I was eagerly waiting for this one 😄! Love this concept so much (also thank you for the shoutout 🙇♂) I think a huge part of why it's so enjoyable it's because these modes feel like actual rewards you earn by beating the game, while at the same time surpassing or subverting your expectations based on the original genre of the game you were playing already. Another thing I like is that, most of the time, they feel like a dev toybox of sorts, like in Shadow Tower for example. They could've just made a gallery mode and called it a day, but nope, devs went the extra mile adding a Vs mode reusing the assets they already had. I absolutely adore it when games do this kind of stuff, it always feels like a treat. And speaking of treats, every time one of your videos drops I know I'm in for one. Keep up the amazing job 🙌
@@therentpursuer9869 Those are "Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth" (Genesis/MD) and "Panzer Bandits" (PSX), both by Fill-in-Cafe, and they are indeed pretty cool games worth checking out. Mad Stalker has quite a couple of ports, one of those being the PSX version which basically revamped the whole game/system and whose engine would later be used in Panzer Bandits.
There are a number of brawlers at the time that has a Versus Mode, like Streets of Rage 2 and 3, the Rushing Beat games, and I think Turtles in Time has it too.
I remember loving Advanced Adventure as a kid and GRINDING vs CPU in One On One to learn the best combo routes for every character after a Guard Break. I thought I had mastered the game since I could use any character to beat any CPU at a handicap or beat Survival with anybody. Then last year I saw a small channel that nonchalantly showcased tech I never found and Infinites that Tien and Gohan had. Completely threw my understanding for a loop. Also, congrats on 2nd at Super DBZ at EVO, that Chi-Chi player was off the charts.
@@GuileWinQuote th-cam.com/video/uu4jLtQKInI/w-d-xo.html That's a combo from the guy. Found the channel just by searching "DragonBall Advanced Adventure Combo". Plus I forgot that Tao had an infinite too, it's just that Tien & Gohan's were easier since it was just looping Dashing B. I can only imagine the scene the game could have with the extremely unique defensive mechanics. I've wanted a ROM Hack where NPC characters from the story in that gameplay style like Giran, Nam, and Chiaotzu were playable since childhood too.
@@GuileWinQuote th-cam.com/video/yJwwMUroakg/w-d-xo.html This is actually a better link since it has the moveset of every character including the NPCs. I remember just being blown away by the Tien section where just just instant air floats after a knockdown and showcases how much pressure he can exert from that position.
@@california5319 It's been a while but I recall that pressing L while in a knockdown spends 1 bar of ki to teleport behind the opponent with a different timing than normal wakeup, which is very useful as a meaty can put you at a big disadvantage in guard meter. Then I believe when an attack touches your guard you can press L to teleport behind them as well for 1 bar, but you don't get a ton of frame advantage and it's mostly to escape the corner or call out an overextension. The reason Tien's super is so strong is that it reaches pretty far on either side of him so it's really difficult to deal with as a meaty due to it catching the teleport wakeup. By comparison Piccolo's super hits like a truck but the teleport invalidates its use as a meaty because it's all in front.
The Super Punch Out vs mode discovery is frickin’ crazy. I can’t believe after all this time, it was just discovered. Sounds awesome, too. Would have loved to have played this mode way back when I was a kid with friends.
The SNES Power Rangers beat em up game had a password system, and there were codes you could put in that allowed megazord battles to be a vs mode. Very nostalgic~
The PS2 section was the most nostalgic thing i've seen in a while. I remember gushing about Grievous being good to my friends that didn't like him and it feels good to have confirmation that he's top tier lol Urban Reign was a staple when friends came over and i LOVED Beat Down, specially the aesthetic VS modes like this are such a great way to give a bit more character and a connection to smaller characters and make for some pretty good times, weird how these modes fell off with the rise of online play where they could actually foster a community
The best part is that the vs mode was an 11th hour side project literally made out of spite that the staff (who had fighting game experience) had towards Masters of Teras'kasi, and wanted to show how a Star Wars fighting game SHOULD'VE been done. The head of the studio straight up said all of this, and I love it.
For the NES, Track & field II comes to mind. The taekwondo stage has controls like a fighting game. Then there's the hockey game Blades of Steel were you spend more time fighting one-on-one than playing hockey. And most of the Kunio sports games like Nintendo World Cup are more about winning by killing the opponents rather than scoring goals.
I really miss versus modes in games. They really were a treat to have when you had a friend over and just wanted to have fun. I get that nowadays they don't because they want to focus all their resources on the actual game (or on advertising), but sometimes the best joys in games are the simple minigames one can enjoy with a friend
Star Ocean 3 (aka Till the End of Time) had a 2P VS mode. You had to earn the characters, and the alt costumes, by playing the 50 hour RPG. Hell, you had to earn the mode itself. And each character had 3 variations that changed the techs they had, Short Range AND Long Range attacks are different depending on the variation. But because not every variation has 2 Short Moves and 2 Long Moves, it's not as loaded as it could be. Limited moves aside, there are, in fact, some variations that have an exclusive skill that lets you charge the Fury meter, the in-game action system. If your Fury is at 100%, and you're neutral, it gives you a shield that can block weak attacks. Yo, you want to play some unbelievably obscure VS poverty inside a JRPG? Star Ocean having a Versus Mode is the Lost City of the entire subject.
I actually tried to find Star Ocean's vs mode by downloading a save, But I didn't know much about the game itself and I couldn't find a good FAQ on where it is...but it's definitely on my radar and if I ever make a part two of this video it will definitely be on there!
Was posting about this but you beat me to it. I remember the colours are pain in the ass because of trophies percentage but gothic Sophia was very cool. They're all retextures though
That 2P mode was ridiculously deep into the game, but man when I finally got it unlocked we added it right into the Fight Night roster. It was genuinely really great to play and thought out.
With the mention of Shadow Tower, I'd also have liked to see some Guardian Heroes mentions. I know it's already almost a fighting game, with the linear planes, but like in ST, the VS mode lets you play as literally everyone--including the helpless villagers who run away from the burning village! I spent a ton of time as a kid just setting up CPU matches with the lowest-tier NPCs and enemies, and watching them duke it out with all one or two of their moves! It's pretty funny!
