Street Fighter IV to Hit PS3, 360, and PC, Not Wii

Many different sources are reporting that the new Street Fighter game will be hitting the PS3, XBox 360, and PC but not the Wii. "Expected to release this fiscal year and now confirmed for PS3, 360 and PC, the next iteration of the genre-establishing fighting series renders characters and environments in stylized 3D, while the game plays in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective 'with additional 3D camera flourishes'. Street Fighter IV will include the original cast of Street Fighter II along with new brawlers including female super-spy Crimson Viper, lucha libre wrestler El Fuerte and mixed martial artist Abel."

Comments

A new street fighter?

[i kan reed]

I thought all capcom did these days was re-release street fighter II.

Re:A new street fighter?

[ProppaT]

Dude, that's old skool. It's all about Megaman Battle Network these days.

Re:A new street fighter?

[FusionDragon2099]

I think you mean Megaman Star Force. Battle Network was soooo 2006.

Why?

[Oxy the moron]

Hasn't Street Fighter 2 been released on Wii Virtual Console? Just play that, it's essentially the same sans graphics. :)

All joking aside, I'm still waiting for someone to use the Wii remote technology to its fullest in a fighter. I would think it only logical to map actual arm/foot movements (with various button presses) to achieve the various moves the characters can execute. This was a great opportunity lost, methinks.

Re:Why?

[falcon5768]

Im looking for the upcoming Don King boxing game to do this. Unfortunately looks like it's only going to map the hands, while using the balance board only for mini-game like training sessions.

Re:Why?

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

I don't know about the Wii's VC, but you can get Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting on Xbox Live Arcade. I downloaded the trial version a few weeks ago in a fit of nostalgia, but that fit didn't last long enough to justify buying the full game. I got Ikaruga instead.

Re:Why?

[Guppy06]

"Hasn't Street Fighter 2 been released on Wii Virtual Console?"

Three times.

Re:Why?

[Malevolyn]

The problem with that is that it's (I'm assuming) a lot of work that game developers don't want to do. (Mapping buttons vs. mapping movements with buttons and all the calibration I'm sure it'd need) The Wii's kind of screwed itself there. The image that Nintendo conveys for the Wii doesn't help, either.

Re:Why?

[Thansal]

IIRC, there was a DBZ game at release that actually did this. I think the basic attacks were done via button presses, however the special moves required you to imitate the character's moves. I never actually played it but it was amusing to watch people try it out at the Nintendo store.

However, I expect that is about as detailed as we will ever see in that line of development. The Wii controls are not nearly as sensitive as would be required to actually map a full set of moves to equivalent movements by the players.

Re:Why?

[Verteiron]

I've never understood why developers who have problems with the Wii's controls don't just release games that require a Gamecube or Virtual Console controller. Most people who have a Wii have at least one of those controllers already.

Re:Why?

[Malevolyn]

I think they feel obligated to use the Wiimote. But that's all the developers' faults for thinking so. I was hoping Brawl using the GCN controller would maybe change a few companies' minds, but it's too early to tell.

Personally, I love the GCN controller, especially my Wavebird.

Re:Why?

[Moridineas]

I've never understood why developers who have problems with the Wii's controls don't just release games that require a Gamecube or Virtual Console controller. Most people who have a Wii have at least one of those controllers already. Do they really? I have a wii with 2 wiimotes, and no GC or virtual console controllers. I thought the wii was supposed to have been bought by a lot of non-gamers who presumably would not already have GC controllers, or care about virtual console, etc? (I do have ps2, xbox, dreamcast, etc, so I don't consider myself one of those non-gamers)

Re:Why?

[Awptimus Prime]

I really wish that game didn't look exactly like Fight Night: Round Three, all the way down to the way impact shots appear. I was pretty happy to see a new boxing game on the horizon, but if it uses Fight Night's engine, might as well get that from the bargain bin since it'll be the same game with different character models. I wasn't impressed with the overly simple fight system, but I figure it's fun for folks not too into the strategy side of things.

As far as this being released on the Wii (I didn't know until your post), I wonder if people understand how bad for your joints "shadow punching" is. I'd much prefer to use the dual analog sticks to control punches like on the Playstation or 360 than mess up my elbows.

Re:Why?

[SoulMan007]

DBZ: Budokai Tenkaiechi 3 is the name of the DBZ game that was released at the launch of Wii and it has pretty good support of mapping arm movements to traditional DBZ attacks... though only for dashes and special moves, most everything else is button combos. Not a bad game overall... if your a DBZ fan.

Re:Why?

[MBGMorden]

Lesson #1 for console game developers: don't develop ANYTHING that requires something that doesn't actually come with the system itself to play. You're opening yourself up to an niche market within that console's fanbase. On the rare occasion when you do actually do this, you better be darned sure that your game is good enough to warrant people buying that upgrade specifically for your game (as I'm sure many people did with the RAM upgrade for the N64 when Majora's Mask came out).

Re:Why?

[Culture20]

What they need is a fighting game that uses four controllers and four nunchucks, it would come with straps to put the nunchucks on your thighs and upper arms. Of course your opponent would have to be on another Wii.

Re:Why?

[forsey]

DBZ: Budokai Tenkaiechi 2 was the one that came out near the Wii's release, not 3... minor correction. The system it used for mapping motions to moves was fairly unique and well thought out. It works mostly based on which side of the screen you move the cursor off of. So a move might require you to "move cursor off top of screen then back on" where most Wii titles just use the accelerometers to try and figure out if a particular motion was made, which ends up being fairly inaccurate in some cases.

Re:Why?

[7Prime]

I just wish they would release a bluetooth GCN controller... call it the WiiBird

Re:Why?

[Akaihiryuu]

Personally, I used the Gamecube controller to play DBZ. I couldn't stand the Wii controls, they were horribly unresponsive and unnatural.

Re:Why?

[W. Justice Black]

"Hasn't Street Fighter 2 been released on Wii Virtual Console?"

Three times. ...and I've bought every one of them. Now if they'd only support network play of the SNES games... Blargh, I'm lame :-/

Re:Why?

[KDR_11k]

On the rare occasion when you do actually do this, you better be darned sure that your game is good enough to warrant people buying that upgrade specifically for your game

Doesn't that only really apply if the extra is something that has little use outside of your game? The Wii classic controller is supported by loads of games and even required for some VC games.

Re:Why?

[MBGMorden]

Nope, that pretty much applies to anything. Sega 32x or CD for example: both were needed by many games designed for their respective systems. Both failed miserably.

Re:Why?

[KDR_11k]

Those cost a bit more than 20 dollars though.

Then again you can probably include a twenty dollar controller with your game anyway.

No Wii?

[ChocoboKnight]

The best part of SF was playing with friends, and the Wii is the console to have to play with friends at home. I guess online play will come to the rescue but it is not the same. Sad.

Re:No Wii?

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps it's status as 'the console to have to play with friends at home' is actually dependent on what games get released for it?

Perhaps you can use other consoles to play with friends at home too?

There's no tragedy here. People who bought the Wii shouldn't expect to get ports of 360/PS3 games: they knew they were signing on for a less powerful console.

Re:No Wii?

[Reapman]

This may come as a suprise, but you can connect > 1 controller to the 360 or PS3.. or PC (although SF on a PC just seems weird)

Re:No Wii?

[fan of lem]

Not to mention: the pleasure of doing Shoryuken for real!

No nacho?

[192939495969798999]

If you're going to make a street fighter game at this point, why would it not include all the fighters from every fighting game you could conceivably license? And why not include tons of other characters from pop culture just for fun? The graphics and memory space are there, and the game itself is pretty straightforward -- once you have the gameplay, adding characters should be a breeze. The Wii goes for more of this strategy with Smash Bros. Brawl, and IMHO that's the wave of the future for fighting games (everyone vs. everyone, play your favorite char from any game).

Re:No nacho?

[miscz]

Do you have any idea how hard is it to balance a diverse cast of characters? SFIV is probably just the first in the new series, expect SFIV 6th Strike Hyper Super Turbo Rainbow World Champion 3 in a few years with much more characters and tweaked gameplay.

Re:No nacho?

[Aurisor]

Why? Because the number of character pairings that need to be balanced increase exponentially with every addition.

Re:No nacho?

[Anonymous Coward]

C(n,2) = (n^2 - n) / 2 where n is the number of characters. It's still a lot of work, but it's hardly exponential.

Re:No nacho?

[ProppaT]

They essentially did. It was called Capcom Fighting Evolution and featured characters from practically every Capcom fighting game. And it sucked. Bad. You just can't balance characters from games that were made to be played entirely different without changing them beyond recognition.

