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Over the official SF4 Dev Blog, Shizowa san answered a bunch of fans questions about Street Fighter IV. Some of the question were really interesting and so were shizowa's answers to them.
The Questions and answers are of course in Japanese but luckily Azrael, an SRK active user, translated the whole thing. Check out his translation:
Q: During the replay, it would be nice to be able to zoom in or move around the camera angle freely.
A: That's a good idea. The characters are really expressionistic this time around, so we'd like to be able to give you the ability to create your very own cut! We'll look into it!
Q: This has been on our minds for quite some time, but didn't Gouken have a daughter?
A: Well...that hasn't been publicly released so I can't really talk about it. But, if he did have a daughter, it seems like she'd be as strong as Ryu, Ken, and Akuma. With that bloodline, she'd probably be able to throw a one-handed hadouken at the age of 12.
(Az's Note: This question is in reference to SF storylines. In the "canon" (don't think this ever appeared in any game) Gouken supposedly had a daughter called Little Miss, who witnessed Gouken's "death" together with Ken. This is just stuff from info books. Shiozawa sounds like she's just speculating here, although its not out of the question that the character could be in development. I would say take it with a grain of salt.)
Q: Why can't we use Chun's Kikousho in the game, although she has it in the anime opening?!
A: Yeah, huh! Well, its probably because the game and anime schedules weren't coordinated together. ...Probably.
Q: Why don't we get to see Sakura's panties in her ending?
A: Its not that you don't get to see them, its just that you didn't see them. ...Probably.
(Az's Note: Fuckin' Japanese perverts...this is like the second or third time they've asked this too.)
Q: Will this blog continue until 2011?
A: What, why 2011?! What are you saying? There hasn't been any talks to end this...huh?
Q: Will there be cross-platform play on the PC Version?
A: There is no cross-platform play from the PC version to either the PS3 or 360. The rankings also start from the very beginning, to take this chance to aim for the top!
Q: Are there any plans for a Spectator Mode?
A: At this point, there are no plans. As this is the most requested thing, I'm sorry I can't give you a more positive response.
Q: No Rolento? There aren't any other characters who move quite like him. So, no chance? I'd really like to use him...
A: Its true that his movements were unique. If you all make your voices heard, there might be a chance...!?
(Az's Note: Seems like the standard "ask for it and...hmm...maybe?!" response they give for a lot of stuff.)
Q: Why don't characters have individual stages? Does it have anything to do with the difficulty of designing 3D stages vs 2D? Also, we'd like to hear more about their development.
A: To answer this, I'd like to refer to the appropriate person. But! As he's out of reach at the moment, I'll put this together with other developmental questions and ask at a later date! Please wait a little bit.
Q: Will the online play for PC cost any money?
A: Nope, its free!
Q: Tekken...
Shiozawa, you're pretty interesting! Fight on! If you play Tekken, that means you like fighting games! Which characters are you using?
A: Well, since you've asked! (This isn't a Capcom game...but that's fine, isn't it!) I use the Tae Kwon Do combo of Baek and Hwoarang.. Since TKD is pretty cool, I'm also trying to learn it in real life! I've gotten into it. I go 3 times a week, and I'd like to go to a training camp in Korea. When I mentioned this to Ono, he was pretty amazed. Ha ha ha!
(Az's Note: Fuckin' Japanese nerds trying to get in her pants. ...But I think I've seen her in person, and she's cute so I can't really blame them.)
Q: Also, we were wondering about the double step that beautiful gymnasts often take when landing.
A: That's not a double step, its a light step. Probably!
(Az's Note: Huh? Whatev.)
Q: Will you be taking a survey? Since you've got a blog here where people can express their opinions and all...
A: This blog really is a place where everyone expresses their hopes and opinions. So, I'd like to do it at least once! I'll think about it!
(Az's Note: Pretty sure this would be Japanese only. For English, you'd have to bug the folks over at Capcom-Unity I imagine.)
Q: You've added a disconnect ratio as a penality for ragequitters, but shouldn't you have done more to punish them?
A: The disconnect percentage isn't for punishing people, but to show the connection environment. As a result, we can't really go about dropping heavy penalities on people.
