For me, it would have to be ClayFighter 63 1/3. I was SO excited for that game when I was younger, now it's painful just to watch. I can still remember renting the game, inviting a friend over, and staying up all night entering cheat codes from the back of Nintendo Power to unlock secret characters.

I would have to choose Bloody Roar 2. Sure, it had a completely ridiculous premise with the animal transformations, and its four-button control scheme wasn't the most inspired. But it was still a solid, fast-paced 3D fighter, with the added shock value of blood and gore. Pinning someone down as the werelepord, Shina, and ripping a little geyser of blood from their chest was always satisfying.

I enjoy playing grappler characters (Zangief, Potemkin, Jeffry McWild) which is an almost exclusivly male-dominated role in fighting games.

The weaponized chainsaw, as made popular by the Dead Rising series, the upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw, and dozens of bad horror movies. Might not be the most practical, but it sure looks awesome!

Hey guys, we're planning a new Ask GameSpot video all about the upcoming supernatural, first-person action game Dishonored from Arkane Studios. If you have any questions, concerns, or unsorted random thoughts on the game then feel free to voice them here, on the GameSpot Facebook page, or on Twitter using #AskGameSpot. We'll pick a handful and address them on the show.

And if you submit a question early enough that I don't know the answer to, I might be able to reach the developers and figure it out. Thanks!

Skullgirls, and before that SFxT

The team at FingerCramp has their Babies' Guide series aimed at teaching people some of the basic concepts of fighting games. The episodes are centered around Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but the lessons can be applied to other fighters. The tutorial mode in Skullgirls is also pretty good at helping you understand how to approach a match, rather than just showing you how to flow a fireball. If 3D fighters are more your style, then the tutorial suite in Virtua Fighter 4 is the best of the best. It will teach you everything you need to know, though the presentation is pretty dry.

Fighting game professional EG Justin Wong also has a series called 'Step Your Game Up' that might interest you. You can find the first entry here. Hope this helps!

I would recommendTekken 6 as well if you're looking for offline content. The game is a lot of fun to play in normal versus; plus, it has a beat-em'-up campaign mode (which I think you can play in local co-op) and tons of cosmetic unlockables for the entire cast. And a used copy of Tekken 6 should also only set you back $20 or less.

You should also consider Mortal Kombat if you're hungry for offline content. It has a massive, wall-produced campaign mode, a lengthy challenge tower full of interesting missions, and lots of unlockable content that reward you for playing. Online play is there as well when you're ready, and you can play cooperatively with a friend in tag battles. The game is a bit more expensive, but it's worth it (if you don't mind all the gore).

Several of the GameSpot editors, myself included, put together a blog series a while back on this very topic. You can see all the entires here.

If we're talking about fighting games, then my favorite from last generation is Guilty Gear XX (and its many sequels) on the PS2, while my personal favorite for the current generation is stillStreet Fighter IV (though I'm having a lot of fun with Skullgirls).