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Choose Your Fighter Wisely, GrasshopperDec 15 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in PlayStation 2 Games
The Bottom Line Just read the guide silly!
An Introduction to Fighters When I first started playing games, fighters were my least favorite genre (type) of game. However, over the recent years fighting games slowly became my favorite, and now that’s almost all I play. While fighting games’ peak point was long ago, they are still going strong today. With series like Tekken, Virtua Fighter, and Street Fighter; the fighting genre will always be one to last. Although fighters are only one genre; they have many subcategories within them. For starters, you have your 2-D and 3-D fighting games; from there you have many continuing categories in which appeal to different types of gamers. When gaming was first invented, all we were capable of was 2-D, but now we are in an age where 3-D is on the verge of taking over the genre. Naturally, people who grew up with 2-D are most likely to stick with 2-D, but people who are introduced to 3-D early in their gaming life will too most likely stick with 3-D. Now, there is an equal balance between the two, but it is not certain how long that balance will last. Unfortunately, there are people who like and dislike games for the wrong reasons; graphics being one. However, their ignorance actually benefits us under certain circumstances. There are people who will remain 2-D fans until the end, but some 3-D fans bash 2-D games calling them outdated. We benefit from them because they fuel that balance as mentioned above. And while it is perfectly fine for a gamer to prefer a type of fighter over another type of fighter, a true gamer will accept any game so long as its fun, and that’s what games are supposed to provide: fun. Fighting games don’t appeal to everyone, however. And with the complex games that are coming out now, some people consider fighting games to be too simple. Although that is their opinion, typically those people either played a fighter and button mashed, or didn’t play a fighter at all. Fighting games actually require a lot of thought process, and sometimes you don’t even realize it. While this applies to most fighters, there are some that are button mashers; Marvel vs. Capcom 2 being one of them. But before I go into all that detail yet, we have to get the basic question down: Are fighting games for you? Many will argue that fighting fan’s have long attention spans, but that is not the case. I’ve had trouble due to a short attention span, but I still play fighters - for a long time. It all depends on what approach you take. It is only a limited amount of time until the joy of button mashing runs low, but if you actually strategize, fighters can provide lots of fun. Still, not all fighters allow you to choose your approach; it forces you. The reason being is because the game-play lacks depth. Depth is the concept in which every fighter should follow. To understand depth is to understand a fighter better. Sometimes, to give a good definition, you must use an example, so hopefully you will understand depth by this. If you play a fighting game, and you simply press a button 3 times and pull off an 80-hit combo, then that would mean it took no skill level…which would mean it had no depth. In order for a game to have depth, it must require at least some skill level. A game with great depth would take at least 2 weeks to discover everything (moves, combos, etc.). Choosing Your Fighter Like every genre, there are good fighters and bad fighters. Since advertising can be deceiving, I have put together a list of not only my favorites, but best-sellers is America and Japan. In addition, at my local arcade, I surveyed 10 people. Hopefully, this list will be as helpful as I think it will be! Two Cultures: While in the end we are all just people, different video games succeed in different countries. The two major countries in the industry are America and Japan, and our taste in games is often quite different. However, fighting games do well in both countries. But on the other hand, many fighting games that were successful in Japan were not successful in America (and vice versa). Take the Virtua Fighter series for example; it was very successful in Japan, leading it to 4 more sequels and breaking off onto many different gaming systems. America was a different story for this series, partially due to the fact of it’s steep learning-curve. So get the opinions of all me, Japan, and America! Now, for what was my sweat & blood for two weeks: The List First off, I’m going to show the results of the 10 people, but before you read those results, look at the key for all of options they had as answers. The Key 1) Yes No 2) Hardly-Ever Occasionally Frequently All the time 3) (Varies) 4) (Varies) 5) Never Occasionally Frequently All the Time 6) PS2 X-Box Gamecube Other Arcade-Only 7) (Varies) 8) 1-3 4-6 7-9 10 None 9) 1 2 3 4 5 10) Yes No Somewhat Person #1 1) Do you play fighting games? Yes 2) How often do you visit the arcade? Frequently 3) What is your favorite type of game? Fighting 4) Who is your favorite game-maker? Namco 5) How often do you play fighters? All of the time 6) What is your favorite video game system? PS2 7) What is your favorite video game of all time? Tekken 4 8) Over the last 6 months, how many video games have you purchased? 1-3 9) How many video game systems do you own? 3 10) Do gaming magazines influence your opinion on games? Somewhat Person #2 1) Do you play fighting games? Yes 2) How often do you visit the arcade? Occasionally 3) What is your favorite type of game? Dancing/Music 4) Who is your favorite game-maker? Konami 5) How often do you play fighters? Hardly-Ever 6) What is your favorite video-game system? Arcade-Only 7) What is your favorite video game of all time? Dance Dance Revolution 8) How many times do you play that game per visit? 