How Long Should a Super Cinematic Last? (2XKO Developer Interview)

Part of a series of interviews I recorded during EVO Japan 2024. This one's with Mike Henry, creative director for 2XKO.
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#FGC #Sajam #EVOjapan2024 #2XKO

[@WhatIsACountry]

Long enough my opponent has to think about their mistakes but not enough time for them to reach their router

[@chaoticstarfish3401]

No amount of measurable time is too short for professional pluggers to reach the router

[@Jay-mx5ky]

Well, that's one of the things they promised they'd figure out, but I hope it works out.

[@JorgeBCanchola]

Tekken 8 has people doing just frame rage quits tho

[@astjuly8239]

​@@JorgeBCancholaunbelievable, right? But these guys seem to have a incredible recognition of supers that will for sure kill

[@Kheydinss_]

​@astjuly8239 they win 100% of "will it kill"

[@deadfr0g]

4 seconds total: 0.5 seconds to recognize the situation, plus 2 seconds for someone to say “Will it kill?!”, and then 1.5 extra seconds just to build suspense.

[@ehsteve231]

Sajam... man, these were some incredibly good questions. You could see him light up being able to properly communicate what he and his team have accomplished. Genuinely fantastic interview.

[@stellle_]

Sajam is an amazing interviewer. These questions were SO GOOD. Thanks for everything you do, man. You're the GOAT.

[@Tigerhawk01]

Been following Mike's work for years, really cool for him to get this opportunity. The dude has always been a big Fighting game fan, you can find a bunch of his art in those Capcom art tribute books UDON used to make.

[@keylockmvp]

Love these interviews where its not just about the gameplay. Dont get me wrong i love that stuff but hearing the break down of art music and other stuff is sick.

[@hanoslul3276]

Really cool to see these types of videos with developers. I didn't really have much hype for 2XKO, but I'll definitely be checking it out when it releases.

[@ChickenCrazy7]

these are great, i was looking forward to when you said you'd try interviews, and they are super enjoyable. i am really looking forward to seeing more in the future!

[@SeaJay4444]

Skullgirls Val's level 3 is fairly long, but it lets you skip the cinematic part if the Val player is holding a button. I like that compromise.

[@NemSumeragi]

Something cool I'd like to see a fighting game do is to not have cinematic supers. But instead, the cinematic only happens when the super finishes a round, and then the rematch UI can be brought up by the players (like if both players are pressing X or Start). Kinda like GG instant kills So the cinematic super essentially replaces the victory animation, and I think it'd be really cool for tournaments. Like imagine you're watching a final game final round at Evo, they use super to end the game, and they pop off as the super plays out and fuckin kills the opponent. I think that would be sick :3

[@Permafrost1]

JoJo hftf kinda does this I think? Not a whole cinematic but the background changes to a manga panel when someone wins a round with a super, looks super sick

[@SparkyForce]

This is a great idea

[@ddranimestyle]

This was what I wanted to achieve back when I thought I could mod SF4: make long ultras skip the cinematic but still do the damage (imagine Abel's U1 just being one epic PUNCH).

[@Bodrick_G]

Super cool to see them taking this part so seriously

[@karime2800]

sajam you’re getting me way too excited for this game 😂 the content is top notch

[@zanzanzanzan]

I actually hate the camera cutting away from 2D plane for supers. I find it really messes with the visual flow of the match. Think 3S Ryu shinsho versus the SF6 version (definitely showing my age here) I would love an option to display a simplified super animation that doesn't change perspective, but maybe I'm in the minority.

