How Melee Needs the Street Fighter II Treatment

Super Smash Brothers Melee was recently part of the mega-popular EVO fighting game event.


Yes, Nintendo Gamecube’s Super Smash Brothers Melee

Let’s keep in mind by the way. It is 2015, and Melee is still a major player in the professional gaming community. That game is over a decade old and has just as many fans and has just as deep a community as your modern Street Fighters and your modern Mortal Kombats. What was originally brushed off as a fun yet hypersensitive brawler has blossomed into one of the most cherished games in the history of all gaming. Melee (a sixth generation game) hanging out with the eighth generation games is the equivalent of a team of 40-year-olds outplaying 20-somethings in basketball. The sheer longevity of Melee in the social gaming circles is beyond impressive.



And Nintendo needs to continue capitalizing on this, especially when the machine it originally came out on is becoming obsolete and slightly harder to come by. We need to preserve this game and transform it into a high-definition and online-friendly component. Whether it be through the WiiU or the NX, or whatever system Nintendo decides to throw for the ninth generation, we need the House of Mario to take a page from 90s Capcom and create a Turbo Edition, or an Alpha Edition to their gem. And this wouldn’t be some cheap way to make extra cash, it’s a way to expand the options of a rapidly growing community of Melee enthusiasts.

In my vision, Super Smash Brothers Melee Tournament Edition would take every single spec of gameplay from the 2001 masterpiece (yes, everything, including the physics and the advanced techniques and individual stats of each fighter) and give it a polish. Remember the re-release of Street Fighter II for the XBox Arcade? That’s exactly what they should be looking for. Do not try to fix perfection (new characters wouldn’t hurt, but at the same time wouldn’t be necessary), just try to give it a facelift. In this day and age, Melee is just an HD facelift away from standing even closer to the modern fighters.

We can even take it a step further and make some arcade machines out of Smash Brothers Melee to give that 90s king of the mountain feel that we used to experience when heading to the arcades to take on the local legend in whatever big game was out at the time. We don’t need the Melee machines everywhere, just in your gaming hotspots like Las Vegas, Orlando, New York City, etc. I can see Nintendo nabbing even more cash by going retro and simultaneously re-introduce Melee into the gaming stratosphere. Honestly though, wouldn’t any university be bursting with excitement upon seeing a Super Smash Brothers Melee arcade machine in their campus?

Throwing Melee into the online gaming world would make it easier for bragging rights, tournaments popping up left and right, qualifying matches that can be held around the world, and much more. Imagine a ranking system that can be viewed at any time in a Smash Brothers Melee Tournament website. Imagine racking up points and rising up your position as you take to the online world and take on fighters from around the world in between major gaming tournaments and conventions. Technically you can pull this off with the other Smash Brothers that have released after Melee, but for some odd reason no matter how many characters and changes you throw at the franchise we just keep coming back to Melee and reminisce its glory.

And on the off chance that you might argue that re-releasing Melee might take away from the sales of the mainstream-friendlier current editions, look at the sales of the Mario games on the Wii:

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Super Mario Galaxy/Super Mario Galaxy 2 (More hardcore titles): 18.71 million
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Family-friendly): 28.05 million
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Both hardcore and casual can definitely exist hand in hand, because everyone wins---those seeking fun have their game, and those seeking to enter a cutthroat world of fighting that we could never have imagined back in 2001 get theirs too. Honestly this would strengthen Nintendo’s relationship with the hardcore crowd and also give gamers of today to experience the sheer mayhem we experienced when we first started playing and loving Melee.

Personally, I believe catering to the still-rampant audience of Melee fanboys would be great for Nintendo, great for the fans, and great for potential new fans. Giving an HD remake to the masses as well as crafting a deep, engaging, and committed online functionality would send Smash Brothers Melee to new gaming heights, and would potentially allow it to progress even more in the professional gaming community. Look at all the revenue League of Legends draws in, as some of their tournaments draws prizes of over 2 million dollars. Dota 2 has tournaments that shell out 10 million in prizes. Games that can develop enough money to warrant such prizes has to be rolling in eternal cash. Not saying Melee can match the PC competitive gaming universe, but can still make a big name for itself with the increased exposure and increased accessibility.

