Fighting Video Games

Based on the Toei Animation series, contemporarily aired in the U.S. on Cartoon Network, Zatch Bell! Mamodo Battles is a lighthearted fighting game designed to let fans to do battle as their favorite mamodo-human duo. Spells and attack powers are based on those in the stories, and characters are voiced by the actors who play them in the show. ~ All Game Guide

Fan-favorite characters, such as the displaced princess Kagome and her half-demon companion Inuyasha, duke it out in this 3D fighting game from Bandai. Based on the anime adventure series made popular in North America by its regular airing in the Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" programming block, the game features a total of 12 playable characters fighting in interactive environments. One-on-one, one-on-two, and two-on-two mêlée matches are supported. Single players can issue basic commands to their computer-controlled partners when they team up, and it is possible to develop "compatibility" between two characters for more effective teamwork maneuvers. In addition to the "Versus" modes, a single-player "Story" mode is available, as well as a "Mission" mode. Feudal Combat is presented in a cel-shaded style designed to reflect the look of the animated series, and all of the characters in the game are voiced by the actors who portray them on television. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Tekken 5 is built on a new game engine, designed to render more detailed characters and environments, and much smoother, more natural-looking animations. The game's control scheme has been tweaked from earlier versions, in order to accommodate the new moves that characters can perform, but the focus remains on providing easily accessible, pick-up-and-play fighting that's backed with powerful, complex combo attacks and special moves for those players who invest the time to learn and master them.

Released in time to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the series, Tekken 5 comes to PlayStation 2 consoles with a solid selection of familiar fighters and three new characters: Raven, a ninja, Feng Wei, a fung-fu master, and Asuka Kazama, an unassuming teen girl. In all, there are 20 playable characters available at the start of the game, and more than a dozen others waiting to be unlocked. Forgotten favorites such as Kuma, the fighting bear, and Mokujin, the animated wooden combat dummy, are waiting in the wings.

To emphasize the international flavor of the tenth anniversary of the "King of Iron Fist Tournament," each character in Tekken 5 speaks in his or her native tongue (English subtitles are available as well). As they progress through the single-player game, players will face increasingly powerful opponents, as in Virtua Fighter 4's acclaimed "Kumite" mode. Also as in VF4, Tekken 5 characters can be customized with items such as sunglasses, hats, and new clothing colors they earn by winning matches. Accurate, playable emulations of the arcade's Tekken, Tekken 2, and Tekken 3 are also included, as a bonus for fans of the series. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

As one would expect from the title, this PlayStation 2 disc features special home versions of SNK's popular King of Fighters 2D fighting games, which were originally in arcades during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Nearly 40 different fighting characters from the long running series are available in this version (with more unlockable through skilled play), and matches highlight three-on-three contests. ~ All Game Guide

Fight Club is a 3D combat adventure built on lots of one-on-one, hand-to-hand, no-holds-barred fighting matches. Players are led through a violent storyline based on David Fincher's popular 1999 film. They can design and play as their own Fight Club characters, and choose from three authentically designed street fighting styles: brawler, grappler, or martial artist. Characters featured from the film include Jack and Tyler, Ricky, Bob, Lou, and even the unlucky/lucky convenience store clerk, "Raymond K. Hessel." Combatants display the damage they're dealt in real-time, through blood and bruises that appear on their bodies. Toward the end of a match, when an opponent is almost defeated, an icon appears onscreen to let players know that bones could be broken and a dramatic victory assured. But really, we're not sure we're supposed to be talking about this.... ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

It's time for round three, in Dragon Ball Z's ongoing battle of Good versus Evil on PlayStation 2. Like the first two editions of the title, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 is a 3D fighting game featuring the super-powered, dimension-hopping heroes and villains of the popular anime series. Unlike its immediate predecessor, Budokai 3 is presented in a more conventional fighting game format, without the extra board-game interface. The game features four main modes: a "Training" mode to practice moves, a one-on-one "Duel" mode, an arcade-style "World Tournament," and a "Dragon Universe" mode that follows a storyline and encourages character development.

