Gameplay should be what counts in a fighting game, yes, but one of the reasons I have not been able to deem Street Fighter IV the definitive Street Fighter actually has nothing to do with how it plays. It's the art. More specifically, it's the character design, which is and always has been the other crucial component of a fighting game--that element that can earn a title tons of devoted fans who will never compete at a tournament level, but who will cosplay as their favorites and build shrines to them.
Obviously, SFIV contains mostly characters that were designed more than a decade ago, but these are still new takes, some of which I find to be quite disappointing. Ryu is a bit thick, Sagat looks like a dummy, and none of the females are attractive. To be fair, many of the other characters are spot-on, but the goofy Chun-Li and haggard Rose are probably the worst they've ever looked.
None of that really compares, however, with SFIV's wholly original additions to the franchise. Hakan would be the most acceptable if he weren't inexplicably orange, but Abel, El Fuerte, Rufus, and Seth are all hopelessly lame. That leaves the girls, Crimson Viper and Juri. These are two characters who could look good someday, but my initial impressions of both were that they were uninspiring attempts by Capcom to create King of Fighters-style "cool" characters, and they simply lacked that SNK magic--that certain je ne sais quoi--that identified a true original.
None of that really compares, however, with SFIV's wholly original additions to the franchise. Hakan would be the most acceptable if he weren't inexplicably orange, but Abel, El Fuerte, Rufus, and Seth are all hopelessly lame. That leaves the girls, Crimson Viper and Juri. These are two characters who could look good someday, but my initial impressions of both were that they were uninspiring attempts by Capcom to create King of Fighters-style "cool" characters, and they simply lacked that SNK magic--that certain je ne sais quoi--that identified a true original.
But, y'know, since thinking that, I've gone back and replayed a lot of SNK games, and I've come to the conclusion that those originals were not that cool either. Or, at least, if they were cool once upon a time, then that time is long past.
Sure, King of Fighters has always had its dud characters, but I seriously used to think that its better characters were the coolest in any video game. The unyieldingly derisive Iori Yagami was a particular favorite of mine.
Looking at him now, I have no idea what I ever liked about him, and I just feel embarrassed. Even among the official art, there is almost no piece that manages to make his hair work. And why are his knees tied together? How is anyone supposed to run like that, let alone jump and kick? He doesn't seem built for street fighting, though he's hardly alone in that.
What is wrong with Iori is pretty much what is wrong with all of the characters in King of Fighters; these designs were made for the runway, not the ring, and their obsolescence was built-in. Unfortunately, SNK Playmore hasn't really kept ahead of changing fashions, and the latest designs are among the series's worst. Or maybe I'm the one that has no fashion sense. Actually, there's no "maybe" about it. But I think I'm just tired of the whole blasted fashion model street fighter aesthetic. Now I just want fighters to look like fighters, as they did back in Street Fighter II.
To be fair, it's not just SNK that has failed to age with grace. As another example, take Dante from Devil May Cry. Here's another guy I used to think was badass. But lately I've been playing a lot more Western-developed shooters, and when I put him next to a guy like Marcus Fenix, I realize that Dante is truly not that far removed from the typical effeminate JRPG hero. He's stupidly good-looking, wears flashy clothes, and spouts some embarrassing dialogue. I wouldn't call Marcus Fenix "cool," but in the context of a gaming landscape filled with space marine-type characters, Dante seems less than manly, and surely that isn't cool.
So what is cool now? I have no freaking clue, and I'm not sure I care anymore.