Something happened in the last several years. Something that will totally change the way the industry designs and develops games in order to appease the gamers. I'm not talking about the new breed of gamers that think playing "Wii Sports" automatically entitles them to the title. I'm talking about all of us that were there during the Golden Age of gaming. The Super Nintendo/Sega Genesis years. The Arcade years. Even the PSX years. The real gamers that follow the industry and know the names of the actual developers. Something changed to appease us.

In the shadow of the Wii selling a billion units, and Carnival Games being played at family reunions, stands a rabid audience. We are that audience. We're longing for something that brings us back to the days of standing in the arcade waiting for our turn to play Street Fighter II. Waiting to get beat down by that kid that actually knew how to throw fireballs and Dragon Punches. Every single one of us is just waiting for that title to just bring us back to simpler times (Could I be more cliche'?).

Well, it looks like there is a company looking out for us.

This week at E3, Capcom absolutely dominated the competition and took a stand for every real gamer in attendance. Yes, their press conference about the Lost Planet movie was a pretty stupid move, but their booth was a totally different story. They showed off both Bionic Commandos, the retro-tastic Mega Man 9, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Resident Evil 5, and above all else, Street Fighter IV. All games made for the hardcore gamer, all games that I will willingly pay money for.

Street Fighter IV is what really opened my eyes to the direction Capcom has decided to take in this very casual-friendly gaming world. They're not catering to people and making the game easier, they're catering to those that love Street Fighter and making the game impossible to put down. With extensive combo mechanics and a "learn to play" attitude, Street Fighter IV is well on it's way to being a game that will not only satisfy core gamers, but could also signify a change in the direction of the industry as a whole. Yes, it's just a 2D fighter, but why would a company release a 2D fighter in this gaming environment if not to send a message?

Maybe I'm being a little too optimistic, but I really do think that people are going to look back at this E3 and realize that Capcom was one of the only companies willing to go against the norm. They rewarded fans of their blog by inviting them to check out their booth (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168628), they took a chance and made Megaman 9 one of the most retro new games in years, and most of all, they didn't disappoint.

Well, except for that press conference anyways.

Kim Fidler