Forgotten and Underrated 3D Fighters

Michael Yagami · May 8, 2004

In this day and age of electro-bombast, overproduction and underthinking there are some truly inspired and well put together 3D fighters that never get the play and/or respect they really deserve. Well, this thread is for those 3D fighters. The fogotten and underrated. So, come in and yammer on endlessly about your favorite forgotten/underrated 3D brawler.

One of my personal favorite 3D fighters is Sega's Last Bronx, but, sadly, most of the arcade going, 3D fighter playing population didn't really get it.

LB had the flawless Sega 3D fighter control that we've all come to love, amazing mechanics, great backgrounds, smooth animation and extremely well developed characters. If you've never had the chance to play LB, think Virtua Fighter with weapons. Its a whole new way to whoop ass.

If you can find a copy of LB for your Saturn, pick it up. You won't regret it.

Mike

Hecker · May 8, 2004

The first PowerStones at the arcades was magic. If I had a DC I'd still be playing it. :crying:

Rival Schools is also one of my favorites.

Domino-chan · May 8, 2004

Chalk up another vote for Rival Schools.

I still remember dragging my sick-with-the-flu brother down to Wal-Mart to buy it. The plot is one of the best Capcom created, and the characters rock my socks.

RAINBOW PONY · May 8, 2004

rival schools sucks, cause the psx sucked

project justice and powerstone 1 and 2 are very underrated.

Loopz · May 8, 2004

I know this will get all kinds of hate here, but I enjoyed the Tekken series up UNTIL Tekken Tag. Tekken 3 in particular was really well done, too bad they had to fuck it up with the lame tag system. Let's not even talk about the absolute trash that was T4. All I can do now is hope that Tekken 5 is a serious return to roots, the way VF4 got back to the awesome speedy fighting of VF2.

Reality Check · May 8, 2004

Power Stone and Rival Schools for me. I love those games.

Baseley09 · May 8, 2004

RIval schools is the be all of PSX greatness, i sport the first one in uk & jap and RS2, im anal I LOVE IT:d

I guess its quite well known, an underrated game for me is Fighting Layer, which is basically SFEX with Tekken esque characters. Very generic but good in that way, shame no PSX port considering its on System 22, tho i see its emulation isa coming on well.

Poison Sama · May 8, 2004

I kinda liked Evil Zone...

Please don't flame me... :crying:

Michael Yagami · May 8, 2004

Loopz said:
I know this will get all kinds of hate here, but I enjoyed the Tekken series up UNTIL Tekken Tag. Tekken 3 in particular was really well done, too bad they had to fuck it up with the lame tag system. Let's not even talk about the absolute trash that was T4. All I can do now is hope that Tekken 5 is a serious return to roots, the way VF4 got back to the awesome speedy fighting of VF2.

I said the same thing in a Tekken thread a few weeks back. Tekken 3 was the apex of the series. It was the only Tekken that had the gameplay and characters that was able to compete with VF. Tag was a nice hold over while we were waiting for the next installment, noting really amazing. But then there was Tekken 4. What a fucking pantload that was. That game smacked of rushjob and smelled like an old french whore. What a total let down.

Give me Tekken 3 any day.

Mike

Now Loading · May 8, 2004

Project Justice.

Underrated

Soul Calibur 2.

johnroche · May 8, 2004

Fighter's Destiny.

Sure, the graphics were nothing to write home about. Sure, the characters were basically broad stereotypes. Sure, the announcer was one of the most annoying in a fighting game (right up there with the SFA3 and CVS2 announcers), but it seemed more like an actual fighting tournament than the average "beat the other guy until he drops two out of three times" style of game, because of the point system. You could get different levels of points depending on how you took your opponent down. The default settings generally had ring out and decision (based on points for the "round") at 1 point, throws (including submission holds) at 2, counter knockdowns and standard K.O.'s at 3 and "specials" (most of which could only be done when your opponent was dizzy) at 4. Also, you could counter an opponent's throws (and he could probably counter your counter). However, it also had a sidestep/autododge button that let you step to the side or avoid high and low attacks. However, it didn't work against mid attacks and throws couldn't be countered in this state.

Also, you could fight as a cow or a training dummy. That right there was worth the price of admission. :loco:

Neon_Sonic · May 8, 2004

Rival Schools
Project Justice
Last Bronx

Super Porky · May 8, 2004

I know everyone hates it, but I like Final fight Revenge. Last Bronx is also very solid.

DanAdamKOF · May 8, 2004

That psychic game on the DC (Psychic Force #### something or other), anyone played it? I never hear anything about it one way or the other, I'm curious if it's any good.

How hard is an English Rival Schools to find on the DC (or whatever Justice game it is, I'm not too keen on Capcom fighters)?

FormlessOne · May 8, 2004

Project Justice
Bloody Roar

Big Shady · May 8, 2004

johnroche said:
Fighter's Destiny.

Sure, the graphics were nothing to write home about. Sure, the characters were basically broad stereotypes. Sure, the announcer was one of the most annoying in a fighting game (right up there with the SFA3 and CVS2 announcers), but it seemed more like an actual fighting tournament than the average "beat the other guy until he drops two out of three times" style of game, because of the point system. You could get different levels of points depending on how you took your opponent down. The default settings generally had ring out and decision (based on points for the "round") at 1 point, throws (including submission holds) at 2, counter knockdowns and standard K.O.'s at 3 and "specials" (most of which could only be done when your opponent was dizzy) at 4. Also, you could counter an opponent's throws (and he could probably counter your counter). However, it also had a sidestep/autododge button that let you step to the side or avoid high and low attacks. However, it didn't work against mid attacks and throws couldn't be countered in this state.

Also, you could fight as a cow or a training dummy. That right there was worth the price of admission.

