Recap
OK so I downloaded the demo for Resident Evil 5. Now here's a question... RE5 is coming out next month. Street Fighter 4 is coming out in two weeks. Why does RE5 have a demo and Street Fighter doesn't? They're made the same FREAKING company!
OK so first of all... I've been reading the hype around SF4. The reason why I'm excited about it is because of what it represents. Capcom was originally going to discontinue the Street Fighter franchise. After 3rd Strike there were no takers. It wasn't an real arcade hit, not that I ever saw one outside of gameworks (and for a buck per play I didn't play it very much). So with the final legs of the franchise on shaky ground, the programmers put their minds together and asked what is wrong with this franchise that needs fixing. Well, fighters aren't as popular as they used to be. The reason being is that anyone with any knowledge of C++ can make a fighting game. And a lot of people who knew C++ did. They were horrible. People got overdosed and the genre became saturated with TONS of knockoffs and most were pretty bad. Nowadays, the people who are into fighting games are mostly hardcore gamers because the storylines at this point are very complex, the fighting system rarely deviates from a basic formula of physics and moves (AKA SNK, Early SF, Later SF, 3D, Guilty Gear, etc), and the innovation is quite low. Most games become daunting to newcomers due to the non-user-friendly systems in place. For example...
SF II - 1 on 1. Roster of 8 balances characters. Simple Physics. Many ways to be successful (nickel and dime, defensive, offensive, combo, and cheese). Roughly 3 special moves per character (some have 2). Bosses are hard but not impossible.
Good starter game. No frills.
King of Fighters - 3 on 3 teams. Large roster with multiple franchises to choose from (most of which were not even known in the US by the Japanese names). Some characters are easy to use and very powerful. Others require massive amounts of finesse and timing to get right. Many ways to be successful. Characters have varying numbers of special moves. Each character has a desperation technique that takes away a larger amount of energy when successful. Bosses are frustration beyond belief. This will later be known as SNK boss syndrome. For more information check the wikipedia page on RUGAL.
Move up to this game.
Guilty Gear - Multiple systems of play. Large roster. Some ways to be successful. All ways are viable but the combo system and instant death techniques seem most effective. Many special attacks. Many "situational" attacks (IE opponent in the air, opponent crouching, opponent laying on ground, etc). 2 - 3 super attacks that use a special attack gauge. Special combo mode and super blocking integral parts of success. One instant death technique per character (1 exception). Combo system lowers damage significantly as combo continues to prevent overdominance of one character due to physics system. Physics system allows almost indefinite juggling of opponent provided that correct techniques are performed at exact timing. Arcade mode bosses are moderate. Story mode bosses can be easy to near impossible to defeat (Zappa's story mode has him at 1/10 life by the final stage due to illness). Some story mode bosses have advanced abilities or different super attacks that have high priority and cause EXTREME damage (IE I-no and Dizzy).
A game which needs an experienced player to unlock true potential.
Now mind you this is without getting into games like Tekken, Virtua Fighter, the VS. crossover games, Rival Schools, Street Fighter EX, Fatal Fury, King of Fighters Maximum Impact, Mortal Kombat, Eternal Champions, Fighter's History, Smash Bros, World Heroes, Street Fighter Alpha, Samurai Showdown, Bushido Blade, Ehrgeiz, Soul Caliber, Killer Instinct, Bloody Roar, Pocket Fighter, Art of Fighting, or even Street Fighter III.
Yes... each one of these games has very specific rules, physics, characters, and quirks that must be considered before even trying to get competent at them. Leave the GLITCHES out of this. That's another story.
So now that you see the DIZZYING array of choices, you can see how people got burned out pretty darn quick. In addition, think about the poor person who shows up at an arcade and sees this stuff. I'm actually kind of amazed that I even know this much. Then again, I was right in the middle of it all. Street Fighter II was the bringer of it all. The first mainstream fighting game hit.
How do they reclaim the crown they held for nearly 5 years?
It took some effort. But here's how they did it.
First, render the game so that not every Joe Jackass who owns a decent computer can copy it. Make it distinct. So they did. A combination of 3d sprite and 2d plane makes it like a 2.5 D effect. In addition, the wonderful Japanese brush work makes it look very... well... it's hard to explain. You'll just have to watch the trailers again to see what I mean. Plus the newer characters seem to have some decent design. Believe it or not... new characters have a bad habit of being either lame (Momoko), overpowered (GILL), or seem tacked on (MK ninjas). So good new characters is like... getting an A+ and extra credit. EXTRA EXTRA Credit for the fact that GOUKEN makes his first appearance.
Second, simplify the storyline. It's a bridge between Street Fighter II and III. So it's kind of an Interquel. All you need to know is the tournament that introduced us to M. Bison is over. They heroes have all gone home but feel as if something isn't right. So once again they come together to fight one another and figure out what this new evil entity is.
