Karas got hit with the nerfbat way too hard though, but Zero really is the closest to God tier in the game, god damn Capcom had to take away one overpowered character just to put in ANOTHER even MORE overpowered character >___<
The only real main way that Karas got hit with the nerfbat, was in his damage output. That just means he takes LONGER to kill you than he used to, but he can still kill you full of dead. His basic BnBs are still quite good, and he hasn't lost that much in the priority area, either.
So, in short, Karas basically got the "Iori Yagami" treatment. Game in, and game out (before XII, at least), Iori was always pretty damn good, starting from 96. He may have lost the over-powered aspects he may have had in 96-98, but because his overall moveset didn't change much, he didn't lose that much in the following games.
You gotta understand. I love playing Street Fighter 2, it's my favorite fighting game by far. But sometimes, I get kinda tired of just constantly having to train with my main before I play it, and re-remembering all of the button combos. It's a game based on knowing moves and knowing when to pull them off. It's not a pick-up-and-play game. And sometimes, fighting games HAVE to be pick-up-and-play games. Specially when they're used at parties and stuff, so everyone can play them. Tekken and DOA are big hits at parties, for example. Because you can mash a bit and still come have fun. You can't do that in Street Fighter.
And you know what? You're right, and have no problem with that entire notion of having "pick-up-n-play" games for those who want to play 'em.
My problem, as I was trying to dialogue with HS.exe a while ago, stems largely from the fact that decently technical games like SF and MvC are being what I consider "compromised" for the sake of this want to try and capture the casual market. It wouldn't be so bad, if it didn't mean that those of us who desire to play a technical game have to feel the brunt of it, as well.
What I mean is, reducing a fighting game on the technical tip, only does more to limit the meta-game potential the game could stand to have. At the very least, a game with decent meta potential should make it so that there's multiple ways to play every character. There's multiple playstyles to try out and employ. There's different tactics that could be found, touted as "the new way" and then later upended as a NEW tactic is found that's even better. I loved this stuff, growing up in the 90s and at the turn of century. And by the time internet made it easier to find out about this sort of thing, it just made things that much more interesting for those who want to learn more about the game.
THAT, to me, is what SF, KOF and others in its ilk should always strive to be. It's what made a number of us fall in love with them so many moons ago, and that is why a number of us are a bit displeased with how Capcom is doing things here lately. And it's not about being "elitist" (for the reasonable amongst us, at least!
). It's about how Capcom is seemingly unable, or otherwise not willing, to make games that could cater to both casual and competitive, without necessarily alienating one or the other. They're not doing anything to alleviate this long-standing issue, they're doing more to slap a band-aid over it and telling us "DEAL WITH IT". If "Easy Auto" modewasn't going to help some one just pick-up and play MvC years ago, is a simplified control scheme going to do that much better in MvC3?
It's perhaps for this main reason I fear for a modern-day Vampire/Darkstalkers prospect. More than likely, if Ono does get his wish, there's a high probability that he won't make a game that lives up to Vampire Savior, which most recognize as among Capcom's best fighting games, if not THE. And what would be the point of making such a game to cater to casual interests, when Darkstalkers doesn't even HAVE that kind of appeal in the West in the first place?