It came as a huge shock whilst writing this piece that SEGA AM2 have finally decided to make that announcement we (Virtua Fighter Fans) have all been waiting for (for about 3 years). After a 500 page petition, countless emails, fan pages, and forum posts, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown will be released as a stand alone downloadable title over XBLA and PSN in the summer of 2012. This announcement was made on the 24th of August 2011 and stunned Virtua Fighter fans worldwide (many who had lost hope in ever seeing this game on home consoles stateside and in Europe). For those of you who are not familiar with Virtua Fighter 5, Final Showdown is the latest revision to the Virtua Fighter 5 titles released on the PS3 and XBOX 360 respectively, and was only available in the Japanese arcades. This particular revision brings a multitude of changes to the game, which include: character balancing, new moves for each character, redesigned stages, new stage soundtracks and even two new playable characters (Taka-Arashi and Jean Kujo) . . . .Ok, Taka is a returning character from VF3, but we might as well consider him brand new. I have spent years watching YouTube videos of highly skilled Japanese players beat themselves silly, displaying skills and techniques I could only pull off after months of dedicated training. To know I can finally have the opportunity to show off my dusty techniques is a thing of joy :) . I'm still speechless and yet ecstatic.
The reason reference was made to Virtua Fighter is because I was gearing up to deliver a stinking essay expressing my utmost discontent for SEGA and AM2's decision to ignore their Virtua Fighter fan-base outside Japan (this outburst fitted nicely in the piece). The announcement however came right on time, and has seemingly changed the outlook of things. The core of the piece still remains unchanged.
Now back to the subject at hand: Why the noticeable decline in variety of 3D fighting franchises over the last decade ? It seems as though the number of competing 3D fighting franchises fall under the respective umbrellas of Virtua Fighter, Tekken, and Soul Calibur. Other 3D fighting game franchises have now become fossils, and have not been fortunate enough to see our present generation of consoles. And there has been no effort what so ever to revive them. The same cannot be said for the 2D fighting franchises that are currently enjoying critical and commercial success. These include Street Fighter 4 (and all its permutations), Blaz Blue series, Guilty gear series, King of fighters series, Marvel vs Capcom 3 (and all its permutations), Skullgirls, Arcana Hearts 3, and even the Mortal Kombat (2011) Reboot (which I class as a 2D fighter seeing as the character models and stages are modeled in 3D, however the fighting takes place on the X & Y axes).
Now don't get me wrong. I appreciate & like 2D fighters, but my heart belongs to the 3D fighting genre . . . . I can't seem to shake of the Z axis and the potential depth it offers with regards to gameplay. Ok, I know perfect execution of super attacks, forward rolls, counters, jumps and back dashes (to name a few) all exist in 2D fighters, and I fully acknowledge mastering such tactical maneuvers are essential to winning a match. However the Z axis takes this idea to a whole new level. An excellent example is in the Virtua fighter series, where pressing the up or down on the directional pad just when your opponent launches an attack causes you to evade to the corresponding direction. Till date, the Virtua Fighter series is the only 3D fighting game series to successfully implement such an excellent fighting maneuver. You have to see it in action to really appreciate it because it truly takes the fighting to a level beyond mere blocking and countering. Check out this Virtua Fighter 5: R Video (Lau Chan vs Pai Chan) . . . . Tell me if you can spot what has just been discussed. Observe very closely.
Now don't get me wrong. I appreciate & like 2D fighters, but my heart belongs to the 3D fighting genre . . . . I can't seem to shake of the Z axis and the potential depth it offers with regards to gameplay. Ok, I know perfect execution of super attacks, forward rolls, counters, jumps and back dashes (to name a few) all exist in 2D fighters, and I fully acknowledge mastering such tactical maneuvers are essential to winning a match. However the Z axis takes this idea to a whole new level. An excellent example is in the Virtua fighter series, where pressing the up or down on the directional pad just when your opponent launches an attack causes you to evade to the corresponding direction. Till date, the Virtua Fighter series is the only 3D fighting game series to successfully implement such an excellent fighting maneuver. You have to see it in action to really appreciate it because it truly takes the fighting to a level beyond mere blocking and countering. Check out this Virtua Fighter 5: R Video (Lau Chan vs Pai Chan) . . . . Tell me if you can spot what has just been discussed. Observe very closely.
