The Fighting Game scene could probably be considered one of the earliest Esports scenes to have recorded VHS footage in shaking cameras, with the legendary EVO moments popping up in videos about top Esports moments of all time.
Yet, fighting games as a genre is very much limited in the mainstream when it comes to discussing what games are good because a lot of the games in this genre get shafted for fan favorites.
In the list below we will take a look at some of the most underrated fighting games that should get a new release.
Fighting games that deserve a remake
7) Capcom vs SNK
Capcom is well known for their crossover fighting games, spanning across well known Intellectual Properties, such as Marvel vs Capcom and Street Fighter x Tekken. One of the most celebrated crossovers that the company ever had the pleasure to work on was the Capcom vs SNK series, especially the second game.
The Fighting Game genre got well established with the relase of Capcom’s Street Fighter II in the 90s. Their closest rival being SNK’s Fatal Fury IP, which had the same DNA as Street Fighter because it was developed by some of the same people who worked on the first Street Fighter.
As characters from both Fatal Fury and Street Fighter are once again crossing over between their respective games, relationship between the companies have been reignited. Fans are now eagerly waiting for the inevitable announcement of a new Capcom vs SNK.
6) Power Stone
Power Stone is not a traditional type of fighting like the rest of titles on this list. It was its own unique kind of fighting game that created a sub-genre of 3D fighting games such as LASTFIGHT, Combat Core, and the very popular Shrek Super Slam game.
Developed by Capcom in an era when they were churning out loads of arcade titles, Power Stone dropped for the Dreamcast Home console and instantly become a classic with huge fan following. A sequel to the game was released just a year later, which allowed up to four players to face off each other in one ring.
With the resurgence of the title in Capcom’s new Fighting Collection 2, fan demands for a new entry in the series has been reignited.
5) Rival Schools/ Project Justice
Developed by Capcom, from the mind of Hideaki Itsuno, Rival Schools was an interesting fighting game with a high school setting.
What made the game unique was that even though it had movement in 3D space, It had more elements from 2D fighting games like air combos, air-to-air, projectiles, and even tag team combat like Marvel vs Capcom games.
Rivals schools never got a sequel post-Dreamcast and arcade-era. Hideaki Itsuno expressed his wish to make a new Rival School if given the chance which made a lot of the fans very happy.
4) Blazblue
Blazblue is one of the pillar franchises of Arc System Works along with the Guilty Gear series, having a huge fan following.
The game is well known for being one of the most execution-heavy titles in the ‘anime’ fighting game sub-genre. The series has gained enough popularity to have its own spinoff video games, including a 2D Metroidvania game.
Unfortunately, the creator of the franchise Mori Toshimichi left Arc System Works in 2023 to form his own company, leaving the future of the series in limbo as fans call it.
While the series is not practically as dead as the other games in this list, a new sequel in the franchise from a new director is yet to be announced.
3) Dead or Alive
3D fighting game landscape has been facing drought with most of the franchises being dormant. Presently Tekken is the only reigning franchise in this subgenre with no competitors in sight. But once upon a time Koei Tecmo’s Dead or Alive poised as a worthy challenger to the game.
Rivalry between both franchise was so generational that it extended to their creators, Tomonobu Itagaki and Katsuhiro Harada, as well. Unfortunately the release of Dead or Alive 6 was marred with controversies, and ultimately led to the IP getting shelved, with Koei Tecmo focusing on fan-service heavy spin off games.
The Dead or Alive franchise still to this day has a dedicated fanbase of players who constantly compete in home grown tournament circuits, with hope that one day the franchise will make a comeback, to challenge the reigning champ once again.
2) Darkstalkers
The face of Darkstalkers franchise is familiar to many in the video game community. The succubus Morrigan Aensland is a fan favourite but people barely know or have played the game she comes from.
Darkstalkers is considered by many as one of the most influential and experimental titles from early Capcom. It introduced a lot of fighting game mechanics that went on to become a genre staple, like push blocking, special mode activation, and chain combos.
Unfortunately, the Darkstalkers franchise has not gotten a sequel in years. Fans of this series still keep out hope that one day Capcom will make a new one.
1) Bloody Roar
Originally named Beastorizer, this is probably the most underrated title in this whole list. Bloody Roar is sadly the least probable title on this list to get a new installment any day soon in the near future.
The game was a unique 3D fighting game where characters could transform into anthropomorphic beasts mid-fight which would give them access to new movesets.
In the present day, this game is still very popular among the retro game/fighting game community and fans keep wishing that one day they will get a remaster or a new installment.