6-9 9) Do you plan on purchasing a video game system, if yes, which one? Yes, PS2 10) Do gaming magazines influence your opinion on games? No Person #3 1) Do you play fighting games? No 2) How often do you visit the arcade? All of the time 3) What is your favorite type of game? Shooting 4) Who is your favorite game-maker? Not for sure 5) How often do you play fighters? Never 6) What is your favorite video-game system? PS2 7) What is your favorite video game of all time? Silent Scope 8) Over the past 6 months, how many video games have you purchased? 1-3 9) How many video game systems do you own? 2 10) Do video game magazines influence your opinion? Yes Person #4 1) Do you play fighting games? Yes 2) How often do you visit the arcade? Occasionally 3) What is your favorite type of game? Fighting 4) Who is your favorite game-maker? Capcom 5) How often do you play fighters? All of the time 6) What is your favorite video game system? Other (Dreamcast) 7) What is your favorite video game of all time? Marvel vs. Capcom 2 8) Over the past 6 months, how many video games have you purchase? 4-6 9) How many video game systems do you own? 5 10) Do video game magazines influence your opinion? Somewhat Person #5 1) Do you play fighting games? No 2) How often do you visit the arcade? Hardly-Ever 3) What is your favorite type of game? Racing 4) Who is your favorite game-maker? Don’t Know 5) How often do you play racing games? All of the time 6) What is your favorite video game system? X-Box 7) What is your favorite video game of all time? Cyber Cycles 8) Over the past 6 months, how many video games have you purchased? 1-3 9) How many video game systems do you own? 2 10) Do video game magazines influence your opinion? No Person #6 1) Do you play fighting games? Yes 2) How often do you visit the arcade? Occasionally 3) What is your favorite type of game? Fighting 4) Who is your favorite video game maker? Don’t Know 5) How often do you play fighting games? Frequently 6) What is your favorite video game system? Don’t Know 7) What is your favorite video game of all time? Soul Caliber 8) Over the past six months, how many video games have you purchased? 1-3 9) How many video game systems do you own? 2 10) Do video game magazines influence your opinion? Yes Person #7 1) Do you play fighters? Yes 2) How often do you visit the arcade? All of the time 3) What is your favorite type of video game? Don’t Know 4) Who is your favorite video game maker? Don’t Know 5) How often do you play fighting games? Occasionally 6) What is your favorite video game system? Other (Super Nintendo) 7) What is your favorite video game of all time? Super Mario 64 8) Over the past 6 months, how many video games have you purchased? None 9) How many video game systems do you own? 3 10) Do video game magazines influence your opinion? Somewhat Person #8 1) Do you play fighters? Yes 2) How often do you visit the arcade? Occasionally 3) What is your favorite type of video game? Fighting 4) Who is your favorite video game maker? Don’t Know 5) How often do you play fighting games? Frequently 6) What is your favorite video game system? PS2 7) What is your favorite video game of all time? Don’t Know 8) Over the past 6 months, how many video games have you purchased? 4-6 9) How many video game systems do you own? 2 10) Do video game magazines influence your opinion? Yes Person #9 Do you play fighters? Yes How often do you visit the arcade? Frequently What is your favorite type of game? Fighting Who is your favorite video game maker? Capcom How often do you play fighting games? All of the time What is your favorite video game system? PS2 What is your favorite video game of all time? Don’t know Over the past six months, how many video games have you purchased? 1-3 9) How many video-game systems do you own? 5 10) Do video game magazines influence your opinion? Somewhat Person #10 1) Do you play fighters? Yes 2) How often do you visit the arcade? Occasionally 3) What is you favorite type of game? Sports 4) Who is your favorite video game maker? Don’t Know 5) How often do you play fighting games? Occasionally 6) What is your favorite video game system? Other (PSX) 7) What is your favorite video game of all time? WWF Smackdown 8) Over the past 6 months, how many video games have you purchased? None 9) How many video game systems do you own? 1 10) Do video game magazines influence your opinion? Yes From this, we can conclude how popular fighting games are: 8 out of 10 people play fighting games 4 out of 10 people go to the arcade frequently/all of the time 5 out of 10 people like fighting games the most 5 out of 10 people play fighting games frequently/all of the time 8 out of 10 people are influenced a lot or somewhat by video game magazines From the results of the first 3 questions, we can conclude fighting games are popular. From the result of the last question, we could assume that biased reviews could cause some gamers to steer away from a title. The relevancy of all this is that fighting games are a popular genre, and one person’s opinion could persuade many. This is one reason why some great fighters don’t succeed. However, the following list will lead free you from unbiased info - with my opinions, America’s opinion, and Japan’s as well. My favorite fighting games: 10) Tekken 2 and up The hard facts: A 3-D, martial arts fighter made by Namco. The Tekken series have taken over the PSX, GBA, and arcade. What I think: While Tekken could never compare to the likes of Virtua Fighter, or have a super in-depth fighting system, it does provide fun combos to pull off. 9) Art of Fighting Series The hard facts: A 2-D, martial arts fighter made by SNK. AoF was released for a multitude of systems, but never did all that great (except in Japan). What I think: Art of Fighting appeals to a small, small, amount of gamers. But, I consider it a classic for it’s unique take on game-play. 8) Samurai Showdown Series The hard facts: A 2-D, weapon-based fighter made by SNK. Samurai Showdown was release on many platforms, and the arcade as well, but was best known on the SNK made system Neo Geo. What I think: While Samurai Showdown has it’s flaws, being just a little outdated, but it has an abundance of positive things that make this game an instant classic. 