It looks like Yosuke Hayashi was interviewed over on GameSpot about the Fighting genre (again). He comes off with at least a new analogy to Fighting games in regard to Boxing and talks about the non-traditional features in fighting games and their purpose. It's a nice read for an otherwise lack of news lately (come on Team NINJA, I want a Bass/Lei Fang reveal!!!!).
It's an interesting read as Seth Killian (Capcom community manager) and Mike Zaimont (Skullgirls creator) also weigh in on the genre as well.
Source: GameSpot
It's an interesting read as Seth Killian (Capcom community manager) and Mike Zaimont (Skullgirls creator) also weigh in on the genre as well.
GameSpot said:Yosuke Hayashi, Leader, Team NINJA
Why do people enjoy fighting games?
I would say that competing against others is human nature. The most primitive form of competition is through fighting. In this way, fighting games are very close to the human instinct, and they don't need to be described in words. So it's for this reason that I believe fighting games are loved and played across the globe.
How important are nontraditional modes in fighting games? Are they worth the time and resources spent on development, and what (if any) benefit do they bring fighting games or their community?
I believe they are important as they help to expand the genre and, in turn, expand the audience. They offer another dimension to players who want to enjoy fighting games more casually, which is a nice complement to the core community. As long as the game is high quality and delivers a great core fighting game experience, I think it's a great way to create new fans of fighting.
Take boxing as an example. Not all people who train for boxing are aiming for the throne of world champion. Some are doing it to get fit. And some may want to become coaches. I believe these different aims also apply to fighting games. All players who play fighting games are not aiming to be the best fighter in the world. For players such as this, the modes you mentioned are a necessity to let them get into the game from their angle.
However, that said, in the Dead or Alive series up to now we have never had a nontraditional mode separate to the fighting, and we do not intend to put one in Dead or Alive 5. What we are doing is giving players the fighting they want, as well as other forms of fun within this spectrum (besides just fighting against others). Past examples of this in Dead or Alive were the different ending movies for each character, unlocking costumes, etc.
Do you believe the fighting genre is at risk of imploding?
I believe this is a correct statement. Genres of gaming that do nothing to bring in new players are moving toward an inevitable downfall. Minor updates to new games in a franchise will not bring in new players or grow with existing players.
Fighting games revolve around players fighting against each other. This is a must for our fans, and it is of the utmost importance for us to provide them with this element. And that's what we are doing in DOA5. That's why we released the alpha version demo--which received a lot of feedback from gamers that we will do our best to implement into the final version.
But this is not enough! As you were talking about the genre imploding and nontraditional modes, I can sense that your implication lies in the fact that there is no evolution in the most important and core part of these games: the fighting. And no matter what the fighting game, all of these games look pretty much the same--that is the impression I get from your questions. What we are aiming for in DOA5 is for any player to easily understand that the core element of fighting has evolved.
The concept for this game is fighting entertainment. With the gameplay vignettes we are releasing, we want to demonstrate that we are keeping this core fighting element in the game and, at the same time, mixing it together with incredible stage interactions to provide a new form of fighting. This type of gameplay is our attempt to bring in new players to the genre.
How accommodating are fighting games for players who are new to the genre, and should fighting games be responsible for teaching concepts such as cross-ups and option-selects?
I believe not having any information in the game and telling people to go and search the Web for answers is inconsiderate in this day and age. However, this theory can be compared to the boxing example that I just described: you must practice a fighting system hands-on and gain experience intuitively from that. Simply said, this theory is something that you need to remember with your body. And you certainly cannot do this against a CPU opponent that stands around and does nothing. That's why fighting theory is difficult to teach in the game itself.
In Dead or Alive: Dimensions that we released last year on the 3DS, we tried to teach not only the combos but also the basics of this theory to the players in the story mode while they learned and absorbed the game system. In Dead or Alive 5 we are considering a way we can teach this theory so that players can understand and absorb it more naturally.
Most fighting games follow a cycle of training and playing competitively. Can a fighting game break this cycle and still be considered a fighting game? What will it take to realize the fighting game equivalent of a Portal or Fallout 3?
I don't think that games like this can be called fighting games. The FPS genre is defined as a first-person shooting genre, so games such as Fallout and Portal are adding puzzle and RPG elements to the equation. If you take a fighting game and mix it with something else, I think that this formula would result in the birth of a new genre. But I don't believe that this genre could be called a fighting game as a result. That is why we are trying to evolve the genre within the standard fighting game routine and are undertaking this challenge with DOA5.
Why do fighting games need to evolve?
It's simple: no one wants games that don't change and evolve. Change and evolution are what games are made for. This is true for fighting games too. I believe the core mechanics and spirit should stay true to the category, but we need to also balance that with creating something new, and different in some ways, to stay relevant to consumers' expectations and desires--especially since we've the ability to utilize new technological advancements with each hardware cycle.
Source: GameSpot