Such a great quality of these games, it's a lost art. I loved The Force Unleashed's versus mode so much, to this day still waiting on someone to play that with me....
The only current game i could think of that has a hidden fighting game is Warframe, you can unlock a 2D fighting game called Frame Fighter where you can play as your characters or unlock new ones finding objects on normal gameplay
Surprised you didn't mention Hybrid Heaven, which was a sort of combination fighting game and turn-based RPG with a really fun VS. Mode to mess around with.
Silhouette Mirage on PS1 has a 1v1 mode you can unlock, that was only included in the game's localization. Unlocking it seems pretty difficult, but it's really interesting!
When you brought up the thought about hidden 2 player modes, it reminded me that for Sonic Adventure DX on the GameCube, you could plug a controller into the second player port and the other controller would control Tails. For Sonic’s scenario anyway.
Still longing for Shaolin Monks to return somehow. Another fun versus mode is Streets of Rage 4's battle mode - a friend and I play survival every so often, and we always end our session with a few bonkers rounds of fighting each other, it's great casual fun.
Hey I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your willingness to make your videos in 4:3, given the types of games you often talk about. I love your commitment to presenting these games as best you can, really on display with your Buriki video but even here.
12:10 So many memories of playing this at a friend's house, we played the heck out of the versus mode. The main game too, I remember he'd wait for me to come visit him to continue with the campaign together.
Regarding the '2 Player Mode' in Super Punch Out: It was very likely a debug mode. - The boss characters are unfinished as actual playable characters, because a decent player makes this game a nightmare for Peter. - The presentation is practically non-exsistent - The unlock method is definitely something found in a debug mode. It is definitely cool, don't get me wrong, but very likely just a debug mode that they either forgot to remove or just didn't, because, well, look how long it took for people to find it.
Mk Shaolin Monks is still to this day my favorite MK... I finished literally 10 times and i love this game... MKSM deserve being ported to morden plataforms and pc more than any other MK in my opinion.
really the only bummer about this game was getting the sub zero/scorpion skins. my buddy and i were so stoked to play thru it again, yet they kept referring to the characters as Kung Lao and Liu Kang
@@RyleeStrange Yeah i agree... Like the Blade on the Ghost Rider game... But i mean, maybe if they had to redo everything maybe they would not include Subzero and Scorpion... That's the way i always look into this. At least they are pretty unique characters in gameplay.
It says a lot that Shaolin Monks seems to be the most obvious fan favourite, first of all it was based on MK2 which was the definitive version of Mortal Kombat when it comes to design and aesthetic, and also it's clear that people never really cared for MK as a fighting game but enjoyed the lore, gimmicks and fun of it so a game that lets you explore the world and have the most random fun is the one that everyone likes the most. They should have kept making those games instead of trying to fit in in the fighting genre, I think the people running the franchise don't even know what to do with it
The Urusei Yatsura game stood out to me since I really like Rumiko Takahashi's other manga like InuuYasha and Ranma 1/2. A fighting game crossover with all the series she wrote would be cool. Another game you could have mentioned is God of War: Ascension's multiplayer mode. It was kind of like an arena fighting game, and reminded me a bit of Power Stone.
I love that you included the hidden Super Punch Out mode even though it was only uncovered a little bit ago! I wish the Wii game had a multiplayer mode this unbalanced instead of Mac vs Mac...
One game I didnt see in the video but want to shout out is Yie Ar Kung Fu on GBA. Its part of the Konami arcade collection and is a port of the single player old fighting game. But the port has refined hitboxes, different AI, two new exclusive character unlocked via the Konami Code and biggest of all a Multiplayer vs function that only exists in this version of the game. Its so obscure I cant even find screenshots of it. And nobody I knew also owned the game so I could never play it.
Awesome video dude!! Honestly the Dragon Ball GBA game is such a hidden gem and the fact that it has a great VS mode makes it even better, I was so impressed it plays so well on the handheld!
Broforce Deathmatch 1v1 is the peak of Non-Fighting Games versus mode. I played a lot back in highschool, we used to have tournaments, tier lists, banned charachters, match up guides and all. I still carry everyone who played as close friends, that is a real community for me
I remember that I used to love playing the Star Wars ep 3 vs mode with my friends back in the day but I thought no one really knew about it so It’s really funny and kind of surreal to learn that there’s an actual community of people for just that one mode in the game
Some folks here already mentioned Streets of Rage 2's versus mode but I want to give a special SO to the recent revival entry Street of Rage 4 and its versus mode. If you haven't played the game it has a pretty deep combo system and also broken tech that let you effectively juggle nearly every enemy to death in the game. All of that tech can work on your human opponent on versus mode which effectively made them TODs.
Some of these are the kinds of games that I always wanted. (Not a big fan of MK, but Shaolin Monks is very special to me.) They aren't exactly Fighting Games but the gameplay is almost enough to be a Fighting Game, and balanced. Always wanted those games where the game lets you combos enemies and mobs (beat-em-ups, hack and slash) and then it also works with 1v1 or Deathmatches.
I have pretty fond memories of the versus mode in Revenge of the Sith, I remember once me, my brother and some friends even ran a small tournament for it between us when we were kids, was a lot of fun.
8:42 Sora, Sion, Shion, and with all those mix n match design elements between them. Pence from Twilight Town even wears the same brand of "Dog Street" clothes as Sion, even though "Dog Street" isn't a brand in KH, and Sora's KH IV's concept art looks even looks another step towards looking like Sion. I can't tell if Nomura just has a bad tendency of recycling major design themes, or if Sora is Sion's past and Nomura is actually a genius running a 23 year (and counting) long circular story. 🤔 The worst part is, I can't find much beyond some minor age issues that'd throw a wrench into that possibility.
This is my favourite genre of games, super mario 64 ds is my personal favourite. Me and my friends held tournaments at an after school club and had 20+ people competing regularly. We even had our own tierlist with Wario on top because of his inescapable command grab and Luigi next because if you time his backflip right you can essentially slingshot across the map and then glide were ever you want. Nobody actually knew it was super mario 64 at the time so we all just referred to it as "the yoshi game" as they were the base form character in the versus mode. (In case anybody still plays this by the way Luigi can skip the secret slide map and is one of the only character apart from yoshi who can get back up it)
I recently found out that there's a vs mode in Warriors Orochi 2 on the ps2. It honestly feels alright, not really balanced and doesn't have any competitive depth, but not horribly janky either.
