The 10 WORST Fighting Games of All Time

The 10 Worst Fighting Games of All Time

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 10 of the worst fighting games ever made.

“Ballz 3D” (1994)

Tech demos can be cool products from time to time as they can show users some of a console’s key features and potential power. However, not all tech demos are worthy of sale, and a game like “Ballz 3D” isn’t going to move the needle for anyone. In addition to the bizarre soundtrack, “Ballz 3D” designed every single character using only mildly animated spheres. This coupled with the layout of each battleground was to simulate 3D space within the confines of the Super NES and SEGA Genesis. Some outlets bought into the novelty at the time, but those familiar with the works of more pristine studios like Capcom, SNK, and eventually, Namco could see this was nothing more than a half-baked concept built around innuendos for marketing.

“MultiVersus” (2024)

In terms of gameplay, “MultiVersus” was once an excellent game. The beta version we saw in 2022 showed so much promise that it was such an enigma for Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games to suddenly pull “MultiVersus” from the market. Fast-forward to 2024 when “MultiVersus” returns with an official 1.0 launch, and no one is happy. The game speed was severely slowed down, the UI lacked any sort of personality, the roster remained largely unchanged since we last saw it, and the monetization was more egregious than ever before. “MultiVersus” would go on for four season post-launch before making Season Five its final one and stating the game would shut down at the end of May 2025.

“Kasumi Ninja” (1994)

Going back to 1994, we saw yet another stinker with “Kasumi Ninja”, although this one was not the least bit surprising. This fighter was published by Atari for the Atari Jaguar, which was already proving to be a massive flop at the time. But that’s only a minor sign of the game’s lack of quality. Once you play it, you’ll discover some of the most heinous visuals and controls you could never fathom without experiencing it firsthand. There is so much jank and so much clash between color schemes that “Kasumi Ninja” achieves a level of ugliness that would put an ogre to shame, even ogres that are about to hit their fifth movie.

“AEW Fight Forever” (2023)

Developer Yuke’s and the AEW brand were talking a big game in the months leading up to this rancid ring. So much gab about the good ol’ days where you and your buds hung around the living room, playing “WWF No Mercy” on N64 and PS1. Well, they reached a worse version of that in 2023. “AEW Fight Forever” does match the arcade-y feel of the game, but for what you were paying for, there was nothing worthwhile. The campaign was super short and monotonous, replay value was non-existent with such few modes to dive into, and “buggy” does not begin to describe the litany of technical problems that plagued this game. AEW deserved better, and with 2K and Visual Concepts rejuvenating the “WWE 2K” franchise with “WWE 2K22”, “Fight Forever” caused many to call Yuke’s reputation into question.

“Stake: Fortune Fighters” (2003)

There were a handful of fighting games that desperately tried to stake their flag into the first Xbox console as exclusives. “Stake: Fortune Fighters” was one of the most humiliating we saw. This was an arena brawler almost similar to “Power Stone” except it had a more traditional “deathmatch” scoring system as you would expect from a game like “Unreal Tournament”. The only difference was that those games were technically sound, had excellent controls, and integrated fun levels and mechanics. “Stake: Fortune Fighters” had none of those things, only ever reaching the historic achievement of “Most Forgotten Xbox Exclusive in the Console’s History”. Well, that’s the dishonorable title we’d give it.

“Kabuki Warriors” (2001)

Joining the laundry list of forgotten Xbox exclusives is this sad excuse of a 2D fighter. “Kabuki Warriors” sees two performers dueling on stage and fighting for the praise of the audience. We’ll give it brownie points for concept, but what really drags it down are the lack of music and lazy level design. Really, every fight is done in total silence, and the only part of the background that ever changes is the backdrop. Combat, on the other hand, is so undercooked that it felt like developers Genki and Lightweight just stopped all design at a few basic slashes and stabs. The art of kabuki theater deserved more respect than what it got here.

“The Simpsons Wrestling” (2001)

For every great Simpsons game, we’ve had about three or four awful ones. “The Simpsons Wrestling” has got to be the worst ever made with “Simpsons Skateboarding” at a close second. While a Simpsons-themed fighting game has its appeal, “The Simpsons Wrestling” was the laziest attempt one could have made. Developed by Big Ape Productions, this was among the last of the PS1 games ever made, and it became infamous for its long load times, lack of polish, and severely improper balance between its playable characters. All you gotta do is play as Ned Flanders and spam God to see everything wrong with this game.

“Samurai Shodown Sen” (2008)

Several fighting games suffered greatly as their owners tried to force some of them to transition into the 3D space. “Samurai Shodown” already had an attempt with 1999’s “Warrior’s Rage”, but “Sen” was the game that left the franchise dead for over a decade. No fan, critic, or tourist could stand the horrendous visuals, bland environments, and needlessly graphic violence that would have pleased any “Mortal Kombat” casual. “Samurai Shodown” this was not, and the franchise wouldn’t see another game until 2019.

“Fighter Within” (2013)

If you believe fighting games and motion controls go hand-in-hand like peanut butter and jelly, we’d agree with you…if every fighting game was “Wii Sports” with just the boxing portion. But ever since “Fighter Within” stormed the scene alongside the Xbox Kinect, some of us in the FGC have had no reason to share this notion. “Fighter Within” was broken in every sense of the word as controls were unresponsive ninety percent of the time and often led to moments akin to the infamous Avatar leg twitch demonstration at E3. And once you’ve reached that magnitude of poor programming, it’s all over.

“Catfight” (1996)

No, the footage you’re seeing is not busted. There was no encoder issue on our end. This is really how “Catfight” runs on a computer newer than what was available in 1996. And even then, the game ran at such an abysmal state. “Catfight” featured a roster of only women wearing revealing outfits, and it features some of the most lifeless voice acting and tamest sex appeal you’d expect. This would be the first, last, and only game ever developed by Phantom Card. As for publisher Atlantean Interactive Games, the company would publish one more game before vanishing from the industry.

What’s the worst fighting game you played? This might sound petty, but any SNK game that doesn’t have Mai Shiranui is a crime against humanity. Looking at you, “King of Fighters XII”. But let us know what you think in the comments below, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!