It's been a long time since I've made a DOA Community blog, but with the recent news surrounding Evo and more recently the DOA Festival in Japan (congrats to all who participated in both events BTW), there were minor subjects I wished to tackle into a similar theme for this blog. For many of you, this may become all but familiar with you, and you may be doing your best to reassure a positive image for the FGC as a whole. To those people, kudos to you. For others, I shall enlighten the best I can in my own words.
In Evo, it has come to many people's attention that 3D fighting games are rapidly declining, as Tekken was the only main lineup game that met the criteria, with Dead or Alive 5 Last Round being one of the more popular "side game" events backed by Eric "Big E" Small of Big E Gaming as the host and sponsor. Over the years, games such as Soul Calibur 5 and even the acclaimed Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown failed to gauge interest for a main lineup game at Evo, and as a result a stigmatic notion of 2D fighters being "the true fighting game community" came to existence. That being said, what is the identity of the FGC, anyway? Is it really just the 2D FGC then, if they are dominant in the most prestigious tournament in the world?
Now it can be argued that since the dawn of the genre, 2D fighting games have always been the norm, and was easier to get used to for generations. It can also be argued that 3D fighting games - for the most part - were in an experimental stage in the 90s and didn't really find that competitive stride until the 2000s. But none of this matters if no one is willing to put in the time for it, so we must ask ourselves, what is it that makes 3D fighters less popular in tourneys? These reasons can be broken down into a few common delusions often mentioned by detractors:
"The learning curve is too damn high, even for a single character!"
"3D fighters aren't just complicated, they aren't as exciting to watch!"
"The (insert game here) community is full of elitist a-holes who hate appealing to casuals and think only of themselves!"
NOTE: For each delusion, there is a reality.
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Delusion #1: "The learning curve is too damn high, even for a single character!"
For many seasoned 2D fighting game players looking to translate their skills into a 3D fighter, this could become a huge problem, especially if you're not well-versed in the basic rules of what defines a 3D fighter: string-based combinations, ground-based combat, and sometimes, the environment within the arena itself.
NOTE: Each section of this passage will be presented with a brief similarity, followed by the reality of each similarity.
1) String-based combinations are a succession of sequential buttons sometimes associated with a direction on certain intervals of the string. These can be canceled or delayed at any time, but may have different frames of recovery depending on which interval of the string you choose to stop the string, Some strings connect to throws, while others - like in the Virtua Fighter series - require a single frame of a second (which is 1 in 60 frames per second) to connect successfully.
Similarity: In 2D fighting games - particularly those in the Street Fighter series, you did not have preset combo strings. Instead, you had to sequentially connect attacks of different attack strengths during the connection of a hitstun based on the recovery of the attack, which became commonly known as linkers/links. What's more, in the Street Fighter 4 games, some attack combinations required one single frame of a second to connect successfully.
Reality: No matter how you dress it up, some 2D and 3D fighting games have higher barriers of execution, and some others do not. It all boils down to personal preference.
2) Ground-based combat involves less emphasis on aerial combat and more emphasis on evasion and movement in a 3D plane. In some instances, you can dodge linear attacks by sidestepping, but unable to dodge full circular attacks up close. In the Dead or Alive series in particular, these types of attacks are simplified into tracking and non-tracking attacks.
Similarity: In 2D fighting games, you are limited to a linear plane - left to right - however, you also have standard jumping to further expand your evasive maneuvers, particularly with projectiles, which are common in this style of fighting games. Like in 3D fighting games, you have ranged attacks that may aid in you dealing damage while being at a safe distance.
Reality: 2D and 3D fighting games both have ways of going on the offensive while at the same time being at a relatively safe distance. Both require significant matchup experience and knowledge of the different types of fundamentals to use them properly. Once again, it's a matter of preference.
3) Lastly, there is the use of the environmental hazards. Now granted, 2D fighting games have started to implement something similar to this in "Injustice: Gods Among Us". But for over a decade, 3D fighting games (particularly the Dead or Alive series) have always implemented the stage as the secondary star of the show. And oftentimes, if you knock an opponent to certain areas, you can score bigger damage than normal, and even continue your offense free of retaliation. But it required strategic positioning to pull off all the same.
Similarity: While Injustice and Mortal Kombat X may be the two competitive 2D fighting games in recent memory to implement the environment in full similarly to Dead or Alive, some games such as Marvel vs. Capcom 3 utilize this to a minor extent with hard knockdowns and character-specific trap techniques, which allowed the player to relaunch or OTG (off-the-ground) an opponent to extend their lengthy combo.
Reality: 2D and 3D fighting games - especially in this modern era - have ways of using hazardous placements in the arena to extend damage to the opponent and press on the offensive. And once again, it all boils down to preference.
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Delusion #2: "3D games aren't just complicated, they aren't as flashy and exciting to watch!"
Let's take a flashback. December 1993. 2D arcade fighting games were approaching their zenith, and there were tons of companies bringing out their own imitators of Street Fighter 2, with very few stealing its thunder. Enter Sega AM2's Virtua Fighter, the first 3D fighting game. Unlike any other 2D fighting game at the time, it didn't have flashy projetiles, over-the-top chop-socky special moves, none of that. It was at the time the closest we could get to simulated real-life martial arts-- fighting at its purest. For the time, it blew fans away, with its sequel improving on it in every way the following year with an improved 60fps rate, full 3D backgrounds, and texture mapping that blew Tekken - and even Tekken 2 - out of the water.
