The Juri’s Still Out

We’ve been talking a lot about the “cult of the new” on the podcast and message boards lately, and I’m admittedly more susceptible to this phenomenon than anyone else on the ‘cast. But for all of my idiotic impulses buying, I still find myself routinely going back to Street Fighter IV. I’m not going to pretend that I even know what I’m talking about when we have Nicolo over here pouring over minutiae from the latest King of Fighters, but I do like to unwind with some hundred-hand slaps every now and then. While my much beloved Street Fighter III‘s series always confounded with its split-second parries, the countering in IV strikes the perfect newbie-friendly balance, and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of the core World Warriors introduced so many years ago.

my reaction to the SSFIV announcement

So when Super Street Fighter IV was announced in late September, I was a little hesitant to jump on board. It’s true that eight new fighters is practically two sequels worth for a game in this genre, and now that Dee Jay and T. Hawk have been checked off the list, we’re all but assured at least one or two of my Alpha and III favorites. Supposedly, online improvements are on the way too, thank goodness. But shouldn’t this all be DLC? (Yes!)

I had started a blog about this and ultimately scrapped it just because I figured this was just how Capcom does things, and that no amount of bitching was going to make anything happen. But then the Resident Evil 5 folks declared yesterday that rabid internet fans (and a site poll) have forced them to make the new Alternative Edition addendum downloadable content. Where are these rabblerousers on the Street Fighter front? As much as we love that series here at The Rumble Pack, I don’t think any of us are too eager to spring for the next discs. And why can’t all the development teams adhere to the DLC philosophy? It just seems incredibly backwards.

But apparently, democracy in gaming can work if Capcom will directly ask us. So my suggestion to everyone is not to let up. (And no, I don’t mean petitions.) If this bothers you like it does me, vote with your dollars. I know I at least plan to frown at the cashier when I buy my copy. But this complacency over perpetual iterations has diminishing returns, and I’d rather not see fighting games die again.