Finally, simplify the gameplay. Each character has one super move to ice the cake when they're winning. One revenge technique to help make up the difference when they are losing. The typical special techniques that makes it all equal. An easy counter system that allows even newcomers to play on more equal terms. They modeled the physics system after real fighting. Instead of launch, air combo, hit on ground, and special finish or the feared cheap technique of jump in with kick, sweep, sweep, sweep, (blocked), overhead technique, continue sweeping. Now it's set up with counters, stick and move, and nickel and dime tactics.
The result of all the revamping...?
PERFECT SCORES ACROSS THE BOARD. Not a single game source (independant or commercial) gave this game a bad review. They all say it's Street Fighter Perfection! Yes I want it now...
---------------
Now onto the meaty matter.
The RE5 demo was available so I downloaded it. Here are my thoughts.
At first I wasn't impressed. The graphics were beautiful and the control was smooth but there was a problem with the camera. It was far too narrow. I understand the whole realistic POV thing but I'm playing Resident Evil not Halo. In addition, the buttons were very much mixed up from the previous installment. It trips you up because it's just familiar enough to be reminiscent but different enough to really screw you up at integral moments.
I died by getting my head chopped off in a few minutes.
I wondered if I should just sleep on it and then try again but I opted for a 2nd try. This time I practiced a bit and got things off to a better start. Now that knew what to expect, this got quite a bit easier. I was expecting something similar to RE4 but instead the differences make themselves very apparent very quickly.
Once you've squared away your control it gets a lot easier. Now it's time to check out the enviroment. OK so it's not as blazingly clear anymore what is breakable and usable. So you actually have to look closely to see the items. The narrow camera view is remedied by simply turning the body rapidly. I know it sounds kinda common sense but I've never played a game where I had to turn so much. Luckily they kept in the instant 180 turn. That helps a LOT.
Now the combat system. Instead of a screen that you can use to pause the action, you now must change your weapons, reloaed, and heal in real time. So you must escape your attackers first before using anything or else you might end up taking too much time and getting killed. The first initial zombies don't take a helluva lotta damage so a few head shots or a good shotgun blast puts them down. In addition, they leave behind MORE than enough ammo, healing items, and money for you to pick up. Did I mention you need it all? The zombie hordes come nonstop and in large numbers. You must constantly put distance between yourself and time your reloading and healing.
The addition of a partner helps greatly. She heals you when you can't do it. She gives you ammo when you need it. She also assists if you get grabbed. As long as you do the same for her it's all good. You'll want to because unlike other partners you've had in games, this one is actually quite competent.
So what do I think so far... B+. There is still some time before the release. I hope I can get used to this new format before then. Once I do, I think it will get a solid A.
OK so first of all... I've been reading the hype around SF4. The reason why I'm excited about it is because of what it represents. Capcom was originally going to discontinue the Street Fighter franchise. After 3rd Strike there were no takers. It wasn't an real arcade hit, not that I ever saw one outside of gameworks (and for a buck per play I didn't play it very much). So with the final legs of the franchise on shaky ground, the programmers put their minds together and asked what is wrong with this franchise that needs fixing. Well, fighters aren't as popular as they used to be. The reason being is that anyone with any knowledge of C++ can make a fighting game. And a lot of people who knew C++ did. They were horrible. People got overdosed and the genre became saturated with TONS of knockoffs and most were pretty bad. Nowadays, the people who are into fighting games are mostly hardcore gamers because the storylines at this point are very complex, the fighting system rarely deviates from a basic formula of physics and moves (AKA SNK, Early SF, Later SF, 3D, Guilty Gear, etc), and the innovation is quite low. Most games become daunting to newcomers due to the non-user-friendly systems in place. For example...
SF II - 1 on 1. Roster of 8 balances characters. Simple Physics. Many ways to be successful (nickel and dime, defensive, offensive, combo, and cheese). Roughly 3 special moves per character (some have 2). Bosses are hard but not impossible.
Good starter game. No frills.
King of Fighters - 3 on 3 teams. Large roster with multiple franchises to choose from (most of which were not even known in the US by the Japanese names). Some characters are easy to use and very powerful. Others require massive amounts of finesse and timing to get right. Many ways to be successful. Characters have varying numbers of special moves. Each character has a desperation technique that takes away a larger amount of energy when successful. Bosses are frustration beyond belief. This will later be known as SNK boss syndrome. For more information check the wikipedia page on RUGAL.
Move up to this game.
Guilty Gear - Multiple systems of play. Large roster. Some ways to be successful. All ways are viable but the combo system and instant death techniques seem most effective. Many special attacks. Many "situational" attacks (IE opponent in the air, opponent crouching, opponent laying on ground, etc). 2 - 3 super attacks that use a special attack gauge. Special combo mode and super blocking integral parts of success. One instant death technique per character (1 exception). Combo system lowers damage significantly as combo continues to prevent overdominance of one character due to physics system. Physics system allows almost indefinite juggling of opponent provided that correct techniques are performed at exact timing. Arcade mode bosses are moderate. Story mode bosses can be easy to near impossible to defeat (Zappa's story mode has him at 1/10 life by the final stage due to illness). Some story mode bosses have advanced abilities or different super attacks that have high priority and cause EXTREME damage (IE I-no and Dizzy).
