Article: http://www.examiner.com/x-13078-Xbox-360-Examiner~y2010m8d12-Why-fighting-games-suck     
 
So I started to read this article and it's clear that this guy is a bad journalist, well, as far a fact checking/researching goes. Then I started to think about it and it seems that a lot of people (at least that I know) have this negative opinion of fighting games, and some even believe this for some reason. 
 
I think the reason for people feeling this way is because a lot of information about fighting games has to be researched and isn't found in the game, per se. Like, I recently have been getting into SSFIV, after not played fighting games in years, and having to look up frame counting, canceling, option select, etc. So does anyone think this type of information should be included within the game bypassing this whole meta-game of figuring out how to play fighters?

FTA:
 
"Many people complain that the yearly release of Madden is just the same game with updated rosters being repackaged and sold for full price but fighters are an even bigger offender of this. What really is the difference between Street Fighter II and Street Fighter IV? Cooler graphics? A couple new characters added to the roster? Is that really all the franchise was capable of evolving in the seventeen year  timespan between the two arcade releases?

Fighters don't really take any skill to play, either. A lot of people probably would disagree with this statement and admittedly, I am personally bad at fighters but only because I have no interest at all in playing them. Being "good" at fighters isn't so much about actually having skill as it is having experience with the game and memorizing all of a character's techniques (which can be a ridiculously lengthy list). Once you can perform any technique at will, the only thing you need to do to become "good" is play the game enough to learn what beats what. Then, when your opponent performs a Dragon Uppercut you know you have to counter with a Fireball immediately. This isn't skill at the actual game, it's just memorization of a rock, paper, scissors mechanic."
 
This guy has no fucking idea what he's talking about.
 
Edit:
 
"How fighters can be played competitively at a professional level I'll never understand. In First Person Shooters, not only do you need to have an expert level of precision aiming and knowledge of the game, but you also have to be able to outsmart your opponents. You need to be able to predict their strategy and adapt to their tactics. In most cases you also need to use teamwork to overcome the enemy team. Fighters aren't predictable at all because you never know how the other guy is going to fight. Will this guy spam jump kick? If so you just need to think about what beats that to win. Maybe will he spam Fireball so you have to think about what beats that and you'll win. Fighters come down to who has more experience to know what to do at any given moment, not about skill at the game.

The key is when he says he sucks at fighters. So because he sucks, and won't practice to get better , he proceeds shits on the whole genre. So you can easily just counter the bullshit he's spewing with the old saying, learn2play noob. 

The same people that doesn't see any progression in fighting games are analogous to people that sees all shooters being the same for shooting people in the head. Subtlety is hard to reach dense people.  
 
 
As far as the problem of learning overall metagame stuff that is never thought within the game itself, I'm kinda torn on that. Yes I do see your point, but the more you spoon feed someone, the more you risk trapping people's mindset into "this is the correct way of playing". At least with the community guides and vids, the process is organic and that is what makes the game last as long as it does. For example:  Justin Wong said Adon was a trash character until he ate his words by losing to Adon at Evo.  
 
Whether its Street Fighter, Starcraft (which the game only tells you what unit beats what, never this is how you scout, etc) or time tested Chess and Poker; these games have an organic meta-game that not even the makers of the game know every combination of moves or whatever. I personally like the whole reward the person that is willing to learn and think the most.

This guy's an idiot. Those "legitimate reasons" of his are ridiculous. I want to spam fireball his face into dust.

I'm not a fan of fighting games, but I can certainly respect the tournament level play of competitors. Shit is intense. Also: lots of game journalists are terrible.

the thing with fighting games is that they have a very conditional quality. Ai combat is usually not very compelling, so if you are playing singleplayer only, then they are not very good (personally i do like fighting game singleplayer but i think i am an anomaly).  If you are way better than your opponent, then they are not very good.  If your opponent is way better than you, then they are not very good.  They are pretty much only fun when both you and your human opponent are of the same skill level.  Then they are pretty much unparalled in terms of excellence. A fighting game is an elaborate set of tools and game-pieces that you have to provide all the gameplay for yourself, like a more traditional boardgame.

That article is oozing with hypocrisy.

" That article is oozing with hypocrisy. "

This article doesn't even reserve a proper rebuttal, it just stinks of ignorance and prejudice towards fighting games.

It's funny that the paragraph he used to describe the complexity of a FPS's multiplayer component is the exact same reason why people love fighting games. 
 
The dude does have a point about the meta-game though. If you just randomly bought a fighting game with no idea about any of that stuff--and it was nowhere to be found in the game itself--you're just setting the player up for butthurt.

That article is comical at best. 
 
Fighting games have infinite re-playability. That's the reason why people are still competitively playing fighting games that are more than a decade old...

This article is kind of sickening. If you don't understand a genre of games, DON'T WRITE ABOUT IT. I used to not like fighting games or JRPGs but I never got mad about other people liking them. I kept my mind open and now two of the games I've been playing regularly recently are SSF4 and Persona 3 FES.

speaking of...anyone know how to counter el fuertes fucking dive that everybody spams (played 10 matches against and every person on xbox live spammed that same move) with a Zangief that's slow to get up?

I felt this way about fighting games for awhile. Then I started playing Street Fighter 4. Then Super Street Fighter 4. THEN I started WINNING at Super Street Fighter 4. Then fighting games became AWESOME.

