I enjoy this game how it is, but I can also see why it didn’t do so well. People dismissing it as a smash clone, complicated play style, ect. I see so much potential in this game I can’t help but think what should be done to improve it so it doesn’t disappear into the void. The online tournaments, and a good community from what I can see is a good start, but there are things Sony or Santa Monica studio need to do. 3 very important and vital things in my book.
First: Add a Health bar. Now, before everyone just attacks me just hear me out. Right now, the only way to get kills is to build super and then hit with the super. In theory, that works. In smash bros it’s a similar idea. Hit the foe to build their percent, then knock them off the stage. So why do people complain about SOny’s system and not smashes? Well, for one, any attack can be used to kill, if you got the foes % high enough, and people felt that getting hit was very dangerous. Yes, getting hit is also bad in Allstars, since you gain no meter and the foe does, allowing them to get their supers off. However, just not getting meter doesn’t have the same feeling of getting in trouble as it does in Smashes where your percent goes up. You feel every hit and since you can see the effects clearly, and every hit has more weight to it.
Why I think adding a health bar would be very benifical for the game is simple: The players will feel that getting hit is bad more. As I stated, one complaint I have and what I hear a lot for people is that getting hit doesn’t seem as bad, and while it is bad, that feeling is very important. A health bar will right away give the person more dread as they are getting hit, feeling every punch and knowing it’s bad. The Health bar will also add another way to get kills and points, as losing your health will kill you, and then you respawn back shortly like normal. Now people have more options for getting points and kills, and I think this will allow people to work with more of what the character has to offer, and make the fighting experience more fleshed out.
You will still gain super just as much as before, and supers still instantly kill others, but now there is more of an added depth: Do you use the super on a low health foe so you can get the point, or do you risk someone else getting the point, and then killing the guy when he has full health? Higher level Supers can also cost more points then normal kills too if you want, making the game even more strategic on if you should try to land the super or just go for a normal kill. Thus, the game is deeper, everyone gets more on edge with low health, and the game feels more intense.
Now, only a players attacks will cause health damage. Items and Stages will only cause super damage. This way you eliminate the stages effecting the game play and skill, which is a complaint of the smash series. Stages and items can never kill, just slightly hinder you. It still comes down to the players skill to get the kills.
It is a change to the system, but I think it won’t break the core idea of the game. It mainly expands on it, and adds more weight to the game. Fighting games have a health meter for a reason. How would killing people in Street fighter be if all you can do is kill them with supers? You lose the intensity of come backs, last second reversals, and the hype of the next attack will win the game. Every good fighting game has this, and this game needs it if you want it to be a huge success.
Gah, I had this all in one post, but it seems it was way too big. I’m going to split this into 3 posts.