We also have the bound mechanic implemented in Tekken 6 as well, which exists to extend character combos and has also radically altered the ideology of air only juggles. It has really changed the way Tekken players approach the game, and adds more depth to the fighting system. It forces players to think outside the box, with highly skilled players choosing to implement the bound close to the walls for maximum damage. With all that has been said, I am confident there is room for innovation in the 3D fighting arena. The DE-evolution of 3D fighting games could possibly be due to the fact that the major 3D fighting franchises have pretty much solidified themselves in a seemingly shrinking market, therefore developers considering introducing new 3D fighting franchises find it too risky to go up against the well established heavy weights. The fear of being labelled copycats maybe ?
Virtua Fighter 5 sold poorly on the home consoles (I blame this on SEGA for releasing radically different versions of the game on both the PS3 and XBOX 360). Many even doubted the future of the series till the recent announcement. Tekken is a long running 3D fighting series from Namco that allows highly skilled players and beginners access the game for different levels of play (buttons are mapped to each limb, which is very logical and intuitive). That alone makes Tekken more accessible to a wider audience, which as a result makes it more popular. Virtua Fighter on the other hand cannot boast the same accessibility. Although the character commands in Virtua Fighter revolve around P,K, and G (Punch, Kick and Guard), progressing down the move list will make you break more than a sweat. It can be quite unforgiving. Virtua Fighter requires a certain level of discipline and dedication (especially with the command inputs), and sadly, not every one has the time & will power to dedicate to such a strict, yet rewarding system. This alone has hampered the reception and popularity of the series over time. Hopefully Final Showdown can attract more players to what I believe is the deepest 3D fighting game till date.
And we have the character customisations. So it doesn't seem as though I am praising Virtua Fighter 5 a bit too much, head over to YouTube, watch a few Virtua Fighter 5: R and Final Showdown videos and marvel at the incredibly diverse character customisation options available for each character. It's pretty much insane. Till date, I am yet to see a 2D fighter that even comes anywhere close to offering the wealth of items and customisations a 3D fighting game like Virtua Fighter offers. Once again, I'm not attacking 2D fighters . . . Im just giving reasons why I love 3D fighting games, pointing out the noticeable decline in variety of 3D fighting franchises and also highlighting what makes 3D fighters unique.
Virtua Fighter 5 sold poorly on the home consoles (I blame this on SEGA for releasing radically different versions of the game on both the PS3 and XBOX 360). Many even doubted the future of the series till the recent announcement. Tekken is a long running 3D fighting series from Namco that allows highly skilled players and beginners access the game for different levels of play (buttons are mapped to each limb, which is very logical and intuitive). That alone makes Tekken more accessible to a wider audience, which as a result makes it more popular. Virtua Fighter on the other hand cannot boast the same accessibility. Although the character commands in Virtua Fighter revolve around P,K, and G (Punch, Kick and Guard), progressing down the move list will make you break more than a sweat. It can be quite unforgiving. Virtua Fighter requires a certain level of discipline and dedication (especially with the command inputs), and sadly, not every one has the time & will power to dedicate to such a strict, yet rewarding system. This alone has hampered the reception and popularity of the series over time. Hopefully Final Showdown can attract more players to what I believe is the deepest 3D fighting game till date.
And we have the character customisations. So it doesn't seem as though I am praising Virtua Fighter 5 a bit too much, head over to YouTube, watch a few Virtua Fighter 5: R and Final Showdown videos and marvel at the incredibly diverse character customisation options available for each character. It's pretty much insane. Till date, I am yet to see a 2D fighter that even comes anywhere close to offering the wealth of items and customisations a 3D fighting game like Virtua Fighter offers. Once again, I'm not attacking 2D fighters . . . Im just giving reasons why I love 3D fighting games, pointing out the noticeable decline in variety of 3D fighting franchises and also highlighting what makes 3D fighters unique.
Below is a table I have taken the time to construct and it shows 3D Fighting games releases & the release years in brackets. Upcoming releases are included (pretty much confirmed). Please click to view larger version. N.B.: The Table has been updated to reflect more accurate data since the original post was made.