Q: The characters talk to each other during the rival battle, but it would also be cool to have them talking during regular battles. Or how about just a special mode featuring this?
A: Endo (I think a producer) also mentioned this! A small "Confrontational Mode" or something like that, right? This would definitely be exciting! If there's a chance, Endo will work on this, so I'm gonna pressure him a bit to do so!
Q: Is the narrator/announcer's voice Debito? Or someone else?
A: That's not Debito, but a VA pro. But during the loketests, as we hadn't finished the recordings yet that voice was Debito! In the home versions, Debito makes a few guest appearances during some of the opening and ending anime sequences (hint: Fuerte).
(Az's Note: Debito is an American guy who became a Japanese citizen here. I think that's who they're referring to).
Q: About a diagram function to show number of battles and win percentage per character. It would be cool if we could have individual stats as well as total online battle numbers.
A: Yep! During development we had a diagram like this and used it to tweak the characters. Seems like it'd be pretty handy!
Q: We want SF4 wallpapers and themes!
A: While we currently don't have any plans for wallpapers or themes on the PS3 or 360, as the PC version will go on sale soon, if there are going to be PC wallpapers its about time to start working on them! We'll be awaiting your requests!
Q: I've been playing pretty much everyday since the game came out. I'm not getting enough sleep and its messing with my work.
A: This comment makes me pretty happy! Thank you! But you shouldn't slack off at work...nah, please play more!
Q: The blocking sounds between the arcade version and the home versions are different. Please change the home version to have the same blocking sound as the arcade!
A: This is all Mr. Endo. So I asked him about it. "Wow, these guys are hardcore! There is definitely a slight difference. The reason is because the sound that comes out of arcade cabs vs the sound from home equipment is different, so we optimized it for home use. There are definitely other areas of difference, so please listen for them and compare! Thank you!"
Q: Icons and titles are cool, but how about comments that can be displayed either before or after the match? Even fixed dialogue would be fine.
A: Others have also suggested this. I think its a good idea! Communication between people. A nice greeting to start things off. We welcome these kinds of suggestions! The development staff is always saying "If there's a next time...", so please continue to make these suggestions!
(Az's Note: In the arcade, we had "PR" where we could input about 20 characters of text that would be displayed together with our name, BP, guild, and titles. This would be kinda hard to regulate for the home I imagine, but some sort of auto "Good game" or "Let's fight again" you could have pop up after a match would be nice.)
Q: We've been anxiously awaiting a complete SF image collection! We'd buy one for looking and one for preservation! We saw the Artwork Book...and we want more!
A: The artwork book is definitely doing well! When I have time, I also open it up and have a look. 20 years of miraculous images.
Q: On the Overpass Stage - Tokyo (Sakura's stage?), what are they saying? (I think this is in reference to the music.)
A: I asked the music developer, Fukuzawa about this. His answer was "its a secret." I have no idea either!
Q: We want more characters! There aren't enough. And also, new ultras!
A: I would also like to see more varied ultras! So I will pass this along to the planners! If there is a next version, we should definitely see "Ultra II"!
(Az's Note: Like how she skipped over the more characters thing. )
Q: On the volcano stage, on an analog TV the red colors blue, and its not very adjustable and it makes my eyes hurt...
A: Sorry about that. We'll be more careful about it next time.
Q: Is there going to be a SFIV-2 or something like that? Since SFIII went up to 3rd Strike, we've been expecting something....with the CE Mode update and the PC version is this the end of SFIV?
A: Hm! Well, this is the most difficult kind of question to answer! With everyone supporting and playing and getting worked up at events for SFIV, well there's bound to be a "next"! So, please stick with us. I don't lie.
(Az's Note: She pretty much only says that it will continue, but nothing so far as how - other updates, a sequel, nothing like that. Very vague.)
Q: In the CE update the PS3 and 360 had some differences in their features. Was this a result of hardware limitations?
A: Yes. Based on the hardwards, there were certain things we could and couldn't do, so we tried to make the best out of what we had.
(Az's Note: The only real difference is the ability to save replays to the HD, and I don't know why PS3 wouldn't be able to handle this...)
Q: Will the PC version also have voice and subtitle options? It would be nice to be able to set them separately. (Japanese voice + English subtitles, or English voice + Japanese subtitles...)
