Loot boxes… probably one of the most controversial gaming mechanics of 2017. Criticism sharply rose for the reward system, popularized by Blizzard Activision’s shooter magnate Overwatch in the latter half of last year (as well as countless other games) and made infamous this year by Electronic Arts and Star Wars Battlefront II. From reddit users, to mainstream game publications, to YouTube critics like Jim Sterling, few games have been talked about as widely as the Star Wars sequel; drawing the ire of Disney’s Board of Directors and bringing enough attention so that the Belgium Gambling Committee began looking into it. Loot boxes garnered more buzz than the latest leaks or console war dramas.
Most fighting games don’t have much of a place for the system (notably exception being Injustice 2, which has a whole RPG system behind it), but in today’s era of skins, customizables, and companies seeking additional revenue, we might see the system crop up in more titles in the future. Though certainly, randomized loot in a fighting game just doesn’t make as much sense as other games that feature significant types of RPG elements.
That’s why, when recently discussing Fantasy Strike‘s Lum and checking out the game’s website, I was surprised to see a section about loot boxes. The leveling system in Fantasy Strike in Ranked Mode was set to enable loot boxes as rewards, with cosmetic items and currency to buy specific ones. But, because there were no additional details about drop rates, what kind of items would be possible to find, and whether some of them could affect gameplay, I reached out to Sirlin Games for confirmation.
David Sirlin, Game Designer and President of Sirlin Games, responded to a breadth of questions I posed: when will this feature be added; what kind of things can we expect to find; will any affect actual gameplay; will there be spendable XP boosts; will there be an option to buy them with real money; and finally, what is the design philosophy behind implementing the loox boxes?
Firstly, it appears that FantasyStrike actually won’t have loot boxes after all (though since reaching out with the inquiry over a month ago, the mention of loot boxes is still on the game’s website). Due to budget restrictions, the team now lacks the budget to implement loot boxes and their contents. Sirlin Games has always planned to use loot boxes, and this information has been on the site since its reveal.
When it comes to the actual contents, Sirlin categorically assures that there would be only cosmetics, nothing that affects gameplay in any way. It makes sense, since Fantasy Strike is supposed to emphasize fighting game fundamentals.
“There is a wide range of implementation about what ‘loot box’ means. I’d like to make it clear that at no point ever, not even for one millisecond, were we ever planning to implement any kind of pay-to-win thing. In my opinion, any supposedly competitive game that allows players to pay for power or grind for power is doing a great disservice to fairness in competition, which I think is an important value,” David Sirlin said, via email. “I don’t play or support any such games. To me, that is what the real controversy should be, as it includes business models from big games out there, often not even using loot boxes, that ruin the concept of an even playfield in competition.”
Their intended system feels close to Overwatch, which regularly adds loads of customizable items to unlock (but never anything gameplay-affecting) and indeed, Sirlin points out that he intensely studied reactions to Blizzard’s implementation: “So I read everything I could from players. And I do mean quite literally that I read multiple thousands of comments directly from players. Every thread on every gaming site I could find, even some hundreds of pages long.
“The reaction was quite clear. I found something like 3 posts that were upset, in total. And thousands all in favor. It really was that overwhelmingly one-sided.” What gamers generally praised was the ability to get cosmetic goodies for free — it’s not like there was a downside to loot boxes. You could only gain, not lose.
“The positives don’t stop there. Another thing true of Overwatch’s system, which is like a 100 times more true for us than them, is that this ongoing revenue stream is something that raises all boats for the playerbase,” Sirlin continued. “Every player benefits because the ongoing revenue stream allows the developer to pay for continued development, more free features and free gameplay content for all players.”
Unsurprisingly, Sirlin points to Battlefront II as a bad example of loot boxes; he doesn’t villify them for using them, but for using them incorrectly — name-dropping how difficult it was to unlock Darth Vader, for example.
“I think that even though both examples I’ve talked about are ‘loot boxes,’ that there are really opposite mentalities behind them. One that is very much trying to help players. To give them some free cosmetics instead of none. And more importantly, to fund free gameplay content. Overwatch releases new characters that are completely free. As in, you instantly get them, no paying or grinding is involved. Can you imagine if Street Fighter did that? Or if Fantasy Strike did?”
