Best Fighting Games Still Stuck on Older Systems

Companies like Capcom and SNK have done an amazing job of remastering their old fighting games for modern systems, including online modes that let players worldwide face each other in titles that might be older than they are.

At their best, fighting games resist the ravages of time, with the original Street Fighter 2 being just as much fun now as it was in the '90s. Indeed, fighting games have struggled to break free from the 2D plane, with most of the best entries still locked to the side-on view introduced at the dawn of the genre.

While many classic fighting games have been remastered for modern systems, plenty remain locked to older platforms and can only be played through emulation or costly trips to the second-hand market. Some are in dire need of a modern port, or at least a way to play their original versions on the current crop of systems.

10 Super Smash Bros. Melee

The CRT TVs Will Never Be Thrown Away

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate might be the best-selling fighting game of all time, but there are still many in the Nintendo fanbase who prefer the franchise's sophomore outing, Super Smash Bros. Melee, from the GameCube.

Super Smash Bros. Melee might not have the jacked roster of the later entries in its series, but it has some of the most rewarding technical gameplay in fighting game history. Those who have witnessed high-level Super Smash Bros. Melee will see just how much work goes into mastering the game, and the crazy things that players can pull off.

There's a chance that Nintendo could throw Super Smash Bros. Melee onto the Switch 2's Expansion Pass, but die-hard fans likely won't care. The Super Smash Bros. Melee community is all-in on playing the game on the original hardware, including CRT TVs and GameCube controllers, with anything less seen as impure.

Hopefully, Nintendo will put a console-accurate version of Super Smash Bros. Melee on the Switch 2 at some point, giving more people the chance to experience fighting game technical mastery for the first time.

9 Jump Ultimate Stars

The Best One Piece Game is Still Trapped in Japan

Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine is home to some of the biggest manga franchises of all time, including Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and One Piece. Despite owning all these properties, Shueisha has licensed out the video game rights to different companies over the years, making crossovers difficult.

Jump Ultimate Stars on the Nintendo DS was affected by rights issues, making it a Japan-exclusive title. This is a huge shame, as it might be the best fighting game on the system.

Jump Ultimate Stars has a unique take on the character select option, where the player creates a comic page full of panels, with stronger characters taking up more room. This also included support characters who can rush in for a single attack.

There have been other Weekly Shōnen Jump fighting games released over the years, but they've mostly been average at best. Jump Ultimate Stars is a genuinely amazing game, and it's in dire need of a modern remaster.

8 Fist of the North Star

You are Already Out of Continues

Arc System Works is notorious for its amazing fighting games that perfectly adapt their source material, with Dragon Ball FighterZ perfectly capturing the essence of the show, and the upcoming Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls looking like a true successor to the Marvel vs. Capcom series.

In 2005, Arc System Works made an incredible video game based on Hokuto No Ken, better known as Fist of the North Star outside of Japan. This game featured all the best characters from the franchise, incorporating their iconic moments into gameplay as super moves.

Hokuto No Ken has a fantastic soundtrack, filled with musical stings from the show that play whenever a character does something cool.

While Hokuto No Ken did leave the arcades and received a PS2 port, the fact that the franchise isn't as well-known outside Japan meant it never received an official localization and has never been ported to a modern system. Hopefully, Arc System Works will bring it back someday, as Hokuto No Ken has remained a mainstay of Japanese fighting game tournaments.

7 Soul Edge/Soul Blade

The Best Intro in Video Game History is Only Archived on YouTube

While Tekken 3 took all the fighting game community's attention during the PS1 era, there was another game released by Namco during the same era that was just as amazing, but never quite received its due: Soul Edge.

Soul Blade was a weapons-based fighting game set in ancient times, where warriors from across the globe battled each other in search of the titular artifact, said to grant limitless power to its wielder.

It's easy to see why Soul Edge hasn't been ported since release, as it had to change its name to Soul Blade in some regions, due to trademark issues with the word "Edge." The game was also heavily censored in some countries, with nunchucks changed in the UK release, and Mitsurugi being replaced in the Korean version.

Rather than deal with the issues involving the first game in the franchise, Namco changed the series to Soulcalibur for the second release, effectively kicking off a new franchise, even though it's technically a sequel to Soul Edge.

6 Bushido Blade

Square was Releasing Amazing Fighting Games Alongside its RPGs

Fighting games struggle with originality in their gameplay mechanics. This is especially true of long-running franchises, where fans will cry bloody murder if anything changes, while lamenting that new entries are too similar to the old ones.

Bushido Blade on the original PlayStation is one of the unique fighting games ever made, with most attacks killing the opponent in a single hit. It's also possible to strike limbs to take them out of the competition.