It works with Smash Bro's because you're taking a bunch of characters that weren't previously in fighting games and designing balanced play mechanics for each of them. Doesn't work when you're trying to figure out how to balance Street Fighter with Darkstalkers.

Re:No nacho?

[Culture20]

Doesn't work when you're trying to figure out how to balance Street Fighter with Darkstalkers. I'd like to see the puny humans stand up to the robots from One Must Fall 2097.

Re:No nacho?

[KDR_11k]

Then let's bring Gundam into this. Nova belly flop vs Big Zam roundhouse kick?

What's the story here?

[dyslexicbunny]

Am I supposed to be excited that SF IV is being released OR should I be upset that it's not on Wii? That's actually a serious question. No offense to the editors here but which bias am I supposed to be seeing. Usually you guys throw in a little question that makes it obvious - as much as I hate it at times. Or are we supposed to reminisce about playing SF2 growing up?

I'm not really interested in either case. I loved SF2 and worked my way through mastering every character. But fighting games were a blast when I was young and I've moved on and lost interest in them. Beyond Super Smash, do they even sell well anymore? Regarding the Wii, I'm not surprised. The hardware makes sacrifices so you'll miss some games due to this. I knew that getting a Wii so I just don't see why this is a story in that regard.

Re:What's the story here?

[Ren.Tamek]

It's more like an interesting titbit. Quite a few game developers are avoiding the Wii recently for major releases, even though it is the best selling console worldwide.

For a title like SFIV this is interesting, because the developers readily admit that it's going to be much like the original SF games, only in 3D, therefore there is no inherent need for performance hardware to enjoy the game. Make of that what you will. Maybe it's telling. Maybe it says nothing at all. Maybe that kind of conjecture is pretty useless :P. Who knows!

Re:What's the story here?

[SageinaRage]

I think the much more interesting and surprising thing is the release on the pc. While I own a copy of the original Street Fighter 2 on the pc, I don't think it sold well, or that any of the later ones were released there.

Re:What's the story here?

[urcreepyneighbor]

Or are we supposed to reminisce about playing SF2 growing up? I remember getting my ass kicked just about every time by Asian guys in their mid teens thru early twenties. :(

Re:What's the story here?

[shawn(at)fsu]

Good point. I didn't buy the wii to play the some old stuff I could play on console X I got it because I thought it was innovative and I wanted to play innovative games. Not Fighting Game X squeal n+1.... Thats what my PC is for:)

Re:What's the story here?

[Awptimus Prime]

Well, this game is 1920x1080 which is a bit above what the Wii can output (480p?). Here's a link to some video of the game play:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1984902683377515982

After playing a few games on the Wii, I can understand why this one didn't make the cut. There appears to be a large number of colors, lots of background detail all being rendered, detailed character models, no FMV pseudo 3D, and the need to run at 70-80 fps for the game to feel responsive.

Then there's the controller. That's probably the biggest problem with porting the game. In order to have a real Street Fighter that is true to it's roots, you need 6 buttons with a sane layout.

I got a 360 instead of a Wii, much because I knew the PS3 and 360 were going to get the big arcade ports and blockbuster releases while the Wii was going to focus on "fun games not focused on graphics", as they say.. I had enough of that in the 80s and 90s. :)

Re:What's the story here?

[hiruhl]

Beyond Super Smash, do they even sell well anymore? Yes. See: Tekken (5 is the most recent, 6 soon to be released), Virtua Fighter (5 most recent also), Soul Caliber (IV is coming out soon), and there must be others, but I am not into fighting games (since Mortal Kombat 3), so I don't keep on top of them. People are definitely still playing them, though, and lots of copies are sold.

Re:What's the story here?

[Duradin]

*cough* classic controller *cough*

*hack* gamecube controller *hack*

Re:What's the story here?

[Awptimus Prime]

Is Nintendo down with this requirement for games not in the realm of Virtual Console? I seem to remember reading somewhere you had to use the gesturing, or whatever they call it, to some extent to release a game for this system.

Re:What's the story here?

[Jaysyn]

Yeah, I can't stand fun games either, who does Nintendo think they are?

Re:What's the story here?

[Omestes]

Well, this game is 1920x1080 which is a bit above what the Wii can output (480p?). Here's a link to some video of the game play:

Hmmm... so I won't be allowed to play it on my regular old TV? Odd, I thought both of the "Hi-def" consoles could handle regular TVs. I doubt the resolution is a problem, since around 70% of the people I know with a 360 (and the guy with the PS3) have standard televisions.

Processing power, though, may be an issue. Though I don't think the Wii is as gimpy as you make it out, it might still be an issue.

The controller is a non-issue. Of the last two big releases (Smash Bros, and Mario Kart) you had the choice between the GC controller, or the Classic controller, or the Wiimote/nunchuck. As someone else said here, there may be an aspect of some moronic thought that says you MUST use the motion sensors, which is rather stupid. Look what this idea did to the Okami port.

I really don't mind missing Streetfighter though, I never really was a fun of it. The only game I'm pissed about not having is Soul Caliber. Though what I'm really afraid of, is that the Wii will be an RPG wasteland, just like the GC before it. Why does nintendo hate RPGs so much? Why?!

I bought a Wii because I don't trust Microsoft to make a good console, and the Red Ring of Death debacle has made me even more wary. As for the PS3, I'm just not interested, too damn expensive, for not enough pay-off, that and as of now there isn't any games that really make me care about it yet. So far the Wii is a good investment, great at parties, a couple rock-solid "serious" games (No More Heroes, Metroid, Zelda). The PS2 has been doing good at keeping my RPG fixation happy, with a 10 year back-catalog of "new" games for $10-30, it makes it hard to justify hemorrhaging $400 for the next big thing.

I personally don't give a rats ass about graphics. I stopped really caring about "pretty / 1337 hardware" duo after college. I'd rather have good gameplay, and a strong plot now, which is becoming harder and harder to find, even Square has abandoned me.

I don't understand why you'd put graphics ahead of fun, as "'fun games not focused on graphics', as they say.. I had enough of that in the 80s and 90s" implies. I haven't had enough of fun games, with or without graphics, fun, to me, is the ONLY deciding factor. But then again I still play Nethack and the original Fallout for fun time to time, and am currently trying to play though the Zelda series (via VC) from beginning to end. And the graphics pimping has ALWAYS been around, remember what Genesis' selling point was? As was the PS1s. Remember drooling at the FMV in FF7? I'm not even going to get into PC games, the 90's was probably the era of pimping your computer to squeeze out every single pixel and FPS you can.

Re:What's the story here?

[cbreaker]

Well, thank goodness. I like the nifty new graphics on the 360 and PS3, and I'm glad that some developers are releasing games for the more powerful systems in spite of the fact that there's this other game machine out there that outsold the others (because it was cheap.)

I hate having to deal with lowest-common-denominator crap.

Re:What's the story here?

[Anonymous Coward]

The story is that it is being released someplace other than arcades. Up until now, there has only been an arcade release scheduled. Since it would seem foolish to only keep it in arcades, there have been speculations about which other systems it would be released on. This story is the answer to those speculations.

Re:What's the story here?

[Awptimus Prime]

On the 360, at least, all rendering is done internally at the native resolution of the game and the video output for a normal tv is simply scaled down. Of the ~100 people on my Live friend's list, as well as the people I know in real life, none of them use a non-HD display. It's rather odd someone would pay $400 for a console, $60 for a game and not have a display that'll show the graphics worth a toot.

You might want to check into the controller issue before getting too terribly snappy about it. Classic fighting game franchises do not want to get too nutty with making differing control systems for different systems, especially Capcom. Reading their forums, developers tend to be very strict about keeping things true to the arcade. The issue you cite is backwards from the way I think Nintendo handles it. In order to get signed, you must utilize the motion capabilities, with the option of supporting VC and GC controllers. This is a Nintendo issue, not a developer issue.

I think your sarcasm detector is a bit off base when it comes to my remark about the visuals vs fun. Think about it. This is why /. failed miserably on the little IQ test to people from myspace. A certain sect of Wii users keep talking about how great the games are, but the folks I know who own a Wii (of my personal friends) do not play the Wii by themselves. It is simply reserved for when company is over. It makes for a great system when you've got four people who want something fun to play while drunk.

While at our own homes, we all get online and play games on the 360 together. It's just how folks I know are. The games for the 360 I own are visually appealing and have great game play, but tend to be best when played full screen and not in divided boxes (which is how the funner 360 games will appear with multiple controllers). In the case of arcade to 360 ports, games like VF5 is simply amazing.

