« SSF4: AE and the Return of the Arcade Scene »

It's all too easy to forget about the arcade scene with the ease and convenience of playing online and well, the fact that SSF4 was only on console to begin with, leaving Vanilla SF4 and the arcade scene in the dust. With the release of SSF4: AE, everything has changed, and once again, players both old and new get to experience that "arcade feeling".

Playing at MGL a few days ago reminded me of one crucial factor about playing at arcades: you simply level up much faster in this sort of atmosphere. 

But why? Isn't online or even local casual play just as effective? 

The difference between a casual atmosphere or online and playing at an arcade is that you are really forced to think about your matches. It's much closer to a tournament atmosphere where something is really on the line. Not only do you have you pay to play, but if you lose, you can expect to wait a good 30 minutes up to two hours to play just one more. Not to mention having to get up and perform the walk of shame to the back of the line, taking in the expressions and comments from surrounding players.  

While playing online I find it far too easy to just brush the previous match aside and continue to look for more opponents through ranked or wait for the next match in an endless battle. It's easy to slip into "troll mode" and simply mess around with your opponent or try things you know most likely wont work. Of course, some days its serious business and ultimately it's up to the player to decide how they approach playing online or at casuals settings.

At the arcade this option simply isn't there. 

Most players wont want to risk messing around, even if they are playing a new character. You want everything that you do to have a purpose, and even if you lose, you want to come away with something to think about, something to work on next time. Because of this I feel the arcade scene ultimately breeds better players. Even the current titans in the tournament world came from the arcade scene whether it was SVGL or CTF. 

So with that being said, I hope the arcade scene is here to stay. It's a pretty safe bet that this version will end up on consoles sometime in the next year, but I hope it is identical to SSF4: AE. Two separate versions will result in the death of the arcade scene, and that is something I don't want to see. I at least want the option to throw myself into the lions den. 

So, what are your thoughts? Do you find yourself itching to make it back to the arcade, or is there not one in your area so you couldn't care less either way? Is the arcade scene something you miss or something you'd like to experience if you haven't already? 

And of course, do you feel playing at the arcade makes you a better player? Hit us up in the comments and let us know about your current experience with SSF4: AE or what you miss about the arcade scene in days gone bay.