New version of Street Fighter 4 to be revealed at EVO 2013

[Tek7]

A new version of Street Fighter 4 will be revealed prior to tomorrow night's Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition finals at EVO 2013, Capcom announced during its panel at the event.

The new version of the game, which will be distributed digitally as DLC as with Super Street Fighter 4's Arcade Edition update, will include five new characters, six new stages and various balance changes. Elena, Rolento, Hugo and Poison will be added to the game's character roster, in addition to a fifth mystery character.

The DLC pack will reportedly cost $15 when it launches on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC; a release date will be disclosed in early 2014.

Source: New version of Street Fighter 4 to be revealed at EVO 2013

If I had my Japanese table-flipping ASCII art at the ready, I would copy/paste it right now. This announcement makes me rage. The only reasons I bought SSFIVAE on disc for PS3 (and on sale for PC) were (1) I dropped approximately $80 total on a custom PS3 FightStick that also works on PC, (2) I was under the impression that SSFIVAE was the final edition of the game and thus "complete" and (3) the PC game was on sale for $3.74 per copy in a 4-pack.

I know others will greet this news with smiles instead of table-flipping, but I'm planning on shelving the game after this DLC is released and until it goes on sale for at least 75% off on Steam. I may look to sell my PS3 copies of SSFIV and SSFIVAE both. (I'm already looking to sell my copy of SSFIV.)

I also plan on not ever buying another Capcom fighting game after this.

</nerdrage>

So, I hear Skullgirls is scheduled for an August PC release...

 

[Tek7]

-Is this the last version of SFIV?
Seth Killian says this is the last version of the game. Don't take his announcement as the word of God. Things may change. At E3 Ono stated that if AE sells well enough, they may revisit the SFIV series down the line, but we should assume for now that most of the SFIV development teams will be focusing on SFxT. This goes for characters too.

Source: The Official SSFIV AE FAQ for GameFAQs

 

[Kendrik]

I also plan on not ever buying another Capcom fighting game after this.

Yeeaaaaah. They lost what little love I had left for them with antics surrounding SFxT. Too bad since I actually like SFxT as a game more than many of the more recent fighting games on the market, including SFIV. That said, short of a new Mega Man worth my time or the Alpha series getting a rerelease on PSN, I'm also done with buying Capcom products.

Honestly, I don't mind the principle of new title updates in itself. At least, I accept it as part of the industry. That said, I was also under the impression that SFIV was done getting updates like this. Can't say I'm surprised, though. Cashcom's gonna cash-in.

Skullgirls is coming, and it seems likely that Injustice will get a PC release too (especially with MK9 getting the PC port treatment). Time to get into doujin fighters like Yatagarasu.

 

[Tek7]

By releasing a FOURTH EDITION OF THE SAME GAME, they've made my copy of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (itself the THIRD EDITION OF THE SAME GAME) all but worthless for online play.

I spent ~$17 for SSFIVAE on disc from Amazon in hopes that I'd be able to sell my copy of SSFIV for $10 and recover some of the cost. I have not yet been able to sell SSFIV.

I spent ~$25 on SSFIV from Amazon when I bought it, meaning I've spent $42 so far for a game that will have a greatly diminished player base and, from my perspective, be incomplete.

I WOULD NOT have spent the money on SSFIVAE (especially since I don't play any of the 4 new characters and I don't care about the new modes) if Capcom employees had not said that AE would be the LAST version of the game and if Capcom had not withheld the balance updates from those without the AE DLC.

Ugh. I just wish I could get a partial refund for my copies of SSFIV and SSFIVAE, send them back to Amazon, and just boycott Capcom fighting games from here on. Next time, I'll know better. (I should have known better this time, but every indication pointed to AE being the last version of the game.)

 

[Tek7]

Kendrik! Let's play a bunch of SSFIVAE matches before the next SFIV DLC drops then move on to another fighting game after that.

(If only I could find a fighting game I like as much as SFIV. Capcom's development team is awesome, but I want to throw things at their business department. Reminds me of SEGA.)

 

[Keero]

You sir need to play Injustice: Gods Among Us. Easy controls, toned down violence, and really cool characters. Try the demo. :3

 

[Kendrik]

If Injustice does get the PC treatment, get in on a four-pack. At first, with its canned combos, it's easy to think that the game is easy mode. However, like Tekken, VF, and pretty much any other game with canned combos, it becomes clear that they are simply tools, and that technical skill for situationally putting those canned combos together and strategy for spacing and so on are still very much needed to win against other skilled opponents. It's fun and has a surprisingly varied cast (rather than 20 minor variations of shotos as happens in other games). I don't highly recommend the demo, though. It has negative edge (or at least did) that I don't believe can be turned off, and only offering Lex, Wonder Woman, and Batman makes me cringe (despite putting hours into practicing with Wonder Woman into the demo before the game came out lol).

Honestly, I really don't care for SFIV. I'd much rather play Third Strike or Alpha 3 (or even Alpha 2/Gold). Not to say I won't play some matches with you; I just don't enjoy the feel of the game compared to most other SFs. I actually like the feel of SFxT more. I don't mean to trash on something you enjoy, of course; it's just not my cup of tea. Still, I've no regrets in being done with modern Capcom fighting games. Would much rather play KoF, Injustice, anything from Arc, Virtua Fighter, Tekken, or even Soul Calibur (yes, even the new ones) since I enjoy them all notably more (even if I'm worse at all of them haha). Can't forget the aforementioned Skullgirls and growing doujin scene contributions like Yatagarasu.

What we really need to do is learn the MUGEN toolkit, find an artist, and develop a superior fighting game to our tastes.

But yeah. Hit me up if you want to play some matches (PC preferred). I haven't played since the last time we threw down, but that's alright. I'll just flowchart Ken and hope my fundamentals haven't gotten too rusty.

 

[Tek7]

I don't recall if I've played since our last matches (other than loading up Training Mode and letting my daughter "play" as Chun Li for 5 minutes until she gets bored with the game), so I am similarly rusty. I still can't decide if I want to stay focused on Chun or pick up Akuma for that familiar shoto groove.

After watching Popi's Cammy vs. Infiltration's Ryu at Dreamhack, I find myself wishing I had the mad combo skillz to do some damage with a character like Cammy. But I don't. So I won't.

I think one of the most aggravating things about Capcom announcing a FOURTH (sorry, I just can't seem to let that go) edition of SFIV is that I had zero interest in the 4 characters added in AE (I bought the game because I wanted a complete game and Capcom withheld the balance changes from SSFIV owners who didn't purchase AE) but Elena was always a favorite of mine in SF3.

As for Injustice: I am most definitely interested, but I don't see myself investing in any more PS3 fighting games at this point. Even at their lowest sale point on Amazon, PS3 games just can't compete with Steam sales when it comes to price. If Injustice comes to PC and if it goes on a crazy good sale, I'll very likely pick it up. I couldn't stand the gore of Mortal Kombat 9 (sorry, Mostly_Harmless) but I recognize the game had solid design. If Injustice is similar in design without the gore, then count me in.

As for favorite fighting games: Samurai Shodown IV was always one of my favorites, but probably because I rocked as Rimiruru. I don't think my execution has ever been as solid since my days playing that SSIV arcade machine at my community college (which was years ago).

As for playing fighting games with others: I'm happy to play fighting games online with others, but my <3 of fighting games started with playing Street Fighter II against Elihu and other friends, both in arcades and on home consoles. Fighting games are like brawlers (like classics such as TMNT and modern games like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) in that I'd much rather play them in the same space as the people I'm playing with/against. Besides the troubles inherent in playing with people across the country (read: netcode), there's just nothing quite like playing games with people in the same room.

I used to play fighting games with others at a local games shop on Saturdays, but that was before my daughter was born and I had to watch her on Saturdays. (My wife works on Saturdays.) I really enjoyed playing with local fighting games fans, but I don't see how I'd be able to join in the local fighting game fun any time soon.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer again; I know I'm vocal about my frustrations with Capcom and my rant about couch co-op in the good ol' days of my youth isn't particularly uplifting, but I did want to take a positive approach to this news instead of fuming, which is what prompted me to invite Kendrik to some SSFIVAE matches.

And now I'm just rambling.

TL;DR: I'm rusty at SSFIVAE, too. I still don't like Capcom. If I can get Injustice on PC for cheap, I plan to. I used to play games with people in the same room and now I play them online, which is cool but not quite the same. Let's play games and have fun.

 

[TOJ.LFL | MssngPrsn]

I can't really hate. If you knew how much money I've put into this game (Arcade play, traveling for tournaments, sticks, DLC, discs), you'd go nuts. $14.95 is a drop in the barrel for me at this point.

I've almost thought about buying the physical copy instead of the update, just to get the costume packs I didn't catch up on, but actually, it'd be more cost-efficient to get the update and just buy the costume packs I need to get.

I'm seriously considering buying this on steam when it gets in though. I've only been playing on 360, so PC version wouldn't be a bad investment.

And I also think I have one of every mainstream console's version of SF2. Also have a Super Famicom edition of SF2 Turbo. So believe me, I'm not against buying all these iterations. Did it before, and if all the content they add is worth it (for me, 5 characters is worth it already, but stages, new modes, rebalance, etc., is definitely worth it.)

 

[Kendrik]

I can't really hate. If you knew how much money I've put into this game (Arcade play, traveling for tournaments, sticks, DLC, discs), you'd go nuts. $14.95 is a drop in the barrel for me at this point.

Ehhh. Tek may (though I'd doubt it) flip tables over that, but I wouldn't. You sound like the dedicated competitive type. For folks like you, $15 ain't even something to worry about for a big update. If I wanted to play SFIV competitively, and Capcom still had even an spot of favor left with me, I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up either, though I would be bothered by the principle of it since I was also under the impression that AE was the last major update to SFIV. No complaint from me if you buy and enjoy it. I won't be picking it up, though. There are too many fighting games I enjoy on the market for me to sink more money into one that I don't enjoy. My days of trying to be up to date on all of the fighting games are seemingly over; I just stick with the ones I personally like now.

 

[TOJ.LFL | MssngPrsn]

Yeah, for me, there were only three games that I've gotten into competitively: Street Fighter, Tekken, and Soul Calibur.

I dropped Soul Calibur after V came out. It was faster sure, but it felt so scaled down compared to what was possible before.

I've tried BlazBlue, KOF, Marvel, and just keep coming back to Street Fighter. I haven't tried SkullGirls yet, and have never been sold on Mortal Kombat or Injustice.

But yeah, I mean, in games alone, I've paid $135 so far for 4 years of play in this game. Come Ultra, that's $150 for me. I can't complain about that, considering the amount of hours I've clocked in on Street Fighter. But yeah, this does isolate casuals from playing it. I don't like that simply because it cuts out a lot of potential matchmaking, and it sours them on the possibility of getting serious into the game.

I saw one guy illustrate that it's the same amount as a map pack for a FPS, but I haven't seen a company say "This is the last map pack" before then put out another map pack, so I get the frustration.

 

[Kendrik]

Aye. Honestly, if they treated these updates as new content and released compatibility patches, I think there'd be even less frustration. Price/value-wise, I do think $15 for a year (or more) of updates is fair in the DLC economy (though still think it's total nonsense that you had to pay $20 to play the extra SFxT characters already fully developed and on-disc). I don't even wanna know how much the average COD person pays for new map packs... on top of the cost of the roughly one new full game released every year.

I was an early adopter of SFIV, preordered it for full price. Bought Super for full price at launch. Bought AE retail shortly after launch. I've put my share of cash into the SFIV series too. Didn't regret it, especially not with respect to getting my money's worth. But, as my tastes have changed (or as I've become more secure in my tastes and play the games I like rather than trying to keep up on the most popular games), I don't plan to put any more money into the SFIV series.

Good luck with your SF play. Maybe some day before Ultra, you, me, Tek, Floyd (can't remember if you own AE PC), and whoever else can get an AE lobby up for the fun of it.

 

[TOJ.LFL | MssngPrsn]

Well, one thing I did appreciate about BlazBlue Continuum Shift, and Soul Calibur 4: Even if you didn't buy the DLC characters, you could play against them.

I did wind up dropping Continuum Shift because there were just far too many disc only updated copies coming out of the series, and didn't want to buy into it.

Well, hopefully, once I'm back on that side of the world, I'll be able to get in on that. I should be back in the winter, surely before Ultra comes out.

 

[Tek7@Work]

I can't really hate. If you knew how much money I've put into this game (Arcade play, traveling for tournaments, sticks, DLC, discs), you'd go nuts. $14.95 is a drop in the barrel for me at this point.

Oh, I didn't mean to suggest others should adopt my extreme frugality (and, as a consequence, nerd rage for having paid so much for what I consider an incomplete game). If you feel it's money well spent, then enjoy it! I don't play any one game enough to justify the expense of every-other-year DLC, but I understand many people pick one or a small handful of games and stick with those.

Another thing that bothers me (sorry, not done quite yet) is that Capcom doesn't provide the balance changes to those who choose not to buy the latest DLC. That was especially annoying since I wasn't interested in any of the 4 new AE characters. (I actually would really like to play as Elena, which is why I plan on buying the DLC on PC when it goes on sale for 75% off.)

 

[TOJ.LFL | MssngPrsn]

Yeah, I understand completely.

Now the big factor is exactly what is this mystery character? Depending on the jaw drops from seeing it, it may pique some more interest.

Oh, here's me knocking off the rust against some Korean players that just happened a few hours ago, one of which being Infiltration.

http://www.twitch.tv/cong_stream/b/435664665

Jump to 1:06:00 for my play.

 

[Tek7]

Yeah, I understand completely.

Now the big factor is exactly what is this mystery character? Depending on the jaw drops from seeing it, it may pique some more interest.

Oh, here's me knocking off the rust against some Korean players that just happened a few hours ago, one of which being Infiltration.

http://www.twitch.tv/cong_stream/b/435664665

Jump to 1:06:00 for my play.

Wait, what? You played against Infiltration? Like, the real Infiltration?

 

[TOJ.LFL | MssngPrsn]

Yeah. I've played him a few times before. Once in 2010 BEFORE he got 3rd at Evo, then again in 2011 after Evo.

Actually playing him in 2010, I wound up calling him a lock for top 3 at Evo that year when he finally went.

I've only once played his Akuma, and it wasn't pretty:

[video=youtube;3HURJaes2IM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HURJaes2IM[/video]

Two years ago he ran Evil Ryu up to a 30 game win streak in the arcade against various people, and in that twitch archive, he ran Rose up to a 20 game win streak against me solely.

TBH, Rose is always my worst matchup. And with Chun, I keep going retarded and not spacing right and not outpoking her. My zoning isn't the best, and I usually rely on rush down tactics. My Balrog did better, mainly because he had to be in her face. But the problem was, I couldn't stay in range, and got punished for trying to get in there.

Bizarrely, my Dee Jay actually did good, despite the fact that I dropped him 2 years ago and haven't touched him since. There was something on the timing of reflecting his fireballs that Infiltration kept messing up. And there really is a weird timing with his fireballs anyway. For a lot of the time, I was abusing light slash because Infiltration couldn't catch them with reflect well at all.

 

[Kendrik]

That's one of the things I really like about some (perhaps most?) of the pro players: They actually are involved in local scenes. When I lived in SoCal, I was an hour (without traffic) from Super Arcade, where Justin Wong, Alex Valle, and others could be seen for events or even weekly non-event gatherings. I'm outside of Tampa now, and Jebailey (an Orlando bloke) makes his way over for events from time to time. It's pretty cool.

I watched some of your matches. Definitely looked tough. I enjoyed watching your Boxer especially.

 

[Tek7]

I watched some of your matches last night, MssngPrsn (man, it's hard to type a name without vowels). Good stuff! I forgot how difficult Rose can be to play against in the hands of a solid player. So. Much. Defense.

 

[Floyd The Barber]

Thanks for posting the videos MssngPrsn. If you know of any upcoming tournaments your gonna be in that will be streamed live let us know. I'll be rooting for you!