Man, there are a BUNCH of defunct fighting game series I’d love to see return. Here are some that I enjoyed back in the day that I still see a lot of potential in:
This one is probably the one I’d like to see return most. Having all of these characters across so many different time periods battling out was awesome to me, and the many moves they could do always surprised me. I say surprised because back then I had no idea how to do any of the actual moves lol. But yeah, the whole concept of the game seemed cool, and a next gen version, with some cooler looks for the characters and what not, could be awesome.
This one felt like “Conan: The Barbarian: The Game” to me. But in addition to a nice amount of depth in the gameplay, it also had the makings of a really cool story as well, which younger me definitely enjoyed. Tons of potential to bring this series back, and I’ve seen some beautiful pictures from someone that updated the look of the game art.
Here’s one of them. I really wish this were a real game!
Okay, so this one was no Soul Calibur, but I still see a ton of potential in it. The story, again, had the makings of something really fun, and the character designs, while rudimentary by today’s standards, had a nice variety to them. Plus there’s something really cool about the idea of playing a 3D fighting game set in the dark ages.
This one probably makes Mace look good by comparison lol. Still, a fighting game set in the D&D universe, which I’ll admit I’m not overly familiar with, still sounds like it has potential and I still enjoyed it back in the day when I would play literally any fighting game I could get my hands on. Some fun character designs, and again, lots of potential.
Stop laughing. No really, stop. C’mon… Stop lol. Okay, so this game is not great. It’s not even good. But c’mon, a fighting game with Star Wars characters? How does that not sound awesome? This game had you fighting in cool places, using familiar characters, and the music was top notch. Give us a game with more characters, more moves, a much better (way more balanced) gameplay system and this idea has a ton of potential. I’ll take this over Battlefield 3 tbh.
This game was so strange and innovative for its time. The fact that you could run from arena to arena, cut down bamboo trees, and kill people with a single blow made this one pretty unique. It felt tense, and while the gameplay itself was rather stiff and limited, I think this series could absolutely stand to return.
Again, another one that wasn’t “great.” But still, it had some nice ideas in it. Two rival gangs battling it out in this neo-Chinatown. Some ideas were admittedly not great (why is Wulong Goth dressed like a dorky preying mantis?). But still, I think there’s a ton of potential for story, characters, and the setting was pretty cool as well. I honestly enjoyed it when it came out, even if I knew I wasn’t playing the best the genre had to offer.
Yet another so-so fighting game that came out on the original Xbox. The story was okay, but I always enjoyed the characters and thought it was cool that you could have 4 players at once and that you unlocked a whole new fighting style for each character. The graphics were also pretty cool for their time. I know the name has some… Issues, due to the chanting on Asad’s stage, but maybe a rebranding and some modernization to the fighting engine could help? Either way, I dug it.
Okay, HOW has this game not received a sequel since Power Stone 2 came out on the Dreamcast? These games were an absolute blast to play and while they might not be the most traditional of fighting games, they still have a ton of fun, unique stuff going on. This might be a bold take, but I’d take a 3rd iteration of PS over a new Smash Bros any day of the week. This game was that fun.
It feels so weird even putting this series on the list. To me, it’s like putting Street Fighter on the list. This series was THAT much a part of my fighting game experience growing up. Even though it never had much in the way of a story, sadly, these games were still fantastic to me. The graphics always amazed (well, starting with VF2, VF1 was a bit rough), and the gameplay is so varied and so deep. Got hours upon hours of fun out of this series, from playing friends, to working my way up the ladder in VF4.
I’ve mentioned this game before, but it deserves to be repeated. This game is gorgeous, and the animations are silky smooth. The gameplay is fun, the character’s styles are incredibly varied, and if you ever get the chance to play it in an arcade, definitely give it a shot. I’d LOVE to see this one get a sequel on consoles or even a release of the original for that matter.
Capcom why… This is honestly my favorite series from them. The character designs, the animations, the art style… Everything about this game, even the wonky inputs… Just give us a new game in this series. Sure, it might not end up well, but I’m willing to take the risk.
Alright, I could keep going, but I’ll stop here. More Toshinden, Last Blade, Fighting Vipers, Last Bronx, Primal Rage, TMNT Tournament Fighters, Bloody Roar, Clay Fighter… There are so many great series or even okay series with the potential to be great that have been left in the dust over the years. So many that I’d like to see return. Hopefully we’ll get some of them someday…
). One of my favorite games of all time. I long for its return badly. Only with Sunset Overdrive did I had so much fun since.