You seem to get the impression that I'm knocking the Wii, while I am not. I am just saying there's more than company x hates Nintendo behind why the Wii is missing out on some of the big blockbuster games.

Re:What's the story here?

[morari]

That's how I felt last generation when the PS2 was leading in sales and was (by far) the most gimped machine out. Everything was built around its hardware, so most multiplatform games didn't look nearly as good as they could otherwise.

Of course, the problem now is that developers just aren't recognizing the Wii at all. Assuming that they do, multiplatform games are being built around the more powerful consoles, ported down for last generation's PS2 and then put out on the Wii as well. It's really sad, considering how much more powerful than the PS2 the Wii is. Heck, the Dreamcast ran circles around the PS2. :P

Besides, I wouldn't consider the Wii cheap. I'd consider the PS3 and 360 to be garishly expensive.

Re:What's the story here?

[Omestes]

In the same story, I got mocked for being a fan-boy and not being a big enough one... I'm the "just right" porridge. :)

To be honest, I didn't know that the 360 down scaled, I was going under the assumption that there was a separate path to render the hi-def content, and the low-def stuff. It makes sense to just down scale one path, though.

As for not knowing many people with hi-def people, there are three factors, a lot of my friends are like me, and don't care enough to fork over a couple grand for a small improvement (subjective opinion, don't argue), don't have a couple grand to fork over for something non-essential like a hi-def over food and rent, or haven't gotten around to it yet. It doesn't matter much to me (or most, I suppose) what type of television your playing the game on, as long as the game is fun. If the game loses that much because it doesn't have hi-def involved, then the game can't be that fun.

I also wasn't aware that Nintendo licensing required motion controls. I don't think this is the case though, since Super Smash Bro's Brawl got through, with a complete lack of motion controls. It might be true for 3rd party devs though.

I think your sarcasm detector is a bit off base when it comes to my remark about the visuals vs fun.

This is slashdot, I generally take everything at face value here, seems safer. "Visual > fun" is a rather common meme, and some people still take it VERY seriously, this is the crowd that thinks a $800 video card makes WoW more fun. Sorry for missing your sarcasm.

I think /. failed the internet IQ thing because of statistics, and flawed methodology, personally.

I'm the only person I know who owns a Wii. Most have 360s, and don't have a Wii because of money, or lack of finding them, or pure apathy. I'd play it more without people about, if there were more games that catered to that.

I doubt anyone hates Nintendo, but I can be annoyed at the lack of games, nontheless.

Re:What's the story here?

[Awptimus Prime]

Nah, I'm not one of those $800 video cards types by far. I've got a $40 PCI 5500FX video card in a dual core 4400+ system. It can do Gnome and Quake2, that's about it.

I also agree with the IQ test, I blame my score on not knowing so much about Russian history, as this kept coming up.

My RL friends are mostly folks who end up with more than one console. It's not about being bleeding edge as much as just knowing there will always be lots of folks to play in multi-player games. I look at it as the cheap route these days. I could drop $400 on a video card and $400 on a better monitor and fit right into the gaming crowd for the PC, but got tired of constant upgrades. The $400 console seemed like a better way to spend my money since I wouldn't have to worry about frame rates, people doing wall hacks other exploits in shooters, and so on. It makes for a much friendlier and social environment
once a few adults make their way on the friends list.

The three year warranty surprise on the Xbox has been nice. My original unit got the red ring, but I had it fixed and sold it (I don't trust refurbs from anyone after I had a refurb monitor that caught on fire a few years ago). I then used the money to get an Elite model, since the black worked better with my entertainment center and really needed the extra storage space for music and videos.

I just wish the thing has built-in Internet radio streaming. Deleting my TwonkyMedia Server config file every thirty days is getting old.

Re:What's the story here?

[drsquare]

Quite a few game developers are avoiding the Wii recently for major releases, even though it is the best selling console worldwide.

They're also avoiding the PS1 and PS2, which have both sold more than the wii. Why is this?

Nintendo made the choice of making their console as cheap as possible. One side of this is improved sales, the other is missing out on cool games because of weak hardware.

Re:What's the story here?

[KDR_11k]

The cheapest XBox 360 is currently 200 Euros and came with a free copy of GTA4 for a few weeks, at that price the couple of hundreds required to get a matching TV is not peanuts. Even if you paid 460 Euros for a console and game that's a big chunk of the entertainment budget for most people and a new TV won't fit into that (even if they have a good TV already consoles tend to end up on secondary TVs).

I was looking into a 360 because of the GTA deal but couldn't think of other games to buy for it, the top 50 seems to consist mostly of PC ports, Tom Clancy and sports games (including racing). PC ports are massively cheaper to get on the PC (fast price drops and lower prices to begin with), Tom Clancy and sports are just genres I don't care about.

Re:What's the story here?

[KDR_11k]

The 360 is cheaper than the Wii now BTW (except for the games which are still freakishly expensive).

Re:What's the story here?

[KDR_11k]

I got that experience when I bought the Street Fighter compilation on the PS2, even on easiest the CPU would beat me badly. I still have no idea how to play SF properly.

No Suprise here

[kellyb9]

Personally, I think cross-platform games for the Wii are usually pretty poor. I have a 360 and a Wii, once I see that a game is released for both, I get it for the 360.

Re:No Suprise here

[cowscows]

You're right about that, a game that plays to the strengths of the 360 or PS3 is probably not playing to the strengths of the Wii. It's a shame for people who can only afford one console that they're going to miss out on some games, and it's especially an issue with regards to the Wii because it's much more substantially different than the PS3 and 360 are from each other. But that's the compromise that Nintendo chose to make, and that gamers have to make when they choose consoles.

Re:No Suprise here

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, you're right, Bully was a lot better on 360. :P

Business mistake

[riceboy50]

Not supporting the runaway winner of the current generation of consoles seems like a very poor business decision, but I guess we should expect that from Capcom whose business model seems to specifically avoid innovation.

Re:Business mistake

[pembo13]

I only own a Wii myself. If this iteration of Street Fighter was good, I would have bought it.

Re:Business mistake

[Khyber]

THE WII CONTROLLER IS NOT DESIGNED FOR ARCADE-STYLE FIGHTING GAMES.

A d-pad and TWO easily accessible buttons does not really work in Street Fighter where there are three strengths of kicks and punches. You'd have to use a GameCube controller to even come close to being able to play it effectively.

Re:Business mistake

[MagicM]

A controller that has multiple built-in accelerometers is not well-designed for controlling movement? Unless SFIV has moved far beyond the hard/med/soft punch/kick scheme, I can easily think of a way the wii controller would be perfect.

Ofcourse this would mean that anyone playing SFIV on the Wii will have a much-more developed right arm. But chances are, they already do anyway.

Re:Business mistake

[JoshJ]

So? Most of the people who play Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Brothers Brawl do so with the GCN controller, and the Classic controller is an option. I see no reason why they couldn't do that for SFIII. Even with Wiimote+Nunchuck, that's 4 buttons available (Z/C/A/B) and a joystick and you could use D-pad down as well if you needed to, which matches the SNES on face buttons. It's not 6, but I'm not sure that matters a whole lot when all the hardcore players would be using the 'cube or CC. There's even a fighting game stick peripheral which functions like a classic controller.

Re:Business mistake

[Khyber]

The Wii controller accelerometer can barely allow for a soft putt on Wii Sports' Golf, and you actually think it's going to be worth a shit for Street Fighter?

I'll take two of whatever you're drinking. I want to be in your world.

Re:Business mistake

[plague3106]

At least MK made an attempt at it. I went back to normal controls though.. you know, the D-pad with all the buttons? It's not like the Wiimote is the only input the Wii supports..

Re:Business mistake

[Millennium]

THE WII CONTROLLER IS NOT DESIGNED FOR ARCADE-STYLE FIGHTING GAMES. The Wii controller is designed for all games, and indeed: all games can be improved through expressive motion control. If only Nintendo would force this issue on developers who want to dip into the Wii's money pit, this would become more evident. As it is, their insistence on allowing developers to support CC/GC controls is just enabling a generation of kinesophobes to cling to their outdated habits.

Wii games need precisely two control options: take the plunge or play on another console.

Re:Business mistake

[kellyb9]

Nobody said this about Halo or GTA IV. I think they are doing just fine not porting their games over to the Wii. Personally, if you ask me, Wii is doing good as far as the number of consoles sold, but I doubt it's doing as well as PS3 or 360 in the way of game development or even game sales. The games designed for the 360/PS3 are much more innovative and graphics intensive. Lets face it, I still don't think the Wii has released a game that has generated the kind of stir that the previous two games I mentioned have. There really hasn't been IMHO a game that people have said, "Oh man, I'm buying a Wii just to play that game!" I don't want to knock the Wii... especially since I'm one of those people who decided to purchase one, but I rarely find myself playing it unless I'm with a large group of friends... and lets face it I'm posting on Slashdot, so how often does THAT happen?