The data in the table only serves to back up my initial point: Virtua Fighter, Tekken, and Soul Calibur are the last of the 3D fighting game franchises to make it to the present generation of consoles (N.B.: The table contains abbreviations for installments of each franchise. If you research the main franchises, the abbreviations can be deciphered). Some 3D fighting games like Toa Feng: Fist of the lotus, and Kakuto Chojin never lived to enjoy a 2nd installment (especially Kakuto Chojin seeing as it was surrounded by controversy). Bloody Roar surprisingly tried to keep up, but ultimately died a quiet death (the game play never really evolved ?). And as for the Dead or Alive series ? I reserve my Judgement till I hear an announcement with regards to the rumored 5th installment. But I personally went far away from the Dead or alive series due to the lack of distinctive move sets, and over reliance on a counter system (that got boring quickly). The most accurate description of the Dead or Alive series is a " highly advanced poke-fest ". I hope the fighting system gets a complete overhaul when and if the 5th installment finally gets released on consoles.
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| Table 1 |
The data in the table only serves to back up my initial point: Virtua Fighter, Tekken, and Soul Calibur are the last of the 3D fighting game franchises to make it to the present generation of consoles (N.B.: The table contains abbreviations for installments of each franchise. If you research the main franchises, the abbreviations can be deciphered). Some 3D fighting games like Toa Feng: Fist of the lotus, and Kakuto Chojin never lived to enjoy a 2nd installment (especially Kakuto Chojin seeing as it was surrounded by controversy). Bloody Roar surprisingly tried to keep up, but ultimately died a quiet death (the game play never really evolved ?). And as for the Dead or Alive series ? I reserve my Judgement till I hear an announcement with regards to the rumored 5th installment. But I personally went far away from the Dead or alive series due to the lack of distinctive move sets, and over reliance on a counter system (that got boring quickly). The most accurate description of the Dead or Alive series is a " highly advanced poke-fest ". I hope the fighting system gets a complete overhaul when and if the 5th installment finally gets released on consoles.
Looking at popular fighting competitions like the Evolution Championship Series, GVN Summer Jam, and UFGT Resurrection, you instantly notice these competitions are dominated by 2D fighting games like: Arcana Heart 3, Blaz Blue Continuum Shift II, Guilty Gear XX, Accent Core, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Melty Blood Actress Again, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition e.t.c. Tekken 6 is an exceptional appearance that breaks the 2D trend seeing as Namco actually listen to their fans and support tournaments like these (SEGA, I hope you're reading this, market your game well or people will not know what exactly it is and what it's capable of, support competitions like these outside Japan. You have fans outside Japan !!!!!).
With all that has been said, I am really hoping to see developers give birth to new 3D fighting franchises that will in turn result in some variety. Its nice seeing the heavy weights give us new installments to the 3D fighting games we know and love, but I feel they need to be challenged by new franchises to help them evolve in a healthy manner. Competition breeds innovation . . . Will we see a new 3D fighting franchise soon ? Time will tell. But for now ? Lets enjoy what we have and look forward to what's coming over the years ahead :-) . . .
Your Thoughts ?
Many Thanks
Shadow Master
Great article,very good analysis of 3d fighting games, not one point left out. But that being said, VF5 producers should make the game more accessible, I remember playing this and thinking do I have to learn a course in greek to play it? Its insanely hard to master and in effect takes away the fun after 10-20 min because i feel like an idiot fooling with the control pad and eventually going to drop it at the game shop for alot less, when I could have got some good macdonalds with that money. That being said the graphics is fantastic and so is the customisation nd choreography. I still think tekken is better because after 5-10 min I have a good idea what I am pressing on the control pad and even if I get whooped by a pro, I am still smiling nd having fun because I am confident that if I practise and get a general idea of the frames and do's and don'ts of tekken I will eventually beat this pro, "knowing exactly what I am doing strategically while pressing the control pad with ease". Accessibility = higher fan base, greater popularity and in effect greater sales and one very rich fat guy laughing to the bank.
