The Curious Case Of The Edition Addiction

It's been said that Street Fighter II single-handedly saved the arcades from an early demise ; it can also be said that it increased the quarter count to.  Any way you slice it, Street Fighter II not only ushered in a new genre of gaming, it birthed a new kind of competition, one that gave an individual instant gratification and legendary status amongst their gaming peers.

After the stunning success of Street Fighter II, many games like it started to flood the arcades and brought with them new favorites like Mortal Kombat and Fatal Fury. Through it all Street Fighter II, however, remained the favorite and it also managed to do something that a lot of the other fighting games did not and that was edition, and edition, and edition some more.  

It all started with Championship Edition which allowed for mirror matches, playable bosses, and character balances. Not very long after, it brought an edition that increased the speed and added new character move sets. While arcade owners quickly jumped at these updates, young kids jumped at every new game cartridge that came to market. What at the time seemed like a superior milking job was actually a renaissance of sorts as no other game spent so much time refining not only the way the game looked but the way that it played.

Once the new generation of video games began, Street Fighter was there to introduce us to the Alpha series. What was really interesting about the new series is that it never saw an edition per se as they continued to revise and add additional characters and mechanics to each new game.

Not very soon after, Street Fighter III was released but the landscaped of fighting games and arcade culture as we know it started to change. Despite these changes, Street Fighter III trudged through returning to its' old formula of bringing out new editions for the latest game in the series.

Fast forward and Street Fighter IV has created a bursting resurgence in the genre that the series itself gave birth to. Like many, I'm happy to see its' return but am somewhat bummed at the fact that a great deal of the old guard is missing. At this time DLC was the new way to add extra content to games and many anticipated that Street Fighter IV would do the same, boy were we wrong.

A year later, Super Street Fighter IV is released and I'm getting that feeling of  deja vu. While some are excited about this new edition, I'm a little perturbed. I am no longer that little kid who sees something shiny and new and wants it instantly..I'm now an adult that sees something shiny and new and wants it instantly but doesn't quite like the price. 

"You're practically getting a whole new game" they said but I wasn't sold. To me, it was the milking process all over again and it was almost like we were doomed for all eternity...ok maybe not doomed but I definitely felt gloom. For the rest of the consoles life cycle, I would be tempted with each new edition that reared its' ugly head and be forced to be patient or pay the price.

Now, I could have lived with Street Fighter doing this because it is the grand daddy after all but unfortunately almost every other fighting game began to pick up the same edition addiction. Unlike Consoles, adding a new edition to the Arcade comes at the cost of doing business and can just as easily be loved or shunned, either way the brunt of the cost is on the owner not the individual enjoying it.

The arcades in some ways tease us like the kid on the block who gets the first of everything and the instant you see his new toy, you want one. Publishers bank on this and so the edition addiction is in full play. For the individual who spends their every waking moment on said fighting game of choice, a new addition is as good as it gets for them. For the rest of us who look for new games and experiences, this becomes a little bit expensive.

Now the new age of gaming is upon us ,and while some developers seem to be asking for patience while they continue to create more content and changes, others seem to be betting on the same premise - that you're going to want more. It's hard to tell at the moment if the edition addiction will be in full effect for this generation. All I can do for now is try my best not to look less I end up glamored...it is so hard not to look.

The wait is sooo over!!

As someone who has slowly but surely migrated over to playing games on the PC(I shall return console. This, I promise), I'm starting to find things that are just a bit redundant when it comes to playing online..especially with certain games. I have been quite revved up about increasing the number of fighting game reviews before I approach the first year of my website.

Unfortunately, I'm only up to one review..yes..one review. Now, I could go into greater detail as to why my review count is pretty much non-existent but I'm going to save the sad songs for another day and get to the issue in question. There has been a great deal of moving, shutdowns, and even false alarms when it has come to online multiplayer fighting games.

Despite these changes, I've taking advantage of some great sales in hopes that I would get to review some of these amazing fighting game titles but I've come across some very hard obstacles during this journey. Most of these issues seem to stem from bugs but more importantly these bugs seem to have gone unchecked and honestly..I've about had enough of it.

Now, I'm not one to fly off the handle when a game has problems that need fixing. I believe myself to be somewhat of a patient man but I'm tired. I'm tired of spending all this time in preparation to review these games only to come up short near the finish line because the online netcode is having major issues.

I'm at an impasse at this point and it's time to make some tough decisions despite the future relationships these decisions may crush.  I want these companies to win ; I want to see more fighting game titles come to PC but if these companies are unwilling to take some time out of their, what I can understand to be hectic, schedule, I'm going to have to let people know what is going on.

