Ivan Tullao · @awesome_happens
2nd Oct 2012 from Twitlonger
@darryh I was gonna agree to you in the article if T4 wasn't a huge flop, T6 rage wasn't catered to noobs, and #Tekken being extensively played across Asia-Pacific despite how "hard" it is.
First, T4 came from TTT1, a game where there's a "bunch" of characters already, T4 stripped down the character size and the movelists are pretty small, what happened is people who mained different characters in TTT1 got disappointed (and there's a lot of them). Second, the game got boring just a couple of months (and having a broken Jin dind't help). Not only that, it made Tekken not feel Tekken anymore. Simplified grapples, lack of backdash, lack of character variety and a game that's supposed to revolve outside juggles hurt Tekken. You know it's bad when TTT1 is still played when T4 is still in its prime.
Second, "dumbing down" the game won't benefit you guys. In the end, newbies will STILL be eaten by pros, even if you dumb the game down. That's the nature of the beast. People who loved mashing attacks will still be killed off the spot by even an average player who knows how to block, even without bound, simplified throws, and lesser movelist. Not only new player will be dissatisfied, the real players will be dissatisfied too. Not only you're throwing all their work practicing in vain, you destroy everything that makes this game fun, the infinite replayability and creative ceiling. Cut the no. of "useless" moves and you take away all those awesome combo vids, all those flashiness, you kill of lei and steve, and the people who love complex characters and love being creative with everything.
Third, many mechanics in the game ARE catered to the newbs, the most particular one right now is SOLO mode. Solo mode were made for people who are having a hard time learning two chars right now. Same thing with the "clone" characters. Even in Tekken 6, rage mode and movement nerf are aimed for newbies who wants to attack and attack and attack. Ask the pros about YOLO mode and most of them are gonna complain why they include that thing that makes the game LESS FUN. Pokes too hits harder for those who don't like practicing combos. Harada made this game as accessible to all, and the game almost "simulates" the arcades by having a strong netcode, WTF and helping people like @reepal and @avoidingthepuddle to produce tutorials like how people long ago learn from other people in the arcades.
IMO there's no reason why TTT2 can't be learned by other people who loves fighting games by now. For casuals, just the fan-favorites like kuni and jun returning is enough. But for the competitive scene, Everything is straight-up spoonfed, what people need is to man-up. Tekken is a game where you can see straight up if you're a fraud or not. It unleashes the inner salty in you, and it's supposed to be that way. The game is a high-risk, high reward game that tests your patience, discipline, and shrewdness, and rewards knowledge, creativity, and hardwork, just like how it was taught in martial arts. Take the seemingly daunting task of learning the game as a challenge and opportunity, instead of wanting the game to be dumbed down for your sake.