For many, Street Fighter IV has been one of the highlights of the year. The game's distinctive look and retro feel has cemented it in the hearts of fans of the fighting genre as the perfect blend of old-school aesthetics with HD elements. However one of the most common complaints about the game focuses on the final boss Seth, and what many perceive to be an unfair advantage given to his AI during fights against the computer. With Super Street Fighter IV, Capcom has a chance to scale back some of his overpowered attacks. However, in a recent gameplay session with Kotaku, Capcom Community Manager Seth (coincidence?) Killian made it clear that SSFIV would not scale Seth back. In fact, it will be quite the opposite.

To quote:

"Seth will be even cheaper and more irritating."

Let's set aside the question of how exactly Capcom plans to make one of the cheapest bosses in fighting history even cheaper. I mean, unless Seth somehow gets the ability to switch off controllers, I can't see how it could be any worse. More importantly is the question that should be burning in everyone's mind right now: "WHY?!" Why would a developer make it a goal of a game to make a character "cheap" or "irritating"? It's not like Killian said Seth would be "more difficult", "more challenging", or even, "more of a skill test than he already is". No, the developer is opting to deliberately create a boss that will piss off gamers. For me, that seems like a really shitty way to treat a community that's already on the fence about buying a full game that many believe is little more than a downloadable patch.

As someone who has defended the decision to make Super, I'm now finding myself hard-pressed to continue to stand behind Capcom. Does this stick in anyone else's craw like it does in mine?