So, there was this announcement this morning, and it was...kind of a big deal. Street Fighter 5 was officially confirmed today via a brief teaser trailer that was accidentally leaked before it was scheduled to drop.
By now, nearly the entire community is aware of the game's existence, and most everyone caught the trailer earlier today before it was pulled down.
Naturally, the appearance of a brand new, next-gen Street Fighter title sparked much discussion among the EventHubs crew. So today we bring you another one of our Round Tables in which we talk all things Street Fighter 5.
How do we feel about the new art style? Was it a wise decision for Capcom to make SF5 a PlayStation 4/PC exclusive? Which characters do we most want to see make a return?
You'll find these questions and more after the jump. As always, please feel free to jump into the comments section below and share your thoughts on our answers or provide answers of your own!
Do you think the move to make Street Fighter V PS4/PC exclusive is a wise one? Do you think we'll see an Xbox 360/Xbox One release down the road?
John a.k.a. Velociraptor: Sony must have made a pretty impressive deal with Capcom to keep 5 away from other platforms. With the way things tend to operate nowadays, I think the exclusivity on PS4 and PC will be on a timer. I expect that eventually we’ll see SF5 on Xbox One. It’s hard to imagine a game like that not being available on Xbox at all. Street Fighter 4 sales are now in the ballpark of some 8 million copies, right? If they want to repeat that, I think they’re going to have to be available on more than just one front.
Ryan a.k.a. Tryken: I absolutely think it's a wise decision from Capcom. It succeeds in making a couple of positive changes for the community and company. The first is that it unifies the play base better, which was previous fractured into three with Street Fighter 4.
It also helps fund Street Fighter V. Let's not beat around the bush. We all have a suspicion that Capcom isn't doing well financially. My guess is that Sony is putting money in on the development of the game in return for an exclusive release. We get a better game out of it, and Capcom gets to see a higher profit margin.
Do I think it'll come out for Xbox One? Possibly, though I don't see it coming out anytime soon. I imagine Sony paid some good money for Street Fighter V, and I doubt they'll want it to be spoiled with an Xbox release until they've gotten their investment back. In this case, it could pretty much decide the console for the foreseeable future of the fighting game community.
Steven a.k.a. DreamKing: It's definitely an interesting choice. Personally, I don't think it's particularly a smart move, considering there is such a strong fanbase for Ultra Street Fighter 4 on Xbox 360. Plus, I can see the backlash now...
Having said that, if Capcom is using console exclusivity to keep everyone on the same platform, avoiding the "this game lags on PlayStation or that game stutters on Xbox" issues, then I fully support that. I think we will eventually see an Xbox-based release, though.
Nick: a.k.a. MajinTenshinan: I think it's hard for us as outsiders to say. Capcom hasn't been too hot on the finance end lately, and I wouldn't be surprised if maybe Sony footed some of the development bill for Street Fighter 5 in exchange for exclusivity, timed or otherwise. Depending on how much help or incentive Capcom received, I can't really say on whether it'll come to Xbox One eventually or not.
One thing I can say, though, is that my next console to buy and have next to my Wii U just got decided for me.
Jon a.k.a. Catalyst: It depends. Capcom badly needed a cash infusion, so it makes sense they'd work a deal like this with Sony to gather additional funds.
In that sense, this move is very smart, or maybe the game doesn't happen this soon.
I'm personally a believer that this is a timed exclusive and will eventually hit the PS3/Xbox 360/Xbox One because it just makes way too much sense for it not to.
This morning's teaser trailer gave us a number of quick glimpses at Street Fighter 5's visuals. While the graphics are more than likely in the early stages of development, how do you feel about the game's new art style?
Nick: a.k.a. MajinTenshinan: I think it looks stunning. A friend of mine put it best and said "They look grown up." Especially for Ryu, I think that fits perfectly. Somehow, they both look so much more adult all of a sudden.
The visuals themselves feel a bit more gritty than past entries, and I can think of a few new challengers, I think would fit right in with these kinds of visuals...
Steven a.k.a. DreamKing: I'm kind of torn with the art style. I've always been a huge fan of the Street Fighter 4 series character models, and the Street Fighter 5 models definitely look different. To me, they look more like 3D renders of the official Street Fighter 3 Third Strike Online Edition artwork, which isn't bad at all. The overall mood for SF5 seems more serious than the previous iteration, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the finished product will look like.
