WHOA, what’s this? Another Character Countdown? And for a series whose name doesn’t rhyme with Smekken? ZOUNDS!
Well, why not? I’ve found that doing this kind of article series not only proves entertaining for both me and readers- it’s also a great way to pass the time. And passing the time is something I really want to do since the release of the awesome Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown is so close but also so far away. So here, a countdown series featuring the blokes and babes of Sega’s flagship fighter, the Virtua Fighter series. I imagine that even veteran beat ‘em up fans may not be totally acquainted with the VF crew, unless they made it a point to read up on them. Well, let’s fix our collective VF ignorance and get to know the combatants in the Next Big Fighting Game to hit our consoles next month.
So, to start the ball rolling, why not kick things off with VF’s Poster Boy- the franchise’s ‘Ryu’ and the Main Guy; a frighteningly powerful fighter… so frightening he scares off gamers from even trying to use him! He’s the Hakkyokuken Master, Akira!
AKIRA YUKI Distinguishing Features: Japanese male of exceptionally fit physique, usually dressed in a plain, unspectacular martial arts gi and matching headband. Basically he’d be Ryu who actually gets to bathe and change clothes more often (or is it less rarely?).
Strengths: Shoulders and elbows that can crack concrete. Akira is the epitome of efficient, explosive movement. Very intimidating… fighters have been known to pass out from fear even before his elbow hits their jaw. In the right hands, Akira can destroy his opponent faster than you can say ‘WTF?!’
Weaknesses: So many think he’s so hard to learn, few dare try to use him. Does indeed require at least a fair level of skill on the part of the player to use effectively. Not the most exciting fighter to watch since he’s so darn methodical and to the point in his attacks. Hotheaded and impulsive; a bit naive and uncomfortable in social events outside of martial arts.
Background: A fighter who’s been competing in the World Fighting Tournament in VF since the very beginning, Akira was raised from childhood training in his family’s dojo, mastering the art of Bajiquan/Hakkyoku Ken. He continually trains and yearns to fight strong opponents in order to test his skills and uncover his own flaws and shortcomings.
Ryu Who? Akira’s resemblance to Streetfighter’s main man may or may not be a coincidence, or it may just be indicative of the stoic, ‘The Fight is All’ archetype that he represents. He’s that kind of character, totally dedicated to his calling, the fight, the school and the secret of True Strength. In other words, this guy may be a monster in the fighting tournaments, but he’s probably clueless in pretty much every other arena or social gathering. He is, after all, the model after which the Champion of Blandness, Ryo Hazuki of Shenmue, was inspired from. Heck, he’s got a gorgeous lady (Aoi Umenokoji) basically throwing herself at him (probably hand and feet first though), and they’re strictly platonic. Nope, just like Ryu, Akira’s sight is squarely on the horizon. I honestly don’t believe he actually expects his journey to ever end. When that actually happens, he’s probably gonna die.
On that note, it also doesn’t appear that Akira has any inkling or awareness of the unsavoury, sinister goings-on with the organization holding the World Fighting Tournament- Judgement Six. However, he’s such a significant player that he’s sure to be a thorn in the bad guys’ side if he finds himself in the way between J6 and their intended targets. For as pure and one-dimensional as Akira may seem to be, one thing that is also sure is that this guy is a hero- an unwary hero, still looking for his potential, but a hero nonetheless.
Akira has always been known as the character in VF that requires an ‘Almost Zen-like Dedication’ to master. I think that may not be entirely false, but it’s also not totally true. In fact, it seems that like many aspects of Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, Akira’s skills have been made more accessible and usable by players who are at least open to putting a wee bit more effort into learning. The Tutorial mode in VF5FS, which comes complete with timings and frame data, should be perfect tools for anyone to master even the infamous ‘Stun Palm of Doom’. In short, don’t be scared away from Akira, and give him a try when VF5 Final Showdown hits this June. Then you may find everyone in fear of your skills.
‘Um, Pai… would you go out on a da… er… uh… IF I DEFEAT YOU, YOU PAY FOR MY DINNER, AGREED??!’
