My imported copy of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom arrived on the day that the North American localization was announced. I was slightly disappointed, but I still had plenty of lead time to check out the Japanese version before English release would become available.
As someone who rarely ever plays fighting games, I don’t expect to perform well in them. In the case of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, I played the game consistently for months. I really loved the flashy style, fast pace and diverse set of characters. Over time, I started to feel pretty good about my skill with the game. It seemed like I could hold my own, but I was only testing myself against computer opponents.
This kind of story usually ends with being brought back to reality when someone with more experience destroys you. However in my case, I never even fought another player. As the localized version came closer to release, Capcom started promoting the game. I checked out their website and viewed their “basic combos” section. Listed in there were a lot of techniques and skills that I personally still found difficult to pull off. However, they were being presented as mechanics that players should be able to pick up and use with relative ease. What took me months to learn was meant to be the first steps for putting up a fight.
It was a bit demoralizing and I was brought back to the reality of, “Hey, you know nothing about fighting games.”
(Header Image Source: The Arcade Flyer Archive)
