4 fighting games you should know about

If you think Persona 4: The Ultimate is one of the coolest ideas since Capcom created its Versus series, then I think I should direct your attention to some other zany properties you probably haven’t heard of yet.

I'm pretty excited to get into Persona through a fighting game, from Arc System Works no less. The title reminds me of other releases in the same-looking boat, well known by some circles but probably a mystery to casual players.

1) Chaos Code

Chaos Code, developed by FK Digital from Taiwan, went through a series of location tests last year but has yet to see an official release. Just like with Persona's fighting debut, Arc System Works will be saving the day and publishing the game.

Admittedly, when you first see Chaos Code's characters, they may evoke a feeling of blandness. The presentation seems to fall flat of doing anything impressive in order to stick in your mind. It really seems to recall the era of over-saturation that the fighting genre experienced during the '90s.

However, CC expands the character-matchup possibilities considerably by not only making you choose a super move before the battle begins, like in Super Street Fighter 4, but also an additional special move and a hop-or-run movement option. Going into a situation against a strong rushdown opponent? Perhaps you can forgo your projectile attack for a strong reversal in order to stop the pressure.

The second thing is that there is a certain amount of uniqueness not readily apparent in the characters. Vein, for example, has an attack that locks his target in place, allowing him to teleport back and forth to confuse his enemy. Bravo is a grappler archetype who can combo throws. And Celia is a Gothic-Lolita character who actually has sci-fi-Gundam-style equipment hidden in her dress.

2) Ougon Musou Kyoku

A PC-developed, tag-team fighting game developed by 07th Expansion, Ougon Musou Kyoku is what is known as a doujin game. Essentially, the term doujin is the Western equivalent of an indie game but with a few important cultural distinctions. Firstly, doujin games are known for being sold at fan conventions. Secondly, the games liberally use characters from existing anime and manga but are accepted by copyright holders as they recognize the positive effect the independent titles have on fans.

Ougon Musou Kyoku is based on the visual novel from 07th Expansion called Umineko no Naku Koro ni, and it has one of the densest fighting systems I've ever seen.

It's difficult to briefly describe the system, but luckily, that's not the main reason why I bring up the release. The visuals are impressive and dynamic, and something is always flashing on the screen. Super moves regularly generate impressive lighting effects, and characters can activate a universal powered-up state which dramatically changes the fighting environment.

This power-up mode, called Metaworld, grants your point character special abilities specific to your duo, as well as letting you use the game's equivalent of EX moves without sacrificing the super meter. It's such a powerful mechanic that it's possible to reject your opponent's Metaworld activation by using your own meter. This can go back and forth until special bars run out.

The game is a cult favorite on the PC, but it's actually being ported to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as Ougon Musou Kyoku X this fall with additional characters.

Seriously, look at this light show!

3) Akatsuki Blitzkampf

A lot of fighting games might seem relatively mild when it comes to setting. Akatsuki Blitzkampf smashes those sensibilities by having the majority of the cast resemble German World-War-2 soldiers.

Another doujin game, this time developed by SUBTLE SOFT, Akatsuki Blitzkampf was released for Windows until it was ported to arcades. Much of the movement and handling feels decidedly old school like Street Fighter 3: Third Strike. In fact, just like Third Strike, the game has a sort of parry system in place that allows smart players to negate an attack completely.

You might also notice the art style is a unique take on cubism. The character portraits and screens are very striking while still retaining a sort of retro taste.

With a strange amalgamation of WW2-era designs, the characters have a certain amount of flair. German-army uniforms you might recognize from history books and movies are slightly stylized and worn by people with incredible martial ability. Akatsuki, for example, looks like an ordinary soldier until you realize he can generate his own electricity.

Oh, and one more thing. You can play as a tank.

Totally fair.

4) Vanguard Princess

Vanguard Princess is a lot like a higher-profile fighting game you may have seen at EVO 2011, Arcane Hearts 3. Pretty much every combatant is female and has elements that evoke the Japanese term of moe, or an attraction to fictional characters. It's rumored that a former Capcom employee created Vanguard Princess, so that makes this game a neat little comeback against the Street-Fighter developer's more-established offerings.

Before you go into battle, you can pick from one of four possible assists which support you in different ways. The first, Kanae, can lay down different traps and unblockable attacks. Juliet's assists are slow but powerful, making her a useful combo extender. Shiera has extremely useful zoning potential while Eko is great for all-around support. Separate from the super meter is an assist meter which governs how often you can use these abilities.

The game demands fewer resources than other fighters on this list. Even some laptops are capable of running this experience smoothly. Plus it's free, so you might as well give this game a try as soon as you finish reading this!