Re:Business mistake

[99BottlesOfBeerInMyF]

The wii controller is not designed for arcade-style fighting games.

I actually think you're mistaken. The Wii controller is not designed the same as the last generation of controller. People said the same thing when Nintendo first came out with the pad style controller, arguing that joysticks were needed to play (arcade style) games.

The problem is not that the Wii controller can't be used to play fighting games, but that fighting games designed to work with the old style of controller, including what the PS3 and XBox360 use will not play on the Wii without work. Of course they're also releasing this for Windows, so there has to be some flexibility for the UI.

Realistically, I think game companies are now trying to choose between targeting the "old" gaming market that is used to the old devices and targeting the Wii market which not only has a different input device, but also has a market more interested in interfaces for the casual gamer. It always takes a lot of work for companies to adapt to new technologies and I think a lot of companies like Capcom may not be agile enough to keep up. I suspect there will be a few old companies and a few new ones that manage to appropriately target the Wii and its new market. These will provide the blockbuster Wii games and rake in the cash, whereas even if Capcom were to make a port of Street Fighter IV for the Wii, it would not be a big hit. It would still be a port, hacked to work on the Wii and with gameplay designed and tested for a different kind of gamer and a different input device.

A few years down the road, once some other companies have pioneered gameplay methodologies and established familiar control schemes that are fun on the Wii, for more casual gamers Capcom will probably have a dedicated Wii division that adapts their franchises for the Wii or writes games specifically for it.

Re:Business mistake

[Anonymous Coward]

Because those pressure sensitive button in Street Fighter worked so well...

Re:Business mistake

[radish]

The Wii may have sold an ass load of consoles, but the attach rate (particularly for third party games) is awful. Sure, part of this is that most third party games on Wii are shovelware, but plenty of research is pointing to the fact that all these "new gamers" Wii is creating aren't actually interested in buying games - they're quite happy with Wii Sports.

If you're a software publisher interested in anything other than party games/licensed crap, 360 is the place to be right now.

Re:Business mistake

[gnick]

The Wii controller accelerometer can barely allow for a soft putt on Wii Sports' Golf, and you actually think it's going to be worth a shit for Street Fighter? If you're equating your fighting style to gentle taps for short golf putts, I'd like to challenge you to a boxing match. The Wii controller does pretty decently for large movements, although the boxing in Wii Sports is fairly frustrating. I'd fault the Wii's lack of flexibility for controlled jumps/kicks/running in a Street Fighter-style game much more than inadequate accels.

Re:Business mistake

[swerk]

You're right: Any Wii remote control scheme would feel tacked on and wrong.

You're wrong: The Wii classic controller is at least as good for Street Fighter games as Sony or MS pads. Quite a bit better, in my opinion.

Those of us who wanted this game on Wii definitely already have classic controllers, so it's a shame they're ignoring the platform. But, we've got several flavors of Virtual Console Street Fighter II to choose from anyway; I can't imagine anybody's terribly upset about this.

Re:Business mistake

[LWATCDR]

I think that is A lot of wishful thinking.
Yes Nintendo produces the best games for the Wii right now.
I know a few Wii owners.
Most all of them have GH3.
Most of them have Mario Galaxy. One of them is a 35 year old mother of three. She has finished it all ready. Her and her kids stayed up late many nights finishing it.
A lot of them have Mariokart. Many more want it but they can not get.
And a BIG winner is Wii fit.

If you are a publisher you may have a big problem with competing with Nintendo. They are producing some great games that are smash hits.

The real problem I see with the Wii and third party games is simply that most of them are just not very good.
The number of adults and more importantly women buying Wiis and games just blows my mind.
When I get asked by a mother of three about Mario Galaxy and where she can find Mario kart all I can say is Nintendo has opened up a huge new market.

The game publishers better start thinking about the target audience. GTA and FPS are probably not going to be big winners on the Wii.

Re:Business mistake

[tepples]

Nobody said [exclusivity is a mistake] about Halo Halo doesn't run on PS3 for the same reason Smash Bros. doesn't: it's developed by a studio owned by a console maker.

Re:Business mistake

[Anonymous Coward]

Ofcourse this would mean that anyone playing SFIV on the Wii will have a much-more developed right arm. But chances are, they already do anyway. hehe. Geddit, it's a penis joke! ...oh come on, someone had to say it...

Re:Business mistake

[MBGMorden]

It would seem more wise for developers to focus on which systems are selling more TITLES than which are selling more units. Now I haven't done the research so this is just anecdotal, but 90% of the people that I know who bought the Wii are still playing Wii Sports.

So if tons of people are buying the Wii but most of those people aren't buying many more games for it, then it's probably good for Nintendo (I'm pretty sure they're selling the system at a profit), but not so hot for 3rd party developers. Also throw into the mix that the Xbox 360 and PS3 are much more closely related in power and control scheme, and it makes simultaneous development for those 2 systems easy; throwing in a Wii port would be much harder.

Re:Business mistake

[netsavior]

Top 10 sales for April 4/10 (1.958m) are Wii, 2/10(1.991m) are 360, 2/10(1.224m) are PS3

1. GTA IV - Xbox 360 - 1.85 million*
2. Mario Kart Wii - Wii - 1.12 million
3. GTA IV - PS3 - 1.00 million*
4. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii - 360K
5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Wii - 326K
6. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue - PS3 - 224K
7. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness - DS - 202K
8. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time - DS - 202K
9. Guitar Hero III - Wii - 152K
10. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Xbox 360 - 141K*


Joystiq Source
The differences in game sales are just not as vast as people seem to imply.

Re:Business mistake

[Anonymous Coward]

The Wii controller is designed for all games, and indeed: all games can be improved through expressive motion control. Congrats on writing the stupidest thing on slashdot today! Certainly many games can be improved through expressive motion controls, but all games? Give me a break. Some games are played best with a gamepad, some are played best with a mouse, and some are played best with wii-style motion controls. There's no magic holy grail of game controllers that is perfect for everything. Insinuating that game developers are stubborn and lazy just because they havent abandoned all other control schemes is asinine.

Re:Business mistake

[riceboy50]

The low attach rate is a myth.

Re:Business mistake

[Omestes]

No!

I hope that Nintendo takes the plunge and tells developers that they don't have to feel obligated to use motion controls. I just rented the Wii port of Okami, and you can tell that the motion controls are just tacked on, and actually hinder gameplay (out side of the ability to really brush). It often feels like a gimmick, which detracts from game-play. Hell, some of Nintendo's own franchises don't even use motion control, like SSBB, to great effect.

Re:Business mistake

[MagicM]

No, they didn't.

Re:Business mistake

[Millennium]

I hope that Nintendo takes the plunge and tells developers that they don't have to feel obligated to use motion controls. They've already done that, and the damage it's done to the Wii has been enormous.

I just rented the Wii port of Okami, and you can tell that the motion controls are just tacked on, and actually hinder gameplay (out side of the ability to really brush). It often feels like a gimmick, which detracts from game-play. Your lack of skill doesn't mean it's a gimmick. Take the plunge. Assuming you've actually played Okami, which I seriously doubt. You would not be saying this if you had given it a serious try.

Hell, some of Nintendo's own franchises don't even use motion control, like SSBB, to great effect. For which Sakurai should be fired and sued for malfeasance. How can Nintendo expect third-party developers to take motion seriously when firwt-party developers don't?

SSBB, like all other games, could have been far superior with expressive motion control. For Sakurai to not have used it, and not have forced it, is a crime against gaming.

Re:Business mistake

[Anonymous Coward]

I know a few Wii owners.

You know another one now :)

Most all of them have GH3
I don't. Even if I wanted the game (which I don't) I'd get it on a platform which supports online/song downloads. I think if you look at the numbers you'll see that the 360 version of GH3 has sold many more copies than the Wii version.

Most of them have Mario Galaxy
Nintendo.

A lot of them have Mariokart
Nintendo

And a BIG winner is Wii fit
Nintendo

See the pattern? With a few exceptions third party games aren't selling well, and there are so many titles out there that the signal to noise is very bad - inexperienced/non-savvy gamers are very likely to buy crap, probably making it even less likely they'll buy again in the future.

