Last week, Capcom announced at Pax that a new version of SSF4 AE will be released. Additionally, they will be taking suggestions from the players as to what balance changes they would like to see. And just when we thought we were safe, Capcom pulls a fast one on us and we will have to readjust yet again. In a year where EVO will have had the same version of Marvel 3 and SF4 for two consecutive years for the first time since their respective releases, Capcom will be not stand by to see a third year.
I think this is a very bad idea for a number of reasons. First, I think this version of SSF4 is very good, especially when it comes to character balance. We have seen plenty of character variety and amazing gameplay that comes from a game where there was actual time to develop things. Some of those things, like unblockables have become the be all end all of the metagame for some and this is simply an overblown facet of the game. Are unblockables a problem and should they be addressed? Yes. They are not unlike the Ultra unblockables that were discovered in earlier versions but were later patched out. But much like those setups, do we hardly see unblockables come into play? No. Plain and simple. The fact is, unblockable setups take precise timing, many are character specific (with their own special timings), and we hardly ever see them. Even players who are known for developing them like Flash Metroid can hardly pull them off consistently. While it would be nice if they were somehow removed, it wouldn't be devastating if they weren't.
Second, this version of the game is the most balanced the game has been. Why risk messing that up? It seems like Capcom wants to create a new version because of the perceived staleness of the gameplay after many months and they want to artificially breathe life back into the game. Besides, we have already seen Capcom's balance philosophy at work over the constant revisions of the SF4 series. They undeniably pander to XBox Live crybabies regarding "cheap" moves and characters. This is was wildly apparent from SSF4 > AE > 2012. During that time, characters like Honda and Ryu were nerfed only to return more or less how they were. So this idea of user feedback is extremely flawed and anyone who says otherwise doesn't have much perspective.
I know what you're thinking. "Well, you're no different now because Sakura is going to be nerfed." No. I'm not upset that she will be nerfed (even though I feel she is fine), I'm upset in the manner she will be nerfed. We have all seen Capcom's knee jerk nerfs to Sagat, Cammy, and Rose just because of people are butt-hurt over a few specials.
I have even gone on record as saying, I was fine with AE with the top tier twins. I just wanted Capcom to be happy with their product and be done trolling all the players with false hope and the facade of any sort of plan. If they didn't want the twins to be broken and for everyone to pick them up, why did they make them that way in the first place? "Oh, just kidding! Here's ver. 2012." Give me a break.
Regardless of my feelings, this patch is happening. I hope that only small changes are made across the board so players like myself will not have to relearn everything again for the millionth time. Honestly, 2012 was much like that. I thought this version of the game was excellent but Capcom thinks it can do better. Let's just hope I'm wrong and the game turns out to be the perfect gem we all want it to be.
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