Tekken Director Says Unlockables Are "Outdated"

[KDR_11k]

Everyone who doesn't like unlocks has quite obviously never played Budokai 3, the satisfaction of beating the last boss and then being able to use him to pwn the computer is infinitely more satisfying than just having him from the beginning, if there's nothing to unlock whats the point in playing?

Fun?

While I tend to get bored of fighting games I played quite a few rounds of Swords & Soldiers skirmish despite there being no unlockables there. Those were much more varied than repeated story mode runs in fighting games because I could make my own variety by pursuing different strategies and sometimes even trying fairly outlandish ones (like teching straight to Zen Masters) to see if I can pull something off. It depends on how much variety a game lets you get out of the mechanics and I've never been able to get a lot of that out of a fighting game.

Well, the exception would be Scarlet Weather Rhapsody which has a pretty awesome story mode since it's not just regular battles with a few OP bosses thrown in, every battle is against a super-powered enemy you have to beat by exploiting their pattern. Playing that with different attack sets (especially OP ones like Marisa's master spark and Suica's black hole fireworks which are REALLY powerful against story mode bosses) and against different enemies made playing through all story modes quite fun even though you unlock the two locked characters after the first time you play the mode.

 

[Blackadder51]

Theres a surprise but im not complaining

 

[Samurai Goomba]

I don't like the idea of having to pay for fighters, but neither am I fond of all the unlocking I had to do in Tekken 5. I mean, if the method of unlocking is innovative or their are multiple ways to unlock the guys (see SSBM and King of Fighters XI), then it's no problem. But when I have to clear the stupid Story Mode a billion times and fight one of the worst fighting game bosses in video game history, then it just plain sucks.

I play fighting games to get good with a few characters and have fun. If the game is good enough, the replay value will be near-endless regardless of what the unlockables are. Also, joke characters need to die forever. They're horrible and I hate them. They tend to be either way overpowered or completely worthless. If a game dev can make 3 joke characters, he or she can take the time to come up with another proper fighter.

 

[scotth266]

I have a solution: in the options menu, stick in a "Party Time!" option that unlocks all the characters until you turn it off again, whereupon it will re-lock all the characters you haven't unlocked yet by playing the single-player.

Both parties are now satisfied.

 

[WrongSprite]

What? I love unlockable characters.

Kept me playing Dynasty Warriors 3 for a year.

 

[ItsAChiaotzu]

Everyone who doesn't like unlocks has quite obviously never played Budokai 3, the satisfaction of beating the last boss and then being able to use him to pwn the computer is infinitely more satisfying than just having him from the beginning, if there's nothing to unlock whats the point in playing?

If the only thing that game has going for it is unlocks, then that must be a bad game to begin with. If that was your point, then sure, bad games need crutches like that.

But some of us just want to bring a game over, pick our favourite characters and hit start. Forcing me to play through an atrocious single-player story portion tacked on to what originally was an arcade game isn't really going to win any points. And usually, it's no different from grinding in an MMO in that it isn't hard, just tedious. There are better ways to teach the player the game mechanics. There are better ways to spend your single-player gaming time. I'm here for the multiplayer, thanks.

Sorry could you point to the part in my post where I said that unlocks were the only good thing? Please?

Oh that's right, I never said anything like that.
Budokai 3 being a fighting game based off an anime, the story isn't just "tacked on" it's an actual story. And there are modes in Budokai 3 that I'm sure would even challenge you, so lets try and do some research before making statements like that next time.

 

[Woe Is You]

Sorry could you point to the part in my post where I said that unlocks were the only good thing? Please?

Well, you were implying that the game would be majorly hampered if there were no unlockables. If it really is so, then there's a problem with the game, isn't there? I'm just saying a good fighting game doesn't need unlockables to be enjoyed fully, with SF3: Third Strike and Garou being full proof of that.

Budokai 3 being a fighting game based off an anime, the story isn't just "tacked on" it's an actual story.

I wasn't aware DBZ had actual story. At least one worth mentioning. In that sense its story is basically on par with, well, just about any fighting game out there.

And there are modes in Budokai 3 that I'm sure would even challenge you, so lets try and do some research before making statements like that next time.

