I think fighting games are like religion - the one you’re raised with just makes sense, and all the others just seem like: “why would anyone spend their time with that!?”
I love Tekken. Played 1 a bit. Played 2 a lot. Played 3 a bit. Played Tag and 4 a huge amount at work. Played 5 a bit. 6 not so much. 7 lightly. And now I’m mainlining 8 and absolutely loving it. So I have to concede - after a lifetime sinking time into Tekken of one form or another, you can’t really take my views on it as anything other than completely biased.
But I love it. Every time I’ve tried to play another beat-em-up like SF or MK I’ve just ended up confused. I know, intellectually, that these are good games. But I just don’t understand the… texture of them. SF feels floaty, stuff happens but I don’t really understand what I’m doing or how it affects what I’m seeing on screen. MK feels oddly stilted, the way the characters move feels artificial, slow.
Only Tekken feels… real. Just the right amount of nimble. When I get hit, I know why I got hit. I can predict shit, and feel good when I block a load of stuff. I feel like only with Tekken can I worry less about the controller and more about the strategy, and the mind games.
Mostly because it has the best character: a wholesome pro wrestler who helps kids and orphanages. Also only speaks in jaguar and always has his jaguar mask on.
SNES Street Fighter had some impossible moves. OK, most of them were extremely challenging, because they tried to emulate joystick moves with thumb buttons.
I prefer MK because the characters are great, the lore is great, the input methods are fun and you get to kill your opponent.
SF was fun when I was a teenager 😅
EDIT: WTF is wrong with you people? I played SF when I was a kid because that's when it first became popular. It's not an insult, chill with the downvotes.
I always loved Tekken more, because a good match between skilled players looked like something out of a choreographed kung Fu movie.
At least up to the PS2 era. It was also slower paced so you had to be more strategic. I always thought all the little character story movies were a lot of fun. SF feels very bare bones in comparison. But I stopped paying attention a while ago.
MK had a distinguishing gimmick with the fatalities, but the general character design never meshed well with me.
Street Fighter feels better as a competitive game and Mortal Kombat has always felt more button-mashy and arcade like.
I never really liked Mortal Kombat's game play over Street Fighter because of this. I've continued with Street Fighter to modern times, but having not really cared for it back with the original trilogy, I haven't touched modern MK games much.
I do however like the lore and story for the MK games way more than SF. I watch all the movies and anime and stuff; those are way more fun for me than the games lol
Grew up with tekken. Played MK and SF but found tekken better. Nowadays I find the ufc games to be the best fighting games. I gave up on tekken years ago after 5 or 6.
IMO, Street Fighter has a lower skill floor and is easier to get into, and MK has a higher skill ceiling so its more rewarding and fun for players who master it.
I got into it back when SC-II was the only game in the arcade I could beat on a single quarter.
I have played every game in the series - even the awful ones.
I love the stupid, overwrought storyline.
I love the wild assortment of weapons the characters bring to bear.
Though... I'd be okay if Ivy calmed her tits. Just a bit. Lady is one good sneeze away from a traction bed.
I'm hoping Bamco makes enough $$$ from Tekken to throw a few dollars to their other fighting game franchise.... but I kinda doubt it.