You couldn’t find me a fighting game fan or a Nintendo fan that finds a Melee: Tournament Edition to be a bad idea. It is a gold mine of an opportunity, where the rewards will justify the spending no matter which way you spin it. Make this happen Nintendo, and I will be among the first in line at the door waiting to purchase my copy. Just don’t expect me to fight with the big boys. But don’t worry, there will be plenty of people guaranteed to want to be the King of Smash. And you’ll make millions along the way.

The (Potentially Fun) Capcom IP Bidding Wars

So Sony won the bidding wars to make Street Fighter 5 an exclusive, much to the dismay of XBox One owners. I would also say WiiU owners but a) there aren't that many of them and b) Smash Brothers trumps everything in life. Capcom has become financially strapped yet remains a gold mine of potential with the entourage of franchises within its borders. And with that was a subtle bidding contest which resulted in Microsoft backing out and instead focusing their sights on improving the recently-revived Killer Instinct. Nintendo has pretty much no care in this issue, because Super Smash Brothers is the top-selling fighting game franchise by a country mile. But Capcom now has a curious dilemma: just how much money can they rake out from the competitors?

How much money is Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft willing to pay to get their hands on more exclusives? Do remember what Capcom also has up its broke sleeve:



Devil May Cry
Resident Evil
Viewtiful Joe
Dead Rising
Gargoyle’s Quest
Okami
Monster Hunter
Mega Man
Mega Man X
Ghost n’ Goblins
Bionic Commando
Breath of Fire
Captain Commando
Final Fight
Lost Planet
Phoenix Wright
Power Stone


(This list came from an earlier article about Capcom)


That’s a lot of video games yet to be made, remade, and blessed with sequels and potential spin-offs. And each company can benefit greatly from some of these brands. Sony can try to win back the American market with Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, Dead Rising, Viewtiful Joe, and Bionic Commando (Clever game mechanics in need of revamping). Microsoft can try to earn some Japanese trust with Lost Planet, Okami, Power Stone, Breath of Fire, and (especially) Monster Hunter. Lastly, Nintendo can continue its stranglehold on the platform market with Mega Man, Mega Man X, Ghosts n’ Goblins, Captain Commando, and Gargoyle’s Quest.

And of course, Marvel vs. Capcom is most likely also available for the taking.

Capcom might have seen better days, but can develop nice relationships with each of the major companies with its extensive library if it can reach into the past and tap into previous gold. The Big Three can each benefit in a variety of ways if they can pony up the money and help Capcom finance some of these games.

Like previously said, Sony needs more Americans to move away from Microsoft. Resident Evil would be an even bigger devastating blow if they can nab the rights. Take over Resident Evil 7 and go back to basics: become much more horror and much less action. Devil May Cry is another franchise that has seen better days but can still attract the North American crowd---and do remember once upon a time Devil May Cry belonged to just Sony.

Microsoft needs this more than the other competitors. Monster Hunter would be definitely the first and main major step, as it draws mammoth numbers on the 3DS (the latest installment nearly sold 2 million copies in Japan on the first day alone. The XBox One hasn’t even hit 50,000 copies). Then there’s the Japanese-friendlier Viewtiful Joe and Breath of Fire games which can trigger some improvement for the third-generation Green Machine. But if there’s one they can’t afford to forever lose (which...technically is whats going on anyway), it would be Monster Hunter.

Of course, Nintendo should just nab all the Mega Man rights and take the franchise to the next level. With Retro Studios, Intelligent Systems, and Nintendo R&D1 major experts on the genre, Mega Man 11 and Mega Man X12 would make absolute sense being Nintendo-exclusive. I can see Mega Man Classic on the 3DS, with the X series on the major console and perhaps even a 3-D upgrade ala Metroid Prime to attract new audiences. Of course, this is something we call agree on: Nintendo needs something soon, and fast for the WiiU. Mega Man can become that revival ticket.