A game which needs an experienced player to unlock true potential.
Now mind you this is without getting into games like Tekken, Virtua Fighter, the VS. crossover games, Rival Schools, Street Fighter EX, Fatal Fury, King of Fighters Maximum Impact, Mortal Kombat, Eternal Champions, Fighter's History, Smash Bros, World Heroes, Street Fighter Alpha, Samurai Showdown, Bushido Blade, Ehrgeiz, Soul Caliber, Killer Instinct, Bloody Roar, Pocket Fighter, Art of Fighting, or even Street Fighter III.
Yes... each one of these games has very specific rules, physics, characters, and quirks that must be considered before even trying to get competent at them. Leave the GLITCHES out of this. That's another story.
So now that you see the DIZZYING array of choices, you can see how people got burned out pretty darn quick. In addition, think about the poor person who shows up at an arcade and sees this stuff. I'm actually kind of amazed that I even know this much. Then again, I was right in the middle of it all. Street Fighter II was the bringer of it all. The first mainstream fighting game hit.
How do they reclaim the crown they held for nearly 5 years?
It took some effort. But here's how they did it.
First, render the game so that not every Joe Jackass who owns a decent computer can copy it. Make it distinct. So they did. A combination of 3d sprite and 2d plane makes it like a 2.5 D effect. In addition, the wonderful Japanese brush work makes it look very... well... it's hard to explain. You'll just have to watch the trailers again to see what I mean. Plus the newer characters seem to have some decent design. Believe it or not... new characters have a bad habit of being either lame (Momoko), overpowered (GILL), or seem tacked on (MK ninjas). So good new characters is like... getting an A+ and extra credit. EXTRA EXTRA Credit for the fact that GOUKEN makes his first appearance.
Second, simplify the storyline. It's a bridge between Street Fighter II and III. So it's kind of an Interquel. All you need to know is the tournament that introduced us to M. Bison is over. They heroes have all gone home but feel as if something isn't right. So once again they come together to fight one another and figure out what this new evil entity is.
Finally, simplify the gameplay. Each character has one super move to ice the cake when they're winning. One revenge technique to help make up the difference when they are losing. The typical special techniques that makes it all equal. An easy counter system that allows even newcomers to play on more equal terms. They modeled the physics system after real fighting. Instead of launch, air combo, hit on ground, and special finish or the feared cheap technique of jump in with kick, sweep, sweep, sweep, (blocked), overhead technique, continue sweeping. Now it's set up with counters, stick and move, and nickel and dime tactics.
The result of all the revamping...?
PERFECT SCORES ACROSS THE BOARD. Not a single game source (independant or commercial) gave this game a bad review. They all say it's Street Fighter Perfection! Yes I want it now...
---------------
Now onto the meaty matter.
The RE5 demo was available so I downloaded it. Here are my thoughts.
At first I wasn't impressed. The graphics were beautiful and the control was smooth but there was a problem with the camera. It was far too narrow. I understand the whole realistic POV thing but I'm playing Resident Evil not Halo. In addition, the buttons were very much mixed up from the previous installment. It trips you up because it's just familiar enough to be reminiscent but different enough to really screw you up at integral moments.
I died by getting my head chopped off in a few minutes.
I wondered if I should just sleep on it and then try again but I opted for a 2nd try. This time I practiced a bit and got things off to a better start. Now that knew what to expect, this got quite a bit easier. I was expecting something similar to RE4 but instead the differences make themselves very apparent very quickly.
Once you've squared away your control it gets a lot easier. Now it's time to check out the enviroment. OK so it's not as blazingly clear anymore what is breakable and usable. So you actually have to look closely to see the items. The narrow camera view is remedied by simply turning the body rapidly. I know it sounds kinda common sense but I've never played a game where I had to turn so much. Luckily they kept in the instant 180 turn. That helps a LOT.
Now the combat system. Instead of a screen that you can use to pause the action, you now must change your weapons, reloaed, and heal in real time. So you must escape your attackers first before using anything or else you might end up taking too much time and getting killed. The first initial zombies don't take a helluva lotta damage so a few head shots or a good shotgun blast puts them down. In addition, they leave behind MORE than enough ammo, healing items, and money for you to pick up. Did I mention you need it all? The zombie hordes come nonstop and in large numbers. You must constantly put distance between yourself and time your reloading and healing.
The addition of a partner helps greatly. She heals you when you can't do it. She gives you ammo when you need it. She also assists if you get grabbed. As long as you do the same for her it's all good. You'll want to because unlike other partners you've had in games, this one is actually quite competent.
So what do I think so far... B+. There is still some time before the release. I hope I can get used to this new format before then. Once I do, I think it will get a solid A.