Just a quick disclaimer. Before I say anything here, I want to make it absolutely clear that I really, really want Street Fighter IV to come out and be one of the greatest 2D fighting games of all time...
...but the point of the post is, I just don't expect it. At least not right away. There's just too much playing against it.
From the looks of it, for one thing, just by reading between the lines, Capcom doesn't seem too high on the idea of releasing a full-scale and high-profile 2D fighter in 2009 or whenever it's coming. It is already well-established that Street Fighter must be 2D - and not even 2.5D will do - in order to work properly. You just can't get that same functionality any other way. Street Fighter EX was a good try. Yes, a good try. That fact alone should say everything.
But even if you look past dimensions, there's a greater problem facing Street Fighter IV, or at least, the game "Street Fighter IV" currently refers to. The simple fact is, you never get Street Fighter right the first time. Street Fighter IV will undoubtedly suck. Just like World Warrior sucked, just like Warriors' Dreams sucked, just like New Generation sucked. The quality will come in the inevitable upgrade kits, the games that will eventually take over the Street Fighter IV moniker, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Ideas must be tested. Testing produces upgrades. Upgrades produce quality. If upgrades couldn't happen, we would live in a world devoid of good fighting games. We would have never had Super Turbo (or even Hyper Fighting), Alpha 2 or 3, 3rd Strike, or many other fighters we enjoy today. Regardless of how Street Fighter IV turns out, it will have to be fine-tuned and grow just like any other fighting game, especially one that bears the Street Fighter brand.
By no means am I saying it will never happen, but it's way too early to get excited, especially when doing so basically overlooks upcoming titles like Super Turbo HD, Tekken 6, and SoulCalibur IV. All three of which we will most assuredly be playing in 2008, all three of which will most certainly be more polished than an inaugural Street Fighter installment (at least, provided Namco doesn't seriously screw SoulCalibur up again).
That's just history talking. Not me.
See you in the arena,
Patrick aka Neobeast
...but the point of the post is, I just don't expect it. At least not right away. There's just too much playing against it.
From the looks of it, for one thing, just by reading between the lines, Capcom doesn't seem too high on the idea of releasing a full-scale and high-profile 2D fighter in 2009 or whenever it's coming. It is already well-established that Street Fighter must be 2D - and not even 2.5D will do - in order to work properly. You just can't get that same functionality any other way. Street Fighter EX was a good try. Yes, a good try. That fact alone should say everything.
But even if you look past dimensions, there's a greater problem facing Street Fighter IV, or at least, the game "Street Fighter IV" currently refers to. The simple fact is, you never get Street Fighter right the first time. Street Fighter IV will undoubtedly suck. Just like World Warrior sucked, just like Warriors' Dreams sucked, just like New Generation sucked. The quality will come in the inevitable upgrade kits, the games that will eventually take over the Street Fighter IV moniker, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Ideas must be tested. Testing produces upgrades. Upgrades produce quality. If upgrades couldn't happen, we would live in a world devoid of good fighting games. We would have never had Super Turbo (or even Hyper Fighting), Alpha 2 or 3, 3rd Strike, or many other fighters we enjoy today. Regardless of how Street Fighter IV turns out, it will have to be fine-tuned and grow just like any other fighting game, especially one that bears the Street Fighter brand.
By no means am I saying it will never happen, but it's way too early to get excited, especially when doing so basically overlooks upcoming titles like Super Turbo HD, Tekken 6, and SoulCalibur IV. All three of which we will most assuredly be playing in 2008, all three of which will most certainly be more polished than an inaugural Street Fighter installment (at least, provided Namco doesn't seriously screw SoulCalibur up again).
That's just history talking. Not me.
See you in the arena,
Patrick aka Neobeast
2 comments:
Good argument. For all the crap Capcom gets and jokes like "Super Street Fighter Turbo EX 3: Hyper Fighting II", it really is a necessity (at least arcade-wise) that they issue these upgraded versions, once players figure out and expose chinks in the game's balance/programming etc. What I'm wondering though, is how these newfangled internet enabled consoles are gonna factor into the equation. Unless I'm mistaken, most tournies switched to consoles for ease of use and setup and whatnot, so will they be the primary market for SF4 now?. Will we see paid upgrades to the standard package over time or new issues every year till it's set?
It's important to note that there's a distinct difference between a fighting game that resides on a console, and a "console fighting game."
Super Turbo HD and Dead or Alive 4, despite not making any arcade stops, are very much just fighting games that make their home on game consoles.
A true console fighting game is an untested piece of crap with a bunch of junk modes, like SoulCalibur III and recent MK titles.
Even if it's straight-to-console, SFIV's fate is entirely up to how Capcom treats it.
Post a Comment