My, my…I havent been here for a while and I see a lot of ideas flowing here and there. So its time to make some comments.
The Lone Dragon:
>Some want it to “play like SS”, even though most SS games don’t really play like each other.
You see, SS gameplay has some fundamentals. Those are:
-Slashes differ to safe ones with weak damage, medium ones with moderate damage, and strong slashes with heavy damage. Opponent will recover more slowly after being hit with strong slash, but faster after weak slash, and vice versa, if he blocks your weak slash you recover faster and when he blocks your strong slash your recovery is long. The gameplay consists basically from feinting such situation that opponent will recognize as punishable so he will employ his strong slash or any other heavy damage attack, only for you to block it and counterattack with your heavy attack for sure.
-Weak slashes are commonly used for tick-throw and as high-priority/speed obstacle in way of enemy’s attack; medium slashes for attacking and for cancelling into moves; strong slashes for punishment, or just big risky damage (rarely used this way).
-High-low game, if present, is done by one-hit attacks.
-Rage system, it is always in either of two phases: 1)gaining rage from getting damaged (defensive phase) 2)being boosted by rage (offensive phase and opponent is on the defensive), and 2.1) is ability to use rage on some feature, usually weapon flipper, or Rage Explosion for even bigger damage boost with sacrificing the gauge. Properties of rage usually deal with character’s temper
-Different characters excel at different things; some are slow grabbers with big defence, some are fast and close combat characters; some excel at long range only
-Use of space of arena is different for every characters, all normals and specials move across arena in variety of ways and often have different hitboxes (compare Sogetsu and Kyoshiro crouching slashes in 2D games - one is half-screen low attack, other is anti-air attack only). Can be compared to movement of chess pieces if you like.
-Most of time its “war of ranges” because each character wants to force opponent into gameplay situation favourable to him only. Like Sogetsu vs Kazuki would be Sogetsu making keepaway game while Kazuki always trying to get close.
-Derivating from this are character matchups - with different types of characters you can for sure find some counter-character to each character in game.
Now, lets see Sen
-No medium slashes, instead weak slashes adopted speed of weak ones and attack properties of medium ones it seems. Plus they lead to combos, it makes them to work awith properties similar to normal attacks in Tekken. On other hand, strong slashes adopted even slower startup/recovery making them basically unusable as attack because they not only can be blocked on reaction, most probably opponent will just slash you out of your strong slash startup with own weak slash (remember this game will have him close to you always?)
-Game adopted ridiculous 40-50% of healthbar slow unblockables system that each character has. This eliminates any tactical waiting game, because guess what? When you stop spamming weak slashes you have the chance to eat that unblockable (again, rememeber that game forces you to be close to opponent). Thats why it turns into weak slash spamfest.
-High-low game is done by weak slashes themselves, and can lead into combo or juggle
-Juggles themselves look ridiculous, even in SS64 they looked better by actually using different hits and special moves inside them, not just 1-hit repeat. Its not that I was fond of long anti-gravity juggles in SS anyway.
-Rage system is messed up. After “gaining rage” phase, instead of switching you into “rage boost” phase it gives you 1 rage stock that you can carry between rounds. Rage Explosion now just uses up that stock to give you whole 4 or even 5 seconds (wow, sooo long) in which you can experience “rage boost” offensive phase of gameplay with you dealing bigger than normal damage with your slashes, and with opponent on runaway. You dont even get super to use for this short time, you get 1 bonus move in your movelist instead (which deals lesser damage than string of weak slashes done at same time). After those 4 or 5 seconds end you are back to phase 1 - gaining rage.
-All characters and all ranges can be summed with one thing: CQC (close quarters combat). And dont make me laugh with Hanzo’s shuriken and Galford’s kunai throw. They have fake teleport animation before them so opponent will block anyway, then shuriken/kunai travels diagonally down (not forward), but also from much lower height than in previous game, so it covers same horisontal distance as Hanzo/Galford’s weak slashes, basically its one more close range tool without much use (as rest of their teleports, Ukyo can nail them with weak slashes before they even get chance to recovery and attack him). Oh and damage from those is uber weak.
