It seems like every conversation these days can somehow be traced back to money. Be it the government spending it, the Redskins wasting it, the banks hording it, or consumers not having it, all we seem to focus on is the all mighty dollar. With the state of the economy, people are looking harder at the bottom lines and being significantly more conscious of how they spend their money. Items that used to be impulse purchases require genuine thought and anything of significant dollar value often gets put on hold for the next big discount. I suppose it’s a direct result of These Troubled Times (drink!). There’s no denying that the state of the economy has hit the games industry from top to bottom. And with consumers being more prudent with their funds, they have also become much, much more skeptical of how their dollar is valued to publishers. It is with this skepticism that I have become quite frustrated at the recent announcement of Super Street Fighter 4 from Capcom. Simply put: this does not make sense.

First off, the only saving grace about this announcement is that this game will not be full price. For 8 new characters and some gameplay tweaks, there is no justification for a $60 price tag to consumers to something that is essentially a title update to a game less than a year old. I can only imagine the public relations nightmare. The so-called Left 4 Dead 2 boycott would be a thing of the past, gamers would forget about the absurd price of Microsoft’s proprietary hardware for the Xbox 360, and we just might leave behind the price of the PSPGo to point our torches and pitch forks at Capcom CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto and company. Granted, two of those three items are worthwhile bullet points on any knowledgeable gamer’s “Price Gouging” Bulletin Board but Capcom almost surpassed them all. However, while they avoided top placement on the bulletin board by confirming that this will not be at a full retail price point, this does not excuse their decision.

In the age of the online patch and Horse Armor, there is NO excuse for this game being released on a separate disc. Naughty Dog is releasing a Day 1 patch for Uncharted 2 to resolve their twitter spam issue. In an attempt to make their competitive multiplayer at least manageable for the faithful that still play Gears of War 2 they are still releasing balances, tweaks and patches. The term ‘Banhammer’ has become a common place in our lexicon thanks to Bungie’s continued support of their Halo titles post release. While some companies have abused the ability to repair games after they hit retail shelves, there is not a person out there that would postulate that the fact that these patches exist is a bad thing. Refining the game to ensure fair and balanced gameplay doesn’t hurt anyone. If a game needs a band-aid for an exploit or a bug needs to be squashed then I’m all for a developer stepping up and fixing the problem.

Along with fixes, additional content over the pipes is not only common place, it’s expected. Halo 3 has had multiple map packs released since it first arrived as the second (or third) coming. Burnout Paradise has had numerous enhancements, some for free, to extend the Michael Bay-hem. Despite the controversy, Left 4 Dead has seen some quality support since the apocalypse first arrived on the PC and Xbox 360. Even Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has multiple map packs planned after its much anticipated release be it confirmed through interviews or on the back of a pack of Monster Engery Drink. Downloadable Content is a crucial part of a publisher’s business plan. If there is any way to incorporate DLC into a game’s financial potential, it will be. And despite the track record of countless games offering downloadable content, be it minor or significant. Despite countless games receiving title updates to balance and secure gameplay, Capcom has decided to take the one less traveled by, and that will make all the difference.

So Capcom is updating Street Fighter 4 with 8 new characters and some gameplay balances. Imagine Microsoft and Bungie releasing Map Packs and fixes only on disc. Imagine all the patches to World of Warcraft being available only through a physical disc and for a fee. How is this decision acceptable among the common gamer? And I don’t want to hear that this is the way Street Fighter has been treated in the past. Citing the 12 different versions of Street Fighter 2 that came out is not supporting your case. It might have been the only way to update a game “back in the day” but times have changed. We have the technology to implement gameplay fixes and enhancements without using the brick and mortar distribution chain. As I said, there really is no excuse for this. If you play the game online, you should be required to download the patch. A mandatory patch would bring everyone up to the new level playing field and should account for new characters available as DLC in the future. How hard is that?

Living in the so-called Digital Age, I’ve come to expect certain things out of my technology. Among the assumptions, I expect that my video games with access to the Internet should be susceptible to the occasional online tourniquet. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that big of a deal to have a game receive a little download to fix something that I likely never noticed in the first place. If anything, I appreciate a developer’s continued support of their product. It lets me know they care. Capcom releasing a patch and what amounts to traditional DLC is equally stupefying and incompetent. Is Capcom unwilling to embrace the technological advancements of the gaming industry to deliver content to their customers? Is Capcom unaware that such a method exists? Whatever the reason, I hope that this is will not be seen as a green light for other publishers to behave like Capcom and treat their customers like uninformed lemmings.

Initial impressions of Super Street Fighter 4 can be found on GameSpot.

Have you heard that the bird is the word? And that this post is featured on Talking About Games.