The fighting game genre has been popular with players for decades. Ever since the release of Heavyweight Champ for the arcades, the genre has greatly evolved in order to meet today’s standards. Several fighting game franchises have been established as a result – most notably Street Fighter and the Soul Calibur franchises. Games under these names have greatly changed the model of what a fighting game is.
Although both series have gone about the fighting game formula in different ways, they have become fan favorites to gamers all over the world. However, due to personal preference, some fans might prefer one game over the other. These are what each franchise brings to the table in order to determine whether one series is better than the other for different players.
10 Soul Calibur - 3D Environment
Having roughly 7 games and a variety of spin-offs, Soul Calibur’s gameplay is reliant on a three-dimensional engine. The stages along with the character models are fully modelled as opposed to 2D sprites shown in the past. This allows the characters to feel more alive and the environments to be more a part of the world.
Over time, the franchise evolved this model further by allowing the characters to move around the stage more and by having the stages become more detailed. The environments and models also ensure that the gameplay follows suit. This led to these games being fairly complex compared to the fighting games that are more reliant on the two-dimensional plane.
9 Street Fighter - Classic 2D Plane
Street Fighter is one of the earliest fighting game franchises to have ever released. As a result, many fundamental elements that came from this series made their way into other fighting game series going forward.
Despite the natural transition of moving towards the third-dimension, Street Fighter has mostly maintained its roots of fighting within the 2D plane. As a result, while there have been gameplay evolutions, the fundamentals are still in place. For long-time players or for younger players, this works out well by being both nostalgic and accessible.
8 Soul Calibur - Weapons
Unlike other prolific fighting games such as Tekken, King Of Fighters, or the aforementioned Street Fighter, the Soul Calibur franchise utilizes weapons. Although it isn’t the first to utilize weapons within its gameplay, it still remains one of the most crucial elements in its gameplay.
As multiple characters utilize a different weapon, it means that the fighting styles that the characters employ makes them appear more unique and stand out. This stands out in stark different to more traditional fighting games with static combos and movesets.
7 Street Fighter - Iconic Moves
One of the gameplay elements that tie Street Fighter strongly with the video game community is the iconography. This relates to the designs of the characters and the special attacks that they use in the game. For example, Ryu’s design as a karateka makes him stand out amongst a plethora of fighting game characters.
But he is arguably more iconic thanks to the variety of special abilities he has in his skill list. Abilities such as the Shoryuken and Hadouken are recognizable to many gamers even if they have never played a Street Fighter game. Another example would be the sonic boom which is the technique employed by the character Guile (whose theme goes with everything).
6 Soul Calibur - Historical Fantasy
Unlike Street Fighter, Soul Calibur is set in a fantastical setting during the late 16th century. The main iconography of the franchise is centered around two swords: the Soul Edge and the Soul Calibur.
This historical fantasy setting arguably creates unique opportunities with the franchise. The developers don’t have to be fully constrained within the potential limitations that a modern setting provides. It also allows for more fantastical settings, costumes, and abilities.
5 Street Fighter - Modern Setting
Although Soul Calibur is centered in historical fantasy, Street Fighter’s setting is iconic thanks to the familiar locales that most players know of. This includes places in Japan or America for example.
As a result, it’s arguably easier to have players be more attached because of that familiarity. However, this doesn’t mean that the stages are not creative as the series put large amounts of detail in each stage to ensure that they remain memorable for the players.
4 Soul Calibur - Gameplay Mechanics
Due to the gameplay being set within the three-dimensional plane, there have been several game mechanics that Soul Calibur provides that other franchises might not have. These include the guard impact system which repels incoming attacks and offers a chance to counter.
Other elements include character creation which allows players to create their own avatars and 8-way run movement options. This is definitely something Street Fighter has no counter to as the game revolves around the stories behind its iconic characters.
3 Street Fighter - Foundations
Street Fighter is a franchise that has been around since 1987 and, following the monumental second game, exploded into popularity that shows no sign of lessening. As a result, many elemental foundations that have become prevalent in the genre arguably stemmed from this franchise.
These include unique characters with their own movesets and combo systems. As a result, the series set a paradigm that inspired other fighting games like Mortal Kombat and Guilty Gear. People identified so much with the characters that all kinds of collaborations took place over the years. One of the most recent was Ryu and Chun-Li making their way into Fortnite.
2 Soul Calibur - Guest Characters
Though real-world Street Fighter crossovers happen such as Chun-Li’s Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, Soul Calibur took things in a direction that is arguably better for gamers. One of the unique elements that have fans look forward to every upcoming entry is the choice of guest characters.
Guest characters in Soul Calibur don’t limit themselves to video games; characters such as Spawn and Darth Vader appeared in the series. These characters don’t have carbon-copy movesets either, but unique styles that allow them to stand out amongst their opponents, as well as in the eyes of their fans.
1 Street Fighter - Importance
Street Fighter having importance in not just due to its influence on the genre, but on video games in general. Not only has it inspired other franchises, but the series has gone on to make multiple crossovers. Whether in other Capcom video games or in other fighting game series like King Of Fighters or Super Smash Bros, the game laid a foundation upon which many developers iterated.
Street Fighter gave us the plans for Mortal Kombat, Injustice, and even the Dragon Ball Z fighting games. Fans who favor this kind of history will appreciate all that the Street Fighter catalog has to offer.
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