ReplyDelete" VF5 producers should make the game more accessible, I remember playing this and thinking do I have to learn a course in greek to play it? Its insanely hard to master and in effect takes away the fun after 10-20 min because i feel like an idiot fooling with the control pad and eventually going to drop it at the game shop for alot less, when I could have got some good macdonalds with that money "
ReplyDeleteA spot on analysis and a very good point indeed. The Popularity of the Virtua Fighter series are only hampered by the people who make it. It is not a game that appeals to you immediately . . . but guaranteed, if you stick with it, you will be rewarded well beyond your expectations :) Hopefully this game can be marketed well with the upcoming release of the Final Showdown on Consoles. Excited is an understatement . . .
" That being said the graphics is fantastic and so is the customisation nd choreography "
On point. With such features, you would think the game will be up there popularity wise with Tekken. I love my tekken, but Virtua Fighter makes my knees weak . . . All you need to do is watch lei fei fight. He is the most accurate recreation of a shaolin monk i've ever seen. Truly a sight to behold.
" Accessibility = higher fan base, greater popularity and in effect greater sales and one very rich fat guy laughing to the bank."
I couldn't have put it better :) thanks for your contribution :)
Nice read. My english is really bad. Sudamerican Bad lol. But i like it. Its true, the variety in the 3d genere is almost gone. The fear to loose money is everywere in the in the videogame industry and is killing the creativity. I hope that this cycle end´s soon.
ReplyDeleteHello Eggman! and many thanks for your contribution. It doesn't matter your level of english, community is community :P
ReplyDelete" The fear to loose money is everywere in the in the videogame industry and is killing the creativity "
That my friend is what you call hitting the nail on the head. That statement of yours accurately describes the present state of the 3D fighting game arena. And I completely agree with you.
" I hope that this cycle end´s soon. "
I hope so too. It will be interesting to see if anyone can topple the efforts from Namco and SEGA . .
Once again thanks for your contribution and feel free to Join this blog! More Juicy updates on the way!
Shadow Master
I just want to counter one point: I actually find the customization of fighters a HUGE portion of why I think 3-D games aren't as popular. When I'm not familiar with the game, and I see a match show up, I can hardly recognize the fighters half the time. Especially in Tekken, where characters don't tend to stand out amongst each other. When a character shows up in 10 different outfits all wildly different from each other, the character does not sink into my mind, thus I find little attachment nor familiarity with the character. Pai being black haired and then blond another second, in a fancy Chinese dress and then in some weird Sanrio-ish outfit (I don't even know if that really exists) confuses me, and I think it detracts from the character.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, while SFIV has introduced stupid costumes, like Ken's cowboy outfit, the costumes are consistent. Ken will ONLY come in original gi, cowboy, Alpha 1, or whatever the fourth one is. The characters end up being recognizable and are allowed to imprint on a casual viewer's brain. Meanwhile, seeing Sarah with a giant syringe on her back is more distracting than anything.
3-D games need to start becoming more cartoonish, and making its fighters more memorable with stronger personalities. The size difference between Wolf and Lion needs to become a bit more pronounced. The fact that most 3-D games seem to focus on "realism" hurts more than helps. Shun is such an obvious fan favorite to casual viewers because he's so distinct and stands out and really has personality. I think it's time the 3-D games start making the jump to strengthening the recognizability of their cast.
Hello Jchensor, I must admit, you do have some very interesting perspectives with regards to this topic. However let me just say the following:
ReplyDelete1) " I actually find the customization of fighters a HUGE portion of why I think 3-D games aren't as popular." You have created a valid link between the levels of customization and the potential for such customisations to deform the character in the game. However I do feel the mere presence of such an option greatly reduces the potential for the characters to become monotonous. Now I get what you mean by identifying with a specific character and how they should look. However there is a saying that goes " Variety is the spice of life " . . . and I always and will continue to look favorably upon these HUGE customization options that are provided. Its better to have them there than not to. It boils down to choice and preference. Its not as though players are forced to make these customisations. These deep options exist to create uniqueness.
2) " Meanwhile, while SFIV has introduced stupid costumes, like Ken's cowboy outfit, the costumes are consistent. " . . . I gather that you like a certain level of consistency in relation to how your character looks. Which is reasonable. But let me make a point of this: In all the Virtua Fighter videos I have seen, I have ALWAYS been able to recognize the characters being used regardless of how exotic and ridiculous the customisations were.
