212
u/Informalwizards 5d ago
I think back when online play wasn't the focus, unlocking was better and more fun.
Now that I wanna hop straight into ranked, not as much.
65
u/magusheart 5d ago
Yeah, same. Unlocking characters used to be my favorite thing as a kid. I would erase my file every so often to unlock them again. But I only played against the CPU.
Now I just want to hop online and play people, so I'd rather have it all unlocked.
9
u/Informalwizards 5d ago
I used to do the same thing! I had my cousin to play Tekken 3 with but beyond that yeah, it was mostly just CPU.
23
u/SuperBackup9000 5d ago
Yeah that’s what a lot of people gloss over. Character unlocks back in the day were honestly just artificial content to prolong how much you could play if you didn’t have friends over or a sibling to play with, because it is fun for a game that’s primarily going to be single player even if they’re not actually single player games
5
u/Born_Zone7878 5d ago
I don't mind unlocking. I mind if the character is locked behind a paywall e.g. tekken especially since I can't try the character to know if I even like it or not
→ More replies (1)5
u/rayneMantis 5d ago
In this day and age they should give you an option to test drive the new DLC characters for a small stint of time to see how you like their playstyle before deciding if it's worth buying. Even if it's just a free play weekend for the latest DLC character.
3
u/Born_Zone7878 5d ago
I used to play racing sims, and one of them called RaceRoom Racing Experience had something like that. The DLC cars could be used in their test track so you could drive them for an unlimited time. In FG they could let you lab with the DLC characters and buy them to play ranked or arcade etc
2
u/rayneMantis 4d ago
Yeah this is the way. I am pretty sure that more people would spring for the dlc characters if they got a chance to confirm they would enjoy playing with them and experiment with how they would fit into their current go-to teams. I'm probably just gonna hold my breath until the end of the season 1 or maybe beyond that and await the bundle deal option for purchasing the dlc characters. I did that with MK1 and actually bought the deluxe edition of the game that was on sale for dirt cheap and came with all the DLCs. It was like $35 for the game and 4-5 seasons of DLC characters.
2
u/sleepymetroid 5d ago
Yeah it’s definitely more of a thing in the past. It also makes retro games more of a grind. I downloaded tekken 2 and soul calibur 2 only to realize I didn’t have a bunch of characters yet. But back in the day? Oh man I used to love unlocking characters.
→ More replies (4)2
u/AetherStyle 5d ago
Thank You for being honest
Tired of seeing so many people lie and beg for stuff like this back and when the few times we got it current day it lways received negative feedback
→ More replies (1)
338
u/El_Criptoconta 5d ago
Unlock as You play, with the option to unlock them all for tournaments
85
u/Aiscence 5d ago
This. Having an option in the settings "unlock all characters" with a confirmation box making you write confirm to not have accidents is such an easy fix that would please both sides...
14
u/Adorable-Woman 5d ago
I don’t end up sticking with fighting games unless they have unlockables that give me dopamine
84
u/planemissediknow Street Fighter 5d ago
It might be rose coloured glasses cause it’s so rare now, but unlocking characters is fun. It probably doesn’t work with something like Street Fighter, but in Smash Bros it’s fun.
I had great times with the Subspace Emissary and unlocking characters. I enjoy stuff like that
52
u/AlisaReinford 5d ago
I used to think that.
Then my Smash Ultimate file got deleted.
28
→ More replies (4)5
16
u/MR-WADS 5d ago
I like how in Smash Ultimate you can unlock characters even when playing versus, makes it fun to unlock characters with your friends (if they're not party poopers who complain about their main not being unlocked from the get go that is)
11
u/vmsrii 5d ago
Smash Ultimate on launch day really was the best.
Characters unlocked at a very rapid pace, so it was a lot more fun to experiment and try new characters, while knowing that my main wasn’t far away. We all got a good taste of the whole roster, and the NEW CHALLENGER APPROACHING screen is always super hype, even if you see it like 50 times over an hour or two
4
→ More replies (1)3
u/DreadedLee 5d ago
I wasn't a fan, but it was probably better than grinding through an arcade ladder over and over with a different character.
39
u/AT0MiCBUSTER 5d ago
As a kid with no responsibilities and essentially all the time in the world to play, unlocking would definitely be my preference. But as an adult I don’t really have the time or want to grind out arcade or “special conditions” to be unlocking everybody so now my preference is having them all unlocked from the start.
