Western Media and VF4 Evolution

Well, with the US release of PS2 VF4Evo finally confirmed, I'm curious to see what the American and European gaming press will do with it. VF4 was the first VF to get its due respect in the American media in a long time (VF3tb was trashed simply because most people were too busy wanking to Soul Calibur at the time), and got universally high scores from almost every magazine in existance (elitist UK only-good-for-use-as-toilet-paper rag Edge notwithstanding). What I'm wondering right now is, how will the media which so loved VF4 treat Evo?

I can see it acting in two ways:

a. It's VF4, it's back, and it's better than ever! Two new characters, better training, killer quest mode, lots more items, improved graphics and load time, and a great low price! It's not just a simple upgrade!

b. Why wasn't all this stuff in the ORIGINAL VF4? It's absurd to ask people to pay money again for just a few extras and new moves. Some things, like the AI, are gone. And what's with this memory card stuff? Players can't use two cards? The new characters are such Tekken knockoffs, the new items are useless, and quest mode is nowhere near as good as kumite. blah blah blah...

Of course, most people here know that point a. is right, but the gaming mass media has never exactly been intelligent, so I'd think the sadly misinformed,badly judged, and just plain wrong b. may be as likely to pop up, sadly.

We'll probably be seeing a lot more about US VF4E after E3. But for now, I dunno. What sort of reactions are you guys expecting? And what do you think of western media coverage so far?

 

I totally expect it to be looked at as a mere upgrade/expansion to VF4 and many casual critics will give it the "Why wasn't this in VF4?" treatment as you suggested. CJayC (Owner of GameFAQS/SC2 Fanboy /versus/images/graemlins/tongue.gif) and I already had a small debate over VF4E being more than just a simple expansion during an IM. It will more than likely be neglected far more than it should ever be, because it has been likely set to be released near the same time as Soul Calibur 2 (According to several rumors about). Unfortunately, style usually wins over substance in the US. I am in no way saying that SC2 isn't as deep as VF4E, but it definitely packs more flash than VF does. Hopefully, the $19.99 price point will help it get into more hands. Many parents, casual fighting game fans, and impulse buyers love the Greatest Hits titles.

 

Well, so far the previews have been good and at $19.99, how can you beat that ? I still would rather buy that than get Tao Feng for free.

And I wouldn't be surprised to read the usual : "buy it if your a fan of the series" reviews from most of the medias.

 

Actually, I can kinda see the argument for VF4:evo being just an upgrade, but that is why it is (rumored) to have a street price of $19.99. I personally see Evo as what VF4 should of been in the first place.
But lets not get into VF3's failure in the US...that is ENTIRELY SOA fault. Period. Namco came out with a much more polished product (please, do not confuse this with better, but more polished). Hell, you can say whatever you want, but you, me, and everybody else knows that looks matters when it comes to video games. SC blew VF out of the water on the console in that respect. I personally like VF's graphics, but that is secondary. On every technical level, SC looks better.
That being said...
SOA has a real chance to bring VF4:EVO to a mass market, which is ideal and what we all should be hoping for.

 

Yeah dude, lets blame SoA becouse AM2/SoJ screwed it up.

 

Ok, better, lets blame BOTH Companies for not giving a shit about the American release.

 

I read in Famitsu that the overseas version of Evo may (will?) have that VF1 mode that was shown at the kakutou shinseiki 2 tourney.

It's highly possible I misread it., but I believe it said it will be in there.. There was also speculation about if Japan will see a release of Evo with the VF1 mode. If so, it'll probably be on the Greatest Hits ver.

 

oh jesus
more spending for me!

 

[ QUOTE ]
VF4 was the first VF to get its due respect in the American media in a long time (VF3tb was trashed simply because most people were too busy wanking to Soul Calibur at the time), and got universally high scores from almost every magazine in existance (elitist UK only-good-for-use-as-toilet-paper rag Edge notwithstanding).

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I was happier than anyone the day I went to my local magazine stand and saw the cover of OPM with VF4 on the cover touted as "The Greatest Fighting Game of All Time." Then I read the review, which went on to sing the high praises of kumite mode doubly more than any other feature. There was some brief talk about inter-office tounraments and jagged models, but virtually nothing about the actual gameplay (definitions will differ of course as to the word "gameplay," with some arguing that kumite mode is in fact a gameplay aspect. I refer here specifically to the combat system). I really felt the media as a whole did a huge disservice to VF, which after standing in the shadow of pretty much every other fighting game series in the West since VF2, was celebrated as a single-player game.

I think the media will lean closer to your theory "a," with most of them welcoming the arcade and tourney dynamics of the quest mode. I do, however, think they will ignore the more subtle changes to gameplay (although I personally don't think some of the changes they've made to characters are subtle at all *cough* Jeffry *cough*), which is a shame. Ultimately though, the media helps these games sell, and so long as they're regarding VF positively, I guess I can't complain.

 

I think a big problem is the big selling videogame magazines like EGM are SC2 fanboys. If OPM did another feature where they proclaimed, The Greatest Fighting Game of All Time -just got better- and threw Akira on the cover again I guarantee that would help move copies.

