Capcom’s Fight Club – Recreating the Past, Celebrating the Future

By Lawrence Sonntag | 27 September 2011 | 0 Comments

If you were to interrupt my 8-year-old self as he futilely attempts to convince his sister to play Street Fighter II with the news that one day, hundreds of gamers would gather at a classy venue to play and celebrate fighting games, he’d probably kick you in the shin. That’s like saying that Santa Claus is in the next room and he’s made of gummy bears — it’s a promise that’s too good to be true. And yet, it is. Capcom’s Fight Club is a hell of an event, giving everyone a chance to get their hands on Street Fighter x Tekken, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and provide a chance to socialize that has been increasingly harder to find now that arcades are dying. How sweet is that? High fives, 8-year-old me!

The Event – Recreating the Coin Line

While I got some time in on Capcom’s upcoming fighting games (more on that later), the centerpiece of the Fight Club is the show itself. While its name might conjure images of men with impeccably sculpted abs bare-knuckle boxing in a dingy basement somewhere, the reality is slightly less sexy; many nerds packed onto a club dance floor waiting in line to play fighting games while a DJ pumps mad beats.

The first Flight Club formed to promote Street Fighter IV, but they persist because they scratch an itch that has persisted since the gradual death of the arcade.

“For me, this is thrilling,” Capcom Community Manager Seth Killian said “I love these things because this is what I always wanted as a kid. I love the arcades a lot; that’s where I grew up playing. I like the feeling of connectedness you get between people. That’s what really makes it electric.”

Of course, you can get a version of that connectedness with online play, but there’s no substitute for the real thing.

“When you can put a face to that or a personality… someone that you do battle with over time, that’s really special. Or there’s a huge line of strangers — you don’t want to go to the back of that line. You want to look good in front of all these people,” Killian said. “It adds a whole new dimension to the game.”

Maybe it was the crowds or the loud music that precluded conversation, but I have to say the old arcade dynamic wasn’t entirely present at the Fight Club. Line etiquette was a little dicey – some patrons just spectated and clogged up the line. Some obviously more skilled players showed up just to dominate, and wouldn’t give up their spot after ten (or more) consecutive wins. Still, I’d rather play in that environment any day than online, and it’s awesome that Capcom and iam8bit are willing to shell out the bucks and manpower to arrange such an event.

With any luck, these events will persist, becoming not so much a promotional milestone but an institution. This is yet another sign of fighting games’ resurgence. Not only can they sell, but the culture underscoring the genre is working its way back out of the living room. I’m a man with simple wants, and this is more than enough to satisfy me. Killian, on the other hand, is a little harder to satisfy.

“Every game we make, we want people to be able to play for ten years. Even if we come out with another game next year, we’re still believers in that game and the next game,” Killian said. “ We design games to not be disposable. We believe in the game. Can you improve? Can you do better? Always.”

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 – Why Should I Buy This Again

Of course, there’s a seeming contradiction in what Killian says. Capcom wants to make games that last ten years, yet their track record of late has been to release a new fighting game (or iteration thereof) on a much shorter schedule. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is the latest in the trend, following the release of the original by slightly less than a year. Some have reacted very negatively to this new strategy.

“On one sense that’s puzzling to me…” Killian said, “but I don’t hear that from people that actually know the games and play them.”

Killian figures the anger comes from a lack of appreciation in how fighting game content delivers value.

“In terms of value for your entertainment dollar, as a single-player experience, you could do better than fighting games, frankly,” Killian said. “But, if you get into fight games as they’re intended to be played, they can be played forever.”

Players like to boil expansions or iterations down to the number of characters and then scoff at the perceived lack of value, but each character exponentially expands the experience of the game.

“There’s so many branching possibilities because the characters are rich,” Killian said. “All the characters I look at as puzzle boxes — not only what can I do with it to kick the crap out of my opponent, but what can they do to me?”

Ultimately Killian admits that gaining that appreciation and understanding of fighting games isn’t for everyone, but it’s worth it.

“It’s like fine dining. What’s the difference between this fancy meal and a pizza pocket? It’s all food and it’s good and salty and whatever, but if you’re the kind of guy that gets into the food and can learn to appreciate these kinds of things… is it an acquired taste? Sure. But all the great things in life are. If you want to take a dismissive view, have your pizza pocket,” Killian said, “but if you want to get into it, it’s an incredible world.”

Street Fighter x Tekken – Peanut Butter x Jelly

The latest new entry to that world from Capcom will be Street Fighter x Tekken, which plays exactly like its title would suggest. It has the spacing, footsies, and mindgame of Street Fighter with the percussive combo system and aggressive nature of Tekken. I’ve been solidly on the Street Fighter side of the rivalry since the first Tekken, so I expected to only half like the new game. As it turns out, SFxT takes all the good from Tekken and none of the bad.

First, I love the game’s tag mechanics. Every character has a universal launcher that will not only pop up your opponent, but also automatically tag in your partner. If you manually tag out at the right time, your opponent will even freeze in the air for a second while your partner runs in, giving you more juggle opportunities. I can already tell there’s a huge strategy and skill ceiling on when you decide to tag out, landing the launcher move, and how much damage you can squeeze out of the ensuing juggle.

This is even cooler when you factor in the game’s mechanics. Like Tekken Tag Tournament, if one member of your two-fighter team goes down, you lose. Say one member of your team is drastically low on life. Now you’re facing a really interesting risk/reward proposition. Do you avoid all of your tag-out combos to stay safe, or do you bet against your ability to execute combos crisply and not leave a nearly-dead fighter on the field? That’s just one mechanic of the game that promises to deliver some exciting matches.

I discovered some other interesting tidbits about the game while at the event. The Tekken roster in the game has converted to using the six-button Street Fighter template, but they’ve translated most of the game’s combos to use the same inner-four buttons that Tekken players are more familiar with. That means you can step up and rattle off most of the same combos with the same characters. Additionally, the Tekken fighters each come equipped with a move specifically designed to counter projectiles. While this move varies in execution by character, they all sidestep an incoming projectile and can branch off to other attacks.

Overall, Capcom’s done a great job blending the sensibilities of these two long-standing franchises. I fully expected the game to feel like a quick me-too knockoff, but it has a character and feel all its own that I’m already starting to prefer over other fighting games.

The Pictures – Because I Did More than Drink

The beginning of the line. The gentleman in front had been waiting there since 9pm the previous night. The next in line showed up at 2am that morning.