Support NeoGAF

[Northeastmonk]

I played Soul Calibur, DOA, and Tekken over the years. I think I've sold just about every single copy. I played those games at the arcade too. I kinda got tired of them playing the same. There's a few mechanics here and there, but overall it felt like the same game. I remember being in a crowded arcade for Tekken Tag Tournament. Owning them at home has been a real shallow experience. I had SC from 1-5. I didn't bother with getting SC6. I sold my copy of Tekken 7 because I got bored with it. I didn't want to pay more money for characters. Which is why I didn't even get SC6. I had SC5 twice. I sold my copy of DOA6 a couple months ago. The last time I was excited about DOA was DOA4 on 360 and that was when players were populating XBox Live in larger quantities.

I've enjoyed 2D games a lot more. Arc Systems has some awesome games on PS2 that look great. Same with Capcom and NRS. I use to play all the VS games at the arcades too, but I stuck with games like Tekken because they felt good playing the game. I think what killed it was 2D games were a lot more varied with characters and animations. 3D sure looked cool, but I can't get into DOA's style and Tekken feels like I've inputted the same moves for over a decade.

Street Fighter is one of my favorites and one could argue some of the moves are the same. But I feel like Capcom has distinguished their franchise. Especially if you compare the numbered entries in Street Fighter compared to Tekken and Soul Calibur. There are a lot more variations in Street Fighter game(s).

I kinda dislike how ArcSystems has handled Xrd. I love the game, but I hate this Xrd, Rev 1, Rev 2 stuff. What's the point? You're owning multiple games and expansions. Street Fighter IV was fine until the game was completely replaced with Street Fighter V. The best part about Street Fighter IV was that it was a good game for so many years. It brought people back to playing fighting games. 2D was still a wonderful thing (especially with Marvel vs. Capcom 1-3). What killed it for me was we had all these Marvel fans playing UMvC3 for hours on end and then Infinite comes out and it just sucks. Capcom has to make another Versus game to make up for the lack there of of MvC: Infinite. The game didn't capture a single great thing. It was like a copy/paste and not even a good copy of MvC1-3. No X-Men, no characters outside their original season pass, and fans didn't play it.

MK11 is one of my favorite games now. It has a ton of content and the characters are fun to play. I'd rather play that and play other misc. 2D games until another good fighting game comes out. I hate installing GG Rev 2 and then thinking that the cast is not even finished. Its such a good game to keep pushing out various copies. If you own Xrd or Rev 1, you don't own the most recent version. I hate that.

 

[Fuz]

It isn't censorship if they make a character however they want though?

You would be right, if there wasn't a "hidden" reason behind it.

 

[nkarafo]

Just curious then, is the Neo Geo avatar ironic then? KOF/Fatal Fury/Samurai Showdown/World Heroes, Art of Fighting they almost invented that style in Fighting Games. And that is why Neo Geo is above all others for me.

Again, i don't agree that the SNK art style has anything to do with the stereotypical big-headed/chibi/child-like/cute art style.

And even if there are similarities, it works different as low-res, hand animated pixel art in my eyes.

 

[mcjmetroid]

That's true enough but really there only so much you can do with fighting games.

We're not talking about the Last of Us 2 here.

I feel like the best thing you can do is create an interesting visual styles like DragonBall Z Fighters

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

In a game where draw distance or number of characters on screen translate to a different gameplay experience, pushing the graphics makes sense, but in a fighting game?

As others pointed out, fighting games (and racing games) were used as arcade tech-demos to push graphics. Even the early 2D games were a marvel of technology, cramming two massive sprites, detailed backgrounds, and a ton of different vibrant animations onto one game. I don't know if pushing graphics is necessary any more. All of the necessary information can be communicated using current technology. It's just a matter of window-dressing.

Though it would be cool of a fighting game used realistic hit-detection instead of the standard hi/med/lo.

Aren't there more important things to fighting-game fans than pure graphics, though? For instance, wouldn't it be better if a fighting company actually started making competent grappler characters again?

 

[Ol'Scratch]

Fighting games now and in the future are built around the online experience. Building for arcade cabinets or early consoles was easy and things could be pushed. Online has changed things and fighting games live or die by this. Innovation in this day comes from enhancing that experience. Yes visuals are very important, but framerate, hitboxes, skeleton frames and physics are much higher importance and that is where progress continues. That being said Tekken 7 is a visual feast, little things like rain and its effect are fantastic and DB Fighterz as I said is as close as we have ever come to actually playing an animated cartoon.

 

[petran79]

SNK started something unique with kofxii and xiii character models but dropped it due to cost and reverted to cheap CGI models
As for Arcsys, their games look good but their animation is still problematic. As if the character weapons were plastic toys.

Only game to do things right with 2d animation was Skullgirls. Predated Cuphead too but because it was a 2d fighter with fanservice, it did not get the appropriate coverage.

Vampire Savior features the best and most creative 2d animation in a fighting game. Capcom have the means to create a HD version but they'll opt for CGI graphics too

 

[Lastyou1]

Don't know what you mean, but Mk11 h has absolutely great graphics. And even MK X still holds up very well to today's standards.

 

[NahaNago]

Samurai Showdown looks ridiculous. The most gorgeous character select screen I've ever seen by far.

Yeah IDK, they're fighters, I don't actually want insane particles everywhere and crazy complex graphics. I think SFV looks good (but the stages are terrible for the most part), and I think ARC is killing it with their 2D/3D aesthetic. I'd like more sprites, but I'm not holding my breath.

Wow I keep thinking that Samurai Showdown looks ridiculously awful and keep wondering what in the world are they doing.

As far as the visuals of fighting games I do think that Arc does great and Mortal Kombat and Injustice 2 were great as well. Street fighting , DOA, Tekken, and Soul Calibur were disappointing visually to me. I just was expecting a lot more from those games. Like what was said fighting games used to really wow folks with it's graphics and I kept thinking that this gen would blow me away but outside of Arc I haven't been. You would think with all of the E sports money they would have sunk a lot more money in to how the game looks, well maybe next gen will use that E sports money for it.

 

[nkarafo]

Don't know what you mean, but Mk11 h has absolutely great graphics.

Well, indeed, it looks good, though it has the usual, janky, MK animation.

I particularly liked how the characters cast shadows on the backdrops. I don't remember seeing this in other fighting games.

 

[kingbean]

Xrd looks amazing.

Nether realm games also look great.

But I prefer them sprites like 3rd strike and Garou.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

fighting games are an inherently 2D genre. you are on a flat plain, looking at one scene for minutes at a time. they should be done with 2D art. unfortunately not many people do 2D art these days, or when it is done, it overuses the software manipulation paper doll style. IMO a high def full screen animated modern game would be a huge hit if done right.

3D graphics really help with fps because you are constantly moving, the whole screen is changing, you are constantly seeing new visuals. 3D graphics help a number of genres that focus on moving a point through 3D space: driving games, shooting games, open world, ARPG, etc. all of these feature you, or a 3rd person character, moving through 3D space. the character is surrounded by constantly changing scenery. this is inherently visually interesting. with a fighting game, each match, you are just staring at a fixed point without moving for several minutes. the 3D does not impress the way it does in other genres. there is no background movement aside from ambient parallax. there are no alternate angels to the hero or villain. 2D graphics work best for this kind of camera setup IMO.

easy to make 3D graphics look technically wonderful but harder to make them stand out & be interesting. IMO 2D animation naturally looks more interesting. the aesthetic dominance of the classic fighting games is a testimony to this.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Wow I keep thinking that Samurai Showdown looks ridiculously awful and keep wondering what in the world are they doing.

You aren't wrong.