3) " 3-D games need to start becoming more cartoonish, and making its fighters more memorable with stronger personalities." . . . It would be nice to have a VARIETY of 3D cartoonish games in the 3D arena. This could really create alot of diversity. However Virtua Fighter 5 and Tekken becoming more cartoonish will defeat the whole point of their existence. Virtua Fighter is a 3D fighting work of art. To steer it in that direction is to deny its identity. Besides . . . given the customization options available . . you can make your character as cartoonish as you please ;)
4) " The fact that most 3-D games seem to focus on "realism" hurts more than helps. Shun is such an obvious fan favorite to casual viewers because he's so distinct and stands out and really has personality. " . . .If you were a consistent Virtua Fighter player, you would know that statement is untrue. Each and every character is unique and distinct. But it seems you have a predetermination as to what 3D fighting games are . . Maybe that might not allow you see the good in them.
In any case, I appreciate your contribution and you have indeed raised some good points.
Many thanks
Shadow Master
I like the article but I think that the writer failed to focus on the downswing of the fighting game genre in general. Fighting games were declining in North America in general for a long time until Capcom revamped the Street Fighter brand. The west in general is on a huge nostalgia kick (just look at movies) and it was brilliant timing having the original cast returning + more. It was as if they were finally "back" after slowly straying since the SNES/Genesis days.
ReplyDeleteMore to the point though, isn't Tekken the #1 brand globally? I think 3D has already hit bottom in the west and is coming back up as the genre rises. In the next 1-2 years we're going to see new Soul Calibur, new Virtua Fighter, and TKxSF + Tekken Tag 2 which could turn out to be the best and biggest in it's entire history. 3D games owe a lot to the rise of the 2D games but time will tell if this new generation of 2D gamers will open up to more than just Ryu & friends.
Hey 3L1, a pretty interesting post. Here is my response to it:
ReplyDelete1) " I like the article but I think that the writer failed to focus on the downswing of the fighting game genre in general." . . . While you are technically correct, I intentionally decided to focus on the decline in variety of 3D fighting franchises over the last decade. It would have been nice to focus on the downswing of the fighting game genre in general, however I feel that the 3D fighting genre has suffered the most. Please refer to the table in the piece.
2)" Capcom revamped the Street Fighter brand. The west in general is on a huge nostalgia kick (just look at movies) and it was brilliant timing having the original cast returning + more. " . . I think that is a pretty good statement that backs up the conclusion that 2D fighters are not suffering the same fate as 3D fighters.
3) " isn't Tekken the #1 brand globally " . . . That could be argued. But i think the focus of my piece was the lack of variety with regards to 3D franchises.
In conclusion, you have made a good point, and it does remain to be seen if this generation of gamers can embrace the uniqueness of the 3D fighting genre. Maybe that would encourage the birth of new franchises ? Time will tell. But my focus was on the De-evolution of 3D fighting games because no matter how you look at it, they generally do not share the same reception worldwide was the 2D fighting genre (Hence the use of Virtua Fighter as an example) . . .
Thank you for your contribution once again :)
Many thanks
Shadow Master
1) However there is a saying that goes " Variety is the spice of life " . . . and I always and will continue to look favorably upon these HUGE customization options that are provided. Its better to have them there than not to. It boils down to choice and preference. Its not as though players are forced to make these customisations. These deep options exist to create uniqueness.
ReplyDeleteBut this is where I disagree. Think of it like a commercial product. You create a logo specifically so people will remember and recognize it. You don't go and change the logo up, make 70 different logos, or keep making it look different constantly. It's bad form. Variety is the spice of life, but not when it comes to branding. Even though all 70 versions of the logo say "Pepsi", it's way more impactful if you always see the word Pepsi written in the same font and with the same logo. I think it's as important to brand your characters as it is to brand something like a logo. EVERYONE knows who Chun Li is. You see a chick in that blue outfit, it's Chun Li. The most important part is: people who don't play games recognize Chun Li. NOBODY knows who Sarah is. And if you continue seeing her sometimes with bat wings and sometimes looking normal, it will stay that way.
2) But let me make a point of this: In all the Virtua Fighter videos I have seen, I have ALWAYS been able to recognize the characters being used regardless of how exotic and ridiculous the customisations were.