It was not that I wanted to put a pretty dressing on something that does not look very presentable, I just wanted to give these companies sometime to look...presentable and I honestly believed that things would be fixed in a timely manner..call me gullible..I promise no offense taken.  In the end, these companies have let me down and I can no longer wait. What I'm saying is, it is time to get this show on the road and if you are not ready, then that is just too bad.

I intend to be truthful and give as much of an unbiased opinion as humanely possible. So, with said it's time to get some more reviews done for the site. I wish things could just work but sadly life can throw you some unexpected curve balls and you just have to roll with the punches despite how hard of a blow they may give.

Fighting games from the far east.

Previously, I talked about the lack of new IP's when it came to fighting games and the fact that the next generation has the possibility of continuing this trend and maybe, just maybe I got a little ahead of myself.  How you ask? Honestly, I felt like I saw the glass half empty and this was partly due to my focus on the major fighting game companies and their blockbuster titles.

Though we've come to the end of the road when it comes to the current gen systems, I'm astonished to find there are a great deal of potential fighting games that are galloping on the horizon..even if their primarily exclusive to one system.  The long awaited announcement of Under Night In-Birth was like a heavy burden lifting off my chest.

I was so convinced that this game would never touch a console and that I'd only be able to gaze upon it's magnificent sprite based animation if, I chose to fly half way around the world to find it in one of  the last few standing arcades on the planet. No worries!! The game is making its' way to Northern shores by next year but more importantly, if you can't wait, you can grab it now!

 For sometime now, imports have always been a very infectious option for curing the ailment of your anticipated impatience. As a young man, I spent a great deal of money during Playstation One's golden era to experience my first import Street Fighter Vs X-Men. Whether the impulse was premature didn't matter. For that moment in time, I was elated at the fact I had my hands on the home version of the next era of fighting game goodness.

Imports are even more accessible now then they used to be. Now a days, you can download them and their region free. Patience is taking an ass whopping of epic proportions from technology and you honestly can't help but love the happiness it brings to those who no longer have to wait from across the pond to get their hands on an amazing fighting game title.

While our Northern American brethren have not quite embraced this idea of creating more fighting game IPs(NRS being the only company holding fort), Japan has been quite the opposite. Sega, a company whose been pretty quiet on the fighting front, has Denki Bunko Fighting Climax slated to release in japan on November 13 and they've already gotten another title Blade Arcus in development soon to be released in Arcades!!

Add a few japan only titles in the mix, and I would have to say that this current gen had a pretty good representation. Unfortunately, a few titles didn't make the play it online roster like cult favorite Chaos Code but I really have to admit that we've gotten more then enough when it comes to fighting games this generation. 

So I'm saying that I was totally wrong. Expecting the power houses that stand a top fighting game god mountain to create more original titles was maybe just a little too much of an expectation but I know at least one company that has done this in past..you know who you are. The possibilities for next-gen are getting just a little bit brighter each day and I know I can at least count on one continent to bring the fighting games full force. If import is the only way to play, so be it, I'm just glad we can get our hands on it.

The Miseducation Of Casual

On the surface, casual and fighting games go together like..like humans in a mine field...maybe I just went a little to far with the metaphor, but these days I feel like the majority mind set when it comes to fighting games and "hardcore" games like it just fits. I feel like the word casual in reference to gaming has been getting a very bad rep on both sides of the coin and this rings especially true when it comes to fighting games. Unfortunately, the future may be a train wreck in the making if developers don't walk this line very carefully and really analyze what casual truly means to the world of fighting games.


Find your latest gaming killer app and you'll quickly understand why the word casual has been unfairly thrown out of context. In its minimalist form, when it comes to gaming at least, causal is the literal meaning of picking up a game and playing it. True, the word casual is often presented in the learning curve of the games you play but like games so love to do,  they gradually become a little more rockier the more you tread upon the landscape.


The addiction that manifests itself the minute a game grabs a hold of you can singularly be lead to one culprit, difficulty. It is the hang up, that initial moment where it becomes an obsession that you have to complete but you may not have time to. Often times it can become a bit competitive "He has a high score, I must break it..and in breaking it I break him *maniacal stare*." Okay so its not that serious but this is what casual becomes when you enter the land of gaming...I know I'm not alone here..don't you judge me.


It's why today's gaming has become something that millions of people all over the world do when they get a little free time. I feel like the over aged high school kid that should have already graduated hanging out at the locker when classes are done. I've been there ; I know the feels, it's wonderful,it sucks monkey balls, yeah yeah. Being there allows you a point of view that some don't quite understand yet and I feel like my view of casual in the game world is pretty 20-20.


