yoshinori ono
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How Street Fighter X Tekken's 'Pandora Mode' bridges the fighters' styles
During TGS, Capcom revealed Street Fighter X Tekken's "Pandora Mode," which allows players to sacrifice a character in order to give the tag partner infinite EX meter before also dying, allowing for last-ditch comeback efforts. Curious about the motivation for this kind of crazy mode, I asked producer Yoshinori Ono, who then proceeded to take me to school about the differences in flow between Street Fighter and Tekken games.
Ono: Porting Street Fighter X Tekken to Vita isn't hard, but integrating rear touch panel might be
Street Fighter X Tekken producer Yoshinori Ono told me that he hasn't had much trouble in technical terms porting the game over to PlayStation Vita ("When I say 'I' of course I mean the programmers," he clarified, "because I'm not doing this myself.") "A lot of people, when they're porting to new hardware, especially a handheld, they'll talk about how it's difficult because of memory restrictions or speed or things like that, and I haven't found that to be the case." His team has been able to confer with the team working on the Vita version of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, as well, further streamlining the process. The difficulty isn't in the technical stuff, it's in making smart use of the Vita's features. "We've been putting less energy into the porting process itself and more energy into adding additional features, because we don't want to do a straight-up port -- that's silly and meaningless."
Vita Street Fighter X Tekken will share DLC with PS3 version, may have tiny arcade stick
Given recent Capcom fighters, it should come as no surprise that Street Fighter X Tekken will have DLC. Producer Yoshinori Ono told Joystiq today, "Post-launch for an allotted period of time there will be free DLC and paid DLC, and it will keep going for a while." But that's not the cool part. Capcom is also planning to make the DLC cross-compatible between the PS3 and PlayStation Vita versions. "With the PS3 and the Vita," Ono said, "yes, they're different hardware, but they're part of the same Playstation family, so to speak, so we're already talking with Sony about ways to sync things together. As long as you're using the same PSN account, things you've purchased on the Vita version will work on PS3 and vice versa." Capcom was a pioneer on 3DS with Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, adding things like online play and significant StreetPass functionality well before other 3DS games, and it looks like Capcom is keeping that forward-thinking attitude for this Vita game. I asked Ono on a lark about the possibility of a tiny arcade stick for the Vita -- maybe something like the 3DS slidepad thingy, but with arcade hardware. "We're actually talking to Mad Catz about doing something like that," Ono told us. "You can't replicate the experience entirely on a portable, but I think if we made a small joystick that you could just keep in your bag, and maybe even if you're in economy class, whip it out during a flight, put your Vita in there, and replicate to some degree the arcade experience, it would be really awesome." It's in keeping with Ono's view of portable fighters as practice tools for competitive console/arcade versions. Capcom emphasized that this is just in talks, and nothing has been decided. But tiny arcade stick!
Street Fighter X Tekken inspires another Ono vs. Harada battle
After an already weird competition at Comic-Con, Street Fighter and Tekken reps Yoshinori Ono and Katsuhiro Harada, joined by fans, faced off in another set of challenges. This time, it was even weirder thanks to added German-ness.
Ono: Mortal Kombat vs. Street Fighter 'easier said than done'
Speaking with Street Fighter head honcho Yoshinori Ono, PlayStation Blog inquired about the highly sought after, and totally theoretical, fighting game crossover between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. As hopeful as fans may be, it's not likely to happen until some significant issues are solved (and until Street Fighter x Tekken is complete). "I understand why people want it, but it's easier said than done," Ono said. "Having Chun Li getting her spine ripped out, or Ryu's head bouncing off the floor ... it doesn't necessarily match." We'd like to say there's a happy middle ground that can be attained to make this crossover possible, but we've seen what compromise has done in the past. The world can ill afford another Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, after all.
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition 'Ver. 2012' patch fixes balance this fall/winter
Capcom fighting game ambassador Seth Killian brought news out of the EVO tournament that Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition will be rebalanced. A patch for the notoriously uneven game will be released in fall or winter, for free. That means that all the people who just competed in EVO are going to have to learn the game again! The official website is now updated to show the title: Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Ver. 2012. During a panel at EVO, producer Yoshinoro Ono said that the new game would be location tested in Japan this summer. Later, in a tweet, he confirmed that "Version 2012" refers just to the updated game and not an entirely new one. So right now it doesn't seem like you'll have to buy SF4 again.
Tekken lead cannot withstand Street Fighter lead's furious flurry of shoryukens
Tekken project lead Katsuhiro Harada clearly hasn't been studying the finer points of the Street Fighter series he's currently collaborating on, as Street Fighter creative lead Yoshinori Ono surprises him with a flurry of shoryukens at multiple points in this bizarre SDCC short, promoting Street Fighter X Tekken (and vice versa, of course).
