The worst thing that could happen is if they went a dark/western/realistic art style. God help us if they ever did
I am not saying they should go realistic, but I think is highly probable they could. After two games with similar style (obviously 5 is much more evolved than 4) I am not sure what more they can do in that style, and for those dreaming on GGX style cel shade… well you better stop as Capcom wants to sell skins.
I feel something like this may be on the horizon wether we like it or not.
I still prefer Necalli to be independent to the Secret Society and Shadaloo, they knew Necalli exist but they just don’t care and don’t see it as a threat to them along with their goals. Bison was even expecting Necali and Secret Society doesn’t care about him either in the cinematic mode.
It’s better for Necalli to be independent because establish tells that they are expecting the like of Necalli to be awaken, even Dhalsim knew this and his origin, they even just know how to handle it.
I agree NRS but in-terms of gameplay mechanics not on the whole character redesign.
NRS is the new SNK of the 90s, SNK was innovative and creative in fighting game mechanics that push other companies like Capcom to try and work with something else.
MK loss it’s identity in the before NRS went into. MK had been many things that it tried many stuff that others popular fighters went into.
Nowadays SNK knew where is the right spot for them that their followers wants after the journey and experimentation of various gameplay mechanics. So it’s right for them to stop and innovate in various areas.
Like from the countless failure of other modern Samsho that it loss the identity then going back to core. Like what KOF also does.
While NRS just knew 2D and cinematic is were they should stay but the rest is still on experimentation from character designs and gameplay mechanics.
Capcom should already knew the designs and character they need to keep, it was wise to had the poll rather than to base on noise from internet rants that either base from expectation and curiosity.
In the end other companies that tries to change the formula, trying something else but for Capcom not attempt to try it anyway because the end result was not good. They played safe in gameplay mechanics that what had been fruitful in the future. That’s the story that can be also applied to MVC2, MVC3, MVCi and DBFZ.
Arcsys is doing a lot of interesting things carefully than Capcom and NRS but they failed lately on other stuff that they are trying to downgrade or just trying to make it different from what they already achieve which was proven better.
Risk takers and innovators are admirable but the end goal is consistency that is more valuable for the branding and franchise especially were talking about pop culture design and game not just another fighting game title. Improvement is not always change.
Yup, Like I said also before instead of power up and increase of power scaling that would make to raise the roof what ever entitles they would encounter.
It’s better that characters in SF interms of the narrative having progression is learning new techniques and movesets instead of giving them power-up one, power up two, super saiyan 3 power up 3 and etc.
because it would only push thing in ridiculousness that this a fighting game and not an anime that needs multiple power up until everyone is mostly buried because they were not up to date to the current power scaling.
In other words it only distance in each fighters to each other making it a failure for a fighting game narrative.
I think you get it wrong there, that’s the part were they can just hire writers and do a appealing story because everything is flexible and no restrictions. There are no true consequences on events either from the past or the future because a sequel nor another crossover title doesn’t need a consistency.
They write whatever a good write can write like how movies are written, but a continuous franchise hiring different writer every five year game of every new game. That’s where the complication kicks in.
That’s when many YT, FGC influencers, Podcast, random guys in FGC and those gaming forums is saying absolute mistake when they would say “CAPCOM just need to hire a writer for SF” or for every new SF with storymode. like everything is a quick fix.
Nobody ever mentioned that or think like that in various story thread here or some where even in various story mode topic and discussion in other platforms, that mentioned this, because they don’t care other than just seeing this like the other do. Like many just want the story for the sake of having it because NRS does. Maybe they start talking like this and would finally think about it sooner…
It just show that they don’t care of consistency and the story they just want a appealing narrative that would cater the modern era that is ever changing. This is the same case that many of this guys wants guest characters in SF.
SF story is not an appealing narrative that’s why it would be boring and it’s more on historical moments that would be reference soon on future titles. Because mostly it is about character motivations in a fighting game.
But it would work in SF1-ALPHA/ZERO or even to SF4(in some cases) because the events there is already a staple and referenced for every future title compare to a timeline set on a moving and ever changing events.
Like Death of Nash, The first of Shadaloo Raid, Sagat Scar Origin and etc.
Because all they need to do is the script and dialogue to in the story that wasn’t that important and what they need to do with the rest is figure out how to make them work together than just randomly changing things to make a appealing movie is that is ever changing to modern trends and audience.
