Garou: Mark Of The Wolves
Alongside Capcom, SNK is responsible for most of the classic fighting franchises from the ’90s. Technically, Fatal Fury never made it out of the decade of grunge, but the license went out with a bang as its final entry, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, is fantastic. Dated as some of its visuals might be in this day and age, Garou holds up in the area that matters the most when it comes to fighting games: combat. Smooth and satisfying, the gameplay is timeless and hits the sweet spot between approachability and complexity.
Even after all these years, Garou’s animation is still fantastic. Each character moves in a way that feels true to their personality and background. While a bit uneven in places, the stages are generally quite eye-catching, and the game has a good selection of locations. Ultimately, these positives are just icing on the cake as the battle system is Garou’s true selling point. The title is packed with mechanics, tools, and options that require patience to master. At the same time, the game has an immediacy that should keep newcomers entertained as they strive to learn the combat’s basics.
A sequel to Garou: Mark of the Wolves is in development, so this is the ideal time to try out the original.
The King Of Fighter 2002 Unlimited Match
A remake of The King of Fighters 2002, Unlimted Match took one of the best fighting games ever and extended its shelf life through improved netcode, a rebalanced roster, and compatibility with modern systems. KoF is still going strong today, but if push comes to shove, many veterans of the franchise are likely to point towards 2002 as the series’ peak.
Samurai Shodown 5 Special
Samurai Shodown has not enjoyed the same level of exposure as some of the fighting genre’s most decorated franchises, but the license still has quite a history behind it. Enjoying its heyday during the ’90s, Samurai Shodown has only made intermittent appearances since then, including 2019’s underappreciated reboot. Although a sequel came out just a year later, 2004’s Samurai Shodown 5 Special can be regarded as something of a swan song for the property’s classic era. It also happens to be one of the strongest entries in SNK’s series.
Rewarding aggressive play, this game is fast-paced, punishing, and stylish. This iteration adds Overkill moves that serve as Samurai Shodown’s equivalent to Mortal Kombat’s fatalities. More importantly, Special has quite a balanced roster that enables most of the characters to be viable options.
Street Fighter 2 - Hyper Fighting -
A convincing argument can be made that Street Fighter 2 is the most important fighting game of all time. Capcom’s sequel took the arcade world by storm, cementing fighters as staples of the multiplayer scene. Although iconic, the original Street Fighter 2 does not hold up that well; thankfully, Capcom has released more than a couple of other versions of this seminal title.
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Compared to the vanilla version, Street Fighter 2 - Hyper Fighting -, or Street Fighter 2 Turbo, ramps up the combat’s speed considerably, making the game far more enjoyable to revisit in this day and age. This fighter is an old-school classic that will never truly go out of fashion.
The Last Blade 2
Another SNK masterclass, The Last Blade came and went rather quickly, producing only two entries – it is the definition of quality over quantity. The 1998 sequel builds upon the weapon-based combat of its predecessor, but the developer changed enough things to ensure the two games feel substantially different from each other.
The Last Blade 2 has an absolutely stellar roster of characters, and the game does not prioritize balance above everything else. For better or worse, each fighter is their own entity and performs in a way that reflects their expertise. Visually, the game’s luscious backdrops and fantastic models are still impressive to this day, and the same can be said for the animation. The combat system comes with a few different modes that allow players to decide whether to focus on speed, power, or a combination of the two.
Non-Fighting Games That Fans Of The Genre Should Try
That said, there are a few other Luna games that fighting fans might enjoy, even if they are not members of the genre.
Devil May Cry 5
Arguably the strongest entry in the franchise, DMC 5 offers three playable characters who have wildly different play styles. The campaign frequently swaps between the protagonists to ensure the gameplay remains fresh. Like fighting games, DMC 5 is entirely about its combat, and mastering each character’s nuances requires investing dozens upon dozens of hours.
Lost Judgment
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Despite being a sequel to a spin-off, Lost Judgment is still accessible to newcomers since it generally focuses on self-contained cases. The game’s beat-’em-up combat is also more polished and enjoyable than Yakuza Kiwami, which is to be expected since Lost Judgment is the most recent project to make use of that battle system.
Windjammers 2
Similar to Street Fighter, Windjammers got its start in arcades, with the first title debuting in 1994. While it took more than 25 years, the arcade cult classic eventually received a sequel, and Windjammers 2 is a worthy successor.
Dotemu’s project sticks close to the original’s blueprint, all the while incorporating modern flourishes to ensure the gameplay does not feel antiquated. Windjammers 2 focuses on 1v1 frisbee matches, and players can pick from a roster of colorful characters who bring their own strengths and weaknesses to the field.
