Hmm.

Nope Virtua Fighter X esports should have Zero story mode. Story mode attracts the wrong kind of gamer. Nowadays there is a subset of so-called gamer that mistakes the word "game" with "interactive movie" . Take the Last of Us Part II for example. Millions of these millennial new-age so-called gamers review bombed the LOU P2 merely because they didn't like how the interactive cutscenes played out, totally ignoring the tens of hours of Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil level gameplay the game contains.

If Virtua Fighter X Esports did actually have a story mode These excuses for gamers would just mash through the game on "easy" mode and turn around and review bomb the game with negative reviews merely because they didnt like the cutscrnes, totally ignoring the intricate sophisticated gameplay. If gamers continue to devolve on this trajectory, 5 years from now excellent games will be getting review bombed simply because some casual doesn't like the soundtrack.

I Like the quest/arcade mode, for pratice in a pretend-tournament setting in between acutal player-vs-player fights.

Story? i could not care less, there are genres for that - i want the intensity of 3 rounds at 40 secs to tell the "story".

If this game is being built ground up for competitive play I really hope it doesn't pander to the widest audience possible by giving it a low-skill ceiling. With gameplay similar to vf4ft it would set itself apart from fighters like sfv which took pride in lowering the bar.

I don't need story. Just give a solid a versus mode with great online along with a good training/tutorial features.

Agreed. I really like all the goodies they added to MK11 so I wouldn't mind something like that but I hope the priority is a competitive, balanced game with a high skill ceiling.

Whatever it is, I feel like this is the best gaming news, considering how depressing this year has been. It lifted me up a little.

The "restart" does seem to suggest a reboot or maybe an enhanced version of FS. The only thing I ask for is more of VF4EVO quest stuff. 5 felt more like beat X amount of people forever, whereas 4EVO had the missions.

Either way I'll be happy with whatever they do

VF5FS watered the game down and it did nothing to change the image of VF being a really hard intimidating game. I'm not sure how much further they might take that and what good it would do. Look at how successful Tekken 7 is and yet it's actually a much harder and less intuitive game than FS.

Exactly,
.
Between VF4 Evo and VF5FS the game mechanics were simplified and it did not increase VF sales or make the VF community larger. If anything it made some loyal fans unhappy. So the VF restart/reboot should include putting VF features like MTE back in the game and resetting the VF fighting engine back to the best version of itself.

VF Loyalty has always been tied to the easy-to-learn-hard-to-master, deep, balanced fighting engine, diverse roster of characters, beautiful graphics and animations. On the other hand VF popularity is tied to popular single player modes, and character backstory media.

If the goal for Virtua Fighter X e-sports is to increase VF sales and keep VF loyalty, then AM2 will have to make the VF fighting engine represent the most complete version of itself, with the most complete command lists, and roster, and add popular single player modes and character backstory media.

To increase VF loyalty, admiration and respect AM2 should:

• restore the VF Engine to the deepest version of itself
• not remove moves from the command list
• not remove characters from the roster
• not add meters,super moves, or power up mechanics

To increase VF Popularity AM2 should add:

• A Legendary Difficulty Setting (featuring adaptive advanced AI)
• Survival Mode
• Quest Mode/License Mode
• Offline Tournament Mode (supporting at least 16 player brackets)
• Team Battle Mode
• * Character Backstory Media (This could be in the form of Themes, Social Media, etc)

Not only that. They should add the customization of Stages and ability to change health rules just like in Virtua Fighter 2 . Or maybe give us the ability to choose a character on any VF version.

Whateva VF comes out. Expect it to be watered down for commercial reasons. That being said. Me personally. I think FS will get a update. It will have a FT3 or FT5 player match option. Updated movelist, Hitsparks, Sound efx, etc. May not be what we want.. but I'll take it. A Visual overhaul is a good thing imo.

I don't think it will be watered down, simply because VF as a series can't afford getting watered down. Yes all the other fighters got a sorta of watered down treatment but these have other elements to carry them ( lore, store mode, very popular characters etc etc).

