Fighting games are complicated, which seems counterintuitive for a genre that boils down to punching people in the face. Yet anyone who's watched professional fighters play in a tournament understands how much depth lies beneath the surface. Combo strings, reversals, safe jumps, throws, aerials, juggles, and finishers are only some considerations.
When it comes to staying power after a game's release, things only get more complicated. A game can have the smoothest mechanics but eye-punishing graphics or a deep roster but a soundtrack too grating to ever revisit. The PS2 introduced players to a wealth of fighting games, but only a few had what it took to remain enjoyable after all these years.
10 Def Jam: Fight For NY
Def Jam: Fight for NY wasn't a perfectly-tuned engine of strategic nuance and mechanical nuance when it debuted in 2004, and it isn't one now. Instead, it'sa breathtaking showcase of zany storytelling, a massive roster of fighters, and engaging fighting styles. For those that may have forgotten just how weird American celebrity culture was in the 00s, Def Jam: Fight for NY is also a glorious time capsule. There's no way to adequately explain why it's satisfying to see Busta Rhymes, Method Man, and Danny Trejo beat the heck out of one another while in the midst of the underworld soap opera that is Def Jam. It just is.
9 Mortal Kombat: Deception
In essence designed as an expansion upon the already successful Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Mortal Kombat: Deception nonetheless added some mechanics that remain tremendously fun. Chief among these are the death traps, unique stage fatalities that allow fighters to dispatch their opponents using the environment itself.
In classic Mortal Kombat fashion, these fatalities are gory and over-the-top, allowing the player to crush, skewer, grind, incinerate, melt, and otherwise kill their opponent with a bit of added flair. Toss in Combo Breakers, Hara-Kiri finishers, and Krypt unlockables to keep players invested, and Mortal Kombat: Deception still has a lot to offer, even if that includes a regrettable Chess mode.
8 Tekken Tag Tournament
Players used to the likes of Injustice 2 or Mortal Kombat 11 may look unkindly on Tekken Tag Tournament, because graphically the game has suffered from the passing years. Overlooking that weakness, however, the game remains as fun as it was when it burst onto the scene in 2000. Its core innovation, the ability to swap between two fighters in the middle of a round, is as exciting now as it was then. While some fighting game enthusiasts prefer the classic one-fighter gameplay with which the series began, Tekken Tag Tournament continues to offer respite and new strategic options for those willing to step outside the box.
7 Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark Of The Millennium 2001
A hallmark of good fighting game design is balance. In an RPG it might not matter if a random goblin mob is slightly weaker than it's supposed to be: the mob is going to be obliterated and forgotten either way. The one-vs-one nature of fighting games, meanwhile, means that balance is always in the spotlight.
The PS2 version of Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 boasts no fewer than 48 fighters, and it's a testament to the game's solid design that it felt fun and fair two decades ago and still feels that way today. The Capcom and SNK rosters received equal love and attention, and for fans of either company, the game remains a pleasure.
6 Soul Calibur III
One of the main challenges in a fighting game is to offer players enough content that they will keep playing. If all players have are a few rudimentary punches and kicks and a single arcade mode, it's unlikely they'll stick around for long. Soul Calibur III delivers not only with an array of fighters, stances, and combos, but also modes like Character Creation, Soul Arena, and even RTS-style Chronicles of the Sword.Soul Calibur III gives players more than enough reasons to keep coming back to polish their Voldo Freak Rolls.
5 Guilty Gear X2
The move from 3D fighting games to 2D fighting games opened up a new dimension for players, letting them circle one another in tense standoffs before darting in for a kidney punch or back throw.
Classic 2D fighters like Guilty Gear X2 (Guilty Gear XX) have one distinct advantage, however, that allows them to stand the test of time better than their 3D competitors: hand-drawn, 2D sprites. This style of animation makes games look like a cartoon or manga come to life, and it's one of the reasons that Guilty Gear X2 remains so enjoyable today. Combine the excellent art direction with an eccentric cast and responsive combat and this is a game with staying power.
4 Tekken 5
One of the few 3D PS2 fighting games whose graphics are still tolerable to a modern eye, Tekken 5 returned to the series original formula after controversial deviations Tekken Tag Tournament and Tekken 4. Tekken 5 makes good use of its graphics engine with destructible objects and walls, but even better use with the new ability to customize characters with cosmetics, providing plenty of incentive to play just one more match. All the hats and smashable barrels in the world won't save a fighter if the fighting is weak, however, and thankfully for Tekken 5, the fighting is anything but.
3 DOA 2: Hardcore
Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Bros., and Street Fighter have never produced a volleyball spinoff. Dead or Alive has, and that shouldn't be surprising given the amount of attention the franchise's first title received for its jiggle physics.
Yet it would be a mistake to forget that behind the skimpy costumes and fan service there stands a robust fighter. The rock/paper/scissors balance of blows/throws/holds, in tandem with the stun and punishment systems, made Dead or Alive deeper, more demanding, and more fun than most of its contemporaries, and that feeling holds up today.
2 Soul Calibur II
Console exclusives are controversial. People don't like missing out. Yet these exclusives can be a major draw when handled properly, especially when popular licensed characters are involved. Enter Soul Calibur II, whichafforded GameCube, Xbox, and PS2 fans the chance to play as Link, Spawn, and Heihachi, respectively. Seamlessly fitting these characters into the existing roster is a feat in itself, but Soul Calibur II goes further, boasting gameplay that's welcoming to newcomers while offering enough depth and replay value to keep veterans hooked as they master moves and collect every unlockable weapon.
1 Virtua Fighter 4
One of the greatest fighting games of all time happened to appear on PS2. Virtua Fighter 4 introduces Vanessa Lewis and Lei Fei to the roster. It improves the counter system. It does a dozen little, invisible things to improve balance. What makes Virtua Fighter 4 great is simple: it nails the fundamentals. It isn't the flashiest fighter, the zaniest, or most violent. It disposes of everything that would weaken its core gameplay loop. It is, in a phrase, a fighter's fighter: it exists to please fans of the genre who know what they want and what they don't. It delivered the best in 2002, and it does so today.