One of the greatest things about videogames is that you can beat the shit out of your friends, yet face little to no consequences.  Of course, the best genre of games to do this with is the fighter.  The problem is that there are so many fighters around, you may be wasting your time on a turd of a game.  So if you're just getting into the fighting scene and need someone to separate the treasure from the trash, or if you just want to reminisce with me, hit the link for my top ten fighters of all time.

Editor's Note: While we all love collaborating once in a while on our famous The BBPS Picks series, we also allow ourselves to share personal lists.  Enjoy Marc's justifications his favorite fighters ever.

10. Waku Waku 7

This fighter, designed by SUNSOFT, is just plain wacky.  It is a little unbalanced, but it makes up for this flaw with its super Japanese charm.  All of the characters are actually parodies of other fighting game characters.  For example, the anthropomorphic punching bag, Bonus-Kun, complete with red bandanna, is a satirical take on Street Fighter's Ryu.  The most important thing, though, is that the game is fun, plain and simple.

9. Asuka 120%Limited Burning Fest

What's the next best thing to beating up your friends?  Two girls beating the crap out of each other.  And that's exactly what you'll find in the Asuka series.  Double-jumping, fluid combos, and cool characters make this a great choice for when you've grown tired of the Capcom and SNK standbys.

8. Kizuna Encounter

Kizuna Encounter was hosting tag matches three years before Tekken Tag Tournament hit the arcades.  The game requires a bit of tactical thinking since one must be in a small and particular zone in order to tag his or her partner.  Other than the tag system, the game plays along the same lines of the Real Bout [see #7] series - nice and smooth.  The stage and character design reek of late '80s and early '90s aesthetic.  The levels are dark and dingy while most characters look like they came from Escape from New York or Big Trouble in Little China.

7. Real Bout Fatal Fury Special

This game is awesome.  It's got combos on par with the Street Fighter Alpha series, but still plays like an SNK game.  It's easy to get into, too - there are only three attack buttons (punch, kick, and strong) as well as a dodge button, which switches your character between two planes of gameplay (think Guardian Heroes).  Tons of different combo variations and a tough difficulty level keep Real Bout Special fresh for a long time.

6. Super Street Fighter II X

This is probably my favorite version of Street Fighter II, even though a lot of hardcore fans hate it.  It's fast, has super moves, and was matching-service-enabled in Japan.  And being a Dreamcast game, it was a 99 percent arcade perfect port of its CPS2 original - the loading times were barely even noticeable and slow-down was non-existent.  The voice overs are hilarious, too.

5. Project Justice

Yeah, it has a dodge button, but Project Justice is definitely a 2D fighter at its core.  This team-based followup to Rival Schools is a more wild and goofy version of the Street Fighter formula.  Most characters are themed after extra-caricular activities such as volleyball, tennis, and photography.  Move sets are similar to those of Street Fighter, but you can call in one of your two teammates for some extra help, or you can summon both for an extra-sepcial team combo.  It's definitely not the deepest fighter around, but it looks fantastic and plays even better.

4. Capcom vs. SNK 2

I'm sorry, but you'll never see an officially sanctioned fight between Spider-Man and Batman.  But you can see the characters of Street Fighter, Samurai Showdown, Last Blade, and Final Fight throw down with the characters of King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, and Art of Fighting.  And best of all, you can pick and choose who you want on your team.  Want Ken and Iori fighting side-by-side against Sagat and Ryo?  You got it.  The smorgasbord of playable characters is what makes CVS2 such a great game.

3. Street Fighter Alpha 3

The Alpha series makes other Street Fighters look like old geezers in terms of speed.  It's not as ADD as the Marvel vs. Capcom series, but it's still a zippy change of pace for a Street Fighter game.  Another great variation of the SF formula is that characters now have multiple super moves.  Street Fighter III let the player choose between three Super Arts before a match began, but in Alpha, these moves can be chosen at will, which makes matches far less predictable.

2. The King of Fighters XI

It may not have a huge roster like other King of Fighters games, but where it lacks in character selection, it excels in gameplay.  KoF XI is the most fluid of the series - controls are spot on and easy to pick up.  KoF may seem like a Street Fighter clone at first glance, but after playing for a few hours, one will see that the two games are drastically different.  If you've never tried a KoF game before, this is where to start.

1. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

When people hear the name "Street Fighter," they usually recall the second game in the series.  But Street Fighter III is an infinitely better game, in my opinion.  In SFII, you can pull off little combos, but its successor put a special emphasis on bigger strings of attacks, leading to the inclusion of Super Arts, cancelling, and other deeper play mechanics.  Add to that sprites that still look absolutely beautiful a decade later, and you've got the best fighter ever made.  The third time really is a charm.

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