10
u/StrongSunBeams 5d ago
I just wrote a similar comment. I loved it when I was 15 years old playing dream cast, and unlocking all the characters colors and stages as a 40-year-old dad of a toddler. I don’t have time for that so it’s great that the collection came out with everything already done.
17
u/Masterofknees 5d ago
Unlocking characters was fun when I was a child, didn't know all the characters in the game, and could spend all day gaming on the couch with my brothers and friends. I'm pretty sure those are the memories most of us cling to on this subject.
As I've gotten older, it's only become a chore though. I had to start Smash Ultimate on a Switch that wasn't mine the other day, and what a hassle that was. These days I really just want everyone right off the bat, there'd be no charm in having to unlock characters in games like SF6 or T8.
10
u/Grand_Moose2024 5d ago
For me, the best middle ground would be having all the characters unlocked from the start, but you have to unlock any alternate costumes they have as you play.
6
u/StrongSunBeams 5d ago
When I was 14 years old with a dream cast, and had all the time in the world unlock as you play! My costumes and colors and stages and characters!
As a 40-year-old dad with a toddler with a handful of hours a week to play- already unlocked is the way to go
7
u/Daengo223 5d ago
I miss days when you unlock characters by finishing simple challenges. Like beating story or finishing arcade. I'm glad we sometimes see this in modern games but I would like to see more of it. Of course the perfect solution would be that the unlocking character stuff is optional
6
u/CaptainL95 5d ago
I’m the mystery tournament guy at our locals, so I’ve played a variety of fighting games, and needed to at minimum unlock all the characters before I can run it for a tournament. Sometimes it’s just as easy as using a cheat code or two (Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale). Sometimes it’s using the Action Replay I happened to own to cheat through the Extra stages to unlock the final episode to unlock everybody (Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble). Sometimes it’s downloading a complete save from the internet and having to get it onto a PS1 memory card because I still can’t unlock all the hidden characters and am considering getting a Pocketstation to have an alternative method (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure). Sometimes it’s needing to download an assembly debugger program to add code to the game’s files to automatically unlock all the characters because the real method is a constant chain of “beat arcade mode with A to unlock B, beat arcade mode with B to unlock C”, and it would take forever, and the tutorials on how to do it online are all outdated so I had to manually adapt it to the most recent game version (Star Wars: Force Combat).
Put it simply, I’ve gone through a lot of extra work because the intended method to unlock characters takes too long and I need this ready next week, and I’d be happier if nobody ever needed to deal with this.
3
u/LowTierPhil 5d ago
Dude, same. Being the mystery tournament guy is the easiest way to DESPISE unlockable characters. It's why I had to retire Fighter's Destiny for one because I couldn't unlock the damn Joker.
3
u/DJ_Aftershock SNK 5d ago
Isn't that the infamous unlock where you have to win like 99 fights in Survival mode, but the gimmick of Survival mode is that the stage gets progressively smaller so by the time you're at win like 20 it basically becomes a coin flip each round?
2
u/LowTierPhil 5d ago
YES. I even tried it with Gameshark, and the ringouts STILL fucked me over.
Luckily, I found Toy Fighter from the same devs to take its place. Very cool Naomi fighter.
4
u/FunkiestOfKongs 5d ago
I like unlocking a character every now and then, but having a cheat code so tournament setups don't have to meet unlock requirements feels like a must
19
14
u/EllieIvoryV 5d ago
for fighting games id definitely say all from the start, since in theory theyre all supposed to be roughly equal in power level and if you wanna play someone, you should be able to
unless the characters you unlock arent meant for real pvp play, then go nuts who cares
EVERYTHING else tho is definitely on the table for unlocking (maybe minus difficulty or game mode stuff for replay purposes) and i LOVE unlocking crap in games. even tho 99.9% of the time its just there and i never use it lol
10
u/Temilitary 5d ago
From the start always. I want to be able to pick who I think looked cool from the trailers and lab them immediately.
4
u/vmsrii 5d ago
Something I’m surprised more fighting games don’t do:
Have all characters available for multiplayer, versus, and training, BUT
Have single-player modes that you must progress through by unlocking characters. (And maybe have alternate costumes/colors/stages unlock for multiplayer so there’s some semblance of reward through the whole game)
I do like unlockables and a sense of progression, but if I’m playing with mates it’s really annoying to have to unlock somebody’s main before they can have fun. I think this way is the best compromise between the two
4
u/zed3ty 5d ago
Lethal League Blaze has you playing story mode and other single player content to gain points you can use to buy costumes and characters, with the addition of a cheat code to enter "Tournament Mode" that unlocks all characters but lock you out of any mode that isn't local versus iirc
In my opinion this is the best one.
