Summary
Home consoles were already threatening to overtake arcadesin the late 1980s,as their score-attack gameplay and extra graphical and audio capabilities weren’t enough to handle longer, more expansive home console games. But they got an extra kick in the 1990s thanks to Capcom letting theirFinal Fightdevelopers take a crack at making a sequel to 1987’s clunky brawlerStreet Fighter.
By the time the 2000s rolled around, the arcades were doomed, and fighting games were on the wane. Unless players lived next to a big arcade, or had chipped consoles, they had to make do with a few big names likeTekkenandSoulCalibur, and some unique cult classics. If players wanted to pan for fighting gold,the PS2 was the best sieve thanks to its exclusive fighting game releases.
10Fist Of The North Star
Unbalanced But Insanely Fun Fighter Strikes Out On The PS2
The PS2Fist of the North Starfighter appearing on this list might raise some eyebrows, as it’s gone down in history as a ‘kusoge.’ It’s essentiallyGuilty Gear X2with characters from the classic anime, but withoutX2’s balancing. Granted, theGGXgames aren’t the most balanced games in the world, but they pose a fair challenge when compared toFotNS’s basketball combos. Nonetheless, it does act as a neat precursor to ArcSys Works’ later anime fighterDragon Ball FighterZ.
On top of some of its Fatal KOs resemblingDBFZ’s Dramatic Finishes, the character Juda can call his minions in for assist attacks akin toDBFZ. He can’t tag out to them, but he can kill one if they get too unruly. The PS2 release is considered the best version of the game, as it was a touch less glitchy (i.e. it won’t melt the console’s motherboard like the arcade version did) and it came with extra modes and unlockable content.
9Street Fighter EX3
Game Derided On Release Becomes A Cult Classic Decades Later
Street Fighter EX3was a PS2 launch title that fell short compared to the likes ofTekken Tag TournamentandDead or Alive 2. For years, it was seen as Exhibit A in the case against Capcom’s premier fighter going 3D. Capcom seemed to agree, as their subsequent attempts to make a 3DSF-based fighter faltered untilStreet Fighter 4became a success.
Even so,EX3isn’t that bad of a game. It plays smoothly, and its 2-on-2 gameplay offers some unique tag supers on top of the usual mix of super cancels and guard breaks. It brought back fan favorite Sakura, and had a curious customizable character called Ace, who could learn new moves from the other characters (or other series entirely).EX3isn’t perfect, but it’s good for offering a quirky break from the norm.
When asked if the olderTekkengames would get a compilation release, series’ head director Katsuhiro Haradawas reluctant about the idea, as he said old 3D fighters tend to age worse than their 2D counterparts. WhileTekken 1&2are stiff by today’s standards, people would love the chance to getTekken 3,Tag Tournament 1,5, etc., all in one place. While all those games got re-releases and revisions in one form or another, poorTekken 4was left behind.
It’s seen as the black sheep of the series, as its gameplay, character designs, and story tweaks weren’t popular at the time, and it had fewer characters and modes thanT3. However, it has since seen a resurgence, as it plays differently enough from the other games (e.g. it introduced wall-carrying and made it a centerpiece of its gameplay) to stand out on its own. Its PS2-exclusive Force Mode was unique too, and ahead of its time in offering a similar over-the-shoulder view thatResident Evil 4andGears of Warwould later make standard for their genres.
7Street Fighter Alpha Anthology
Capcom’s Compilation Hides A Console-Exclusive Mode
Even in the PS2 days, Capcom couldn’t let go ofStreet Fighter 2, and neither could players if sales are anything to go by. TheStreet Fighter 2 Anniversary Collectionwas a 2D hit that introduced the world toHyper Street Fighter 2, where different incarnations of its roster could fight it out. However, it did reach other consoles like the Xbox and Gamecube, and it would get re-released via theCapcom Fighting Collection.
Street Fighter Alpha Anthologyoffered a similar game throughHyper Street Fighter Alpha. On top of letting players pick different versions of theAlphacast, it offered different ISMs that made characters play likeDarkstalkers,Street Fighter 3,andMarvelcharacters, with air chain combos, parries, and unique moves. It was a neat feature, limited only by its lack of modes (VS and Training only), and lack of releases, as it hasn’t been ported to another machine sinceAnthology’s release.
Beyond the hilariously jankySailor Moon SandAsuka 120% Limited Burning Fest, there aren’t many fighting games about magical girls. For fans of all things moe, the best they could get was theArcana Heartseries. Its last game,AC3,did make it onto the PS3 and Xbox 360, but its predecessor,AC2, stayed in Japanese arcades before receiving a mediocre port on Japanese PS2s.
