The 10 Most CONTROVERSIAL Fighting Games

10 Most Controversial Fighting Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 10 of the most controversial fighting games ever released. They don’t necessarily have to be bad, but these titles definitely cause some contention within various corners of the FGC.

“SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos” (2003)

For a short moment, it seemed as though the “SNK vs. Capcom” games were going to get as big as Capcom’s other crossover fighters. Sadly, that candle burnt out quickly once “SVC Chaos” dropped, and it's been hard to find anyone to appreciate the game for what it was. The most positivity most can ever say about it is that it boasted a pretty great roster with characters outside of your typical “King of Fighters” and “Street Fighters”, even though both take up most of the slots. But once you start playing “SVC Chaos”, you’ll quickly find a game that is far too demanding when it comes to ultra-quick inputs required to perform even the most basic combos. It didn’t help that the game had completely removed the Groove System, a feature many cherished in “SNK vs. Capcom 2: Mark of the Millennium".

“Street Fighter X Tekken” (2012)

When “Street Fighter X Tekken” was first announced, everyone flipped. This was a crossover many had dreamed of for years! And for some, it was everything they could have asked for. Just about every character from both “Street Fighter” and “Tekken” were packed into this game, and every pairing of characters created unique matchups and setups for combos. That bright and cherry corner of the community was quickly silenced by the vocally angry. Why should anyone have fun when the DLC was on the disc and the gem mechanics were tied to microtransactions? Well, we suppose everyone has their boundaries…even those who didn’t give the game a try and see all those gems you can rack up from just playing the game.

“Them’s Fightin’ Herds” (2020)

There was so much to love about “Them’s Fightin’ Herds” that it's almost unbelievable that so many people allowed it to slip past them. The gorgeous animation, the character design, the creative magic-based combat - the game should have caught on. Why didn’t it? Well, some players couldn’t forgive developer Mane6 and publisher Modus for falling back on their promises, and understandably so. In November 2023, both companies announced the cancellation of the single-player campaign for “Them’s Fightin’ Herds”. Not only that, but the next two DLC characters for Season One would be part of the last update for the game. The two characters dropped in a clearly unpolished state, which prompted even more backlash. Now, it's hard to say anything nice about the game without someone bringing up its untimely and messy end. As of October 2025, the rights to “Them’s Fightin’ Herds” has been given to a publisher called Gameplay Group who seeks to revive the project.

“Mortal Kombat 1” (2023)

Whereas “Them’s Fightin’ Herds” is a bit hard to hate on because the game is still incredible, “Mortal Kombat 1” is tough to speak positively on because of how messy everything is. Credit where credit is due, the environments look nice, and the character animation is spot-on. The problem is, well, everything else. The story and writing are so awful that some began to question if NetherRealm Studios used AI to help with the dialogue. Invasions was a constant slog to sift through with slow map navigation and monotonous “challenges”. As for online, matchmaking would take an eternity to pair players up even at launch. Players abandoned the game long before NRS pulled their usual “abandon game after eighteen months” scheme.

“Street Fighter V” (2016)

Capcom appears on the list a third time, and this one nearly killed off all interest in “Street Fighter”. “Street Fighter V” was to be the grand leap into the eighth generation of console gaming and the premier fighting game for the PlayStation 4. Imagine everyone’s shock and dismay when we got a game that looked ugly as sin and alarmingly lean in single-player content. Really, everyone’s campaigns could be finished in less than two hours. Though it took a long time, Capcom slowly managed to bring it around over the course of several years with updates that added more single-player modes, more costumes, DLC characters, and significant balance adjustments. The game is leagues better now, but even today, you’re bound to run into a couple of individuals who will be quick to remind you of the game’s fumbling launch.

“Dead Or Alive 6” (2019)

Whereas “Street Fighter V” got better over time, “Dead Or Alive 6” rotted away faster than anyone expected, especially given how long DOA 5 got support during its “Last Round” days. DOA 6 was remarkable with its meaty campaign, extensive Practice modes to teach you everything about the game, and its badass cast of fighters. But that was the most exciting it ever got. Koei Tecmo quickly got greedy with monetizing the hell out of the game. Costumes could now only be acquired by purchasing overpriced bundles. Much of the DLC characters were all fighters we had seen in DOA 5 already. And the online was solid, but never saw much improvement from its weird stutters and lag. Even after all of this, we’re hoping a DOA 7 is on the horizon.

“Rumble Roses” series (2004-06)

While we’re on the subject of fighting games boasting badass babes, can we have an honest talk about “Rumble Roses”? It seems this game can never reach a middle ground with people between the prudish and the gooners. Let’s be honest, this is not a perfect wrestling game by any means. It’s competent in its mechanics, yes. But it's nothing revolutionary. It’s also a game that relishes in its sex appeal, though it tends to do so in some very tasteless ways. That said, these games can be fun with friends; it just needs to bring that fun in more of a “WWE Women’s Evolution” kind of way and not the “awkward erotic fantasy” way.

“Tekken 4” (2001)

Let’s get back to the meatier fighting games now. “Tekken 4” has seen quite a bit of revisionism take hold in recent years as PS2 fanboys sing nothing but praise. You hear about how it was supposedly “the best ‘Tekken’ game on the console” with some going so far as to discount “Tekken 5”. But here’s the thing: none of them can seem to admit how broken the game could be at times with its weird inclines, which would suddenly turn lows into mids and mids into highs. This approach to the level design turned a lot of players off, so much so that it nearly killed the franchise according to longtime series producer Katsuhiro Harada. Look, love the game all you want - it’s not going to alter history, especially when an industry veteran knows the real story.

“Capcom Fighting Evolution” (2004)

Yeah, Capcom is popping up a fourth time, and not to spoil it, but…it's not the last time. “Capcom Fighting Evolution” really came at a horrible time for the company, and it might have been the breaking point for fighting game players. On its own merits, “Capcom Fighting Evolution” isn’t perfect; it’s pretty unbalanced, and there isn’t really anything interesting going on with its mechanics. You’ve basically played this game before. But that’s what prompted so many Capcom fans to suddenly turn on their favorite studio. The reused assets, the constant churn of revised versions that revised the other revised version many had grown accustomed to… People began deeming Capcom as lazy at this point. But to say “Capcom Fighting Evolution” was this unplayable mess? That’s a bit much, ain’t it?

“Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite” (2017)

Of any fighting game to ever exist, none have gotten as much flak as “Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite”. Even I have been pretty harsh on it over the years. Perhaps it was how Capcom wanted to go big with this one? From a bird’s eye view, the game really isn’t all that awful. The game speed is fast, the 2v2 format is a nice return to MvC’s roots, and you can make some pretty sick combos. It's just that the story is so glaringly awful, and the characters all look like crappy action figures. It doesn’t help that the Marvel side of the roster is composed of MCU characters with not a single X-Man in sight. Plus, much of the Capcom side is just UMvC3. “Infinite” was just such a huge letdown in the areas it needed the most attention, and Disney’s meddling did not help.

Were you a fan of any of these games? Or did you feel the harsh criticisms were well justified? Let us know down in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to MojoPlays.