Bottom Line: Capcom remains a gold mine, and it’s time for all the major companies to step up and nab their share of the treasure. Everybody can win at the time, and gamers in general can also win by seeing the cluster of Capcom classics see new life. There’s a lot of great games and great wealth that can be won in the coming years, it just requires some financial sacrifices and a willingness to work with the sinking ship of a company. Step up everybody, with the right exclusive games the tides can be turned in your favor. And Capcom, with the right business moves and smarts concerning the value of your product you can also see a comeback.

Nobody blow it.

Should Sega Buy Capcom?

The amount of articles I could write about how Capcom should be bought immediately will reach infinite status, guaranteed. This is prime property, prime good ol’ money-making potential. Sony should buy them. Nintendo should buy them. If Disney has a way around the legal system, they should buy them. If Microsoft had a shot, they should buy them. The point is Capcom is the cinematic version of LucasArts, a company run by all the wrong people, but has all the right stuff to turn it back around.

I have already mentioned how Nintendo would be the absolutely perfect fit for Capcom’s new home. But let’s change the stakes just a little. There is a company out there with enough money to buy the stock necessary for said takeover. It is a Japanese company with plenty of American experience, and as of now has the finances necessary to get this job done. Lastly, if anyone is willing to make a big splash in the gaming industry, it would be these guys.





What about Sega?



Can you imagine if Sega forked over the money, became the primary owner, and single-handedly altered the landscape of the industry? Can you imagine Sega being allowed to pick and choose who they want to make games for, which Capcom franchises belong to which systems? Sega can hold the Mega Man, Resident Evil, and Street Fighter franchise practically hostage. While other companies in the third-party realm are indeed bigger, most of them are from the Western Hemisphere and are unable to create that strategy.


Now let’s look at Sega’s other option: competing in the console wars once again.



This one is far more a long shot because of all the risks involved and because the wound of Dreamcast still feels fresh (You don’t think so? 15 years ago Sega was third in the console wars. 10 years ago they became a third-party. Pretty sure it still stings). But if Sega were to expand their profits, developing a successful console is the way to go. PS4 is selling at a record pace. The Xbox One actually has one of the best first-year runs in gaming history, and it’s in third. Lastly Nintendo despite a pure lack of software and third-party support is etching in second place while inching towards 84% market share in the handheld market.

The money is indeed there if you are just competing, this isn’t the 90s anymore. The only reason Sony is reporting losses is because of their other fields being very unsuccessful, especially the television division. But the eighth generation is proving to be the most profitable, as the game lineups from all three systems have remained ho-hum, but are still selling like hotcakes. So why not see a Super Dreamcast in the future? Sega has proven to be innovative with its hardware capabilities, and all they really need to do to make an impact is improve the software (Not sure Sonic has gone back to Sonic and Knuckles quality just yet).

The hardware idea is much more a pipe dream because I am sure Sega will be more than satisfied remaining low and just developing games for everyone else. But the stock value and the quality value of the Sega name will increase dramatically if they can claim the sinking Capcom. Sega’s brand name has been rather fleeting since 1999, and that run needs to end very soon especially when you see companies like Rockstar and Activision put up heavy numbers.

If none of the Big 3 is interested, then Sega should definitely take the gamble, pay the millions, and create the takeover. Its lineup of available franchises will practically quadruple, and it will create possibilities in the software division, the hardware division, and even in the arcade division (where Sega reigned heavily once upon a time). This is a pure win-win situation for Sega, no doubt about it.

Seriously though, gaming companies, one of you needs to stop fooling around and just buy Capcom. Make the world a better place.

The Best $150 Million to Spend in Gaming

Nintendo, Microsoft, tired of looking up at Sony this generation?



Still trying to figure out a way to catch up?



Well, I have a deal for you.


