Summary
UPDATE: Street Fighter 6 won Best Fighting Game at The Game Awards 2023!
As 2023 draws to a close,The Game Awards 2023will be highlighting some of the year’s best releases, across a number of different genres, including fighting games. While there have been plenty of unique and enjoyable games in this category this year, only one can rise above the rest and earn the title of Best Fighting Game atThe Game Awards.
Whilenotable franchises likeMortal Kombatmake headlines and are generally thought of as mainstream, a good number of high-quality fighting games either fly under the radar or aren’t deeply explored by the greater gaming population. EvenMortal KombatandStreet Fightergames, while incredibly popular, are generally not thought of as Game of the Year contenders, being more like standouts in a specific niche. Still, plenty of gamers enjoy fighting games to some degree, with interest levels ranging from mild to religiously dedicated. When it comes to the award for Best Fighting Game at The Game Awards, the winner will likely be the title that best bridges this gap, appealing to both hardcore and casual players.
2023 Best Fighting Game Nominees
God of Rock
With an average rating of 62 on Metacritic,God of Rockis one of themore unusual TGA nominationsthis year, especially considering that it’s up against the likes ofMortal KombatandStreet Fighter. Having said that, the game has a surprisingly great premise, as it takes the basic gameplay of a fighting game and combines it with the mechanics of a rhythm game. This novel approach yields mixed results, and it’s unlikely that it will beat out its Best Fighting Game competition, but it’s certainly interesting and worth checking out.
Mortal Kombat 1
Mortal Kombatis back withMortal Kombat 1, a soft reboot of theMKuniverse. The graphics are as polished as ever, and the franchise’s easy to learn, hard to master fighting mechanics are in top form. The game isn’t quite a flawless victory,stumbling with its Nintendo Switch port, but its new features and satisfying gameplay help make it a more than worthy successor toMortal Kombat 11.
Like its predecessors,Mortal Kombat 1is set to receive a number of content expansions post-release; specifically, several post-launch characters will be added to the game in the form of paid DLC. This means that the game’s overall quality will likely be reevaluated in the years to come, when its roster has been completed.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2recreates a good deal of what made its 2021 predecessor so interesting. The game is widely considered to be animprovement over the firstNickelodeon All-Star Brawl, introducing new characters, arenas, and features while retaining its identity. The enduring charm of Nickelodeon’s many iconic franchises helps the game’s success as well, but many feel that it is still living in the shadow of theSuper Smash Bros.series, which it is clearly trying to emulate.
Pocket Bravery
LikeGod of Rock,Pocket Braverystands out against the other nominees, as it’s not part of an established franchise nor does it feature characters from well-known IPs. UnlikeGod of Rock, however,Pocket Braverytakes a more traditional approach with its gameplay, offering players classic, beat-em-up-style combat reminiscent of games likeThe King of FightersandFatal Fury. Many fighting game fans, particularly those who havefollowedPocket Bravery’s crowdfunding process, have received the game with open arms, celebrating its flashy pixel art, crunchy sound design, inspired character designs, and surprisingly impactful combat fundamentals. It may not have made too many headlines this year, but it has landed exceptionally well with fighting game fans, and could be a cult classic in the making.
Street Fighter 6
Perhaps the most widely publicized fighting game this year, rivaled only byMortal Kombat 1,Street Fighter 6has been widely considered a triumphant return for the famous franchise. Capcom’s best-selling, influential fighting franchise managed to pull itself out of the shadow of its controversial fifth entry withStreet Fighter 6, which is among the highest-ratedvideo games of this year. One of the most remarkable things aboutSF6is its World Tour mode, which allows players to create their own fighter and explore a semi-open world, battling other players and NPCs.Street Fighter 6’s robust customization system, revolutionary single-player campaign, and tight-as-ever mechanics make itone of the best entries in the series and an undeniable win for Capcom.
Final Prediction
Although it faces some stiff competition in the form ofMortal Kombat 1,Street Fighter 6will likely be taking home the Best Fighting Game award in December.Street Fighter 6manages to appeal to fighting game novicesjust as much as hardcore and competitive players. That can’t quite be said forMortal Kombat 1which, while a fantastic game, doesn’t do nearly as much to revitalize and expand upon its series' formula.Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2is a game that does a lot right, but needs to do much more in order to step out of Nintendo’s shadow, and althoughGod of RockandPocket Braveryhave their merits, it’s hard to compete with the polish and pedigree ofStreet Fighter.
Street Fighter 6is not only the best fighting game of the year, but one of the best games of the year, period, and more than a few fans have expressed surprise that it wasn’tnominated for Game of the Year. GOTY nomination or not,Street Fighter 6is a landmark title, and its significance will no doubt be recognized atThe Game Awards 2023.
