Back to the basics

[Gamerforlife]

Marurun is doing a good job pointing out some of the reasons why I stopped being a fan of the genre years ago.

I love beat 'em ups for the fact that they are generally simpler to play than 1 on 1 fighting games

[Ack]

It sounds like Marurun wants a modern take on a World Heroes game.

[marurun]

It sounds like Marurun wants a modern take on a World Heroes game.

That would actually be pretty cool. I wasn't the biggest fan of the character designs, though. A football player? Really? KOF did one of those and dropped him from the roster the very next year.

I actually own Skullgirls but I haven't spend enough time with it. I love the animations. It is a little combo-tastic, but I do enjoy what I've played of it. I tried to get some folks on here to play against me last year but nobody was interested.

I had not idea SFxT was on Steam. I see that now.

Bogus, I love the VF games. I have IV Evolution on PS2 (but I haven't touched my PS2 in a couple years), Remix and 2 on my Saturn, and 3TB on the Dreamcast, so I guess it's safe to say I enjoy VF. Not every character is simple, though. Jackie is incredibly complex with his different stances, and Kage has lots of crazy input moves that I cannot in any way, shape, or form pull off. But yeah, Sarah, Pai, to an extend Lau, and Aoi are generally pretty good starter characters IMO. Akira isn't so bad, either, but he has a lot of hidden depth with timing that's hard to tap into.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Vf5 really changes things up. Pai is a much more complex character and Jacky has become a lot more accessible. Sure there are those very complex characters that have extensive move lists, but I feel like there is a something for everyone's play style. It also isn't about what combos you know, but how you use the moves you have.

I can't stand combo filled games myself and find samurai shodown and last blade and virtual fighter to fit my needs the most

[Exhuminator]

Are there any modern fighters that stick to this basic model? Nothing crazy, just solid fighting action with interesting characters, cool moves, and decent character balance?

I played a fair bit of this for the first time today:

I found the controls to be exceedingly simple. You basically only use the four face buttons. Special moves are super easy to pull off. Now there may be some finer intricacies to the fighting in this game, but I didn't need them while playing against the CPU. Graphics are great, and there's a huge character roster.

I'd also recommend this:

For the same reasons I listed above, it's just an easy game to learn and play. Nothing really complicated going on. Lots of characters. Snappy fighting engine. Great graphics. I for one enjoyed this game quite a bit.

The point with both of those games is that they are easy to pick up and play. They likely have a depth to them that's not immediately evident, but unless you're playing in a tournament I don't feel like its required.

Edit:

If you don't have a console that can play these yet, just make a mental note. I bet you'll enjoy them if you give them a chance.

[ninjainspandex]

Breakers Revenge on the Neo Geo baby! Try it, love it!

[the7k]

I have KOFXIII, but the netcode actually seems pretty weak. Also, drive cancels and such are among the features I consider over-complication. Otherwise I do tend to get along with KOF games, despite the fact that I will likely never enter high-level play.

I don't have any modern consoles, so SFxT is probably out.

I used to enjoy GGPO, so I'll have to explore Fightcade some. I have a metric crap-ton of older fighters on the Saturn and Dreamcast already, so many of the titles you mentioned are at least nominally familiar to me.

Still, it would be nice to see a modern fighter developed to not be combo-heavy, not rely on juggling, and not have any weird parry or cancel systems. It would all come down to knowing your move set: timing, reach, and priority.

Well, as much as I'd love to see a fighting game without combos, that just ain't gonna happen these days. It's why I pick my battles by going with games that have easy, straight-forward combo systems that don't require hours in training mode while also doing a decent amount of damage so as to not encourage wreckless playing habits on the part of either player because "lol, I can jump in over and over and he's only going to take 2% health off of me each time."

If you want a fighting game without combos, there's exactly two options: Senior Footsies and Dive Kick.

[marurun]

Breakers Revenge on the Neo Geo baby! Try it, love it!

For a moment I read that as Beakers Revenge. That would be a great Muppet game.

[Gamerforlife]

I haven't played a fighter in ages...but I might pick this one up and try it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_qhYvmefnI

That trailer has me pretty pumped. Sad thing is, I think the DBZ and Rurouni Kenshin fighters are the only characters I'm familiar with

[Gamerforlife]

Actual gameplay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XeI8xBp9yE