I just thought this might be a fun discussion, as long as it doesnt create flame wars "no way this isn't here, this game is too easy to be here". I'm fine with people disagreeing but you should try to back it up with somethings. also opinions often change as you learn more game mechanics. also almost every game has some easy things to pull off and some really hard things. I do enjoy playing hard things because of the odd sense of accomplishments.
here's what I think are the deepest/most execution heavy based on my experience. 1st covering 2d. because 3d are really different.
1.Arcana Heart 3 Love Max
Hard to describe how deep this game is. some other spots are toss ups but I think AH3LM is definetly number 1. as opposed to just picking 1 of 23 character, there are 23 arcana's to choose which affect passive stats, efc effects and have their own move lists. meaning 529 different characters(full match up knowledge is insane). add to that this game has so many ah unique mechanics it's rediculous. the homing mechanic is something everyone's got to learn that is basically how to move in this game. I still use the wrong homing all the time, Which also makes the game extremely fast paced. combo execution is also really high, for most basic combos. for some characters they may require faster inputs than most airdashers, while others(mei fang, weiss jump cancels) require weird timing. optimal combos also change depending on whether you homing cancel or efc cancel, critical hit, arcana choice, etc. 1/2 the casts Critical hearts are actually so rediculous I never even pull them off in training mode. most pros don't even try them in tournaments.
2.(tossups)
Blazblue central fiction: this series has gotten more and more complex as it went on. there doesnt seem to be as much jump cancel instant airdash combos as ah3lm or xrd(unless you pick rachel). Even Mai Natsume who seemed really easy to get the basic combos down is really hard, once you try to learn to time 214(hold)x combos, when I often miss BB(hold)6 or 8 C. because it's easy to let go by accident. Rapid cancels are a quite a bit harder to pull off than romans, because like AH3LM there's no stun or time freeze. timing overdrive cancels can be tricky at first
Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator: some characters seem a lot easier than XX counterparts(i-no), though I haven't played XX enough to compare. been learning i-no for a day, and the ground dash followed but 236x is a bit hard to do consistently. roman cancel slow downs definetly made things easier.
4. Nitroplus blasters: Some really weird crossovers and jumping sweeps here in this game. assist cancels can be just like rapids or efc in ah3lm/bbcf. timing can sometimes seem strict when throwing assists without combos. one thing that made this game easier to combo compared to above airdashers is that there seems to be a lot more hitstun, and burst cancels just freeze the opponent, meaning it's pretty easy to throw high hitting combos. the main thing to remember is banishing guard is powerful. also move lists tend to be fairly simple since everyone's lvl 2 is CE, and level 3 is 236236BC, all other supers are just normal +2 buttons.
5.KOF: the only non airdasher on this list. I mainly put this here because short hops take time to learn and it's mostly kof specific(aquapazza have them for some characters). I dont know if there's many character specific combos like the above games.
3D games. I only got decent and played DOA5LR so I can't compare to anything else. I would say compare to most 2d games, theres a lot less aerial game. a lot more mixups while doing combos unless it's a launcher, to avoid counters, and recovery frames if you finish combos while they block. and tag combos can be really execution heavy. There's a lot less execution as far as weird movements go, with some odd exeptions. actually using counters are pretty hard. I often try and end up blocking since eventhough I can predict combo patterns, its hard to tap direction and free at right time, and i end up blocking combos instead, then just striking counter or throw.
I might get into tekken 7 so I would have some comparison.
here's what I think are the deepest/most execution heavy based on my experience. 1st covering 2d. because 3d are really different.
1.Arcana Heart 3 Love Max
Hard to describe how deep this game is. some other spots are toss ups but I think AH3LM is definetly number 1. as opposed to just picking 1 of 23 character, there are 23 arcana's to choose which affect passive stats, efc effects and have their own move lists. meaning 529 different characters(full match up knowledge is insane). add to that this game has so many ah unique mechanics it's rediculous. the homing mechanic is something everyone's got to learn that is basically how to move in this game. I still use the wrong homing all the time, Which also makes the game extremely fast paced. combo execution is also really high, for most basic combos. for some characters they may require faster inputs than most airdashers, while others(mei fang, weiss jump cancels) require weird timing. optimal combos also change depending on whether you homing cancel or efc cancel, critical hit, arcana choice, etc. 1/2 the casts Critical hearts are actually so rediculous I never even pull them off in training mode. most pros don't even try them in tournaments.
2.(tossups)
Blazblue central fiction: this series has gotten more and more complex as it went on. there doesnt seem to be as much jump cancel instant airdash combos as ah3lm or xrd(unless you pick rachel). Even Mai Natsume who seemed really easy to get the basic combos down is really hard, once you try to learn to time 214(hold)x combos, when I often miss BB(hold)6 or 8 C. because it's easy to let go by accident. Rapid cancels are a quite a bit harder to pull off than romans, because like AH3LM there's no stun or time freeze. timing overdrive cancels can be tricky at first
Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator: some characters seem a lot easier than XX counterparts(i-no), though I haven't played XX enough to compare. been learning i-no for a day, and the ground dash followed but 236x is a bit hard to do consistently. roman cancel slow downs definetly made things easier.
4. Nitroplus blasters: Some really weird crossovers and jumping sweeps here in this game. assist cancels can be just like rapids or efc in ah3lm/bbcf. timing can sometimes seem strict when throwing assists without combos. one thing that made this game easier to combo compared to above airdashers is that there seems to be a lot more hitstun, and burst cancels just freeze the opponent, meaning it's pretty easy to throw high hitting combos. the main thing to remember is banishing guard is powerful. also move lists tend to be fairly simple since everyone's lvl 2 is CE, and level 3 is 236236BC, all other supers are just normal +2 buttons.
5.KOF: the only non airdasher on this list. I mainly put this here because short hops take time to learn and it's mostly kof specific(aquapazza have them for some characters). I dont know if there's many character specific combos like the above games.
3D games. I only got decent and played DOA5LR so I can't compare to anything else. I would say compare to most 2d games, theres a lot less aerial game. a lot more mixups while doing combos unless it's a launcher, to avoid counters, and recovery frames if you finish combos while they block. and tag combos can be really execution heavy. There's a lot less execution as far as weird movements go, with some odd exeptions. actually using counters are pretty hard. I often try and end up blocking since eventhough I can predict combo patterns, its hard to tap direction and free at right time, and i end up blocking combos instead, then just striking counter or throw.
I might get into tekken 7 so I would have some comparison.
Looking forward to seeing how it plays!