A: As for the subtitles, they will be displayed in the language selected during install, so unfortunately you can't have separate voice and subtitle options. But you can change the voice options by character!
Q: For the PC version, will we be able to change the names to match up with the international versions? (Vega -> M.Bison, Gouki -> Akuma)
A: Same as the voice, it'll be displayed to match the language option you choose at install. You won't be able to change it during the game.
Q: Guile and Chun are fighting for justice, but Cammy refers to them using an impolite pronoun. Is she being rude or belitting them?
A: Huh? Has Cammy always done that? I don't think she's belittling them, just refering to them as equals. That's my opinion anyway!
(Az's Note: Japanese language/cultural stuff.)
Q: Will we be able to use a controller other than the 360 for the PC version?
A: There are other things you can use. For example, the Hori 360 Arcade Stick! (Although its a bit difficult to find...)
(Az's Note: And the cash register sound goes off in Shiozawa's office. ...I believe there are drivers out there that let you use PS3 controllers on the PC, but I don't know how well they work, especially with Capcom games...)
Q: We know about the PC specs for the game, but what about the monitor?
A: Oh, we didn't write that down? Sorry about that! You need 640x480 at least, but we recommend 1280x720.
Q: As long as Ryu and the SF Crew continue their fight, we'd like you to continue this blog.
A: (Insert Japanese girl gushing here).
Q: SFIV themes and icons are being delivered to the marketplace, but about the icons...we still don't have any for Dan, Fei, or Gen.
A: Ah, sorry about that. We'll look into it.
Q: Will we be able to select the BGM for stages?
A: We see this request pretty often. Everyone has pretty strong thoughts about the SF series music. But, as we put a lot of thought into "Ok, this music for this stage!" or "This music for this character!", letting you select the music...yeah. But it would be nice if we could do something towards this!
(Az's Note: In order words, we don't think you can make a better decision regarding the music than we did.)
A: That's a good idea. The characters are really expressionistic this time around, so we'd like to be able to give you the ability to create your very own cut! We'll look into it!
Q: This has been on our minds for quite some time, but didn't Gouken have a daughter?
A: Well...that hasn't been publicly released so I can't really talk about it. But, if he did have a daughter, it seems like she'd be as strong as Ryu, Ken, and Akuma. With that bloodline, she'd probably be able to throw a one-handed hadouken at the age of 12.
(Az's Note: This question is in reference to SF storylines. In the "canon" (don't think this ever appeared in any game) Gouken supposedly had a daughter called Little Miss, who witnessed Gouken's "death" together with Ken. This is just stuff from info books. Shiozawa sounds like she's just speculating here, although its not out of the question that the character could be in development. I would say take it with a grain of salt.)
Q: Why can't we use Chun's Kikousho in the game, although she has it in the anime opening?!
A: Yeah, huh! Well, its probably because the game and anime schedules weren't coordinated together. ...Probably.
Q: Why don't we get to see Sakura's panties in her ending?
A: Its not that you don't get to see them, its just that you didn't see them. ...Probably.
(Az's Note: Fuckin' Japanese perverts...this is like the second or third time they've asked this too.)
Q: Will this blog continue until 2011?
A: What, why 2011?! What are you saying? There hasn't been any talks to end this...huh?
Q: Will there be cross-platform play on the PC Version?
A: There is no cross-platform play from the PC version to either the PS3 or 360. The rankings also start from the very beginning, to take this chance to aim for the top!
Q: Are there any plans for a Spectator Mode?
A: At this point, there are no plans. As this is the most requested thing, I'm sorry I can't give you a more positive response.
Q: No Rolento? There aren't any other characters who move quite like him. So, no chance? I'd really like to use him...
A: Its true that his movements were unique. If you all make your voices heard, there might be a chance...!?
(Az's Note: Seems like the standard "ask for it and...hmm...maybe?!" response they give for a lot of stuff.)
Q: Why don't characters have individual stages? Does it have anything to do with the difficulty of designing 3D stages vs 2D? Also, we'd like to hear more about their development.
A: To answer this, I'd like to refer to the appropriate person. But! As he's out of reach at the moment, I'll put this together with other developmental questions and ask at a later date! Please wait a little bit.
Q: Will the online play for PC cost any money?