Look here (latest figures I could find) - the attach rate for the Wii is 30% less that that of the 360. Add in the fact that 360 titles can generally sell for more ($60 vs $50) and the fact that most of the 5.3 games sold to each Wii owner are probably published by Nintendo, and you can see why a third party might think about avoiding it. Particularly as if you write a game for 360/PS3 doing a Wii port is hardly straightforward/cheap - as we've seen you often have to pretty much redesign the whole game due to hardware limitations.

Re:Business mistake

[Millennium]

Certainly many games can be improved through expressive motion controls, but all games? Yes. All games. Even Tetris could benefit from rotation and gestures.

Give me a break. Some games are played best with a gamepad, some are played best with a mouse, and some are played best with wii-style motion controls. The Wii's pointer easily substitutes for a mouse, and motion always beats gamepads.

There's no magic holy grail of game controllers that is perfect for everything. Perfect for all games? Perhaps not; improvement is always possible.

But better for all games? Not only can it happen, but it has already happened: we saw D-pads supplant joysticks and analog sticks supplant D-pads. Motion supplanting buttons is merely the next step.

Insinuating that game developers are stubborn and lazy just because they havent abandoned all other control schemes is asinine. Insinuating that game developers are stubborn and lazy because they have made no serious efforts to advance beyond the analog cookie cutter, however, is not asinine at all.

Re:Business mistake

[cbreaker]

Why do you believe that there's something superior about the Wii controller? You assume it's the next logical step in game controllers, and I disagree.

It's different. It suits a number of game types. Not all of them, though.

When I come home from work and run my errands, I don't want to stand in front of the TV and wave my arms all over the place. I play video games to relax, and the game-pad style controller is very well suited for almost any game. If you didn't notice, you have a bunch of things on your hand called fingers. I like to use them to play games by pushing buttons.

Hey, wave your arms around all you want. I'm going to sit down with a beer and play some more GTA4.

Re:Business mistake

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not Capcom's mistake, it's Nintendos.

You may think the wii is the runaway winner, but it's certainly a huge failure for third party developers. Nintendo has burned third party devs too many times now, and a lot of them have learned to stick with companies that play fair.

Nintendo consoles are basically a tax for access to Nintendo's excellent first party titles, and nothing more. They don't really even exist for the rest of the gaming world. There's no way Capcom would have made a significant fraction of its PS3 game sales by porting to the wii, even if the wii has a large install base.

Re:Business mistake

[LWATCDR]

I never said that Nintendo wasn't producing hit games.
Differn't kinds of games are selling well on the Wii and third party providers are not yet supplying them.

Also take a look at the numbers.
* Xbox 360: software sales ratio: 7.5
* Wii: software sales ratio: 5.3
* PS3: software sales ratio: 4.6
The Xbox has a lot more titles available for it so it is logical that they have more games being sold per console.

I suggest you read your own link.
"The real takeaway from this data is that console owners are growing their software library no matter which console they own."

Re:Business mistake

[Omestes]

They've already done that, and the damage it's done to the Wii has been enormous.

How, empirically? I haven't seen sales dip, and so far this is the best 2-3 month period for quality games. The wasteland of 3rd party games is mostly due to crappy movie spin-offs, terrible attempts at making "kids" games, and clones of successful games.

Your lack of skill doesn't mean it's a gimmick. Take the plunge. Assuming you've actually played Okami, which I seriously doubt. You would not be saying this if you had given it a serious try.

My lack of skill has nothing to do with a badly implemented control scheme, for the sake of a badly implemented control scheme. My lack of skill has nothing to do with the huge "waggle dead zones" surrounding objects and mobs. I can see my lack of skill having something to do with my sucky ability to brush things as well as on the PS2 though, but that isn't really a game-breaker, while the dead-zones, and inaccuracy/sensitivity issues (switching hands is a waggle now, really?)

Your ad hominens make me wonder about how blinded by pure fan-boi-ism you really are, though. I like the motion control idea, I think the wiimote is innovative, but that doesn't mean that everything that uses it is good. Even good things can be implemented poorly. Insulting people does nothing to present a cogent argument, it just makes you look like an immature wanker with nothing substantive to say.

For which Sakurai should be fired and sued for malfeasance. How can Nintendo expect third-party developers to take motion seriously when firwt-party developers don't?

Sued? Really? Yes, he made a fun, and good selling game, that received some degree of acclaim, surely he must be sued! Why, because he realized that waggling your remote wouldn't ADD a damn thing to the game, especially when SSBB becomes tournament standard. My only complaint with that whole game is that it is much slower than the GC and N64 version, the lack of waggling has nothing to do with it. The game is damn fun, I really don't care about anything else, much less waggling.

I'm a fan of well implemented motion controls, where said controls actually have something to do with the game, and the gameplay. Throwing them in just to have them is rather idiotic, since it DETRACTS from the game.

But then again I bought my Wii to have fun, not to exclusively "waggle". (I really like that word, if you can't tell). I'm having fun, with or without waggling, if that makes me lose my fan boi card, then so be it. I really don't give a rats ass if a game has motion controls or not, as long as I get my $50 of fun from it.

Re:Business mistake

[morari]

Capcom seemed to due just fine with Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube and Wii.

Nintendo hasn't harmed third parties in any way outside of perhaps making their own games too hard to compete with due to high quality standards. I'd imagine that if third parties started putting some effort into their games, then perhaps they'd see a return. Until then, most people will ignore them and their shovelware.

Re:Business mistake

[drsquare]

As others have said, Halo and GTA are hardly hurting for sales by avoiding the runaway least powerful of this generation. The sort of people who buy wiis (i.e. poor people and old casual gamers) won't be interested in street fighter.

Granny bought a wii to occupy the grandkids at family visits, not to play fighting games!

Re:Business mistake

[Khyber]

The Wiimote has too much LAG to be worth a shit in something as time-critical as a fight. There's the acceptable Classic controller for fighting games, but otherwise, it's not worth a damn. Interesting usage for Metroid Prime 3, though it's a pain for people with my arm injuries.

Re:Business mistake

[Anonymous Coward]

The sort of people who buy wiis (i.e. poor people and old casual gamers) Let me run this through the fanboi translator... computing... translation: middle-class, working families who aren't interested in testosterone fests. See also: almost everyone.

Re:Business mistake

[joystickgenie]

I couldn't disagree more. Although the idea of the motion detection seems very promising in implementation it doesn't work out that way. Like the Tetris example. How many degrees must the remote be rotated before it triggers the piece rotating? Does the user have to realign the controller's rotation before they can rotate the piece a second time? What is the entire time that this series of motions would take to perform? Longer then it would take to press a button twice that is for sure. Then there are other problems. During these rotations your grip will be changing causing the thumb alignment on the dpad to change possibly causing errors in input.

Tell me if you have to rotate 2 times and shift the piece 4 times to the left and then once to the right quickly at the end in under half a second(on higher tetris levels is not an unreasonable requirement) what control scheme would you trust more? Rotate your wrist clockwise 45* back to center, clockwise 45*, gesture left, return to center, gesture left, return to center, gesture left, return to center, gesture left, return to center gesture right or B button B button left button left button left button left button right button, when time is a significant factor?

There was actually a perfect example of this already in games. In fight night games they added the total control feature. Instead of using buttons to throw punches the user inputs their punches with swings of the analog sticks. This allowed for more control of the punches, but there was a downside. There was also the option to turn off the total control and use a more traditional button input configuration. This created a dramatic imbalance. Where player one had to pull the analog stick back and move it in a half circle motion forward to perform a hook all player 2 had to do was press X. Players using the old style controls always ended up having an advantage in the fact that their input had a faster response time then players using the new motion style.

Don't get me wrong gesture input can be used to great affect. But in many cases buttons are defiantly superior.

Re:Business mistake

[dintech]

You know another one now

The words are coming out of your mouth but your user id tells me otherwise.

Re:Business mistake

[Von Helmet]

There was actually a perfect example of this already in games. In fight night games they added the total control feature. Instead of using buttons to throw punches the user inputs their punches with swings of the analog sticks. This allowed for more control of the punches, but there was a downside. There was also the option to turn off the total control and use a more traditional button input configuration. This created a dramatic imbalance. Where player one had to pull the analog stick back and move it in a half circle motion forward to perform a hook all player 2 had to do was press X. Players using the old style controls always ended up having an advantage in the fact that their input had a faster response time then players using the new motion style.

This is also a significant issue with motion controls on the Wii - I've come across it lately on Mario Kart Wii. The wheel style controls are quite fun, but they are slow to respond and they are imprecise. If you play online you will find that the vast majority of the good players are not using the wheel.

