Story Modes in Fighting Games

There are pros and cons for story mode and other single player elements in fighting games. Some on VFDC are against story mode in Virtua Fighter. Some on VFDC are for story mode in Virtua Fighter, and some simply don't care one way or the other. But here is a fact:

If you subtract the the elaborate back stories and story mode from Tekken, Soul Calibur, DOA, and MK they would immediately loose 2/3 or more of their audiences. They would instantly become as anemic as the Virtua Fighter community. I know the hard core FG experts on VFDC have a real problem with this fact. But it is the case that a major part of the success and longevity of Soul Calibur, Tekken, DOA, Mortal Kombat can be demonstrably shown to be connected to the elaborate back story for the characters, the story modes, the CG cut scenes, the Movies that have been done about the games, the manga, the comic books, the graphic novels, and the fan driven wikis.

Those players on VFDC and the other FG forums that want to make it all about movelists, balance, netcode and frames wouldn't even have a game to play if the story modes and backstories were removed from fighting games. Those folks that care only about movelists, balance, netcode, and frames, and tournaments of one kind or another are absolutely in the minority. And there is simply not enough of them to sustain a profitable and viable product for the game publishers. Fighting Games are already a niche with respect to video games. If you subtract out of Fighting Games back stories, story modes, and the other single player elements, FG would become extinct very fast.

Virtua Fighter 4 EVO is the most popular VF to date, and its the one with the most story-mode-type-single-player elements in it. VF as a IP was the most popular in the time frame when it had an ANIME and manga out. The single largest criticism leveled at the latest version of Tekken 7 and DOA 6 is the poor (missing feature) story mode and lack of single player modes. And although Tekken 7 has sold 6 million copies as of today; with a full story mode and set of single player modes that 6 million would have easily been between 10 to 14 million. So Bamco lost millions and is still losing sales catering to bare-bones appetites of the e-sports crowd.

For those who only care about the MoveSet/Command List, Balance, NetCode, and Tournaments, you ought to realize that with no backstory, no story mode, no fun single player modes, you wouldn't have a FG to even be talking about . Commensurate with that fact, it is precisely the reason why the Tekken, Soul Calibur, and DOA communities are relatively bigger and more active than our VF community.

Some on the VFDC want to blame Sega's poor management, or poor sales/marketing prowess for our anemic community. And those things may be factors. But Story mode and single player modes are part of a good marketing strategy for a FG. If you don't think that's true ask Ed Boon, or go talk to the Project Soul folks.

I'll go a step further and dare anyone to challenge me on this, the larger and more successful and well received the story mode/single player mode components are in a FG the more vibrant the tournament and online scene is for that FG. There is at the very least a strong correlation between well received single player elements/back story and a successful tournment/online scene, it might even be a cause and effect relationship between the two.

Yea, I'm definitely for developing and nurturing a backstory for VF and including the requisite single player modes in any new version of VF, because the proper implementation of those things is what ultimately leads to the long term success and longevity of a FG. One of the best things that could happen to VF is to tie the character's backstory into the world of Judgment/Yakuza (Both IPs with Sega owns). Connecting the Yakuza to a J6 corporation somehow, and getting Takayuki Yagami to investigate J6, Goh Hinogami and the other assassins in VF would be very good for VF. Introducing Takayuki Yagami and Kiryu Kazuma (The Dragon of Dojima) as new characters would set it off in VF, and that's exactly what our community needs in terms of hype and fleshing out J6, and a raison d' etre for our Virtua Fighter World Fighting Tournament. A Tie in with Kamurocho, J6, and Judgment would be just what the doctor ordered for VF

 

@masterpo
If the new VF is not a nerfed down, moves missing pile of crap, I think VF fans and the fans who left, would have no problem if they add in a story mode, provided that the story is not crappy. But if the game is going to be a crappy game, it doesn't matter if it has a story mode or not, it is not going to catch the interests of, or bring back VF fans. But it would catch the attention of gamers, who only play games and fighting games for its story, like a jrpg.

 

I don't think AM2 should add a story mode to the VF game!!! That's not what VF is all about. Its never had a story mode, doesn't need one now.