[@c9bepis939]

i fuck with the title more as time passes tbh

[@gigabyte3420]

For me it's less like "fuck with" and more like "passive-aggressively accept"

[@thegoat9219]

These interviews are such a treat

[@pauldaulby260]

It should last 2 seconds, but the player should be able to mash to extend the animation, and the other person can mash to reduce the duration This should have no effect on the damage

[@johnrey7365]

*SHURIMA'S SYNDER CUT FLASHBACKS INTENSIFIES*

[@TeaYenSvg]

I think this is the first time I've ever used the SLOW DOWN button to make a video better 😭 I 100% understand that everyone's in a rush at EVO, since you've got finite time at the event. As a viewer, however, I dint wanna feel like I'm speedrunning the interview HAHAHA

[@metalgamer8179]

Great questions and great answers, just an incredible interview (the rest are amazing as well). This has been great

[@sergioalvarez5193]

These interviews have honestly some of the most interesting questions that I feel I haven't seen a lot of in the fgc. Thx for the work Sajam keep it up! 🔥

[@owencmyk]

These are so cool to watch

[@astjuly8239]

The thing is I love Guilty Gear supers, cause they actually show the super but is not that long and doesn't freaks the camera for 30s. Training combos with supers in SF6 is just pain thqt you have to wait that absurd amount of time. Feels like my mind goes away from the game

[@eduardoserpa1682]

Damn, he's good. The efficiency in these interviews is crazy, and the questions are good, so the preparation shows.

[@Mene0]

Great discussion

[@Preyge]

It’s fun how ur head bops away slowly and then snaps back to look back at the dev

[@MYVIDEOSONLY-DB]

Really solid questions.

[@TH3L3M0N]

Wow sajam's interview skills are popping off

[@T2Designgaming]

Great questions Jammy

[@PSNMyfoot]

With one character a year we might be getting the game this decade still! Oh wait it’s 2v2, we need more than 12.

[@Golden_A]

This question is just for curiosity and not a request, Why yasuo isn't saying Hasagi, and the stuff that we use to hear in league ? Would be nice to have the answer one day.

[@mallow2902]

5 seconds max. I'm tired of these 10 second long super cutscenes. The only exceptions I give are for supers with a very high cost that you won't see a lot. BlazBlue and Under Night In-Birth have the length of their supers down, especially the latter where a super animation isn't even a second long, and the full meter ones are around that 5 second mark. Honestly if a super animation is too long it honestly makes me feel like it doesn't hit as hard. A super animation that's snappy and doesn't overstay its welcome can have a ton of impact however.

[@ddranimestyle]

It's case-by-case for me, sometimes longer cinematics feel appropriate, and sometimes it takes everyone out of the experience while the tape plays. I think good choreography is key to keeping a cinematic from feeling stale over many watches. I understand the necessity of cinematic super moves as marketing money shots, but my preference is generally shorter animations. One thing I will say though is I like when a game gives variety for cinematics beyond just epic, max-level attacks, which start to feel samey after a while. I liked UMvC3, for example, for having level 3's that weren't cinematic, level 1's that were, and characters that didn't even have level 3's or cinematics.

[@dgw4049]

10sec sf6 supers are way too long plz shorten. I know this messes with drive gauge regeneration but plz figure it out

[@zanzanzanzan]

I'd love for an option to show a shorter version if both players' preference it online. Just fast forward the timer and drive regen so there is no change to balance.

[@mariop8852]

I like SF4 length ultras but don't like moving camera on regular moves.

[@dugthefreshest]

The answer is SF4 Metsu Hadouken. That's the perfect length. Pop, Zoom in, Zoom out. That's it.

[@Electriclee111]

Why did it seem like Sajam was speaking in 2XKO speed lol

[@emperormegaman3856]

If your take Ryu fireball and make it purple, it will looks like he is using psycho power. That would work for violent Ken, but looks weird for Ryu.

[@ijlimm17]

2:26 interesting that he called it 2x ko.

[@finallyanime]

Hands down supers should have option to hold a button and only do 1 or 2 parts of the cinematic or speed it up

[@CrossfacePanda]

I’m pretty extreme when it comes to cinematic supers; to me, anything longer than 5 seconds is too long. And I’d prefer if they’re shorter than that more often than not. 10+ seconds has practically become the norm in most fighting games now (when counting activation freeze, cinematic, and downtime until you’re given back control), and that’s just way too long to me. MvC3 is still the one that did it best imo: most are roughly 5 seconds, and a super long one like Wright’s Level 3 has extra conditions (on top of being a semi-rare character on teams) so when it happens it’s an occasional treat rather than a common nuisance.

