The Fighting Game is Back(?)

Street Fighter IV is holding the world in a vice grip of awesome.  The next entry of the King of Fighters franchise was announced as a console-exclusive (a digital-only console exclusive at that).  The developers of the Guilty Gear series are dropping BlazBlue on home consoles in Japan, with a North American release come this summer.

Is the fighting game back?

The fighting game never went away mind; it just kind of…slept.  The better fighting games were the fetish of niche audiences and competitive gamers while the not-as-complex titles were choice games for those wanting to show off their HD tvs (the Soul Calibur series) or, ironically, wanting a good family party game (Super Smash Bros. series).

However, and I’m sure Capcom’s marketing department played no small role in this, the wake of Street Fighter IV has re-ignited wide-scale fighting game culture.  People who haven’t used terms such as “turtling,” “zoning,” and “corner trap” in years are using them with a casual ease; joystick controllers are selling out as soon as they are re-stocked–or are fetching extortion-level prices on eBay and Amazon Marketplace; little kids are walking around practicing their Hadoken stances and first-person shooters are feeling suddenly betrayed.

Is it too early to declare the comeback of the fighting game?  I don’t think it is.  Much like its grandfather, Street Fighter II, Street Fighter IV seems to have awakened in everybody their competitive instincts and attention to craft; it has re-created a culture of not just gamers, but people living for the thrill of victory.  Sure, Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 and every sports game ever made has done plenty to turn us friendly, humble gamers into trash-talking frat boys, but there is something about a fighting game that feels so pure, so organic: no team to watch your back, no shadows or sniping spots in which to hide, no respawns.  If you lose, you lose: there is only the next game.

It’s all produced a high that’s pretty hard to beat, and like a caffeine addict that has just mixed together equal parts Mt. Dew Voltage and Red Bull and then shotgunned the resulting mixture (I call it a Green Psycho, by the way) the only way to keep the high going is to keep feeding the beast that eats your brain.  The guys in corporate will see this, and like drug dealers they’ll keep giving us our smack.

Think about it:  around the time Street Fighter IV starts to feel old, we’ll have either the new King of Fighters or BlazBlue–or both–to occupy us.  I’m betting that these games will sell a sweet mint, prompting more publishers to put out more fighting titles.  Peripheral manufacturers will (hopefully) step up the arcade stick supplies, which fighting junkies both new and old will snatch up.

I predict that by this time next year, fighting games will once again be a genuinely viable market, not just a place for the occasional diversion or for a place for programmers to show off their fantastic boob-jiggling physics.

Of course, the tactical shooter has become what non-gamers think of when one says “video game,” much like the platformer was once the standard-bearer for the medium.  You don’t steal that kind of thunder: the inevitable Gears of War 3 will come, as will the next Halo FPS (I mean the one after ODST, the one I’m sure that Microsoft is working on as we speak), and a new Unreal game.

Don’t be surprised however, if a big-name publisher snatches up the Mortal Kombat franchise (you heard that Midway was considering selling it, right?) and reboots the franchise, bringing back the fatalities, the simple yet intense combat, and the total lack of humor for which the first two games were famous–completely devoid of silly kart races and useless pseudo-RPG modes.  When this happens, then both of the major fighting franchises from the nineties will have returned to their roots, bringing back old fans while attracting new ones.  That will be something to see, and will be the definite indicator of the fighting game reclaiming its old glory.

What to Play, What to Play?

I never thought I’d reached a point in my life where I said I had too many games to play.  Between my regular online activity in WoW, Halo 3, Left 4 Dead, Gears of War 2, and now Street Fighter IV, I have yet to finish BioShock and Half-Life 2.  Plus, reading comics again has got me wanting to play Marvel Ultimate Alliance so bad I can taste it (and it tastes like bacon) and there is always Conan, a game I bought for sentimental value and ended liking quite a bit.

I tell you, it’s like being in an arcade with unlimited quarters: both awesome and intimidating.

Let’s not forget that I like to do other stuff in my free time as well, such as write articles and short stories for (hopeful) publication, read, and listen to music.

