Virtual Vox Pop is a weekly open mic in which we ask you, the reader, to sound off on a particular topic. This week, it’s Capcom’s stance on sprites.

Street Fighter IV is awesome fighter that brought hardcore fighting back to the mainstream. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is a a damned fine fighting game that manages to capture the insanity of previous “Vs.” games while maintaining its own distinct feel. What do they have in common? They both feature sprite-less games that utilize 3D polygonal models on a 2D plane. 2.5D, if you will.

In an interview with Kotaku, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom producer Ryota Niitsuma spilled the beans on the company’s future fighting plans – - and they don’t involve sprites. 2.5D is the wave of the future leaving fans of pure 2D fighters a bit cold and lonely.

Now, I’m not going to knock the move: the visuals in both games area great. But the sprite lover in me laments the fact that we won’t see Capcom produce a 2D extravaganza that surpasses Street Fighter III: Third Strike‘s absolutely insane animation. ‘Tis a shame, especially with the horsepower that modern consoles are capable of producing.

But what say you?