The originalArcana Hearthad better luck, as its PS2 conversion was an improvement. Players can switch between the characters’ Original and Full versions, akin toGGXPlus’ character modes. Depending on which version players chose, they could pull off different combos with different Arcanas, giving it that extra bit of depth that made it a cult classic for fighting game fans as well as the magical girl crowd.
Lately, the term “anime-based arena fighter” has become a four-letter word, as nearly every anime under the sun has had one, and they’re usually mediocre at best and terrible at worst. However,Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! Zeroavoided that bad press by being better than the average brawler with its big roster, and being a return to form, as it’s actually part of the oldBudokai Tenkaichiseries.
It arguably reached its pinnacle withBT3, which still offers one ofthe largest rosters in fighting game history, but it all started with the firstDragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi. It set the template for its sequels, offering multiple forms of different characters, each with their own quirks that players had to use to their advantage to beat their opponents. If players want to give it a try, they’ll have to fire up the PS2 (or use an emulator).
SoulCalibur 2is as famous for its multi-console release as it is for its gameplay, where its different platforms each featured a different guest character. However, it seems Spawn and Link weren’t enough to keep the series going on the Xbox and Gamecube, asSoulCalibur 3became a PS2 exclusive. It did get an arcade release, but unlike its predecessors, it came after the console version, and wasa very different beast to the OGSC3.
The PS2 game skipped guest characters in favor of a create-a-character mode, which would become a standard feature in the series up toSC6. They came in handy for its light RTS mode,Chronicles of the Sword, where players could make as many unique fighters as they liked to take over the land. However, it came with a nasty bug that could wipe out the memory card’s data if triggered. As such, players might’ve preferred to stick to its branching story mode, which reintroducedSoul Blade’s QTE events, which could change the endings if pressed in time.
3Guilty Gear X Plus
The Original Anime Fighter Gets Souped Up On The PS2
Some of the games on this list did have arcade cabinets, but they often lacked features, additional modes, or even entire characters, feeling more like early runs of their full console releases in comparison. A good example of this isGuilty Gear X, where its console-exclusive ‘Gear Mode’ gave characters additional moves, new supers, and in the case of Ky Kiske, a complete retooling with new animations that suggested he wasn’t all that he seemed.
However, PC and Dreamcast owners also had access to regularGGX. Only PS2 owners could playGuilty Gear X Plus. This time, it offered a branching story mode, a challenge mode, an ‘Extra’ mode that changed the characters' moves alongside the returning ‘GG’ mode. It also brought backGuilty Gear 1’s Kliff and Justice, complete with new sprites and moves. They were neat additions to the series, albeit ones that most players probably thought were introduced in its sequel.
Many ofGGX Plus’ features would become standard forGuilty Gear X2, which had its branching story mode (offering three paths for each character this time), a mission and gallery mode, and the return of Kliff and Justice. It also brought back the Gold and Shadow variants of characters, which would use the Extra and GG moves; except for Ky, whose strange alternate form was given life as Robo-Ky. The originalGGX2was exclusive to arcades and the PS2, but its variants would see multiple home releases.
Except forGuilty Gear XX Slash, that is, whichwas a PS2 exclusive. It’s essentially the last version of#Reload, but with some story and gameplay tweaks to accommodate new characters A.B.A (fromGuilty Gear Isuka) and Holy Order Sol. The former caught on with her grim story and unique key-axe moves, while the latter became notorious for being a more complex and more OP version of the series' protagonist, Sol-Badguy. Or at least he was in theAccent Coregames. He was much more subdued in his debut game.
1Virtua Fighter 4 And Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary
The Original Fighter’s PS2 Debut Came With Exclusive Extras
Guilty Gear X2rivalsStreet Fighter 2with its many variants, but they’re not the only games to be tweaked between re-releases.Virtua Fighter’s entries essentially become entirely different games with each revision. For example,Virtua Fighter 4’s PS2 release came with an AI training mode where players could teach a CPU character how to play and see how far it could take them in Kumite mode. Then Vanessa, the new MMA-based character, could switch between a grappling Defensive style and a Muay Thai-based Offensive style.
Neither character would return for the game’sEvolutionupdate, which gave newcomer Brad Burns the Muay Thai style, and replaced Kumite Mode with the eSports-simulating Quest Mode instead. Special copies also came withVirtua Fighter 10th Anniversary. It was basicallyVF4: EvowithVF1’s blocky graphics (complete with newVF1-style models and animations for the new characters) and rules (no sidesteps, throw escapes, or bounce-based OTG combos). Unlike its parent game, which got a laggy PSN re-release,VF10thcan only be played on the PS2.
