Link made some kind of sense. EA and Konami have both consistently used Nintendo characters in their Gamecube releases, and especially in the context of people clamouring for teen link in light of Wind Waker, I just think it was a great way to capitalise on a fun idea.

It could be that I just don't like Spawn - because I don't - and lord knows I don't like Heihachi (I've no idea who does) but those characters felt incredibly forced and incredibly unimaginative respectively. I'm sure a truckload of people could think of iconic characters way more suitable for a Link-like appeal on those platforms.

This Star Wars business frankly just boggles my mind. It's like every reason for not chucking "license" characters in there has been used AS reason for including them here. They have no connection to either platform, no connection to the context they're presented in, and are barely of any significance for GAMERS at all, most likely they're just associated with all the horrible attempts at representing Star Wars in games.

But then, to give these characters an equally fair shot - I'm not particularly more fond of either than of Spawn and Heihachi, so perhaps I'm just biased. Jack Bauer in SC would be just as "WHAT THEEE HEEEEEEELL!!??" but.. I'd still pick that version up for the insanity of it - and Jack Bauer is awesome.

In regards to SC's integrity; what integrity? SC4 is the most blatantly tittied up attention fest since... I can't even remember. Rumble Roses I suppose. Whatever balance merits it once posessed it deserted with SC, becoming a direct-to-videogame fighting franchise for the masses, so I really don't see what they can screw up further with this. It's still gonna be a really cool, fun fighting game in which everyone's free to ignore Vader or Yoda.

It's just that now the superficial reasons to find it embarassing have increased by about 400%, ironically just as DOA is sobering up.

*puts on helmet as Grift readies bricks*

Not really. No bricks necessary.

Well I thought there'd be some bricks involved with my statements that SC has slacked off in the balance department. :D

But hey, no bricks and I can wear my hair down. Which is still up and all over, but.. yeah.

Mario characters in NBA Street, SSX: On Tour and Stepmania "make no sense" either by your measure, but I still think "Nintendoing up" games on their platforms has more logic to it than sticking Vader or Spawn in there.

I know. She might as well be master chief though.

And 22 isn't old by a long shot.Oh, no way. SC is far from perfectly balanced. Every fighting game has its tiers, but they're very pronounced in Soul Calibur. That's disregarding the guest characters even, which basically throw balance to the wind in favor of projectile moves and funny gimmicks to appeal to.. blech.. the masses.

The more I think about Namco supposedly trying to appeal to a western audience the more the Star Wars thing makes sense. In a misguided japanese view of westerners way of course, but still.

Well there's Dissida you know. :)

Lord knows if that will be worth paying attention to though.

Hell yeah he is! The perfect game to put Teh Bauer in would have been The Club.

People complaining about this boggles me. Not in a complaining about complainers sort of way but it's just strange. What are the downsides to this again? You know, maybe the guys at Namco just thought this would be cool. Maybe they're big fans of The Vader. It's really pretty harmless.

I suck at fighting games, badly. I loved playing SC2 with Spawn though and to me that was cool. I was hardly doing anyone any harm and quite rightly I was beasted by anyone decent. Same went for DOA4 and Nicole.

I really don't see how this cheapens a game in anyway when it's not exactly a series renowned for taking itself seriously. Lighten up!

Oh and where are all the people complaining about extra characters in SS Brawl then? What's so different about that? :Z

Ryu's already in DOA4 isn't he?

Mr T would be awesome in a way but isn't someone known for carrying a melee weapon. Someone like Uma Thurman from Kill Bill might be a bit different.

Just wait till SC5 and they put the Turtles in it, then there will be a meltdown!