As mentioned earlier, currently, loot boxes are not coming to Fantasy Strike at this time. It looks like the game hasn’t garnered enough funds or support to make it possible. We’ll see if this changes in the future. The game is set to sail from Steam Early Access at some point in Fall 2018, or earlier.
Bandai Namco Games has released video for their upcoming “Fighting Action Game” My Hero Academia: One’s Justice. The video features a short interview with the game’s producer, Aoba Miyazaki.
In the video below, Miyazaki discusses things such as their decision to release the game in multiple platforms. She also goes more into why they chose the “One’s Justice” subtitle. In addition to this, she also gives us some details about main protagonist Izuku Midoriya’s playstyle.
Check out the interview below. Take note that it’s in Japanese, so be sure to turn on the subtitles.
Koihime Enbu is a highly underrated fighting game that’s been out on the market for a bit now. If an anime aesthetic doesn’t frighten you and you fancy fighting games that rely on fundamentals, it might be just the game for you. Even more interesting is the fact that one of the bigger influencers of the game’s design is none other than Virtua Fighter.
Brett discovers that in his video interview with the game’s Creator and Producer, Kouhei Nakamura. The follow-up questions delve into charge motions; for simplicity’s sake, there are no charge motions in the game, despite many other fighting game titles featuring them. After talking a little bit about which title is his favorite (he has diverse taste), Nakamura mentions that there are a few things to take care of before being able to bring Koihime Enbu to PlayStation 4. There’s also an interesting approach to balancing the game. The director focuses on one character and tries other fighters against her. Nakamura attended Evolution 2016 and shares some of his impressions from the event. The rest of the video talks about topics such as adding more characters to Koihime in the future and Nakamura’s desire to make a new fighting game geared more for the international market.
One of the upcoming games that has caught the imagination of the fighting game community this year is ARIKA’s Fighting EX Layer. First announced as part of an April Fool’s joke, this rebirth of ARIKA’s fighting game franchises (Street Fighter EX and Fighting Layer), is one of the most exciting projects on the horizon.
Recently, ARIKA co-founder (and creator of the fighting game as we know it) Akira Nishitani was interviewed by Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada regarding the game. In the interview, the two discuss a number of topics related to both Fighting EX Layer, and fighting games in general.
These topics range from discussing the birth of the modern fighting game genre (with Nishitani’s involvement with Street Fighter II). Here Nishitani talks about working from both the original Street Fighter and its spin-off Final Fight, while trying to figure out what works and what feels good. This includes studying some of the negative aspects that players just accepted, and then fixing them (one example he gives is making inputs more precise).
Another thing they talk about is the “backjump episode,” referring to how backward jumps have more range than forward jumps in SFII. This was something that people didn’t really notice at first, but was actually something that Nishitani added, coming from Final Fight. He states that implementing it was based on what he thought players would feel: that if they wanted to run away, they would want to do so as fast as possible.
A more important concept they talk about is the “mid” attack, or “overhead.” The idea of which came from Nishitani wanting a way for blocking to be “imperfect.” So their idea was to add moves that could not be blocked while crouching — a decision which lays the foundation for how offense and defense works in almost all fighting games to this day. Harada even comments on how no other system has been able to surpass these mechanics that the Street Fighter II team created.
Moving on to Fighting EX Layer, Nishitani talks about the popularity of the characters — specifically the Street Fighter EX characters. Skullomania in particular was one that they discovered was quite popular overseas.
In addition to this, they go over the Gougi system and why they decided to implement it in the game. Part of it is an attempt to try create a system that change the standard flow of fighting games. The whole section on the Gougi system is pretty in depth, with a lot of discussion on how it might affect the game, and competitive play. One idea tossed around though was the possibility of releasing new Gougi as a way of indirectly buffing characters.
Now, this is just a small part of what they discuss in the interview. With both Harada and Nishitani being developers, they talk a lot about the development process of fighting games, as well as the latter’s philosophies of doing so.
For those interested in reading the entire interview, Andrew “Jiyuna” Fidelis has translated it and shared it on his blog.
SoulCalibur VI and Tekken 7 producer Motohiro Okubo was interviewed by one of Europe’s largest gaming websites, Gamereactor.se, and showed off new game-play footage of SoulCalibur VI in the process.