I just need to quit my job.  Any rich girls want a husband? 

Arcade Stick: Do I Really Need One?

The consensus amongst video game journalists is that there is one way and one way only to play Street Fighter IV–or any fighting game, for that matter–on home consoles: with a fancy arcade-style joystick controller.  Are they right?  Is it really worth the money?  Will some pwnage be laid down upon you if you roll with a stock pad?

Before I answer those questions, let me say that the decision on whether or not to get a stick might already be answered for you.  They are manufactured in extremely limited supply and sell out quickly.  Finding one in stores is next to impossible and finding one online is hit-or-miss, though Arcade in a Box does some pretty cool custom work for a small amount of pocket change (if your pockets are on Donald Trump’s suit).  If you want one of those (admittedly awesome) MadCatz Tournament Sticks, be prepared to part with some serious coin on eBay.  Let me also say that I haven’t had the pleasure of playing with said specialty controller, and I will gladly admit to wanting one very badly, practicality be damned.

I have played more than my fair share of Street Fighter II matches in an arcade though, when arcades were still a thing of reality.  Hell, our Wal-Mart once had a Street Fighter II machine at the entrance, back in the day.  Of course, I would go home and play Street Fighter II on my Super NES, on a decidedly not-arcade-like pad.   I’ve also played some X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II,  and Marvel vs. Capcom at both home and arcade, so I’ve had some experience comparing game play on stick vs. pad.  So allow me to give my opinion on the argument of costly and bulky (but definitely cool) arcade stick or practical and readily-available (but definitely bland) pad?

Please keep in mind that this is written with the Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV in mind.  And do keep in mind that whenever I say “pad” I mean the controller as whole; if you are playing Street Figher IV with the digital pad on the Xbox 360 instead of the analog stick, you need to consult a physician and request a CAT scan.

If you want to play a fighting game in its purest form, you want an arcade stick.  Fighting games were born in the arcade, so there is the nod to history there, but their mechanics lend themselves to a traditional arcade set-up.  On a joystick controller, all of the buttons are within an easy reach of each other, allowing for quick and precise button combination (great for those moves that need you to press more than one button at a time).    Your hand positioning makes timing your button press at the end of move inputs much, much easier and natural.  The Xbox 360 game pad, of course, has four face buttons and four shoulder buttons spaced fairly widely apart from each other.  Reaching up for the RB and RT keys for heavy attacks can really put a cramp in your hands, and it hinders your timing on executing special moves.  Don’t even talk to me about reaching up for LB and LT.  A joystick has well-defined eight way movement, meaning a fireball motion (or any other type of input) is almost guaranteed to work every time.  The great thing about an analog stick is the terrible thing about an analog stick when it comes to playing fighting games.  Full, 36o-degree mobility translates into sloppy, inaccurate input; with an analog stick, a fireball motion (or even a simple forward jump) can easily go wrong simply because you were 2 degrees off from the exact stick position required for the game engine to recognize your input.

You might think that I’m slamming the Xbox 360 controller…and I am.  It’s one reason why I haven’t played fighting games in a long, long time.  Of course, the PS3 controller is nothing to jump for joy over either; it has the exact same set-up as the 360 controller, with even worse analog stick positioning.  However, one-half of control quality is always the controller, the other half is the game; and Street Fighter IV has excellent control recognition.  Precise movements are surprisingly easy to nail down.  Reaching up to hit the shoulder buttons is still a bit of a chore, but the response time for your input is excellent.  Remember on the SNES when you had to hit L and R like you meant it?  Really, really meant it? Not so now.  A simple tap will do.  Also, the LB and LT buttons are mapped to be read as pressing all three punch or kicks (respectively) simultaneously by default, making pulling of Ultra Combos that much easier.  Plus, let’s not forget that a pad is light, portable, and easy to store.

Plus, it all comes down to player skill.  If you practice enough with the stock controller, you’ll be a pro.  If you suck at the game and buy a stick and continue to chip away a stationary dummy in Training mode, guess what: you will still suck.  Air Jordans didn’t make you an awesome basketball player in your youth, an arcade stick won’t make you this guy in your adulthood.