You read my mind! A great fighting game for the N64. I remember when a friend and I rented this game and played all night long. We were totally gripped by the point system, something that really hadn't been used since Karate Champ. Ah the memories, I should really pick that game up again.

Lets Gekiga In · May 8, 2004

Zeekade Zarathos · May 8, 2004

Ehrgeiz Arcade

This was before Power Stone, and to my eyes, the Arcade version of this and the Dreamcast Capcom fighter are equal. This just seemed dirtier and rougher, and was much more difficult and fighting oriented as opposed to Power Stone, which seemed wholly about items and whoever could get to your suped-up version the first. I also loved how you could play as Cloud, as he fit right into this "world."

Bushido Blade 1 and 2 PlayStation

Good game, a mix of a bunch of a different genres all the while being different than all of them. Racing-game fans always scream for "realistic car damage" but when it comes to the genre where realistically depicted damage is MOST needed (fighters), nobody's really tried it since this. Anybody remember that one never-released 3D fighter called Kumite? That was going to try and carry the mantle, but was too ambitious in its goals and was never finished. Shame.

I also second Fighter's Destiny and the first two Bloody Roar.

Buro Destruct · May 9, 2004

Zeekade Zarathos said:
Bushido Blade 1 and 2 PlayStation

Good game, a mix of a bunch of a different genres all the while being different than all of them. Racing-game fans always scream for "realistic car damage" but when it comes to the genre where realistically depicted damage is MOST needed (fighters), nobody's really tried it since this. Anybody remember that one never-released 3D fighter called Kumite? That was going to try and carry the mantle, but was too ambitious in its goals and was never finished. Shame.

Fucking beat me to it. I used to play Bushido Blade for hours on end. A friend of mine and I used to go at it regularly in that game, it honestly never got old.

I also LIKED Mortal Kombat 4. I thought it was a pretty decent fighter with a few drawbacks that didn't really spoil my overall experience with the game.

Mushiki · May 9, 2004

Eretzvaju
Psychic Force
Ehrgeiz - God Bless the Ring
Bloody Roar

tsukaesugi · May 9, 2004

Soul Edge

I've been playing hours and hours of Soul Edge for the last three days. I was cleaning up on Friday and I found my copy of Soul Edge. I stuck it in my PS2 and it's been there the whole time.

I've been mostly playing it in Edge Master mode, trying to unlock all the different weapons for each character, and trying to unlock the four secret characters (Seigfred!, Sophitia!, Sophitia!!, and Souledge).

Amazing CG intro, great opening theme, great BG's and sprites for it's time (1996), secret unlockable endings, plus the PS version had original costumes for each character.

The only drawback is that it's an easy game. Even on Ultrahard I trash the AI until I get to Souledge. Still it's got good gameplay, it's nowhere as near of a mashfest as Soul Calibur 2 is. I went to the arcade yesterday and tried Soul Calibur 2. I cleared it on one credit by mostly using the 'B' button. I almost cried.

Mushiki · May 9, 2004

tsukaesugi said:
Soul Edge

Amazing CG intro, great opening theme

Definately, nice CGs for the moment in which it was released, and the song is beautiful.

roker · May 9, 2004

Not very underrated, but I think the Soul Edge/Calibur series in general are a lot of fun.

Powerstone is the kind of game that I'd consider more of a party fighting game, and the 1st one was a lot more fun than the 2nd.

How about Tobal 1 and 2?

SouthtownKid · May 9, 2004

the roker said:
Not very underrated, but I think the Soul Edge/Calibur series in general are a lot of fun.

Powerstone is the kind of game that I'd consider more of a party fighting game, and the 1st one was a lot more fun than the 2nd.

How about Tobal 1 and 2?

Tobal 2 is to me the way people describe VF4. An amazing game. When it came out, I was especially impressed by the collision and impact animation. Unlike in Tekken and most other 3D fighters, blocking in Tobal 2 would actually stop an incoming blow (say for instance a roundhouse), instead of letting it just continue through. This totally changes the pace of play. And I love the grappling system in this game. It also had an amazing quest mode. I really wish they'd brought it over instead of Tobal 1, which I wasn't as crazy about.

I also love Soul Edge much more than SC2. The graphics were rougher, but it seemed to have more atmosphere to me. And I love that you can chose your ending by inputing a command during the ending cinema. Beats a text ending with an illustration all to hell.

RBjakeSpecial · May 9, 2004

SouthtownKid said:
Tobal 2 is to me the way people describe VF4. An amazing game. When it came out, I was especially impressed by the collision and impact animation. Unlike in Tekken and most other 3D fighters, blocking in Tobal 2 would actually stop an incoming blow (say for instance a roundhouse), instead of letting it just continue through. This totally changes the pace of play. And I love the grappling system in this game. It also had an amazing quest mode. I really wish they'd brought it over instead of Tobal 1, which I wasn't as crazy about.

I also love Soul Edge much more than SC2. The graphics were rougher, but it seemed to have more atmosphere to me. And I love that you can chose your ending by inputing a command during the ending cinema. Beats a text ending with an illustration all to hell.

Oh man! I wanted to be the first one to mention Tobal.

I was OBSESSED with tobal no.1. I remember, it was the first game I bought for my playstation. My younger brother and I went down to the store and had to a make a decision between tobal no. 1 and tekken 2.

After about an hour thinking about it we decided Tobal would be cooler. Mostly cause the designs were done by Akira Toriyama and it came with a FF7 demo. We brought it home and its all we played for about 2 months. I became SO good at tobal no. 1.

I remeber eagerly anticipating tobal no.2, then EGM ran an article how it was cancelled for the US release. SO depressed.....

sorry about the rambling....
but tobal no.1 is SO good, the backgrounds are still amazing!

Forgotten and Underrated 3D Fighters

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