5 Fighting Franchises You Forgot About

It’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. There are always a million things to do, a gazillion games to play, and seemingly not enough time to go around. With that said, it’s not uncommon for some of the greatest fighting franchises of all time to slip one’s mind. 

For some games, the developing team may continue to work on the franchise, devotedly releasing a new installment every now and then. But, for one reason or another, they never seem to break through the airwaves, at least not in the same ways they once used to. 

That’s not to say there aren’t lots of potentially worthwhile franchises to explore out there. In fact, some of these franchises may very well become your next favorite pastime. Wondering which fighting franchises these could be? It’s time to go back in time, jog our memory, and explore the five fighting franchises you forgot about. 

5. Fighter's History

Before the Japanese Data East video game company sunk into oblivion, they released several arcade classics you might remember like the Magical Drop, Burger Time series, and the two-dimensional fighting Fighter's History franchise. Unfortunately, there was a striking similarity between Fighter’s History and Street Fighter, which led to Capcom suing Data East for copyright infringement. 

Although the court ruled in favor of Data East, it seemed the damage was already done, and the franchise suffered the loss. Still, however short-lived Fighter’s History was, it doesn’t take away the hours on hours gamers put into the playthrough. Plus, the one mechanic different from Street Fighter, where you could temporarily stun your opponent, repeatedly unleashing consecutive attacks on their weakest spot, remains legendary to this day.

4. Power Stone

Power Stone is a legend simply for daring to tread new ground. After all, experimenting with new ideas is how the gaming industry continues to evolve. This two-dimensional from the ‘90s dared to cast its gameplay on a three-dimensional arena. And, oh, it worked outstandingly well. 

Plus, players could explore other gameplay mechanics besides traditional combat techniques. They could collect three power stones that enabled them to transform into more powerful beings. The same formula has continued to evolve over the years, but Power Stone’s charm was the first to do the deed, even going onward to feature an anime adaptation of the game.

If you remember Power Stone now and are wondering what happened to the franchise, well rumors seem to point toward Capcom working on a remake. Given that Power Stone lay the groundwork for today’s multiplayer fighting games like Fortnite and Overwatch, I can only imagine what the Dreamcast brawler could be like if it employed the same joyful, rule-breaking gameplay with a modern touch.

3. Fatal Fury

It’s fatal and furious in Fatal Fury, but unfortunately, not so much in recent years. Most gamers will remember SNK's King of Fighters and Capcom’s Street Fighter at each other’s throats, fighting for who’s the true king of the fighting gaming genre. But what most gamers will probably not remember is before these two contenders gained steam, SNK's Fatal Fury was the first in line to vie for the crown. 

The Fatal Fury fighting franchise made its debut as early as 1991. It was the first-ever fighting game SNK made for the Neo Geo system. And no. It wasn’t particularly horrible. The cast of fighters was vibrant-looking, and the mechanics slowly and steadily evolved with each new game. This same trend ensued up until the last standalone entry called Garou: Mark of the Wolves, which is arguably the best Fatal Fury game ever made.

And then came the overwhelmingly long wait, 23 years to be exact. Having left fans in such high spirits, Fatal Fury crumbled itself into near non-existence. But alas, a surprising announcement at Evo 2022 revealed a new Fatal Fury game currently in development. Whether this new game will make a comeback deemed worthy of such a long hiatus remains to be seen.

2. Bushido Blade

Sometimes simplicity takes it home, and Bushido Blade nailed this aspect to the core. This samurai-themed fighting franchise is regarded as one of the most rewarding fighting franchises of all time. It had nothing like life bars or time limits on fights. It also curated deadly blows so well that landing a “one-shot” kill blow felt so perfectly timed, and thus, as rewarding as possible. 

Besides the one death blow, Bushido Blade gimmicked scale and depth in its fighting sequences. This was quite surprising since many standard three-dimensional fighters struggled to emulate the authenticity that oozes out of an actual sword fight. Although the fighting franchise only made it to as far as two entries and tried to live on in the poorly received Kengo fighting series, it’s not an entirely unwelcome surprise if Bushido Blade were to make a comeback sometime soon.

1. Darkstalkers

Amidst the battle of SNK v Capcom, Capcom released a promising fighting franchise called Darkstalkers that amassed quite an intense fan base. In Japan, the franchise is known as ‘Vampire,’ which hints at the interesting slew of characters the franchise presents, including zombies, aliens, ghosts, and more. 

This franchise was so good that it came close to competing head-to-head with Street Fighter. Unfortunately, Capcom abandoned development at the peak of the franchise, leaving fans to nibble at mere re-launches over the past two decades. Now, all we can look back on are the glory days of Gothic horror-themed fighting games at their best. 

Well, at least Darkstalkers inspired future Capcom mega-hits like Marvel v Capcom and 1995’s Street Fighter Alpha games. Most especially, the latest Capcom Fighting Collection features up-to-date standards, which gamers and developers, alike, can revisit and draw inspiration from, along with 9 other Capcom's most popular competitive arcade games.

So what’s your take? Do you agree with the five fighting franchises you forgot about? Are there other fighting franchises we should know about? Let us know in the comments below or over on our socials here!