Insert Coin
Article by: Andrew Wallace
With this current generation of game systems, console gamers were finally graced with the ability to have their games updated, improved and expanded without the need to buy a new disc. 360 and PS3 owners are now familiar with the idea that their games don’t have to remain buggy for eternity. The content of their games are no longer limited to what was in the box they brought back from the store. Multiplayer games can evolve with community feedback. This infrastructure of online connectivity and downloadable content has had obvious benefits to console gaming on the whole.
Even in the advent of comprehensive console networks like Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, it was easy to see how this could be a great feature for specific games and genres. One of the clear beneficiary genres is fighting games. Online multiplayer modes and persistent leaderboards have acted as an arcade renaissance allowing for a quarter dropping experience….without quarters.
However, for anyone even remotely familiar with fighting games, the promise of downloadable content and regular game updates was practically messianic. Back in the barbaric and archaic days of the 80’s and 90’s the only way to update or expand a game was to make another full retail release. Fighting games were particularly vulnerable to this inadequacy. Any new characters or gameplay improvements post-release required a new disc to be printed and a new cabinet constructed. Take Street Fighter II; a game that has had a full six arcade releases. While it is easy to see these iterations as quick money grabs from die-hard fans, the changes they brought were usually accepted or desired improvements. Now, with a internet-connected console, game companies no longer have an excuse to ask fans to shell out for multiple copies of what is ultimately the same game.
Despite franchises like Soulcaliber and Virtua Fighter embracing this system with paid DLC and free patches, it doesn’t look like Capcom is ready to let Street Fighter IV join this generation. To be fair, Capcom has shown that they are capable of improving their games through online means. The Championship Mode DLC pack was an appreciated and free addition to Street Fighter 4. That free content made the announcement of Super Street Fighter 4 even more confusing and frustrating.
Eight new characters and updates for every existing fighter sounds great to anyone who has enjoyed Street Fighter 4. Prior to the game’s release I crafted an arcade stick specifically for the game in the same fashion that a Jedi builds his own lightsaber (see below). I happily purchased the game on release day for $70. It was safe to say that the Super Street Fighter announcement was well-received news. I was ready to whip out my credit card and buy some Microsoft points to immediately purchase the Super Street Fighter 4 DLC pack on day one. However, I looked closer into the press release and noticed that my downloadable assumption had just made an ass out of you and me.
