Top 50 Best 2D Fighting Games of All Time

#40. – Mortal Kombat 3

Coming off of the franchise high that was Mortal Kombat II this third installment had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately fans found it largely disappointing. This is because many of the franchise’s signature characters were missing from the roster. Why they left Scorpion out I’ll never know, and why is Sub-Zero de-masked here? It makes no sense. Furthermore the gritty urban environments were not what anyone wanted. What happened to the Asian fantasy motif of the last titles? Despite these issues it’s still one of the best 2D fighting games. Fatalities, friendships, and babality finishing moves all return, and part 3 even introduced the infamous Animalities. The combo system has been further enhanced, and a run button added to allow you to close the gap fast. Despite the aforementioned gripes it’s still a competent fighter. That character roster however is still trash.

#39. – Killer Instinct 2

The original Killer Instinct is among my favorite Mortal Kombat clones. It was all about fast and furious combos. It gets bonus points for the fact that it’s one of the few games of its kind where you cannot button mash to victory. The follow up was released in arcades shortly after, and ported to the Nintendo 64 as Killer Instinct Gold. Because of the liberal use of 3D graphics in the backgrounds I’m sticking with the arcade version which was pure 2D goodness. Despite the digitized graphics Killer Instinct 2 is still a joy to play. The character roster has been updated with a few new characters (including more female characters thankfully) to help round it out. As I mentioned you really have to be comfortable with combo attacks to get the most out of this one, but once you do it’s a ton of fun.

#38. – World Heroes

For the longest time I hated World Heroes. It’s not hard to see why this one gets overshadowed. World Heroes was released for the Neo Geo, and it’s main gimmick is that it features characters plucked from various time periods. I’ve never played another fighting game where you can play as Rasputin or Jeanne D’Arc. There’s also a cyborg and an American pro wrestler. It sounds weird, and it definitely is, but somehow it all comes together to make for one of the best 2D fighting games of all time. World Heroes also introduced several elements that were copied in later titles. This includes environmental hazards, a double jump, and aerial projectiles. The latter two abilities can only be used by specific characters which makes the roster feel more unique from a gameplay perspective. The concept is weird, but I’ve come to love how crazy it is.

#37. – Aggressors of Dark Kombat

In the 90s developers were desperate to find any gimmick to set their fighting games apart from the other Street Fighter II clones. Aggressors of Dark Kombat does so by allowing its characters to move in all directions during a fight. In this sense it plays somewhat similarly to a traditional beat ’em up, but with one-on-one matches. Aggressors of Dark Kombat is also one of the few fighting games that has a dedicated jump button because of the gameplay layout. To be honest this one takes a bit more skill than most because you have to worry about character placement. Missing attacks because of vertical placement can be frustrating, but it isn’t hard to get the hang of. Other unique features include a multi-tiered (and colored) life bar which means matches don’t stop for the next fight, and a crazy meter allowing you to perform super moves when charged.

#36. – Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

Okay Midway, you win. The vanilla Mortal Kombat 3 had serious issues with its roster by omitting some of the most popular characters of the previous games. The developers apparently listened to feedback and released this ‘ultimate’ version with several characters restored. On top of all the fighters from Mortal Kombat 3 they included classic Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Reptile, all the female ninjas, and a few new brand new faces like Ermac and Noob Saibot. Some have new special moves, and many of the combos have been re-balanced. My only complaint (and this only applies to the 16-bit versions) is that the announcer’s voice samples have been cut. It’s a small price to pay for the restored roster if you ask me. This is the definite version of Mortal Kombat 3, and definitely one of the best 2D fighting games of all time.

#35. – Super Street Fighter II

As a diehard fan of Street Fighter II I was more than excited when I saw this new ‘super’ version at the rental store as a kid. It had new fighters, enhanced graphics, reworked special moves, and more. So why isn’t this one higher? Personally I’m not a fan of the new faces. T. Hawk, Cammy, Fei Long, and Dee Jay just aren’t my cup of tea. Also some of the reworked special moves are cheap. E. Honda’s hundred hand slap can now be performed while walking. This is absolutely devastating and results moments where you’re just waiting for your character to die. The new graphics however are absolutely sublime with more frames of animation and detail. Also, the additional stages absolutely slap. While not the greatest Street Fighter follow up it’s still one of the best 2D fighting games of all time.

#34. – Fatal Fury 2

The original Fatal Fury is one of the best 2D fighting games of all time (you’ll see it later on this list). Part 2 is not quite as good, but is still ultimately serviceable. It didn’t rank higher because it was a little disappointing, and made almost obsolete by Fatal Fury Special. The biggest disappointments for me were the lack of two player co-op play, no story sequences during gameplay, and omissions from the roster. Michael Max, Tung Fu Rue, and Richard Meyer are far more interesting than any of the new characters. Sure, Mai Shiranui is a welcome addition as the sole female fighter, but I’d trade her for any of the others in a heartbeat. The plane system (where you can move between the foreground and background) is more annoying here than in the other titles and serves as a detriment to gameplay flow. Still, it’s fun.

#33. – Art of Fighting 3

Art of Fighting was ultimately overshadowed by SNK’s other big fighting game franchises. I loved it for the unique features such as the taunt system and mini-games. As cheesy as the storyline was I loved it as well. Art of Fighting 3 serves as the second follow up and offers the first major changes to the formula. First of all the story focuses on Robert Garcia instead of the Sakazaki family. This also moves the setting south. The latin flair and old west themes are cool, but can’t compare to the 70s style kung fu aesthetic of the original. Despite this Art of Fighting 3 is still one of the best 2D fighting games. It’s absolutely gorgeous making use of motion capture and more frames of animation than you can shake a stick at. The gameplay is largely unchanged, but the roster has been reworked and is far less appealing.

#32. – Dark Legend

I’ll go to bat for weapons based fighters all day. This is especially true for those that implement mechanics based upon the gimmick. Dark Legend is one of these such titles. It originated in the arcades and was only ever ported to the Sega Saturn in the West. I like the setting in feudal China which is not something a lot of other fighting games explore. This is Street Fighter II clone but with a lot of flair. Each of the playable characters uses a different weapon. This serves two purposes; it’s used to block as well as attack. Should you use it for defense too many times it will break. In this case you’ll no longer be able to block, and most of your attacks are altered. The effect lasts for the entire match, and means you’ll have to get used to both armed and unarmed playstyles to succeed.

#31. – Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory

Fatal Fury 2 was good, but ultimately a little disappointing following the original. Fortunately SNK was far from done with the series and released a third installment. This one does little to fix the roster issues I had with the last one in regard to returning characters. It does make up for this with some great new additions. Blue Mary for example is my favorite character in the entire franchise. Her moveset is versatile and takes advantage of her agility making her a tough contender. Bob Wilson is a throwback to Richard Meyer and a blast to use. This game adds in air blocks, a foreground plane, and super moves. The new features are decent and set it apart. Gameplay is similar to the past titles but feels more refined. That’s why I consider it to be one of the best 2D fighting games of all time.