Which is nice, because you play the game. I don't play Tekken, and half the time I don't know who the character is when I watch some matches. Fortunately for VF, the characters are far more distinctive than Tekken, but that still doesn't mean I don't get thrown off sometimes when I see a character. Once they start attacking, I can recognize who it is, but how does that work for the casual observer who has no idea of what their attacks look like? They don't care what attacks Chun Li has... they just wanna root for her because she's Chun Li.
3) However Virtua Fighter 5 and Tekken becoming more cartoonish will defeat the whole point of their existence. Virtua Fighter is a 3D fighting work of art. To steer it in that direction is to deny its identity. Besides . . . given the customization options available . . you can make your character as cartoonish as you please ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't mean cartoonish in the character design. I just mean more distinctive. Maybe even more cartoonish personalities. But I do agree that being more cartoonish betrays VF's core, but I think it can be done very tastefully without overexaggeration. But it would end up being an entirely new game, throwing sizes off like that. Which would be inherently bad for a franchise already so well established in its play style.
4) If you were a consistent Virtua Fighter player, you would know that statement is untrue. Each and every character is unique and distinct.
Actually, my statement remains true. You admitted yourself here: if I was a consistent VF player. Someone who is familiar with the game is NOT who you should be thinking about. I'm aiming at the casual player, an observer who doesn't play much Fighting Games. If a guy gets his girlfriend to watch a stream, the girlfriend will recognize Ryu and Guile. If you get them to watch a stream, they won't be able to recognize Sarah and Pai and whomever else if their outfits vary so wildly. And because so many characters have the same looking moves (many sweeps look the same, many side kicks look the same, most PK combos look the same, etc.), the characters do tend to have a problem differentiating themselves in the eyes of the casual. Like I said, VF is definitely not as bad because the character variety is stronger than in Tekken. But at the same time, I don't think it could hurt giving the characters a bit more flair.
4) But it seems you have a predetermination as to what 3D fighting games are . . Maybe that might not allow you see the good in them.
Believe me, I really appreciate VF a lot, and I wish it were more popular than it is. I also appreciate Soul Calibur as well. I'm not so big on Tekken. I would love to see 3-D fighters make it. So I personally see the good in them. I'm more concerned about the casual observer. If I, a hardcore fighting game lover, started appreciting 3-D fighting games, that does nothing for their popularity. But if casual observers start appreciating the game, THEN we'll see more 3-D fighters because others will want to capitalize on the popularity of the current 3-D fighting roster.
Hello JChensor, You have brought up more Valid points, and here is what I think:
ReplyDelete1) You said " But this is where I disagree. Think of it like a commercial product. You create a logo specifically so people will remember and recognize it. You don't go and change the logo up, make 70 different logos, or keep making it look different constantly. It's bad form. Variety is the spice of life, but not when it comes to branding. Even though all 70 versions of the logo say "Pepsi", it's way more impactful if you always see the word Pepsi written in the same font and with the same logo. I think it's as important to brand your characters as it is to brand something like a logo. EVERYONE knows who Chun Li is. You see a chick in that blue outfit, it's Chun Li. The most important part is: people who don't play games recognize Chun Li. NOBODY knows who Sarah is. And if you continue seeing her sometimes with bat wings and sometimes looking normal, it will stay that way. " . . .
From a marketing perspective, you're point is very plausible. When marketing a product, a certain level of consistency will help imprint the image in the consumers mind and create some sort of awareness and identification. However, I do think you are applying the marketing concept in a linear fashion (which does not always translate that way). It is good to have consistency with regards to looks, but having the freedom to clothe your character is not a sin. It is a very good thing and it can be considered a mini game on its own. Besides, I understand SEGA do no force you to customize ? If they did, then your point would be valid. But they don't, they merely provide the TOOLS to make such changes, therefore putting some power in the players hands. That my friend is how 3-D fighters are evolving. Its like fusing RPG elements into your fighting game. I think that in itself is innovative. The power of choice :) . . . And the customisations do not affect the gameplay, moves e.t.c.