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown comes to PSN and XboxLive this coming June 5-6, 2012.
Fast Tube by Casper VF5 Star Player Fuudo invites everyone to get their asses kicked by him on console!
Man, I still can’t get over that we’re getting Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. It IS literally my dream fighter… more so than any other beat ‘em up in recent memory, THIS is the one I want to have. That desire was fueled even more by the simple fact that it has always been a Japan-only Arcade Release… making it something we can never have. Well, until now, that is. While the exact release date is still at a vague ‘Summer 2012′, things are pointing to a mid to late June release, given that Sega is holding their Pre-release party for the game on May 19. I simply MUST have this game.
Well, thankfully it seems that Sega is giving the release their support, complete with promo vids and interviews for the game. The latest vid above shows off arcade star player Fuudo as he talks about his background, play style and message to gamers for VF5FS. Fascinating as this may be to hardcore VF players, I’d much rather see game footage and features… well, that’ll probably come eventually. I assume that aside from taking on Fuudo online perhaps his ‘ghost’ or A.I. will be available in VF5FS’s single player campaign or battle mode.
As technical or complex VF5 or the series in general may seem to be, it’s gotten a lot more playable and accessible to more players with every new installment, particularly with FS I think. I really hope this pays off well- for us players, to get an arcade-perfect, complete FS in a couple of months, andfor Sega, to get their money’s worth from it so they can get AM2 to start work on the much-awaited Virtua Fighter 6. Man, the future of fighting games seems bright and sweeeeet.
Fast Tube by Casper Sega’s US Producer gets put on the spot.
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown is perhaps my most awaited fighting game release this year. I NEED this game. I WANT this game. It’s still quite a ways off (perhaps in June?), but thankfully Sega isn’t shy about showing the game off in various events. BeyondGamingNet has a slew of videos showing off the game at Pax East, along with info from the Sega reps. Yeah, this is a DLC release which is probably meant to earn a lot via paid downloads (all extra items are DLC), but heck… I don’t care. I must have this. All of it. Anyway, check out the vids and get ready for fighting bliss this Summer. Fast Tube by Casper Fast Tube by Casper Fast Tube by Casper
Fast Tube by Casper The VF.TV Live vid runs us through the home version of VF5 Final Showdown.
Perhaps my most awaited fighting game release of this year is the home conversion of Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. Though there hasn’t been an official release date yet posted, this download-only title for PSN and XboxLive looks to arrive in time for its Summer 2012 release. I think it’s pretty locked in that the game will look amazing- it IS after all, still basically VF5. There’s a bit of a wrinkle that most, if not all of the customization items will now only be available as DLC. Well, all we can hope for is that Sega isn’t greedy and prices everything at a reasonable rate and convenient packages for players to get.
Anyways, the video above should sate gamers looking forward to this game- it shows the VF.TV crew showing off the game (PS3 Version AFAIK) and its various modes, including the excellent-looking Training Mode and the pretty extensive Character Customization System. The whole vid runs for more than an hour, though they only get into actual game footage about 20 minutes in, and only for about 30 minutes.
Man, I can’t wait for this game. Here’s to us getting this awesome brawler sooner, rather than later. More as we get it then!
JUST before the release of Streetfighter X Tekken and JUST right after the Character Poll debut of Tekken X Streetfighter… THIS arrives. What I thought at first was just a nice character debut for Kasumi (who looks amazing by the way) in Dead or Alive 5 turns out to be something more- as freakin’ AKIRA from Virtua Fighter 5 is shown fighting with the DOA cutie in full DOA5 fashion, complete with wall slams, ledge drops and dramatic camera sweeps (which I think really isn’t that practical). WHAT IS THIS… MAGIC? The title logos at the end cite both games- DOA5 and VF5- separately, so we still are at a loss at what this is. Certainly not Dead or Alive X Virtua Fighter. DOA VS VF? Dead or Virtua? DOA Fighter? Virtual DOA? What-what-WHAT?
