Street Fighter vs Mortal Kombat --- 3,2,1, FIGHT!

An age old question, which of these two classic fighting franchises is superior?

Street Fighter was originally released in the arcade in 1987.
The series wasn't majorly recognised until the release of the ever popular Street Fighter II, a far more advanced game in many ways, such as a far larger range of attacks. It is also notably the first fighter to feature a selection of characters to pit against eachother, adding hugely to the replay value. Many sequels have followed, I will list the main series:

Street Fighter
Street Fighter II
Super Street Fighter II
Street Fighter Alpha
Street Fighter EX
Street Fighter III
SNK vs. Capcom series
Marvel vs. Capcom series

Mortal Kombat came out some time after, 1992, I believe, in answer to to the already established Street Fighter. The style of the game was really quite different, with MK using digitized graphics of actual people, rather than the standard animated style, as seen in SF. Due to this slightly more realistic look, and the high level of graphic violence and gore, the game was highly controversial, possibly for more reasons than just adding to the look and gameplay, namely publicity. Again, the series has grown with a large amount of sequels, some of a different genre:

Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat 3
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat Advance
Ultimate Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
Mortal Kombat 4
Mortal Kombat Gold
Mortal Kombat: Special Forces
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Mortal Kombat: Unchained
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon

I'm quite a fan of both series, but my true favorite has, and always will be Street Fighter. I love the way it plays, I've always enjoyed the characters and their designs and to an extent, how the original formula has been maintained throughout the series.

One thing I will say though, is that I'm a little concerned about the slow development of the series, compared to that of Mortal Kombat. MK has developed new ideas, has successfully gone through the 2D to 3D transition and has added new features such as the Konquest mode. Street Fighter, on the other hand, wasn't all that great in its 3D incarnation, Street Fighter EX. I'm hoping that Capcom are considering a new approach to this, possibly utilising the power of the latest consoles, thinking mainly of the '360 and PS3 here.

I'm expecting some quality replies here, not a simple answer to the question. Give details as to why you enjoy the said series, what pros it has over the other. Also mention your preferred characters etc, so I can then inform you that Ken Masters > Every other character!

I, myself, prefer Street Fighter over MK. I like MK nonetheless but rather prefer Street Fighter. I agree with how MK has been more innovative with their games and Street Fighter hasn't been doing so good.

I've played plenty of both, but Mortal Kombat definately is my favourite. I enjoy the new MK games as well, such as Deception and Shaolin Monks. I loved Shaolin Monks, damn good game, that one. The old ones are classics and the new ones are enjoyable to me.

That and I just find MK to be a lot cooler. It just has a different style I like.

Street Fighter B-tch!

i pick MK. that's the best fighting game series ever, and the fatalities,babalities,etc. are very creative.
My favorite character has to be the cyber-robot Cyrax. he's off the hook!

Street Fighter, by far. Street Fighter II is, to this day, still one of the best fighting games ever.

Mortal Kombat has a few fun installments, but most of them fluctuate between mediocre and terrible.

I don't like either series that much, but I'll have to go with Street Fighter.

Originally Posted by Slime

Mortal Kombat has a few fun installments, but most of them fluctuate between mediocre and terrible.

I agree, as much nostalgia MK brings to me, when I replay it I can't help to notice it was just a mediocre series that was very overrated due to the blood feature and sh-t.

However, I, personally, prefer the Street Fighter series. Nothing better than playing a crazy and fun animu fighting game.

My vote goes to Street Fighter, it just brings me so many memories. I remember saving up money while I was in school just to waste it on the arcades playing SF. Time has surely gone by and I still find myself wasting money on the SF III third strike arcade, might I add it's my favorite out of the franchise. Oro is my best character.

For those who want to see what a world class player can do check this video. It's a tournament fight between Daigo Umehara (considered the best Ken in the world) and Justin wong, another top class player.

I voted for SF. I just downloaded SF2 on my wii today. My best character so far is E.Honda. I have both MK and SF, but in my opinion SF is better.

Originally Posted by Zeldafan1

Street Fighter B-tch!

Heh, that video is brilliant! Further proof that Ken Masters is the man!

Looks like SF is owning at the moment, I was expecting a much closer call than this.

Time has surely gone by and I still find myself wasting money on the SF III third strike arcade, might I add it's my favorite out of the franchise.

I enjoyed Third Strike, but it's the one I've played the least, as I sold my X-Box along with the collection. I'll get it back when I get a '360.

I personally really enjoy the SNK vs. Capcom series, mainly the second one. SNK have alot of great characters which really compliment Street Fighter. Such a huge array of them too, which is always nice, even if I do use the same characters, Ken, Ryu/Evil Ryu and Akuma. Shin Akuma, of course, is pure coolness.

Street Fighter, but just barely. I'm a Soul Calibur man myself, and I prefer it to both.

No question. Mortal Kombat is way better! You can't have fighting without fatalities!

Hmmm, i say Tekken. I suck too much at Street Fighter and Mortal Combat to like either of them.

If i had to choose, I would say Mortal Combat because of fatalities, even though I suck too much to actually be able to pull one off.

Originally Posted by Noob Saibot

No question. Mortal Kombat is way better! You can't have fighting without fatalities!

Fatalities are not what a fighting game should be all about, though. How about the characters, the fighting styles, the controls, the gameplay? To a small extent, the storyline? What else do you really enjoy about the said series?

I vote street fighter. Though if you want to have fun play mugen. Ken vs Scorpion is always fun.

Originally Posted by squall24

I vote street fighter. Though if you want to have fun play mugen. Ken vs Scorpion is always fun.

Yeah, check out the video Zeldafan1 posted above, it's awesome.

Originally Posted by Darknut King

Fatalities are not what a fighting game should be all about, though. How about the characters, the fighting styles, the controls, the gameplay? To a small extent, the storyline? What else do you really enjoy about the said series?

All of the above. I'm not saying MK is all about fatalities, it's just one of my favorite aspects of the game.

Plus, the amazing cast of characters in MK totally whoops street fighter's ass.

Originally Posted by Noob Saibot

All of the above. I'm not saying MK is all about fatalities, it's just one of my favorite aspects of the game.

Plus, the amazing cast of characters in MK totally whoops street fighter's ass.

How so, a lot of the MK characters look the same. The street fighter characters are actually pretty cool. Ken and ryu could take on the MK group any day.

Soul Calibur 2 is better than both