So I think I should play fighting games... where to start?

[BoneSnapDeez]

Throughout the course of my life, I've only sunk a significant amount of time into three fighting games - Mortal Kombat I & II and Street Fighter II.

It's never a genre I chose to explore much - I don't feel as if I have great hand-eye coordination, nor am I particularly dedicated to memorizing the special moves.

But as I get older I'd like to explore more genres, challenge myself, and move away from the JRPG stuff I typically play. I've already started to sink more time into shmups, racing games, and sports games.

But I have no idea where to even begin with fighters... I'd like to start with something "easy" and then progress up to more challenging and involved games.

Thankfully, like most game collectors, I own many games that have sat on the shelves untouched. Here's a sampling of fighting games that I already own, but have gone (mostly) unplayed:

Art of Fighting (SNES)
Art of Fighting 2 (NGCD)
Battle Arena Toshinden (Game Boy)
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable (PSP)
Dead or Alive Ultimate (Xbox)
Dead or Alive 3 (Xbox)
Eternal Champions (Genesis)
Fighters Destiny (N64)
Fighters Megamix (Saturn)
Fatal Fury Special (AES/NGCD)
Fatal Fury 3 (NGCD)
Real Bout Fatal Fury (NGCD)
Killer Instinct (SNES)
The King of Fighters 94/95/96/97/99 (NGCD)
King of Fighters R-2 (NGCD)
Raging Fighter (Game Boy)
Samurai Spirits (AES)
Virtua Fighter (32X)
Virtua Fighter Remix (Saturn)
World Heroes (SNES)

As far as I know I already have some great games here. Any one in particular to start with? Any to avoid?

[dsheinem]

Obviously:

[BoneSnapDeez]

I do not own that...... Honestly, I didn't even know it was a fighting game.

[AppleQueso]

:lol:

I do not own that...... Honestly, I didn't even know it was a fighting game.

What do you think the "fighting" in "fighting at its ballziest" was referring to?

[ZenErik]

You have a PS3, right? If so, I think Persona 4 Arena is a nice simple one to start with. It's not really that simple, but the inputs are simple. Pretty accessible. If you want reaaaally simple how about Divekick?

[Nemoide]

I made a serious effort to become awesome at fighting games a few years ago... I eventually lost interest in this goal. But since you've already sunk time into Street Fighter II, that's a good start!

I'd say to just dive in with what you have and explore the nuances and differences! (Just be aware that The Art of Fighting games are ridiculously unfair - don't plan on beating them in one go... or at all.)

ALSO: for an easy starter title, I'd pick World Heroes. It's a pretty direct Street Fighter II rip-off.

[brunoafh]

I'd say almost anything is fine to start with, only stuff I would say try to avoid (for now) would be advanced fighters like BlazBlue/Guilty Gear, Virtua Fighter, or Street Fighter III. People might disagree with me on that, but my reasoning is that you will likely appreciate those games much more after building some skills as they are geared towards people that have a pretty good understanding of fighting games and enjoy deeper systems. That doesn't mean you can't just pick them up and button mash and have a great time, but yeah that's just my take on it.

SNK and Capcom games are generally good for all audiences to get into, some more than others. Battle Arena Toshinden is pretty bad and mostly good for laughs. Eternal Champions is pretty much your standard 2D fighter of the era, I had a lot of fun with it but it's no Street Fighter. I've got no idea on Dead or Alive or Killer Instinct.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Yeah I'm certainly willing to try new games too - I listed what I already own just to see if something jumped out at people.

Oh, I also have whatever games are built into the Neo Geo X + Ninja Master's.

[Ack]

I would suggest starting with World Heroes and Art of Fighting: they are both relatively simple to learn, with heavy emphasis on the basics and special moves. There's really little to complicate them, so they make the perfect introduction to fighters in general, and Art of Fighting serves as a great gateway to Fatal Fury and then King of Fighters. If you want to get into fighters, KoF is a series you should at least be knowledgeable about, so spending time with AoF is a good way to start at the bottom. Keep in mind AoF on the SNES isn't as good as an arcade cab, but then neither is World Heroes(trust me, I used to play this regularly on my MVS).

After you feel comfortable with those, spread into the Fatal Furies and then up to King of Fighters, especially '97.

As for your 3D fighters...well, truth be told, I think you'll need to pick up a few others. Fighters Megamix and Virtua Fighter Remix would probably be your best choices there, though if possible I'd suggest tracking down a copy of Virtua Fighter 2 for the Saturn instead. Once you feel confident moving around a 3D arena and learning the differences between 2D and 3D fighters, expand into later VF games, Tekken, or Soul Calibur.

Also, you don't have to play everything. We all have preferences, so just play what you feel most comfortable with. If you find you prefer 2D to 3D, stick with it, or vice versa. And if you discover a series that appeals to you, stick with it and learn your characters of choice!

[Valkyrie-Favor]

Start practicing Soulcalibur II. Simple, cheap, and popular. An HD remix with online play is coming out soon. It's one of my favorite games. The button inputs won't give you any trouble and you can play it well with a standard controller.

It'll still take a long time to get good at it, but getting competent will be straightforward.