The interview itself doesn’t shed too much new information on the SCVI’s newest mechanics, although Okbuo does shed some new light on the “Reversal Edge” mechanic. He seems to confirm that the mechanic is chargeable by holding a button, by admitting that the attack does not come out until it’s “released.”
Outside of that, the interview is worth watching just for its use of almost entirely new footage. Check out the new three hit stab series that leads into Mitsurugi’s Mist stance! Advancing type moves like this are typically on 6 inputs — could this be a replacement for Mitsu’s old 6B:2/6B9 moves? Where do you think this new stance transition would fit into Mitsu’s move list, input-wise?
We’re going through another Dragon Ball FighterZ information blowout at the moment, with Jump Festa currently happening in Japan and the game’s launch just over a month away. From picking potential fighters to a discussion about DBFZ’s core systems, these 4Gamerinterviews covers some of the changes that have been made to the game’s engine since the closed beta. Originally in Japanese, thanks must go to HiagoXYZ on Twitter for translating these interviews into English.
Responding to the feedback from the beta, Arc System Works have upped the amount of damage that combos do. At present, you can “deal about 30~40% of a character’s HP in a single combo using no meter.” When you add in supers mid-combo, players can do “at least 50% damage” from a single exchange, with Arc System Works trying to balance DBFZ at around “2 combos per character kill.” With Level 3 Sparking Blast activated, a Level 3 super should do around 70% damage at the very least. The interview also revealed that while in Sparking Blast, holding down the Vanish button will have you teleport behind the opponent without doing a kick — giving you new ways to surprise the enemy.
Previous Arc System Works games have added in a Simplified control scheme so brand new players can jump in straight away and start doing cool-looking combos. Seeing as Dragon Ball FighterZ has a simple control scheme to begin with, there will be no alternative control scheme in the full release. You’ll of course be able to remap buttons and so forth, but there’s no set simple control method. Speaking of remapping and changing things, this interview has confirmed that characters will only have “a single assist skill”, rather than selectable assists like in Marvel or Skullgirls.
As is the case with any big fighting game nowadays, the esports potential of Dragon Ball FighterZ was asked about. While the team have of course entertained the idea, producer Tomoko Hiroki stated that the team are”fully focused on the game’s development and haven’t bothered putting effort on that yet.” The team “wanted to concentrate [on] developing a game everyone can acknowledge as a competitive one,” rather than going in with their sights set on DBFZ being the next major esport.
Theinterviews go into more detail about creating interesting fighting game characters from Dragon Ball’s rich history, designing a game that’s fun to both watch and play, as well as some hints about the game’s Story Mode.
As it enters the next stage of its Fig campaign, Earth Romancer‘s sole developer Thomas “BlankMauser” Luvan has released a short interview, talking about his goals with Earth Romancer. With it taking inspiration from multiple genres — not just from other fighting games — Luvan is hoping that Earth Romancer will be a true evolution of the platform fighter, rather than just it iterating on Super Smash Bros. Melee or Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Based on the complexity of its systems, Earth Romancer is clearly aimed to please the hardcore competitive crowd. While other fighting games are pursuing accessibility with mixed results, Luvan is aiming to provide a huge creative sandbox that players can go wild experimenting in. It should still have the “pick up and play” feel that Smash has, while also providing that mechanical depth for dedicated players to immerse themselves in. The ultimate goal of Earth Romancer is “helping people understand the joy of playing a complex fighter.”
While some may have been turned off by the initial two character designs, not all of Earth Romancer‘s cast is made up of anthropomorphized animals. The full game will feature solar-powered cyborgs, water valkyries, rabbit time lords and even a space pirate boxing champion — so there’s something for everyone. When you also consider each character has two movesets thanks to Earth Romancer‘s Red and Blueshift system, platform fighter fans have got plenty to sink their teeth into, should Earth Romancer be funded successfully.
If you wish to hear the whole developer interview, check out the video below. Along with Luvan explaining more about the game (and showing off some never before seen characters), it has brief interviews with GRAPHT’s Gllty and famed Melee commentator prog about Earth Romancer‘s potential.
Capcom Fighters’ weekly recap catches up with the 2017 Capcom Cup Champion, before his victory.