The fighting action is still DOA. albeit with Mr. Yuki doing his trademark VF moves (and to whit I am irritated that there is still no apparent actual KO at the end of matches… hoping this changes), so this is still a Team Ninja product, ultimately. Judging from the separate logos at the end and no reveal of any DOA X VF title, this little surprise may be simply that Akira is just a Guest Fighter for DOA5. I’d be really surprised if this was anything more than that. But then, who knows? We’ll just have to wait and see what else develops. Certainly the excitement for beat ‘em up fans in the next several months has been ratcheted up significantly. More as we get it then!
Fast Tube by Casper Sega continues building the anticipation for this long-awaited fighter.
Even with all the cool fighters that have come and are coming this year and so forth, if I were to pick one single title to arrive RIGHT NOW it would certainly be Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. You’d be forgive for being not too in the know about this though- but hardcore fighting gamers (even a Hardcore Casual Fighting Gamer like me) will surely know and respect (or revere) Sega’s VF series and it’s place in the genre. VF5 first came out last several years ago, in the beautiful but markedly unspectacular, non-online PS3 version. This was followed quite some time later by an online-capable Xbox360 version.
After that though, silence for several years, and we all had to stare and gawk like sad, hungry street urchins as Japanese arcade gamers played VF5 Revision after Revision. VF5 Final Showdown is (I assume) the FINAL Revision, or at least, series of Revisions, of this particular chapter of VF, and from all indications it’s pretty kick-ass with lots of significant changes to the fighting action, up and over the addition of new, sinister Karateka character Jean Kujo and returning Sumo Taka-arashi. VF5FS saw the addition of VF’s answer to ‘Bound’ moves from Tekken 6- slamming moves which place the opponent in an odd half-standing, half-staggered stunned state, allowing for extended combos. Defense and blocking is allowed from side attacks, and there are tons of new techniques for everyone as well as new animations and reactions which make the action even more visceral and cool as the AM2 Team intends.
THANKFULLY we gaijin gamers are all getting VF5FS (and hopefully the newest version) via DLC on PSN and Xboxlive this coming Summer. Sega has recently begun the hype-train for their digital download fighter, continuing with the vid above- a segment at On the Spot over at Gamespot. Nicely enough, we finally get to see the actual game, including a look at the new Training mode, and the somewhat ridiculous knowledge that this game has over 10,000 customization items, many of which will be distributed via DLC (I’m sure the game will have a bunch already bundled in out of the non-existent box).
Obviously, Sega will want to milk as much money from this as possible, but I want this game so much that I have to say that they just price them reasonably, put them out ASAP and they’re freakin’ SOLD. I just want my arcade-perfect, complete VF5FS yesterday. For now, check out the vid above. Man, I can’t wait for summer.
Fast Tube by Casper The Sega devs talk history with their storied beat ‘em up.
It’s been a while since we heard last from the boys at Sega- but really, they’re set to bring us fighting gamers one gem of a download this coming Summer. Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown is still set for release on both PSN and Xbox360 several months from now, and I for one am hyped for this upgrade. Anyways, here’s what I hope to be just the first of many video features and trailers Sega will be releasing to build up the excitement for VF5FS, up until release. It’s a pretty interesting featurette, and should please gamers who appreciate the history of their fave titles. Man, I really want my VF5FS fix already. Please let there be no delays…
With just a few weeks left before we end 2011, the big fighting games have made their mark and are set for our very near future. I think it’s a good time to just look back and forth at what came, what’s coming and what we have to look forward to.
Tekken
Namco-Bandai’s flagship fighting franchise had a pretty interesting year, with titles being announced en masse. The Iron Fist crew made or will make an appearance pretty much on every platform- from PS3 to Xbox360 to Wii and 3DS, PSP and even a presence on iOS via the cute free Tekken Bowl app. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 hit arcades in Japan and Korea, and is primed to head off for international venues later on. A Holiday 2012 release for TTT2 on console has just been announced during the Spike TV Videogame Awards, although details are still pretty vague.
