King of Fighters vs. Mortal Kombat features almost 40 characters over 28 levels, and includes hidden characters Shao Kahn, God Rugal. The keyboard controls are as follows: to select a character use H, U, J, K and press A to confirm. The fighting moves are: A = light punch, S = strong punch, D = stronger punch, Y = light kick, X = strong kick and C = stronger kick.

The graphics in King of Fighters vs. Mortal Kombat are classic MUGEN, and this is one of the most character-rich MUGEN games around. You can play in one, two, or team player mode, select the difficulty level, adjust the game speed etc. Like most classic arcade fighting games, your power bar is at the top of the screen and each punch or kick you take depletes it. The scenarios are all urban street fights which is reminiscent of Street Fighter, as is the all round gameplay.

If you were a fan of Street Fighter, you'll appreciate King of Fighters vs. Mortal Kombat.

Download King of Fighters vs. Mortal Kombat MUGEN 1.0 in Softonic

Naruto Mugen is a 2D fighting game based on the same foundations as games like Street Fighter, Mortal Combat and Double Dragon so if you like any of these, it will probably appeal to you.

The graphics are exactly what you'd expect from an arcade classic, and there are many levels to keep you going. The only slight downside is the number of characters are limited but you can download more here.

Naruto Mugen is a fun arcade classic that will appeal to all fans of the TV Tokyo series Naruto Mugen.

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2D fighting classics such as Street Fighter and Paws of Fury were originally developed on it. Today, the M.U.G.E.N engine is enjoying something of a revival due to the great old-school cartoon style characters you can create with it.

Note however, that this M.U.G.E.N download is for the design engine and you’ll need to be familiar with DOS programming to use it. There is one game included simply called “M.U.G.E.N” although it’s only intended as a demo to show you what you can do with it.

M.U.G.E.N is essentially a DOS-based 2D graphic design engine originally released in 1999. It allows anyone to create characters, stages and other game objects through interpreted text files, graphics and sound compilations, and it also supports various types of audio formats such as MP3, ADX, OGG and MIDI for sound effects.

M.U.G.E.N has been in Release Candidate for several years but most recently version 1 was released as a full version. However, most of the improvements were simply bug fixes and a license change which permit inclusion of the MUGEN executable into free non-commercial bundles.

The M.U.G.E.N engine is currently setup primarily for fighting game development, but several other game types have been developed using it including shoot-em-ups and platform games.

If you're nostalgic about the games you played in the arcade as a kid, and are willing to learn a bit of coding to create your own, M.U.G.E.N is exactly the tool you need.

Download M.U.G.E.N 1.0 in Softonic

If you were a fan of Dragon Ball Z then Dragon Ball Z Budokai takes it to a new level with added acrobatic 3D action.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai features over 100 DBZ heroes and villains and an added story mode for extra depth. The games allows you to recreate classic scenes from the TV show in story mode with some lightning-fast fighting moves and the ability to engage in titanic battles. There are around 15 3D scenarios and much improved graphics, levels and special moves. The game uses a "behind-the-back" camera perspective and features all the regular Dragon Ball Z power ups and bonuses.

Players can build up their "Ki" bar to execute various techniques such as the Power Guard, which reduces the damage characters take by 1/4. The Ki bar can also be used to use moves referred to as Blast 2s plus many more death defying moves which can snap your opponents neck in the blink of an eye.

For those that enjoy a good old punch-up, this is a great game although it could do with a few more characters and moves.

Download Dragon Ball Z Budokai X 2.0 in Softonic

In the Dragon Ball Z start menu, you’re presented with several different modes. Arcade means you go 1 on 1 against the computer; in VS mode you take on a friend; Team VS lets you play various team-up modes against a friend; Team Arcade means various team-up modes against the computer and Team Co-op allows you to beat the crap out of the computer tag-team Dragon Ball Z style. Finally, Training allows you to work on your moves and Watch mode allows you to observe computer controlled characters beat the hell out of each other in various modes. There’s also an options menu where you can configure such things as the level of difficulty, time limit, sound features and controls.

Dragon Ball Z lets you take on the role of of almost 30 characters. Highlights include Chibi Trunks, Future Trunks, Normal Trunks and Mr Boo. As one of these Dragon Ball Z fighters, you take on a series of martial arts beasts in an effort to win battle points and collect dragon balls. If you choose to take on a friend in the “VS” mode, make sure you’ve either got two joysticks or at least one whilst the other plays on the keyboard. For beginners, I’d advise going straight into training mode where you can practice some special moves which range from a simple karate-chop to a “fist of death” hammer blow which involves pressing at least seven different keys at once. Remember those old Amiga and Atari games where a special move literally involved snapping the joystick and you’ll get the picture. You can also customize your own Dragon Ball Z player although it’s mainly limited to changing the name and colours here and there.

Dragon Ball Z itself works on the basis of battle points - the more you beat-up, the more you win. Points give you access to a “skill tree” which enables you to pimp-up your character and give him/her some new moves. Along the way, you also collect dragon balls and once you have collected 7, you can call forth the “dragon of Shenron” which grants you a wish. According to the developers, this can range from adding a new move to your character to creating an entirely new one. The gameplay is just like a classic arcade game thanks to the ever-popular MUGEN graphics engine. Dragon Ball Z's sound is also excellent with some classic satisfying retro kicks and punch effects. On the downside, it can seem a bit limited and boring compared to fighting classics like Street Fighter or Tekken but for a game that’s only around 30 MB , it certainly packs a punch.

Be warned also that although the developers claim this game works on all Windows platforms, some forums report that users with anything above Windows 98 have experienced problems starting the game. More advice is available from the developers’ website.

In summary, a must have for any retro fighting fan.

Download Dragon Ball Z MUGEN Edition 2 in Softonic

Back in the day, Brutal: Paws of Fury was a classic of its time. Now, using the MUGEN graphics engine, its brought to you again.

Brutal is a 2D fighting game similar to Street Fighter and Mortal Konbat but the gameplay is very distinctive. Each of the 12 martial-arts characters have their own strengths, weaknesses and abilities. The gameplay consists of 3 punch buttons and 3 kick buttons making for some furious action. Unlike a lot of other M.U.G.E.N. games which suffer from being glitchy, this game hits all the right notes.

The sound is also excellent and the announcer who presents all the bouts is quite a character.
You can play in either 2-player tag team format or 4 player battle mode to add some extra spice to yout fights.

This is considered by many to be the best MUGEN game of them all - check it out now!

Download Brutal: Paws of Fury 1.9 Beta 2 in Softonic