The idea for this was to be the less serious counterpart to the main MK vs SF game project, and thus would not have the same technical gameplay. The roster would be a lot smaller - about eight characters a side, possibly expanded via DLC later on.
PRESENTATIONAmazingly, I did come up with a story for this game, out of sheer boredom. This could be completely thrown out of the window, considering this is meant to be the Marvel to the actual MKvsSF's more serious tone, but the casino theme is what forms the majority of the presentation of the game. Here's a basic summary, dredged up from the old design document I found on my laptop.
"In a pocket dimension between the various universes, there exists the Golden Touch, a five-star hotel and resort famed for its gigantic casino. Famous people from all corners come to relax and enjoy the nightlife, not to mention win (and lose) lots of cash on the slot machines and at the poker and blackjack tables, but as of late the number of visitors has been dropping. In order to combat this, the mysterious, unseen manager Nathan Lambton announces that the hotel will play host to a fighting tournament between two great realms. The winner will be crowned “Richest in the World” and receive a titanic cash prize."The overall theme of the screenpack would be a sort of cross between Las Vegas and the cheery, colorful Marvel games of the 90's. The select screen would be themed on a poker table, with the character portraits represented by playing cards and select icons resembling poker chips. Each one of the stages would be based on a location of the Golden Touch and would be shared between characters - Ryu and Sub-Zero, for instance, would have a stage themed on the private greenhouse, whilst Sagat and Kano would have a stage in the bar area.
The image above is an example of the style the character sprites would be rendered in. I am fully aware that this is basically the same method Human used to create his King of Pocket characters, but I felt that this style would suit the overall silly and over-the-top tone of the game the best. I can easily contribute by converting MOTM sprites of the required SF characters into this style, and I believe there may be some sprites for Sagat in the style somewhere. The MK characters would most likely be done from scratch and have more varied appearances - Sub-Zero would uses his UMK3/Deadly Alliance design, for example, to show that this is the younger version of the character. Nathan Lambton would also have to be designed from scratch.
GAMEPLAYThe gameplay would be mostly a sort of Marvel-Lite set-up, with air combos and basic chains. I'm unsure wherever to make it 3-Button, or have a fourth button for the launcher a la MvC3/some other function. The power bar would be four-sectioned, and would served to provide EX Moves and Kombo Breakers. Each of the MK characters would have their movesets tailored to the Capcom-styled gameplay - Raiden's signature Superman attack would be a charge move, for example. I have also been thinking about retaining some of the MK9 command strings, in the same way that the Tekken cast of SFxTK carried some of theirs over from their games.
The main draw of the game would be the trio of Super Bars at the bottom of the screen. In a similar manner to Super Gem Fighter, striking an opponent causes colored poker chips to fly out of them. Collecting these fills those bars, and the meter gained can be used to pull off the character's three Super Arts. The bars can be filled up to three levels, and the higher the level, the more spectacular/damaging/unique the super is. Care would have to be taken to ensure that this factor of the game is balanced - the longer a combo goes on, for example, the less the number of chips would be rewarded.
OTHER NOTES- Voices would be taken from the latest iterations of the games - Street Fighter 4/MvC3 and MK9. Nathan Lambton would need original voice acting.
- I am aware that a Darkstalkers/Injustice-styled round system could be possible in a full-game environment, so I could aim for including that instead of traditional rounds.
- I have also considered an announcer system that reacts with different lines to different situations. For example, different lines could be spoken for when the first hit is recorded, much like in SF4.
- Do not ask me if such-and-such a character is getting in. The roster is pretty much finalized, with some exceptions, and there are certain characters that I personally do not care for and would not put in for love nor money.