-No “war of ranges” whatsoever
-Character matchups are, one who has longer weapon dominates, if both have long weapons, one who can weak slash faster, dominates, that sums the idea pretty much.
Zamuel:
>Sen as rather meh, it does have a fanbase.
In Japane, its because of Suzuhime…You can look at KOFXII Athena as well to see where SNK are going 
Ultima:
>Which is curious, cause last I checked, Samurai Shodown was orignally more popular in the west than in Japan.
SS is more popular in Asia (Japan, China, Korea etc) period… on west SS is more forgotten. Just compare amount of asian and western SS fansites and communities, you will be astounished because asians have like hundreds of such sites. Then, tell me how many SS tourneys were on west (real-life ones), and I doubt there was more than in asia.
>LOL no. SS1 and SS2 play alike. So do SS0 and SS0S. SS0, SS0S also have a base with SSIV and, to a lesser extent, SS3, though SS3 is the most different of the bunch, followed by SSIV. Only SS Tenka is considerably different. Oh, and I guess the SS64 games are different as well. Regardless, this is a non-argument. The Street Fighter games don’t play like each other per se, but there is a definite SF feel to each one that is preserved, so arguing that there’s no need to retain the SS feel because the games play differently is rubbish.
Aside from SS formulae I mentioned earlier, I will add that SS4 retained gameplay even with CD combos, because to enter combos you needed specific combo starter, and if it missed, no combo for you. In Sen you can swing up with pretty much every combination of normal attacks, and if opponent is caught in it, he’s caught in the combo. And strong attacks are almost useless there, unlike other SS games.
Tenka’s problems were damage ones (Tenka lifebar has like 2 times more life than SS5sp one, but its length is 2 times shorter, that would be most accurate definition), and engine ones such as change of recovery times, opponent being pushed towards you as you combo him in the back, and ability of weapon to fall behind screen’s border.
The Lone Dragon:
>Sen has mechanics found in previous games: rage, rage enabled supers, animal helpers, fatal finishes.
Rage is messed up heavily, no supers but bonus moves a-la SS4 ones, animal helpers are off-screen 99% of time and if poppy flies in the screen at short period of time, its the same as if fireball flied in the screen at short period of time in prev. games. Poppy doesnt have any extra attacks aside of that. Mamahaha serves as mount only, too. Fatal finishers arent any mechanic or part of gameplay, just like fatalities in MK. Theyre just for aethetics
Evo:
>Hmm, seems like they would have referred to as"SS2 something"if it was intended as a direct canon sequal…ur looking to much into it I think.
SNK timeline (I will operate numbers for 2D games)
Ambrosia Arc (SS1-SS3-SS4-SS2) - Yuga Arc (SS64-SSAZ-20yeargap-SS:Shinsho[PSX])
SS: RPG is Ambrosia Arc representation.
NakoADV game takes place before SS2 events.
SNK Playmore timeline:
(SS5/Zero) - Ambrosia Arc (SS1-SS3-SS4-SS2) - SS:Sen
SS6 is a dream match, part of SS1,2,3,4,5 events happened in it (Shaved Gaira, Gen-An’s third child, SS2 endings into SS6 endings), but overall its uncanon game
Connection with Yuga Arc was never established in SNKP games. There’s no such connection in Sen as well.
Sen cant be dumped in Yuga Arc, because by years it is after SS64 or SSAZ, however
Kazama clan leader was slain in SS64 endings.
Genjuro and Ukyo died right after SSAZ
Kazuki abandoned sword after SSAZ
Sogetsu ascended to rank of next Kazama clan leader after SSAZ
So the only right interpretation is, Sen isnt after or before, its new story branch instead of SSAZ
