Nightwolf's versatile move set, strong fundamentals, and awesome design make him one of MK11's best characters yet.
Despite a familiar moveset, Hero's RNG heavy moveset make him a lot of fun to play, even if a bit inconsistent.
Archaic story mode and load times aside, Samurai Shodown succeeds as a fundamentals driven 2D fighting game.
Excellent action leads the way with My Friend Pedro, though there is little reason to return after its short campaign.
It's impressive that Mortal Kombat 11 plays as well as it does on Switch, but it loses a lot when you're on the go and away from wi-fi.
Katana Zero's adrenaline pumping action is incredible and its presentation is stellar, but its story feels cut short.
Under all of Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid's poor graphics, anemic content, and bugs is the beating heart of a mechanically sound 2D fighter.
It looks great and the story is decent, but One Piece World Seeker's 20 hours of one-note combat and repetitive, misleading quests aren't worth suffering through.
Devil May Cry 5's trio of outstanding combat styles set a new high bar for the series, and its mysterious story keeps things interesting along the way.
Jump Force is all flash and little substance. Even with a roster of 40 beloved characters, it fails to stick the landing.
Despite the shallow combat and weak story mode, there's fun to be had in My Hero One's Justice.
The soul of Soulcalibur 6 is so strong that a few minor issues don't do much to bring down one of the best entries in the series.
WWE 2K19 is a rebound in the right direction, but it is held back by many long-standing issues.
When you're fully geared up and The Messenger is hitting you with brand new stages and challenges that you haven't seen before, The Messenger is an amazing, must-play experience. Taken as a whole, it's brought down only by fetch quests that make The Messenger last several hours longer than it feels like it should.
BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is like a jigsaw puzzle made of pieces from four entirely different sets, that by some miracle still manage to fit together to make a unique and mesmerizing tag fighting game. Aside from its unsatisfying single-player mode and aggravating paywalled characters, it's just the right blend of accessibility and depth, and one of the best entry points into fighting games you'll find.
Attack on Titan 2 has a lot of great things going for it: Exciting aerial battles that are true to the anime and manga, several quality-of-life improvements over the original game, and both competitive and cooperative online game modes.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DLC for Injustice 2 is one great fanservice filled package for TMNT fans, and fits right in with Injustice 2's star-studded cast of heroes and villains. Their four distinct sets of abilities and playstyles make it feel like four characters for the price of one.
EA went back to the gym with UFC 3 to work on many of the weaknesses that had the previous two games struggling to find their footing. A fantastic new striking system and a much-improved career mode lead the charge, but UFC 3 is still hamstrung by a cumbersome ground game, weird collision issues, and the straight-up terrible Ultimate Team Mode. It's still not a knockout, but Round 3 is UFC's best yet.
Between the accessible auto combos, homing attacks, and simplified command inputs, Dragon Ball FighterZ is an inviting gateway into the world of fighting games for newcomers — whether you're a Dragon Ball fan or not. Those easy controls can open the door to some spammy behavior, but just as often it's satisfying in a way that does right by the Dragon Ball name. Dragon Ball FighterZ has enough depth and complexity to glow as brilliantly as a Super Saiyan.
Street Fighter 5 Arcade Edition marks the completion of a transformation from bare-bones fighting game with a rock-solid core to a fully featured example of the genre at its best. The new V-Triggers are sure to shake up the competitive scene, while the nostalgic new modes breathe new life into the single-player fighting.