I'm transplanting this from my post on Capcom-Unity:
www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3178896Streamlining inputs, however, may start heated discussions within the community. "We're also looking at the possibility for some moves to be one button." MvsC3 isn't the first time Capcom has attempted to lower the execution barrier for neophytes. The GameCube port of Capcom vs. SNK 2, a crossover fighter starring Capcom and SNK properties, implemented a similar one-button command for special moves (which was aimed at beginners). "It would be exactly like that [Capcom vs. SNK 2], but the trade-off is that you'll lose something else. You can have the simple one-button command, but we have to decide if that means the amount of damage done to the opponent would be less than damage done with a full command move." Would this mean a damage handicap for beginners who can't perform even a Hadoken? And why is there a trade-off when previous fighters didn't penalize players for using an easier input system? Perhaps the handicaps are exploitable. With easier inputs, deft players could string together combos impossible on normal execution. For instance, many combo videos made by the fighting community are performed with help of a programmable pad, which eliminates the physical barrier needed to execute commands. A single press of a button is much faster than inputting the command's motion.
I want everyone to think back to Street Fighter 2. Think about how much damage, how much hitbox, and how much priority that input combos received. This was back in the day when part of the appeal of most things fighter or "kung-fu"-ish were about how "great warriors had inner focus and after some buildup time, they would unleash their inner power." Look at Dragon Ball, at many of the 80's and 90's Hollywood karate movies. When they weren't about that specific theme, they were about the journey or training to become the best (Rocky, Karate Kid, etc.).
This is now archaic, outdated, and unnecessary. Now it seems the developers are trying to make the game balanced, which is already a pain to do between an increasing roster and the "someone's gotta win, someone's gotta lose" nature of combat. Squirrel Girl or Thanos vs. Dan or a Servbot would be over in half a second in canon, but the devs are challenged with creating a game where people who love their characters can feasibly have a chance at winning.
Even in recent competitive play, combos are not nearly as important as Launchers, Infinite Loops, and good old fashioned brawling/jabbing/haymaking/blitzing. Combos are for eye-candy or specific situations. But they can also break the game, too; if a player strings a set of regular attacks then uses a combo that loops or sets up into enough attacks that it wipes out most of the roster, that kills the game. I'm not saying "setting up" isn't okay. That's the deadliest fastest way to win any battle (ever played Blitzkrieg Chess?). But in this setting, it must be balanced out, or have some way for the opponent to break out of it.
On top of that, these combos are unintuitive and stodgy. Do you think Iron Man has to sit there and think about pulling out his Repulsors or Unibeam? No, he just flat-out uses them. Ryu? Oh yeah, when he was first learning the Hadoken, he probably had to concentrate very hard on his Chi before getting it to work, but you know what? He's a world champ, now. A legend. It shouldn't take him DownDownrightRight Fierce to do a Hadoken, anymore. Mega Man's weapons are as instantaneous as his buster; why Tornado Hold, Leaf Shield, and Mega Ball are string inputs and not one-button presses like the Mega Buster (Heavy Punch) is beyond me.
I don't need to remind everybody here how much this would help new players, but there's a good reason for it. You know, the majority of people don't, and shouldn't, bother having to memorize a list of combos just to be their favorite character and look awesome doing it. Especially when you're trying to show the game to someone new, either to the series, or to video gaming, or new to you! The majority of the buying public plays these games for the trademark atmosphere and the fun. That's why games like Power Stone and Super Smash Bros. are so enjoyed.
It's time to move on, it really is. I feel for veteran players, and I do think there should be some challenging modes, but A) I really think this obsession with the supposed "elitism" that comes with doing these string inputs has gotten very unhealthy, and B) players should NOT be penalized for using a one-button press compared to a string input.
Veteran players should be more rewarded with challenges and harder achievements that require the skill that they have in their other capacities such as how to analyze chains of attacks and setups, and how to evade the most damage with hitboxes and positioning, in addition to learning attack patterns. And then the timing of pulling that all off. That's worth more than practicing a set of button inputs ad nauseum.