Without something like that I feel it will only appeal to the "fans" becuase, lets face it, Namco has better marketing than SOA. The press will cover it accordingly. I expect is the save problem will continually escape publicity until the game is actually out.

That still won't stop me from emailing Sega about it.

 

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Zero-chan said:
b. Why wasn't all this stuff in the ORIGINAL VF4? It's absurd to ask people to pay money again for just a few extras and new moves.

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Yeah, go figure. And the idiots who wil probably say this are the same people that gave VF4 high remarks.

My point is, how the hell are you going to say "why wasn't this there in the first game" when the first game was excellent to begin with. That statement should be reserved for when a game stinks, but the second time around they get it right.

I would've gladly payed $50 for Evo, but if they want to make it $20 (which is probably because they're thinking of it as an expansion), I won't complain.

 

[ QUOTE ]
If OPM did another feature where they proclaimed, The Greatest Fighting Game of All Time -just got better- and threw Akira on the cover again I guarantee that would help move copies.


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Most certainly, and quite frankly I hope they do. My lament was mostly about the media missing the point, even when it does fall favoritively on VF. Sure, VF scored "Fighting Game of the Year," in more than one magazine, including EGM, but do you think it was because it's a better fighting game than MK: Deadly Alliance, or because kumite was really fun? Sans kumite, I think you would've seen VF4 get the same reaction in Western magazines as TK4 did: "been there, done that, where's the innovation?"

The Western media (and I can't even really include European media, which still regards Capcom games reasonably positively, even though they're all but forgotten here) needs bells and whistles to keep them interested. I think quest mode will do just that.

As far as SC is concerned, it did what it takes. It was (and still probably is) the best looking fighting game I've ever seen on a home console (not to mention it has a mission mode - remember: single player experience > two-player experience); in a visual medium like video games, that has to count for something, because you're not going to win any media over with solid, well put-together gameplay.

 

I think most of the attention will be focused on the obvious changes. Quest mode will probably get 90% of the praise from the mainstream media, but the important gameplay changes won't be explained in detail. I'm looking forward to quotes like <font color="orange">"Quite a few moves have been changed, while new ones were added"</font> with no further explanation./versus/images/graemlins/smirk.gif I think they'll make an effort to explain a few things other than Quest mode (improved training modes, etc), but I doubt the memory card issue will be addressed at all. I still think Evo will sell pretty well, due to the (rumored?) low price compared to SC2.

 

>Yeah dude, lets blame SoA becouse AM2/SoJ screwed it up.

Actually the DC VF3tb port was done by Genki.

grib.

 

Sega pushed Genki with a ridiculous deadline for getting the game to gold. Genki did an awesome port considering the rules that Sega gave them. Genki did what they were told, so Sega is to blame here. AM2 I don't think deserves any of the blame. They did an excellent arcade release.

 

not to mention they converted the whole damn thing in under a month.... atleast what i heard. It is insane for critics to not even consider.

 

[ QUOTE ]
DRE said:

I think most of the attention will be focused on the obvious changes. Quest mode will probably get 90% of the praise from the mainstream media, but the important gameplay changes won't be explained in detail. I'm looking forward to quotes like <font color="orange">"Quite a few moves have been changed, while new ones were added"</font> with no further explanation./versus/images/graemlins/smirk.gif I think they'll make an effort to explain a few things other than Quest mode (improved training modes, etc), but I doubt the memory card issue will be addressed at all. I still think Evo will sell pretty well, due to the (rumored?) low price compared to SC2.

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The thing about writing reviews for print magazines is that you have to remember who you are writing to. Writing detailed move analyses in a game review is nonsense, as 98% of your readers propably have no idea what to do with it. Room is also a serious concersn, I wrote up a short review of VF4 for a Danish freezine with just about 5000 characters, believe me, it's not easy.
Putting in stuff like "Akira's just frame Knee has a new animation that makes it even more lethal, as it now can scrape opponents off the ground even lower than before" is of no value to someone reading the review, who might not know anything about VF4E.
You could write: "Compared to VF4, a lot of moves have changed properties, many moves were added, som removed, all to create a better character balance and make the characters feel more unique."
This also holds true for online reviews to a degree, unless you are writing a review for a dedicated fighting website, where you can expect your readers to know what "just frame" and "quick rise from slam" means.

 

It'll receive praise to be sure, just like VF4. However, like VF4, it'll be like a flavor of the month to them. Sure they'll proclaim it to be the best fighter ever and so and so, but it'll just be another game in the long run. As Zero-chan puts it, they'll be busy wanking off the SC (II this time) in no time.

 

Yes, but you're making it sound as if : SC2 is a bad game, not on the same level as Evo. I think both games deserve good praises from the medias. It's probably the only game that can compete with VF4 right now. I don't see anything wrong with that, it's just competition. People have been anticipating a SC sequel for a while now, so I can understand if it gets more hype and media attention than Evo. As long as both games get the reviews they deserve, I won't complain.

 

i don't think he is indicating SC2 is a bad game.

If anything..i agree with him.

A) flashier
B)easier
C) Conquest (worst gimmick mode imo) but western gaming sites /mags editors love 'replay value'
(u can raise ur lvl to 99...for the fuck why..i don't know..n it does shit!')