Yoshinori Ono on the 'violent' and 'friendly' rivalries in Street Fighter X Tekken
Capcom was showing a playable build of its latest, and weirdest, crossover fighter, Street Fighter X Tekken at E3. So I'm sure producer Yoshinori Ono had dealt with his share of dazed, sputtering journalists in interviews, all fresh from having their minds scrambled by a mix of Tekken speed, Street Fighter controls (mostly) and unfamiliar rules from both sides. But Ono himself was energetic as usual, sitting in a meeting room within Capcom's E3 booth, Blanka figure, as ever, nearby. He helped make sense of the mishmash of new rules, the X (cross) in the name -- and of the addition of a new element, Infamous's Cole McGrath.
Ono teases more Capcom/Namco collaborations, more crossovers
With Infamous's Cole McGrath now in Street Fighter X Tekken -- and representing neither of those series -- we commented to SF X Tekken producer Yoshinori Ono that the door was now open for pretty much anybody to appear in the game. "That's an interesting comment," Ono responded, "and if I tell you too much, we'll have no reason to meet later this year." He didn't specify whether he meant additional outside characters in Street Fighter X Tekken or more crossover games. But he did suggest that more collaboration between Namco and Capcom was in the offing, beyond the two announced Street Fighter/Tekken crossovers. "We have these two giant companies, Capcom and Namco, working together. It would be kind of wasteful to limit it to just Street Fighter and just Tekken, and that's all I'll say." This is just speculation, but we wouldn't be surprised to see some Soulcalibur V characters in SF X Tekken, at least. It would be effective cross-promotion. And X-promotion.
BBFC rating suggests Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition coming in June
Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition will apparently make its way to the UK in some form this June. Eurogamer has taken note of the British Board of Film Classification rating, which has the latest version of the fighter dated for June 24. If the classification is for consoles, it goes against previous statements made by Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono, but would play into cryptic tweets he's made about Arcade Edition DLC. The new version would likely include the four new playable characters: Yun, Yang, Oni and Evil Ryu. We've contacted Capcom to clarify exactly what's going on here. If the BBFC also classifies arcade machines, the DLC hints and classification could be two separate stories on parallel lines. However, if the classification is for consoles, it's still unclear if the new game will be a DLC code in a new retail box, or if current SSF4 owners will be able to buy it as a DLC expansion. Ono keeps using the term "DLC," so we'd lean toward it being the latter. Update: Official statement: "Capcom has not made any announcements."
Ono: Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition won't come to consoles
If you were looking forward to one day buying the "Arcade Edition" of Super Street Fighter IV on a PS3 or Xbox 360 disc (or even 3DS cartridge), you can go ahead and put that money toward something else. (Marvel vs. Capcom 3, maybe?) Producer Yoshinori Ono told Famitsu (via Andriasang) that Capcom has no plan to release the Arcade Edition for home consoles. The reason lies in the game balance. The Arcade Edition includes characters who are deliberately unbalanced -- we're thinking Oni and Evil Ryu here -- in order to build "competitive spirit" among the people who hang out at arcades and play in short sessions. The home version of Super Street Fighter IV has been designed to better equalize the characters. Of course, the absence of a standalone console release of the arcade version of the game doesn't preclude the release of Evil Ryu, Oni, Yun and Yang as Super Street Fighter IV DLC -- something Ono has proposed before. Update: Ono has made several statements on Twitter suggesting that an Arcade Edition DLC announcement will be forthcoming after the release of Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition. Thanks, Kreg.
Rumor: Possible Super Street Fighter IV DLC Achievements show Yun and Yang
EventHubs has posted alleged screens of eight new Super Street Fighter IV Achievements supposedly tied to an unannounced DLC add-on. While the images do reflect updates to the game featured in this month's Arcade Edition release for Japanese arcades, they remain unverified by Capcom -- even if the new content is expected as DLC for the console version. SSFIV producer Yoshinori Ono responded to tweets about the possible leak without authenticating the images, though he offered a "wink" in one tweet and a seemingly joking reference to checking with the R&D department in another. We've put in word to Capcom and will let you know what we hear back. In the meantime, anybody know a good way to counter Seiei Enbu?
Ono proposing Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition content as DLC
Even before the official December release of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, producer Yoshinori Ono is teasing a console release of all the new content. Of course. Ono casually mentioned on Twitter yesterday that he was headed to Capcom USA to present "written proposal about DLC for [Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition]'s PSN, XBL." That would mean two new characters, Yun and Yang, could be released for consoles, alongside possible balance alterations. For some reason, we can't imagine Capcom USA declining Ono's proposal for more Street Fighter income, so look forward to some new characters. [Thanks, Drew!]
Only 995,000 more requests before Capcom's Inafune considers a new Darkstalkers game
Fighting games have made a strong resurgence over the years, bringing back classic franchises like Marvel vs Capcom, Street Fighter and Tekken. But, what about Darkstalkers, Capcom's long-dormant 2D fighting series? While Capcom's Christian Svensson never dismissed the possibility, it seems as though the chances of a new iteration in the franchise are rather low. Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono told Eurogamer that making another game in the series would be his "ultimate dream." However, he says that only fan demand will cause it to happen. "This is all up to the readers," Ono said. "They have to create the buzz. They have to tell us. They have to write the condition. They have to send in all these letters of plead. That is the only thing that will make Inafune-san nod." According to Ono, it will take one million requests before Inafune says yes. Unfortunately, not much progress has been made. When asked how many requests they've received so far, he said "we've got 5000." You all have work to do.