7) Street Fighter Alpha 3 The hard facts: A 2-D, martial arts fighting game made by Capcom. Street Fighter Alpha 3 was released for Playstation, Dreamcast, and it’s most recent port, on the Game Boy Advance. What I think: Street Fighter Alpha 3 was what got me really into fighting games - perhaps because it brought back memories of Street Fighter 2 Turbo which I hadn’t played for years. The fighting system is fairly deep, and it is a fun and note-worthy title. 6) Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike The hard facts: A 2-D, martial arts fighting game made by Capcom. Street Fighter 3 was released for the Dreamcast, but did best in the arcade. While it wasn’t too successful in the U.S., it did quite well in Japan. It introduced new characters and the parry system, which added a little flair to it. What I think: I prefer SNK over Capcom overall, however, SF3:3S is a worthy title. It is strategic, but at the same time provides fast-paced game-play. 5) Last Blade Series The hard facts: A 2-D, weapon-based fighting game made by SNK. Released for many systems, but did the best on Neo Geo and in the arcade. What I think: As a whole, Last Blade is better than Samurai Showdown. However, many think differently. It never got the publicity like Samurai Showdown, and it didn’t do quite as well either. The game-play is deep, and the story is more intriguing. 4) King of Fighters Series The hard facts: A 2-D, martial arts based fighting game made by SNK. KoF was actually created by ex-Capcom employees who left to join SNK. The game includes new, original characters, but favorites of other series as well. What I think: This is one of, if not the most, popular game made by SNK. With it’s combination of characters, unique fighting system, and frequent sequels, King of Fighters makes a great series. 3) Street Fighter 2 (All of them) The hard facts: A 2-D, martial arts based fighting game made by Capcom. This game created the whole fighting game thing. Released for the SNES and the arcade, this game is the grand-daddy of all fighters. What I think: Memories of walking to my friend’s house every Tuesday and Thursday to play this game still stand strong in my mind. This game was truly revolutionary. We’re getting closer… 2) Virtua Fighter 3tb & 4 The hard facts: A 3-D, martial arts based fighting game made by AM2 (namely Yu Suzuki). Released for DC(3tb) and PS2(4), but did better in the arcades. What I think: The most in-depth fighter(s) you could ever find. Drum roll… 1) Fatal Fury Series The hard facts: A 2-D, martial arts based fighting game made by SNK. The Fatal Fury series was a long one, but not quite as long as the Street Fighter series. What I think: Many either dislike or love the 2-lane feature, but that contributes the most to the fun factor for me. The series, as a whole, is the definition of hardcore fighting. So… To each is own they say, but at least now you have my top 10 favorite. Don’t get me wrong, there are many other note-worthy titles out there, but they just didn’t make it to my top 10 list. Japanese & American Markets A simple way to compare and contrast these two markets is to show you my observations of three arcades - one in Tokyo, one in Northern California, and the other in Miami. A year ago, I went to Tokyo. While I was there, I visited an arcade known as Club SEGA. I had the privelage of staying there for a couple of weeks, so I visited the arcade frequently. My observations (keep in mind they are quite simple) Tokyo -Virtua Fighter was very popular (99% of the time someone was playing) -Capcom vs. SNK (Pro at the time) was very popular -Many older games (Final Fight, for one) were there -There was no MvC2 machine (I know I didn’t see one, unless I missed it) -Guilty Gear X was very popular California -Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was very popular -Guilty Gear X was very popular -There was no Virtua Fighter machine Miami -Capcom vs. SNK was very popular -Guilty Gear X was very popular -Virtua Fighter was semi-popular What does this conclude? These are merely observations, but they do somewhat show the difference in the markets. Oh, and encase you were wondering - these are honest to God observations. :) Also, USA dominates in the VS. Series tournaments, however, Japan dominates in about every other fighting game. What are you talking about? If you do not know of any of the games I’ve referred to, please feel free to contact me or check out some reviews :) The Question Remains Unanswered Now that you’ve seen my favorites, Japan’s favorites, and America’s favorites, the question still remains: Are fighting games for you, and if so, which ones? While I can give you suggestions, only you can answer that question. Try renting, or visiting your arcade. However, there are key things to look for in a game, but yet again; those key things vary depending on your preference. Oh, but my guide hasn’t stopped here! :) To find out what you like best, try renting 2 different games to see the differences in each game. Find the pros and cons, and emphasize on what you like best about what game and why. That way, you’ll find the key thing that you can look in other fighters. The End and Happy Gaming I surely hope this helped you; it took me an awful long time to write! Well, whatever it is you like…go for it! You only live life once - why not live it playing the games you like? :) Toodles!  |
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