Compare to another shadaloo raid version 2 then another then secret society raid then another shadaloo raid, then a raid of a new super secret shin uber organization and then another raid of a new super secret shin uber organization plus ultra. People would hate another game with everyone against shadaloo game or another cinematic mode that is always about raiding and everyone is piled up.
The thing is that what SF can do like Xmen 90s cartoons, Ninja Turtles 80s cartoons or the GI Joe cartoons. SF was built like that because thats how there structure is designed. Example SF cannot be like Ghost Buster it’s not because of the horror theme but the narrative cannot be written in that format every now and then.
While NRS is a whole new different thing, because they got narrative tools that SF never would and things we wouldn’t want to see in SF.
I really like this guy’s stuff (The Batman TAS ones were SOLID GOLD) as well as these, but in terms of if the the official SF look going forward borrows from this, I don’t know how I’d feel. I tend to want more stylization and saturated colours in things, so I’ve been wanting SF to go more alpha /anime rather than approaching semi realism like Tekken. That’s just me.
SF will look absolutely horrible with that style.
I guess. But if there’s no true consequences, then it makes it pretty hard to get invested in the story. Especially if you’re a lore nerd.
If I’m always thinking “Well none of this is gonna matter anyway” in the back of my head while watching something, it’s hard to make myself care.
Seeing characters from two different universes interact is good for a cheap pop and all, but it only goes so far.
As pieces of artwork, they’re fantastic.
I would absolutely NOT want the games to look like that though.
Mortal Kombat identity has always been “2D fighting game with blood and violence”. As far as I’m aware that is still the case. And yeah even if the 3D era MK games were clunky, Midway always tinkered with the series formula in some shape or form, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. It’s why I wish Capcom took more daring approaches to Street Fighter spinoffs, because to this day all they did were a 2v2 crossover, a 3v3 crossover, and a glorified Tetris clone
This is exactly my first fear regarding SF6
Not only don’t want to see SF dna betrayed to suck dick of that loud % against japanese style, but more important than that you ruin the effectiveness of the series design when you force realism in
You either tone down elements to give realism the space to exist or keep them and anyway they look less effective: a stylized figure can essentially wear/look the fuck designers want and looking “right” if the stylization make it feel natural in that world
My only hope is for SF6 visual side they will put on work a japanese-only team and they stop the external modellers bullshit
But i’m pessimist on that
Watch, they’re gonna build SF6 using RE Engine and give it a grittier look like the recent Resident Evil games lol
This is worst scenario, but even a middle ground like last DMC will still be an huge loss for SF art
Final Fantasy and Tekken people found a way to increase realism without betray much the style. Tekken design have other problems, but does that one right
First thing to avoid is “look like real actor!” stupid gimmick that capcom seem to have embraced. “Real actor” does’nt marry well with jap stylization, make characters look like some douche who lost his bus to the cosplay convention and aside being awkward seem… some actor hired to play the character rather than the character being himself
Last but not last that kind of turn may also go together with a more weight of social “western values” pushing on design… and tbh i don’t want any american marketing person telling capcom artist how a SF character should look
That female is too sexualized, that guy is too stereotype, that design is not sensible
Fuck all that in muh SF tbh
Not that SFV did’nt gone wrong example on sexualization, THEY DID
SFV could remove like 17kg of plastic from the cast tits and it will result better look
Same for roids on male, some chars have no reason to be built like prime Arnold, specially the speed/agility ones.
Example Ken took a big turn of dynamism/speed side wich is great as differentiate him more (from Ryu, who got same in solid toughness direction), but his model looks too fucking heavy to express that
And that is not to chase some not needed realism, is the same some of best capcom jap artist already did in their stylization… SFV Ken looks 20-30kg heavier than Ikeno’s or Kinu’s artworks in SF3, where Ken looked sharp and fast as he’s supposed to be while keeping very developed muscles
But these choices should be dictated by aesthetic improvement, not by wind hinting wich dick better suck
I don’t think that would work. We will get an even more evolved and refined version of SF5 because that is what separates us from the competition.
It’s not about western style or japanese style.
SF4 and SF5 just take the middle ground of being cartoon like and realistic like. which is the better.
Realism is not western style the current trends is more cartoony for western nowadays it’s like what you see in pixar or wreck it ralph, so it’s not westerner. It’s just the current trends.
