State of the Fighting Game

**MechDeus** · 22 Apr 2003, 01:14 AM

Originally posted by negitoro
But you have to admit, the features introduced back then, changed the game... and it did so far more rapidly and with greater innovation. Combos, chains, super bars... together with SNK, they pretty much defined what the modern fighting game is about.

Of course they did, they were basically creating the genre right in front of us. Now it's more about adding to that and building it up, not re-doing everything.

But since then, Capcom seems perfectly content to rehash endlessly. There haven't been innovations. From SFIII to SFIII:3S, did we really get any innovation ? SFA to SFA3 ? XmenvSF to MvC2 ? Really, the innovations haven't been exactly gushing out.

Excluding the Crossover series, Capcom introduces a game and then works on fine-tuning it. SFA->SFA3 was an evolution, SFIII->SFIII:TS was an evolution, SFII->whatever they finally ended up with was an evolution. Was SFIII:NG more innovative then TS? Unarguably. Does NG play half as well as TS? Not even close.

Without fine-tuning innovation is useless. Ask most people about Stretch Panic for a shining (albiet non-fighting game) example. I actually like the game, but that's not to say it couldn't be way better.

Well, you can't just blame SNK. Certainly, they've added their own touches thru the years. I mean didn't supers appear in Fatal Fury before Street Fighter ? And they added the defensive evasion, rolls and controllable jumps.

Whoops, got me there.

Regardless, the last few years have been relatively dry of innovations.

What new games have we really had since GGX and SFIII:TS? Capcom's done some rehashing for a quick buck, but there hasn't been anything new to push it forward, either. I stand by something new coming with the next chapter of 2D fighting, provided it arrives.

Heh, maybe Samurai Showdown V will add something.

**Mzo** · 22 Apr 2003, 12:52 PM

Pa said...
You only get one clue: That avatar is taken from the manual of a tremendously shitty game.

Well, I've looked up and down the FFVIII booklet, and nothing. I'm stumped.

**cka** · 22 Apr 2003, 12:57 PM

Originally posted by bahn
Heh. Ya it had a certain profound effect on players in Chinatown Fair. Unfortunately that footage remains closely guarded.

....To be Continued.

I want to see Sanford and Wong do the bartman on the DDR pads. MPEGS plz!

**Hero** · 22 Apr 2003, 01:12 PM

Originally posted by Yoshi
Two words: Neo Geo. Rage of the Dragons is very recent. SNK vs Capcom and Samurai Shodown V are coming. Don't pretend the DC is the ultimate fighting machine.

But Neo Geo isn't (and never has been) a viable console among the masses. The DC was for its time; now we have what? The PS2 is the only console to get what little fighters that are being released (VF4, Tekken 4, GGXX, SC2). The GC gets SC2. The XBox gets SC2...and Tao Feng.

If fighters are to stay, there needs to be either an innovation in the genre, more SNK releases getting ports to a more noticable console, or Capcom needs Street Fighter 4...or Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

**cka** · 22 Apr 2003, 01:17 PM

MvC3 won't happen anytime soon. SF4 might, but I'm not holding my breath on account of Capcoms' "three sf games in a series" rule. I don't really know why everyone looks to Capcom to be the saviour of the genre either, if anything they were one of the most detrimental forces against it with all those shitty rehashes of games they've already released. As it stands right now they're only going from bad to worse on the arcade front, and from decent to bad on the console front. long live sammy!

**Hero** · 22 Apr 2003, 01:25 PM

But Capcom has the brand-name recognition. Regardless if you hate their games and wish every employee of Capcom were to burst in flames, a new vs. or SF game will catch more eyes than Samurai Showdown V or heck...a new Garou.

Arc System Works has been able to make a name for themselves though, with Guilty Gear, but what else will we see? Can they invigorate fighters as well as they did with GGXX, or are they a one-trick pony, dedicated to all things Guilty Gear from now until the series is a dead horse?

**cka** · 22 Apr 2003, 01:34 PM

I like Capcom in general as much as the next guy, but the recent slew of tripe they've been troph-feeding the public in place of decent fighting games upsets me. Also since everybody plays that stupid DDR game in the arcade, nobody really pays attention to fighters nowdays. I have doubts about them until they prove me wrong. All it takes is 1 or 2 months of availability before the game gets broken down to a science also.

CvS2 caught the eyes of everyone, but when it finally came out a good chunk of the people who play fighting games were let down real bad. It just went downhill from there once sagat and blankas' obscene priorities were figured out and roll cancelling was discovered. If they continue down that path they'll hit the dead end of their stint in fighting gaming and won't have room to back up. I'm sorry if that upsets anyone, but that's the truth.

At this point, I'm eager for pretty much anything new. I've been playing GGX2 a lot but aside from that (and the fact that I'm not too deep into SNK games, I figure they're just as bad as capcom with their KOF rehashes although I had some fun with Gaoru and ROTD) there's just nothing happening. I'd settle for at least something new to hit arcades. Maybe a new Fighting Vipers from AM2!

* crosses fingers in hopes of continuing his Picky FAQ started in 1996 *

**PaCrappa** · 22 Apr 2003, 03:06 PM

"Well, I've looked up and down the FFVIII booklet, and nothing. I'm stumped."

LOL, nice one. Unfortunately I've never played that one but from what everyone outside of Kaneda tells me, the manual I scanned that from is for a far less shitty game than FFVIII. Still way shitty though!

Pa