So my answer to the question is: if you want the most precise, the smoothest, the tightest control, then get a stick.  I’ll likely be picking up one of these babies when my income tax return hits the bank.  Not only do you get better performance, it’s more fun.  If you’re short on cash or don’t plan on entering any tournaments, use your stock controller.  Play enough with it, it will become second nature.  Either way, the only way to excel at Street Fighter IV is to practice, practice, practice, practice.  Play against people better than you.  They will beat you, they will humiliate you, they will make you want to throw your controller across the room; but if you pay attention to what you are doing, to how they are beating you, and you learn how to strategize on the fly and put some blood, sweat, and tears into becoming a better player, you will start winning.

Street Fighter IV: A Wall of Awesome

As I said in my most previous post, I’m regressing back into my childhood lately (I’m already looking forward to Friday’s trip to the comic shop!) and re-connecting with the things that made me smile when I was a kid.

Have I been smiling tonight.

First things first: Street Fighter IV is practically review-proof.  It’s a fighting game with smooth, tight controls on even a stock Xbox 360 pad (something I thought impossible), complex and deep strategies that make each fight far more than a button masher, and the most balanced difficulty I’ve ever seen in a console fighting game (the computer still cheats, but it’s possible to catch the CPU in a mistake quite often).  The most skilled player will be able to throw down in epic battles straight out of kung-fu movies; noobs can enjoy fair and challenging competition.    Training mode allows you to customize a CPU dummy to your liking, so you can practice those tough moves and combos.  As for a tutorial, you won’t find it here.  What you will find is the Trials under Challenge mode: a sweat-inducing workout that has you executing progressively harder techniques.  Make it to the end, and you’ll be able to dish out sweet beat-downs with precision–and feel the better player for it.  In short, this game does everything right, including multiplayer (sorry: versus mode).

Not only can players go one-on-one in either ranked or casual matches through Xbox Live,  but get this: you can capture that old arcade feel in Arcade mode.  Turn Arcade Requests on and you might get a new challenger step up (through the magic of the Internet!) while you’re wailing away on the computer.  This happened to me as I was fighting through as Ken; it felt incredible and took me back to memories of the old arcade (that has long since closed down) here in my hometown mall.  The only thing missing was the taste of fountain sodas and the smell of stale popcorn, the buzzing and whistling of a dozen other arcade machines, and the trip to the toy store and pizza stand afterward.   The thrill of victory still felt sweet (I won two matches!) and the sting of defeat still smarted (I also lost two).  Connections in the matches I played were solid and free of lag.  Since where any fighting game truly shines is in competitive game play, this was make or break for Street Fighter IV.  I can soundly say that Capcom made it.

I only have one complaint: unlocking characters.  I never really understood why fighting games made you unlock any but the most powerful, game-breaking characters.  There is no reason I should have to play through Arcade mode to play as Cammy or Sakura (or, God help me, Dan).  Having to unlock Akuma and Gouken make perfect sense, but a Japanese schoolgirl and…Dan?  Seriously?  Thankfully, “Easiest” difficult is just that.  It’s a cake walk–and playing through the Arcade mode on this setting unlocks all the characters just fine.  As long as you can keep the computer from cheating (it does!) then you’re good.

There is so much in Street Fighter IV that makes me smile, I could go on and on and on.  I could talk about how good it feels to land that last crushing blow against Seth and hear the announcer calmly yet firmly announce “K.O.” as you watch the living weapon fall in slow-motion to the ground (sound familiar?  It’s what happens when you beat M. Bison in Street Fighter II).  I can talk about the tension of both you and your human opponent being down to *this* much life and exchanging a flurry of blocked blows until he sneaks one in past your defenses and your jaw drops in shock as you hear the wails of your character.  I could talk about the characters we’ve grown up with finally being represented in 3D in a way that is in line with the character design of previous games, and I could talk about the music being at once familiar and fresh.  I could talk about the opening cinematic, the closing credits, and everything in between, but I’d rather you go out and buy the game yourself and experience it first-hand.