A: Nope, its free!
Q: Tekken...
Shiozawa, you're pretty interesting! Fight on! If you play Tekken, that means you like fighting games! Which characters are you using?A: Well, since you've asked! (This isn't a Capcom game...but that's fine, isn't it!) I use the Tae Kwon Do combo of Baek and Hwoarang.. Since TKD is pretty cool, I'm also trying to learn it in real life! I've gotten into it. I go 3 times a week, and I'd like to go to a training camp in Korea. When I mentioned this to Ono, he was pretty amazed. Ha ha ha!
(Az's Note: Fuckin' Japanese nerds trying to get in her pants. ...But I think I've seen her in person, and she's cute so I can't really blame them.)
Q: Also, we were wondering about the double step that beautiful gymnasts often take when landing.
A: That's not a double step, its a light step. Probably!
(Az's Note: Huh? Whatev.)
Q: Will you be taking a survey? Since you've got a blog here where people can express their opinions and all...
A: This blog really is a place where everyone expresses their hopes and opinions. So, I'd like to do it at least once! I'll think about it!
(Az's Note: Pretty sure this would be Japanese only. For English, you'd have to bug the folks over at Capcom-Unity I imagine.)
Q: You've added a disconnect ratio as a penality for ragequitters, but shouldn't you have done more to punish them?
A: The disconnect percentage isn't for punishing people, but to show the connection environment. As a result, we can't really go about dropping heavy penalities on people.
Q: The characters talk to each other during the rival battle, but it would also be cool to have them talking during regular battles. Or how about just a special mode featuring this?
A: Endo (I think a producer) also mentioned this! A small "Confrontational Mode" or something like that, right? This would definitely be exciting! If there's a chance, Endo will work on this, so I'm gonna pressure him a bit to do so!
Q: Is the narrator/announcer's voice Debito? Or someone else?
A: That's not Debito, but a VA pro. But during the loketests, as we hadn't finished the recordings yet that voice was Debito! In the home versions, Debito makes a few guest appearances during some of the opening and ending anime sequences (hint: Fuerte).
(Az's Note: Debito is an American guy who became a Japanese citizen here. I think that's who they're referring to).
Q: About a diagram function to show number of battles and win percentage per character. It would be cool if we could have individual stats as well as total online battle numbers.
A: Yep! During development we had a diagram like this and used it to tweak the characters. Seems like it'd be pretty handy!
Q: We want SF4 wallpapers and themes!
A: While we currently don't have any plans for wallpapers or themes on the PS3 or 360, as the PC version will go on sale soon, if there are going to be PC wallpapers its about time to start working on them! We'll be awaiting your requests!
Q: I've been playing pretty much everyday since the game came out. I'm not getting enough sleep and its messing with my work.
A: This comment makes me pretty happy! Thank you! But you shouldn't slack off at work...nah, please play more!
Q: The blocking sounds between the arcade version and the home versions are different. Please change the home version to have the same blocking sound as the arcade!
A: This is all Mr. Endo. So I asked him about it. "Wow, these guys are hardcore! There is definitely a slight difference. The reason is because the sound that comes out of arcade cabs vs the sound from home equipment is different, so we optimized it for home use. There are definitely other areas of difference, so please listen for them and compare! Thank you!"
Q: Icons and titles are cool, but how about comments that can be displayed either before or after the match? Even fixed dialogue would be fine.
A: Others have also suggested this. I think its a good idea! Communication between people. A nice greeting to start things off. We welcome these kinds of suggestions! The development staff is always saying "If there's a next time...", so please continue to make these suggestions!
(Az's Note: In the arcade, we had "PR" where we could input about 20 characters of text that would be displayed together with our name, BP, guild, and titles. This would be kinda hard to regulate for the home I imagine, but some sort of auto "Good game" or "Let's fight again" you could have pop up after a match would be nice.)
Q: We've been anxiously awaiting a complete SF image collection! We'd buy one for looking and one for preservation! We saw the Artwork Book...and we want more!
A: The artwork book is definitely doing well! When I have time, I also open it up and have a look. 20 years of miraculous images.
Q: On the Overpass Stage - Tokyo (Sakura's stage?), what are they saying? (I think this is in reference to the music.)