Tekken X Streetfighter, the Tekken Team-produced crossover fighter we know pretty much nothing about, is supposedly underway in development. We’ve seen some art of Ryu and Chun-Li rendered by Tekken’s official artist, and they look pretty good. Harada and company are apparently still deciding whether the game will be tag or single play-centered; I’m hoping for single… Tag Team is a bit overdone by now. I’m really much more intrigued and excited for this than the Capcom equivalent, due to the conceivably much more radical change of seeing the cartoony World Warriors in the semi-photorealistic Tekken style.
On the portable side, Tekken 3D Prime Edition hits the Nintendo 3DS in early 2012. What this package seems to be is a straight port of Tekken 6, with the full lineup of characters. Disappointingly, the game apparently has no customization feature, and touts only new stages and card collection as it’s extra activity. Yeah, I’m buying this but it looks pretty meh.
For now though, fans have the Tekken Hybrid package to chew on- while the visually impressive Tekken: Blood Vengeance movie will entertain for a while, it’s probably the Tekken Tag 2 Prologue demo which will occupy players for the duration. At just four characters available it seems kinda slim, but it’s a pretty good way to dip your toes into the game’s initially intimidating Tag mechanics, as well as a tantalizing glimpse of the fighting game awesomeness destined for consoles in late 2012.
Soul Calibur V
The return of this classic fighting series happens in late January or early February, with new fighters and old in the lineup. With a few slots still unrevealed, we may see some character surprises very soon. Really something to look forward to, thanks to the new gameplay mechanics, the truly impressive Character Creation mode and an intriguing storyline in a Story Mode apparently influenced by the impressive Mortal Kombat in-game narrative.
Surprisingly, we’ll also be seeing the Tale of Souls and Swords on Apple gadgets, as Soul Calibur will be released soon on iOS. Looks cool- if it plays great, it should be pretty awesome. With Streetfighter IV Volt and King of Fighters already on iOS, this makes the appstore a force to be reckoned with in terms of fighting games. What’s next? How about a real Tekken on my iPad?
Streetfighter
The past couple of months have seen a lull in the previous steamroller of a marketing train for Capcom’s current baby, Streetfighter X Tekken. This came after a pretty controversial reveal of the game’s Gem System- a way for upgrading or augmenting characters that has raised the hackles of many players. We’ve gone quite a while without any new character reveals, but Ono has given teases that there may be announcements made in January and perhaps late December- still many fighters to be unveiled, apparently. The game is supposedly in the home stretch of development, and should be ready for release in March 2012.
Released last month on PSN and Xboxlive was Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, with new characters like Dr. Strange and Phoenix Wright joining the chaos. UMVC2 will join Streetfighter X Tekken among Capcom’s offerings on PS Vita. Upcoming is a new mode called Heroes and Heralds which will have players either becoming the world’s embattled defenders or throwing their lot with Galactus as his silver-skinned servants.
Super Streetfighter IV Arcade Edition just saw a free update that further tweaks the gameplay and character balancing.
Skullgirls
I’m really intrigued at this gorgeous 2D fighter. The last couple of months have shown off two more character reveals in the dismember-happy Miss Fortune and the thuggish Painwheel. This looks promising and should be a hardcore beat ‘em up fan’s fave once it actually launches next year.
Dead or Alive 5
Got mixed feelings about this. The game visually has gotten upgrades, and Team Ninja is promising a lot- some of it not totally appealing. The game may become a QTE-fest, with flashy stunts in place of actual technique. Still, an upgraded, refreshed DOA is surely something to look forward to. I just hope it’s a real change and revision from the last game, and not just a slight inch-forward. The game’s currently at 15 percent completion, but is supposedly set for release in 2012. I say late 2012, if at all.
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
Since the announcement several months ago for this humongous DLC fighting upgrade, we’ve heard little, if anything at all. Hoping that the silence means that the Sega devs are hard at work making this as complete a package as possible. Meanwhile, a new revision adding more costumes has debuted in arcades, which I hope makes it into the console release as well. I can’t wait for this- hoping it arrives sooner than later. Look for this on PSN or Xboxlive in Summer 2012.
