So we all love SC, but when is the fighting game going to take it's next leap forward?

Godwhacker_MK2

Godwhacker_MK2

[01] Neophyte
It may turn out to be a bad thing, but I'm eager to see it. SC's mechanics are a finely-tuned perfection... But that's all we now get with each 'new' game- more fine tuning. In fact it seems sometimes developers change things for the sake of changing them (anyone else disappointed by no Soul Edge (Complete) in SC4?) With next-gen consoles now way overdue and current hardware being pushed to its limit, isn't it time developers start thinking about breaking the ground they laid way back in the days of PS1?

What are your speculations for the next generation of fighting games? Will it ever happen? Think about the leap from SF and MK to Tekken and SE, will we see the same advances when new consoles hit, or will we be playing SC9 in 2025?
 
What changes do you propose? We moved from 2d to 3d. There are, realistically, no more D's. At least not any D's so readily available to incorporate. Unless you build the fighter that warps the time continuum. You know, not like blazblue though, I mean for real. Like you're playing money matches with a velociraptor shortly before you have to make your mom and dad fall in love or you disappear from history. AND I CAN'T EVEN PLAY THE GUITAR!!! It's hopeless! Damn you Godwhacker! DAMN YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!

In any event I wouldn't expect any revolutions in thought to be par for the course. You can give your games wacky, novelty systems like smash brothers or powerstone, but in the end there will still be people who like the current mechanics and want to play a game like that. I might say though that this "when will we see the next evolution of fighting games?" call that I often hear is kind of ridiculous. One: if it ain't broke don't fix it. Two: Why do things have to evolve constantly? The game of chess has existed in it's current form since 1475. So you saw a jump in computing power in your life time? Good for you. I don't think that means we can expect a "leap" in variety every decade. At that this "leap forward" is not always seen as progress as not all fighters have abandoned 2d's elemental lexicon for some fantastic new idiom. Both species still cohabit the same ecosystems more or less and even intermingle.

I think you said it yourself, the mechanics are finely tuned perfection. People crave change but sometimes the best thing you can offer is further refinement. Attempting to reinvent the wheel every week out of some arbitrary need to deliver the new only speaks to an inability to deliver on the basics. At least that's what my bull-shit goggles tell me in relation to pizza hut. If there's a "eureka!" moment to be had, let it come in it's own time.
 
Good points well presented, John! And even a little humour in there for good measure! However...


Ghengis_John said:
One: if it ain't broke don't fix it. Two: Why do things have to evolve constantly?
Click to expand...

I could ask the devs this very question. As I touched on in the first post, many of my favourite features from SC games have been stripped in favour of change. Why Soul Calibur and Soul Edge are not available as weapons in SC4 is beyond me, especially when many character's story endings leave them staring down at both swords... When I first saw this I thought 'PARTY TIME' but, for reasons neither given nor explained, no. Also, the map adventure mode from SC1, to my mind, had everything a console 1P mode needs to contrast arcade mode. But Project Soul insist on coming up with new play modes for the hell of it.

The fact remains that although SC is truly incredible, we've been playing it for well over a decade now. I know Chess has been around for centuries but eventually some wise-ass invented Checkers, ya'mean? I know we have no more dimensions to work with but how about more realistic character/environment/weapon damage, different reactions to moves from character to character and, alongside the vanilla arcade mode, a more RPG-esque single-player with character development? Basic move set and scrawny arms to begin with, building up to mastery of three million different fighting styles and looking like a tank! Also, characters could age in this mode. Now I know that sounds like a lot of work but let's face it- all Project Soul have to work on between games now is a handful of new characters (who usually pinch moves from old ones), the fine-tuning we talked about and a new wardrobe. Compared with the development that must have gone into SE and SC1 they must be laughing.
 
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