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David Sirlin's card-based fighting game Yomi available for pre-order
David Sirlin is best known around these parts for helping re-balance Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix and Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. Now, he's releasing a fighting game that can actually be played in the street (or any other flat surface!). Yomi is a card game for two players that uses its cards to represent one-on-one fights. Sirlin's been developing the game for the last six years, balancing it with tournament play, and it's finally available to pre-order for $100, which includes instant access to a printable version. That may sound expensive, but at least there's no more collecting after the initial outlay. In addition, a new printing of Sirlin's previous game, Puzzle Strike, is also up for pre-order. Please don't actually play these games in the street. You'd inevitably lose cards when scrambling to get out of the way of incoming cars. Alternatively, you'd die. [Thanks, SpicyCrab]
SFII HD designer calls out SFIV for user unfriendliness
Well, this is awkward. David Sirlin, a major designer behind Super Street Fighter II HD Remix (and the awesome Super Puzzle Fighter II HD Remix) is calling out Street Fighter IV. More specifically, he's calling out reviewers who call the game accessible to casual gamers. Sirlin points out a number of complicated commands used in the game as well as a host of very technical maneuvers that only dedicated Street Fighter players can pull off."Qcf x 2 +PPP all the time, extra button presses to throw, extra button presses to roman cancel, and many, many extremely difficult link combos work in concert to create that impenetrable wall of execution between you and the actual game," writes Sirlin. Throughout the lengthy piece, Sirlin notes that several things were added to Street Fighter IV that were unnecessary and only serve to make the game more complex. The end result, according to Sirlin: Playing the game becomes more about mastering esoteric techniques than focusing on strategy. To be fair, Sirlin does say that there's no reason the game has to cater to a casual audience, but he finds it puzzling that so many reviews claim that it does.What do you think? Is Street Fighter IV n00b-friendly? We've posted a poll after the break, give us your vote and tell us what you think in the comments.[Via OXM]
XBLA size limit causing difficulties for Street Fighter HD
Oh, Microsoft. When will you learn that downloadable games are sometimes going to want to be bigger than a memory unit. First, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night bumped up against the then-50MB limit for XBLA games, leading to a ceiling raise. Then promising platformer Eternity's Child got chased to the Wii when it ran up against the new 150MB limit. Now, anticipated HD remake of Street Fighter II is apparently having trouble squeezing all its high-res graphics and remixed music into the imposed size limit.Speaking to VideoGamer.com, director David Sirlin said that it was "difficult to store so many 1080p graphics in such a small download size." According to Sirlin, the 150MB limit "also makes it difficult or impossible to include all the original game's music AND [an] all remixed set of music."Xbox-owning fighting fans shouldn't lose hope, though -- Sirlin says his team is "still doing our best to fit within the limit we've been given." Still, we have to wonder why they should have to go through the aggravation at all. To satisfy the three hardcore fighting fans that own a 360 but not a hard drive? Don't punish the many for the questionable purchasing decisions of the few, Microsoft.
Game designer talks rebalancing Street Fighter 2 HD
David Sirlin knows fighting games. So when Capcom tapped him to re-balance Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and make it better than the original, they were putting the game's untarnished reputation into just the right hands. Sirlin proves his worth in the first of a series of articles on rebalancing Super Turbo HD, revealing new details about the latest Street Fighter II sequel while discussing important decisions made to improve upon the game. Through it all, Sirlin emphasizes the need to retain and improve upon both the feel and the tournament-worthy status of what he considers to be the best in the series.In short, Sirlin discusses how he aims to make the game more approachable to a larger audience, while rebalancing each fighter to ensure that the title is perfected for tournament play. Purists need not worry: the HD remix will allow gamers to choose to play an unaltered, arcade-perfect version of the original Super Street Fighter II Turbo, which uses the enhanced graphics and sounds but includes none of the rebalancing. The article's a good read for aspiring game designers, Street Fighter fanatics, or just fans of fighting games in general.[Via GameSetWatch]
