Hello there you handful of wonderful people you. It's been a while since I posted that big wall of text rambling on about not having time to write this blog as I want to but lo and behold today I have a free hour or so and there are some news storys I feel like commenting (aka ranting) about.
As I've been so focused on it previously, I have to make mention of the recently announced Sonic Generations, releasing this year to mark Sonics 20th anniversary. A gameplay trailer has just been released that highlights what fans ought to be fussed about - classic Sonic is back.
I'll admit, watching the Sonic I grew up with in fully realised 3d did get a momentary blip of excitement out of me but then I kept in mind the track record for the series and immediately put that anticipation to rest. There's not much footage to go on, but once more it's clear that the way Sonic handles isn't true to the older games. The writer of the article I linked argues that different doesn't mean bad but when I want to play a Sonic game I want to play a Sonic game, not a platformer featuring Sonic. The same writer also linked to this far more interesting fan remake preview -
I see staggering work like this put next to what Sega puts out, the dedicated time and effort of two or three people over shadowing an entire company, and it makes me wonder what is causing such a dearth of creative output at Sega. The easy and obvious answer is interference from the bunsiness side of things using demographics and other assorted tools to deminish whatever might make a game unique so that it appeal to the lowest common denominator. Guess it's a good thing I'll be sticking to fan made projects when it comes to Sonic for the foreseeable future.
Next up it's my old friends over at Capcom. They've finally admitted that Super Street Fighter 4, the game they said was the definitive edition, will now be updated through a large DLC bundle. The package, titled Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition, will be released with four new characters complete with animated intros and endings, character balancing and changes to the replay channel allowing a player to view matches between high level players. There will also be a stand alone retail version of the game released at full price a couple of weeks later than the DLC.
My first issue is with the idea of charging for improvements that ought to be given for free. Character balancing seems like a very poor choice to be doled out as DLC as I have to wonder what will happen to those who dont download it but then play online against someone who has. Will they not be able to connect? Will the changes be given out freely behind our backs without a fuss in an effort to enhance the supposed value of the package?
The second thing on my mind is the cost. It's being released as DLC at £14.99, the same cost as half of the original costume packs. Certainly this is a step in the right direction but then I think about Marvel vs Capcom 3 and how one character costs a third of that price. I can only hope that this is a sign of Capcom realising that they're over charging on useless content, I somewhat doubt it though because...
Capcom are charging for the shadow battle mode for Marvel vs Capcom 3! It's nice to be vindicted and all, having already seen this coming, but it's a real shame to see content like this sold given it's limited use.
One last word on Marvel vs Capcom 3, Capcom have gone on record saying there's no more DLC planned for it. Ever. No more characters, or costumes (even if they are terrible), nothing. My prediction, expect Super Marvel vs Capcom 3 sometime early next year.
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