So many fighters, so little time left in 2011. This year I think saw the fighting genre finally back in the limelight and basking in fans’ appreciation. Next year looks to be a banner year for the Beat ‘Em Up, with titles aplenty coming and hopefully more will be announced. I think we’re all going to be busy blogging and brawling all year in 2012. Awesome!
Tekken X VF? Don’t lose hope… but don’t hold your breath, either.
If you’re a fighting game vet like me, you’ll know that the 3D fighting genre was basically started by Sega’s revolutionary beat ‘em up, Virtua Fighter. During the era when 2D sprites and digitized graphics ruled arcades, Sega threw in a curve ball called Virtua Fighter. Yeah, at the time the characters looked little more than marionettes and in still pictures, it did not impress at all. But when I saw this in motion (all at a blazing 30FPS!), my jaw detached and hit the floor with the force of a piledriver. Man, that was a sight to see. The force of punches, kicks and throws were more telling and impactful on 3D than I’d seen in the flashiest 2D game.
Well, since then, more 3D fighters have come and gone, with Namco-Bandai’s Tekken being one of the few fighting games to still stand tall today. Thankfully Sega hasn’t allowed their flagship beat ‘em up to die, even if other fighting games in their stable are things of gaming history by now. It’s always been a question in fighting game fans’ minds- what would happen if Tekken and VF met in a crossover? Who would win in a fight- Kazuya Mishima or Akira Yuki? Asuka Kazama or Aoi Umenokouki? King or Wolf Hawkfield? Ling Xiaoyu or Pai Chan?
Once, such a crossover may not have been even conceivable, but in this day and age when Streetfighter X Tekken and Tekken X Streetfighter are very real and very much incoming games, who’s to say that a Virtua Fighter X Tekken can’t come true? Well, thankfully not the Tekken Project’s director, Katsuhiro Harada. In a recent tweet, Harada answered a question regarding Tekken X VF. His answer?
“Possibility is not zero. I’d like to realize the dream match in the future.”
Thinking about it, such an encounter would be more a battle of styles and not quite the over-the-top match-up of SFxTekken, but still- a meeting between two titles with such stylistic differences; Tekken with it’s stronger emphasis on plot, super attacks and unblockables and fantastic touches, while VF has the more authentic, real-world fighting styles, tournament-style play and light (if non-existent) story elements. As of late, both games share some gameplay traits; stun moves that give way to long, extended combos and extensive character customization (although VF pretty much blows Tekken out of the water in terms of costume and item choices presently). What would be the result of this unholy pairing?
Sadly, this crossover, while not impossible, is also not likely- nor will it be coming anytime in the near future. Tekken’s schedule is already booked for the next three years or so. While next year VF5 Final Showdown’s much-anticipated console debut keeps the franchise going, who knows when the hopefully inevitable Virtua Fighter 6 will come? Will we even see the next wave of Tekkens and VFs on existing consoles?
Stranger things have happened, or are happening. All we can do is keep supporting our favorite fighters and help keep the genre alive and kicking. And keep dreaming of who’d win in a Nina Williams- Sarah Bryant match-up… it just may happen someday.
Fast Tube by Casper Soul Edge’s PS Intro: Always start a story with a rousing opening!
Ah, the Fighting Game genre. It’s certainly my most favorite of all videogame categories- my most beloved guilty pleasure in gaming. I’ve been playing fighters since I got into this hobby, from Streetfighter II on the Super NES to today’s Tekken 6 and Mortal Kombat remake. Many get into these games for the simple pleasure of owning someone else- the unabashed satisfaction of proving your dominance in the most blatant and base way possible- by sheer physicality or superior skill. Really, in the end, fighting games do of course boil down to a simple equation most eloquently shouted out by bloodthirsty masses in Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome- Two men enter, one man leaves. Well, sometimes Two women, or two THINGS. You get the picture, right?
Anyway, I think it’s a mark of a fan of these games themselves and not the sheer act of fighting that despite it being sheer gravy, that I put great importance on an aspect of these games that most often is glossed over- The Story.
