It's not hard to find a Street Fighter to meet your needs on the App Store, but a few options exist for those seeking something outside of that family. The King of Fighters-i 2012 (£4.99, iPhone) strongly challenges Volt as the best 2D fighter on the App Store, with similarly slick character models and animations, albeit with both one-on-one and three-on-three battles. Packed with a total of 32 fighters, plus online play and bonus Challenge and Time Attack modes, it's arguably the largest and longest-lasting fighter for the iPhone.
Another long-time rival franchise appears in the form of Virtua Fighter 2 (£1.49, iPhone), but unlike the most notable entries in the series - which helped popularise 3D fighting, making Street Fighter and its ilk seem outdated for a time - this pixel-based version isn't in 3D. It's actually based on an older Sega Genesis port from 1996, and while lacking pop as a result, it still offers a taste of the franchise, which highlights over flashy special moves.
But if you're interested in a real 3D fighter, you'll find one of the best of all time in the form of Soul Calibur (£10.49, Universal). Based on the Sega Dreamcast classic, the weapons-based brawler features crisp visuals, sparkling and fluid combat, and solidly responsive touch controls, not to mention a total of 19 fighters.
However, that level of quality comes at an extreme price, which might be difficult to stomach for casual fighting fans. If it's too dear for you, consider Blades of Fury (£2.99, iPhone), a solid knockoff that also features optionally simplified controls for iPhone and iPod touch.
Whether you're up for a retro classic or a modern take, a good old battle of fisticuffs or something with a bit of slicing and dicing, the fighting game is alive and well on the App Store - plus you won't need a pocket full of coins to play most of them. Let the fighting commence!
