I have pondered over this question for quite some time and I decided to ask this:
Why is Sakurai reluctant to make a competitive game?
It's completely baffling to me why Sakurai acknowledges that Super Smash Bros. Melee is the most technical game in the series, and has, and will continue to have for the foreseeable future, one of the largest and most dedicated competitive audiences for a fighting game in history. Many Melee tournaments continue to reach maximum entrants, which is astonishing considering the game is 13 years old. The livestream for Melee at EVO 2013 exceeded 130,000 viewers, making it one of the most watched fighting games in HISTORY. Plus, the fanbase raised $95,000 for breast cancer beforehand, which permitted the game to be played at the tournament to much acclaim.
I understand that Nintendo's primary player-base consists mostly of casual gamers and children, but this is yet another reason to orient Super Smash Bros. towards BOTH hardcore and casual players - it will attract everybody towards the Nintendo brand and increase their profits tremendously. The primary reason Melee was so popular was because of its duality of being able to be both a casual, party game and a hardcore, competitive game. Yes, Sm4sh made the game faster (removing tripping, increased falling speed), and it is a great, fun game to play, but it feels as though the characters are being "held down" by the game's engine, in contrast to Melee (which offered players incredible control over their movements).
Considering Melee was highly popular as a party game, I don't understand how removing L-canceling, edgehogging and increasing the floatiness of the game amongst other things makes it so that the "playing field is equal". This is in contrast to the fact that very few casual players use advanced techniques such as SHFFLing, wavedashing, dash dancing, and edgehogging. Not only that, but I think that it really alienates the most dedicated fanbase for Super Smash Bros. to the point that they outright prefer a fanmade mod to the actual thing.
Honestly, it's very bizarre why Sakurai won't take advantage of the fact that he's sitting on a massive goldmine for critical and commercial gain from hardcore gamers. Please note that I deeply respect him as a game developer, and I love Nintendo and the Wii U game console. Feel free to comment on any of my points.
Why is Sakurai reluctant to make a competitive game?
It's completely baffling to me why Sakurai acknowledges that Super Smash Bros. Melee is the most technical game in the series, and has, and will continue to have for the foreseeable future, one of the largest and most dedicated competitive audiences for a fighting game in history. Many Melee tournaments continue to reach maximum entrants, which is astonishing considering the game is 13 years old. The livestream for Melee at EVO 2013 exceeded 130,000 viewers, making it one of the most watched fighting games in HISTORY. Plus, the fanbase raised $95,000 for breast cancer beforehand, which permitted the game to be played at the tournament to much acclaim.
I understand that Nintendo's primary player-base consists mostly of casual gamers and children, but this is yet another reason to orient Super Smash Bros. towards BOTH hardcore and casual players - it will attract everybody towards the Nintendo brand and increase their profits tremendously. The primary reason Melee was so popular was because of its duality of being able to be both a casual, party game and a hardcore, competitive game. Yes, Sm4sh made the game faster (removing tripping, increased falling speed), and it is a great, fun game to play, but it feels as though the characters are being "held down" by the game's engine, in contrast to Melee (which offered players incredible control over their movements).
Considering Melee was highly popular as a party game, I don't understand how removing L-canceling, edgehogging and increasing the floatiness of the game amongst other things makes it so that the "playing field is equal". This is in contrast to the fact that very few casual players use advanced techniques such as SHFFLing, wavedashing, dash dancing, and edgehogging. Not only that, but I think that it really alienates the most dedicated fanbase for Super Smash Bros. to the point that they outright prefer a fanmade mod to the actual thing.
Honestly, it's very bizarre why Sakurai won't take advantage of the fact that he's sitting on a massive goldmine for critical and commercial gain from hardcore gamers. Please note that I deeply respect him as a game developer, and I love Nintendo and the Wii U game console. Feel free to comment on any of my points.