Casual and fighting games are very much old friends but in a time of online match making and streaming competitive bliss, they may look like mortal enemies...mortal enemies who friend hug each other and laugh at the ones who just don't get it. The line can't so easily be drawn because this line is based on the human interaction that the individual takes on when they first pick up the controller and start to play.


The path of the player is a very individualistic journey and should not be confined to just a set group's idealistic tendencies. Because you can't bend the game to your "I want to pick it up fast" attitude the idea of this being a casual experience eludes you. If you tell me there is no fun to be had in a challenge, I'm afraid I'm going to chuckle in your direction...maybe even lol because I've never known of any game that didn't have some kind of challenge.


I can often times share the sentiment of how difficult it can be to enjoy something that is so entrenched in a very competitive mindset but I assure you ; you're going to find this in any game that has high scores, time completion, and a myriad of other set goals that have made its way to gaming since the dawn of its inception.


Despite the mountain you may have to climb, you are well in your RIGHT to take as much time as you need to enjoy the challenge set before you. If you don't feel the need to know how much frame data Ryu's crouching MK has, then that is OK...just don't get too pissed off if the other person you're playing against knows how to punish you for using it.


*deep breath* So, with all that being said, please take a second and think about it before you say "This game isn't really considerate to the casual gamer." or "This game should be created to invite more casual players.".  By thinking in this way, you are giving the word casual a bad name.(and putting more pressure on the developers at that) One that it does not deserve ESPECIALLY when it comes to games in general. 

Practice?!!

To quote one of the greatest known basketball players of my generation "We are talking about practice, not the game". What does "practice" really mean when it comes to fighting games. When something rooted deeply in the arcade culture was, in a sense, impossible to do because there was no such thing as a training room, why is practice such a practical way to play fighting games in this current generation of online lobbies and major tournament competitions.

While I've talked about mastering your character and glossed over the amount of dedication it takes to learn a fighting game, I've been thinking lately about the training room and my dependency on its use. Recently I competed in a weekly Vampire Savior tournament on GGPO in which I clumsily fuddled with my character losing the match and feeling a bit of embarrassment which may have had a little to do with the live stream that was unexpectedly viewing my match at the time.

Once I was completely knocked out of the tournament, another competitor invited me to play a few rounds looking to give me a few tips, though, I got the impression that he felt I was new to the whole fighting game thing and not the actual game itself. It had been a very long time since I played Vampire Savior and to be honest I really didn't get into it much mostly due to the fact there was only a computer to play with.

After that day, I had every intention of doing a little bit of grinding by learning about the game mechanics, special moves, and figuring out the combo system. Sad to say this was cut short once I realized there was no training room available. I mean..I don't know what I would do without my dummy. When you're trying to figure out how certain moves work in the game, having an opponent that doesn't hit back helps with meeting that agenda. Take the dummy out of the equation and its going to take a little more time to figure out what I can and can't do.

The training room has become a significant staple to any one wanting to improve and get better but not everyone stands by it. Dieminion, a well known Street Fighter IV player, as he so boastfully stated, does not use the training room. No doubt rooted in his love for arcades, he wants to stay true to that player mind set. I often wonder if that is the way to go as it takes more than just learning combos to get better but I've gotten so used to having the training room that changing now feels impossible.

The idea of practicing in a game seems a bit far fetched in a lot of ways because..its a game. Never, until fighting games, was there ever a need for a training room and its some what confusing when I honestly sit and think about it. Even in many cases where games have a competitive following there is no training room. You play the game, you learn the strategies, and you get better. Is a fighting game really that hard?! Does it require that much dedication that you need to have something in place to practice?! For myself, absolutely.

But what is that saying about me that I can lose interest in a fighting game due to the absence of a training room ; that I can't find enjoyment in learning everything on the fly despite the incredible amount of time it may take to figure it all out and start belting out those stylish combos that I love so.  Mind you I don't live by the training room often times just using it as a way to warm up and learn more about my character. The more I've discovered and furthered the growth of my character, the more I've come to the realization that the training room can some what be a game in itself with discovery being the fun part and creating big damage being the challenge.

In no way do I find juicebox's (pro fighting game player) "30 times" training method appealing. That may be necessary by competitive standards but I find it a bit overkill. We are talking about a game something that is supposed to be enjoyable and yet a significant amount of my gaming when it comes to fighting games stays in the practice room. I often times wonder if I could get better without a training room but at this point it feels like letting go of it is the same as wearing a blind fold...with my hands tied behind my back..so..yeah letting go isn't an easy thing.