@@kumitecorner Well, it got its start as a grand strategy series :^) Nah but FR I agree. Especially after Koei merged with Tecmo, meaning they have access to Team Ninja. They could feasibly make a DW answer to SoulCalibur in the same way as DOA is to Tekken, but NOPE. And I say that as someone who adores Musous. I wouldn't want it if I didn't. lol. That, or I would LOVE a Warriors vs mode that plays sort of like an RTS. Like imagine the Empires games, FE:W, or Guilty Gear 2 base capturing, commanding units/guards, and general combat, but PvP. One or the other (if not both) would be amazing.
Very happy to see Xenogears on here. A little while ago I actually labbed the fighting game with a friend and we ended up finding a bunch of tech. Most notably: Wavejumps (basically an advanced movement option that allows you to use all your grounded tools midair) and walk cancels (allow you to cancel most of the game's Rekkas with a walk to reset them). This one was probably the most fun I've had playing a "non-traditional" fighting game even though it's quite simplistic (might have been because this shit has 49 characters out of which there are only 2 sets of clones)
One that's not exactly a fighting versus mode, neither a boss rush, but the Arena Mode at the end of Dino Crisis 2, that was really fun, and cool too, a lot of unique mechanics just for that mode alone!
Advanced Adventure was pretty neat, the amount of interesting tech to fill in some damage before flinging your opponent leads into some interesting stuff, Goku having a LV 4 Super, Krillin's air balloon filling in as a hover, and the universal instant after image wake up lead to a lot of cool stuff. Mega Man Vii's VS mode really makes want a vs mode with a ton of playable robot masters. Playing as the MM1 Robot Masters in Powered Up was pretty neat and I would love an installment where we could play as the others.
Little Ralph. Valgo's goddamn JET ASS. That is all. I have only now gotten to this part of the video and I have to oause and comment on this. It is incredible. Amazing. I am astounded.
Spider-Man Friend or Foe had a really cool vs mode where you could play as any of the villains from the game, but none of it mattered because Spider-Man and Venom had absurdly long-range command grabs and could infinite you easily.
Dragon ball advanced adventure is such a hidden gem that I genuinely believe is the best single player dragon ball game so it's nice to see it get some recognition.
actually Arc System Works did something like this around the 2010s BlazBlue and Persona 4 Ultimate are visual novels but they actually have fighting game modes too!
I have always been very attracted to the combination of fighting and strategy genres, where you need not only to fight, but also to deal with the economy and planning
One last thing, both Wii versions of the Force Unleashed have multiplayer. Force Unleashed 1's multiplayer is a bit like Power Stones and closer to the Revenge of the Sith multiplayer but less balanced. Force Unleashed 2's multiplayer is a Platform fighter a la Smash but according to the developer they actually based it off the obscure OG platform fighter The Outfoxies. Hope to see a part 2 to this video!
Damn. Dragon Ball Advance Adventure, Xenogears and the extra RPG characters in Tobal 2 are some of my best memories from "non-traditional" fighting games. Might add the vs mode from Metal Warriors into the mix.... good times.
Me and my buddy would play Shaolin Monks so often after school, just running through the game's levels and joking about how the cutscenes would always have lines and voice clips about Kung Lao and Liu Kang despite the fact we were playing as Scorpion and Sub Zero. We STILL use, "Liu Kang, behind you!", as our own inside joke mind you.
I spent a lot of time on the vs mode for Teen Titans when I first got my PS2. It was still my primary system throughout the early 2010’s so when my classmates were playing CoD on the 360 I was playing vs mode in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
I would been nice if you also added Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo after you mentioned DB Advanced. It's pretty much the same game starting from the Red Ribbon Saga to King Piccolo and the Versus Mode has more characters added to it.
Legend of Mana has a VS mode, for a side scrolling RPG that always struck me as kinda neat. Golden Axe has a VS Mode, another grandaddy of the beat em up crossing over with fighting games. Turtles in time for as much as I disliked the VS mode there, it still had it, and it was moderately amusing. I'm afraid tho that is about all I've got. 1 RPG and 2 Beat em ups. Monster Rancher has a VS mode, but it's really not for filling even the baseline criteria of a fighting game, so I wouldn't count it.
When Capcom made a Japan only compilation of the two Mega Man boss rush games, the versus mode had parrying added to it 😂 they did it because Third Strike was about to come out on PS2 at the time
@@goldglovegrappler1382 the parry is done the same way and everything....press forward when an attack is about to connect. It works like a parry normally, but it seems doing it with even better timing reflects most attacks.
This kinda stuff is why I always enjoy watching the Mystery Game Tournaments at the UFGT/Combo Breaker every year. As a lifelong fighting game player I've always been interested in trying out every single fighting game that I can get my hands on. You never know how much you can improve overall as a player by acquiring skills from playing games outside of your normal games you play and practice all the time. Fantastic Video, hope you make a part 2 and show off even more games like this in the future.
I'm shouting out Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner as a really fun Versus mode. Fast paces 3D mech combat with unique abilities for each frame. Naked Jehuty is BS tho
Mazin Wars/Mazin Saga also had "VS Mode" style boss battles, which blew me away the first time I saw it. Cool video, definitely going to add a few of these games to my collection
Came back to add another. I remember playing The Bourne Conspiracy over and over again, just to replay the fighting sequences. I believe there were only two or three of them, but I always thought it was well worth replaying the game for that experience.
I remember also playing Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects vs mode a lot with my younger brother Also more recently but not as much, Castle Crashers have a Vs mode, Rayman Legends and Scott Pilgrim also does but it's more like a sport mode.
Dude I loved playing Rise of the Imperfects VS. mode! My little brother traded the game for Freedom Fighters and I've held a grudge about it ever since.
If you ever do a follow up, there's a neat versus mode in Silent Bomber on PS1, which is an action platformer where you go around planting mines and detonating them like it's bomberman, on steroids.
I love finding out about this stuff! That Fromsoft factoid blew my goddamn mind. I remember occasionally playing the VS mode in Turtles in Time for SNES with my cousin as well as squaring up in River City Ransom due to “team-attack” essentially always existing.
