Pleasure Overload Part 2: The Pleasure Is Reloaded

The dark ages of fighting games feel like they are gone never to return again. Almost every year has felt like a big year for fighting games. I personally have stated this for at least the last two years because almost every big title has been announced or released within this time span and it looked like things were slowing down....then E3 came along and changed everything!!

Arc System Works and Bandai Namco finally did something that I have personally wanted to see for years now, a true Dragon Ball Z fighting game!! It goes without saying, I'm manic about this game! So far it is overhyping my expectations and if there is one game that I have in my hurry up and buy list this is definitely it. 

Even with Dragon Ball FighterZ incoming, there are a few other titles peaking my interest that are on their way as well. Arika, known for bringing the popular Street Fighter franchise to the world of 3D polygonal bliss, is bringing back some of the original characters that we have been missing from the EX series and it looks beyond incredible!!

Though Arc System Works is bringing the incredible DBZ series to fighting game life, they were by no means satisfied with just giving us one fighting game title to enjoy next year. Just a month after DBFZ's announcement, we were surprised to learn they would be giving us their first crossover title spearheaded by the BlazBlue franchise...I could have died in their arms that night I was so shocked. 

Let's be clear about something, the year is not over with, there are already three big fighting game titles planned for next year, and I just feel like there may just be at least one more announcement from my favorite fighting game developer SNK. 

I have a problem with standing still and this is making it much...much worse. I think it is safe to say that any competitive hope I might have had is gone from me now. I will be a casual fighting gamer for the rest of my days the pleasure overload is just too real to contain. 

It's unfortunate that sides will be chosen, that some of these games may not get the community they deserve. I have seen this far too often and it is a shame honestly but because often times commitment and mastery go hand in hand, keeping one's interest in so many of these fighting games becomes a pretty big undertaking. 

Never the less, I am over excited about what is to come and I'm hoping that I can somehow fit these new games into what already is a very large library of enjoyable fighting game titles at my disposal Pleasure overload season has returned...are you ready?!

Holding Characters Hostage Part Two: The DLC Experiment

With the upcoming Marvel Vs Cacpom Infinite's initial launch roster in place, I felt compelled to revisit this topic once more but in a different manner. In my initial analysis of classic characters that were missing from Street Fighter V's very mediocre character launch, I felt like they were holding favorites at bay but I do understand that from a development standpoint, especially based on SFV's latest mechanic, that things take time to design and SFV was certainly a rush job of epic proportions so no surprise there.

Unfortunately, MVCI feels somewhat the same but in terms of characters, I feel like they are doing the opposite of SFV and holding new characters hostage this time....and I'm much more irritated by this than before. A 30 character roster makes the bare minimum for what a game of this magnitude provides and while it's great to see that many of the characters from the previous game in the series are making their return, there are only 4 brand new additions to this initial roster...the rest of the new blood are attached to DLC.

There have certainly been a few atrocities when it comes to the latest game in this very popular franchise. The absence of the popular X-Men characters due to an ongoing issue with ownership was hard enough to bare but it only suffers more with the lack of new additions.

As someone who reviews fighting games, I feel obligated to experience it and give an honest opinion on it which is why I'll be trying to get hands on day one. On the other hand, as a consumer, they would not be getting my money..at least not initially.

Why? It is very simple, Black Panther. The game is $60 and for someone like myself, it is by no means a drop in the bucket. There was one character that I wanted to see above all else -- one character who would have made what is feeling like a very dismal character launch a somewhat exciting one, Black Panther. Where is Black Panther? Oh, he is on the list of DLC characters that I will have to pay additional money for.

Now maybe this was a smart business move on Capcom's end. I feel like Black Panther is a great addition and many players want him in the roster so much so that they would pay the additional money to get him but me not so much. What could have been a game seller is now an after the fact purchase and in no way am I paying for the game just to pay more to get to one character that I really wanted in particular...just not happening.

It's instances like this that set such a bad precedent for DLC because its not about presenting the best initial package they most possibly can -- instead, its a money grabbing strategy that can ultimately make this title a complete failure at launch.

Maybe my angst over one character is trivial BUT Black Panther is the character that I wanted and there are more new characters that are being launched as DLC that would have most likely made for an immediate purchase as well. New character or old we are in a character hostage situation and with no negotiator to come to our rescue things are looking pretty dire. I don't wish for Capcom's failure but I do need them to understand the errors of their ways are making me much lesser of a fan with each new title they bring.