Get Ready For The Next Battle: Fighting Games In The Next Gen Landscape

If you told me the return of Killer Instinct would usher in a new era of fighting games, I would have called you a liar whose only goal was to spread rumors aimed at raising the hopes of past fans.  While the return of Killer Instinct was a great surprise and has generated a great deal of interest in its strong reboot, I couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed.

With the next generation of consoles, there is always that hope for something fresh but when it comes to fighting games fresh isn't quite what you find and its a bit debilitating..who am I kidding ; I love seeing reboots and the current gen had this in spades. Once multi-player online came into the mix, I was pretty much sold on the return of everything no doubt excited at the opportunity to have real human competition.

Although I'm far from done with the library of fighting games titles available on the current gen system, one can't help but be mesmerized about the future and what amazing things it MAY have to offer.  If there is any indication about what to expect, you should only look to the recently released Killer Instinct and the eagerly awaited return of Guilty Gear with their Next-Gen offering titled Xrd.

More reboots!!! Sounds so exciting right..right. It's a conflicting feeling to appreciate the nostalgic appeal of a returning franchise especially when it makes its' way to a next gen console. I for one don't want my favorites to fade but I do want to see some new ideas being thrown into the mix.

So many of us have this pick a fighter and cuddle with it till the end of time mentality and its well founded due to the level of commitment to consider yourself a master. For the most part, developers have been some what understanding of this only making a few changes and additions with each new offering.

Often times, I would love to see a cut the umbilical cord approach from developers taking everything we held dear about our favorite fighting game characters and giving them a severe make over similar to what KOF has done with some of their main characters. Call me a sadist but I'd love to see an overhaul approach taken cries of character tampering be dammed.

If this is the destiny of fighting games, a few new titles per generation with reboots, I say we need a drastic change. This is just another opportunity for Capcom to the lead the charge. My hope for the future of fighting games may seem a bit far out but their based on good intentions..and maybe hopes of creating an even playing field ;D.

Competitive by Design.

For a greater part of my life I considered video games to be just that, video games. Video games were always fun to play, very challenging, and visually awesome. I never thought to take video games serious or to devote a given amount of time to them. I played them as long as I felt content to and once I had my fill I moved on to the next thing that peaked my interest. I never thought of  video games to be anything more than that until one day a little title named Street Fighter II landed its gaze upon my then competitive video game virgin eyes. Little did I know that it would be games like this that would change my outlook on what I felt video games should be.  

Fast forward a couple years into my adult hood and I'm in awe at the fact that I'm unable to lay a finger on my friend Sho. At this period in his life he had been leveling up in Tekken with other friends and his knowledge of the game was so superior to my own that all I could do was just be amazed at the fact he had gained this ability by continuously playing. Over the years, my friend dominated our little circle with him beating us to the point that we no longer had the want to play anymore. To this day another friend of mines admits his disdain for fighting games as a result of playing with our very competitive pal.  I'd like to believe to Sho playing fighting games was the most enjoyable video game challenge anyone could have and I think in his own way he encouraged us to continue to keep playing(taking beatings) so that we could see this also.

Years past, we all got older, and our focuses changed. We no longer had the time to gather together and play and my friend no longer had the ambition to play fighting games like he once did. For any of you familiar with my story, you know online playability has been the sole reason that my fighting game spirit has become reinvigorated, but I haven't really spoken much about some of the negatives I've experienced since I've become more involved. 

These days it seems like its all about the competitive nature of the game. Its about having the complete knowledge of your character due to the vast amount of information that is at your fingertips because of the internet, making it out to local events for your community to keep your favorite fighting game alive, and most importantly not being a scrub(noobs are ok). Often times, I feel jaded by the super ego thought process of certain individuals whose skill level towers my own. Online I am bombarded by off handed comments, over criticized about what I'm not doing, and ultimately disowned by individuals who feel I'm a waste of time to play with.  This is far from the fun challenge I expected to be apart of and not as enjoyable as I would have hoped it to become.


None the less, I'm still a little bit hopeful that I may be able to one day make top 8 at a major tournament but in all honesty my level of commitment is far from what is needed to get there. Despite the harsh realities of the competitive nature of games these days, many of the younger generation seem to stand by it. I  personally still want to enjoy the game for what it is despite the competitive nature of the game. The thoughts that I've expressed was brought on by a new DOA5 trailer entitled "I'm a Fighter" a call to arms for those players out there who have taken up the banner for competitive gaming. It is intriguing to say the least knowing that times have changed a great deal from those days of just playing a few pick up games with friends. There is a whole new playing field and it is centering around the competitive spirit of what I used to just call a video game.