Capcom and SNK have successfully updated their classic fighting games for today’s consoles, adding online play so players around the world can enjoy these older titles together.
The best fighting games remain enjoyable for years, like the original Street Fighter 2, which is still fun today as it was in the 1990s. Despite many attempts to evolve, most top fighting games still use the classic side-on perspective that defined the genre from the beginning.
Lots of older fighting games have been updated for today’s consoles, but many others are stuck on outdated systems. Playing them now often means using emulators or spending a lot of money on used copies. These classic games really need to be re-released or made available on current platforms in some way.
10. Super Smash Bros. Melee
The CRT TVs Will Never Be Thrown Away
While Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is incredibly popular and possibly the best-selling fighting game ever, many Nintendo fans still favor Super Smash Bros. Melee, which originally came out for the GameCube.
While later Super Smash Bros. games have more characters, the original Melee is known for its incredibly deep and satisfying gameplay. Anyone who’s seen skilled players compete understands how much effort it takes to master, and the amazing feats they can achieve.
While Nintendo might offer Super Smash Bros. Melee as part of a Switch 2 Expansion Pass, dedicated fans probably won’t be interested. The Melee community strongly prefers playing on the original GameCube with CRT televisions and controllers, and they consider any other setup unacceptable.
It would be great if Nintendo released a version of Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Switch 2 that plays like the original console game. This would allow a new generation of players to discover the game’s incredibly deep and skillful competitive scene.
9. Jump Ultimate Stars
The Best One Piece Game is Still Trapped in Japan
Image Via Shueisha
Weekly Shōnen Jump, published by Shueisha, is famous for incredibly popular manga like Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and One Piece. Even though Shueisha owns these franchises, they’ve allowed other companies to make video games based on them, which has made it hard to create games that combine characters from different series.
The Nintendo DS game Jump Ultimate Stars unfortunately never left Japan due to licensing problems. It’s a real loss for fans, because many consider it to be the best fighting game available on the handheld console.
Jump Ultimate Stars features a creative character selection system. Instead of a simple list, players design a comic panel where character size reflects their strength. The game also lets you call in supporting characters for one powerful attack.
Many fighting games based on Weekly Shōnen Jump have come out over time, but most haven’t been particularly good. Jump Ultimate Stars, however, is a truly fantastic game and deserves to be updated for modern consoles.
8. Fist of the North Star
You are Already Out of Continues
Image Via Arc System Works
| Developer | Arc System Works |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Sega |
| Genre | Fighting |
| Release | 2005 |
Arc System Works is famous for creating fighting games that brilliantly recreate the worlds they’re based on. Dragon Ball FighterZ is a great example, perfectly capturing the feel of the Dragon Ball series, and their new game, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, looks set to be a spiritual successor to the popular Marvel vs. Capcom franchise.
In 2005, Arc System Works created a fantastic video game inspired by Hokuto No Ken, which is known as Fist of the North Star in many countries. The game brought together popular characters from the series, and recreated famous scenes as powerful special attacks.
The soundtrack for Fist of the North Star is amazing, featuring exciting musical cues that highlight all the awesome moments and action.
I remember playing Hokuto No Ken in the arcades, and it even got a PlayStation 2 release, but honestly, because it wasn’t super popular outside of Japan, it never got officially translated into English. It’s a bummer too, because it’s never been updated for modern consoles. I’m really hoping Arc System Works will pick it up and give it the love it deserves – it’s still a big deal in Japanese fighting game communities!
7. Soul Edge/Soul Blade
The Best Intro in Video Game History is Only Archived on YouTube
Tekken 3 was the big fighting game hit on the original PlayStation, but another Namco game from that time, Soul Edge, was just as good and deserves more recognition.
Soul Blade was a fighting game set in the ancient world, featuring warriors who fought each other to find the Soul Blade – a powerful artifact believed to give its owner unlimited strength.
It’s understandable why Soul Edge hasn’t been re-released in its original form. The game had to be renamed Soul Blade in certain areas because of trademark problems with the word “Edge.” It also faced significant censorship, including changes to weapons like nunchucks in the UK and the complete removal of the character Mitsurugi in the Korean version.
As a long-time fan, it was interesting to see how Namco handled the problems with the original Soul Edge. Instead of trying to fix them, they basically rebooted the series as Soulcalibur with the second game! It felt like a fresh start, even though it was still a sequel, technically. It was a smart move, really.
6. Bushido Blade
Square was Releasing Amazing Fighting Games Alongside its RPGs
Fighting games often have a hard time coming up with truly new ways to play. Established series face a tricky situation: fans get upset if a game changes too much, but also complain when new installments feel just like the old ones.
Bushido Blade, a fighting game for the original PlayStation, stands out for its realistic approach: almost any attack can instantly defeat an opponent. Players can also target specific limbs to disable them during a fight.
Squaresoft released the original Bushido Blade and its follow-up, but they haven’t shown any interest in updating or re-releasing them, even on a service like PlayStation Plus Premium. The games might simply be considered too unusual or different for what most players enjoy today.
If you’re a fighting game enthusiast looking for a unique challenge, the Bushido Blade games are worth exploring. Unlike many fighters that reward fast button-mashing, Bushido Blade focuses on careful defense and precise timing, demanding more skill and strategy from players.
5. Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side
Even Sega Had its Own Fighting Franchise in the ’90s
Image Via Sega
In 1993, Sega tried to capitalize on the popularity of arcade fighting games like Street Fighter 2 with their own title, Eternal Champions. Though it’s remembered with affection by many, it’s also known for being incredibly challenging.
Although the original Eternal Champions game has been re-released on platforms like the Wii’s Virtual Console, its enhanced Sega CD version, Challenge from the Dark Side, remains unavailable – even though it came out over thirty years ago.
Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side expanded the roster with many new fighters and introduced full-motion video sequences and brutal stage-specific finishing moves. Staying true to the series, it’s incredibly challenging and demands skillful gameplay.
The long-dormant Eternal Champions series could make a comeback as Sega looks to bring back some of its classic games. Fans are hoping this includes a remastered or ported version of Challenge from the Dark Side.
4. Shadow Fighter
The UK also had Some Great Fighting Games
Image Via Gremlin Interactive
| Developer | NAPS Team |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Gremlin Interactive |
| Genre | Fighting |
| Release | 1994 |
When Street Fighter 2 became popular in arcades, many developers tried to create versions for home consoles and computers. The Amiga 500’s version, however, wasn’t very good – it ran noticeably slower than the game on other systems.
The Amiga platform was fortunate to have its own dedicated fighting game series, and Shadow Fighter is widely considered a standout title. A key to its success was being built specifically for the Amiga’s capabilities, instead of simply trying to copy Street Fighter 2.
I still remember Shadow Fighter as one of the most fun fighting games on the system! Okay, so a lot of the characters looked a little familiar – like they borrowed from other games and anime – but honestly, it didn’t even bother me. The gameplay was just so fast-paced and satisfying to master. It was really rewarding to pull off combos and that’s why it stuck with me all these years.
Shadow Fighter’s strong connection to the original Amiga computer is probably why it hasn’t been updated or re-released for modern systems. It wasn’t even included on the A500 Mini, a retro version of the Amiga, so playing it now likely requires using an emulator – and that’s probably how it will be for the foreseeable future. This means experiencing this hidden classic will likely depend on emulation for a long time to come.
3. Tobal 2
Even Akira Toriyama Can Make a Fighting Game Roster
Image Via Square Enix
| Developer | DreamFactory |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Square |
| Genre | Fighting |
| Release | 1997 |
While best known for Bushido Blade, Square also published two Tobal fighting games for the PlayStation. Sadly, only the original Tobal was released in English, and neither game is currently available on newer consoles.
The most striking thing about the Tobal series is its character designs, created by Akira Toriyama – the artist behind Dragon Ball and Chrono Trigger. Fans will immediately recognize his signature style, and the characters show a level of detail beyond his typical approach of quickly adapting familiar faces.
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Man, Tobal 2 is awesome because of how many characters you can play as – almost 200! And the RPG mode is seriously good. They really stepped it up from the first game, making it a much deeper and more engaging experience.
Man, it’s too bad Tobal 2 probably won’t ever get officially translated into English. Luckily, some fans made an English patch, so at least we can finally play it!
2. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
It’s Time to Unleash Pet Shop Boys on a New Generation
| Developer | Capcom |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Capcom |
| Genre | Fighting |
| Release | 1998 |
It’s not surprising that Capcom’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fighting game wasn’t a big hit when it first came out. Although the original manga was incredibly popular in Japan starting in the late 1980s, it took a long time – decades, in fact – for it to become widely known and loved in Europe and North America.
It’s unfortunate that the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fighting game didn’t get the attention it deserved when it came out. It’s actually a fantastic fighting game for its time, letting players call on powerful spirit allies, called Stands, to help them in battle.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure isn’t known for being a perfectly fair fighting game, but it nails the look and feel of the original series, and that’s what really matters in an adaptation.
While the game was once available digitally on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, those versions have since been removed from stores. If Capcom can reach an agreement with Marvel to release a collection of their past games together, there’s hope that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure might get a similar re-release someday.
1. Soulcalibur & Soulcalibur HD
The Name Change was Needed for the Soul Evolution
While initially overshadowed by Tekken 3, the game Soulcalibur quickly surpassed it in popularity. The original Soulcalibur is considered one of the best fighting games of its time, and it famously received a perfect score from the Japanese magazine Famitsu – a rare achievement for any game.
Okay, so Soulcalibur really took what the first game did and just improved it. The fighting felt way better with the weapons, they added a bunch of cool new characters to play as, and there was so much stuff to do on your own. Plus, for its time, it looked absolutely incredible – seriously, the graphics were top-notch!
It’s strange that the original Soulcalibur isn’t available on today’s PlayStation consoles, considering later games in the series are. It appears Namco focused on promoting its sequels, particularly after the Dreamcast was discontinued.
Like many older titles, including JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Soulcalibur was once available digitally on the Xbox 360, but it’s no longer available for purchase. The mobile versions have also been removed. Bandai Namco should make this beloved game accessible on at least one platform, as many fans consider it to be the company’s best fighting game ever.
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2026-05-06 23:42