I was expecting to see Shovel Knight: Showdown, that's a mode that didn't need to exist but the devs said fuck it and made it anyways, it has its charm despite not being the best game to control in a fighting mode, yet the amount of playable characters and charm they sprout all around the mode deserves a great mention.
Shovel Knight: Showdown is a stand alone game included in Treasure Trove, and it was a stretch goal of the original kickstarter not something the devs did on a whim
Star Ocean: Til The End Of Time on PS2! It has one of the most unexpected, complex to find, but most fun VS modes ever! I played this for hours with my brother!
This is a great topic, lot's of concepts are proven this way and then take shape into different titles for sure... cool way to test them without pissing off people.
2:40 there IS a Secret Mario Bros arcade Mode in smb3 when two Controllers are plugged in and you Go Back to the tile you started the Game ON in world 1 AND If you only have one controller you can Just use a Glitch to Play this mode
Man, I love your positivity. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed just how upbeat you are, but it gives your vids this great sense of spunk and optimism. Keep up the good work!
it shocks me how undocumented the secret vs mode in Ratchet & Clank 3 is. I forget the process to unlock it but it had P1 playing as a robot ninja and P2 as a hulking robot pirate. It was really cool but super unbalanced, competitively the game was just RPS for who gets P1. Also TMNT(PS2)
I think you had to set the console clock to 12AM (because Insomniac) and go to a teleporter that sends you to Insomniac Studios. I think in RC3 it was in Metropolis near the start of the stage. I think in RC2 it was Balder City in the fountain, or you could do a damage boost into an environment clipping hell hole from the grind section.
10:56 ah, beat down. the only game I ever played that actually lets you openly crossdress, or even get cosmetic surgery and just do an insane level of customization for the era. Also some insane gang mechanics and just overall experimental fun (but janky) shit.
As the guy who single-handedly wrote the TV Tropes page for Code Shifters (the beat-em-up platformer with Arc System Works characters), beat-em-ups that are tacked onto fighting games tend to be a lot better than fighting games that are tacked onto beat-em-ups.
DB Advanced Adventure is still the peak action Dragon Ball games, that VS mode caught me off guard when playing and it captures the martial arts theme from Dragon Ball perfectly
In the tradition of unlocking "all defeated" Guardian Heroes did that on the Saturn and allowed six players to duke it out. Obviously a villager was UP (under-powered) but utilizing all sprites was a masterpiece in design...looking at you Def Jam NY. 🥰
I was eagerly waiting for this one 😄! Love this concept so much (also thank you for the shoutout 🙇♂)
I think a huge part of why it's so enjoyable it's because these modes feel like actual rewards you earn by beating the game, while at the same time surpassing or subverting your expectations based on the original genre of the game you were playing already.
Another thing I like is that, most of the time, they feel like a dev toybox of sorts, like in Shadow Tower for example. They could've just made a gallery mode and called it a day, but nope, devs went the extra mile adding a Vs mode reusing the assets they already had.
I absolutely adore it when games do this kind of stuff, it always feels like a treat.
And speaking of treats, every time one of your videos drops I know I'm in for one.
Keep up the amazing job 🙌
What are the other games showed off in your tweet? Ralph and Dragon Ball I recognize, but the other 2 seem cool as well
@@therentpursuer9869 Those are "Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth" (Genesis/MD) and "Panzer Bandits" (PSX), both by Fill-in-Cafe, and they are indeed pretty cool games worth checking out.
Mad Stalker has quite a couple of ports, one of those being the PSX version which basically revamped the whole game/system and whose engine would later be used in Panzer Bandits.
Metal Warriors has a sick versus mode.
th-cam.com/video/VNQ6Qf7krKI/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=AcidGlow
Gut feeling says that he missing a lot of Sega Genesis/MD titles...
I remember the SNES Turtles in Time had a VS mode that was unique because it had a blocking animation that ONLY existed in the VS mode
I hope Dotemu adds a VS mode to Shredder's Revenge!
Lot of Sega Genesis/MD titles had a *Vs* mode in there beat em ups and Shooters.
Yeah, genesis / mega drive was the boss of this.
@@danielpayne1597 Great idea
@@joezar33but I'm pretty sure NONE of this games on Genesis/MD has an EXCLUSIVE blocking animation only available in vs mode
In the Sega Genesis version of "Captain America and the Avengers", they had a "Vs Mode" of sorts.
Just looked into this, had no idea! Pretty cool
NES version too!
Ha! I just bought this game literally today... Will try it when it arrive!!!!
There are a number of brawlers at the time that has a Versus Mode, like Streets of Rage 2 and 3, the Rushing Beat games, and I think Turtles in Time has it too.
@@heardofrvb I spent days playing sor2 vs mode with my dad
“Growing up”, “as a child”. How many games did you play when you were young all I remember was playing Pokémon on repeat on my game boy color
I remember loving Advanced Adventure as a kid and GRINDING vs CPU in One On One to learn the best combo routes for every character after a Guard Break. I thought I had mastered the game since I could use any character to beat any CPU at a handicap or beat Survival with anybody. Then last year I saw a small channel that nonchalantly showcased tech I never found and Infinites that Tien and Gohan had. Completely threw my understanding for a loop.
Also, congrats on 2nd at Super DBZ at EVO, that Chi-Chi player was off the charts.
What!! Now I need to see the tech!!
And thanks! He taught me how to play the game, now it's time to catch up to him 🫡
@@GuileWinQuote
th-cam.com/video/uu4jLtQKInI/w-d-xo.html
That's a combo from the guy. Found the channel just by searching "DragonBall Advanced Adventure Combo". Plus I forgot that Tao had an infinite too, it's just that Tien & Gohan's were easier since it was just looping Dashing B.
I can only imagine the scene the game could have with the extremely unique defensive mechanics. I've wanted a ROM Hack where NPC characters from the story in that gameplay style like Giran, Nam, and Chiaotzu were playable since childhood too.
@@GuileWinQuote
th-cam.com/video/yJwwMUroakg/w-d-xo.html
This is actually a better link since it has the moveset of every character including the NPCs. I remember just being blown away by the Tien section where just just instant air floats after a knockdown and showcases how much pressure he can exert from that position.
