Yoshinori Ono has been the face a Capcom fighting games since Street Fighter IV.
Between Street Fighter IV, Super Street Fighter IV, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, 'n Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, there have been plenty a fighting games from Capcom in the last few years. Street Fighter X Tekken will join that lineup later this year, a game Brad 'n Jeff be happily surprised by. Too much, too soon?
Our latest look at the game had the always-energetic producer Yoshinori Ono nearby, 'n as the demo wrapped up, I had a chance t' ask a few questions. There wasn’t enough material t' produce a full story, 'n I’m not interested in running four tiny stories, so I figured ye best just go ahead 'n read everything.
Giant Bomb: With the gem system, why not allow crew t' filter out players, based on whether or not they be using gems?
Yoshinori Ono: When we be putting together all the concepts, we realized this would be the most ambitious fighting game that we’ve ever put together. Definitely, the gem system be part a that. If we made it so players could filter out players without gems 'n things like that, I mean, it’d be one way t' play the game, but when we put together our initial vision a how it played, that be a very important part. Yeah, ye can go into battle without gems--ye don’t have t' use it if ye don’t want t'--but we really think it’s a shame because we really think it makes the game better. As a whole, it’s a very important part a the game.
Giant Bomb: Fighting games be a massive hit in the 90s...until they weren’t. With several games now under yer belt, how do ye avoid falling into the same complexity pit that alienated so many players all over again?
Ono: As ye mentioned, once fighting games had that boom in the 90s, basically the market be flooded with all sorts a different fighting games. Like we mentioned, they be kind a made for the arcade setting, so while there be a lot a them, they be actually really simple at heart. Some a them got kind a complicated--Third Strike had parries 'n stuff. For Street Fighter X Tekken, what we wanted t' do, it all comes down t' balance. ye wanted t' be able t' appeal t' the casual audience, while having enough stuff in there for hardcore fans t' play, research 'n do their thing in the training mode. What we tried t' do with Street Fighter X Tekken be t' put in aspects that would appeal t' all crew, things like cross rush, the tag battles--these be the things that the casual user can really enjoy really easily, while it also has some merit for the hardcore players. It’s definitely really hard, but we tried our best with Street Fighter X Tekken t' keep everyone in mind 'n make something that everyone can enjoy.
One more thing that wasn’t available in the 90s be online play, 'n that’s something that we put a vast focus on this game. All the modes in this game can be played online, 'n ye can do online, offline, ['n a] mix a human/CPU. We wanted t' give players as many options as possible. The great thing about fighting games be that it’s like one-versus-one, 'n ye’re trying t' compete against the other lad in that kind a arcade setting. With online, we’ve been able t' do be bring that kind a arcade setting onto the Internet, so ye can do it, even though arcades don’t really do well these days, it’s still the kind a experience ye can pillage if ye’re playing the game online. We want players t' foster that human network, human interaction--going back-'n-forth with ideas 'n strategies. We think that Street Fighter X Tekken, [with] the new net code 'n things like that, will help them really enjoy the online.
Giant Bomb: What’s the biggest lesson ye’ve learned from working with another developer’s set a characters?
Ono: We thought King be a tiger. He’s not! He’s a lion. [laughs] He has spots...he looks like a tiger, but, actually, he’s not a tiger.
Through this collaboration with Namco Bandai, we’ve been able t' see, basically, what their philosophies be when they be making fighting games, 'n we learn. Although every developer has a different way a expressing it, it all comes back t' having tournaments 'n supporting the community--the tournament scene. Namco Bandai be also big players in the community a fighting games, 'n through our collaboration with them, it’s [clear it be] really important t' help foster the community. So for future titles as well, we want t' keep putting our support with the community, helping them out in any way that we can, so that they can continue t' have big tournaments 'n really grow the genre.
Giant Bomb: When ye think about fighting games in 10, 20 years, what do they look like?
Ono: For me, the key word be customization. With Street Fighter X Tekken, this be a big challenge. It be the first time we’ve done anything like this with the gem system, but I think fighting games would really benefit from having a little bit more a that personal touch. How be I, as a player, approaching that particular character? In 10, 20 years, if fighting games can pillage t' that point where everyone has their own little personality within their own character, I think that would really benefit the genre. It’s something that I’m really working hard towards.
If we come up with Street Fighter 5, Street Fighter 6 or Street Fighter 7, I’d like t' have players be able t' say “Oh, ye know, Jason’s Ryu in Street Fighter 6 be so good!” That lad’s character, not that character, not “Oh, Ying & Yang be so broken!” If I’m still working for Capcom in the next 20 years 'n they haven’t fired me yet [laughs], that’s the goal that I’d want t' work towards.