Is it interesting challenge or the kind of SNK challenge that has no purpose than to piss off the player? I haven't played a fighting game so far that hasn't done challenge the latter way.

 

[ItsAChiaotzu]

Sorry could you point to the part in my post where I said that unlocks were the only good thing? Please?

Well, you were implying that the game would be majorly hampered if there were no unlockables. If it really is so, then there's a problem with the game, isn't there? I'm just saying a good fighting game doesn't need unlockables to be enjoyed fully, with SF3: Third Strike and Garou being full proof of that.

Budokai 3 being a fighting game based off an anime, the story isn't just "tacked on" it's an actual story.

I wasn't aware DBZ had actual story. At least one worth mentioning. In that sense its story is basically on par with, well, just about any fighting game out there.

No I wasn't, I just said it gives you more satisfaction, I didn't say a single thing about the gameplay.. I don't know where you're getting this idea.

And I guess now you are aware that it does.

 

[Woe Is You]

And I guess now you are aware that it does.

Yes, DBZ does have a story but the story is on the level of a Mario game. An excuse for people to beat shit up. I've watched the series enough to know that much. That's exactly why the whole talk about story in DBZ confuses me so much.

No I wasn't, I just said it gives you more satisfaction, I didn't say a single thing about the gameplay.. I don't know where you're getting this idea.

Your exact words were "if there's nothing to unlock, what's the point in playing?" and to me that sounds like an admission that the game isn't worth playing if there aren't any unlockables. In my books, that means the game is bad and not worth playing even with the unlockables.

But the question about interesting challenge as opposed to SNK challenge still stands.

 

[ItsAChiaotzu]

And I guess now you are aware that it does.

Yes, DBZ does have a story but the story is on the level of a Mario game. An excuse for people to beat shit up. I've watched the series enough to know that much. That's exactly why the whole talk about story in DBZ confuses me so much.

No I wasn't, I just said it gives you more satisfaction, I didn't say a single thing about the gameplay.. I don't know where you're getting this idea.

Your exact words were "if there's nothing to unlock, what's the point in playing?" and to me that sounds like an admission that the game isn't worth playing if there aren't any unlockables. In my books, that means the game is bad and not worth playing even with the unlockables.

But question about interesting challenge as opposed to SNK challenge still stands.

All I was saying is that it's not tacked on and that not everyone thinks it's as shitty as you do.

Again, when I said that, I said, what's the point in playing? As in what's the point in playing through the story mode, which lots of people like to do, if you get no benefit from it.


You can obviously see that I like to earn stuff on games and you like to have everything from the start, and I have this odd feeling that no matter how much I argue with you, you won't admit that unlocking stuff is fun, so I'll stop with this post.

 

[Woe Is You]

I personally believe that becoming better at a multiplayer game is rewarding enough.

Earning costumes, medals, maybe godly boss characters that aren't meant to be played in multiplayer is really fine by me. Withholding important gameplay things till I've grinded through a shitty kumite mode isn't.

For example, Guilty Gear X2 lets me access all the characters that are meant to be played in multiplayer from the get-go. If I want the really cheap bosses or the artwork, then I hit the single-player modes. Virtua Fighter 5 does the same thing: costumes are unlockable, important characters aren't. If you want to play Dural, the broken boss character of the game, you have to grind through the arcade mode with every character on the list. That's all fine by me. I don't care about the costumes or the boss character.

Street Fighter 4 on the other hand forces me to play through the arcade mode a ridiculous amount of times just so I can play as Gouken, who is a perfectly usable character. In an MMO, this would be known as grinding. It makes no sense why they even thought anyone would want to play through the same thing that many times. Again, I'm fine with colors and titles being unlockable. That doesn't bother me.

These are arcade games. Some of us just want to jump into that part of the game and not be hampered by the afterthought of a single player mode. If I wanted something especially designed to be a single player game about beating stuff up, I'd go play Ninja Gaiden.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I guess that's why I don't understand people who say they like unlockables because it "extends the play time of the game". It just sounds like the game you're playing is mediocre to begin with, and you need a carrot on a stick in order to justify spending more time with it.