Re:Business mistake

[Von Helmet]

The same was true of the DS. Nintendo made some great games for it from the start, while third parties floundered and produced all kinds of rubbish. Then, as the DS became increasingly popular and the Lite got released, third parties started producing some really great games. Check Metacritic and you can see that there are several third party games in the top 10.

The problem the DS is now facing is that it's become so popular that third parties can sell any old garbage and some random person will buy it.

What are the people at Capcom thinking?

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

I wonder how much money Capcom expects to make off of this game. 2D fighters like King of Fighters tend to end up in the bargain bin pretty fast these days, and even 3D fighters aren't much shakes. If you don't have a bunch of like-minded friends to play with, a game like Dead or Alive 4 is only good for a weekend rental. I think gaming has moved on. I don't see Street Fighter IV having any interest for people who didn't grow up on 2D fighting games and still feel nostalgic.

Re:What are the people at Capcom thinking?

[Awptimus Prime]

They'll make some money. I don't have a clue as to how much but that shouldn't be the focus as far as the consumer is concerned. As long as there are plenty of people to play online and it's a fun game, that's all I will be caring about.

DoA4, well everything in the DoA series, has been quick to the bargain bin. It's got a sloppy control system but tends to be released early in the life of consoles, so each time a new one comes out it sells because it's usually the first to utilize the console's graphical abilities. The Soul Calibur series is the only one I found that seemed to be able to balance simple controls and slop with enough depth to expand into tactical, calculating game play without spending lots of time practicing (compared to Tekken 3, VF. or SF games).

As for Virtua Fighter and Street Fighter 2 HF, I never have trouble finding a large number of people to play online. The games (unlike DoA 4) are actually fun and not some little kid riding the wave of latency to get through defenses. As for the Street Fighter 2 HF players on Xbox Live Arcade, there is a mix of old people (like me) and a ton of younger people playing it.

I think everyone was surprised at the mass appeal the 2D fighter still has. Here's some linkage regarding SF2 HF's initial sales:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6155288.html

Additionally, I don't even have trouble finding people to play online to this day even playing Street Fighter Anniversary Edition (an old Xbox1 title people continue to play on their 360s due to the lack of a modern SF game to play, but will probably last beyond the new release dates due to them being different games, with different moves, and different characters).

Personally, I like all good fighters. So much, I raped a wireless 360 controller for parts and built a custom arcade controller using Sanwa parts with a Japanese SF button layout for the above games. It's nice to see such controls actually coming out with decent quality parts from companies like Hori, albeit, none of them are wireless and built by me!

Re:What are the people at Capcom thinking?

[Anonymous Coward]

2D and 3D Fighters are still huge in Japan. Virtua Fighter is enormous, Street Fighter is still very large (hence the press on this game). A lot of the games in Japanese arcades are fighters, and there are a lot of obscure (here anyway) franchises with a fairly large following.

Their arcades may sadly be going the way western ones have, but there is still nothing that compares to the experience of going to an arcade and testing your skills against a random oppoenent face to face. Fighters will always be the best game for that.

Re:What are the people at Capcom thinking?

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

Yes, you're right. I had forgotten about Japan. And Poland. But everybody forgets about Poland.

Re:What are the people at Capcom thinking?

[Anonymous Coward]

There will always be people to play against online.

Re:What are the people at Capcom thinking?

[m50d]

I think we'll see a renaissance of old-style games, once we reach the point where graphics can't be pushed any more (we're not there yet, I know). Many of the 2D games are as or more enjoyable than their 3D counterparts, and they're easier to make.

Re:What are the people at Capcom thinking?

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

I hope you're right. I loved Odin Sphere on the PS2.

Re:What are the people at Capcom thinking?

[TZapper]

I wonder how much money Capcom expects to make off of this game. 2D fighters like King of Fighters tend to end up in the bargain bin pretty fast these days, and even 3D fighters aren't much shakes. If you don't have a bunch of like-minded friends to play with, a game like Dead or Alive 4 is only good for a weekend rental. I think gaming has moved on. I don't see Street Fighter IV having any interest for people who didn't grow up on 2D fighting games and still feel nostalgic. From the article: "...renders characters and environments in stylized 3D, while the game plays in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes."

Re:What are the people at Capcom thinking?

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

I read the article. Capcom's using modern tech and old-school gameplay. The question still remains: can they make money off it?

Re:What are the people at Capcom thinking?

[KDR_11k]

2D games are being made by small developers, the big ones aren't making much like that where they can avoid it.

Poor wii

[Lord Byron II]

I'm sick of games being released either for Xbox2/PS3 or Wii. As a Wii-owner, I wish I had access to SF4, GTA, etc. Oh well, maybe its just time to buy an Xbox.

Re:Poor wii

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

Well, given that the Wii outputs at 480p, and a lot of game developers are as big on HD as Sony has been on 3D, it's not surprising that developers aiming for the HD-capable consoles would subsequently ignore the Wii.

Re:Poor wii

[phantomlord]

As a Wii-only owner, I have no interest in buying another console. In fact, the Wii is the first console I've bought since the SNES. If game publishers don't want to publish for my machine, they don't want my sale. Nintendo has already made a fortune off me (3 wiimotes, 2 nunhucks, 1 classic controller, Wii Fit, Zapper + 4 first/second party games and the 3 bundled games) and I've bought 5 third party games. I'm still having fun with the games I already have and there are plenty more that I want sitting on the shelf in the store or on the way over the next few month.

If you want my dollars, make your game work on my console. Ditto if you want my computer game dollars - make a Linux version or chances are strong I'm not buying (I've bought about 5 Linux games for every Windows game over the last 10 years since Loki first came about). They're my dollars, earn them by giving me what I want or lose them if you think I'm not profitable enough, just don't expect me to fork out tons of cash to buy another system plus accessories to give you money.

Re:Poor wii

[cbreaker]

Ya think?

Ohh noz! Why won't they make 22" rims for my Nissan Sentra? I purchased a Sentra and I think I should be the center of the universe!

Re:Poor wii

[IntergalacticWalrus]

I didn't know the Nissan Sentra was the best selling car in the world. No wait it's not.

Re:Poor wii

[drsquare]

Yes, if only Capcom released their game for the Wii they could be as successful as Loki.

Re:Poor wii

[Anonymous Coward]

By the same token, McDonalds must be the best food in the world.

Re:Poor wii

[Anonymous Coward]

i've bought around 50 games for the 360 with three controllers so your dollar isn't needed.

you are not the average user any more, a lot has changed since the snes.

Re:Poor wii

[IntergalacticWalrus]

How is that related? Nobody in this thread said "sells more = better".

Re:Poor wii

[phantomlord]

Which is fine... I'm completely ok with not getting a Street Fighter game, just as I was fine with not getting Metal Gear Solid, Halo, Heavenly Sword, Assassin's Creed, etc.

If a company wants my money, they have to give me what I want. If they don't want my money, that's fine too. It's their choice of what audience they want to cater to just as it's my choice of what games I want to buy.

Further, I'd bet I'm a lot more of an average user/gamer than you are. You may be in the top bracket of money spenders on gaming, but most people aren't buying 2 games a month.Your group is probably less common than the people who buy the Wii just for the packaged game. Most people don't have the time or desire to burn through games that fast since they're busy with their kids, job, spouse, etc. Games are a recreation for most people, not a way of life (and I say that as a reformed EQ junkie who played 80-100 hours a week)

Re:Poor wii

[phantomlord]

Loki's demise couldn't have anything to do with a poor business plan, a terrible chief executive and a market that wasn't ready for such an entity, could it?

Certainly, the Wii's market has as little demand as Linux gaming did in 1998, right? Not to mention the fact that Nintendo is a brand new company that is hemorrhaging money and begging to put the payroll on employees' credit cards.

When it comes to gaming, I'll look at people who support my platform. If they do, great, I'll consider buying. If they don't, hey, I'm fine with that too... my life will go on if I don't get to play the latest over-hyped game for Windows/a console. Maybe, if a Windows game is really great, recommended by my friends and will run in Wine, I'll buy it... but I'm cool with missing out on 99.9% of the games out there. It's not like I'm choosing to go without water.

Re:Poor wii

[ShadowsHawk]

More customers = more potential sales. I would be fired on the spot if I cut out 50% of the customer base.

Re:Poor wii

[Anonymous Coward]

Your group is probably less common than the people who buy the Wii just for the packaged game. Most people don't have the time or desire to burn through games that fast since they're busy with their kids, job, spouse, etc

You're right. So why would a 3rd party developer waste resources on a demographic that has shown that they don't want to play anything but Mario games and Wii Sports?

