Best SEGA Dreamcast Fighting Games!

In 1999, the launch of the Sega Dreamcast shocked retailers who had been stocking the Sega Saturn only a few years prior. With the PlayStation quickly gaining momentum over the Saturn, it was time for a change.

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The Sega Dreamcast was put out way before the rest of the next generation consoles were put out. They learned to reach a broader audience, putting out quality titles that you could only imagine being brought home from the Arcade. With countless fighting games based on the Naomi Arcade hardware. This allowed your favorite fighting games to be brought to life at home.

Cult classic fighting games such as Marvel vs Capcom, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, Power Stone and Soulcalibur all getting home releases. The Dreamcast also released official arcade quality hardware such as the Agetec Dreamcast Fightstick to bring the true Arcade experience home. Something you had only seen before with third party manufacturers until then by Sega.

Unfortunately the Sega Dreamcast was pulled too quickly from store shelves. Leaving your favorite fighting games on clearance. Looking back, I wish I had purchased a ton of bargain bin fighting games when they were readily available.

In this article, you'll find out which Sega Dreamcast fighting game is the best, which will contain the best North America and Japanese Dreamcast fighting games.

15 - The Last Blade 2

The Last Blade 2 offers great stage animations and wonderful backgrounds. It's a beautiful looking game and offers a great soundtrack. For a fighting game it's impressive how much went into the audio visual package. The Last Blade 2 was released in November 1998 and since then has been rereleased on the PlayStation Network which is fantastic to see more fighting games being released on modern consoles.

14 - Garou: Mark of the Wolves

Garou: Mark of the Wolves is the 8th installment of the Fatal Fury franchise and boy does it deliver. The frame animations are super smooth and each character feels unique. The Super moves are incredibly fun to watch. Couple that with an outstanding soundtrack and  you got yourself one heck of a fighting game. Unfortunately Garou shares the same timeframe of release as Street Fighter III: Third Strike and gets overlooked a ton.

13 - Dead or Alive 2

Dead or Alive 2 showcases the Dreamcast hardware to it's fullest. It's a 2.5d fighting game that let's you choose from a plethora of characters. The backgrounds although fantastic on their own, offer transitions to further enhance the gameplay experience. You can get away with button mashing for a bit, to get good you'll have to learn the combos and defense.

12 - Project Justice

Project Justice was another great arcade port making it's way to the Sega Dreamcast as a fantastic fighting game. With it's unique style that separates itself from the traditional look and feel of a Street Fighter game. Instead of fighting as Ryu or Ken, you're set off as Momo Karuizawa. It's really easy to play but difficult to master. A fighting game about Rival Schools is definitely an unique concept from Capcom.

11 - Guilty Gear X

With 14 characters to choose from and countless ports after the initial Dreamcast release, Guilty Gear X offers deep fighting game mechanics. Guilty Gear X is that type of game that will be played 10 or even 20 years from now. You might even hear about it as the game that brought back the simple and colorful 2d animation style in a world where 3d fighters were becoming so popular in the early 2000s.

10 - Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000

The first of the two fighting game releases on the Sega Dreamcast, Capcom vs. SNK was regarded at the time of release as one of the best fighting games of all time. That is however, short lived leading up to the second release on the Dreamcast. That's not to take away from Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 as there is a lot of meat on the bones to speak about. It combines the popularity of Capcom and SNK’s diversity of characters into one to establish one of the greatest fighting games of all time!

9 - Street Fighter Alpha 3

Street Fighter Alpha 3 offers fantastic characters, super-stylish graphics and animations and seemingly limitless depth. Yes, the graphics can look a bit on the blocky side and the Dreamcast pad is not a good option. But couple yourself with the Agetec Dreamcast Arcade stick and you've got yourself one heck of a fighting game.

8 - Power Stone

Power Stone is an unconventional approach to the fighting game genre as a whole. it's easy enough to pick up to some of the most casual players but hardcore fighting game fans have a lot to appreciate. It does lack a bit of depth so have your expectations in check in order to avoid disappointment.

7 - Marvel vs Capcom

The first Marvel vs Capcom release is by no means a balanced fighting game. There's a ton of infinite combos that are very easy to execute with the right amount of timing. Marvel vs Capcom is what you would expect from an ultra flashy fighting game that  features the best of the best from heavyweight genres Marvel and Capcom.

6 - Power Stone 2

Power Stone 2 takes what was good about the original version and improves on it dramatically. Battle off in a frenzy of four player action. As long as you have some of your friends around for a couch coop, you will not be able to put any of those quirky controllers down. Something I would recommend to gamers alike all day, every day!

5 - Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

Where do we begin with Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes? Is it the endless amount of characters to choose from? The fantastic combo system that allows you to chain combos in an orderly fashion? The colorful sprites? Or the legacy it's served throughout the years it's been played at every fighting game tournament? Pick one (or all) of the options and roll with it. Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is a game that will be remembered by everyone where they experienced it for the first time.

4 - Soulcalibur

Soulcalibur comes to the Sega Dreamcast as a launch title in 1999 and was a way for Sega to showcase their brand new 128 bit hardware. It was literally the number one reason to buy a Dreamcast in 1999. It offers great gameplay, a ton of different options and outstanding visuals to make a fighting game near perfect.

3 - Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001

If you grew up or just enjoy 2d fighting games, Capcom vs SNK 2 is the pinnacle of fighting games. There's a ton of great characters, it offers great balanced gameplay and is overall one of the best fighting games of all time. Capcom vs SNK 2 is still very active on the fighting game community having the talent showcased in full effect (and on fightcade).

2 - Super Street Fighter II X for Matching Service

If you are within Japan (or can find a copy locally) you can get your hands on a perfect port of Super Street Fighter II Turbo (otherwise known as Super Turbo). It takes everything you loved from Street Fighter II and amplifies it. More combos, more characters, even a super meter that allows you to perfectly execute an attack on your opponent. Super Street Fighter II X is a fantastic choice for one of the best fighting games on the Dreamcast.

1- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

That moment in Evo 2004, Justin Wong and Daigo Umehara faced off in true fighting game fashion. When Daigo pulled off that parry, you knew something special was happening right before your eyes. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is a perfect fighting game. It offers a brand new roster, pixel perfect sprites, a set of balanced mechanics and a fantastic soundtrack. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is the best fighting game on the Sega Dreamcast.