A: I asked the music developer, Fukuzawa about this. His answer was "its a secret." I have no idea either!
Q: We want more characters! There aren't enough. And also, new ultras!
A: I would also like to see more varied ultras! So I will pass this along to the planners! If there is a next version, we should definitely see "Ultra II"!
(Az's Note: Like how she skipped over the more characters thing.
)Q: On the volcano stage, on an analog TV the red colors blue, and its not very adjustable and it makes my eyes hurt...
A: Sorry about that. We'll be more careful about it next time.
Q: Is there going to be a SFIV-2 or something like that? Since SFIII went up to 3rd Strike, we've been expecting something....with the CE Mode update and the PC version is this the end of SFIV?
A: Hm! Well, this is the most difficult kind of question to answer! With everyone supporting and playing and getting worked up at events for SFIV, well there's bound to be a "next"! So, please stick with us. I don't lie.
(Az's Note: She pretty much only says that it will continue, but nothing so far as how - other updates, a sequel, nothing like that. Very vague.)
Q: In the CE update the PS3 and 360 had some differences in their features. Was this a result of hardware limitations?
A: Yes. Based on the hardwards, there were certain things we could and couldn't do, so we tried to make the best out of what we had.
(Az's Note: The only real difference is the ability to save replays to the HD, and I don't know why PS3 wouldn't be able to handle this...)
Q: Will the PC version also have voice and subtitle options? It would be nice to be able to set them separately. (Japanese voice + English subtitles, or English voice + Japanese subtitles...)
A: As for the subtitles, they will be displayed in the language selected during install, so unfortunately you can't have separate voice and subtitle options. But you can change the voice options by character!
Q: For the PC version, will we be able to change the names to match up with the international versions? (Vega -> M.Bison, Gouki -> Akuma)
A: Same as the voice, it'll be displayed to match the language option you choose at install. You won't be able to change it during the game.
Q: Guile and Chun are fighting for justice, but Cammy refers to them using an impolite pronoun. Is she being rude or belitting them?
A: Huh? Has Cammy always done that? I don't think she's belittling them, just refering to them as equals. That's my opinion anyway!
(Az's Note: Japanese language/cultural stuff.)
Q: Will we be able to use a controller other than the 360 for the PC version?
A: There are other things you can use. For example, the Hori 360 Arcade Stick! (Although its a bit difficult to find...)
(Az's Note: And the cash register sound goes off in Shiozawa's office. ...I believe there are drivers out there that let you use PS3 controllers on the PC, but I don't know how well they work, especially with Capcom games...)
Q: We know about the PC specs for the game, but what about the monitor?
A: Oh, we didn't write that down? Sorry about that! You need 640x480 at least, but we recommend 1280x720.
Q: As long as Ryu and the SF Crew continue their fight, we'd like you to continue this blog.
A: (Insert Japanese girl gushing here).
Q: SFIV themes and icons are being delivered to the marketplace, but about the icons...we still don't have any for Dan, Fei, or Gen.
A: Ah, sorry about that. We'll look into it.
Q: Will we be able to select the BGM for stages?
A: We see this request pretty often. Everyone has pretty strong thoughts about the SF series music. But, as we put a lot of thought into "Ok, this music for this stage!" or "This music for this character!", letting you select the music...yeah. But it would be nice if we could do something towards this!
(Az's Note: In order words, we don't think you can make a better decision regarding the music than we did.)
BIG Thanx t Azrael.
source: SRK
Capcom know how to get money from their fanbase. I would bet money that the next version of SF will have what the hardcore fans wanted the first time round.
ReplyDelete`GGPO
`Street Fighter 3 characters
`Online lobbies
And were not going to see them without playing for another game.
man new ultras would bee soo cool. id love to see ryu with some kind o shin shoruken like h three hits hes famous fo in all his games. oh and the tatsumaki one. there are allot of possibilities with that. capcom do what you do. lol
ReplyDeleteAnon: I'm a hardcore fan and what I wanted are new characters. If SFIV recycled the III characters I would have been complaining just as much (okay, somewhat less). What I really wanted was a new game with an interesting gameplay system and a ton of new characters (or at least an honest reason to bring back old characters).