2) " Which is nice, because you play the game. I don't play Tekken, and half the time I don't know who the character is when I watch some matches. Fortunately for VF, the characters are far more distinctive than Tekken, but that still doesn't mean I don't get thrown off sometimes when I see a character. Once they start attacking, I can recognize who it is, but how does that work for the casual observer who has no idea of what their attacks look like? They don't care what attacks Chun Li has... they just wanna root for her because she's Chun Li. "
I see you might be getting a bit too distracted with the customisations :) Focus on the actual gameplay elements and the fighting system, and maybe the customisations wont bother you so much. Have you considered a scenario where the casual player watches a video stream and goes " WOW! Look at his clothes!!! Really cool customs!!! " ? I dont think you have. In fact, lets take a look at 2 video as examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_i_xhCUa5w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn8VG-mxFD8&feature=related
No matter how casual or Hardcore you are, those customs are pretty sweet, and it doesn't seem as though the customs are affecting the gameplay at all. Not all customs are silly.
. . . Cont
. . . Cont
ReplyDelete3) " Maybe even more cartoonish personalities."
Once again, I refer you to some VF5:R videos and VF5:FS videos . . . Have you seen the short introductory clips before the fights ? Everyone i've shown those streams end up laughing and asking "what game is this ?" . . .
4) " And because so many characters have the same looking moves (many sweeps look the same, many side kicks look the same, most PK combos look the same, etc.), the characters do tend to have a problem differentiating themselves in the eyes of the casual. "
I respectfully disagree. Fact: Most of the awe struck observers who have watched me play Virtua Fighter 5 were casuals (please believe me, these are people who imagine all video games are cartoonish and are a pointless waste of time). In fact let me quote a statement from a casual/non video gamer. She said " This is the most accurate recreation of the Martial Arts Ive ever seen ". This is a girl who hates Video Games in general. But Just watching the characters in Virtua Fighter move caught her attention. She was so moved, she decided to learn Lei Fei, and she wasn't bad at all. Also she didn't think the players had similar/generic move sets. Luckily, I saved a replay video of one of our match, and I will be uploading it very soon when I buy a HD capture device.
5) " But if casual observers start appreciating the game, THEN we'll see more 3-D fighters because others will want to capitalize on the popularity of the current 3-D fighting roster. "
Absolutely. And the only way you can attract casual gamers is by adding elements that make 3D fighters unique e.g. Quirky customisations, short introduction videos e.t.c. :)
Good points though :)
hmmm...you seem to be talking more about Virtual Fighter than other fighting games.
ReplyDeleteAnd I couldn't get the point you were trying to get across as many of your words just references to Virtua Fighter each time.
First of all, what deevolutionise a fighting game? its basically taking a step back. Evolution is improving upon old build and going beyond.
Best evolution of fighting game is Street Fighter series- Street Fighter 2- Alpha, EX, Third Strike. All iteration are completely different games and not rehashes with same characters and all. They offer new gameplay and introduce many characters.
Mortal Kombat can also be accepted. MK4 introduce many new characters along with new gameplay combat and MK4 is still one of my favorites MK games. MK on 6th gen consoles just began to water down, even though they had new characters and returning faces, the gameplay wasn't ground breaking or a big leap of jump.
De-evolution is Soul Calibur! I haven't played Soul Edge so I can't say much on that. How is the gameplay difference with SC1-3? Just the same thing with little added features, and same characters with extra additional new characters in new sequels.
DOA can also be labelled as de-evolution, DOA1-4 offered NOTHING NEW in terms of gameplay. Just returning characters with additional new characters in each new sequel releases.
I never played much of Tekken as I stopped from Tekken 3 so I can't tell if nothing much as changed. All I know is that Tekken is all about garbage combo juggling. Which DOA4 tried to borrow.
Virtua Fighter plays like DOA however VF5 changed its overall fighting mechanic and requires learning curve to understand how the mechanic combat works.
As for character customization, I wouldn't say too much about it because its much of a distraction to the player to create characters.
Having 30-60 characters in a fighting game is ridiculous and a complete waste of time! Play to Win fighters wouldn't even give a damn about over 45 characters as they will only focus on 1 character and master that character.
Thanks for Your post Xino, however here are a few things I've picked out from your argument:
ReplyDelete1) " hmmm...you seem to be talking more about Virtual Fighter than other fighting games.
And I couldn't get the point you were trying to get across as many of your words just references to Virtua Fighter each time. " . . .