How does the teleport mind games work in the one on one mode in Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure for GBA? Thanks.
@@california5319 It's been a while but I recall that pressing L while in a knockdown spends 1 bar of ki to teleport behind the opponent with a different timing than normal wakeup, which is very useful as a meaty can put you at a big disadvantage in guard meter. Then I believe when an attack touches your guard you can press L to teleport behind them as well for 1 bar, but you don't get a ton of frame advantage and it's mostly to escape the corner or call out an overextension.
The reason Tien's super is so strong is that it reaches pretty far on either side of him so it's really difficult to deal with as a meaty due to it catching the teleport wakeup. By comparison Piccolo's super hits like a truck but the teleport invalidates its use as a meaty because it's all in front.
Zone of Enders had a semi hidden versus mode as well.
And ZoE2 versus mode wasn’t hidden at all!
The Super Punch Out vs mode discovery is frickin’ crazy. I can’t believe after all this time, it was just discovered. Sounds awesome, too. Would have loved to have played this mode way back when I was a kid with friends.
if i knew this i wont let my cousin with the second controller telling he's controlling the enemy
I'm here because I saw Lum in the thumbnail... Now I wanna play that Urusei Yatsura game.
Same here
The SNES Power Rangers beat em up game had a password system, and there were codes you could put in that allowed megazord battles to be a vs mode.
Very nostalgic~
I came here to post about this.
The PS2 section was the most nostalgic thing i've seen in a while. I remember gushing about Grievous being good to my friends that didn't like him and it feels good to have confirmation that he's top tier lol
Urban Reign was a staple when friends came over and i LOVED Beat Down, specially the aesthetic
VS modes like this are such a great way to give a bit more character and a connection to smaller characters and make for some pretty good times, weird how these modes fell off with the rise of online play where they could actually foster a community
>Friends that don’t like Grievous
How is that even possible? I don’t even like Star Wars, and even _I_ like Grievous.
Glad you covered Star Wars ep3. I remember having tons of fun with that game and felt the vs. mode was better than it had any right to be.
The best part is that the vs mode was an 11th hour side project literally made out of spite that the staff (who had fighting game experience) had towards Masters of Teras'kasi, and wanted to show how a Star Wars fighting game SHOULD'VE been done.
The head of the studio straight up said all of this, and I love it.
For the NES, Track & field II comes to mind. The taekwondo stage has controls like a fighting game.
Then there's the hockey game Blades of Steel were you spend more time fighting one-on-one than playing hockey. And most of the Kunio sports games like Nintendo World Cup are more about winning by killing the opponents rather than scoring goals.
Wow, good looking out showing off The Adventure of Little Ralph. I had never heard of that one, and it looks 100% up my alley.
*3:26* did that dude flew using his fart? 😂
I really miss versus modes in games. They really were a treat to have when you had a friend over and just wanted to have fun. I get that nowadays they don't because they want to focus all their resources on the actual game (or on advertising), but sometimes the best joys in games are the simple minigames one can enjoy with a friend
Star Ocean 3 (aka Till the End of Time) had a 2P VS mode. You had to earn the characters, and the alt costumes, by playing the 50 hour RPG. Hell, you had to earn the mode itself.
And each character had 3 variations that changed the techs they had, Short Range AND Long Range attacks are different depending on the variation. But because not every variation has 2 Short Moves and 2 Long Moves, it's not as loaded as it could be.
Limited moves aside, there are, in fact, some variations that have an exclusive skill that lets you charge the Fury meter, the in-game action system. If your Fury is at 100%, and you're neutral, it gives you a shield that can block weak attacks.
Yo, you want to play some unbelievably obscure VS poverty inside a JRPG? Star Ocean having a Versus Mode is the Lost City of the entire subject.
I was not expecting to run into you on here 🤣
I actually tried to find Star Ocean's vs mode by downloading a save, But I didn't know much about the game itself and I couldn't find a good FAQ on where it is...but it's definitely on my radar and if I ever make a part two of this video it will definitely be on there!
Was posting about this but you beat me to it. I remember the colours are pain in the ass because of trophies percentage but gothic Sophia was very cool. They're all retextures though
That 2P mode was ridiculously deep into the game, but man when I finally got it unlocked we added it right into the Fight Night roster. It was genuinely really great to play and thought out.
Wait, the Star Ocean game I own has a fighting mode?
With the mention of Shadow Tower, I'd also have liked to see some Guardian Heroes mentions. I know it's already almost a fighting game, with the linear planes, but like in ST, the VS mode lets you play as literally everyone--including the helpless villagers who run away from the burning village! I spent a ton of time as a kid just setting up CPU matches with the lowest-tier NPCs and enemies, and watching them duke it out with all one or two of their moves! It's pretty funny!
Guardian Heroes and Treasure fighters in general will get their love soon enough on this channel...!
Ah, Guardian Heroes. I never played it, but I have the GBA sequel, and since the story mode is so hard I remember just playing its versus mode.
Guardian heroes is the original battle simulator
It’s crazy how many games have these modes and I’ve never seen them most of the time.
Hey! I'm the owner of the Revenge of the Sith Discord. Thanks for shouting us out!!
Thanks for pushing such a niche and cool mode 🫡
I actually no idea Xenogears had an arena fighter in it but it looks awesome lmao. Neat video as always man.
Had a friend with a PS1 and he had a save kept in Kislev so we could play that whenever we wanted.
Imagine how funny it would be if every Xeno game had a VS mode
@@Xeno426 bt yo can go there anytime in end game to play with almost every gear.
@@guipifon Sure, but having a save at Kislev means it's quick to go there after popping the disc in.
Such a great quality of these games, it's a lost art. I loved The Force Unleashed's versus mode so much, to this day still waiting on someone to play that with me....
The only current game i could think of that has a hidden fighting game is Warframe, you can unlock a 2D fighting game called Frame Fighter where you can play as your characters or unlock new ones finding objects on normal gameplay
I remember that haha Excalibur was the best
This channel might be the best thing recommended to me this week.
Surprised you didn't mention Hybrid Heaven, which was a sort of combination fighting game and turn-based RPG with a really fun VS. Mode to mess around with.