Ryan a.k.a. Tryken: I think it's the right step. Yes, we're all used to seeing major jumps in style between Street Fighter iterations, but how often can Capcom reinvent its main series without time or a large amount of money? I like the direction they took it in. It's less blocky. It has a grittier touch of realism without going too far. I want Street Fighter V more than I want a decade of silence, and the lighting and graphics have me more excited than ever anyway.
Jon a.k.a. Catalyst: It's a little early for me to judge because it's obvious the visuals are still being worked on. My initial impressions are that it looks like a next generation title, and I like the darker look of things so far. The models and textures look high resolution and wonderful. With a bit more polish on the animations and a few rough edges, this game should look terrific.
John a.k.a. Velociraptor: It looks good. There was quite a bit of ink from what I recall. Reminds me of the intro video for Vanilla SF4 and for SFXT. Also, the game seemed really dark although that may just be the nature of the stage we saw… it’s way too early to make any broad conclusions. The graphics were amazing. I mean, did you see Chun-Li’s thighs in hi-def? Ridiculous.
With SF5 now on the horizon, does this mark the beginning of the end for Street Fighter 4 or will this see more people jumping on board to play 4 in anticipation of the upcoming game?
John a.k.a. Velociraptor: In my experiences, once a new title is on the horizon that can potentially replace and existing one, the current title sees a dip in player enthusiasm. Far off as the horizon may be, it’s now casting at least a tiny shadow over the current game. When AE was announced, many people in my ring of friends stop playing, or at least caring, about Super stating that “this game doesn’t matter anymore.” Now while I personally don’t agree with that line of thinking, I can’t deny that it happens. It still feels like the wave that Ultra is riding on is far from dispersing at this point. We’re looking forward to an update and getting excited for new costumes. I think it has, at LEAST, another 2 years as the main fighting game. That’s probably about how long we’re going to be waiting for 5 to come out.
Ryan a.k.a. Tryken: Initially, I predict more people playing Street Fighter 4 before the release of Street Fighter 5. I remember when Street Fighter 4 was on the horizon; I played Street Fighter 2 HD Remix like crazy just to bring over any transferable skill the game might afford me.
Of course, after the release, you'll see a decline as Street Fighter 4 settles into becoming another legacy game (one that's played at tournaments as a side event). It'll still be respected, but you won't see it drawing in big numbers as more players and prizes transfer over to SFV.
Nick: a.k.a. MajinTenshinan: I think Street Fighter 4 will more than likely stay static until the release of SF5, at which point it will slowly, but surely, die out. It's hard to tell when we have so little to go on, but I don't think people will pick up SF4 in anticipation for SF5.
Jon a.k.a. Catalyst: I think this heavily depends on how much of a departure, gameplay wise, this new entry is from Street Fighter 4. Capcom has typically been very good about making each numbered entry in the series play quite differently and have its own appeal, and as long as they keep this tradition alive, Street Fighter 4 should have a year or two left as a major tournament game even after SF5 is released.
Steven a.k.a. DreamKing: I think the masses are going to swarm to Ultra Street Fighter 4 now knowing that a new Street Fighter is on the way, I feel that more players will want to get in as much training time with the current title in preparation for the next.
Capcom is continuing their support for USF4 with new modes and costumes, so I feel like fresh content, coupled with the idea of a new game in mind, will get people competing more in the current-gen fighter.
Based off the very short glimpse we're given of gameplay in the video, do you think SFV will play similarly to Third Strike, Alpha, SFIV, or something entirely different?
Nick: a.k.a. MajinTenshinan: It's so hard to say. Just judging by the very little we saw, I think it looks like a more refined Street Fighter 4, but my personal hope is something that my colleague Ryan 'Tryken' Tullis brought up a few weeks ago, to use a Groove system similar to Capcom vs. SNK 2, where each groove represents a Street Fighter entry.
So basically, you'd have a Street Fighter 3 groove which gives you a parry, but has other drawbacks to not make it too powerful (like P-Groove in CvS2). Street Fighter 4 groove would give you an Ultra as a comeback mechanic, which the other grooves would not have. Stuff like that.