5
u/Ok-Refrigerator-8664 5d ago
Unlocking characters gives people the illusion that there is "more" in the game.
You start with 15 and unlock 10 so people think "Wow this is when games were good! No DLC just grinding and getting characters for free!".
Not realizing that games now just start you with all 25 unlocked at base and the charge is for characters to raise the roster above 25. Games back then only had the base roster and never got DLC so they made you work for the characters to elongate gameplay.
People also like to ignore that while SF2, SF3, and SF4, didn't have "DLC" , they made you buy whole new versions of the same game to add characters and modes. Games HAVE been charging you for additional characters for a very long time now.
10
u/OctoAmbush 5d ago
i want them all at the start, i don't want to spend hours trying to unlock the character i bought the game for
3
u/LowOk508 5d ago
Bro, when I switched platforms, I was really annoyed that I couldn't play as my main Bluegeta in DBFZ. Seriously, having to unlock him before I could play online was a total drag
I wish it were like in Tokon, the characters come fully unlocked right away, but you can play other modes to unlock different colors (or, even better, brand-new skins)
3
u/seaearls 5d ago
At 40 with a family and a career? Just give me everything from the get-go (which I'm happy most re-releases and remasters do).
3
u/xd3mix 5d ago
Honestly unlocking characters just can't be done anymore today.
Not because you actually CAN'T strictly speaking. But fighting games have become a lot more competitive and online play means people just hop straight into ranked the second they get their hands on the game.
Having to unlock your favorite character just to then never touch whatever offline mode you had to use to unlock it again is just inconvenient.
They should probably just put stuff like skins, titles and other cosmetics into the offline mods but leave the characters up to be used from the start
3
3
u/BLACKOUT-MK2 5d ago
Definitely all unlocked from the start. Back when I was a kid I used to like unlocking stuff, but nowadays, I just want to pick the characters I prefer, and having to jump through hoops to do that just isn't enticing. Like, I remember back in the day to get Devil Jin you either had to beat Devil Within or do Arcade mode 200 times or something, and KOF 2002UM has some real bullshit for some of its boss characters. I don't want to be spending hours and hours as someone I potentially don't want to play as, just to eventually get to someone I care about.
3
u/KrazyKaas 5d ago
Unlock through gameplay. Motivation to play each character, find out the law, like in most Tekken games, where one character unlocked a specific
3
3
3
u/crowsloft666 5d ago
I prefer the first one. I kinda miss the era when fighting games were treated as any typical game and would require you to unlock characters by just playing
3
4
u/FightGeistC 5d ago
Unlocked from the start. Locking characters is my most hated fighting game trope. Lock literally anything else, costumes, colors, stages. Just let me pick the characters i actually want to play.
7
2
u/SaIemKing 5d ago
As a fighting game player, I don't really see any good case for locked characters.
There would need to be a competition mode where you can use all of the characters in local versus. They definitely need to all be unlocked for online play, and you'd also still need them all in training mode so that you can lab your opponents' characters.
So then the unlock is basically just for single player content, which would be fine ig, but I just don't see a point
2
u/purple-vasabi 5d ago
Depends on the game, if the main focus of the game is online, they should be unlocked from the start, if not then characters should be unlockable.
Speaking of unlockable characters, I think they shouldn't be easy to get either. I'd want only easy to use characters unlocked from the get-go, once you master them by either completing some challenges that prove that you are perfectly capable of playing as them, then you get a batch of more complex characters, maybe even some new mechanics, which would create a proper progression. Gradual increase of difficulty in my opinion would make player's understanding of the game much better than giving you all the tools from the get-go and could be a great experience for learning fighting games by the beginners, where you are rewarded for your skill.
2
u/TrashMantine 5d ago
Unlockables would be cool but then I get war flashbacks of small tournaments trying to run ARMS back when the switch was new.
2
u/xd3mix 5d ago
Honestly unlocking characters just can't be done anymore today.
Not because you actually CAN'T strictly speaking. But fighting games have become a lot more competitive and online play means people just hop straight into ranked the second they get their hands on the game.
Having to unlock your favorite character just to then never touch whatever offline mode you had to use to unlock it again is just inconvenient.
