13 Fighting Games That Need A Sequel

Recently, I got to talking with some friends about what fighting games we would like to see sequels to with this generation’s platforms. Some were pretty obvious, and you will see which ones soon enough. But some are kind of a surprise to me. But still, I can see the sentiment in choosing them. So this is the list that was kind of generated from that discussion. Some of these games you should remember… some of these games you might remember… and then there are some games that are worth a quick search on the internet for as they were pretty fun games to play back in the day.



13. Thrill Kill – Release Date and Platform: Never Released, Proposed Release Was Late 1990s for the original Playstation



Okay, maybe not so much as a sequel but an actual release. I know many of you are familiar with the story behind Thrill Kill. Intended to be a violent and senseless fighter between characters who had found themselves descended into hell and are fighting for a chance at resurrection. Not the best storyline, but it was the promise of so much gore and violence that enticed many people who had heard of it and saw screenshots of the gameplay. But after EA acquired the original publisher of the game, Virgin Interactive, they quickly scrapped the game saying it would never release the game. You can actually find copies of the game through filesharing and download it for yourself. Still, it would have been nice to play this… and imagine how it would look if it were updated for today’s consoles.


12. Rumble Roses – Release Date and Platform: November 9, 2004 for the Playstation 2



Yeah, I know that Rumble Roses XX was released for the 360… but that doesn’t count because that game was nothing but a remake of the earlier version that had come out for the PS2. I have nothing against XX, but I just wanted a true sequel, I guess. They did add new features to the gameplay, but nothing more to the story or characters. For what it really was, and you cannot pretend this game is nothing more than fan service, it actually was a pretty good wrestling game. Maybe if Konami could come out with a true sequel for both the 360 and PS3 with updated visuals and more extras, I think it could be a pretty good game.


11. Power Stone – Release Date and Platform: September 7, 1999 for the Dreamcast



Now this was a really fun and addicting game that was released on the Dreamcast back in the day. I remember playing this game with my friends for hours as we all moved around the fully 3D environments and using power ups and even items found that could be picked up to attack and beat the hell out of each other. Arguably one of the best fighters on the Dreamcast, I think this game would translate well into this new generation. Power Stone and its sequel were released for the PSP… but I want to see this on the 360, PS3, and even the Wii. And I think many of us who played the original feel the same way about this one.


10. Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus – Release Date and Platform: March 18, 2003 for the Xbox



What was promising to be one hell of a good game thanks to being created by one half of the team that brought the gaming world Mortal Kombat, Tao Feng fell real short on what it was supposed to be. It did deliver on what it said it would… being able to break limbs and bones rendering them useless, actual damage visible during combat, and destructible environments… but that is all it was able to do. The game is unplayable thanks to poor controls and such weak AI. I mean, I like being able to beat a game, but come on… this was just too easy. Still, for what it was to deliver on, I would like to see a cleaned up and fixed sequel on the 360 with all the original promises actually delivered.


9. X-Men: Children of the Atom – Release Date and Platforms: 1996 for the Saturn; May 3, 1998 for the Playstation



I listed this game as one that I wanted a sequel on because this is what really started the whole Capcom/Marvel collaboration series that went on to include X-Men vs. Street Fight, Marvel vs. Street Fighter, and the ever popular Marvel vs. Capcom 1 and 2. And while I know that people are clamoring for a new Marvel vs. Capcom game… me being the big X-Men fan that I am want to see a new game on the Wii, PS3, and 360 that would include all the staple figures in the Capcom universe and the vast characters of the X-Men series. Because we all know that the one thing the X-men franchise has in bulk is characters. Put in old favorites like Wolverine, Sentinel, Magneto, and Psylocke and include newer characters such as Dust, X-23, Exodus, and Sage and I think you would have one hell of a good looking game.


8. Rival Schools: United By Faith – Release Date and Platform: September 30, 1998 for the Playstation



A 3D tag-team fighter that was very fun to play, you would choose 2 characters to have on your team and work off that. With the ability to use tag team special moves and switch off characters at the end of each round, I thought this one was an awesome idea. The whole story was that all these rival schools were searching to find out who was kidnapping and attacking students at each particular school. Each school had a team of three chosen students that you could choose from. You could either pick two students from one school to play with and set off a particular chain of events one way, or pick one student from one school and one from another and play a totally different story. A sequel was released on the Dreamcast… but it came towards the end of that system and not many people had a chance to see it. So if Capcom could release this game on the PS3 and 360, I know people who were fans of the first game would love to play an updated version today.


7. Psychic Force – Release Date and Platform: October 3, 1996 for the Playstation and Dreamcast




Now this is a game that my friends and I were addicted to when we saw it in the arcades and played it for the first time and watched our characters fly around this 3 dimensional screen, though our movements were still limited to 2D. It did receive a sequel on the Dreamcast and later the Playstation as well, but nothing new was really added. Funny thing about this game is that the new game, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, yeah, the gameplay from the new FF fighting game reminds me so much of the fighting gameplay of Psychic Force. You can get up close and fight hand to hand or weapon to weapon or you can fight from a distance and use special powers and items to attack each other. Anyway, seeing as how a game that is seemingly just like Psychic Force is all ready coming out… why not make a new Psychic Force game for the PS3 and 360? I think it would work if you update it the right way.