Echo Fox’s Tokido was a favorite to win last weekend’s Capcom Cup, and claim the two biggest Street Fighter V competitions in 2017 for himself — but RISE|MenaRD fought the good fight back out of losers bracket for a Grand Finals rematch — and despite being a single round from elimination, won it all after a bracket reset.
On this week’s Wake Up Wednesdays with Michael Martin, Martin passes along his chat with MenaRD — interviewed after making the cut for top 8, but before he claimed the Cup for himself. They discuss MenaRD’s path to Capcom Cup, and his thoughts on some of his opponents; watch it below!
H1Z1 is adding in a game narrative for players. We sat down with GM Anthony Castoro and Director of IP and Brand Eric Correll to go over some of the updates in the story as well as how the team is working with fans.
Past the ticket gate, your eyes meet the neon lights from the alleyway as you emerge from the station. With each step, curious sounds ring louder and louder in your ears. You arrive at the building, and descend the staircase. The doors open, and the sound envelopes you in a deafening explosion, as the tobacco haze begins to wear on your eyes. You have arrived. This is your paradise. This is your mecca.
The world’s highest-level battleground for Street Fighter IV: Shinjuku Taito Station
End of an Era
For years, the FGC has pondered why the Japanese scene was so dominant in arcade-based titles. When strong talent lives in close proximity to — and practice or train regularly with — other top players, it makes sense how this environment would produce the players it has over the years.
Of course, there are some nuances to the success of the arcade business model in Japan that Westerners often overlook (some of these reasons naturally elude people who don’t have experience living in Asia). For starters, consider the differences in daily life between the average Westerner and the average Japanese person. Between school, work, and extracurricular activities, people generally spend more time outside the home than inside. Also recognize that on average, adults in Japan don’t move out of their parents’ home until much later, compared to Westerners. Space in Japan is a commodity, and it isn’t cheap. Personal space is highly valued and is something people are more conscious of. Thanks to this, when it comes to gatherings or meeting friends, it is much more common to meet at an outside location. For young people in particular, you can imagine this being the case, especially when it comes to offline sessions. Compared to the West, the average Japanese parent is not going to be as accepting of a 20-year-old’s fourteen friends coming over and staying until 5:00 AM mashing on Marvel.
With this in mind, consider why the arcade business model can still be successful in Japan…
Now, you might have a better perspective on why game centers work for people in Japan. Even in rural areas, when you spend so much time on public transportation, it’s natural to stop by the game center near the station exit and play 4 or 5 dollars’ worth of games before heading home (to do either homework and go to sleep immediately, or get yelled at by your mom/dad/wife/husband for not working hard enough…). With game centers being so plentiful, it isn’t a major concern finding one somewhere on your route home. As a result, the scene, nationwide, trains on a regular basis in offline settings. This is one major reason why arcade culture in this country has produced a player population with a relatively high average skill level.
However, we must also recognize that four of the past five Capcom-produced fighting games have not had arcade releases. Even then, we must also consider that Street Fighter IV featured multiple, extremely expensive arcade releases, which put strain on independent arcades compared to chain arcades like Taito Station or Club Sega. Though there can be no doubt that arcades have been in decline in Japan, the scene is far from dead here. In fact, rival companies like Bandai Namco and Arc System Works have seen great success time after time through the arcade (and console, ironically), while Capcom has essentially walked away from the arcade business, seemingly. While it is implied Sony exclusivity clauses played a major role in the nature of SFV’s release, we are now approaching the 2-year mark for SFV. Even after an announcement for PC-outfitted arcade units at Capcom Cup 2016, SFV cab setups shown at Toushinsai, and the name of SFV Season 3 being “Arcade Edition,” we haven’t heard any news about the game properly moving to actual arcades. As a result, there are many players in the Japanese FGC that outright reject the game, still insisting on playing the arcade version of USFIV.
The USFIV cabinets at Hey Arcade at 2:00 PM on a Friday afternoon in Akiba. Many players in Japan still insist on playing in the arcade, even if it means they miss out on SFV.
It isn’t all bad, of course. Because of this departure from the norm, the Street Fighter scene in Japan has put a special focus on building up the next generation. We have seen projects like Shinobism — organized by Momochi and Chocoblanka — which rears young talent like Haku, Yamaguchi, and Johnny. The Japanese scene has also run other mentoring programs to help encourage and train young players like John Takeuchi, Moke, Nauman, and Tachikawa. While in the past, much of this growth would be facilitated indirectly in the wilds of the arcade, the lack of an arcade version has forced the Japanese scene to think outside the box to come up with ways to keep the scene growing. Though it has been rare, we have also seen players who were primarily online entities make big impacts on competitive stages, like Kichipa-mu.
