The State of Things (is 2D gaming coming to an end?) ..

This has been a common statement since the release of Sony's first polygon pusher, the Playstation. Many believed that it would lead to the end of 2D games as we knew it. It didn't however. A lull was created, but it was quickly ended by the likes of SNK and CAPCOM, who still remain at the top of the game when it comes to 2D.

Now it seems we are facing that question again. Is 2D gaming coming to an end? 2D gaming will always have a loyal fan-base, and will always be there, but is it finally coming to it's demise everyone predicted back when the PSOne was released?

CAPCOM did not help the push for 2D much. With rehash, after rehash of their 2D fighters, it seemed like we would never get something new. Then Street Fighter 3 hit, and it was a breath of fresh air .. Sort of. In typical CAPCOM fashion, they rehashed Street Fighter 3, but I will admit that Third Strike was a supreme improvement.

Now look at what they are doing with the MegaMan series, another personal favorite of mine. Do not get me wrong, I am actually excited to see if the MMX series can make it into 3D, but it was like a kick in the pants to all of the old-school, 2D fans. At least we still have our GBA's to turn to in the end.

SNK is finally making their version of the CAPCOM v. SNK series, with SNK v. CAPCOM; SvC Chaos. While the premise is very promising, they already mentioned characters make me want to hurl. More of the same, with a twist of the obscure thrown in. Terry, Kyo, Mai, Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li .. And Hugo & Earthquake!? What the Hell?

SNK is known for actually listening to their fans, unlike a certain company that begins with "CAP," and ends with "COM." So perhaps they will add characters people have been wanting, and not throw in the typicals, or the obscures. Personally? I would like to see some Darkstalkers characters make it into the game. Decent Darkstalkers character. SNK could re-do Morrigan's sprite, leave Anakaris out and throw Talbain into the mix. I can always hope!

2D fighters are still insanely popular at the arcades, and companies like Square-Enix are re-releasing greats like Final Fantasy 1 & 2. It makes you wonder though, when companies like CAPCOM just abandon 2D for 3D. It's one thing if the game started out in 3D, but when you convert a game from 2D to 3D, it loses something. Hopefully the release of MegaMan X7 won't see that.

Polygonal pushers are at the forefront, and yet 2D gaming lives on in the heart's of fans everywhere. Will it ever come to an end? Doubtful. In fact, I can foresee a resurgence in the future if companies like SNK, CAPCOM and Square-Enix can pull things off. As I've said before, we won't know the future until the future happens, so we will just have to see what happens in the end. Long live 2D gaming!

Until I slip through the cracks .. I remain,
D'