I do think AM2 should tie the VF story to the Judgment Story, Yakuza Story, or possibly Shenmue III-IV story. AM2 could do this by adding characters from Judgment, or Yakuza or Shenmue into Virtua Fighter, and use other media to develop the story tie ins. For example Sega could put out manga, anime, story descriptions in the game manual, without adding a story mode into Virtua Fighter. Takayuki Yagami and Kiryu Kazuma would make good characters to add to VF. Their fighting styles: Takayuki's Tiger and Crane, and Kiryu's Dragon style both make sense in the VF world. Giving one of the J6 corporations a connection to the Yakuza in Kamurocho would immediately give Virtua Fighter a bigger richer story. Sega owns the Yakuza world and its licenses so it makes good sense to combine the stories of Yakuza, Judgment and Virtua Fighter by adding characters from Yakuza and Judgment to VF and connecting one of the J6 Corporations from Virtua Fighter to the Yakuza factions in Kamurocho.

 

Me, whether it has a crappy story mode or not, all I care about is the gameplay.

 

Agreed!!!! It is all about game play! But instead of a story mode, VF needs:

• Offline Tournament mode
• Online Tournament mode
• Offline Team Battle Mode
• Offline Survival Mode
• Online Team Battle Mode (Beat Tribe) and include a PvE option for this too!

The Dojo Mode/Practice Mode needs to be extended and supersized. Soul Calibur has a good Practice Mode, Its fairly full featured, all moves are demonstrated, it has lots of options. VF's Dojo Mode should be complete, thorough and include a trainable AI (e.g VF 4's trainable AI)

The Virtua Fighter backstory can be filled in and beefed up other ways without adding a story mode to the game. As I posted above, AM2 could add Yakuza or Judgment characters to VF (which would indirectly expand the VF story mode) or rather than add a story mode to VF, AM2 could make a separate VF Action/RPG (maybe Shenmue IV) or a new VF action RPG.

 

Yeah, but Yakuza and Judgement are more gritty, cussbudish type games. Shenmue on the other hand, seems like a better fit. But I'll feel depressed, if I see an older aged version of Ryo or Shenhua. Especially Shenhua.

Concerning extending the practice mode, I agree.

 

Yes there can easily be a Shenmue connection of some type. Maybe Lan Di's organization is one of the J6.

All we need to flesh out the Virtua Fighter Story is to connect J6 to either the world of Shenmue , which could be as simple as making Lan Di's organization one of the J6 corporations or a subsidiary of one of those companies, or connecting one of the J6 companies to one of the Yakuza families in Kamurocho (a location in Judgment and Yakuza)

Think about J6 is short for Judgment 6 Maybe that's a hint. The Judgment game might already be connected to J6

 

When I saw the title of that game, I myself wondered that too. Because it is interesting that they decided to call that game Judgement. You might be on to something there Po.

Also, I get the feeling that Lan Di knows Lau.

 

Yea , we do not need a story mode in the Virtua Fighter game. But we do need a good story for the Virtua Fighter universe.

If AM2 explicitly connected one or more of the J6 corporations to Judgment/Yakuza to VF by adding characters from that world into the VF , or explicitly connected Shenmue 4 to VF by adding the current VF roster into the Shenmue 4 world or adding characters from Shenmue 3 or 4 to the VF into Virtua Fighter x e-sports , then that would be a win all the way around. That would open the door for:

A new VF manga/anime
A new Judgment/Shenmue manga/anime
A live action/CG movie for Yakuza/Judgment or Shenmu

And if the J6 story from VF was tied to Judgment, Yakuza or Shenmue 3 or 4 , new anime, manga or live action/CG would mean massive sales for all versions of Virtua Fighter past, present and future

 

Vanessa is OP goddess and her 9k got so effective that she became the 0frame-knee-queen.

Everyone one else sucked so she switched into offensive/muay-thai-stance and decided to give them all a good spanking. the end. <3

 

Now that's a story mode

 

That short story sounded way better, than the entire tekken story combined.

 

Thank you. it feels about as deep as i'd need a VF story to be ^^

 

I've been writing on it since VF4 vanilla on PS2 after all,
had a lot of research going into it ^^

 

Look, you have a good point. But here is a fact, the more elaborate the story mode is for the fighting game, the more it sells. The hard core players may not care anything about a story mode., But casual players and most beginners usually do. And beginners and casual players sometimes become hard core players

I really want AM2 to connect the VF story to the Yakuza and Judgment story by including Kiryu Kazuma and TakaYuki Yagami as new characters in the next version of VF. It would be easy to connect one or more Yakuza clans to a J6 corporation. But the yakuza creator says this:

http://segabits.com/blog/2020/11/09...-because-he-doesnt-want-him-beating-up-women/

But I guess he doesn't understand that the women in fighting games are femme fatales. Vanessa, Pai, AOI, Sarah and Eileen would not have any problem handling Kiryu or Takayuki

@Ellis agreed VF does not need a deep story mode, but VF sales, and popularity would benefit dramatically if it had one