Fast Tube by Casper The Fight- and The Story- is All.
Why is all this fighting going on, anyway? Who’s the ‘good’ guy? Who’s the ‘bad’ buy? What’s at stake? Should we care? In all seriousness, it does add to the enjoyment of a story that we know the backgrounds of each and every single character in a fighting game’s often voluminous roster of Playables, and to follow their blood-slogging climb to the top of the tournament ladder. Drama, comedy, horror, evil, good, jealousy, courage… all encapsulated in what basically is about two guys hitting each other until one goes down and stays down.
Hell, if man going mano-y-mano with one’s fellow man didn’t make for good drama, then Homer’s Iliad wouldn’t have been certified a classic since the freakin’ Ancient Greeks. But hey, wouldn’t the Iliad make for a damn awesome fighter?
Fast Tube by Casper MK didn’t always have great production values for it’s cutscenes…
This is probably something that fighting games spearheaded apart from other games- no longer did players fight to reach the end just to see a high score- they wanted to see an ENDING- something that couldn’t be quantified into any single number- but the satisfaction of reuniting your electronic avatar with his family, missing sibling or long-sought-after prize of revenge. Or a meeting with his country’s premier!
Anyway, relating a Fighting Game story has been done in various ways since the beginning. For the most part, the easiest and most expected way is the simple End Cutscene. Streetfighter II did it back in the day, rewarding the player’s victory over M. Bison with a bunch of screens with minimal animation and text. So effective was this that every game afterwards seemed to follow that same template- the ending was the reward, the narrative carrot dangled before the combatant. From SNK’s many brawlers like King of Fighters to Samurai Shodown to the original Mortal Kombat to every 90′s wannabee Streetfighter, it was all there in varying degrees of campiness.
Fast Tube by Casper Your usual, run-of-the-mill Story Mode ending.
Of course there are a few games that didn’t bother to tell their story- the most significant being Sega’s Virtua Fighter series. All semblance of narrative was placed firmly outside the games, in arcane literature or dictated by actual game tournaments. In many ways, I think, that’s why VF has never found a certain closeness to gamers, with the most hardcore fans of this particular brawler more invested in game mechanics, frame counts and simple gameplay.
Fast Tube by Casper Virtua Fighter’s Intro hints at a deeper story behind the fighters.
A benefit or detriment? Well, let’s just say that the fan support for VF, while rabid, is perhaps the smallest of all the big fighting game franchises. That’s not to say that the Virtua Fighters don’t have a story- it’s there, certainly, but just not being told as much. Perhaps when we are given a trail to follow and care for, perhaps that’s when VF will bloom to the emotional masses.
Fast Tube by Casper A Tekken CG Ending waaaay back in the PSOne days.
As game technology and CG animation got better, ending cinematics became slicker and more elaborate. Perhaps the series that most surely chronicles not only it’s characters’ personal sagas but also visualizes the gradual leap of graphical and animation quality is Namco-Bandai’s Tekken series- from the very basic and simple end cutscenes of the first Tekken on the original Playstation, the cinematic cutscenes have raised the bar with every installment afterwards.
Fast Tube by Casper Despite being an unpopular chapter, Tekken 4 placed more emphasis on story than most other installments in the franchise.
The series has now the reputation for these eye-catching cinematics, with perhaps the culmination of that reputation being the somewhat controversial Tekken: Blood Vengeance movie- perhaps the most complex cutscene yet for a fighting game.
Fast Tube by Casper Tekken 6 endings are gorgeously animated, but the stories told range from the cool to the downright silly.
Ironically, Tekken 6′s Scenario Campaign is actually a very different way of telling the game’s story, albeit the mode proved unpopular with some players. I actually found this a very engaging and enjoyable mode, though perhaps it could do with some improvements.
Fast Tube by Casper Mortal Kombat’s Story Mode is Epic in so many ways.
