10 Best Fighting Games Forgotten by Time

Fighting games have been popular for decades, drawing crowds to arcades to experience new characters and complex move combinations. However, like all game genres, not every fighting game has stood the test of time. Many once-great titles have faded into obscurity, sometimes appearing briefly in later games from the same company or as part of a retro compilation.

I understand it’s unrealistic to expect every fighting game to be as popular today as giants like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, and I’m not saying those games are inherently better. What’s truly important is recognizing and honoring the history of the genre – appreciating all the fighting games that paved the way, even if they weren’t ultimately successful.

10. Bushido Blade

One Shot, One Kill

Many fighting games feature characters with weapons, especially swords, but those swords usually just act like faster punches. A real sword fight could end with a single, quick strike. The 1997 game Bushido Blade explored what would happen if those in-game swords were truly lethal, making it unique.

At first glance, Bushido Blade looks like other one-on-one fighting games such as SoulCalibur. However, you’ll quickly realize it’s different – there are no health bars. Instead of chipping away at your opponent’s health, every match is about landing a single, fatal blow. One accurate strike is all it takes to defeat your opponent.

Okay, so nobody wants fights that end in a blink, right? The fun comes from actually playing the fight – timing your blocks and dodges, switching up how you fight, and going for weak spots like arms and legs to mess your opponent up. It’s definitely a tough system to learn at first, but when people get good? Seriously, the high-level matches are incredible to watch.

9. ClayFighter

Let’s Get Silly With It

Claymation is beloved by many for its playful and imaginative way of creating characters, even though it takes a long time to make. While some recent games have experimented with this stop-motion style, one well-known example is also famously quirky: the SNES fighting game, ClayFighter.

ClayFighter is a fighting game featuring characters made of clay – literally! These strange and funny creations, like Bad Mr. Frosty and Bonker the clown, have wild moves and over-the-top animations. It’s a blast to battle them and watch their crazy reactions.

The game plays a lot like a blend of Street Fighter Alpha and Killer Instinct, focusing on timing blocks and chaining attacks alongside standard special moves. What really makes it stand out is how it looks and feels, and that continued to be a strength in later versions. Interestingly, the last game in the series, Sculptor’s Cut, is now a highly sought-after and expensive N64 title.

8. King Of The Monsters

It’s A Kaiju World, And We’re Living In It

There just aren’t many fighting games featuring giant monsters, which is surprising. You’d think games would capitalize on the frequent monster battles seen in movies, but they rarely do. A classic example is the arcade game King of the Monsters by SNK, though it’s not connected to the Godzilla films.

King of the Monsters is a fighting game where you battle opponents in a completely destructible city. You can play against the computer, another player, or team up with a friend. The game features six unique monsters – inspired by classic giants like Godzilla and King Kong, but with original designs – and focuses heavily on wrestling moves like pile drivers and body slams, rather than just punches and kicks. It’s more of a wrestling game with monsters than a typical fighting game.

The city arena is packed with destructible buildings. Breaking them down earns you points and useful power-ups. You can also powerfully throw opponents around the arena, and if they hit the walls, they’ll get shocked and sent flying back. It’s a fast-paced, over-the-top spectacle, similar to watching a professional wrestling match.

7. Primal Rage

Everything’s Better With Dinosaurs

When it comes to games featuring huge creatures, dinosaurs are always a great starting point for inspiration. They make everything more exciting, and people love seeing them battle! That’s a big reason why the game Primal Rage remains popular.

Primal Rage is a fighting game where two players go head-to-head, much like Mortal Kombat. However, instead of human characters, you control massive, powerful dinosaurs and other huge creatures – think apes and cobras – battling for control of a ruined Earth. Each creature has its own special moves, ranging from powerful attacks like fire breath and claw slashes to more comical abilities like… well, let’s just say some have particularly potent gas.

The game is quite intense and graphic, which fits its overall theme. You can grab the little humans walking around and either eat them or throw them at your opponent. Once you’ve depleted your enemy’s health, you finish them off with a violent move, complete with their health meter’s heart exploding in a burst of blood.

6. Bloody Roar

Going Beast Mode

I really love games where you can transform into different forms. There’s just something exciting about being a normal character one moment, and then suddenly changing into something completely different. That’s why I’m disappointed that the Bloody Roar series hasn’t continued – it did transformations really well.

I absolutely loved Bloody Roar! It’s a 3D fighter like Tekken or Virtua Fighter, but with a really cool twist. At first, the characters fight normally, throwing punches and kicks. But the best part is, you can build up a meter and then transform into a Beast! These aren’t just cosmetic changes, either – you become a powerful animal-human hybrid. It looks amazing, and it seriously boosts your character’s abilities. You get new moves, slowly regain health during the fight, and even move and jump differently. It really changes up the gameplay!