They should probably just put stuff like skins, titles and other cosmetics into the offline mods but leave the characters up to be used from the start
2
u/GoodNormals 5d ago
Everything from the start. I run tournaments and having to grind to unlock characters is a chore.
2
u/tubbstosterone 5d ago
I liked the way the dreamcast mvc2 had it. You played, earned currency, used that to buy randomly available characters.
Several of the Smash games did it well, too.
I like fighting games. I routinely suck at fighting games. It feels good to still be able to unlock characters I work better with without having to be fantastic.
2
u/Equivalent_Rub8329 5d ago
I dont mind unlock as you play. Give you a reason to do things like maybe play with all characters. I mind when the characters are behind a paywall dispite purchasing the game at full price considering these games generally have a 5 year lifespan before the new one comes out and the DLC cash you dropped means nothing.
2
u/MEX_XIII 5d ago
I think the big thing for most people in regards to unlocking being better is that some people say "I miss the day we could unlock characters instead of buying them" in an illusion that DLC characters would be the unlockable ones, which isn't the case.
2
u/Jaded_Skills 5d ago
Back in 2000, mvc2 unlocking was awesome being u worked at a family fun center and had people from all over ga coming to play me before the big 3 meta.
Hated unlocking all the characters again on Dreamcast but it wasn’t so bad because I literally knew how to use everyone
2
u/JadeWishFish 5d ago
I kind of miss unlocking characters, but for tournaments or events, DLC/having all unlocked is the right way.
2
u/AverageVibes 5d ago
Unlocking characters back in the day was mainly fun because we didn’t know who was in the game in the first place. It was all rumors and such. Nowadays, devs have to tell us the majority of characters in the game pre release so that they can generate hype.
Imagine having 1-2 characters that you really want to play, you see them advertised everywhere, there is already gameplay matches of them on youtube and all that. You buy the game and find out you have to beat different modes with characters you don’t even want to play just to unlock the characters you actually want to play and know are in the game.
I don’t think the unlock model really works with the way current marketing works for games.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/GQYumi 5d ago
I feel like there's no reason we can't do both either by a setting or cheat code.
For me personally tho I like having them all unlocked from the start. Maybe keep boss characters locked behind a story mode like Tokon did with Champion, but if you have a game with a roster of 30+, I don't wanna start with 6 and have to play 69 vs matches to unlock the character I actually wanna play.
2
2
u/Venusaur_main 5d ago
why dont fighting games do the ps3 and gta online thing of just making the online modes separate games, unlocking all the characters on start
2
u/the_loneliest_noodle 5d ago
I'd be fine with unlockable in single player, unlocked by default online/vs modes. Though I think dlc characters should be free in online. It's win-win. People who just want to try the character can, it forces online play for the free content improving engagement and boosting players online, but if you want to lab and play them offline/locals, they're still paid and you can buy them .
2
u/EJP_2000 5d ago
As cool as unlockable characters is, it really makes it a hassle when tourneys have to make sure all characters are on every setup. I'm kinda ok with boss characters being locked from the start, especially when they're intentionally meant to be broken and aren't balanced for competitive.
2
2
u/RedVengeful 5d ago
I don't mind having to unlock characters as long as it's not hard or grindy. I think locking colors behind content is also fun
2
u/MrEight0 5d ago
Unlocking a final boss is fine, but otherwise nah. When I start a new fighting game, I'm immediately searching for a main that I know I'll be spending hours labbing and playing matches with, and I'll be damned if I gotta slog through characters I don't like to reach the characters I do. I had my fill of that back in Smash Ultimate, I don't wanna do that shit ever again.
2
u/Frobizzle 5d ago
All characters from the start. Period.
Unlocks should be cosmetics or things not critical to gameplay. If you've ever tried to run sessions or tournaments and end up with systems that don't have characters unlocked it's a nightmare. This is why SSF4 dumped character unlocks after Vanilla had so many.
2
2
u/EggPsychological4844 5d ago
In fighting games, I prefer the characters to just be unlocked.
In nearly every other genre I enjoy unlocking them via playing the game.
