theclaw wrote:I'm critical of the more "complicated" fighting game input systems. All those Zs, half circles, charging, and the level of timing memorization needed to consistently pull them off even when under pressure.
It begs the question of what balance between entry better for casual players, versus keeping competitive play deep enough, is just right.
Fighters in the last 5 years have been developed to be more lenient with command-input accuracy and timing along with simplified special move inputs. This is to make the games more accessible to new players. Take SFV and KI 2013 for example. SFV removed charge characters entirely and 1-frame links from combos. KI has no special moves with half circles; directional movements are quarter-circle, down-up/back-forward, or dp (Z) motions. And only a few characters have a DP motion special move.
The Fighting game genre is pretty unique compared to other types of games. It requires a large investment from the player to learn the game's mechanics and practice that other PVP games only force at a much higher level. Brand new players are going to lose badly and see little reward against human competition until they devote time to the game.
Balance in a fighting game is a complicated issue. But fighters are usually balanced with mid to high level players in mind and/or to fix blatantly broken gameplay.
Unpopular gaming opinion?: As a business plan, Nintendo shouldn't bother making a traditional console again. Just keep making the Switch (in different sizes) with incremental upgrades every 2-3 years while maintaining compatibility with older titles. Keep making iPhone apps for casual gamers. Phase out 3DS.