Squaresoft published Bushido Blade and its sequel, but has never been interested in remastering them or putting them on PlayStation Plus Premium. It's possible that the two Bushido Blade games are seen as a bit too weird and unconventional by modern audiences.

Fighting game fans who want to experience something a little different should check out the Bushido Blade titles, as their heavily defensive and precise gameplay requires a lot more from the player than just smashing buttons.

5 Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side

Even Sega Had its Own Fighting Franchise in the '90s

Sega entered the fighting game ring in 1993, in an attempt to mimic the success of Street Fighter 2 in the arcades. While Eternal Champions is fondly remembered, it's also one of the most brutally difficult games of its era.

While Eternal Champions was available through other means, such as the Wii's Virtual Console, its updated Sega CD release, Challenge from the Dark Side, has yet to be ported, despite having been released over thirty years ago.

Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side added a ton of new characters, as well as FMV and stage fatalities that could be pulled off on certain levels. Like its predecessors, it's ridiculously hard and will push players' skills to the limit.

While Eternal Champions has been a dead franchise for a long time, it may return as part of Sega's push to revive old franchises. Hopefully, this will include a modern port of Challenge from the Dark Side.

4 Shadow Fighter

The UK also had Some Great Fighting Games

When Street Fighter 2 hit the arcades, there was a rush to try and bring it to home consoles and computers. One system that had a weak port of Street Fighter 2 was the Amiga 500, as it was notably slower than other systems.

Luckily, the Amiga received its own fighting game franchise, with Shadow Fighter regarded as one of the best games on the system. It helped that it was designed with the hardware in mind, rather than emulating what Capcom had done with Street Fighter 2.

Shadow Fighter had a stacked roster of characters from around the globe, many of whom had designs a bit too close to other fighting game heroes and anime protagonists. The lack of design originality didn't matter, as the gameplay was fast and technically rewarding, which is why it's one of the best-remembered titles on the system.

The fact that Shadow Fighter is so tied to the Amiga is likely why it has never received a modern port or remaster. It didn't even appear on the A500 Mini, the system's retro console, meaning emulation is likely the only way people will be able to experience this lost gem for the foreseeable future.

3 Tobal 2

Even Akira Toriyama Can Make a Fighting Game Roster

Bushido Blade wasn't the only fighting game published by Square on the PlayStation, as they were also behind the two Tobal games. Unfortunately, only the first Tobal game was localized, and neither of them has been ported to any modern systems.

By far the most notable aspect of the Tobal series is that its character designs were done by Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball and Chrono Trigger fame. The characters are instantly recognizable as Toriyama's work, and have a bit more care put into them than his usual "throw Goku or Bulma's face on a body and call it a day" style.

Tobal 2 is also notable for its stacked roster, with nearly 200 playable characters. The game also has an extensive RPG-style quest mode, one that was drastically improved over the predecessor's.

It's a shame that Tobal 2 is unlikely to ever receive an official localization, but at least there's a fan-made English translation patch in the wild that players can use to experience the game.

2 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

It's Time to Unleash Pet Shop Boys on a New Generation

It's easy to see why Capcom's fighting game adaptation of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure never caught on back in the day. While the manga it's based on has been hugely popular in Japan since the late '80s, it took decades for it to earn a massive fanbase in Europe and North America.

It's a shame that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fighting was overlooked in its day, as it's one of the best fighting games of its era, with the player able to summon Stand spirits to fight alongside their character.

Sure, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure isn't exactly the most balanced fighting game out there, but it perfectly captures the aesthetic and spirit of the source material, which is the most important aspect of any adaptation.

The game did receive digital releases on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but they were delisted long ago. If Capcom were able to make peace with Marvel and release a collection of their old collaborations, then maybe the same will come true one day for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

1 Soulcalibur & Soulcalibur HD

The Name Change was Needed for the Soul Evolution

Soul Edge stood in the shadow of Tekken 3, but when it became Soulcalibur, it left the Mishima clan in the dust. The original Soulcalibur is one of the most acclaimed fighting games of its era, becoming the second game ever to receive a perfect score from Famitsu.

Soulcalibur refined the weapons-based combat from the original, beefed up the roster with awesome new characters, added a ton of single-player content, and wrapped it all up with some of the best visuals of its era.

So, why isn't there a port of Soulcalibur that's accessible on modern consoles, even though some of its sequels and spin-offs are on the PlayStation Network? It's unclear, but it seems Namco wanted to push its sequel more, especially after the Dreamcast's death.

As with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Soulcalibur received a digital release on the Xbox 360, but that has long been delisted, same with the mobile ports that came later. Bandai Namco needs to make this classic accessible on at least one platform somewhere, as it might be the best fighting game the company ever produced.