Hey Myke

Haven't made a post on here forever

based on the interview, and some basic knowledge of Japanese counting systems, I'm pretty sure the game has gotten 8 million downloads worldwide

While that initially sounds crazy, in my experience Japanese like to count very large numbers by "Man", or units of 10,000. IE "Jyu (10) Man": 100,000 "Hyaku (100) Man": 1,000,000. So, 800 Man: 8,000,000

This also makes sense when you listen to the interview, where they both say that the core players (who he says figured the game would have less than 1 million DL's) "don't see the big picture" of releasing a game for free on PSN. And, if it were only 800k downloads, I don't think he'd have that in gold letters on his shirt, I don't think he'd be saying that the number of DL's is "scary", and I don't think Harada would be saying that now he feels pressure coming from the VF side.

Harada also comments how w another month of free on PSN to go, they'll likely pass the "Big Number" of 10 million, which in his opinion, Sega's management can't ignore. He contextualizes this number earlier in the interview, talking about other games & how that number is such a huge benchmark. Tekken 7 is at almost 8 million sales I believe

Someone else may be able to provide better insight, but when I asked a friend familiar w the series who's been working over at Xbox for a long time, he said he expected there'd be at least 2 million DLs.

Also interesting to note: the biggest number of DL's coming from US, UK, Germany and EU in general (same as Tekken), w Brazil and Korea following behind that. So, there idea that the game isn't popular outside Japan doesn't seem to be accurate? If DL's of this game are taken as an indicator.

the fact that it's gotten more DL's in Korea than in Japan, further accents the blatant oversight that they've never added a Korean character

anyway, looking forward to part 2 of the interview!

Man after these interviews I can't help but love Harada, But as he says I hope we can get strong enough to resent him again

The part where Aoki says the game is downloaded more and more each day without ever going down is very encouraging and surprising at the same time! It is the first time that I see him since one month of promotion come out of his humble poker face and express a little smirk of satisfaction... Must be good ^^

The days where VF and Tekken were competitors was the golden age of 3D fighting games, so if Sega and Namco are gonna compete again in that field it can only be good for both VF and Tekken. HECK even SC may benefit from that as well.

I agree. But I hop VF won't break this tradition of cuting edge technologies physics visuals and effects ahead of their times.

With this Puyo Puyo Esports vibe and approach, we are losing lot of VF spirit.

VF has to show the way for other games. Not go back or do like other japanese games of the moment.
At the time Japanese games (and especially AM2) were on top of the world.

But UNREAL engine soulcalibur or Tekken 7 looked out dated the day they came out.
I don't want VF to become a caricature of nowadays japanese games .
VF has to be a pioneer and the technical showcase again.

But at the moment , all we have is this going back approach , with PS1 hit effects.
We should ask for visual improvement.

With several milions downloads why can't I Play VF with people from my country?
Why is there only 47 viewers on twitch?
Why is there 16400 viewers for Guilty Gear strive..?

Because of VISUALS..! And Identitiy. Guilty gear kept its identity (even if it was a very strange game with strange art , even if it was NICHE!)

VF should have kept its identity rather than try to be Tekken with weird Red/blue/yellow clouds

with the next Costume DLC I hope they'll fix some of these issues and improve uncharismatic faces.
(option for skin color. Noses. (Or just bring back the gorgeous CGI portrait models and make them in game.)
Keeping the exagerated dust effect (and regular classic flashes) would be enough. At least give us an option to turn off the colored clouds effects please.. Please!

8 million downloads in 3-4 weeks?! This is looking Amazing!
By August 2, hopefully it will reach around 10-12 million downloads or even more. A well deserving achievement for such an amazing game.
The chance for a new VF6 is now looking brighter than ever. Nonetheless, I wouldn't want SEGA to rush VF6 release, let more people play VF5US first before the Big Bomb drops!
There are still so many things ahead for VF5US, we are now still in "Season 0" and there are at least Two more Seasons planned for VF5US.
Let's Go VF!! Banzaii!! (^o^)/

You are checking only on Twitch, there a lot more people streaming VF in the Japanese streaming platform Mildom.

