Best Fighting Games of 2018
It’s award season here at Twinfinite, so we’re taking a look back at the best fighting games of 2018 that have shone brightest and are deserved of our annual award. Voted on by our editors, these titles stand as the most exemplary fighting titles of the year, that’ll be remembered long into the future.
Honorable Mention: Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
Senior Editor Hayes Madsen: The original Dissidia Final Fantasy was a dream come true for Final Fantasy fans; bring together heroes and villains from across the series for an over-the-top fighting game, done in the style of an arena brawler.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT brought that experience into glorious HD in Japanese arcades and finally arrived on PS4 this year. The newest entry, developed by Koei Tecmo, makes some big changes to shake up the Dissidia formula, some of which work well, some of which don’t.
The biggest change, of course, is a new focus on team play with 3vs3 matches that are fast-paced and frenetic. To go along with this, each character is now grouped into a number of classes like Marksmen or Vanguard. These classes are wildly different and require a different strategy to play, and even more of a different strategy depending on your teammates.
Multiplayer is where Dissidia shines brightest, and matches can be an absolute blast, while also not taking entirely too long. The game has also received great DLC with new characters like Rinoa, Locke, and Kam’lanaut.
Unfortunately, story mode is a huge letdown, with frustrating boss fights and a story that seemingly goes nowhere. Still, if you’re a major Final Fantasy fan, Dissidia NT is one fighting game worth picking up.
Best Fighting Games of 2018
Second Runner-Up: Dragon Ball FighterZ
Staff Writer Keenan Mccall: Ask fighting game fans what one of their favorite titles of the year was, and chances are many of them will say Dragon Ball FighterZ.
And who could blame them? Host to a stellar art style fitting of its anime source material, a surprisingly deep combo system and matches that are a blast to watch, it’s a game that caters to fighting game lovers as much as it does Dragon Ball Z fans.
It certainly helps that the game has received a wide array of post-launch content, from anime music packs to help set the tone even more to new characters like Android 16, Bardock, and Vegito.
Above all though, Dragon Ball FighterZ is one of the most accessible fighters out there. Whether players are new to the genre or seasoned masters, they can hop right in and have a blast duking it out with friends and online opponents alike. It’s exactly what a fighting game should be, and is not to be missed by anyone.
Best Fighting Games of 2018
First Runner-Up: SoulCalibur VI
Senior Editor Hayes Madsen: After a middling reception to SoulCalibur V, the series went on hiatus for six years. The Soul burns once again in 2018, though, as SoulCalibur VI once again brings the weapon-based fighter back to its former glory.
With a host of tweaks and new systems, phenomenal single-player modes, and some great new characters, SoulCalibur VI is easily one of the best entries in the franchise.
SoulCalibur’s mechanics are still the same weapon-based fighting fans know and love, with six-way-run, guard breaks, guard cancels, and everything else. The biggest new mechanic to be added in is Reversal Edge, a move that lets you parry an enemy’s blow just right and then put both characters in a kind of rock-paper-scissors clash.
Reversal Edges add some nice visual flair to fights, while also adding more defensive options for players to take advantage of. Refined movesets and combos for each character also help make SoulCalibur VI one of the smoothest-feeling fightings games around right now.
While there’s plenty of multiplayer fun to be had, you can spend hours in the game’s two single-player modes, Libra of Souls and Chronicle of Souls. These two modes weave a fascinating story together that essentially reboots the franchise, and lets you create your very own character to explore the world of SoulCalibur.
Groh and Azwel are two brand new characters to SoulCalibur, and each brings a unique weapon and moveset, with Groh, in particular, standing out as one of the best characters the series has seen. Of course, the guest character Geralt of Rivia also deserves special mention as a blast to play, with combos that make sense and feel like they’re directly ripped out of The Witcher.
With 2B from NieR: Automata also on the way as a DLC fighter, SoulCalibur VI will have even more content to please fans in the future. It’s one of the best fighting games of 2018 and, hopefully, will continue to be so in 2019.
Best Fighting Games of 2018
Winner: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Senior Editor Hayes Madsen: Super Smash Bros. is one of Nintendo’s most seminal series, and the best-selling fighting franchise of all time, for good reason. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate almost feels like a game that shouldn’t exist, simply because of the sheer amount of content, detail, and thought put into each and every aspect of the game. It’s absolutely astounding.
Every character from Smash history returns in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, along with a host of new characters that all feel like robust, unique additions to the roster. Playing as Inkling, King K. Rool, Simon, Isabelle, and more was some of the most fun I’ve had with a Smash game in years.
Amazingly, Masahiro Sakurai and his team have reevaluated nearly every aspect of Smash, as Ultimate has changes to practically every single character and gameplay system to make things more refined, faster, and fun. The game comes loaded with a variety of gameplay modes, from online to a revamped Classic Mode.
One of the more interesting additions to Smash Bros. Ultimate comes with its Spirits mode, letting you equip fighters with a variety of Nintendo and third-party characters to boost stats and provide special effects. There are over 1000 Spirits in the game, adding a nice dose of nostalgia for longtime gaming fans.
These Spirits are also used in the game’s lengthy Adventure Mode, which provides plenty of single-player content, with a few particularly memorable moments.
What it boils down to is that Smash Bros. Ultimate has a stupid amount of content that’ll keep you busy for tens of hours. The roster is fantastic and the minute-to-minute fighting feels better than ever before. It’s without a doubt the best fighting game of 2018, if not one of the best of the generation.
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