Then along came Virtua Fighter 3 in 1996, with graphics way, way ahead of its time. In fact it was so far ahead that the current-gen consoles simply couldn't handle it. Even so, it was guaranteed to munch quarters for days, right? Well... sort of. At this point of time, the VF series had two things fans weren't in full agreement with-- undulated platforms (or sloped floors) and a separate evade button.
Undulated floors caused air juggles to become too powerful on descending slopes and too weak on ascending slopes, while the evade button was thought to be an unnecessary tool for a game that has since removed the floaty jump mechanic (which was the reason evasion eventually changed to double tapping up or down in VF4) Because of this, fans became divided, which eventually caused a chain reaction of dismissal for the game being difficult to manage at entry level. It also didn't help that because the Model 3 was so powerful, a new console that would support it fully wouldn't be ready anytime soon-- not for another 3 years on the Sega Dreamcast. Which by then, the game showed its age, and even then wasn't a completely faithful port of the original graphically.
As a result of this setback, Dead or Alive, Tekken, and Soul Calibur became the de facto 3D fighting games of choice among even the most casual of crowds, and for a time, Virtua Fighter - once the cream of the crop many associated 3D fighting games with - fell by the wayside outside Japan, with its fans eagerly awaiting another installment to really show off the potential the 6th generation consoles could bring during the late 1990s - early 2000s.
Tekken's strengths were in its stylistically personalized characters, cinematic flair with character endings, and aesthetics and mechanics "hardcore" enough to be accepted by players of all skill levels.
Dead or Alive's strengths - aside from its beautiful women and limitation-pushing graphics - was its simplified universal hold system, a likeness to Virtua Fighter's button scheme, its innovative use of environments, and an overall "easy to learn, hard to master" mindset.
Soul Calibur's strengths were quite similar to how Samurai Showdown became a sensation in the 2D fighting game market at the time, being the weapons-based 3D fighter of choice (albeit Last Bronx precededed it). It also helped that among the 3D fighting games going to console, Soul Calibur's Dreamcast version actually surpassed the quality of its original arcade version, paving the way for video game consoles being just as powerful - if not more - than their original arcade counterparts.
But what matter of flair did Virtua Fighter - the granddaddy of 3D fighters that started it all - have to offer to appeal to the casual fanbase? Not much. Just simulated martial arts, some corny voice acting, and barebones / ho-hum environs. AM2 knew they had to evolve. With the Dreamcast being axed nearly worldwide in favor of the PS2, Sega sought it best to bring their Naomi 2 arcade board sequel - Virtua Fighter 4 - to the PS2. This time, it offered us something no other 3D fighter was doing at the time... character customization. To an extent, this was the casual appeal of the game, along with what would eventually be a comprehensive tutorial that pulled out all the stops for various skill levels that has since been unmatched. Eventually, Tekken would follow suit for character customization in Tekken 5 after making similar mistakes VF3 did with Tekken 4.
By now you're probably wondering what point I'm trying to get to. Accessibility, casual appeal, and character were the keys to the success of DOA, Tekken, and Soul Calibur at the time. AM2 knew this and knew they fell short by the time VF3TB made its way to consoles, thus the decisions made with VF4. While it didn't quite meet the success of VF2, it was enough to get the attention of outside countries.
Reality: The truth is, 3D fighters have increasingly been making efforts to be pleasing to the eyes as a spectacle as well as part of the action over the last two decades... especially the likes of the Dead or Alive 5 series with its cinematic Power Blows and over-the-top Power Launchers. Which leads us to the final delusion:
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Delusion #3: "The (insert game here) community is full of elitist a-holes who hate appealing to casuals and only think of themselves!"
Before we go into this subject, I want to make clear that it's not all of said community that's a-holes. I'm well aware that there are good people amidst the bad in every community. But let's face it. In this generation where we can practically sit at home and interact with people who share the same interest in the game, there sure is a lot of people who would rather waste time puffing their own chests on who they made salty and ragequit, showing it off to their friends in said community like a dad-gummed war scar. It doesn't matter if they're newcomers, veterans, or people just looking to have fun and BS with new stuff... these kind of people come in bulk online, and this, my friends, is the real problem with the FGC today. It only amplifies with 3D fighting game communities when it hasn't been established as long as, say, Capcom's 2D fighing games.
Reality: The true identity of the fighting game community isn't based on what gets the most turnouts at the most prestigious tournament in the world. It's about an integrated fighting game community that makes the difference in getting a scene for the game you love ANYWHERE YOU CAN.
Honestly, you have to one day stop and ask yourself what's the point in showing off another player's salty tears unless the player took it on a personal level that would endanger your life or someone else's? When are you gonna be about something other than that bully in the online playground looking for candy to snatch from infants? When do you wanna stop being that fanboy who worships said popular player and become that popular player yourself? Granted, not everyone can win or place, much less attend every tourney to support their game, but one way you can still be influential to your community in a good way is by not being that guy who shows off someone else's hatemail as bragging rights, which as simple as it sounds, makes you a lot more welcoming than most. For more on that, click here:
http://awesmic.blogspot.com/2014/08/doa-community-blog-5-hatemail-is.html
In my next segment of "Integration, Not Identification", I will cover the controversy regarding the resurfacing of DOAX3, and the imposed identity crisis of DOA fandom surrounding that of those who like the fighting games and the DOAX games.
Until next time...