There's tons of games he didn't mentioned, so we jsut need to hope for a part 2
I LOVE the concept of that game!
i love konami's metal gear adjacent sci-fi RPG with turn based alien wrestling, Hybrid Heaven
Silhouette Mirage on PS1 has a 1v1 mode you can unlock, that was only included in the game's localization. Unlocking it seems pretty difficult, but it's really interesting!
2:17 it must have taken incredible self control not to say "A game theory"
It was originally in the script but I decided against it 😅
When you brought up the thought about hidden 2 player modes, it reminded me that for Sonic Adventure DX on the GameCube, you could plug a controller into the second player port and the other controller would control Tails.
For Sonic’s scenario anyway.
Still longing for Shaolin Monks to return somehow.
Another fun versus mode is Streets of Rage 4's battle mode - a friend and I play survival every so often, and we always end our session with a few bonkers rounds of fighting each other, it's great casual fun.
Yeah SoR 2 and 3 had some good ones but 4's is a completely new experience.
@@kumitecorner any multiplayer game where friendly fire is enabled I will try to fight my allies
Guardian Heroes had a crazy vs mode. 16 people could be fighting at once
Hey I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your willingness to make your videos in 4:3, given the types of games you often talk about. I love your commitment to presenting these games as best you can, really on display with your Buriki video but even here.
12:10 So many memories of playing this at a friend's house, we played the heck out of the versus mode. The main game too, I remember he'd wait for me to come visit him to continue with the campaign together.
Regarding the '2 Player Mode' in Super Punch Out: It was very likely a debug mode.
- The boss characters are unfinished as actual playable characters, because a decent player makes this game a nightmare for Peter.
- The presentation is practically non-exsistent
- The unlock method is definitely something found in a debug mode.
It is definitely cool, don't get me wrong, but very likely just a debug mode that they either forgot to remove or just didn't, because, well, look how long it took for people to find it.
Mk Shaolin Monks is still to this day my favorite MK... I finished literally 10 times and i love this game... MKSM deserve being ported to morden plataforms and pc more than any other MK in my opinion.
really the only bummer about this game was getting the sub zero/scorpion skins. my buddy and i were so stoked to play thru it again, yet they kept referring to the characters as Kung Lao and Liu Kang
@@RyleeStrange Yeah i agree... Like the Blade on the Ghost Rider game... But i mean, maybe if they had to redo everything maybe they would not include Subzero and Scorpion... That's the way i always look into this. At least they are pretty unique characters in gameplay.
Nah, give me a new Shaolin Monks style game, this time with more story mode characters.
It says a lot that Shaolin Monks seems to be the most obvious fan favourite, first of all it was based on MK2 which was the definitive version of Mortal Kombat when it comes to design and aesthetic, and also it's clear that people never really cared for MK as a fighting game but enjoyed the lore, gimmicks and fun of it so a game that lets you explore the world and have the most random fun is the one that everyone likes the most. They should have kept making those games instead of trying to fit in in the fighting genre, I think the people running the franchise don't even know what to do with it
This is the type of content I love, subbed af.
Thank you for watching 🙇🏼
@@GuileWinQuote Thanks for making it! These Japanese exclusive games looked amazing, I'm glad to learn about them.
The Urusei Yatsura game stood out to me since I really like Rumiko Takahashi's other manga like InuuYasha and Ranma 1/2. A fighting game crossover with all the series she wrote would be cool.
Another game you could have mentioned is God of War: Ascension's multiplayer mode. It was kind of like an arena fighting game, and reminded me a bit of Power Stone.
Yeah they missed a hell of an opportunity. Imagine the boxer guy vs Ranma
The Warriors on Ps2's Rumble mode was insanely fun. I was surprised to not see it on the list.
I love that you included the hidden Super Punch Out mode even though it was only uncovered a little bit ago! I wish the Wii game had a multiplayer mode this unbalanced instead of Mac vs Mac...
another banger of a video, I'll actually try to get my hands on any of these surprise fighting games
One game I didnt see in the video but want to shout out is Yie Ar Kung Fu on GBA. Its part of the Konami arcade collection and is a port of the single player old fighting game. But the port has refined hitboxes, different AI, two new exclusive character unlocked via the Konami Code and biggest of all a Multiplayer vs function that only exists in this version of the game.
Its so obscure I cant even find screenshots of it. And nobody I knew also owned the game so I could never play it.
"I know I haven't even scratched the surface" Can't wait for the sequel video to this topic!
I've gotten too many interesting recommendations not to!
Far Cry 6 has a cockfighting minigame that’s basically Tekken 7 with roosters. It has like 20 playable characters.
That sounds AWESOME.
Awesome video dude!! Honestly the Dragon Ball GBA game is such a hidden gem and the fact that it has a great VS mode makes it even better, I was so impressed it plays so well on the handheld!
Broforce Deathmatch 1v1 is the peak of Non-Fighting Games versus mode. I played a lot back in highschool, we used to have tournaments, tier lists, banned charachters, match up guides and all. I still carry everyone who played as close friends, that is a real community for me
I remember that I used to love playing the Star Wars ep 3 vs mode with my friends back in the day but I thought no one really knew about it so It’s really funny and kind of surreal to learn that there’s an actual community of people for just that one mode in the game
There is a game on the PS1 called Hamster Club-i in which you raise hamsters to then play some mini-games, one of them being a 1 vs 1 fighting game.
Now I wanna see Desk combining weird combos and tech from these games in a video
Xenogears in thumbnail, can already tell this’ll be poggers
Some folks here already mentioned Streets of Rage 2's versus mode but I want to give a special SO to the recent revival entry Street of Rage 4 and its versus mode. If you haven't played the game it has a pretty deep combo system and also broken tech that let you effectively juggle nearly every enemy to death in the game. All of that tech can work on your human opponent on versus mode which effectively made them TODs.
Some of these are the kinds of games that I always wanted. (Not a big fan of MK, but Shaolin Monks is very special to me.)
They aren't exactly Fighting Games but the gameplay is almost enough to be a Fighting Game, and balanced.
Always wanted those games where the game lets you combos enemies and mobs (beat-em-ups, hack and slash) and then it also works with 1v1 or Deathmatches.