Thus, over the past few years the Japanese scene has had to change the venues they play at, the way they train, and the times at which they do. Specifically, this decade has seen the rise of the “game bar” business model in Japan. This is what the SFV experience in Tokyo area is like at the moment. If you are coming to Tokyo and want to train in SFV, consider stopping by some of these training grounds.
e–sports square AKIHABARA
Located a short walk from JR Akihabara Station, E-sports Square is a game bar and premier venue for fighting game events in the Tokyo area.
Less than a 5-minute walk from JR Akihabara Station, Akiba E-sports Square has emerged as an invaluable event space in recent years for Tokyo-based fighting game communities.
This is a major venue for offline FGC events in general, but is best known abroad as the venue for Fighter’s Crossover Akiba. Fighter’s Crossover Akiba (FCA) is the main offline gathering for Street Fighter V in Tokyo, run by Kagecchi. Every Wednesday from 7:00 PM until 11:00 PM, players are free to battle on 19 setups. One cool thing about the setting is that different stations are separated by online rank, and have different rotation set counts. For example, one station is reserved for Silver league players, sets played in first-to-2, another is for Gold league, sets played in first-to-3, etc.
A strong percentage of grassroots FGC events in Tokyo are held here at E-sports Square.This is a common gathering spot for offline SFV play in Tokyo.
This is a great venue for getting casual matches with players of all levels, even top players. Some of the best players in Japan come to this venue every week to sharpen their skills, and like the arcade, you will find they are quite approachable in this setting. There are usually tournaments held here, and before big events (such as Japan Cup) it isn’t strange for them to open on Wednesday and Thursday.
There is a pay system based on how long you intend to stay. You receive a name badge and drink voucher with paid entry. You hold on to your badge, and when you leave, pay based on your time package.
English version of the above menu. Like most institutions in Japan though, no credit cards! Bring cash!It is easy to forget that this is a game bar! Have some screwdrivers to ease the pain of those Crush Counters. Drink up!
You can find more information on their official Twitter page here, and their official website, here.
Studio Sky
The other major venue for SFV in Tokyo is called Studio Sky. Tucked away on a side street a short walk from JR Otsuka station on the Yamanote Line, this is another major offline gathering spot for SFV and other console-based games.
A short walk from JR Otsuka Station, on the 4th floor of an ordinary building in an ordinary alleyway…… there is a door to “Studio Sky.” But what lies beyond…?An intense Friday night casual session at Studio Sky.
Organized by Momochi, Chocoblanka, and Gama no Abura (For the uninitiated, Gama is the voice behind this famous clip), these sessions are open to anyone on Friday evenings. For a small fee, players are free to play on multiple setups. Like E-sports Square, setups are separated into categories based on set length and online rank, making it easier to meet or network with other players around your skill level.
The night before major events, it isn’t strange for the gatherings here to reach big numbers!
Stay updated about info regarding this venue by following them on twitter, here.
Tokiwasou, The Heiwajima Gaming House
Tokiwasou is the name of the now famous “Heiwajima gaming house” in Tokyo area. While this is not a public gathering spot, it has become an important training place for top players and aspiring pros.
Less of a venue and more of a “training ground,” the Heiwajima is an important locale for aspiring top players in SFV.
It is important to note that this is an actual residence, where many top players (both from Japan and abroad) have stayed for a chance to grind out practice long term. Though this isn’t open to the public, it isn’t strange to find some of the strongest players in Southeast Asia gathered here before major events.
Tokiwasou is a private residence, frequently mentioned in the Tokyo SFV scene.People that train and practice here have made a strong impact on the Capcom Pro Tour in recent years… (Unrelated, but “Geek Weekend” has to be one of the worst names for a tournament, ever…)
Thoughts from MOV on Japan & Street Fighter V
5th place at Capcom Cup 2016 in SFV, Evo 2016/2017 SFV top 8, and 4-time SBO/Tougeki Champion in 3rd Strike, the Master Of Vampires himself talked with me about SFV, training, JPFGC, and the future.