Super Street Fighter IV skips PC release thanks to piracy
Sorry, PC gaming Hadouken enthusiasts -- if you ever want a chance to play Capcom's updated version of the latest Street Fighter, you're going to have to do so on a console or in an arcade. In a recent interview with 4Gamer.net (via Gamasutra), producer Yoshinori Ono confirmed that while the PC version of Street Fighter IV was a big seller worldwide, the publisher has no plans to put the new and improved Super iteration on home computers due to the platform's high rate of piracy. Ono added that a PC port is still possible, if Capcom can find a reasonable DRM solution for the title. We think there are other ways around the problem -- for instance, you could just donate some of the proceeds of the game to charity, as that might discourage oh no wait.
Ono reveals even more Super Street Fighter IV DLC costumes
Super Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono's Twitter feed has been positively blowing up with new concept art for the game's upcoming DLC costumes. Check out the latest batch, including Rufus, Rose, C. Viper, Ibuki, Hakan, Abel, El Fuerte and Makoto's new duds in the gallery.
New Street Fighter X Tekken screens, Street Fighter producer taunts
For most of us, recent tweets from Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono have been good news, because they feature new screenshots of Capcom's Street Fighter X Tekken. All of these screens, depicting the same four characters we've seen in other Street Fighter X Tekken media, curiously seem to show the Tekken characters being beaten up by Ryu and Chun-Li. Ono also tweeted an "invitation" to a GamesCom presentation during which he and Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada will both appear and show off the game. Which brings us to the one person for whom these tweets aren't great news. Ono entreated fans to "gather with me to rid of Harada's annoying beard off his baby face once and for all."%Gallery-99368%
Ono: Super Street Fighter IV for 3DS won't alter gameplay
According to producer Yoshinori Ono, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition on the Nintendo 3DS won't offer radically different gameplay. In a Famitsu interview summarized by Andriasang, Ono assured fans that, among other things, the 3D visuals won't lead to 3D gameplay (turn to Tekken X Street Fighter for that.) "The gameplay will be the same as Super Street Fighter IV," he said. There might be some additional control options, however. The article states that the team is considering mapping special attacks to the slide pad or touch screen. He also suggested that Capcom wants to use the system's wireless connectivity for both communication and gameplay, though he didn't specify whether he meant online or local wireless. According to Famitsu, the game will have all 35 Super Street Fighter IV characters, and is currently 10 percent complete. %Gallery-95709%
Japanese devs sound off about 3DS
Famitsu recently rounded up some high-profile Japanese developers to gauge their reactions to Nintendo's 3DS hardware. According to a translation by Andriasang, the responses ran from business-minded declarations of intent to somewhat philosophical thinking-out-loud. Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono seemed to be most able to keep his excitement in check. He was collected and business-minded when he said, "We'd like to put in some ideas that make effective use of the portability." Hideo Kojima was happy that he wouldn't have to change glasses to use 3DS and mused about the implementation of CO-OPs, the multiuplayer mode featured in Peace Walker, "and other things -- elements fitting of a 3D and portable game machine." Super Monkey Ball (and Yakuza) creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, already working on a 3DS Monkey Ball game, said that he would "like to make a variety of proposals" for games that use the Wi-Fi and 3D aspects of the system. Shinji Mikami and Tomonobu Itagaki were on their way to a meeting in which they planned to talk about the system (and eat yakiniku). Others developers got more ... philosophical. Suda 51, for example, wants to make "The Next Game," in the same sense that he sees 3DS as "The Next Hardware." Bayonetta producer Hideki Kamiya hopes to make "a 3D game where you can enjoy the feeling of existence given by portable 3D." Kamiya's Platinum Games partner Atsushi Inaba, "experienced a strong jolt of the feeling 'I want to make something.'" He added, "Since the start of the game industry, there's never been a system that better fit the words 'dream' and 'next generation.'"
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade changes could hit consoles via patch
Capcom's Yoshinori Ono has been doing the press rounds talking about Super Street Fighter IV lately. The developer is planning to port the game to arcades and Ono implied during a Famitsu interview (via IGN) that any changes for the game's arcade release could make its way back into the console game. "If it's a tuning update similar to the June 15 update, I believe we'd be able to offer it for free," Ono said. "However, if it's the kind of update that adds new moves, it's possible that it could be paid." Ono said something similar in an interview with the PlayStation community. "If we do make some changes to the arcade version, it is not impossible to apply the same changes to the PS3 version. However, as I can't get down to it yet, I have to ask you to wait for a while." What kind of things would you guys want to see in a patch?