There is a Japanese company in utter shambles and is most likely available at a cheap, cheap price. Back in 2013, this company was down to a mere $150 million dollars in the bank. It is currently so bad that they are developing multiple million-dollar buildings just to do research and figure out how to turn the company around---even though the actual answer is merely release good games and don’t depend so much on the downloadable content and barrage of quickly-released remakes and re-releases. And….well….not try to drive out creative people like the folks behind the closed Clover Studio and the creator of the classic Mega Man games.

Although this company is only worth $150 million, they could still deliver you tons more in sales if you provide enough support once you purchase them. After all, this company is the main owner of:


Street Fighter
Devil May Cry
Resident Evil
Viewtiful Joe
Dead Rising
Gargoyle’s Quest
Okami
Monster Hunter
Mega Man
Mega Man X
Ghost n’ Goblins
Bionic Commando
Breath of Fire
Captain Commando
Final Fight
Lost Planet
Phoenix Wright
Power Stone

In other words, they have created a lot of profitable and potentially-profitable franchises that would be very suitable to your liking. Can you imagine being the sole owner of Street Fighter and Resident Evil? Can you imagine having the only console with Mega Man, Marvel vs. Capcom, Breath of Fire, and Monster Hunter? Can you imagine potentially being able to revive Power Stone, Viewtiful Joe, and Final Fight?

The opportunity exists. It costs only $150 million. Every major console-making company has this money lying around, and can really create some powerful dividends when you place the right minds in it.



That’s right Nintendo and Microsoft, you should buy Capcom.

Is Capcom on sale? Not really. Does it matter? Of course not. Marvel wasn’t really on sale when Disney shockingly took over. Guys, 150 million. That’s it. There are movies and video games that have had higher budgets. Grand Theft Auto 5 has a budget of roughly around the same price, and has earned 1 billion faster than any form of entertainment in history. That’s just one game that produced such a quick profit. See all the games I pointed out?

Capcom is sitting on a gold mine of ideas and possibilities, but has been run by all the wrong people. Delivering the right staff and supporting it with the proper amount of money and effort and you will see magical profits soar. Do remember that Street Fighter is one of the top fighting game franchises in gaming history, Resident Evil is the top horror game franchise out there, and Mega Man has sold nearly 30 million copies since its original conception in the NES days.

Can you imagine Final Fight 7 for the WiiU and 3DS exclusively? Can you imagine

Nintendo (The company that is far more suitable in making this purchase), Microsoft, listen up. Capcom is a wreck that can still make you good money. Open up the checkbook and lay that money down. You’ll be happy you did.


P.S. This article was the extremely long-delayed part 2 of my series about Capcom.

The Financial Downward Spiral of Capcom (And How It Can Still Be Saved) [Part 1 of 2]

So Capcom has a mere 152 million in the bank. Is 152 million a lot of money? Of course it is, until you realize that there are movies that cost more, there are modern-games with $50 million invested, and until you realize that those millions applies to the entire company. And with a new generation of gaming literally around the corner and rising costs guaranteed, Capcom is in deep, deep trouble.


But before you feel bad for the Japanese company and its struggling ability to stay relevant (Similar to Square Enix) in these dark times, let’s bring this one major point up:


Capcom brought this upon themselves.



And here are the backwards steps Capcom took (not in any order) leading to their dire situation:


1) Breath of Fire VI Disaster

Instead of working on a legit Breath of Fire game, a deeply appreciated franchise in the RPG community, Capcom takes the stupid route and makes the sixth installment an android-only game. So instead of taking a multi-million selling franchise and giving it a next-generation uplift or even make a handheld installment they make it a phone game. Way to crap on a classic 90s franchise.




2) Mega Man Disaster

They cancelled the last FOUR Mega Man games, even though this was the franchise that essentially put the company on the gaming map in the first place. This was similar to what would happen if the next 3-D Mario game was abruptly cancelled altogether without explanation. Mega Man 9 and 10 were good hits on the online marketplaces within the three systems. So instead of a Mega Man Legends 3 for the 3DS, instead of Mega Man 11 for the next-gen systems, instead of a Mega Man X9, we have----nothing. Its pretty much the death of Mega Man as we know it. No wonder the original staff from the previous Mega Man games took off running....


