Another year has come and gone and with it came video games. Today I want to look at the best fighting games of the year, in no particular order. I will not discuss Super Smash Bros, as that released last year.
Lets begin
Mortal Kombat 11
The latest release in the long running series, MK 11 took the current storyline to its conclusion in a big way. Despite some controversy at launch, the game has come along nicely and has developed a great competitive scene. With refinements to the gameplay mechanics, MK 11 is a bit slower than MK X, but more technical in nature. The online has been handled well, and the dlc released for the game so far has managed to keep fans happy. This may be one of the bloodiest entries yet, but is also one of the more refined. Even those who dislike the story and endings can enjoy the great gameplay.
Power Rangers Battle For The Grid
Power Rangers is a beloved franchise, but video game adaptations have been hit or miss typically. nWay, developers of the mobile game Power Rangers: Legacy Wars teamed with names in the FGC such as Justin Wong and worked with them to create a successor to the beloved Marvel vs Capcom series. That series has entered a bit of a rough patch, but Battle for the Grid brings 3 v 3 gameplay to fill that niche. It has excellent gameplay, a great story mode based on the comics, and has been received well by fans for its balance and great online modes. The DLC has included many fan favourites and the developers were quick to resolve many issues players had at launch. This was the dark horse hit of 2019, and while its not the best fighter, it is the one that stands out the most as coming from nowhere and proving its worthiness to stand with the big names in the genre,
Samurai Shodown
The best fighting game of the year, SNK’s newest entry into Samurai Shodown brought the series back in a big way. With precise gameplay, fast paced action and some of the best visuals SNK has done yet, the company managed to not only show why this series was so great, but also show that it still has a lot left in the tank and a lot of potential for future installments. The new characters are great, and SNK has shown they can be very creative with concepts, stages, and combat styles still. A good competitive scene, a good future with more dlc, and ports coming for Nintendo Switch and PC (outside of Stadia), Samurai Shodown was a hit in 2019 and has a bright future as we head into 2020.
What were your favourite favourite fighting games this year? Let us know!