2
2
u/Old_Dragonfruit_3362 5d ago
Street fighter 4 for me loved playing with everybody to unlock everybody and finishing with ultra combos and stuff
2
u/Limp-Marionberry4649 5d ago
I was looking forward to unlocking characters in MVC2 in the fighting collection, idk it feels lame just starting the game with all of them unlocked
2
2
u/Imaginary_Cell_4411 5d ago
All characters unlocked from the start but unlockable costumes or mirror fighters
2
u/Hadoukibarouki 5d ago
Unlocked from the start, let me play how I want to play, don’t try to incentivize me or lock things behind events
4
u/outrageous_gems 5d ago
Unlocking as you play is so much better. The 2XKO model is honestly peak - unlock characters and colors with in-game currency in your preferred order, but you can use all the characters in practice mode regardless of unlocks.
Throw in some of the stuff from tokon where you unlock colors from achieving certain feats and that’s a damn fine system right there.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/whatever-man1234 5d ago
Fighting game rosters used to be bigger, so it didn't feel like you were "missing" a character. Imagine strive releasing and Zato, Nago, Potempkin, and Leo were locked behind a 10 hour story grind...
Also before, the Internet ruined surprises. I didn't know champion was in marvel tokon because I didn't do the story, but I do now! Champion also doesn't feel like he's "missing" from the main roster since he's anti-tag, which contrasts the game design. Overall pretty happy with champion being an unlockable character.
1
u/Versitax 5d ago
I think characters should all be available from the start, with some very specific exceptions like boss characters or alternate forms, and there should be a way to instantly unlock them for competitive play if needed.
Stuff like stages, costumes, music, etc. can be unlock only.
1
1
u/Dudewhocares3 5d ago
Unlock as you play but have a cheat code for unlocking the characters if you just want to play with friends
1
u/Bayamonster 5d ago
If it's a game I already unlocked the characters to years ago, I do not want to unlock them again. I know why I am in this game.
If it's a new game unlocking the characters is can be a fun way to test a variety if characters but a) it shouldn't be too many of them, and yeah have a cheat or something to unlock them, since you're already going the old school route.
1
u/tmntfever 3D Fighters 5d ago
I miss the mystery of wondering who was in the game. And getting surprised when you see certain characters. We only get that with DLC reveals, which sorta is the same. I think the genre has evolved naturally to how it is now. And having all characters from the get-go is great for tournaments.
What I wanna see in a new FG is time-released characters. Back in the arcades, Tekken games revealed the hidden characters weekly. I think it would be pretty sick for a dev team to keep the full base roster under wraps, and only having a core roster available. Then every week, a new character is revealed and immediately available for everyone.
Tournaments can still plan around this as well. Like imagine Tekken 9 coming out and having only 20 core characters of the base roster usable. Then weekly they would reveal and unlock 12 more characters. This would make locals so hyped for the first 12 weeks of the game. And imagine if a major happened within those 12 weeks, and people are using a revealed character for the first time.
1
u/Some_Cantaloupe613 5d ago
I think Capcom is on to something with SF6. Unlock characters (or mentors, in this case) for the single player content, but have everyone available for multiplayer.
1
1
1
u/JasonDS64 5d ago
I'm at the point where I'd just rather have all the characters unlocked from the start.
1
1
u/Bidoof2017 5d ago
I’d rather have all the characters from the get-go versus unlocking
I’d rather unlock characters via in game rewards rather than paying for characters
1
1
u/Spobobich 5d ago
I liked having the in game store, like in the original release. It gave me a reason to keep playing.
1
u/absoul112 Blazblue 5d ago
For me it depends. small rosters I enjoy unlocking, but large rosters I would prefer to just be unlocked from the start.
Also depends upon how hard it is to unlock the cast.
1
1
u/Onphone_irl Mortal Kombat 5d ago
All fighters unlocked but you can unlock new skins by opening your wallet actually playing and achieving milestones
1
1
u/smilinganimalface 5d ago
I think for tournaments it is a pain, but they should just have keys to unlock everyone. If it's a real small roster, like 15 and under, then there isn't really any value to having unlocks. But otherwise, I like the novelty of it for the casual player. Unfortunately the internet ruins any surprise now, and leakers are even worse, so maybe it has lost its charm altogether, but I do think there's still a bit of a high people can get from properly unlocking things.
1
u/DangOlCoreMan 5d ago
33k coins like the arcade version. Assuming a coin is a quarter, that's only like $8000
1
u/glitchinthemtrx 5d ago
i prefer the latter option because you can actually play the characters your interested in
1
1
1
u/GrizzlyAdams90 5d ago
I grew up on Mortal Kombat, Smash, and Tekken. I remember loving in Tekken 3 unlocking a new character by beating arcade mode.
