TheXboxmanaged to amass a solid range of classics.Halolaunched the machine into the stratosphere, while games likeJet Set Radio Future,Jade Empire,Ninja Gaiden, and theSplinter Cellseries either made Microsoft’s green and black box a classic or had their best ports on the machine.
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The console even managed to get a good amount of fighting games around the time that genre fell out of popularity. Still, the originalXboxis over 20 years old now. Some games on the system are going to feel antiquated compared to today, so here are the original Xbox’s best fighting games ranked from dusty to evergreen.
10Bloody Roar: Extreme
Eighting’s brawler series caught on through itsfast gameplay and animal transformations. After starting on the Playstation, the company decided to give the other machines some love withBloody Roar: Extreme. It first came out on the Gamecube asBloody Roar: Primal Fury. Then the Xbox got an improved port with a new intro, extra characters unlocked by default, and a hidden character from theBloody Roarmanga.
It was the penultimate entry in the series, and the only one to reach non-Sony machines. It still brought the brawls and transformations everyone liked but was criticized for its PS1-era gameplay and recycled material even on its original release.
9Mortal Kombat: Deception
Deceptionwas a vast improvement overDeadly Alliance. The gameplay was touched up, the roster was expanded, and everyone got at least two fatalities and a Hara-Kiri to avoid shame. There were even side activities, like the Konquest Mode, Chess Mode, and Puzzle Kombat.
Deceptiondid new things like using 3D movement, yet, while the gameplay has its fans, the stance switching style wasn’t as engaging as the traditional 2D-style. The poor character animations and designs didn’t help either. Hsu Hao is no longer here (unless players used Action Replay), butDairou, Kobra, and Darriuswere there to disappoint everyone instead.
8Marvel Vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
Marvel Vs Capcom 2got released on nearly every machine in the early 2000s, with just Nintendo missing out. The PS2 and Xbox ports are slightly rarer than the others because they came out right when Capcom lost the video game rights to Marvel’s characters. This deadline is said to be why the whole gamelooks a lot worse than its predecessor.
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The 3D stages are generic, the music is lovely but ill-fitting, and all but the newest characters are reused sprites.Darkstalkerssprites from 1994 clash clumsily against ones from 1998. Thankfully, while the gameplay is infamously unbalanced, it’s still fast, wild, and fun for newcomers and veterans alike.
7Capcom Vs SNK 2
This classic crossoverbetween the two top fighting game companies is more tailored towards fans than beginners. The super combos are more dialed down thanMarvel’s giant laser beams, but the gameplay is more in-depth with its variety of grooves, features, and modes. Capcom even made new sprites for most of the cast.
The SNK side is new anyway, as are some Capcom characters, but the game still reusesStreet Fighter Alphasprites for many of them. Morrigan is still using herDarkstalkerssprite, and it clashes worse here than inMarvel Vs Capcom 2. Still, the development team did give them new animations for certain grooves.
6Hyper Street Fighter II Anniversary Collection
For the franchise’s 15th anniversary in 2002, Capcom decided to celebrateStreet Fighter 2…which came out in 1991, making it more of an 11th Anniversary celebration. On one hand, Capcom was just recycling sprites and stages from across 1991 and 1994. That’s ancient by video game standards. However, it does use them in a new way.
The game has characters fromSF2’sports fight each other. The fasterSuper Turbocharacters could take on the strongerWorld Warriorversions. While the sprites are older, they don’t clash like inCapcom Vs SNK 2,orMarvel Vs Capcom 2. It also came withStreet Fighter 3: Third Strike, which was an Xbox-exclusive addition in Europe.
5Guilty Gear XX #Reload
Yes, that’s the game’s actual title. It would only get more ridiculous withGuilty Gear XX Slash, XX Accent Core,andAccent Core Plus R. There are almost as many versions ofGuilty Gear XXas there areStreet Fighter 2ports, thoughXX #Reloadwas the only one to reach the original Xbox in 2004 and improved upon its regular edition in a number of ways.
Some characters were redesignedfrom the ground up with new moves and looks. The gameplay was rebalanced, the number of Missions in Mission Mode was boosted to 100, and Survival Mode had an eye-watering 1,000 levels to get through. It was the freshest 2D fighter on the market at the time, with bigger, bolder, and fresher graphics than any of the other contenders.
4DOA Ultimate
Team Ninja’s Tomonobu Itagaki was good friends with Xbox designer Seamus Blackley, so giving his machine an exclusive 3D fighter was a prime opportunity. The series had been going on for 5 years at that point, with previous games cropping up on the Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, and both Playstations. Thus,DOA Ultimatewas made in 2004.
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It compiled the Saturn version ofDead or Alive 1alongside aremade version ofDead or Alive 2. It improved upon its earlier ports with tweaked gameplay, free movement, online play, and an extra character inDead or Alive 3’s Hitomi. It ended up being the best way to play the series’ second outing as a result, and it’s even backward compatible with the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
3Def Jam: Fight for NY
AKI Corporation’s brawling engine has endured over the years. It produced classics likeWCW/nWo RevengeandWWF No Mercy. AKI was going to update it for a new WCW game, but, once that company fell, they had to retool it for a new license. Enter Def Jam Records.
Def Jam Vendettacaught on with its cast of hip-hop artists out-grappling each other.Def Jam: Fight for NYimproved on it with multiple fighting styles and environmental hazards. There was even a story mode where the player’s created character could take on Snoop Dogg, Sean Paul, and Flava Flav among others. When people clamor for anewDef Jamgame or re-release, this is the one they want to see.
2Soulcalibur II
The advantage fighting games have over other genres is that their gameplay ages quite well. The best examples from the past still play as smoothly today as they did back in the past. It’s whyTekken 3is still a bundle of fun, andMortal Kombat 4isn’t despite both being released around the same time.
Soulcalibur II’s gameplay is as smooth as its later entries, with less fluff compared toSC4and5. Still, it was just one of three main ports, each withtheir own guest character. Xbox owners got Spawn from Image comics, while the PS2 gotTekken’s Heihachi, and the Gamecube got Link fromThe Legend of Zelda. Each port plays identically to the other, so which is the best depends on the guest character that individual fans like the most.
After ping-ponging between Sega and Sony’s machines, theDead or Aliveseries found its new home on the Xbox. It kept the tweaksDead or Alive 2brought to the table, then improved upon them. It replaced sidesteps and sidewalks with unrestricted 3D-axis movement, and improved counter timing in a bid to shift the game away fromTekkenandVirtua Fighterstyle juggling and into space-control and defense.
It also introduces some fan-favorite characters in Christie, Hitomi, and Brad Wong alongside others. Its nippy, fluid gameplay still holds up well as later games in the series followed its trend. This is good, as, likeDOA Ultimate, it’s compatible with the Xbox One and Series X/S too and so is ready for anyone who’s after a blast from the past.
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