I’m level250geek on Xbox Live.  As the back of the box says: let’s do this. 

Street Figher IV is going to be freakin’ sweet like candy.

I’ve been playing the mess out of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Old School Revival (what I think Capcom should have called the game) in preparation for Street Fighter IV.  It drops on Tuesday and it can’t come fast enough.

I’ve grown accustomed to the somewhat inaccurate Xbox 360 analog stick, which is a good thing because I won’t be able to pick up the $80 Figher Stick that I really want.  I’ve always wanted one, and I’m determined to have one, but–yeesh, I wouldn’t spend $100 on the WoW mouse; I can’t justify to myself $80 for a one-trick pony controller.  Plus, the Game Informer review praises the tight, responsive controls that are arcade perfect even with the default analog stick.

Anyway, enough about my personal finances.  I’ve been regressing into my childhood lately, buying monthly issues of comics and picking up action figures at Wal-Mart; Street Fighter IV is just one more trip back into memory lane, a time when life was easier and the bad things about adulthood were not even on the horizon.  I spent many a quarter on the original arcade cabinets of Street Figher II, and many a hour in front of my Sega Genesis (and later Super NES) taking on the likes of Balrog, E. Honda, and Zangief with my favorites Ryu, Ken, Guile, and Blanka.  I still remember the glee I felt when I pulled of my first Fireball, my first Flash Kick, and my first Dragon Punch.  The first time I beat the game, I felt as if I could conquer the universe, and every time I made some poor sap get to the back of the line in the arcade, my chest swelled with pride (it wasn’t often, but it was often enough).

My ties to the series go beyond gameplay though.  Street Fighter II was the first video game I remember that attention to story.  Mostly told through character relations, the story of Street Fighter II is actually pretty cool.  Ryu and Sagat have the greatest rivalry in the history of video games, and my spine always goes a tingle when I take on M. Bison as Guile.  Most of my fourth-grade lunch periods were spent discussin whehter or not Ryu and Chun-Li were boyfriend and girlfriend, or who exactly was Sheng Long (I’m still convinced that some ultimate master called Sheng Long really does exist).  And yes: I and the rest of the boys in class totally bought the Sheng Long Hoax hook, line, and sinker.

I can’t stress how much Street Fighter II captured my imagination, not just with the fighting and action but with the aforementioned personality of the characters.  Ryu was the mysterious, intense karate master.  Ken was the cool, collected, badass.  As a fat geek, I wanted to be both of them, Ken more so because he had a hot girlfriend.  Blanka was cool because he was so sci-fi and scary looking.  Guile reminded me of Iceman from Top Gun, if Iceman was awesome.  Chun-Li was the secret crush of every guy in school, until Cammy came along and everybody was divided into two camps (I was firmly behind Cammy…that didn’t sound right).

It really is a shame to see such story-thin fighting games now, as well as see them rely on boobies and oversized monstrosities as characters (Nightmare?  Really?).  Even more infuriating is artifical difficulty (while I’m convinced that the computer cheats in SF games, it remains beatable) and marketing gimmicks (I’m looking at you, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe!).  To this day, Street Fighter II and all of its expansions are fun, playable, and engaging: I can’t say that for most other fighting games, not even Mortal Komat II (though it did have good narrative elements, and is to be praised for offering stripped-down, fast combat, it was all flash and sizzle with no real meat).

There is something raw and real, something gritty and earnest, about the words “street fighter” and Capcom has never strayed from that in the series.  I’m all kinds of excited to see that nothing will change now and can’t wait to start firing off Hadokens and Dragon Punches yet again.

PS: If you go back to the old post of my linked to, you’ll notice that I praise the Mortal Kombat franchise for having a better story.  Given that since that post, I’ve been thinking about the games I played as a kid a great deal more, I’ll have to drop a cliche and say that upon further reflection, I’ve altered my stance.  The relationships between the characters made Street Fighter II the better narrative experience overall.  Sorry for sounding hypocritical.