ReplyDeleteThe whole acceptance of new Ultra's makes me think that they are already doing it so it looks like the second edition won't be any better than the first. As if the game didn't focus enough on those damned things already.
FOA, Capcom tried "an interesting gameplay system and a ton of new characters" method at Street Fighter III, and then everybody wanted the old cast to return. This is the main reason why SFIV has the whole original cast returned. If something similar to SFIII happens again, then lots of fans will start moaning. I didn't moan, and I'm not against new characters, but then keeping away all old characters except Ryu and Ken isn't a wise move, and Capcom also realized this so they've brought back Akuma and Chun-Li in later updates, and then brought back all the old cast in SFIV. I don't think they'll do the same mistake again, and to think logical, there are lots of characters in SF universe, having an all-new cast will broaden the total roster and it will be flooded, causing some old characters to be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI personally would like to see some SF1 characters to be reinvented, as happened to Birdie, Adon, Gen and Eagle. I'd like to see Geki and Retsu returning. About the rest of returning ones, more Alpha characters and a few SFIII characters also wouldn't hurt.
I still want T. Hawk & Dee Jay.
ReplyDeleteI dont like how the damage is so high for Street Fighter 4. That would be fine and all, just give an option to extend the length of matches. They need to do an update for that. I still increase the number of matches, but its nothing like actually having each match longer.
ReplyDeleteMaster Spider: I'm sorry I don't feel like making a big write-up for the 100,000,000th time of why SFIII did not fail because of it's cast and system. I'm going to write a list:
ReplyDeleteCharacters: While I like how Ryu and the other II cast play in III I feel Capcom should have gone one way or the other. They should have either canceled Remy and Q for Guile and Balrog or alternatively never included older characters at all.
I feel that as soon as Ryu and Ken were put in NG that they had screwed the III cast. Had Ryu and Ken not been in NG there would have been no argument for the II cast. Sure, people would have complained about the only new characters but they wouldn't be able to complain that anybody specific made it out.
In any other case the cast and gameplay of SFIII of SFIII is held in high regard by most who have actually played it. Most who say they don't like III probably haven't played it(at least for a decent length of time). You can tell this is true since anyone who bashes the series will use blanket/plain wrong statements such as that the game is parry parry parry or that the cast is full of freaks (Necro, Q, Twelve, and Gill. That's 4 of 20 or 4 of 16 if you wanna go by new characters only. Yeah, that's "full" of freaks all right.)
In the next one I'll talk about the real reason the game didn't sell.
Sales- SFIII was released in the late 90's when arcade culture was dying (in America). 2D Fighting games were looked down upon as "ancient" in the wake of 3D Fighting games like Tekken. Those sprites and all the animation frames for them certainly didn't come cheap. SFIII never got a home release until the Dreamcast since none of the systems at the time could handle its demands (except for maybe the Saturn but that thing was already dead). Finish that all off with Capcom barely advertising the game and you got non-gameplay/character reasons why III "failed" (it did pretty decent in Japan. Decent enough to actually get a standalone release there)
There, I just gave you a bunch of reasons why SFIII's "failure" is grossly misattributed to it's characters and system.
On another note, don't you think that Vega and Oro filled Geki and Retsu's roles already? I don't expect them to return.
By the way, I don't have a problem with returning characters. I just don't think they should fill up more than half the cast (hell, about a third would be enough for me) and they should have a purpose for their return (some new moves and changed look to reflect time change would be nice too).
Whoops! I lied on that first paragraph when I said I wouldn't make a big write-up.
ReplyDeleteFOA: you're right... but I didn't say that SFIII didn't sell because of the facts that I stated... I said SFIII wasn't as liked as SFII series/Alpha series because of the facts that I stated. I shall make sure that I neither bash or hate the game nor I don't like it, I like the game it's a good game and all, but still, it was underappreciated/underrated because of being a bit too much different via its roster and gameplay system.
ReplyDeleteI didn't say the game is "parry parry parry", it indeed isn't; still parrying can be harder sometimes but that isn't a problem at all... not only parrying, but also super arts selection, changing super gauge, etc. all felt like a much more different game than a SF, even though all were (and still are) interesting and fresh ideas.
