comparison to ''Smash's'' unanimous critical acclaim. To ''PSASBR's'' credit however, it has gained a significant following and online community by those who played it. After PSASBR "outlived its cycle," Sony cut ties with Superbot Entertainment, though a sequel is still possible as Shuhei Yoshida himself basically said to never give up hope.||
|| ''VideoGame/TheOutfoxies'' || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' ||4-player arena fighting games.||The former is an arcade game with original characters, while the latter is a console game featuring characters from Nintendo's franchises, released 5 years apart from each other.||''Smash'' wins this one easily. It is the more well-known of the two and the series is still living on to this very day, whereas ''The Outfoxies'' has faded into obscurity.||
|| ''[[VideoGame/BrawlMinus Brawl-]]'' || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' ||{{Game Mod}}s of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Brawl'' that seek to [[CompetitiveBalance create more dynamic game-play and better balance the roster.]]||Both Mods rose from the failed ''Brawl+'', the first attempt at a major ''Brawl'' Mod. ''Brawl-'', created by a standalone team, seeks to balance the game by making '''everything''' a GameBreaker. ''ProjectM'', made by former ''Brawl+'' modders, more-or-less embraced the "''Melee'' 2.0" criticisms aimed at ''Brawl+'' by replicating the more MetaGame-oriented physics of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'', and re-balancing the cast to match. ''ProjectM'' also goes even further by restoring removed stages, creating new alt-costumes, and even bringing back two characters cut from ''Brawl'', Roy and Mewtwo. ''Brawl-'' followed suit by restoring Roy and Pichu.||''ProjectM'' wins by a country mile, if its coverage by major gaming news sites and appearance in tournaments is any indication. This ended up being its undoing, though, as it got so big that the makers ended up shutting ''Project M'' down upon learning that Nintendo would now have grounds to ''sue'' instead of issuing a Cease and Desist. So in terms of longevity, ''Brawl-'' wins. ||
|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash 2'' || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosCrusade'' ||Fan-made ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games.||''SuperSmashFlash 2'' is a sequel to ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash'', which [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny hasn't aged well]] and [[CanonDiscontinuity is best forgotten]].||Both games are nearing completion, and [[GeniusProgramming what they have now are very impressive replications of]] ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' game-play, especially in the case of ''[=SSF2=]'', which runs UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash. Overall, ''[=SSF2=]'' has more polished graphics, well-balanced game-play, and is more well known. ''SSBC'' has a stronger GameEngine, having a larger roster that includes gimmicky, memory-intensive fighters such as the VideoGame/{{Ice Climber}}s and [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} Capt. Olimar]].||
|| ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' || ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' ||Early 3D weapons-based fighting games.||Both were released in 1995; ''Toshinden'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, ''Soul'' for arcades (and ported to Playstation the following year). Although not obvious at first, ''Toshinden'' actually takes place in the (then-) present, while ''Soul'' takes place in the 16th century. ''Toshinden'' also has a clear anime-based style while ''Soul'' went with more stylised realism (similar to its sibling series ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''). ||''Soul Edge'', without a doubt. ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' gained a lot of acclaim and sales at first, thanks to novel features like sidestepping, lots of promotion by Sony and being one of the only fighting games for the Playstation at launch. It became the official pack-in game with the Playstation for a while, was ported to {{PC}}, UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and GameBoy and had three sequels, the first of which even got an arcade release. Despite all this, the game was quickly forgotten. There weree many internal issues regarding its development, as Takara screwed itself over by having the series developed by an umbrella of smaller developers who were severely underpaid, and that they focused more on merchandise than the actual game. As newer, better and more refined fighting games came out, the series became [[DeaderThanDisco/VideoGames Deader Than Disco]]. Among nostalgic early Playstation owners, the series has gotten a bit of a CultClassic status though. ''Soul Edge'', on the other hand, was very successful both in arcades and on the Playstation, and thanks to the [[EvenBetterSequel awesome]] sequel ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'', managed to keep the momentum going and has become one of the most popular and beloved fighting game series around.||

|| ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' || ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''; ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' ||3D {{Fighting Game}}s with an emphasis on realistic martial arts styles||''Virtua Fighter'', like ''StreetFighter'', is considered the UrExample of 3D fighters and most games made after it deliberately ape it. ''Tekken'' combined VF's realistic gameplay with a ''Street Fighter''-like cast of misfits. ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' took VF's gameplay, added a dopey exploding arena gimmick, and utilized some [[JigglePhysics very]] fascinating [[{{Stripperiffic}} character]] [[FanService concepts]].||''Tekken'' has remained as the top selling 3D fighting game series. ''Virtua Fighter'' is lauded by tournament players but only has a very small competitive scene in the west. ''DOA'' has slowly mounted a comeback a steadily growing competitive scene since DOA5 came out.||

|| ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' || ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''; ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' ||3D {{Fighting Game}}s with an emphasis on realistic martial arts styles||''Virtua Fighter'', like ''StreetFighter'', is considered the UrExample of 3D fighters and most games made after it deliberately ape it. ''Tekken'' combined VF's realistic gameplay with a ''Street Fighter''-like cast of misfits. ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' took VF's gameplay, added a dopey exploding arena gimmick, and utilized some [[JigglePhysics very]] fascinating [[{{Stripperiffic}} character]] [[FanService concepts]].||''Tekken'' is the top selling 3D fighting game series. ''Virtua Fighter'' is lauded by tournament players but only has a very small competitive scene in the west. ''DOA'' has slowly mounted a comeback a steadily growing competitive scene since DOA5 came out, but still struggles to be.||

|| ''VideoGame/TheOutfoxies'' || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' ||4-player arena fighting games.||The former is an arcade game while the latter is a console game.||''Smash'' wins this one easily. It is the more well-known of the two and the series is still living on to this very day, whereas ''The Outfoxies'' has faded into obscurity.||

|| ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' || ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''; ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' ||3D {{Fighting Game}}s with an emphasis on realistic martial arts styles||''Virtua Fighter'', like ''StreetFighter'', is considered the UrExample of 3D fighters and most games made after it deliberately ape it. ''Tekken'' combined VF's realistic gameplay with a ''Street Fighter''-like cast of misfits. ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' took VF's gameplay, added a dopey exploding arena gimmick, and utilized some [[JigglePhysics very]] fascinating [[{{Stripperiffic}} character]] [[FanService concepts]].||''Tekken'' won financially, however the competitive scene has been shrinking in recent. ''Virtua Fighter'' is lauded by tournament players but only has a very small competitive scene in the west. ''DOA'' has slowly mounted a comeback a steadily growing competitive scene.||

|| ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' || ''VideoGame/MaceTheDarkAge'' || Arcade weapons-based fighting games in a HistoricalFantasy setting revolving around a titular ArtifactOfDoom weapon. || East vs. West, ''Creator/{{Namco}}'' vs. ''[[Creator/MidwayGames Midway]]'', Samurai vs. Knight (literally, in this case). To oversimplify: ''Soul Edge'' is ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' with swords, ''Mace'' is ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' with swords. It's also worth noting that the home port of each game was released exclusively on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} respectively. || ''Soul Edge'' spawned a very successful franchise still going strong. ''Mace'' was largely overlooked and had no sequel. ||

||''VideoGame/Injustice2'' ||''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite''||Sequels TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains for TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames.||The sequel (no pun intended) to the squabble between these two same franchises from last generation. This time, both games are coming out within 12 months of each other. Additionally both are trying to be mroe casual friendly compared to other games in their developers stable. Injustice 2 introduces the gear system that allows casual players to customize their characters, however it is banned in TournamentPlay, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite goes back to the 2 on 2 format of earlier games, while ditching a lot of old mechanics in favor of a new freeform tag system while bringing back the Infinity Gems from ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes''.||Too early to call. Both games have yet to be released. That said, Marvel is coming off a still strong tournament showing, while Injustice hasn't really had a major tournament presence ever since the community moved on to ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''.||

|| ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' || ''VideoGame/AvengersInGalacticStorm'' || Arcade fighting games based on Creator/MarvelComics. || Something so unusual as dueling titles made by rivaling companies (Creator/{{Capcom}} and Creator/DataEast, respectively) based around the same license. Both games featured ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/IronMan as playable characters, but otherwise had very little in common. ''Marvel Super Heroes'' was a sequel to ''VideoGame/XMenChildrenOfTheAtom'', was loosely based on the "Infinity Gauntlet" storyline from the comics, had traditional sprite-based 2D-graphics, and a special "gem" system that gave your character temporary perks by fulfilling certain criteria during the match. ''Avengers in Galactic Storm'' was based on the "Operation: Galactic Storm" storyline, had pre-rendered CG characters and backgrounds on a two-dimensional playing field and was the first fighting game to feature {{Assist Character}}s. || ''Marvel Super Heroes'' by far: its success eventually led to the beloved ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' games. ''Avengers in Galactic Storm'' slipped by almost unnoticed, and didn't even recieve a home port. ||

||''[[UpdatedRerelease (Ultimate)]] VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' ||''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs''||TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains.||Another Marvel vs. DC squabble, akin to ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' and ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' above. While [=MvC3=] crosses the Marvel universe with a cast of Capcom characters, ''Injustice'' has a roster composed entirely of DC characters[[note]]with the exception of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat''[='s=] mascot character, Scorpion, as a downloadble character[[/note]], despite being made by the studio behind ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. [=MvC3=] is more of a traditional CapcomVsWhatever fighting game, while ''Injustice'' experiments with a number of gimmicks that are either uncommon in fighting games or new to the genre as a whole.||''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' has a several-year lead and a very strong franchise history to back it up, but ''Injustice'' may have time to grow its fandom, as ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''[='s=] update cycle has ceased and its core development team members have moved on to other projects. Both games have received similarly high critical acclaim from reviewers, although the fighting game community is more wary of ''Injustice''[='s=] viability as a competitive fighter due to its stage-based gimmicks.||

|| ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' || ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' ||Early 3D weapons-based fighting games.||Both were released in 1995; ''Toshinden'' for the {{Playstation}}, ''Soul'' for arcades (and ported to Playstation the following year). Although not obvious at first, ''Toshinden'' actually takes place in the (then-) present, while ''Soul'' takes place in the 16th century. ''Toshinden'' also has a clear anime-based style while ''Soul'' went with more stylised realism (similar to its sibling series ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''). ||''Soul Edge'', without a doubt. ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' gained a lot of acclaim and sales at first, thanks to novel features like sidestepping, lots of promotion by Sony and being one of the only fighting games for the Playstation at launch. It became the official pack-in game with the Playstation for a while, was ported to {{PC}}, UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and GameBoy and had three sequels, the first of which even got an arcade release. Despite all this, the game was quickly forgotten. There weree many internal issues regarding its development, as Takara screwed itself over by having the series developed by an umbrella of smaller developers who were severely underpaid, and that they focused more on merchandise than the actual game. As newer, better and more refined fighting games came out, the series became [[DeaderThanDisco/VideoGames Deader Than Disco]]. Among nostalgic early Playstation owners, the series has gotten a bit of a CultClassic status though. ''Soul Edge'', on the other hand, was very successful both in arcades and on the Playstation, and thanks to the [[EvenBetterSequel awesome]] sequel ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'', managed to keep the momentum going and has become one of the most popular and beloved fighting game series around.||

|| ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' || ''VideoGame/MaceTheDarkAge'' || Arcade weapons-based fighting games in a HistoricalFantasy setting revolving around a titular ArtifactOfDoom weapon. || East vs. West, ''Creator/{{Namco}}'' vs. ''[[Creator/MidwayGames Midway]]'', Samurai vs. Knight (literally, in this case). To oversimplify: ''Soul Edge'' is ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' with swords, ''Mace'' is ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' with swords. It's also worth noting that the home port of each game was released exclusively on the {{Playstation}} and {{Nintendo 64}} respectively. || ''Soul Edge'' spawned a very successful franchise still going strong. ''Mace'' was largely overlooked and had no sequel. ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/BrawlMinus Brawl-]]'' || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' ||{{Game Mod}}s of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Brawl'' that seek to [[CompetitiveBalance create more dynamic game-play and better balance the roster.]]||Both Mods rose from the failed ''Brawl+'', the first attempt at a major ''Brawl'' Mod. ''Brawl-'', created by a standalone team, seeks to balance the game by making '''everything''' a GameBreaker. ''ProjectM'', made by former ''Brawl+'' modders, more-or-less embraced the "''Melee'' 2.0" criticisms aimed at ''Brawl+'' by replicating the more MetaGame-oriented physics of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'', and re-balancing the cast to match. ''ProjectM'' also goes even further by restoring removed stages, creating new alt-costumes, and even bringing back two characters cut from ''Brawl'', Roy and Mewtwo. ''Brawl-'' followed suit by restoring Roy and Pichu.||''ProjectM'' wins by a country mile, if its coverage by major gaming news sites and appearance in tournaments is any indication.||

|| ''[[VideoGame/BrawlMinus Brawl-]]'' || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' ||{{Game Mod}}s of ''SuperSmashBros. Brawl'' that seek to [[CompetitiveBalance create more dynamic game-play and better balance the roster.]]||Both Mods rose from the failed ''Brawl+'', the first attempt at a major ''Brawl'' Mod. ''Brawl-'', created by a standalone team, seeks to balance the game by making '''everything''' a GameBreaker. ''ProjectM'', made by former ''Brawl+'' modders, more-or-less embraced the "''Melee'' 2.0" criticisms aimed at ''Brawl+'' by replicating the more MetaGame-oriented physics of ''SuperSmashBros. Melee'', and re-balancing the cast to match. ''ProjectM'' also goes even further by restoring removed stages, creating new alt-costumes, and even bringing back two characters cut from ''Brawl'', Roy and Mewtwo. ''Brawl-'' followed suit by restoring Roy and Pichu.||''ProjectM'' wins by a country mile, if its coverage by major gaming news sites and appearance in tournaments is any indication.||
|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash 2'' || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosCrusade'' ||Fan-made ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games.||''SuperSmashFlash 2'' is a sequel to ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash'', which [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny hasn't aged well]] and [[CanonDiscontinuity is best forgotten]].||Both games are nearing completion, and [[GeniusProgramming what they have now are very impressive replications of]] ''SuperSmashBros'' game-play, especially in the case of ''[=SSF2=]'', which runs UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash. Overall, ''[=SSF2=]'' has more polished graphics, well-balanced game-play, and is more well known. ''SSBC'' has a stronger GameEngine, having a larger roster that includes gimmicky, memory-intensive fighters such as the VideoGame/{{Ice Climber}}s and [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} Capt. Olimar]].||

|| ''[[BrawlMinus Brawl-]]'' || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' ||{{Game Mod}}s of ''SuperSmashBros. Brawl'' that seek to [[CompetitiveBalance create more dynamic game-play and better balance the roster.]]||Both Mods rose from the failed ''Brawl+'', the first attempt at a major ''Brawl'' Mod. ''Brawl-'', created by a standalone team, seeks to balance the game by making '''everything''' a GameBreaker. ''ProjectM'', made by former ''Brawl+'' modders, more-or-less embraced the "''Melee'' 2.0" criticisms aimed at ''Brawl+'' by replicating the more MetaGame-oriented physics of ''SuperSmashBros. Melee'', and re-balancing the cast to match. ''ProjectM'' also goes even further by restoring removed stages, creating new alt-costumes, and even bringing back two characters cut from ''Brawl'', Roy and Mewtwo. ''Brawl-'' followed suit by restoring Roy and Pichu.||''ProjectM'' wins by a country mile, if its coverage by major gaming news sites and appearance in tournaments is any indication.||

|| ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' || ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' ||Early 3D weapons-based fighting games.||Both were released in 1995; ''Toshinden'' for the {{Playstation}}, ''Soul'' for arcades (and ported to Playstation the following year). Although not obvious at first, ''Toshinden'' actually takes place in the (then-) present, while ''Soul'' takes place in the 16th century. ''Toshinden'' also has a clear anime-based style while ''Soul'' went with more stylised realism (similar to its sibling series ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''). ||''Soul Edge'', without a doubt. ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' gained a lot of acclaim and sales at first, thanks to novel features like sidestepping, lots of promotion by Sony and being one of the only fighting games for the Playstation at launch. It became the official pack-in game with the Playstation for a while, was ported to {{PC}}, UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and GameBoy and had three sequels, the first of which even got an arcade release. Despite all this, the game was quickly forgotten. There weree many internal issues regarding its development, as Takara screwed itself over by having the series developed by an umbrella of smaller developers who were severely underpaid, and that they focused more on merchandise than the actual game. As newer, better and more refined fighting games came out, the series became [[DeaderThanDisco/VideoGames Deader Than Disco]]. Among nostalgic early Playstation owners, the series has gotten a bit of a CultClassic status though. ''Soul Edge'', on the other hand, was very successful both in arcades and on the Playstation, and thanks to the [[EvenBetterSequel awesome]] sequel ''SoulCalibur'', managed to keep the momentum going and has become one of the most popular and beloved fighting game series around.||

|| ''StreetFighter'' || ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting''; ''VideoGame/FatalFury''; ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' ||2D {{Fighting Game}}s with a heavy emphasis on mystical and impossible special moves. Later installments of both ''Street Fighter'' and ''KOF'' involve worldwide conspiracies.||''StreetFighter'' the TropeMaker of {{Fighting Game}}s in the early 90s, and AOF and FF were created to ride the wave of its success. Realizing that neither series had the staying power to compete with Capcom's flagship, {{SNK}} combined the rosters of these two titles to create ''KOF''. Both ''SF'' and ''KOF'' liberally crib ideas from one another, and [[SNKVsCapcom have even joined forces on some occasions]].||''StreetFighter'' is well known around the world, whereas outside of Japan ''KOF'' is a cult hit at best, with [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff a surprising following in places like Mexico]], where the low-priced NeoGeo cabinets proved to be appealing to store owners and players.||

|| ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' || ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' ||Early 3D weapons-based fighting games.||Both were released in 1995; ''Toshinden'' for the {{Playstation}}, ''Soul'' for arcades (and ported to Playstation the following year). Although not obvious at first, ''Toshinden'' actually takes place in the (then-) present, while ''Soul'' takes place in the 16th century. ''Toshinden'' also has a clear anime-based style while ''Soul'' went with more stylised realism (similar to its sibling series ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''). ||''Soul Edge'', without a doubt. ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' gained a lot of acclaim and sales at first, thanks to novel features like sidestepping, lots of promotion by Sony and being one of the only fighting games for the Playstation at launch. It became the official pack-in game with the Playstation for a while, was ported to {{PC}}, SegaSaturn and GameBoy and had three sequels, the first of which even got an arcade release. Despite all this, the game was quickly forgotten. There weree many internal issues regarding its development, as Takara screwed itself over by having the series developed by an umbrella of smaller developers who were severely underpaid, and that they focused more on merchandise than the actual game. As newer, better and more refined fighting games came out, the series became [[DeaderThanDisco/VideoGames Deader Than Disco]]. Among nostalgic early Playstation owners, the series has gotten a bit of a CultClassic status though. ''Soul Edge'', on the other hand, was very successful both in arcades and on the Playstation, and thanks to the [[EvenBetterSequel awesome]] sequel ''SoulCalibur'', managed to keep the momentum going and has become one of the most popular and beloved fighting game series around.||

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash 2'' || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosCrusade'' ||Fan-made ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games.||''SuperSmashFlash 2'' is a sequel to ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash'', which [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny hasn't aged well]] and [[CanonDiscontinuity is best forgotten]].||Both games are nearing completion, and [[GeniusProgramming what they have now are very impressive replications of]] ''SuperSmashBros'' game-play, especially in the case of ''[=SSF2=]'', which runs AdobeFlash. Overall, ''[=SSF2=]'' has more polished graphics, well-balanced game-play, and is more well known. ''SSBC'' has a stronger GameEngine, having a larger roster that includes gimmicky, memory-intensive fighters such as the VideoGame/{{Ice Climber}}s and [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} Capt. Olimar]].||