Though based on the mechanics of the first two games, the fighting itself has been enhanced, with new interactive arenas, defensive maneuvers, ki attacks, and the opportunity to develop a favorite character into an extremely powerful brawler by playing through the RPG-style series of battles. As players customize a character, they'll receive passwords based on the fighter's current state. These passwords can be traded over the Internet, effectively allowing gamers to export their custom-developed characters and import characters developed by other Budokai 3 players. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Having met repeated success with cross-over fighting titles such as Marvel vs. Capcom and Capcom vs. SNK, the influential publisher presents this 2004 2D brawler that features cross-over competition between characters from its own games. In Capcom Fighting Evolution, players can battle as key characters from five different Capcom releases: Darkstalkers, Red Earth, Street Fighter II, Street Fighter III, and Street Fighter Alpha. Capcom Fighting Evolution features the arcade's six-button control scheme, and characters are designed to fight just as they did in their original games, so strategically choosing the right match-ups according to fighting styles may sometimes be as important to ultimate victory as good brawling skills. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Sammy Studios' acclaimed 2D fighting series returns to the PS2 with new characters, arenas, and gameplay modes in Guilty Gear Isuka. While adding a bevy of new features, the developers at Arc System Works strived to retain the characteristics that made the earlier Guilty Gear games successful, such as the combat system, character design, and background graphics. New play modes in Guilty Gear Isuka include two-on-two fighting and a four-player mode that pits combatants against the game's upgraded A.I. Players can also earn points, to be used in a new character customization mode, where they can purchase new moves and combos or change their character's appearance.

The Guilty Gear storyline has been massaged to offer additional intrigue and suspense to an already dark and ominous setting. Players find themselves in a future where science and technology no longer spur the advancement of society; rather, they are deemed the source of much of the world's conflict and are promptly outlawed. As a new source of energy is discovered, a terrifying use for this energy is conceived as well. Using it to combine the DNA of both humans and animals results in weapons known simply as "Gears." These powerful soldiers eventually declare war on mankind, resulting in a one-hundred year conflict that leads to the birth of a new fighting tournament, designed to find those humans strong enough, and skilled enough, to eliminate the Gear threat. ~ Damian Francis, All Game Guide

KOF: Maximum Impact adds a new dimension to the cult-favorite King of Fighters universe. The Neo Geo series that became a bastion for fans of 2D fighting in the 1990s, when games like Virtua Fighter and Tekken were taking center stage, finally makes the jump to 3D itself with this 2004 release. Initially exclusive to the PlayStation 2, Maximum Impact features more than 16 familiar SNK fighters engaging in three-dimensional hand-to-hand combat through five different game modes: Practice, Training, Survival, VS Battle, and Story. As in most other 3D fighting games, players face a series of opponents in one-on-one matches in which the last fighter standing is the winner. Aside from its veteran characters (some of whom have been virtually brawling since the early 1990s' Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury), the game sets itself apart from others of the style with a system that allows sideways evasive moves and four-way jumping. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Building upon 2002's Deadly Alliance, the series' well-received leap to the 128-bit 3D arena, Mortal Kombat: Deception demonstrates the same depth in design and focus on the home console experience. The game offers five main modes of play, some of which will be familiar to fans of Deadly Alliance. The arcade-style Kombat mode has players fighting their way up a ladder of matches against increasingly difficult opponents, and Konquest leads them through role-playing-styled character development in a storylined adventure full of fights and other events. Also available are Kombat Chess, which lets players choose a team of fighters and challenges them to select matches strategically, and Puzzle Kombat, a color-matching action puzzle reminiscent of Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter, featuring cute, anime-styled versions of the game's otherwise dark and daunting kombatants. Mortal Kombat: Deception is also one of the first 3D fighting games to offer an online multiplayer mode. Broadband-connected gamers with the PlayStation 2 Network Adaptor can simply log on to find a match against a human opponent.

There are a dozen Mortal Kombat fighters selectable at the start of the game, including both old favorites and mysterious newcomers. Longtime fans of the series will recognize veterans of the earliest Mortal Kombat games, such as Sub-Zero and Scorpion, Kabal, Baraka, Mileena, Ermac, and Nightwolf, who are joined by relative newcomers like Bo'Rai Cho, who debuted in Deadly Alliance. Deception also introduces four new fighters, Ashrah, Dairou, Darrius, and Kobra, each with a distinctly new fighting style intended to balance the deadly abilities of the other characters. At least a dozen more characters can be unlocked through the course of the game, by spending "Koins" to open the correct "koffins" in the "Krypt," or by completing certain key challenges in the Konquest adventure mode. In addition to its character selection, Mortal Kombat: Deception draws on the series' storied roots in other ways; development of the game was lead by Ed Boon, co-creator of the original Mortal Kombat.

Although Deception's fighting mechanics are also based on those of Deadly Alliance, a number of enhancements, adjustments, and embellishments have been made. In some instances, the gameplay may have a slightly more intense, exaggerated feel that rewards those who master the complex combo system. Characters can still take different stances, however, and can choose to fight unarmed or with a weapon. Deception features "Fight State Indicators" on the ends of the characters' health bars that make it a little easer for players to anticipate particular dangers and time their special attacks. While it may seem these indicators would take the challenge down a notch, their addition is actually quite opportune, since Deception also adds a diverse selection of interactive arenas, many with instant-kill "death trap" elements, as well as two fatalities for each and every character -- answering the most common complaints that fans had of Deadly Alliance. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide