Soul Calibur 6 Discussion

[Ninjaguy446]

Since you are biased about it then, I'm just gonna say that for a company like Namco to put money on a game like SC and hoping it would fail would be absurd.


Lack of offline modes and 0 activity with fans of the genre like you said are hurting the franchise. The 1st also applies to TTT2. So I agree 100%
In SC II, people knew what the game offered. In SCV, I personally didn't even know what to expect. There wasn't a big scene for me to judge the gameplay, and I found the inclusion of Ezio only when I saw the cover! The game needs better marketing.
I'm not sure if the changes in gameplay have beed welcomed by the fans.

Sorry, you're right, the way I worded that didn't convey what I meant. Namco rushed SC5 out of the door before it was completely finished, while TTT2 was right around the corner. They couldn't have expected it to sell as well as it could've if they gave PS more time.

 

[Nyte]

It's funny, three fuckin' years have passed since SCV's release and SCVI still hasn't been announced. I seriously thought I'd be playing SCVI right about now back then.

 

[Ninjaguy446]

It's funny, three fuckin' years have passed since SCV's release and SCVI still hasn't been announced. I seriously thought I'd be playing SCVI right about now back then.

To be fair, SC4 came out July 29, 2008 and SC5 came out 4 years later on January 31, 2012.

 

[thenewperson]

Moveset (especially the Just Frames and it's probability)-Alpha Patroklos>Setsuka
Importance and Relevance to the Story-Alpha Patroklos>Setsuka
Creativity-Alpha Patroklos<Setsuka

That's all there is to it.

I agree. It's the movies I care about (though I really wouldn't mind some SC3 Setsuka stuff returning...).

 

[richsticks]

Fighting games are VERY big right now and have been for at least a couple of years now. For the devs to release Unbreakable Souls, SC2HD and Lost Souls and then not use the money for a Soul Calibur 6 would be dumb. Even with the tweets and hints aside you cant seriously think theyre randomly done with the franchise having provided no type of conclusion or one last hurrah.

I think the drop in sales is all just a matter of learning and reevaluating. They should look back at Soul Calibur 2s success financially and reincorporate tactics like an early arcade release in Japan, reintroduce old characters for nostalgia sake, expand the roster by adding new styles and characters, establish a multitude of offline and online gamemodes, engage the public by voting in guest characters and leading a "loud" promotional plan to get new comers and other fighting game fans onboard or at least within their radar.

Can't forget one very important thing, having a good tutorial.

 

[Goose]

Can you explain it to me, please? What makes you thing that?

Not trying to be rude, just curious.

Heres a list of big titles that have come out in recent memory and some that are coming out soon(off the top of my head):
SoulCalibur5
StreetFighterXTekken
Skullgirls
TTT2
VF5
DOA5
Persona4
UMVC3
MK9
USF4
Injustice
SuperSmashBros
KOF13
SC2HD
SF:ThirdStrikeOnline
BlazBlue:CP
KillerInstinct

Tekken7
GuiltyGearsXrd
MKX
TekkenXStreetfighter
StreetFighter5
Naruto
DBZ

Now try to make a list of big titles in any other genre drawing back to 2012 and add games releasing soon (excluding shooters, for obvious reasons). The lists are probably comparable to each other and im sure fighters have certain categories beat. If youre a fighting game fan this is a pretty good time to be living and a lot of shit to look forward to.

Theres never been this much variety... theyre making a Pokemon fighting game and anime mashup one even.


Without question more people are picking up fighting games than ever before.

 

[Free BDS]

Without question more people are picking up fighting games than ever before.

To be fair, almost all these games' sales (that have actually been made, so no SF5 etc), excluding Smash Bros, pale in comparison to the "golden era" of fighting games. Just SC II and Tekken2-Tag1 sales piss all over those games listed above. So, I can't see how people pick up fighting games more than ever before. The era of fighting games has withered.

Quantity doesn't mean quality. And even if there is some quality in VF5/Injustice etc, doesn't mean people will go crazy all over them like they did years ago.

 

[Party Wolf]

Injustass sold over 3 million units tho

 

[HydroJames]

Can't forget one very important thing, having a good tutorial.

Maybe they could take inspiration from The Gauntlet.

 

[Free BDS]

Injustass sold over 3 million units tho

Injustass was an example, but it did good. Still, not great. The only game from those above that exceeded expectations is probably MK9.

 

[Party Wolf]

That's pretty comparable to SCII tho

 

[Goose]

To be fair, almost all these games' sales (that have actually been made, so no SF5 etc), excluding Smash Bros, pale in comparison to the "golden era" of fighting games. Just SC II and Tekken2-Tag1 sales piss all over those games listed above. So, I can't see how people pick up fighting games more than ever before. The era of fighting games has withered.

Quantity doesn't mean quality. And even if there is some quality in VF5/Injustice etc, doesn't mean people will go crazy all over them like they did years ago.

Quantity is my definition of "very big" and of course "quantity doesnt mean quality" but my list has quality titles. Not every game may be your cup of tea but in this day and age of ultra editions and quick bug fixes and patches these games arent as broken as some of the "golden age" games.

Perhaps i over stepped by saying "without question" but fighting games are at least on an upward tilt, there may be a decline in the near future but not yet. You sound like someone who doesnt watch the NBA anymore because "golden age" players like Michael Jordan have retired. Sure shit aint the same but its still pretty damn good.

[Also does anyone have numbers in regards to the units? Im almost certain MK9, Injustice, MVC3 and Smash, alone, killed]

 

[Free BDS]

Quantity is my definition of "very big" and of course "quantity doesnt mean quality" but my list has quality titles. Not every game may be your cup of tea but in this day and age of ultra editions and quick bug fixes and patches these games arent as broken as some of the "golden age" games.

Perhaps i over stepped by saying "without question" but fighting games are at least on an upward tilt, there may be a decline in the near future but not yet. You sound like someone who doesnt watch the NBA anymore because "golden age" players like Michael Jordan have retired. Sure shit aint the same but its still pretty damn good.

[Also does anyone have numbers in regards to the units? Im almost certain MK9, Injustice, MVC3 and Smash, alone, killed]

I never said that there aren't quality games. I just said that there isn't such a demand that there was years ago. And I used the term "golden age" because of that. Plus, I excluded Smash Bros. The numbers are from VGChartz.

 

[Goose]

I never said that there aren't quality games. I just said that there isn't such a demand that there was years ago. And I used the term "golden age" because of that. Plus, I excluded Smash Bros. The numbers are from VGChartz.

Arent you implying that theres a lack of quality by saying "quantity doesnt mean quality" though?

And also how can you just exclude a game from the discussion just to support your argument haha?


Either way, maybe you are correct about the demand i honestly dont remember specifics of games a decade plus ago. i didnt mean for my post to sound like the end all be all. i just think fighting games are doing pretty well, theres lots of variety and quality titles nowadays.

 

[Free BDS]

Arent you implying that theres a lack of quality by saying "quantity doesnt mean quality" though?

And also how can you just exclude a game from the discussion just to support your argument haha?


Either way, maybe you are correct about the demand i honestly dont remember specifics of games a decade plus ago. i didnt mean for my post to sound like the end all be all. i just think fighting games are doing pretty well, theres lots of variety and quality titles nowadays.

It's true that, for me, the quality has dropped over the years. But still, there is enough quality left for me to keep coming back. Don't know how to phrase that better. I think the numbers can further prove my point about the demand of the genre.

I excluded Smash Bros because I don't know anything about the franchise. I can guess that the game had much appeal from when it first started since today. I can't imagine how Smash Bros could reflect the genre though.

 

[Kai_lombax]

It's true that, for me, the quality has dropped over the years. But still, there is enough quality left for me to keep coming back. Don't know how to phrase that better. I think the numbers can further prove my point about the demand of the genre.

I excluded Smash Bros because I don't know anything about the franchise. I can guess that the game had much appeal from when it first started since today. I can't imagine how Smash Bros could reflect the genre though.

Super Smash Bros picked up lots of popular by the time Melee came out. Super Smash Bros. 64 did okay but it wasn't really all that popular compared to Melee and Brawl.

But some people don't really refer to it as a "fighter". I don't get why but I've seen that statement being flown around quite a bit. I suppose, I'd call if more of a party brawler than anything then. Playstation All Stars Battle Royale can be thrown into that genre as well and so can Powerstone.

 

[Esparado87]

To be fair, SC4 came out July 29, 2008 and SC5 came out 4 years later on January 31, 2012.

And SCV was rushed as well, would most lickly be released late 2012 or sometime in 2013 if it was not rushed...

 

[CaptainHook]

Fighting games in general pale in comparison to FPS or even RPG's in terms of sales alone.

Think about this: I believe Skyrim sold a total of 11 million copies. Let that sink in. When are fighting game fans gonna stop living in denial and just accept the fact that hardly anybody likes fighters? They are dying for a reason.

And you wanna know what the #1 reason why fighters are unpopular? The skill barriers are too high. Too much work has to be done in-game in order for anyone to even be remotely skilled. Far too much 'lab' work if you will.

And here's the irony: That's the exact reason why the few dedicated fans like it, because fighters have this inherit depth that other genres lack. And of course there's the fact that very few people are willing to put up with getting their ass handed to them on a silver platter repeatedly for months. A game that is 1 vs 1 there is always an inferior and a superior. No one likes to feel inferior.

But back to SC. Don't expect a sc6 at this point. I'm pretty sure that lost swords, unbreakable soul and sc2HD all flopped. The fan backlash was pretty severe. Heck even SCV had some nasty backlash and also had significantly less sales than even sc4.

However your opinion on the quality of SCV doesn't matter. The fans have spoken. Only they dictate whether or not another sequel happens.

I know we all want another SC game but cmon, nothing last forever. It's time for it to end (at least this time it will be on a good note)

 

[WuHT]

However your opinion on the quality of SCV doesn't matter.
The fans have spoken. Only they dictate whether or not another sequel happens.

Can you not contradict yourself? We're all fans here or otherwise we wouldn't be posting. So either you're saying the fan's opinions matter or they don't. I don't know why you're being so vague in some of your posts and also so vitriolic in others.

You seriously underestimate the financial leverage an established multi-iteration franchise has, especially in the electronic entertainment medium. You bring up broad statements about other genres so I assume you've done your homework on researching the business behind the games.

It is much lower risk re-issusing new versions of Soul Calibur with some updates (enough to warrant a new version) rather than working from the ground up on a new franchise (fighter genre or not). If anything, they'll work backwards from expected sales and try to control their costs to maintain profitability, but thats just my hunch.

Some thoughts on the fighting game genre that is unique to other genres:
1) The word "casual" is actually a derogatory context to fighting games but well accepted in others genres. This is probably because of the ultra-competitive nature of a 1v1 fighter combined with the accepted lack of content other than trying to becoming a better fighter competitively. I don't have fancy cutscenes and intriguing/compelling storylines, and no vast world to explore in FG. If you're not looking to how to beat your opponent by improving your technical knowledge, reactions, and execution, then the game is really is just a masher where you fight enemies in different costumes with different settings (poison damage, no walls, no grabs.. etc)

2) Japan seems to have a real solid stranglehold on fighters and there is obviously both good and bad things attributed to this. Other than KI and MK, the big fighter franchises are all japanese designed and developed. I don't want to into specifics, but the biggest "problem" is the undeniably japan-centric design choices that some in the west may not readily accept. SCLS costume choices for example. There might be a pride thing going on that will not be admitted to.

3) For some reasons, FG seems to not be that popular on PC but whether that is a developer issue or the lack of uniformality for competitive matches (ie lag over the internet) is somethign I have not figured out. Similiarly, I don't see RTS on consoles, but that may be a control interface issue.

 

[Goose]

Fighting games in general pale in comparison to FPS or even RPG's in terms of sales alone.

Think about this: I believe Skyrim sold a total of 11 million copies. Let that sink in. When are fighting game fans gonna stop living in denial and just accept the fact that hardly anybody likes fighters? They are dying for a reason.

And you wanna know what the #1 reason why fighters are unpopular? The skill barriers are too high. Too much work has to be done in-game in order for anyone to even be remotely skilled. Far too much 'lab' work if you will.

And here's the irony: That's the exact reason why the few dedicated fans like it, because fighters have this inherit depth that other genres lack. And of course there's the fact that very few people are willing to put up with getting their ass handed to them on a silver platter repeatedly for months. A game that is 1 vs 1 there is always an inferior and a superior. No one likes to feel inferior.

But back to SC. Don't expect a sc6 at this point. I'm pretty sure that lost swords, unbreakable soul and sc2HD all flopped. The fan backlash was pretty severe. Heck even SCV had some nasty backlash and also had significantly less sales than even sc4.

However your opinion on the quality of SCV doesn't matter. The fans have spoken. Only they dictate whether or not another sequel happens.

I know we all want another SC game but cmon, nothing last forever. It's time for it to end (at least this time it will be on a good note)

So, no more making SoulCalibur or fighters in general because theyll never compete with Skyrim or Call of Duty?
Fighting games are too hard nowadays, requiring "too much lab work", so stop making them?
They wont be as good as they once were so dont bother?

Come on now...