And talking more about Virtua Fighter is considered wrong ? Or am I missing Something ?If you couldn't get the point I was trying to get across due to my numerous Virtua Fighter references, then maybe you need more lessons in comprehension maybe ? Every single Virtua Fighter reference that was made was Factual, so therefore I do have the right to use Virtua Fighter as a reference. If I posted incorrect references, then maybe I'd understand you inability to comprehend the point of the article. But if I have used FACTUAL references and you still have problems, then I'm sorry, but I cannot aid you in this matter :)
2) " First of all, what deevolutionise a fighting game? its basically taking a step back. Evolution is improving upon old build and going beyond."
I was actually speaking of " De-evolution " with regards to Variety and numbers. That is the context I chose to use the word.
3) " Best evolution of fighting game is Street Fighter series- Street Fighter 2- Alpha, EX, Third Strike. All iteration are completely different games and not rehashes with same characters and all. They offer new gameplay and introduce many characters. "
You are probably right. But I believe the point of the piece was " De-evolution of 3-D Fighting games " ?
4) " Virtua Fighter plays like DOA however VF5 changed its overall fighting mechanic and requires learning curve to understand how the mechanic combat works."
Completely untrue, and you couldn't be further from the truth. If you played both games, then trust me you would know the monumental differences between them.
5) " As for character customization, I wouldn't say too much about it because its much of a distraction to the player to create characters."
I believe this option is available as a CHOICE and not MANDATORY ?
All in all, you do bring up a good argument, but I believe you might have misunderstood the piece.
Many thanks
Shadow Master
Customization adds alot to replay value. Given that in a fighting game there is no exploration and the gameplay is always in an arean fighting, it can get boring lookingat your character in the same outfit. Being able to customize it allows the player to vary things if its starting to feel stale. As you spend alot of your time looking at your avatar it really does matter. That said they should try to keep a theme for the characters and not give them totally random costume items. Having said that, SHenmue costumes would be perfect for VF, given how well the VF and Shenmue characters fit (Akira=Ryo, Lau=Lan Di, Sarah=Joy, Xiuying=Aoi, Pai=Shen Hua, Eileen=Fang Mei, Goh=Chai, Jeffry=Tom, Taka=DouNiu, Jean=Guizhang, ShunDi=JianMin).
ReplyDeleteVirtua Fighter could benefit from several things, I think what would help most is to include a little bit of a story mode, have brief cutscenes between certain characters, and have each character have their own ending.
Another thing is bonus modes, I think something akin to the Street Fighter car-smashing could be immense fun in VF.
The lack of a Survival or Team Battle mode in VF5 disapointed me, more modes would not go amiss.
DOA5 I'm hoping they have remodelled the characters (which have not changed since the Dreamcast era) and make the countering less central (not get rid of it, just make the gameplay not so focused on it). I'm hoping they really give us really big, imaginative multi-tier stages to play in, that should be DOA's selling point IMHO.
Apparently there is going to be a new Bloody Roar, that was a game that never really lived up to its potential, maybe it finally will?
We've seen plenty of cell-shaded, anime style 2D fighters, how's about a 3D one?
A new Last Bronx could potentially be amazing.
Gary I'd like to use this opportunity to say your comment was simply genius. As soon as I read:
ReplyDelete" Customization adds alot to replay value " . . .
I knew you were hitting bulls-eye.
" DOA5 I'm hoping they have remodelled the characters (which have not changed since the Dreamcast era) and make the countering less central (not get rid of it, just make the gameplay not so focused on it). I'm hoping they really give us really big, imaginative multi-tier stages to play in, that should be DOA's selling point IMHO. "
With such a spot on comment, I doubt there is anything else to add to such sublimity.
" Apparently there is going to be a new Bloody Roar, that was a game that never really lived up to its potential, maybe it finally will? "
Sadly, It was confirmed to be an elaborate Hoax :( :( :( :(
" A new Last Bronx could potentially be amazing. "
ABSOLUTELY!!
Many thanks for your contribution. Fantastic points.
Shadow Master
I don't agree at all with your comment about the DOA series but this is an excellent article. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI'm also very happy about VF5FS release since it's a franchise that I truly love as well. And I'm relieved to know there are gamers out there interested enough to even write about it.
Anyway, check my blog out if you want at www.mikenieto.blogspot.com I always write about fighting games as well. Cheers!