I also don't think that the cast is full of freaks... I'm fine with new characters, but having a game with a storyline that takes years later than its predecessor isn't a wise move as it leaves many open holes in the storyline (and this was why exactly SFIV was needed), and if the cast would include all but new characters then it wouldn't feel like SF in my opinion. Although there are indeed great characters among the "new generation", there are some needless "oddballs" or placeholder/filler designs (or "freaks", as you've mentioned), and I would appreciate it if there were a few more returning ones.
I also don't think SFIII have failed... it just garnered some negative reaction from fanbase because of the reasons that I've stated.
Oh, and I shall say that I'm sorry for misunderstanding you at a point (you don't want all new roster, you just want half of it being new, I got it, sorry). About the new characters, you're actually right, I would also like to see at least two more new characters, but then think about it, SF series already have lots of characters, how could they end up with an original one or avoid a new design being a clone while making it feel like SF? And look all the newest entries in other fighting game franchises... Most of them have a few new characters and all, because of their total roster being too crowded or to avoid increativity or to avoid quantity being over quality. I'd also appreciate new special moves and all, and even though I'd like to see some new attires/costumes too, now all characters have alternate costumes so in my opinion there's no need for new costume designs. Plus, it's hard to end up with a costume that looks as fine as the long-time costume (or "classic" costume) of the characters (you can see it from some of the alternates, some of them are really bad). It would be nice though, as Gen's new hair design really reflects the time change, he looks much older, for example.
I think Vega and Geki are different when it comes to character dynamics overall, and they can be differentiated a lot if Geki was worked on, I'm talking about him being reinvented. You may be right about Retsu and Oro... but something can be done to Retsu as well in means of character development to make him stand on his own. Charlie was said to replace Guile in Alpha series, but later he returned too, and it can be seen how different they are. Dudley also stands out as "the new generation boxer", but he doesn't resemble Balrog at all, nor he's similar to him, and in fact I'd like to see them both in a fighting game. Ibuki is said to replace Geki, but they're also different, the same goes for Yun/Yang replacing Gen and Lee.
About you being lied-LOL! It's okay really :D I also think I've talked a bit too much, haha.
MasterSpider: Thanks for responding.
ReplyDeleteNow, on to another long post.
I think you misunderstood me a little. I didn't say you didn't like SFIII or that those other things I mentioned were your opinions. I was trying to explain the feeling of the general populace toward SFIII along with why it didn't succeed.
The biggest reason: People didn't try it. SFIII's major problem has always been that people didn't try it. Not because they didn't want to but because it wasn't marketed properly. It never got a home release (a big reason for the success of previous SF games. The highest selling game in the series is still the SNES version of World Warrior) and along with those other things I mentioned screwed it's chances of ever getting recognition (at least until recently).
I really don't think the cast or gameplay has much to do (if anything) with why the series didn't take off at the time (it's become very popular in recent years (well, Third Strike anyway). I am sure that if you take a SF fan that hasn't played SFIII (or at least not much) and showed him the ropes he would like it.
I don't really think there is a problem with new characters. As long as you have a creative character design department you can have a lot of great characters that aren't much like the old ones. SFIII is a good example of new characters that don't feel or look like old ones (aside from Sean but he's Ken's student so it's okay).
As for the storyline, I don't think that II left much open ends. Aside from Ryu's fights against Akuma (which was really more of an Alpha thing) and his rivalry with Sagat there aren't any open ends to SFII's storyline. Check it:
E. Honda- Sumo is popular because of his inclusion.
Zangief- Congratulated by Russian Leader/ becomes a pro wrestler
Dhalsim- Returns to village with prize money
Chun-Li/Guile/Cammy/T. Hawk- Finished whatever beef they had with Bison
Blanka- Reunited with his Mom
Fei Long- Retired from acting to teach Martial Arts
DeeJay- Regained his Rhythm. Relaunched his Music Career.
Ken- Marries Eliza
Vega- Leaves Bison to return to Bullfighting/Murdering
Balrog- Returns to the Boxing Ring
M. Bison- Dead
So aside from Ryu's beef with Akuma and Sagat it looks like the storyline of II was finished until it was painfully ripped back open in IV. I'd like to add that even with most of the II cast in it, IV didn't try to actually do anything with the characters (aside from Sagat and Dan who had some nice development).