" @Dawglet said:

" That article is oozing with hypocrisy. "

This is my response.   Now lets all try not to freak out and cuss, okay? "

" @demontium said:

" @Dawglet said:

" That article is oozing with hypocrisy. "

This is my response.   Now lets all try not to freak out and cuss, okay? "

FUCK! 
 
"How fighters can be played competitively at a professional level I'll never understand. In First Person Shooters, not only do you need to have an expert level of precision aiming and knowledge of the game, but you also have to be able to outsmart your opponents. You need to be able to predict their strategy and adapt to their tactics."   There is so much irony in those two sentences that I cant even... I don't know, I'm speechless.    "

Oh, btw the authors email address:   vegeta2k1alex@yahoo.com

@StaticFalconar said:

"Oh, btw the authors email address:   vegeta2k1alex@yahoo.com "

Finally, we can give this man a piece of our mind in an objective and completely rational manner. And by that I mean signing him up for outrageous and legally questionable sexual interest subscriptions.

I find it so funny that he's bashing the genre on (what appears to be at least) his own interest. I thought journalists weren't supposed to bring in their own personal opinions when delivering "news." 
 
I grew up with my brother kicking my butt in every single round of every fighting game we ever played but I'm sure as hell not labeling the whole genre as garbage. Reeks of butthurt, I say.

Wow I thought for sure this was a joke article. But I guess it isn't.

" @demontium said:

" @Dawglet said:

" That article is oozing with hypocrisy. "

This is my response.   Now lets all try not to freak out and cuss, okay? "

FUCK! 
 
"How fighters can be played competitively at a professional level I'll never understand. In First Person Shooters, not only do you need to have an expert level of precision aiming and knowledge of the game, but you also have to be able to outsmart your opponents. You need to be able to predict their strategy and adapt to their tactics."   There is so much irony in those two sentences that I cant even... I don't know, I'm speechless.    "

Stop being such morons. If its a joke, then who cares? If its not, then why do you care? So what, he has a different opinion, GRRR! WHY!? Lets flame him! >:D. *sigh*  
 
Is it really that hard to agree with him? Fighting games ARE just monotonous round after round clashes, where you try new strategies, show off how well you know the game and the character's movesets. For example I think racing games are boring, as you just drive the best line over and over. 

This is disgusting. That man is a pitiful example of a journalist. I guess he played 2 hrs of SSFIV online and got his butt whipped? The things he talk about are fucking riddicolous. 
@NinjaHunter said:

" @demontium said:

" @Dawglet said:

" That article is oozing with hypocrisy. "

This is my response.   Now lets all try not to freak out and cuss, okay? "

FUCK! 
 

"How fighters can be played competitively at a professional level I'll never understand. In First Person Shooters, not only do you need to have an expert level of precision aiming and knowledge of the game, but you also have to be able to outsmart your opponents. You need to be able to predict their strategy and adapt to their tactics."   There is so much irony in those two sentences that I cant even... I don't know, I'm speechless.    " 

   

He brings up a good topic for discussion that fighters haven't evolved too much. Overall though, this man has no business getting paid to write about videogames.

I'm pretty sure everyone in this thread has been trolled.
 
Because it can't be possible to be that stupid. It just can't.

Why evolve something that doesn't really need it? 
With the majority of fighting games, if you've ever played SFII you're more than likely to be able to pull of a couple of moves. 
I'm pretty sure the text and that video are troll jobs. Smash Bros an evolution? Give me a break...

" @Dawglet said:

" That article is oozing with hypocrisy. "

This is my response.   Now lets all try not to freak out and cuss, okay? "

"   

"

That guy is an idiot. If fighting games took no skill, I guess I should go join some tournaments and make me some money.

" I find it so funny that he's bashing the genre on (what appears to be at least) his own interest. I thought journalists weren't supposed to bring in their own personal opinions when delivering "news."   I grew up with my brother kicking my butt in every single round of every fighting game we ever played but I'm sure as hell not labeling the whole genre as garbage. Reeks of butthurt, I say. "

" @demontium said:

" @Dawglet said:

" That article is oozing with hypocrisy. "

This is my response.   Now lets all try not to freak out and cuss, okay? "

FUCK! 
 
"How fighters can be played competitively at a professional level I'll never understand. In First Person Shooters, not only do you need to have an expert level of precision aiming and knowledge of the game, but you also have to be able to outsmart your opponents. You need to be able to predict their strategy and adapt to their tactics."   There is so much irony in those two sentences that I cant even... I don't know, I'm speechless.    "

"   

"

i could write about how i hate halo but i dont because it's just my opinion...i literally an i mean literally fell asleep at the wheel in the first chapter of Halo ODST...
why people dedicate the creative process to hatred i will never know...

What a terrible article.

yo fighting games on brast yo
 
What a twat.

I have little respect for most journalists to begin with, since so few take even the briefest of moments to know what their job actually entails.  Clearly, the author is completely ignorant, but chose to write about his baseless opinions anyway.

" yo fighting games on brast yo  What a twat. "

" @Scooper said:

" yo fighting games on brast yo  What a twat. "

yo shoutouts to fuckheads "

" This guy's an idiot. Those "legitimate reasons" of his are ridiculous. I want to spam fireball his face into dust. "

" @Jeffsekai said:

" @Scooper said:

" yo fighting games on brast yo  What a twat. "

yo shoutouts to fuckheads "

big shoutouts to the shoutouts to the fuckheads "

Well, this tool has clearly succeeded in getting the page views he wanted.