KOF98 and UM are a bit more complex than SF in some ways, but it's not that hard to get into once you learn a few characters. I was lucky to find a few Australians/NZ guys who have been playing KOF for ages, so I was able to learn the ropes just by playing online against them (usually against their 'B teams' until I got closer to their levels). It's funny that you think KOF is tougher to get into than Mahvel, because I always found it to be the opposite. Marvel seems to require crazy amounts of practice and knowledge to pull of the high level combos and strats and to know how to counter the God Tier characters. I still think it's a fun game for screwing around with friends, but it seems like you really need to 'practice all day' to get anywhere with competitive play.
Well, I think the main problem with KOF98UM as opposed to MvC2 is that KOF isn't as mainstream, so therefore there's not going to be as even a number of people who play casually as to people who play hardcore... so the few days I actually did go online with KOF98UM, the only people I ever met were players who have been practicing the old game on MAME for years and years. My choices were either to immediately sit around for weeks trying to master the game, or go play a different game that I don't have to devote as much of my time to.
Thanks for tipping us off about the MVC3 rumour, I hadn't heard anything about that yet. I wouldn't be surprised if it's in the pipeline, I think MVC2 sold over a million through XBLA/PSN, so it's obviously still a hit, probably even moreso with success of Spiderman, Iron Man, Hulk etc.
It would be interesting to see who they add now that Marvel has had all these movies in recent years and the fact that they won't be re-using sprites again. I got my fingers crossed that Blade and Punisher make an appearance!
I wonder what the control scheme would be like though, if they would have a TVC Light, medium and Heavy, or go with the Light and heavy punches and kicks with assist buttons?
I hope it's nothing like that TvC shit. I'm not saying that TvC is a terrible game, but it doesn't hold a candle to the fun of Marvel.
MvC3 better bring the faster pace, the crisp tight controls, and the Pringles or else I'll just stick with the older game. 
Well yeah, if you can't find anyone that's around your level then it's hard to get into. The biggest problem with KOF98 UM on XBLA is that the netcode was rubbish, so even if you did find someone who you could play for fun, it was likely with horrible lag. You can play the original 98 on GGPO with great netcode, but that place has a lot of really good players who have been playing for years. It's still fun but I don't usually stand a chance.
Hopefully they fix the netcode in 2k2, but even if not I've still got the same crowd from 98 to play against.
As for TVC I agree that it doesn't feel the same as Marvel. I don't know what to think of the control scheme, can't decide if it's better or worse than MVC2's, but I do think that it's not as good overall. Will be interesting to see where they go with it.
EDIT: New Chars for SSFIV Arcade?
Now that Super SFIV's arcade conversion has been set, development can at last start. Will there be tuning? Will there be additional characters? When will it hit arcades? Nothing has been decided yet.
http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2010/apr/ ... cade-ssf4/C'mon Birdie!