I'm still not convinced about the 8 million downloads, it seems too much for a dead franchise.
Even DOA6 Core free edition reached 1 million in two months or more..

With 8 million Sega could revive their entire fighing games line up not just VF.

AOKI said that there were way more downloads in the west than Japan.
1st_USA
2nd_UK
3rd_Germany
4th/5th_Brazil and France in the top Five of dwnloads before Japan (if the translation is right.)

I Think 8 millions of downloads for such an Iconic game is absolutely possible.
A free game during TWO months for the first time. With almost 48 millions PS+ membership suscribers.
The buzz for a revival of such an iconic game was real and everybody was curious or hyped.

But when the game is not as gorgeous or impressive as it was before, this is what you get :

I don't know Guilty Gear too well but I know it had a reputation for having a really packed system full of options for creativity, large movesets (by 2d standards) and being a difficult game. Strive seems to have taken out a lot of system mechanics and moves and appears to have put off some of the established GG players who'd rather play the old games.

When it comes to future VF I don't care about the hit effects I care about the gameplay mechanics. I never liked what they stripped out for VF5FS or most of the changes since 5 Vanilla and 4. Put flashes and lightning for all I care just stop compromising the gameplay.

Guilty Gear is my favourite 2D fighting series, I considered it a 2D version of VF for these same reasons, for the quantity of options available, complex gameplay etc. and I confirm that Strive simply ruined it.
And given the success of Strive, we original fans are probably doomed to play only older GG games for the next 5 years at least

I agree, I also never really liked the changes of VF Final Showdown, I believe that without Yu Suzuki guidance, the series started to lose focus.
VF5 vanilla is the last "clean" VF title, probably because it was almost a more of the same of previous Suzuki's work.

Now looking at the future, given the current sad state of the entire genre, I'm really worried that a VF6 could just be another stripped down casual fighting game.
I don't care much about flashes (even if they are really annoying, especially after replaying older VF), but if they already adopted tekken flashes (a blasphemy back in the day), I'm afraid thay are ready to adopt even the rest

If they can throw out in the dumpster 30 years of VF tradition (elegance , realism based on martials. No fire ball laser or cartoonish/unrealistic old school video game effects , lasers or any bull shit),
If they can add Tekkenization , or Blue/RED/Yellow hit sparks/clouds (lookin like PS1.) They can also water down the gameplay and change the mechanics .


We should care about ALL vf is.
We should care about VF traditions if we don't want the game to be disfigured

And YES visuals art part of VF tradition.

1_Because VF was always ahead of its time with cutting edge tecnologies.
(in VF 5 , First time you could see Wet clothes when you fall in water or roll in puddles , First facial animations in 2005 when we were still playing PS2! Snow effects. Weather effects like in VF 5 Vanilla or R.

2_Because VF was always the most impressive fighting game technically with gorgeous visuals and effects (and in Twitch era this is more important than ever..)

3_Because VF has to be the technical showcase of SEGA AM2. It's SEGA reputation. SEGA brand image. SEGA's DNA.

But it's like these new devs never played VF and don't even understand the game.
They think transparent walls were bad they got rid of em
Sorry RGG studios, but it's part of the game play , a lot of people ring out themselves because they can't see the fences now..

Adding a new RED color (+yellow + classic flashes + coolred weird clouds) would help you hitsparks mess would help people to understand what's happening in this 4TH of july hitsparks mess..?

And what's the purpose of Blue clouds during side otg or thows..? It's just ugly and has no use.
Was it more important than knowing that there is a fence or a wall right at your back ? but you can't see it..?

Proof that's it's nt the same team and that these new devs are a little bit lost with a game they are not familiar with it , they forgot a lt really easy cool effects like steam coming out mouths while chracters are breathing (in cold stages)
I don't understand it's one of the easiest effect to make. And it looks super good.

They removed sparks during metal wall hits. But they put the EXACT SAME metal hit sparks when human hit another human... well ok
And they got rid of Final Showdown Saliva drops and sweat effect durng counter hits.

I know a lot of people could think we are over reacting and this is not that important but I don't want VF to become like these cheap 2010 unreal engine 4 fighting games that looked already outdated when they came out.
VF deserves better.

And VF can't afford to be just like Soulcalibur 6 or even Tekken 7 to succeed.
VF has to be Better..!
As Maximilian Dood said (and I agree with him on that) most important for mainstream and a success of a fighting game is :
Visuals and Characters.
Visuals are just ok Now ( some are ok but some are bland af levels like Wolf's and its shitty snow effect as Blackstar said.)
And characters have lost thair carisma looking just like Yakuza NPC's.

Remember that one of the first complain from people who don't play VF is that Characters lack charisma do you really think OKish visuals with generic Yakuza NPC character will fix that ? (instead of Super Charismatic Sarah AKIRA Goh LAU Paï etc..)

Of course mechanics is the most important.
But Visuals are also super important. Escpecially if you want VF to find success.
I want it to succeed.
I want it to leads us to VF 6.
That's why they should care and respect VF's DNA and amazing legacy.

Is the "Yakuza NPC" a meme? Legit question, because they still look like VF characters and not the NPC in Yakuza. Yakuza 3-present are using the VF5 movesets and that's the only connection between the two....

Blue flash = Side Hit = +3 frames to the current advantage.

What is the Flash color for Counter Hit on Side Hit, if normal Hit is blue?

Let's not try to make those Hit Effects really be about providing needed information. They don't really provide useful or practical information. C'mon be real.

The Hit Effects were a CHEAP, EASY, LAZY and misguided way to try to make VF more appealing to Tekken and SF Fans. Nothing more nothing less

If they wanted to make the game more approachable to Tekken, SC Fans then they should make VF Dojo (Training Mode) as good as Tekken's and SC Dojo. The training modes in Tekken and SC have far more features, command demonstrations, setup options, etc than VF. If AM2 is really trying to make Tekken, SC, SF players welcome then the VF Training mode and Dojo has to be at least as good as what's in Tekken and Soul Calibur and its not. Its not even close.


And if the Hit Effects was all about visuals, it would have been better to just come out with new exciting Customizations. The Customizations in VF5FS already have glowing arm bracelets, Fire bands, sparks, fireworks, flying birds, and other interesting visual effects. Keeping the flashy visual effects part of the customizations is the best way to make the VF5US flashy and exciting for everyone. This ugly forced red and blue hits spark bull$h@t just defaced the visual presentation of VF5US.

We need an option to turn those Hit Sparks off

New players are not really going to learn the game in an Online competitive context by looking at Hit Sparks. And experienced players don't need the Hits Sparks to understand what's going on

Most New Players, Casual Players will learn the game:

• Playing Offline Single Player Content, Modes (e.g Quest Mode, Sparring Mode)
• Comprehensive Training/Dojo Mode

On screen Hit Sparks do nothing, but give the Ryu GaGotoku/AM2 Studios a false sense of accomplishment that they've some how made VF more attractive to Tekken, SF, or SC fans. They haven't The Hits Sparks were a mistake and represent a step backward for the Virtua Fighter presentation.

The Visuals of VF5US will be greatly improved simply by bringing all of the Customizations from VF5FS. There's no need to add Hit Sparks

And the few VF players that like the Hit Sparks they also would like if Rage Art, Rage Drive, Power Ups , Super Moves, and Fireballs were added to Virtua Fighter. We can't even tolerate that Bull$h@t in Virtua Fighter. For those players, just go play Tekken or SF to get your Super-Cali-Frastic-Kangaroos-Fireball-SuperMove-Comback-Mechanic-RageArt-Teleporting-HitSpark-WhirlWind game play fix. Please leave VF off of your wish list

speaking of hit sparks, even if Sega is trying to help new players understand the hit types, I noticed there isn't any explanation about those, so a newbie should just try to guess what blue, yellow or red sparks means?

The tutorial isn't that good either (it's the same barebone tutorial of Final showdown).
How can you approach new audience like this?
Single player content and expansive dojo mode are mandatory nowadays.