6. Bloody Roar – Release Date and Platform: October 31, 1997 for the Playstation



Originally known as Beastorizer at the arcades, Bloody Roar was definitely one of my favorite fighting games for the simple fact that you could morph your character from a human fighter into a ferocious beast like a tiger, and bat or a bunny. … Yeah, Alice’s change always was kind of weird, but it was still a good fighter none the less. The controls needed some work, but I always thought it was an interesting concept. The last game in the series was released on the PS2 back in 2006, so it has been a while since the game was hot. Still, I think that if done right, this could be a moderate seller if remade on all three platforms out there right now. I especially think it would do well on the Wii… Why? Because quite frankly the Wii needs fighting games more than the PS3 and 360 do. Still, I would like to see it come out for all 3.


5. Bushido Blade – Release Date and Platform: September 30, 1997 for the Playstation



Now this is a game that kind of took a lot of people by surprise. A weapon based fighting game released by then Squaresoft. But that wasn’t the half of it. The game was actually pretty good. It made you think about how you were going to attack your opponent. You really couldn’t just button mash your way through this one. There were no life or time gauges… You had to find the right way to hit them and maybe injure a part of their body to incapacitate them in some way. And what made this all the better is that is you would catch your opponent with just the right move at just the right time, you could score an instant kill. Makes sense, right? Two people fighting with swords… one good hit and it is over. And you had to follow the ways of bushido while fighting. No cheap or underhanded tricks such as striking from behind. In those cases, there would be an automatic “game over” screen forcing you to fight fairly. There was a sequel on the original Playstation… and a spiritual successor of the sorts on the PS2 and 360 known as the Kengo series, but those were luke warmly to poorly received. Let Square and the old members of the Lightweight development team make a new game for the 360 and PS3. Hell, considering this is a sword fighting game, why not on the Wii. With the new sensor add on for the Wiimote, it should make this game really enjoyable on that system.


4. Samurai Showdown – Release Date and Platform: August 11, 1993 for the Neo Geo



This was a very popular arcade series back in the day. Following the success of Street Fighter, SNK took the fighting idea and added weapons to this 2D fighting game. It took the strong gameplay of Street Fighter and added the blood that Mortal Kombat put into their games and you had a great mix there. Fight like hell with your opponent and strike them the right way when their life gauge is depleted and you could perform the kill move that would either make them lose massive amounts of blood or slice them in half. And the characters were the best for the time. Haohmaru, Galford, Charlotte, Jubei, and Hanzo were some of the great characters that came out of this series. This game spawned many a sequel and a collected edition on the PS2, but no new true sequel has come out in years. Give it a new face lift ala Street Fighter IV and put it on the PS3 and 360 and I am sure some of the old school gamers who remember this one would snatch it up in no time.


3. Battle Arena Toshinden – Release Date and Platforms: September 9, 1995 for the Playstation and Saturn



Funny thing happened with this game. In 1995, EGM awarded the game the title fighting game of the year… however, in their lead up to their 200th issue they would also go on to call it one of the most over rated games ever made. Pretty awesome accomplishment, don’t you think? This 3D weapon based fighting game did have some good gameplay, but was not quite as good as Virtua Fighter two years earlier or Tekken which was released on home consoles that same year. Still, it was a good play and a lot of people remember it is one of the first fighting games they would buy for the then new Playstation platform. Give the fighting system a tweak here and there and I don’t see why it wouldn’t work on the Wii, PS3, or 360. It certainly did have it fans and was popular enough to release 3 sequels, though the last 2 games in the series never did reach North America. Still, I think nostalgia would get this game some moderate sales if it were remade.


2. Darkstalkers, the Night Warriors – Release Date and Platforms: March 28, 1996 for the Playstation and Saturn



Also known as Vampire and Vampire Hunter, this game took what made Street Fighter II great and added on to it. Now you could air block, chain combos, and even crouch walk. This was a solid fighter by Capcom that still can hold its own with today’s fighting games. And who could forget the characters. Hell, I still see Morrigan, Felicia, and Hsien-Ko cosplayers at every anime convention I attend. Add to the fact that some characters appeared in many other Capcom games and more of their vs series of games and this just adds to the popularity of this game. Spawning several sequels, the last game original game released for this series hit stores in 1998 and you know this game is due for an overhaul. Street Fighter IV is so positively received that I see no reason why you could not remake what is arguably the next best fighting game in Capcom’s catalogue for the 360 and PS3.


1. Killer Instincts – Release Date and Platform: August 1, 1995 for the SNES



Come on… what other game could possibly be at the top of this list but this one. I mean, fans have only been clamoring for a sequel since Killer Instinct Gold hit the N64 back in 1996. This was one hell of a fighting game. Awesome fighting mechanics, fun characters, great gameplay, killer combos that could go up to 80 hits and more, and blood. This was one that had me and a lot of my friends putting quarters into the machine time after time every afternoon after college and after work. It was fun and addicting and has been on the shelves since Gold. It is almost mystifying as to why Rare has yet to release a sequel for this franchise yet… but hope looms on the horizon. After years of denial, it may become a reality for many fans as on February 5, 2009, Microsoft's managers said they have "two new titles to be announced" by the end of March… one of which is based on a popular fighting franchise. But still nothing has come out. Still, it has raised the hopes of many fans of the series in hopes that a new KI would make its way to the 360. If they did come out with this game, then for sure I would buy another 360 for my home.