But CG visual quality isn’t the end-all and be-all of Fighting Game storytelling- Mortal Kombat proved this with it’s 2011 remake’s quite revolutionary Story Mode. It may have been a bit of a gamble on paper- a long and involved story told in real-time, in-engine graphics, visualizing the whole MK saga from the beginning to the future and back to the present, running many, many hours long and throwing the player into the boots of various warriors. But ultimately, it WORKED. Gamers got into the story, they loved it and acclaim for this way of doing the till-then tired Story Mode was pretty much universal. The one best thing about MK’s Story Mode? It showed one thing that other games always get wrong- The Ending is NOT the Story.
Mortal Kombat showed us that it was all about seeing the fighters’ tales unfold, seeing plots twist and turn and end up in outcomes we didn’t see coming and snowball to something we fear/await/dread was entertaining and kept us going hour after hour, through every fight till the very end.
Of course, MK isn’t the only fighter to have a long and involved Story Mode- just the most visible and perhaps the one boasting the highest production values. Truth be told though, 2D fighter Blazblue has a very involved and complex Story Mode as well, though told mostly in text or voice-driven static cutscenes but boasting multiple endings and paths, sometimes dictated by your victories or defeats.
Fast Tube by Casper Blazblue’s anime-style storytelling makes for many hours of battle, voice-acting and battling voice-acting.
Dead or Alive Dimensions on the 3DS was able to summarize it’s entire enigmatic decades-long saga with it’s rather long but entertaining main Story mode (. The upcoming King of Fighters XIII will also boast a Story mode bursting with replay value for multiple playthroughs when it arrives later this year on consoles.
Fast Tube by Casper The Soul Calibur series often featured interactive endings, where a button press could change the outcome.
Going back a bit, Namco-Bandai’s almost ill-fated Soul Calibur series has had a past filled with exceptional story modes. The original Soul Blade on PSOne had interactive endings where you could change the outcome of your fighter’s fate with a fast button press. Soul Calibur III had a Tales of Souls mode which boasted multiple paths and alternate endings- it encouraged multiple playthroughs so you could see all the possible endings and cutscenes, or unlock a very challenging boss encounter.
Sadly, SoulCalibur IV dropped many things from the previous installments, many of them conceivably fan favorite aspects that were sorely missed. Gone were the multi-aspect Story Mode and explorative minigames, in their place a generic Story Mode with a repetitive and generic cutscene and rather enigmatic endings. The Tower of Lost Souls, a challenging ladder game, proved to be more frustrating to many players than anything else. Perhaps the result? SoulCalibur IV was almost the last game in this long-running series, apparently only saved from the brink of oblivion by fan requests and support.
And so, what have we learned from all this? One important thing.
The Best Story Modes should be about The Journey, NOT the Ending. It’s about a story that’s compelling throughout, not just a prize waiting after all that’s said and done.
But would other fighters learn from this example? Only future fighters will tell. Or, perhaps, the next wave of fighters will.
Fast Tube by Casper Soul Calibur IV’s Endings looked great, but the overall storytelling left much to be desired.
Soul Calibur V, set for release in First Quarter 2012, looks to have a Story Mode that hopefully has been influenced by recent games. Though we’ve yet to get any solid information on the gameplay, we’ve seen screens showing a map screen, which should bode well for the chance that this won’t simply be a series of fights leading to one ending. At the very least, cutscenes and a pathways chosen by the player may be included, and hopefully challenges and encounters that add and encourage replay- something the series is not a stranger to, as we’ve seen.
With the future of this fan-supported fighter perhaps lying in SCV’s performance, I’m hoping they make the story something that really gets players involved and wanting more of this Tale of Souls and Swords for years to come.
Fast Tube by Casper Soul Calibur V, set 17 years after the last game, looks to have a story more dramatic than ever before.
With the current resurgence of Fighting Games as a popular genre in gaming, there will surely be more emphasis on the Story Mode. Thanks to Mortal Kombat’s high-profile success, we may expect even more epic storytelling to come from beat ‘em ups in the years to come. Hopefully we’ll see the Fighting Game story evolve into something truly enjoyable and interactive for gamers, so that our favorite fighters continue on and have their Tales Eternally Retold.
