Okay! So instead of making meaningless rants with a blog update, I will use this platform, however small, to address what I feel is actually a significant issue in the gaming industry, that I feel needs to be rectified. The thing about it is that it is easy to fix. It's simply a matter of industry developers and major console companies being out of touch with gaming on a deep level.
This has largely to do with Nintendo's relationship with the FGC- The Fighting Game Community, for the uninitiated. As you may or may not know, I've been an avid supporter of fighting games for a brief while now, but have been involved with the FGC, technically going back to the late 90's. I've been in official and unofficial tournaments on 1 or 2 occasions. However, I never, and still don't consider myself a professional FGC member. I'm not. I do realize how huge the community has become though. And when I look at its evolution, I notice that, aside from the Smash Brother acceptance which took over a decade, Nintendo is still an outcast. And this is partly their fault.
Whenever I meet gamers in real life, I always ask them what they play and the genres that they prefer. Personally, I love a wide variety. I started with RPG's, and love Action, Adventure, Puzzle, and Fighting Games. As kids, we were raised on Action Arcade games, and fighters. Games like Fighting Force, Nights into Dreams, Tekken, Streets of Rage and Street Fighter were staples in my childhood. I was drawn more to RPG's then and played Final Fantasy 1,2,Mystic Quest, 7, 8, and 9. I played many, many others that I could go on forever on.
When it came to fighting games, I appreciated them a bit more in my teens and onward, as I realized how deep they could be, along with the interwoven stories, and endless possibilities. One thing that I noticed, is that Nintendo went from the forefront, to out of the picture. If you think back, during the Street Fighter 2 era, Super Nintendo was the head honcho of consoles, and had every relevant fighter back then. It was during the days when more casual people played fighting games. Every console company continued to support that genre but Nintendo after that. From the N64 to the Gamecube, to the Wii etc. there was no attention really paid to mainstream fighters. Yet PS1, Sega Saturn, Neo Geo, all kept feeding that niche. In reality, many people do not play video games. And at the same time, many do. I used to feel that the FGC was small and insignificant, until I actually looked into it. Now, after years of following the enormous following that it has, I can see the value in supporting their passions. Go look up any SF tournament, or even Smash tournament. The crowds are huge. The pot is huge. And these days, the only platforms that seem to be aware, are PC and Playstation.
The fighting game community, and overall E Sports community, is a totally different culture from the average-hardcore gamer. FGC and competitive E Sport inclined gamers, including myself, enjoy playing all games, like any other game, but like to dive into the mechanics and science of fighters, studying them, and mastering them. We also like fighting games and versus games that facilitate that. These games can include the very foundating games that I mentioned earlier going back to the 90's- Tekken, Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Soul Calibur, and Smash Brothers. The deep fighting systems in current and previous gen games, were designed for competitive play and depth. And when I say competitive, I'm not just talking about tournaments and other people. I meant within the game, and against your own personal best. That's what drives an FGC gamer. That's why it's annoying to us when a fighting game is too easy, and has not survival and training mode options. We love deep back story behind our characters as well, but also to be driven and eternally challenged by the game. The average gamer may be more inclined to pretty aesthetics and just clearing a game, and trophies.
Street Fighter is a household name and fighting game. Nintendo has had no real involvement with it since the Super Nintendo days. Gamecube did well to support the Capcom vs SNK series, but the issue is the controller. It was not designed for games like that. The Pro controller for the Wii and now Switch, was pushed forward for those who played Smash Brothers Competitively. It was direly needed in order to play effectively. But that is the one title the pushed Nintendo into the FGC arena. It seems that aside from that, they have scampered right back out. Smash is an amazing game. I love it, and still play it online competitively. But other mainstay fighters can be supported. Many FGC members don't even play smash brothers. They might be more inclined if they were more endeared to Nintendo as a whole, but think of how many traditional fighters you see on Nintendo's consoles.... Exactly. None.
With the Nintendo Switch, a new era has been born. It is Nintendo's next great console and next great handheld all at the same time. That is revolutionary. It also allows for custom controllers since they are wirelessly mapped. They've already opened up use of the Pro Controller. Why not open up lane for fighting games for a change. The support they would gather, would tip the console race in their favor tremendously. There are so many FGC gamers who don't play Nintendo consoles, because they feel like they're childish and don't support hardcore or fighting games. Nintendo's entire marketing campaign was behind the idea that those days are over. Why say that, and then do the exact same things that you've always done? Look, I love Nintendo. As a morally sound person, I personally leaned towards that company for many years because of their standards. It is not going to change Nintendo's identity, to embrace traditional fighting games. And I mean truly embrace. Not just a nod release hear and there. I mean peripheries like a fight pad, and arcade stick support.
Street Fighter 5 is a Playstation exclusive. It is also raking in huge money for Sony, and is at the center of the competitive fighting game scene right now, along with Marvel vs Capcom Infinite. And you know what else? It sucks in the eyes of many key FGC Pro players. If you follow what's going on behind the scenes, you'd know that many of them have gone back to the superior Ultimate Street Fighter 4 from last generation. That game is not locked to a platform, and is not only respected, but lauded as a traditional fighting game staple. 3DS released a copy of Super Street Fighter 4 at launch. The only thing that held back hardcore gamers who were interested, was the fact that the controls didn't match the game. To play fighting games, you need serious, comfortable, and accurate controls. You need peripheries that care and thought goes into the design of. Nintendo would find that it is more than worth it to put for that effort. Just the release of USF4 today, on a powerful unit like the Switch, which has the capabilities of making good and solid arcade controllers, would skyrocket its support. So many gamers would gain respect for the console and the company.
The thing about it is that Nintendo recognizes the truth in everything I just stated, but only partly. You can see the attempts that they are making with the realeases of Syberia, Doom, Skyrim, and Zelda. They want to be relevant to all platforms and groups, but they are leaving the FGC out, and that may no be their intention, but it is a grave mistake. With so little effort, Nintendo could win over so many gamers, who just want legitimate, tight, and challenging, competitive fighting games that they can play and hone their craft on. FGC gamers are honest. If you make a solid fighting arcade stick, fight pad, and traditional fighting game on any console, if it's good, they will acknowledge, support, and compete. All they want is to like it, and play it. They don't play the finnicky games that the casuals do, where then next minute, they loathe what they just finished asking for. FGC gamers are loyal and would support for an indefinite amount of time.
So in conclusion, I just want it to reach Nintendo's ears, or at least Indie developers, that fighting games have not been given the proper console attention, by Nintendo in over a decade, and it is time for that to change, because it would be easier than ever at this point. If they release fighting game peripherals and Ultra Street Fighter 4 or a Tekken or similar fighter, I guarantee an overnight surge in support, before they even drop Smash Brothers. Remember when Soul Calibur was release on all major home consoles back in the mid 2000's? Everyone respected the Gamecube at that time, because they were right there with the Cap vs SNK series, and Soul Calibur, which were major franchises in fighting game scene at that time. They didn't even release any other major traditional fighting games beyond that, and it didn't matter, because when it comes to fighting games, a system only has to have 1 or 2 of the major multi-platorm staples to be considered a worthy success. I'm not asking for Nintendo to chase every major fighting franchise. They don't have to. If they release the sticks and pads, and just USF4, they could rest on that and the other 2D fighters they have trickle through the Eshop like Art of Fighting 3 etc. It would not be seen as a waste.
At the very least, I hope they work on a major Smash title that raises the bar.
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