Jazz: For tournaments in the past (like Cooperation Cup or SBO/Tougeki) you primarily trained in the arcade, but how did you practice or prepare for big events? Now that you main SFV — which is a console title — please tell me how your practice has changed.
MOV: During the SBO/Tougeki era, for better or worse, I think I was a lot more casual [with my training] than I am now. Of course, at that time, I also intended to do my best and train hard. However, thinking on it now, all I really did was just go to the arcade and have fun. [laughs]
Now there are a number of factors to consider. Since we get version changes much faster and I don’t get the same kind of casual match experience against rival players, a player’s rate of improvement, practice efficiency and the quality of goals players aim for has become severe. There are a lot of elements a player has to deal with while they think about these things.
Jazz: During the SFIV period, there were still big 3rd Strike tourneys in Japan, so many 3S veterans stuck with 3S. What made so many 3S veterans start picking up SFV?
MOV: While the question kind of answers itself, from the last SBO/Tougeki in 2012 until SFV’s release, you could say 3S players were jealous of the attention and hype the SFIV scene garnered (this was around the time when the Capcom Pro Tour started to develop). It got to the point where it was difficult to just hop into SFIV, so not only 3S players, but players from a variety of game scenes decided if an SFV released, they would play and do their best in it. It seems like many players felt this way.
Jazz: Since there is no arcade version for SFV, the environment is much different than before. As an arcade player, how do you think the nature of this release has affected the fighting game scene in Japan?
MOV: While the rest of the world is primarily console-based, arcades still have a large influence in Japan. It is unfortunate, but as far as I can see, if someone wants to get together with other players to play SFV offline in Japan, there are not many options to do so outside of Tokyo.
Jazz: For the Japanese FGC, if an arcade version were released, do you think people in the Japanese FGC would rally around it? Which would you prefer?
MOV: I think if a new version or an arcade version was released, I have no doubt strong players outside Tokyo region would increase, so it would be a lot of fun. Personally, I’m fine to play in either setting. However, if I could settle down and play in a cozy arcade, I would spend a lot of time there, I think. [laughs]
Jazz: For the upcoming AE update, are there any particular changes you want to see? What about system changes? For the upcoming Capcom Pro Tour and point system, are there any changes you would like to see?
MOV: I want this to be a game where I can say, “this game is fun, so let’s play together!” For example, I can’t recommend the game because a character like Zangief in his present state is in the game, so let’s delete him.
Regarding the Pro Tour, since most players aren’t able to go to so many tournaments, I think having a few Capcom Cup auto-qualification tournaments would be hype for the scene. At present, even if you win the biggest tournament in Japan, it isn’t connected to the Capcom Pro Tour. Given this, I feel like it is too difficult to have big dreams for a lot of players.
MOV: To all my supporters: There will be so many veterans and strong players at the Last Chance Qualifier for Capcom Cup 2017. I have no idea if I can break through or not, but I think I should be able to play with no regrets as we close out Season 2.
For better or worse (or maybe a mix of both?), SFV and the nature of its release has forced an awkward evolution on the Japanese FGC. In the end, the venues and hot spots for Street Fighter in Japan have changed. By sharing these venues and describing the offline JP SFV experience for you, hopefully you have a better understanding of how different the JP scene is and how the situation is there regarding recent Capcom titles. If you are a serious Street Fighter V player, I hope you take the time to visit some of these venues and play during your visit for Evolution Japan or another event. I also hope it encourages people who have never been to an arcade before to go to one (preferably, a non-chain), just for a taste of what all these old people can’t stop talking about.
The Capcom Pro Tour has closed out another successful year at the PlayStation Experience, and fans and fanboys alike have enjoyed this year’s big closing announcements. Likewise, on the other side of the Pacific, there was a collective of players that anticipated announcements of their own — while some players hoped for a new V-Skill, V-Trigger, or frame data tweaks, others were watching Capcom Cup with hopes for a version of the game that would simply allow them to play in the home of Street Fighter: the arcade.
When it comes to the actual contents, Sirlin categorically assures that there would be only cosmetics, nothing that affects gameplay in any way. It makes sense, since Fantasy Strike is supposed to emphasize fighting game fundamentals.
