Ok let me explain to you all what each type of fighting game's theme of fighting is, and how you should play it.

-I'll make some simple pics for explanation.

Street Fighter:
-SF is a turret fighter. The goal is more to play defense/counter than anything else. Since your block can only be broken by certain moves, most of which you can jump over, the gameplay revolves around both of you in your bubble trying to hit the other when he's out of it.

Soul Caliber
-SC is a "break/dodge fighter" The opponent can simply not block all your attacks if you put in all offense, so the goal is to play either dodge/counter or all attack. Defending is pretty much pointless as everyone has weapons and can hit from far away. Dodging however lets you get a clear shot at them so that you can open up. IF you know your character, you can easily either use a range or a counter the entire time, as some characters have wide sweeps making dodges useless, and defense impossible.


Tekken
-Tekken is a "combo fighter". The goal is to wait/rush your oppenent and perform the longest combo you can. Although it sounds simple, waiting for the moment, and starting the combo is hard to notice as speed differs greatly for most of the characters. The problem with tekken is that each character has their own specialty, some are more counter oriented, some spammable, and some are just "jumpy".


Virtual fighter.
-Virtual fighter is a "list fighter". The first goal of VF is to memorize all your techniques, as they are very different. once you know that, simply apply it to a given situation. Defending and attacking are pretty balanced, with the exception of some moves attacking and then going into a grab.


Mortal Combat.
-MC is a "brutal fighter." Simply put, the more brutal your combo is, the more damage it will do. The game's center is violence, combo's are important but blocking and performing short, brutal uppercuts can suffice in most scenarios.
The specials of each character are meant to either pull you towards them, or push them away, the majority of them are ranged.


Good night.