3) Resident Evil Disaster

Resident Evil used to be the peak of survival horror. But recently the franchise went in a totally different direction and tried becoming another Uncharted or God of War leading to disappointing results. Capcom has yet to learn that we want a horror game, not an action game with lots of monsters. And even with that, the games pale in comparison to games of similar structure. Stop trying to become Halo and be more like your old-school Resident Evil games.Resident Evil's recent-depleting numbers should tell you that message.


4) Nintendo/Capcom

Remember when Capcom promised Nintendo 5 exclusive games on the Gamecube and it turns out that each of these games (that succeeded) went to the PS2? Remember when the Mega Man brand was dying and Capcom asked Nintendo to put the blue bomber in Smash Brothers Brawl and Nintendo (of course) turned them down? Hey want to know what happened to Brawl? Became the best-selling fighting game of all-time, toppling every Street Fighter game in the process. Who has the last laugh there? Capcom’s backstabbing of Nintendo was a major blow and a total contrast to what happened to Sega when they partnered with Nintendo and got some life after losing their ability to make hardware. I am sure Capcom could have used Nintendo's 100 million Wiis userbase between the years 2006-2011 when the Wii was at its peak.


5) Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Hey remember that Marvel fighting game missing Rogue, Loki, Gambit, Mega Man, Venom, Silver Samurai among dozens of others? How on earth did Marvel vs. Capcom 2, a game older by a decade, have twice as many characters? And then re-releasing the game with an Ultimate edition the very same year was a low disgusting blow. Just to rub this in, here’s a nice tally: Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2.27 million) Smash Brothers Brawl (11.79 million).


6) Street Fighter IV Super Mega Ultimate Turbo Hyper Alpha Marathon Pickles

The tiring amount of variations of the Street Fighter games used to be fun to witness on the SNES/Genesis days, but nowadays with the economy and rising costs of being a gamer, its very stupid to witness. What has held off the sales of fighting games and most Capcom games nowadays is knowing that there is a superior version around the corner waiting to come out. We gamers are far more informed than we used to be, and that sort of nonsense just won’t be tolerated. You think GTA V would have made one billion in sales in three days if Rockstar adopted Capcom’s technique in releasing games?


7) Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

The one fighting game that surprised many was the Wii’s Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, by making 25 million with minimal hype or fanfare. And this goes back with the strained and bizarre Nintendo/Capcom relationship, which didn’t allow this franchise to flourish for some odd reason. This was the one surprise-hit franchise in Capcom’s watch in the past half-decade and yet nothing was done to enhance the momentum—no sequel, no multi-platform release, no porting to the 3DS, nothing……why?


8) The DRM/DLC Disaster

This one takes the cake. Capcom’s treatment of these two subjects is the main reason for its downfall. There was the Resident Evil 3DS controversy, which disallowed for gamers to erase any save data, destroying its chances for re-sale. It was a low move that resulted in terrible sales for a game released in a handheld that is outselling all other systems by a substantial amount. This was the first attempt at a DRM-style change in gaming as game companies across the planet have started combating Gamestop and all the small resale markets that sell old games.


Then the DLC mayhem. If you sell DLC content that’s fine. But when the DLC content is within the video game itself, it causes problems because it leads the gamer to believing that they are paying full price for a game they don’t have full access to. This resulted in games like Street Fighter X Tekken, Resident Evil 6, and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 getting hacked and revealed to be games with the DLC attached and forcing you to pay extra to unlock. Utter nonsense. If you think gamers don’t rebel against this I have a story for you Capcom: you are down to less than $150 million right now. Time will tell how much farther you are going to fall.