[@h2_]

Long enough to drink water and scratch my nose :)

[@shingobingo490]

That's one of the first things I noticed when I saw clips of the game. I thought to myself how the super cinematics were going to get old super fast. I thought it was way too long for a fast paced game like this. I thought Marvel did this well where it doesnt disrupt the pace of the match as much as this game seems to.

[@mogullll]

please tell him the answer is 3 seconds

[@axis8396]

For non-cinematic I like 3-5, for cinematic ones it depends like a lot of the Granblue ones are so good I can see 1-2 every other round and not mind it but then we also have Tekken's rage arts where they're cool and good looking visuals but they often don't have enough happening to warrant 45 seconds where no gameplay happens

[@julianmorgan79]

I like cinematic finishers as much as the next person but 150 hours and 1000 matches into a game and I wish it was short so I can get back to the match.

[@Eji1700]

Ooooh sorry but the answer we were looking for was “what’s a cinematic super?” (FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEONE MAKE A DARK STALKERS SPIRITUAL SUCCESSOR)

[@JWhite205]

Are these guys going to be at EVO??

[@itsyaboi1245]

i think every super animation should at the very least be as long as knights of the round from FF7

[@Lawarot]

Longer than in most FGs. DBFZ ones are perfect.

[@TheFawz]

Whatever any fighting game dev thinks is fine for unskipable cinematic length, they're way off and it's actually shorter if not a killing move

[@TheDario64]

shout outs to dude at 11:20

[@MrHeitorSouza]

Cool interviews from what i've seen so far my only criticism on the game is that vfx and sfx are very weak things should be more flashy and unique.

[@zuzubaloo]

law's tekken 7 rage art is the shortest one, and it should've been the longest. tekken cinematics are painful.

[@benzoFE88]

I think Granblue does supers the best, where if the initial hit kills just end it there. But if it doesn’t kill, do the whole cutscene

[@owencmyk]

Sajam, in future interviews could you have your mouth maybe like... 2-3 more inches from the mic? I know it's important to be heard over the background noise, but your voice is clipping usually while Mike's isn't

[@SupermanSajam]

Yeah this handheld wasn't mine so I didn't have an idea of how I sounded exactly. Now I have my own mics so I'll have a better idea. But it was super nice of them to just let me use this mic/camera so I'll take it

[@owencmyk]

@@SupermanSajam Ah oki doki that makes sense. Thanks for the response !

[@gipgap4]

I hate cinematic supers. Thanks SF4!

[@frothyslider253]

Personally, I think they failed with the Bilgewater stage. There’s so much going on, so many characters that move and bounce around when you do shit. I find it distracting and kind of ugly. I wish more fighting games would treat “background” as a background. I’m not a huge fan of Melty Blood or Samsho but I think both of those series do a great job of having aesthetic stages that didn’t distract from the gameplay.

[@MrNeonCamel]

great questions sajam

[@supaonyxian]

“Illaoi wouldnt change how she looks” i get where he is coming from… also she worships a god of change though?

[@PSNMyfoot]

4 seconds is as long as it can get without it becoming a pain in the ass over the years. No cinematic supers at all is even better.

[@kylekleiter3854]

Commenters here really getting Stockholmed into liking this whack-ass title. I'll keep calling it Coco until they change it. Great interview(s) Mr. Jam. Really enjoy seeing behind the curtain with devs.

[@jellophant9716]

2XKO. Great name for a game.

[@masterofdoom5000]

6-8 seconds but make it SNAPPY, I want to see a lot going on in that short amount of time and this is leaning heavily on the cinematic super being LESS COMMON. SF6 failed in this regard thanks to how much meter just flows in that game....and then they make the cinematic level 3 the easiest to cancel into combo wise.

[@RemixedYoshi]

Still prefer project L vs 2xko

[@SparkyForce]

SF6 supers are way too long even tho most of them are great

[@Eval999]

Supers are boring and lame

[@junkmail2223]

0 seconds. i hate cinematic supers

[@MoveQuick4]

This man Sajam out here calling his own sides lovely 10 seconds into the video smh