Can somebody please tell me why I got this thread as a result in a search for the book (fiction) thread on GD?
While I’m here, my 2 cents:
First of all, in a SFIV thread one dude whose name I forgot made a good point. We were talking about how Urien is male fanservice (well, I am personally too heterosexual to notice, but somebody else made the point), but in the hands of someone like RX, that doesnt mean anything because Urien is in actual fact just an extension of the player’s ability to decimate their opponent (in other words: they become more “abstract” a phenomenon than the previous “big dude in a small thong” category).
So, in Arcana Heart, in theory, you could take a skilled character and say that the “personality” of the characters really doesnt mean anything: you can sit back and admire the combos and tactics and strategy and execution etc etc etc.
Now I appreciate that people can do that. I’ve occasionally watched AH matches and kinda dug the gameplay. In fact, when I was in Japan I’d watch just about every fighting game out there, including stuff like Battle Fantasia. I like that character who has like 2 or 3 helpers she can summon, making the game look like some kind of MvC2.
But this isnt the whole story. You still have to LOOK at the characters. Before the match starts, and they stand there in their fighting poses, they are personalities and not the abstract bunch of hitboxes they can become later on.
If these characters repel you sufficiently, then you won’t play the game. For example, imagine there is a fighting game made up of characters who are anuses. Nobody would play this game (excluding [insert name of enemy here]).
In my opinion, with regard the whole Japan loli shit, Capcom, as usual, get it just right. Alpha 3 reached saturation point for them, with Sakura and Karin, but it works there because: a) although they look young, lets be honest they look closer to 16 than 8, b) they are also not just fanservice: obviously Sakura is a sort of parody/tribute to Ryu, and Karin is to Sakura as Ken is to Ryu, and c) there are only two of them, they don’t take up the entire cast (isnt part of the fun of having these characters in the first place to be found in seeing them taking on ridiculously powerful male characters and demons etc?!).
Arcana Heart does the opposite. The girls are very, very young look indeed, they are kinda designed solely as fanservice (not sure if there’s actual cameltoe or what? I’m proud to say I havent looked close enough), and there are too goddamn many of them. I draw the line with that Ninja girl. I mean hell, maybe the theme of the game would have worked a bit better if it was slightly SD in art style or something, maybe would have made it a bit cuter and less creepy.
BUT having said all that, the game system does look good so maybe the fans of the game should be applauded for being the real hardcore, able to look beyond the shallow stuff.
Oh and one final point is: another reason Sak and Karin are cooler than the entire cast of AH is that their moves actually look like they might hurt. AH’s animation seems to make all the moves look very wishy-washy, like Sakura’s standing far fierce looks like she can punch, Ah girls look like they punch like a bunch of pussies…
Rant over. Now I need to find that book thread.