Re:Poor wii

[phantomlord]

You're right. So why would a 3rd party developer waste resources on a demographic that has shown that they don't want to play anything but Mario games and Wii Sports? For the same reason Nintendo is very profitable off the Wii while MS and Sony have been hemorrhaging money off this generation. It opens up an entirely new market for you.

Sure, if you're going to do the same old thing (with new graphics!), the new gamers in the Wii market might not be much of an opportunity for you, but if you think you can suck them in, you double your potential market. The Wii isn't some niche player, it's leading in sales this generation. Going only 360/PS3 and ignoring the Wii is like providing commercial Apple/Linux software while ignoring the Windows market because they're all "too stupid to grasp" your software. You can make a good living off the fanboys, but you can get rich if you also include the bigger market (even if a lower percentage of them buy the game). Of course, it also depends on the game... SuperGrindCore 27 probably wouldn't do so well on the Wii, since Wii users are looking more for a little entertainment than a way of life. A group fighting game? That just screams the Wii market... there's room for more than just Super Smash Bros Brawl.

Obligatory joke

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess fighting game fans don't like playing with their Wii.

We have an EvsE Street Fighter

[Khyber]

We already made one, it's called MUGEN.

Knowing Capcom and Street Fighter

[hyperz69]

I will wait for Street Fighter IV : The New Warriors Turbo Championship Strike!

Give them some time to fine tune the FUN!

Re:Only one question

[Gewalt]

Flamebait eh? OK, Let me try again.

What possible reasons could they have for intentionally ignoring a huge market segment like that? If they can release on the PC/PS3/XBOX360 all at once, then the issue clearly is not one of code portability, nor is it one of latent capabilities of the hardware (SSBB looks mighty impressive on the wii, so no excuses there). So that leaves what, exactly? An inherent disdain for the platform itself, which is suicidal for a game company to ignore the #1 platform in the market. While this is possible, its not that likely. Companies don't usually make business decisions on personal feelings like that.

That leaves me with only one more thought. They made the interface so cumbersome, that they were not able to make something playable with the reduce button count on the wii.

or the Classic Controller.

[Anonymous Coward]

THE WII CONTROLLER IS NOT DESIGNED FOR ARCADE-STYLE FIGHTING GAMES. A d-pad and TWO easily accessible buttons does not really work in Street Fighter where there are three strengths of kicks and punches. You'd have to use a GameCube controller to even come close to being able to play it effectively.

Translation: "WAH!" "WAH WAH!" "WAH WAH!, WAH WAH WAH, wah, WAH!"

what. are. you. babbling. about?

Give it a few days before you buy it.

[Kingrames]

They'll announce the "Turbo" version. :)

It's a pity, really.

[Millennium]

This is a game that could really have been improved through expressive motion control. But oh well; graphics are everything, right?

Re:It's a pity, really.

[cbreaker]

PS. The PlayStation 3 has motion sensing controllers.

Funny how all the WiiKiddies seem to forget that all the time..

Re:Only one question

[macshit]

So that leaves what, exactly? An inherent disdain for the platform itself, which is suicidal for a game company to ignore the #1 platform in the market.

I get the feeling that in Capcom's case, they were simply too gullible, and got caught up in Sony's hype for the PS3 (Capcom management has never been particularly bright).

They thought the PS3 was going to be the only system that mattered, so by the time it became apparent that the Wii was kicking the PS3's ass, Capcom already had a bunch of games in development which assumed super high-powered graphics and bog-standard controllers.

Misleading Summary

[99BottlesOfBeerInMyF]

I'd say this summary and even the title of the linked article are a bit misleading. From the text of the article:

Capcom... but has stopped short of committing to a Wii version or confirming the game's release date.

So they haven't promised a version for the Wii or given a date. They're probably still deciding how hard it will be to make a version for the Wii (graphics limitations) and if they can make the UI good enough that Wii fans will actually buy it for the Wii instead of something with a UI that takes advantage of the Wii's input devices. Maybe they will or maybe they won't but if they do it will probably be later than other platforms.

I don't really think Capcom is stupid enough to ignore the Wii. The potential market is huge, so if they aren't getting paid to ignore it, they're just throwing away cash. I think Capcom is like a lot of entrenched video game companies. They were not counting on the Wii to be such a huge success and are still in the process of trying to reverse course and capitalize upon it with games for that interface and for the huge casual gaming market it has potentially opened up.

Re:Misleading Summary

[cbreaker]

Hey Retard. If numbers of consoles sold was the ONLY factor in whether or not to develop games for a system, then by your rational:

"I don't really think Capcom is stupid enough to ignore the PS2. The potential market is huge, so if they aren't getting paid to ignore it, they're just throwing away cash. I think Capcom is like a lot of entrenched video game companies. They were not counting on the PS2 to be such a huge success and are still in the process of trying to reverse course and capitalize upon it with games for that interface and for the huge casual gaming market it has potentially opened up."

Sony has sold over 120 million PS2's. So that means nobody should ever create games for anything else because that would be stupid, right?

Not on Wii - controller or graphics issue?

[MobyDisk]

I can think of several ideas as to why it won't be on the Wii:
1) No 6-button controller. From the article:

Six-button controls for the game will return although having seen other fighting games on the Wii, I think a few gestures could more than make-up for that.

2) Limited graphics. But I'm not sure if that is the case or not:

renders characters and environments in stylized 3D, while the game plays in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective "with additional 3D camera flourishes". The Wii has no problems doing some nice cell-shaded 3D stuff. It doesn't sound like they are doing hyper-realistic HDR rendering. And I don't see how that would apply to SF.

3) Wrong market. Maybe Wii gamers just don't play stuff like this. What have the sales been on other Wii fighting games like Bleach?

Re:Not on Wii - controller or graphics issue?

[ProppaT]

It's #3, wrong market. Granted, I would consider myself in the dedicated gamer market and I own a Wii, but I think they're also going after the Madden/GTA/FPS crowds as well. Sure, the Wii's sales are through the roof but the thing you gotta remember is that most of the sales are to older folk. My bosses both have a Wii. EVEN THOUGH Wii Sports came with a bowling game, they BOTH went out and bought Brunswick Bowling. These are the kinda people the Wii's dealing with and this is part of the frustration that die hard Nintendo fans (such as myself) will face.

I would imagine so much recoding/graphics rework would have to be done to put it on the Wii that it's just plain out not worth the effort. Most gamers that own the Wii that will be dedicated enough to want to play SFIV also own a 360 or PS3.

Re:Not on Wii - controller or graphics issue?

[Yer Mum]

1) It's got the classic controller, it's also got the Wiimote + nunchuck combination which has six buttons.

2) I doubt the 3D flourishes really need HD if the 2D bits don't.

3) There's also Dragon Ball 2 and 3 which work happily with motion controls and I suppose 2 sold enough to make 3 viable.

The controller is too slow for boxing, kicking.

[hal9000(jr)]

You ppl that think the WII controller is acceptable for tracking real punches (shadow boxing) need to go to a gym and learn to fight for real.

There is a noticeable lag between the controller movement and the screen, meaning you have to slow down punches and blocks. Think fighting in Dune, but not. :) It also can't differentiate between a jab, uppercut, and reverse punch well.

Fix that and it would be cool.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 plz.

[xpuppykickerx]

Granted, I haven't played SF since Alpha 2, but this is going to be pretty rad. What they really need to do however, is come out with Marvel vs Capcom 3 to compete with DC vs Mortal Combat.

Re:Marvel vs Capcom 3 plz.

[The Orange Mage]

Won't happen because EA is Marvel's partner at the moment...at least I think they still are. The SEGA-made Iron Man game might throw a wrench in my theory.

And Mortal Kombat sucks.

Lockout chip business model

[tepples]

I've never understood why developers who have problems with the Wii's controls don't just release games that require a Gamecube or Virtual Console controller. Most people who have a Wii have at least one of those controllers already. Rumor is that if you can't play it with a Wii Remote or with a Wii Remote + Nunchuk, then Nintendo won't digitally sign your product.

Re:Lockout chip business model

[chrish]

Supporting the Wii Remote/Nunchuk doesn't require tacked-on "motion" controls though... look at how Super Smash Bros. Brawl works. You hold the Wii Remote sideways like a classic NES controller, no motion controls at all.

HTPC gaming

[tepples]

(although SF on a PC just seems weird) Weird only to people who've never used an emulator. There's nothing weird about plugging a PC into a TV-sized monitor and plugging two to four USB gamepads into a hub. It's just that apart from Serious Sam and Lego Star Wars, the vast majority of multiplayer games that work on one PC are either turn-based games (e.g. Civilization), official emulators of classic games (e.g. Midway Arcade Treasures), or unofficial emulators of classic games (e.g. MAME, Snes9x).