Jon a.k.a. Catalyst: I don't think Capcom will ever resurrect SF3's gameplay. That game just wasn't commercially viable enough to do it, compared with SF2 and SF4. It's too early to say based on the little game we've seen of SF5, but it looks like this game might be more combo friendly than SF4, maybe more akin to SFxT. Again, a lot can change at this stage of development, though.
Steven a.k.a. DreamKing: It's really tough to say. Street Fighter 3 introduced a new mechanic in the Parry System. Street Fighter 4 brought in Focus Attacks. Some of the attacks we saw Ryu and Chun-Li perform in the trailer came right out of 3S, so it's really up in the air at the moment. If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say that the foundation will be similar to Street Fighter 4, but we'll see a few new elements added that appeal to the hardcore fans of the franchise.
John a.k.a. Velociraptor: If I’ve learned anything from Capcom’s evolution of fighting games, we’re going to see something totally new. It’ll still be Street Fighter for sure, but we’ll get some new mechanic that will help define SF5. Probably not a parry, probably not a focus attack. Something totally new. The only thing that’s certain at this point: the older generations will “hate” it and the new generation of players will live by it. “Street Fighter 4 was a man’s game… this game caters way too much to noobs… blah blah blah…”
Ryan a.k.a. Tryken: The game speed appears quicker (though it could have been sped up for the trailer). It's tough to say until we see a gameplay focused trailer.
Capcom designed Street Fighter 4 in a way that would appeal to those with fond memories of Street Fighter 2. It went after the nostalgia, showing people their favorite characters rendered with current generation graphics. Capcom doesn't have the constraint anymore. It can go out of its way to develop a more robust game that doesn't try to live in the shadow of Street Fighter 2. Because of that, I expect a more aggressive and quick design similar to Third Strike or Alpha 3.
What characters would you most like to see in Street Fighter 5?
Jon a.k.a. Catalyst: Rose, but that shouldn't come as a surprise. After her, I'd generally like to see the fan favorites return, Cody, Juri, Cammy, Ken, Dudley, etc.
Capcom has a lot of telemetry data from USF4, and they know which characters are very popular with their players, and more importantly — which aren't. I'd generally like to see characters who aren't as popular moved to the back of the line, because while fans of Gen, Dee Jay, Hakan and Dhalsim definitely exist, the stats consistently show they're some of the least played characters in the roster.
Capcom can always add these fighters in later, and likely will given the size of most fighting game rosters at this point in time, but the focus should be on the most popular characters first so they can attract the largest user base. Take care of the biggest audience's concerns first, and then work on fan service later.
The main audience putting up their dollars for SF5 will pave the way to do even more fan service down the road, even if it disappoints some smaller parts of the scene, at first.
Steven a.k.a. DreamKing: I think it goes without saying that I want Dudley and Oni in Street Fighter 5. But as far as others go, I'd really love to see Q and Urien make their return from Third Strike. Both characters are so interesting, and Urien's play-style is so damn sick! I was never good at 3S, but I always wished I could pull off the Aegis Reflector pressure. If I get the opportunity to do so in Street Fighter 5... get ready for the salt to flow
John a.k.a. Velociraptor: Obviously I’d like to see Gouken in it, but I’m not holding my breath by any means. One character I’ve always wanted to see as a playable: Gotetsu. I don’t know HOW Capcom could BEND THEIR STORYLINE so that Gotetsu was alive and playable… but it’d be cool if they did. Other than that, I don’t really care. I trust Cap to do what they do well and give us a good roster. We’ll see some new faces and some favorite oldies. Oh and if they could bring Viper back strictly as a training dummy… that’d be great.
Ryan a.k.a. Tryken: Of course, my first answer will be Karin. You have to have her in the game at some point. She's one of the most requested characters and acts as the dichotomous rival of Sakura. I think if they announced her addition to the game, it'd make the hype meter break.
My second is more personal and less popular. I want the enigmatic Q to return. He'd fit perfectly into the grittier look of the new game. Also, if the time line of the title has approached or surpassed that of Third Strike, then it makes perfect sense to bring one of Third Strike's most recognizable characters back to the roster.
Nick: a.k.a. MajinTenshinan: I have a few faces from Street Fighter 4 I'd like to see return, but I'm going to keep this all about characters that have been out of the spotlight for too long. Give me Alex. Give me Maki. Give me Eagle. Any of those three, and I'll be over the moon with joy.
More on EventHubs...
http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/dec/05/...ble-discussion/
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