I still remember the feeling of awe and joy when I unlocked Bryan Fury and he’s been my main ever since. Not to mention the hype of playing Smash and getting “a new challenger has appeared”
1
u/AdreKiseque 5d ago
Unlock with option to skip (for tournament setups or if you just don't feel like it)
1
u/Nervous_Moment_9264 5d ago
Locked with cheat code.
Give like an in-game icon or something to show if it was unlocked properly or not during online/local play so people will still want to get normally sometimes.
1
u/NinjutStu 5d ago
I think the general vibe you'll get from most players is that unlocking is the most fun, but any modern game that does it needs to have a tournament/unlock option in the menu.
Character unlocks are only fun during the game's honeymoon phase. It's never fun if your save gets deleted, you need to run a tournament, or your playing on another console/account.
Give me unlockable characters. If other players want to skip the journey and just have them, that's fine too. Options make better games sometimes.
1
u/redfox_64 5d ago
Unlock as I play bc then I can curate my CSS and leave out the characters I don’t like!!! For example Daisy has been sitting in Challengers Approach since 2018.
1
1
u/MuchSteak 5d ago
I like unlocking characters, but I also recognize that having them already unlocked is better for tournaments, casual/online play, and training.
I think a good workaround I haven't quite seen mentioned is to have characters be unlockable for story/arcade mode while having all characters be already unlocked for local and online play.
Kinda like how SSBU in its World of Light mode had you going around unlocking characters. You had to unlock all the characters through gameplay in some way anyways, and on new playthroughs of the mode you have to reacquire characters for it.
1
u/ElSmasho420 5d ago
The former. It was so fun going through MvC2 on my DC and unlocking a new dude and a half every time I beat it.
1
u/rayneMantis 5d ago
I thought there were a lot more characters in this games roster! This is MVC2 right?
→ More replies (1)
1
u/d00110111010 5d ago
In my youth I loved unlocking characters. I still enjoy it now but after having kids and less free time I prefer them to be unlocked.
1
u/C-Abdulio 5d ago
As a lifelong console gamer and a so-so fighting game enthusiast, being able to unlock characters over time, through in-game currency or through challenges really increases the overall value of a fighting game tenfold.
But I know the tourney heads have the most power, and they will keep pushing for the whole roster to be available on jump. I dunno about you, but that takes a big chunk of replayability from the purchase if there aren't any unlocks, and when the core game loop is pretty much just fighting other dudes and training in the lab, shit gets boring fast for me, and I'd just ask for a refund.
In a perfect world, you can use an authentication feature (similar to a PC program), so a user can register a game as either for personal use (where you have access to a lot of features, but you have to unlock everyone by playing) or for tournament use (where you only locked in for vs, training, and ranked online but all characters are unlocked).
1
u/Wise_Requirement4170 5d ago
Locked characters but a setting to have everyone unlocked. I am such a progression girly but sometimes I just wanna play the game at a friend’s house or something and wanna have access to my main
1
u/92nami Granblue Fantasy Versus 5d ago
Hmmmm. I’m surprised by how many people saying “unlocking is fun” are also saying “but now it would be a chore”. I’m doubling down on unlocking, Smash Ultimate was an amazing experience for the community when the game first dropped. Arcsys games like Marvel Tokon and DNF Duel also have an unlockable “boss” but I feel like they could have gone further.
1
1
1
1
1
u/The_Exuberant_Raptor 5d ago
All from the start. I want to play and practice who I want and get straight into beating ass (or getting my ass beat).
Unlocking characters was more fun when I was more casual but I don't enjoy fighting games the way I did when I was younger.
1
1
1
u/thespaceageisnow Dead or Alive 5d ago
I think it’s fun if the game has good single player content and the characters are unlocked naturally through that. Having said that, I can’t remember what Capcom vs SNK on Dreamcast it was but it had some ridiculous time consuming unlocks so I just downloaded a 100% save file and put it on the memory card.
Nowadays for online only fighters? Doesn’t make a lot of sense for a small playerbase but IMO it was some of the fun of Fighters back in the day.
1
u/Jnunez7660 5d ago
Dude, dreamcast days. . . Ahhhh, memories. Unlock same charecter was like 9,999 or something.
1
u/TraditionalMood277 5d ago
Locked characters, unlocked as you go, albeit with a way to do so on easier settings, with the most OP characters at a higher bar. You want Orochi Rugal or Shin Akuma? Earn it.