I have pretty fond memories of the versus mode in Revenge of the Sith, I remember once me, my brother and some friends even ran a small tournament for it between us when we were kids, was a lot of fun.
8:42 Sora, Sion, Shion, and with all those mix n match design elements between them. Pence from Twilight Town even wears the same brand of "Dog Street" clothes as Sion, even though "Dog Street" isn't a brand in KH, and Sora's KH IV's concept art looks even looks another step towards looking like Sion. I can't tell if Nomura just has a bad tendency of recycling major design themes, or if Sora is Sion's past and Nomura is actually a genius running a 23 year (and counting) long circular story. 🤔
The worst part is, I can't find much beyond some minor age issues that'd throw a wrench into that possibility.
Great video, delivery and topic. I love obscure projects and when intelligent people shine light on them.
Thanks for using MM8 music. It's my favorite soundtrack of all time.
That Dragonball Vs Mode was legit! Felt great, responsive, and had specials.
Why no mention of Guardian Heroes on the SEGA Saturn? That game had one of the most INSANE versus modes out there.
This is my favourite genre of games, super mario 64 ds is my personal favourite. Me and my friends held tournaments at an after school club and had 20+ people competing regularly. We even had our own tierlist with Wario on top because of his inescapable command grab and Luigi next because if you time his backflip right you can essentially slingshot across the map and then glide were ever you want.
Nobody actually knew it was super mario 64 at the time so we all just referred to it as "the yoshi game" as they were the base form character in the versus mode. (In case anybody still plays this by the way Luigi can skip the secret slide map and is one of the only character apart from yoshi who can get back up it)
I recently found out that there's a vs mode in Warriors Orochi 2 on the ps2. It honestly feels alright, not really balanced and doesn't have any competitive depth, but not horribly janky either.
I wish Omega Force would give us another straight-up Warriors fighting game, it's how the series got its start.
@@kumitecorner Well, it got its start as a grand strategy series :^)
Nah but FR I agree. Especially after Koei merged with Tecmo, meaning they have access to Team Ninja. They could feasibly make a DW answer to SoulCalibur in the same way as DOA is to Tekken, but NOPE. And I say that as someone who adores Musous. I wouldn't want it if I didn't. lol.
That, or I would LOVE a Warriors vs mode that plays sort of like an RTS. Like imagine the Empires games, FE:W, or Guilty Gear 2 base capturing, commanding units/guards, and general combat, but PvP. One or the other (if not both) would be amazing.
Very happy to see Xenogears on here. A little while ago I actually labbed the fighting game with a friend and we ended up finding a bunch of tech. Most notably: Wavejumps (basically an advanced movement option that allows you to use all your grounded tools midair) and walk cancels (allow you to cancel most of the game's Rekkas with a walk to reset them). This one was probably the most fun I've had playing a "non-traditional" fighting game even though it's quite simplistic (might have been because this shit has 49 characters out of which there are only 2 sets of clones)
I'm so glad I stumbled upon this channel
One that's not exactly a fighting versus mode, neither a boss rush, but the Arena Mode at the end of Dino Crisis 2, that was really fun, and cool too, a lot of unique mechanics just for that mode alone!
Advanced Adventure was pretty neat, the amount of interesting tech to fill in some damage before flinging your opponent leads into some interesting stuff, Goku having a LV 4 Super, Krillin's air balloon filling in as a hover, and the universal instant after image wake up lead to a lot of cool stuff.
Mega Man Vii's VS mode really makes want a vs mode with a ton of playable robot masters. Playing as the MM1 Robot Masters in Powered Up was pretty neat and I would love an installment where we could play as the others.
Little Ralph.
Valgo's goddamn JET ASS.
That is all. I have only now gotten to this part of the video and I have to oause and comment on this. It is incredible. Amazing. I am astounded.
Spider-Man Friend or Foe had a really cool vs mode where you could play as any of the villains from the game, but none of it mattered because Spider-Man and Venom had absurdly long-range command grabs and could infinite you easily.
Dragon ball advanced adventure is such a hidden gem that I genuinely believe is the best single player dragon ball game so it's nice to see it get some recognition.
actually Arc System Works did something like this around the 2010s
BlazBlue and Persona 4 Ultimate are visual novels but they actually have fighting game modes too!
I have always been very attracted to the combination of fighting and strategy genres, where you need not only to fight, but also to deal with the economy and planning
One last thing, both Wii versions of the Force Unleashed have multiplayer. Force Unleashed 1's multiplayer is a bit like Power Stones and closer to the Revenge of the Sith multiplayer but less balanced.
Force Unleashed 2's multiplayer is a Platform fighter a la Smash but according to the developer they actually based it off the obscure OG platform fighter The Outfoxies.
Hope to see a part 2 to this video!
Yeah! Reading how many additions in the replies are here, that would be a very good follow-up.
Star Wars Episode III was the first game I thought of when I read the title! Had so much fun playing that game.
Damn. Dragon Ball Advance Adventure, Xenogears and the extra RPG characters in Tobal 2 are some of my best memories from "non-traditional" fighting games. Might add the vs mode from Metal Warriors into the mix.... good times.
Me and my buddy would play Shaolin Monks so often after school, just running through the game's levels and joking about how the cutscenes would always have lines and voice clips about Kung Lao and Liu Kang despite the fact we were playing as Scorpion and Sub Zero.
We STILL use, "Liu Kang, behind you!", as our own inside joke mind you.
I always loved the SNES port of TMNT: Turtles in Time, as you can fight each other as the 4 turtles.
I spent a lot of time on the vs mode for Teen Titans when I first got my PS2. It was still my primary system throughout the early 2010’s so when my classmates were playing CoD on the 360 I was playing vs mode in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
I would been nice if you also added Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo after you mentioned DB Advanced. It's pretty much the same game starting from the Red Ribbon Saga to King Piccolo and the Versus Mode has more characters added to it.
10:40 [hello there intensifies]
Legend of Mana has a VS mode, for a side scrolling RPG that always struck me as kinda neat.
Golden Axe has a VS Mode, another grandaddy of the beat em up crossing over with fighting games.
Turtles in time for as much as I disliked the VS mode there, it still had it, and it was moderately amusing.
I'm afraid tho that is about all I've got. 1 RPG and 2 Beat em ups.