It’s to replicate a a style of a animation studio but this isn’t western style
other
This is done by asian and from an eastern studio but it’s not asian style, oriental style or chinese style.
They are just simply cartoony but with different style depending on the artist.
You don’t call this stuff japanese style because it was reference from a japanese artist.
It just an artist style by an artist not by his race.
Talking about final fantasy, it’s not also western or japanese
It’s more on an artist style, it is designed Yoshitaka Amano the man behind final fantasy 90s cover art.
Yoshitaka Amano is not about japanese style it’s just his style. It’s not even FF style in-game other than cover, promo stuff and etc mostly.
Journey is not also Japanese style nor western style.
Final Fantasy 9 is the true FF style and it has nothing to do with western or japanese, it’s categories is more on cartoony, fantasy and realistic…
Kingdom Heart isn’t Western or Japanese
It’s simply just about realism and cartoony.
As for Tekken? Tekken has always been like that. They never betrayed anything or something.
Tekken Tag is the middle ground of Tekken
It’s like implying Tekken real design you claim is “the before of KOF14” as what you prefer to lol Which people calls PS2 like graphics.
In recent months I’ve warmed up the idea of a “realistic” Street Fighter, seeing as Tekken’s Akuma looks more than fine and “classic” looks for Mortal Kombat 11 characters like Liu Kang and Jax look great. It’s still not my preference, but I think it CAN look good if done good, of course.
My big problem with realistic graphics is what it does to the colors of the game. It seems a trend nowadays to just… mute all the colors. Just look at the PS5 conference trailers… except the indie-like stuff… even cartoony games like Ratchet and Clank have colors muted. Back to the Akuma in Tekken example… Tekken 7 has all those colorful characters… and you can barely make them out. Every color is greyed out and blends in.
Textures are more nuanced than colored, I think is a good way to put it.
Another thing that is an issue with realistic styles is the need to clutter the designs with exccesive details. Great example being Mortal Kombat, but Tekken is guilty of it as well. Street Fighter designs and fighting game designs in general work best when they are SIMPLE, but let’s be honest, in a realistic game, simple designs just don’t stand out. The more you make characters look like real people, the more they just look like guys in pajamas. So to counter that, devs, modellers and designers choose to add tons of needless details that do nothing for a design and sometimes even work against it (basically every NRS character since Injustice 1).
Ironically, the Capcom game that proves to me Capcom might not fall into these two big pitfalls that make me worried about a realistic style is… MvC Infinite. For how terrible that game looks… colors stand out and the models are kept fairly simple and true to the characters. But of course with how bad that bombed I’m sure no one at Capcom will take that as an example for anything graphics-wise.
Perfect style for Street Fighter is still ArcSys style… but that doesn’t work for alternate costumes and I want alternate costumes too, so we can get every (canon) look the characters’ ever got all under one game.
To compromise on all this, well… I think the best thing to do is just keep this direction. Rework the proportions. No huge hands and feet, more varied muscle mass and muscle definition, depending on what fits best the character. And have one team of people working on all the models, so we get a consistent look among everybody
Not quite realistic, not quite anime… really, if you look at Super SFII portraits and artwork, that’s the vibe you get anyway. And if there’s one game you want to evoke to casuals that’s SFII. It just has to be done better.
And for the love of God, if you see some faces look jank as fuck fix them before putting them in trailers and previews! Don’t assume players won’t care or that if they do you can fix them after. It hurts your hype to have monstrosites like MVC:I Chun-Li on screen.
In other news, AT&T is selling WB games, so Netherealm, Injustice and Mortal Kombat fates are uncertain again.
Id like for SF6 to keep an stylized art direction, with the exception of the exagerated muscles for EVERYONE and the big hands and feet, I am specially so over the latter, and I never bought Onos dumb excuse of readibility, I have played the 90% of other Fighting Games out there that dont have big limbs and have absolutely no problem reading them, neither was ever a problem in the SF2 series for that matter.
Maybe capcom can buy it…
or the guys from Sony, Iron Galaxy or Xbox Game Studios?
i.e. makes us categorically worse than the competition.
They should just go with stylistic designs again like Samsho, Lethal League and Punch Planet.
If they are so not into anime like arcsys even thou it’s the better route.
I mean, it’s been said a thousand times now, but it should just look like the anime movie.