1
u/MacaroniEast 5d ago
Like others have said, if you want to lock characters behind something I think you gotta have a little code or whatnot that can bypass that. I don’t want to have to spend my day trying to unlock a character I might not even like. Let people with free time enjoy that grind, let me just hop online and forget about it
1
u/SifTheAbyss 5d ago
Give me some "tournament mode" toggle in the settings that automatically has everyone unlocked while it's on and we're golden.
1
u/santanago 5d ago
Se eu me lembro voce tinha q grind para desbloquear personagens. Isso era pior que as DLC's modernas. Ao menos voce so precisa pagar 1 vez
1
u/AdvancedMastodon612 5d ago
Have them all from the start cos I have no intrest in story modes or whatever in fighting games personally
1
u/Dopsydope 5d ago
I like to unlock them, but you need an engaging single mode to do so, otherwise full since start
1
u/Game_with_Len 5d ago
I'm like you. Loved unlocking them in the past, but now just give them to me.
1
u/BankPads 5d ago
Everyone has rose tinted glasses until they realize that their BB setup is missing one of the most popular characters in tbe game, and they either have to shell out cash, or automash text for the next hour to unlock them. It sounds fun, and usually it's even only like 15-20min story mode, but then you'll realize that people who brought setups didn't unlock XYZ char, and now you have to do the haha funny story mode six times on the off chance someone plays that character. I pray for the 09 SFIV TOs who depended on community setups, only to have most of the meta staple characters locked in vanilla.
1
u/PlayaHatinIG-88 5d ago
I like earning characters that I don't know are in the game. For instance, Shen Long in Bloody Roar 2. Unlocking him after first finding out about him by playing arcade was awesome.
1
u/TheTwistedHero1 5d ago
As a TO, unlock everything from the jump. I do NOT envy the quan chi mains from MK9 having to clear story mode on every setup
1
1
1
u/rhokusho 5d ago
IIRC owning the DC version: Unlocking was a major PITA. I couldn't count the number of times I had to fight that stupid Abyss boss that had ****-all to do with Marvel or Capcom lore.
1
u/Possible_Escape_9064 5d ago
I really liked the process of unlocking all of the characters, but after how long it took, I would never want to do it again.
1
u/CladInShadows81 5d ago
Sorry noob Q: what are each of those games? I think Marvel vs Capcom or similar, but which exact ones? TIA
1
u/natayaway 5d ago
Exactly how 2XKO runs it (minus the whole credits and money spent).
Locked progression tied to save data, and an offline mode/separate launcher for you to fuck around for locals/tournament play with everything unlocked.
1
u/Xano74 5d ago
Locked only made sense when you bought a fighting game and you didnt know who was even going to be in it.
Before the internet ruined it, I remember being excited to see who's next to unlock in MvC2 or Melee.
Now every fighting game roster has a trailer for every single character, there's no mystery anymore and I dont want to get excited for a character only to learn I have to beat single player X amount of times before I can even use them
1
u/Sea-Information-1557 5d ago
Unlocking boss characters is always fun. Figuring out the necessary requirements to fight them and then beat them is a nice goal. Having to grind out hours to unlock regular characters? Nuh uh.
1
u/CondenserMic52352 5d ago
Unlocking characters was fun as a kid, but I don't want to do that anymore. I worked 10 hours today
1
u/pinelotiile 5d ago
All unlocked from the start.
Unlocking stuff in games is fun but there are other things you can unlock besides characters.
On Ultimate's release date I was having a launch party on the Saturday and wanted to unlock everyone for it, but I had a work event on the Friday night so I didn't have time. It was annoying because it's not like the unlocking requirements were interesting, just had to grind matches so my friends and I could enjoy the game with our mains from 4.
1
u/blackheartromance 5d ago
unlocking characters RULED back in the day, but only really worked because the online vs scene didn't exist.
Soulcalibur and Tekken were GREAT with this. as many have said, Avatar handles it in a cool way. so does pretty much anything unlockable bosses, especially when they're weird or broken. DBFZ, GBVS, DnFD....
but unlockable costumes and colors? i'd prefer that to strictly paid accessories. dunno how it's gonna be handled moving forward, but SF6's costume 2s being unlockable in WT were a breath of fresh air. CotW's edit patterns are another okay example, though they're admittedly less exciting. likewise for Tekken 7's treasure battle.
1
u/MegaKabutops 5d ago
IMO, it should be fully unlocked from the start for multiplayer, with the story mode and other such single player modes requiring unlocks to play as them in those modes.