Monster Rancher has a VS mode, but it's really not for filling even the baseline criteria of a fighting game, so I wouldn't count it.
Count Dooku had a broken grab move in that Episode III game, would piss my sibling off so much 🤣
When Capcom made a Japan only compilation of the two Mega Man boss rush games, the versus mode had parrying added to it 😂 they did it because Third Strike was about to come out on PS2 at the time
That's actually fascinating. I really need to see that played on a serious level. I hope Duo isn't garbage tier.
@@goldglovegrappler1382 the parry is done the same way and everything....press forward when an attack is about to connect. It works like a parry normally, but it seems doing it with even better timing reflects most attacks.
@@allcapcomeverything3866 Well now I have to do some digging on this. That sounds crazy fun.
WTF I didn't know this!!!!!!! I need to mess around with this now haha
@@goldglovegrappler1382 look up Rockman Power Battle Fighters for PS2 😀
This kinda stuff is why I always enjoy watching the Mystery Game Tournaments at the UFGT/Combo Breaker every year. As a lifelong fighting game player I've always been interested in trying out every single fighting game that I can get my hands on. You never know how much you can improve overall as a player by acquiring skills from playing games outside of your normal games you play and practice all the time. Fantastic Video, hope you make a part 2 and show off even more games like this in the future.
I'm shouting out Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner as a really fun Versus mode. Fast paces 3D mech combat with unique abilities for each frame. Naked Jehuty is BS tho
No fucking way. Not only did you include The Bouncer, but that was also MY first game I ever rented on PS2. That's crazy. Hahaha
🤝
4:44 Yoooo what’s Faust’s stage doing in urusei yatsura.
Mazin Wars/Mazin Saga also had "VS Mode" style boss battles, which blew me away the first time I saw it.
Cool video, definitely going to add a few of these games to my collection
Came back to add another.
I remember playing The Bourne Conspiracy over and over again, just to replay the fighting sequences. I believe there were only two or three of them, but I always thought it was well worth replaying the game for that experience.
I remember also playing Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects vs mode a lot with my younger brother
Also more recently but not as much, Castle Crashers have a Vs mode, Rayman Legends and Scott Pilgrim also does but it's more like a sport mode.
Dude I loved playing Rise of the Imperfects VS. mode! My little brother traded the game for Freedom Fighters and I've held a grudge about it ever since.
Why am I just discovering this channel, thanks for all of your work. Great content.
If you ever do a follow up, there's a neat versus mode in Silent Bomber on PS1, which is an action platformer where you go around planting mines and detonating them like it's bomberman, on steroids.
Glad someone else brought this up
I love finding out about this stuff! That Fromsoft factoid blew my goddamn mind. I remember occasionally playing the VS mode in Turtles in Time for SNES with my cousin as well as squaring up in River City Ransom due to “team-attack” essentially always existing.
I was expecting to see Shovel Knight: Showdown, that's a mode that didn't need to exist but the devs said fuck it and made it anyways, it has its charm despite not being the best game to control in a fighting mode, yet the amount of playable characters and charm they sprout all around the mode deserves a great mention.
Shovel Knight: Showdown is a stand alone game included in Treasure Trove, and it was a stretch goal of the original kickstarter not something the devs did on a whim
Star Ocean: Til The End Of Time on PS2! It has one of the most unexpected, complex to find, but most fun VS modes ever! I played this for hours with my brother!
I would legitimately love to see a competitive scene for Xenogears. If stardew valley can be an e sport I want this to be one too.
Did you just say E SPORT STARDEW VALLEY? WTF
@@matthewcarreras1904 I’m sorry did I fucking stutter?
@@Neogears1312 I need you to explain to me in as much detail as possible how Stardew valley is an Esport.
@@matthewcarreras1904 you compete with a team to build the rec center first in teams usually consisting of 4 each.
This is a great topic, lot's of concepts are proven this way and then take shape into different titles for sure... cool way to test them without pissing off people.
The first Zone of the Enders had a vs mode you unlock after beating the game. You could play as the enemies or even two of the bosses.
2:40 there IS a Secret Mario Bros arcade Mode in smb3 when two Controllers are plugged in and you Go Back to the tile you started the Game ON in world 1 AND If you only have one controller you can Just use a Glitch to Play this mode
Golden axe always had a vs mode.
Golden axe III has a very complex system for the time, with blocks and command moves actually.
Man, I love your positivity. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed just how upbeat you are, but it gives your vids this great sense of spunk and optimism. Keep up the good work!
it shocks me how undocumented the secret vs mode in Ratchet & Clank 3 is. I forget the process to unlock it but it had P1 playing as a robot ninja and P2 as a hulking robot pirate. It was really cool but super unbalanced, competitively the game was just RPS for who gets P1.
Also TMNT(PS2)
I think you had to set the console clock to 12AM (because Insomniac) and go to a teleporter that sends you to Insomniac Studios. I think in RC3 it was in Metropolis near the start of the stage.
I think in RC2 it was Balder City in the fountain, or you could do a damage boost into an environment clipping hell hole from the grind section.
10:56 ah, beat down.
the only game I ever played that actually lets you openly crossdress, or even get cosmetic surgery and just do an insane level of customization for the era.
Also some insane gang mechanics and just overall experimental fun (but janky) shit.
Thanks for the video
It’s actually INSANE how the 2 player mode in super punch out was found WHILE you were making this video.
As the guy who single-handedly wrote the TV Tropes page for Code Shifters (the beat-em-up platformer with Arc System Works characters), beat-em-ups that are tacked onto fighting games tend to be a lot better than fighting games that are tacked onto beat-em-ups.
I can't tell which category Guilty Gear Judgment falls under since it came bundled with #Reload but had its own logo on the box.
@@goldglovegrappler1382 Since #Reload was already an existing game prior to Judgement, I'd say that the beat-em-up portion was tacked on.
DB Advanced Adventure is still the peak action Dragon Ball games, that VS mode caught me off guard when playing and it captures the martial arts theme from Dragon Ball perfectly
In the tradition of unlocking "all defeated" Guardian Heroes did that on the Saturn and allowed six players to duke it out. Obviously a villager was UP (under-powered) but utilizing all sprites was a masterpiece in design...looking at you Def Jam NY. 🥰