Unlocking a new character gets you the carrot.

Well, if that really is the reason they play fighters then I know of a game with endless re-playability: http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/155898/?searchterm=Guitar%20Queer-O

You never get the carrot in that game. Your premise is flawed.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

So basically 'everyone's too lazy to unlock characters, we'll put a number of them there now for you'? I smell DLC to be honest with you.

I don't agree with that, it gives no reason to play through a game otherwise. Just have a small portion of the characters locked with majority playable from the start.

Seems almost similar to Nintendo's Digest mechanic in a sense, only that was optional, and this doesn't seem to be so.

 

[Nurb]

Here is the sad corporate strategy behind this kind of announcement:

Pretend you're doing a great service by presenting every character without having to unlock them, then later announce that MORE characters will be available for download... for a price of course!

wether it's this game or not, microtransactions will ruin fighting games as sure as EA is a bunch of greedy exploititive fucks

 

[Soulfein]

I, for one, audibly uttered forth the expression "Fuckin' Finally". Unlockable's piss me off. Sometimes I just want to play the game, not have to earn the game. I bought it, give me the goddamned content. If a game has a hard mode, I want to play that. If I have to unlock it, I never will because playing a game once is fun. Twice gets tedious.

I think someone finally understands this and I for one am pleased.

 

[chromewarriorXIII]

On a side note, just out of curiosity, any Tekken 3 players out there? I wanted to try and guage my...obsession with that game, by comparing save data stats. My current save for Tekken 3 (Yeah, I know, it's ridiculous I still have the save game), has 17,642 versus matches on it, highest I ever got in Survival was 34. Any other sick, disturbed, tekken obsessed individuals out there able to share their stats?


Morne

I loved Tekken 3. It was the game that got me into fighting games. My parents used to always play it too. I don't have my save data since I haven't played in forever. I prefer Tekken 4 anyway because of one character: Steve Fox. I can kick all my friends asses with him and they find his dodging so annoying. But I also hated how Jin used Karate in that game.

OT: I think removing unlockables removes a lot of the gameplay. I always like doing story modes for everybody anyway but it was nice to get a little reward for doing it.

 

[Vinculi]

I've only ever bought one fighting game that didn't have any unlocks; Virtua Fighter V. I bought it, played it for two days, and have barely picked it up since.

Unlockables are the only incentive to for most of us to really play fighting games. RPGs have story and the "Role Playing", first person shooters can give great multiplayer experiences and have a great plot to boot.

But story and role playing are absent from most fighting games (well, good stories are, at any rate), leaving us with awards to recieve and characters to unlock, but if you take those away, what is there left to fight for?

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

For those that play fighting games to unlock things... I thought the point of fighting games was to beat the shit out of characters? If I want an adventure and journey of discovery, I play an adventure game or better yet, a huge sandbox.

Somehow, I must have gotten confused. I picked up Mortal Kombat: Iteration that let me make a badass instead of their usual badly scripted tripe (Yes I know, awesome game title) or for the sake of argument, any fighting game with the intent of flinging enemies and beating them retarded until the demons in my head stopped screaming for a while. I have never understood unlocking characters as I have yet to see a fighting game with a plot worth two tits on an old hooker so why would I want to delve through their story?

Yes, I have seen the Tekken Story line or at least the storyline as of 3... It was typical anime dross spilled from the bucket of retarded lemming farts and beans. Beans that were forged in stupid instead of grown but I digress.

The point of this ramble is that I believe the Tekken director deserves a gold star and a backrub for his insight. I don't care about Dense the Schoolgirl with a sword's history or Braindamage the Samurai's obsession with pocky, I'm there to kick ass. Incidentally, the forced feeding of bad plot for a game that ONLY lets me fight in a little arena is what turned me off of fighting games.

Speaking of which, I keep wondering what possessed me to sell Barbarian. It was a ridiculously cheap fighting game that let me fling thugs at my opponent as well as scenery and the arenas didn't feel like cages, they felt like a piece of location for me to abuse the enemy in. It forced me to play through story mode but I leveled up the character by doing so instead of just opening another twit... I need to get that again and label it "Do not sell..."