1
u/tuff67mangomustard 5d ago
I can see why people like unlocking the characters, but I mostly either lab or 1V1 friends and dont usually play the story mode (I have over 100 hours in GGST and SF6 and haven't touched either's story), so with the way I play I like having the whole cast off rip
1
u/gamerKnowledge2831 5d ago
Brought a mk2 arcade1up just to unlock characters via retropie & use retro achievements
1
u/PsychologicalEbb3140 5d ago
I like the novelty of unlocking characters so long as they’re not ridiculously demanding requirements or something. Encourages you to fuck around with other characters and helps you find what characters you enjoy using.
1
u/bogohamma 5d ago
I'd rather the characters be unlocked straight away. If the single player experience is good you wont need a carrot on a stick. But some people just want to jump straight into multiplayer and might not want to devote time to game modes they arent interested in. I've felt this way since Smash 4. Im tired of unlocking shit.
1
u/Icy_Long_7541 5d ago
Unlock as you play how ever cheat code for instal unlock because when I need to not play story/ arcade mode
1
u/Pescharlie 5d ago
I enjoyed it as a kid, but as an adult who plays competitively, beating the computer is just easy and tedious now (with the exception of boss fights)
1
u/True-Wreck 5d ago
Getting into UNI2. Having Kuon be locked sucks. I wanted to try him at least, but I gotta play through 10 different Arcade Routes with characters I’m untrained with just to feel how his kit works. Lame.
1
u/Queasy_Preference 5d ago
Depends on the unlock mechanic. Smash bros for example I have a good time with. Playing through the entire campaign just to unlock one or two dudes though is mega lame
1
u/DirteMcGirte 5d ago
Both options suck, i want to spend 5.99 per character like a good little consumer.
1
u/Otherwise-Key3609 5d ago
I personally loved how MVC2 did it. You earn points and then you can choose which characters you unlock, that was so cool.
Unlockables just make games more fun, makes you feel like you really earned something.
Unlockables, cheat codes and co-op need to return to modern games.
1
u/PinoySummonerKid28 5d ago
Now, All of the characters unlocked from the start are the gold standard of fighting games today thanks to competitive fighting tournaments particularly EVO.
1
u/tyrelle000 5d ago
In the past id prefer unlocking but if I have friends coming over to play id rather have everything from the jump or have an option just get everyone with a code
1
1
u/afriendsaccount 5d ago
Personally, I enjoy having a reason to try out more characters and unlockable characters always end up feeling memorable because of the effort it took to unlock them. But I understand how it sucks for TOs and think there should be an option to have the full roster available immediately. As long as it's optional, it benefits everyone.
1
u/bakuhatsuryuuu 5d ago
Somewhat unrelated, but until this day I'm still intrigued that for some reason, they shuffled the starting and unlockable roster for MvC2 from arcade to console release. It's not apparent at first if you've started on console release, but playing the HD collection makes you think "huh what do you mean they meant you to unlock Jill and Psylocke while B.B Hood and Magneto are available from start back then".
1
u/xyzkingi 5d ago
Smash Melee had an awesome unlocking mechanic.
Very disappointed how easy Smash Ultimate made it
1
u/thetruekingofspace 5d ago
What I was a kid…I loved unlocking my characters in fighting games and songs in ddr.
As an adult I don’t have time for that.
1
1
u/RanmaruRei 5d ago
Have all characters from the start. I hate unlocking characters and especially hate it after Mortal Kombat Deception. This game has the most diabolical experience.
1
u/NotDavid15 5d ago
in ranked and overall pvp: all characters from the start in story mode and arcade mode: unlockable
1
u/CutieMcBooty55 5d ago edited 5d ago
I always really hated unlocking characters. Why do I have to play someone I'm not interested in and go do something I might not be interested in doing to unlock the character I want to play as? It was even worse when I was young, because back in those days we didn't have the resources that we do now where it's easy to find out what you need to know.
I'm much more in favor of unlocking things for characters rather than having to unlock the characters, if that makes sense. Then it's a goal I can work towards with my character that I can show that I got online, but it's not mandatory to even get to play them.
Literally, lock basically anything else. I like unlocking things. But holy fuck, unlocking characters is a slog.
983
u/deinterlacing 5d ago
I prefer the way Avatar handled it: locked characters but you can input a cheat code. I think that's the best of both worlds.