This game is so difficult to rank, because it's so many things at once. It's one of the worst examples of microtransactions in gaming, and an embarrassment to Tecmo. It's one of the best fighting games on Steam, and yet also one of the worst in its series. It directly opposes everything its fans wanted in a desperate attempt at mass appeal and esports contention, both of which it failed miserably at. Despite all of this, I love it. I can't help it! Maybe I have bad taste! But the gameplay flows so well, the new systems feel like they should've been there all along, the free-to-play model is one of the best in gaming and allows you to figure out exactly what you want from it and spend as little as possible to get there (I played the single player with a few characters, found my main, and bought her for $4 so I could use her online, then never spent another penny). This game is such a mess, and truly did deserve to flop, but it's also one of the most enjoyable experiences in fighting games. I don't know how, and I'll never truly be able to put it into words.