Bloody Roar feels like a lost anime from the 90s, featuring characters who transform into powerful animal forms and unleash energetic attacks on each other. It’s the type of game that would have made for awesome action figures.

5. Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness

Let The Robots Do The Talking

Speaking of awesome toys, giant robots are a classic! Similar to giant monsters, there aren’t many fighting games focused on one-on-one battles between them – most robot games involve large-scale arena combat, like the Gundam series. If you’re looking for a game where giant robots fight each other directly, in a more traditional fighting game style, Cyberbots is the one to check out.

I recently rediscovered Cyberbots, and it’s seriously one of Capcom’s hidden arcade gems! Imagine Street Fighter, but with giant robots – that’s the basic idea. What’s really cool is you can customize your robot with different arms, legs, and weapons, which totally changes how it fights. It’s surprisingly fast-paced for a game with these huge robots, which I love as a super robot fan. And even with all the customization, it still delivers that awesome, impactful feeling when a robot unleashes a super move!

Interestingly, the main character who pilots the mech in this game, Jin Saotome, actually appeared as a playable character in the Marvel VS. Capcom fighting game series. However, Jin doesn’t fight directly; he controls his robot, Blodia. This meant the developers had to create a completely new set of moves specifically for Blodia.

4. Red Earth

A Fighting Game RPG

Developer	Capcom
Platforms	Arcade
Release Date	December 1996

Over the years, games have often blended different styles, but it’s surprisingly hard to successfully combine fighting games with other genres. Balancing a fighting game is already a huge task, and trying to add elements from another type of game makes it even more difficult. One of the few games that really tried to do this, mixing fighting with role-playing elements, is Red Earth.

Red Earth offers two distinct experiences. Playing with a friend transforms it into a classic Capcom fighting game, where each character boasts a unique set of moves and special abilities. However, the game truly stands out in single-player mode. When played alone, Red Earth evolves into a full-fledged fighting game RPG, complete with epic battles against massive creatures and character progression through leveling up.

Besides battling other players, the game’s story mode features huge boss fights against creatures like dragons and robots. These bosses have a lot of health, so you’ll need to work hard to defeat them. Winning battles rewards you with health recovery items and experience points to unlock new fighting moves. Arcades even let you save your progress with passwords, so you could continue with your leveled-up character later.

3. Rival Schools

Two For The Price Of One

For many years, fighting games have let two players team up, with popular titles like Marvel VS. Capcom allowing players to switch between fighters or call their partner in for powerful team attacks. However, Rival Schools is different; your teammate isn’t directly controlled during a round, but rather acts as a support element or a resource to be used strategically.

In Rival Schools, you control a team of two fighters. Unlike some games where you can switch between characters whenever you want, you build up a special meter to call in your second fighter for a powerful team attack. The exact attack changes based on which two characters you’re using. You can also use standard, single-character super moves that don’t require a full meter, but calling in your teammate is a big commitment.

You can only switch characters between rounds. Once you bring in your second character, that decision is final – you can’t switch back. So, you either need to focus on mastering one character and keeping the other as a backup, or be fully prepared to play effectively with both.

2. Power Stone

The Dreamcast Classic

I enjoy a specific type of fighting game I call “party fighters.” These games don’t focus as much on precise skills and strategy as they do on using the stage and picking up items to gain an advantage. Super Smash Bros. is a well-known example, but one of my favorites is Power Stone, a game that originally came out on the Dreamcast.

Power Stone is a fighting game played in a spacious arena where players have freedom of movement. While characters look different, they share similar basic attacks and combos. The core gameplay revolves around using the environment to your advantage—throwing objects like boxes and furniture, leaping from structures, or even ripping them up to use as weapons. Throughout the match, chests appear with temporary power-ups and stronger attacks.

The main attraction is definitely the Power Stones – brightly colored gems that appear from time to time. If you manage to collect three, you’ll become incredibly powerful, unlocking a brand-new set of moves and spectacular finishing attacks.

1. Darkstalkers

Still Waiting, Capcom

Ask fighting game fans what forgotten series they’d love to see revived, and you’ll likely hear the same answer: Darkstalkers. Back in the arcade’s prime, Darkstalkers was a huge hit for Capcom, almost as popular as Street Fighter. While its characters still make appearances in other games, it’s been over 25 years since a brand new Darkstalkers title was released, which is disappointing for many fans.

The first Darkstalkers game featured a diverse group of monsters from different cultures fighting at night. Popular characters included the vampire Demitri, the succubus Morrigan, and the catwoman Felicia. Unlike Street Fighter, Darkstalkers was much more focused on fantasy, using magic and curses to power its characters’ unique abilities, which gave the game a really memorable look.

Darkstalkers took the basic fighting style of Street Fighter 2 and added innovative features that are now common in the genre, such as blocking in the air, more powerful special moves (EX specials), and the ability to walk while crouching. This made it a complex and exciting game to watch when it was first released in arcades.

2025-12-12 22:41