So with all this, can they be saved? Of course, stay tuned for the YouTube video that will be my Part 2 to this massive article about the issue of Capcom’s slow death. It will be released next Monday. 




But until then Capcom read these words: Stop Your Nonsense.

$60 For Incompleteness

So Mass Effect 3 has run into a little bit of controversy for two reasons. The main one is because of its ending, which for the sake of spoilers I won’t merely discuss. But, there has been letters written to them and major Twitter campaigns to fix up the ending. The second controversy is smaller in complaints, but to me is a much more damning issue and one that is part of a bigger problem in the world of gaming. Day one downloadable content. When I first read it, I didn’t see what the big deal was until I learned that this DLC was already in the game, but locked from the gamers until you throw in some more dough. This is ridiculous, is happening far too much, and has to stop.

Mass Effect 3 is not the first game to rip off gamers by forcing you to pay for crap that was already in the disc---Capcom is notoriously evil and ridiculous for consistently doing these actions with their fighting games (And they've even done it with their latest game). But this does not justify the actions here. What they did is the 90s equivalent of Nintendo selling you Super Mario World, but then force you to buy a second cartridge at a smaller price to actually finish the game. Sounds silly I know, but if gamers are forking over $60 to play your game, why in the hell are you forcing them to pay extra money to get stuff that is already in the disc they just purchased???!?!!? Why didn’t you at least wait about a month to disguise your disgusting actions?

See, this is why gaming while on the upswing quality-wise is threatening constantly for a total breakdown economically. Smaller games like Angry Birds is exploding in popularity and while it doesn’t have the technical advancements and depth of your best games it has the advantage in one major aspect: price. As opposed to paying over $70 to play a game and enjoy all its extra content, you can now charge in the medium pizza price range and get a full video game that’s actually quite long (adding to its lasting appeal that’s nowadays inevitable). Before this wasn’t possible but thanks to IPod applications, smarter phones, emergence of indie gaming companies, and increasing technology, we can get fun and entertainment at much smaller prices.

The economical pundits will argue that Bioware is out to make money, which is the goal of every company. This is indeed true, but ripping off gamers isn’t the solution: good games are. Say what you will about Nintendo, but they will not half-ass a game or sell one incomplete. Hell, Miyamoto is notorious for constantly delaying games so he can put some extra touches and ensure that everyone will finish the game satisfied. Nintendo has reached the online atmosphere but has yet to throw in this DLC nonsense right after the release of a game. While they are way behind in the online component I can bet you any amount of cash that the company wouldn’t dare pull the nonsense that Bioware, Square Enix (Case in point for Square: Final Fantasy XIII-2), and especially Capcom pulls every so often.

For more fun, let’s compare Super Smash Brothers Brawl to Marvel vs. Capcom 3. One of them has a level creator, several extra video games hidden inside, hundreds of songs to choose from, a much bigger roster when compared to the previous installment, and over 50 different ways of fighting. The other game has a smaller roster, DLC from the start, nothing beyond this content-wise, and then flips the switch by releasing an “Ultimate” version of the game about a year later. Care to guess which is the best-selling fighting game of all time and which one barely sold 2 million copies? And before you care to mention that Nintendo has many more characters (and a deeper history) than Capcom or Marvel—Marvel has thousands of comic book characters---literally—and has been around for decades before Nintendo---literally. The moral of the story here is: we prefer complete games. Most skipped out on MvC3 because we all secretly knew there was going to be another version down the road.

I am all for a company making money, that is fine. But if you are releasing a game to the public, the right and noble thing to do is to allow us access to everything within the game we bought, as opposed to shelling out even more money just to see what else is on the game that we JUST purchased. You may think that gamers aren’t going to rebel to this sort of thing, but with Resident Evil, the Capcom fighters, and other franchises selling less than the previous installments even though the gaming industry fanbase has practically doubled in recent years, you may have to think twice before pulling this crap again. Online gaming has pushed the medium to a new plateau of opportunity, but has also opened new doors to new ways to rip us off.

Shame on you Bioware.