Street Fighter IV
I was just reading about this title on
IGN, or rather looking at
gameplay videos! I imagine it's common knowledge within gamer circles that although the title is rendered in 3D (with a hand drawn appearance), the
gameplay remains 2D.
Personally, I am not too interested in retro gaming. I always look to the future, and like to see new and innovative ways of modern technology use in video games. If the technology is there, then why not use it? Typically, I find the individuals who continuously rave about games from the 80's, are rarely genuinely interested in the industry. I'm trying not to let this become another rant, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying retro games. I am specifically referring to those who dismiss any complex modern game in favour of 'a few sprites on the screen'. If you dislike any recent AAA action adventure title, simply because it's too complicated for you, or in other words, you can't be bothered to learn the game, then the chances are that you are not really interested in video games. period.
This idea is apparent in Street Fighter IV, although, as I realised after watching the
gameplay videos, it seems to find the halfway house. The game does not disappoint it's age old fans, who fell in love with the 2D
gameplay, but it does seem to look like a true next gen game nonetheless. The visuals are very impressive, particularly some of the pyrotechnics involved with projectile and special moves. I also like the way the 2D plane pulls rotates and ultimately ventures into 3D to show these special moves. Once again, straying away from the retro aspect. A very good thing.
One final thing, I love the hand drawn appearance of the characters. Nice touch, and very suited to the feel of the game and in fact the whole series...
The best place to hit someone...
People generally regard a bad leg or any weak area of the body as the worst place to hit someone. Surely it's the best place to hit someone!!
I still remember practicing with a particular character from my previous karate club. On one occasion, I tagged or made contact with his weak leg during a foot sparring session. He seemed to complain for the rest of the practice. More experienced karateka (someone who practices karate) find themselves being tagged frequently during sparring regardless of the fact that Shotokai is in theory a non contact style (during training at least). This is mainly because they have to learn to defend themselves against realistic threats, such as would occur in the pub on a Saturday night... However, this 'incident' was not properly handled by my training partner, who was more experienced than myself. If he was on the street and someone took a dislike to him, he couldn't very well tell them not to hit him on his bad leg!!
It's this attitude that can ruin practices for many. People tend to think they are better than they really are, (with anything) and shut off the possibility of learning from someone who is less experienced.
In theory, an individual who has maybe only been training for 2 weeks, should be able to turn around and tell me if they think that something that I am doing could be improved. In reality, this would sadly never happen and the higher grade would just dismiss the idea...
Maybe another possible reason why GTA IV is so good
Okay, so I still haven't bought the game but this idea was something that struck me when walking through one of the less salubrious areas of Glasgow by myself. When you move to a large city, it can be, in a sense, oppressive. You feel like a small, insignificant part of a much larger machine. There is so much that you feel cut off from. This is particularly true for me as a graduate who is starting to look for work. I must start at the bottom of the pile and have realised that there are so many others, older than me, and indeed 'ahead' of me. It makes you realise how little power you actually have...
With
GTA IV, although you begin in a large, unfamiliar city, you are cast in the role of a 'rock hard' character, who takes part all the illegal activities which, in effect, keep us all under control in real life. How many times have you been told not to go to a particular area, or not to trust a particular company/website, etc...!!? In
GTA IV, you are the very person you would be afraid of in real life! This sense of power is very appealing to many, it suspends the disbelief.
I feel that there are other subtle hints towards this in the game. For example, the fact that you can climb to a high point, and look out over the cityscape. Being in a position where you can see a whole city sometimes makes you feel as if you own it... Or maybe this is just me!
Think it's time to look away from a computer screen for a bit...
Martial Arts and Fighting Games
Due to the fact that combat is and will remain an important theme among many modern titles, it follows that many martial arts styles will be referenced in a number of ways throughout the industry. Naturally, 3D Fighting is the obvious genre to consider, although adventure and RPG games such as Shenmue use martial arts to form a core gameplay element. (in some ways in a more creative sense as the nature of the RPG is to develop the characters' abilities over the course of the game rather than simply using what has been given at the outset).
I have always found martial arts depiction in video games an interesting idea. It is of course anything but realistic, although some titles attempt to recreate more realistic combat sequences than others. This is not necessarily a positive or negative with regard to a particular game or series. A totally realistic fight sequence would be over in less than a second!!
However, I still believe that there are a lot of individuals out there who do believe martial arts teaches you various moves that could be executed during a bar brawl... They really do play too many video games!
Having said that, there are some strange similarities. My main example here is relaxation. Martial arts centres around inner relaxation. With regard to fighting games, you simply cannot input complex command with speed if you are tense. Relaxed, nimble fingers are