Be excited that it's an HTPC game

[tepples]

Am I supposed to be excited that SF IV is being released OR should I be upset that it's not on Wii? You're supposed to be excited that it is being released on Windows. Major video game publishers generally haven't taken home theater PCs seriously. Too many games that allow multiple players to use gamepads require a locked-down console, and too many multiplayer PC games (even other than real-time war sims and first-person shooters) require a separate PC per player.

I'll be the Marth, e.g. noob, so this is Yoshi's B

[tepples]

What have the sales been on other Wii fighting games like Bleach? Brawl has set records.

MODERATOR ACTION

[Anonymous Coward]

Modbot v1.34 Initializing...

Checking post...done.

Post Evaluation:
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Basic:

Mentions Wii [x]
Mentions Apple []
Mentions Linux []
Simple Cell Phone []
Gameplay over Graphics [x]

Extras:
Mentions GPL []
Rediculous claim with no explanation [x]

Summary: +3

Applying modpoints....ERROR - NO MOD POINTS FOUND.

err(-5) - No mod points for application. Please try again.

EOL

Title...

[Cornflake917]

So every time a game doesn't come out for the Wii, we are going to have to see it broadcasted in the title? Are slashdotters so stupid that they can't deduce which consoles are missing from a list of a whopping 3 consoles?

Re:Title...

[badboy_tw2002]

It has to be there or else my modpoint farming script won't get keyed to reply with "I wish they would focus on gameplay instead of adding shiny graphics" or "This game would be awesome on the wiimote!" See also my "Does it run on Linux?" and "Where's the source?" scripts for similar results!

Re:Only one question

[cbreaker]

I'll respond to you in a language you can surely understand:

Fud Fuuud, fud fud fuuuud (fud fud) fuuuuuuud fud fud fudd fudddd ffffud; fu.

wow PC?!?

[Satanboy]

I am just happy its going to be on PC.

Just think, we might be able to add our own characters and moves!

Re:wow PC?!?

[The Orange Mage]

Don't hold your breath. Capcom is notorious for terrible PC ports.

Meh.

[Shadow Wrought]

The Wii already has Brawl, so I don't think there's going to be too much of an uproar.

This doesn't bother me

[IntergalacticWalrus]

Even though the Wii is the only current gen console I own and I am a big fan of the Street Fighter franchise, this doesn't bother me at all because:

1) The game looks goddamn awful, seriously have you seen it? It looks like a 1999 game, with HD added.

2) According to what I've read the gameplay is intentionally lacking in new features so it feels more "old-school", which sounds retarded to me. Hell they won't even include the SF3 parry system. If I want "old-school" I'd play an actual old SF game. Capcom has shown here that this game is only about pointless fan service: "see your favorite SF characters now in THREE DEE!!! with the exact same gameplay you're used to!"

3) According to this it'll be also for PC, which as usual for a japanese game is going to be a very sloppy port, but it will still allow me to play the game if I eventually feel like it.

wii? please

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm 32 and my brother is 34. We play FPS on the PC, but on the console, all we have ever played are fighting games, primarily Soul Calibur, IMHO the best fighting game series ever. I've bought 2 dreamcasts, and a PS2 solely for that game. We have bought everyone one in the series. Pretty much everything else other than RB/GH are a bore compared to the PC.

Fighting games still command a loyal audience, it's essentially the closest thing to true high-caliber super competitive twitch gaming on the console, where the PC is better suited for FPS to get that kind of fix. Soul Calibur 4 is coming soon and will sell like mad if the previous titles are any indication. Anyone who thinks fighting games are dead is a fool.

I think the reason for the Wii release is that fighting games need to be fast fast fast for highly competitive play. These are the kind of games where if two fairly equal players are using different controller types (wired vs. wireless) the wireless guy is going to lose a LOT. They also tend to use a lot of buttons. I would never buy a fighting game for the the Wii. I'm sure they would try to use the motion stuff which would ruin it.

Disappointed

[HalAtWork]

Personally I'm disappointed, anyway. There are lots of hard core gamers like me who own a Wii among their other systems and are just wishing that companies would be focused on it. They don't have to customize it for the Wii specifically, just make it available like for the other systems. I really don't understand why it has to be left out.

Capcom released Resident Evil 4 and Umbrella Chronicles for Wii, but are not releasing RE5 for it. Rockstar released Bully for Wii, but no GTA games. A Katamari game came out for 360 and not Wii (or PS3 for that matter). Virtua Fighter 5, GTA4, Orange Box, DMC4, Ninja Gaiden, are all "cross-platform" titles not available on Wii either. I'd really be willing to play them on that system if they were out for it, no matter how pared down, and I'm sure a lot of others would like to have the option as well. It's about the gameplay, not the graphics, and Wii owners know that already. These games offer compelling gameplay, but are not available on the Wii. It's crap.

I'm glad at least other companies seem to be supporting it with strong releases such as Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, Ghostbusters, Sonic The Hedgehog, Guitar Hero, etc. Some people will argue that that the Wii is all about casual entertainment, but then I see that games like Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Sing Star, Scene It, focusing primarily on the other systems. Other systems also had downloadable casual games before the Wii, and both have camera peripherals they are using to bring motion-based games to the systems (even PS2 had Eye Toy).

Is it a Wii marketing fumble that Nintendo is not emphasizing hard core games enough, or a 3rd party problem because they do not see the market for these games on the Wii?

Control Scheme?

[dorath]

Lots of talk about not enough buttons on the Wii-mote. Sounds like people are after six plus the d-pad? I haven't played fighting games since Street Fighter 2 came out, but here's my take on how fighting could work for the Wii.

Punch with A, kick with B. Aim the Wii-mote at the top of the screen for a high attack, the middle of the screen for a middle attack, and at the bottom of the screen for a low attack. That ignores left and right, which could factor into special moves or blocking.

A Nunchuck attachment also comes with the standard package. This means that the joystick could be used to control movement. There are also a couple more buttons which could be used for jumping, special attacks, taunts, whatever.

That's just off the top of my head. I wouldn't be shocked if there's a game out for the Wii that uses a similar control scheme already.

Re:Only one question

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you ever played a Street Fighter game? It does NOT lend itself well to the Wii's controller. And from the screenshots I've seen, there's no way the Wii could pull it off without looking like the Atari 2600 Pac Man as compared to the arcade version.

No wii streetfighter?

[meshmaster]

They are missing the boat. Wii want a wii streetfighter.... Make it 3d and make it use the balance board and nunchuck. Your actual real kicks and punches will cause the characters to move. No jumping on the board is allowed, but you could do the stand straight type of movements like wii fit's ski jumps require... It's probably just a matter of time. Wii boxing in wii sports and wii fit is about the highest calorie burning, and funnest game on the wii. Taking that idea and expanding it to a full fledged street fighter type of thing would be fantastic.

Compare to Street Fighter II for Game Boy

[tepples]

look at how Super Smash Bros. Brawl works.

But then the use of the buttons in Smash Bros. is much different from Street Fighter 1, 2, Alpha, and 3.

Street Fighter uses six buttons: one for each of three discrete attack strengths (L, M, H) for high (P) and low (K) attacks. Guard is done by pressing away from the opponent. Special moves are done using combinations of directions and an attack button (for example, Ryu's Dragon Punch is roughly forward-down-forward-P).

Smash Bros. uses three buttons: attack (A), special (B), and guard (L). It puts all the standard attacks onto a single direction + A and all the specials onto a single direction + B. The strength of an attack often depends on how fast or how long a button (charged specials) or a direction (dash vs. smash attacks) is pressed. That makes it more like some SNK games than like Street Fighter. It also has a separate button for guarding, which is more like Mortal Kombat or Tobal No. 1 or Soul Calibur than Street Fighter. So we can't just adopt Smash controls wholesale.

To adapt Street Fighter controls to a controller with two face buttons would take a lot more reworking than the producer thinks Street Fighter fans would accept. For one thing, it would need to use a workaround for only two face buttons, much like the Game Boy version of SF2 did.

Re:Compare to Street Fighter II for Game Boy

[KDR_11k]

Meh, just make 1 punch and 2 kick with the Wiimote tilt determining the strength of the attack, I think the Gamecube version of Capcom vs SNK (or some other Capcom vs game) had a similarly stupid control scheme as an option. If it's just to get approval you can make a pretty crappy control scheme without much trouble. Sure, it won't look nice in reviews but even if you were to put effort into it noone would want to use it anyway so you can just as well half-ass it.