VF's main budget is it's clean smooth, easy to pick up but has a learning curve to master approach.

I feel it's a new title in the shoes of Killer Instinct reboot.

Did watering VF down have any commercial benefits the last time Sega did it?

FS was simplified..... If FS was watered down.... You’d be top-tier. See the difference?

Well, if simplifying VF didn't produce decisive commercial benefits, its also not likely that watering it down will produce decisive commercial benefits. See the similarity?

Also since being top-tier has never been on my wish list, my rank is probably not a good indicator of what commercial benefit Sega would realize if they simplified or watered down VF

If a person who never touched VF a day in their life but played other fighters decently can buy the game and just causally play it without all the technical stuff and still be effective. That’s watered down imo. That makes for More E-Sport competitors. It’s all for the money. FS was simplied and pro gamers who mastered everything else still look weak af trying to play VF like it’s plug and play. This new VF May counter that to be more appealing. If that is the case..... MORE PEOPLE FOR ME TO BEAT UP ON

Good to see that you and a few others realised that too.

True. Which is why alot of them left, leaving the community to get smaller.
But I believe if a new VF is in the works, and is not some nerfed down esports game, those unhappy fans, will come back 100% trust me.

But for now, I'm not getting my hopes up on this reveal just yet. I hope sega posts up some more info soon, and hopefully it won't be disappointing.

@SDS_Overfiend1
I understand, and mostly agree! You're absolutely right for a segment of gamers.

But keep this in mind we've both been around long enough to have seen many Tekken, DOA, and SC players pick up VF 4, VF 5 and VF5FS , and seen them get decent ranks and then just overtime leave. Its like they have a temporary affair with VF then go back to their main game. You can go to a bunch of high level Tekken players who regularly stream and will stream that they love VF but choose to play and stream Tekken because of things that have nothing to do with whether VF is watered down or too complex.

Yes I agree, there are some players that would give VF a try if it were 'watered down' but those people would never stay. They would be visitors. Yes it would give you more people to beat up on for a few months, but those people that are attracted to a watered down VF would only be temporary fans at best. Deep down you know that

Listen man, I have talked to many many Tekken, DOA, and SC fans over the years that like and have played VF, and I ask them why they prefer Tekken , DOA, and SC over VF. Almost never do they say if the game was watered down a little I might switch back. Just try it with the Tekken or DOA people you know. I'm sure you know more than a few. Ask them why they prefer Tekken or DOA or SC over VF. You'll get answers like:

• Tekken, DOA , blah, blah is more exciting

• Tekken, DOA, SC have better characters, VF Characters are generic and boring

• VF Stages are bland

• Sega Doesn't really support the game

• I Can't get into the characters

• VF doesn't support modern features such as meters, and comeback mechanics

• The game just feels so bare bones (it feels like a demo)

• Maybe if VF added guest characters or something

• There's nobody online, the lobby is so boring

• The scene is dead

Yes , there are a few players that seriously and simply prefer the Tekken or DOA, or SC fighting engine and can explain why they prefer their game's defensive and offensive options over VF. But these people are in the minority. When it comes down to it, the other FG games are more popular than VF for various reasons and people want to go where the biggest crowd is and where the most hype is. And in absolutely honesty I don't think any amount of watering VF down is going to change VF's popularity.

Unless you're definition of watering VF down includes:

• Adding more backstory, and backstory media

• Adding more game modes (e.g survival mode, team battle, tournament mode, etc)

• Adding a story mode

• Adding more single player features

If these things are added, it will make VF more popular, and more players will be inclined to stay in the community.

Exactly nothing about VF's "backstory" or "story" have ever been interesting,
and i do not at all think that has something to do with "VFs popularity".

I find your thesis flawed po.

Oh, I'm not say VF's backstory is interesting. I'm saying Sega needs to enhance it, and add more. And that involved backstories are correlated with a FG success.

A lot of Tekken, DOA, and SC players cite the game's backstory as one of the reasons why they like and play their game. I'm not saying this is true for all players, but it is true for lots of players.