Article on how SF made games more complex

[GekigangerV]

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/leve...ame-industry-shot-itself-in-the-joystick.aspx

Interesting quote

Until Street Fighter II, most popular arcade games were still of the "pick up and play" variety. Controls were still fairly simple for most games, even if the strategies were complex. SF II, though, totally stood that convention on its head. It used six buttons and a joystick (identical to the later revisions of Street Fighter after the "squishies" were replaced), and certain punches required multiple joystick movements (in the correct sequence and within a narrow time limit) as well as button presses. This combo system was unique. It also meant that, for the first time I can remember, button presses and joystick movement didn’t immediately move your character. In Street Fighter II, a four- or five-move combo would result in only one movement onscreen.

I, for one, don't think the majority of games have gotten too complex. I was 6 when SF2 first came out and loved it. I don't recall ever complaining about controls, except for maybe the spinning pile driver, but I got that down when I was 9.

I think it is more how controls are implemented that determines how complex it is. A game can use all four face buttons and L1,L2,R1,R4 on the PS2 and be intuitive or it can suck and unresponsive.

Games would have gotten really repetitive if controls didn't evolve.

 

[SouLeSS]

It's not saying that it's hard, it's saying that Street Fighter paved the way for most of the games now a days in terms of controls. Before it, pretty much no game had a combo system like SF had. Not like, 14 hit combos and ****, but like the down to forawrd plus heavy punch stuff.