Reverse Psychology

I think I hated this last year. Couldn't accept it for the world. Now, I'm seeing things.

I see a very twisted, mcabre visual style. I see some inspired enemy design. I see dynamically morphing environments and an impressive sense of scale. I see a battle system that looks, surprisingly like DMC1, but with an added level of flourish. It looks cool, it looks sharp...it does look like Devil May Cry.

Honestly, it looks a lot like Devil May Cry 2 visually, but without the suck.

I'm inclined...to turn an eye to this. Not a blind eye, but one wide open, and accepting of change. I still don't like the way he looks, but it isn't nearly as distracting as it was last year.

I do like this video. It's making me smile.

Once again proving that really, gamers have no conviction, and that if it looks cool enough, eventually, despite our dissent, we will crack in the name of the game.



Cool artwork, too.



Damnit.
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Guess I'm ineligible for that free 3D Excitebike..

Eh, Nintendo? I mean it's not like getting hacked by LulzSec would delay matters any, right?


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Seriously, Nintendo?

Now, I'm all for padding out the sales numbers and all, it makes for good quarterlies and impressive press releases, but really, what's the point of this? The $19.99 price tag doesn't do much to soften the blow of the ludicrous, either.

It's not like they didn't already default their way to the title of one of the best selling games of all time simply by including one for FREE with each Wii sold, or anything.

I mean, I'm all for Nintendo finally giving games like Twilight Princess a sorely needed price drop (5 years in the making?) while they work to release a real "next-gen" console not being held back by its own gimmicks, but isn't there a subtle admission of failure being made when you try to sell me a free pack in game? The one that started the irreversible trend of effortless minigame-games that became a staple of your console's (mostly) shovelware library?

For the same price as a legit (yet criminally undersold) game like Madworld, even?



Y'know, part of the reason "hardcore" software failed on the Wii was due to the fact that it had to compete with the casual offerings at the same price, and the new audience Nintendo spawned couldn't tell the difference in quality, but went with the fluff because it seemed much safer from a new buyer's prospective. Way to exemplify why you scared off your core audience with this console, Nintendo.

..and why you're replacing it so soon.



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IRL Box?

Love Cut the Rope? If you have an iOS device, OF COURSE YOU DO. The fun, addictive puzzle game from Zeptolab is extremely hard to put down once you’ve picked it up, and semi-frequent updates ensure that adorable character Om Nom’s hunger (and your spare time) are kept at bay.

The latest update added the “Magic Box”, which, in addition to 25 new levels and three achievements, adds a new element in the form of top hats, teleporting a new layer of complexity towards players’ feeding endeavors.

To celebrate the release, the wonderful people at Zeptolab constructed a MASSIVE demo unit at Los Angeles' Hollywood & Highland Center. Looking like it was pulled straight from the game, the unit features 9 huge touch screens well suited for all sorts of rope cutting, creature feeding craziness.

I’m not sure what else needs to be said, because if you’ve played this even once, you’re probably already halfway across the state to run off and conquer this thing. If you aren’t situated on the West Coast, fear not! Another one was spotted in Atlanta International Airport.

Road trip, anyone?

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Of Heroes and Bands

First Rock Band, now this?

I can't say I'm surprised, Activision's merciless exploitation of the music genre in the height of its popularity may have something large to do with this, but as of right now, the Guitar Hero franchise is dead. Much to this writer's chagrin, this means DJ Hero is gone as well.

Sigh.


Losing the former isn't much of a concern to me. The series descended into self-parody and a caricature of it's former self the minute Harmonix jumped ship and chose to innovate elsewhere with Rock Band. Activision spent an unusual amount of time trying to play catchup, in turn choosing to oversaturate the market with titles and costly controllers instead of innovate on a fundamental level, and consumers responded by closing their wallets. For me at least, the Guitar Hero series died in late 2007 when the Neversoft developed Legends of Rock came out.


Even Slash can't completely cover up mediocrity. See what I did there?

I digress though. Losing the latter franchise? Hurts a bit. I saw the DJ Hero series as a fresh new start for the music genre, and one that was sorely needed after overall music sales began to decline. It was innovative, fun, and most of all, it had a boundless sort of creative potential that could've lasted. This didn't change the fact that it suffered an expensive controller of its own, and even I felt something was amiss when despite how excellent I felt DJ Hero 2 was, none of my friends or even customers I've spoken to shared my enthusiasm. Overstocked game/turntable bundles selling for $59.99 at my local Best Buy didn't soothe my nerves any better, though I saw it as an opportunity for the game to reach a wider install base. Baseless optimism.

Regardless, with these cuts come statements of intent from the mega-publisher, and they're already making me laugh:

"..In 2011, the company will allocate the majority of its resources and focus toward opportunities which we expect will afford us the greatest competitive advantages and the greatest potential for best-in-class quality, high-margin digital growth, and long-term success.."

Loosely translated? Continue collecting revenue from World of Warcraft and continue to exploit the Call of Duty franchise. It's funny watching this happen repeatedly. At the start of this generation, Activision was busy wringing the once-untouchable Tony Hawk franchise for every last drop. This was a process that doomed the series with consistent mediocrity leading up to the ill fated Tony Hawk: Ride and its plastic skateboard. Guitar Hero was a revolution, but after Harmonix's departure and success with Rock Band, Activision elected to release so many Guitar Hero titles that consumers wouldn't know which one to buy, and now the series has been killed following the story based rhythm "quest" Warriors of Rock. Men made mice. Gods made mortals.

The success of a franchise is not a go-ahead to beat us around the head with it in various untelligible shades until we're sick of your chicanery, Activision.


"Hey man, I don't know what they were thinking either."

Get ready, Call of Duty, with your $15 map packs and annual releases. You're about to be killed too.

I know I'm already sick of military shooters because of this franchise. How about you?

Sources: Neoseeker,Eurogamer

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Does it stand for No Game Plan?

So the NGP has been announced, finally. The rumors of its power, of its capabilities, how far off, etc. can be finally put to rest. All the original concerns seem to have been addressed, and even augmented with even better features. Quad core CPU and GPU, twin analog sticks, Touchscreen on the front, touchpad on the back, new flash storage media, and a new online store promising a focus on more digital content has been promised, and even demoed before the excited press. This thing isn’t looking to merely compete in the portable space, it feels like it’s designed to take over, providing a PS3 experience like for like, but in the palm of your hand, a claim that no other handheld device can make.

So why am I not excited?

I don't see anything promising in the announcement of a NGP, because all I see is a PSP 2. The original name is quite apropos, because I don’t see a new device. I see an amalgam of what’s popular right now. Touchscreen. Motion Control. Application store. ANOTHER proprietary format. The promise of the Playstation experience outside the home. Sound familiar?



I see the same empty promises, I see the same quest to be technologically superior, I see nothing other than the draw of taking my home console out of the house with me. I don't want to do that. While the allure of playing something akin to an Uncharted or Killzone is an excellent one indeed, those are PS3 experiences. This means a few things to me in this world of high definition displays and complementary home-theater-in-a-box setups. It means I don’t want it condensed. I want it every bit as grandiose and epic as the developer intended, because high definition assets are at a premium these days.

Killzone is a satisfying sci-fi epic that blew me away with its exceptional graphics and sound, a cushion that made its merely average gameplay a bit easier to swallow. Uncharted 2 is a blockbuster movie-like experience that took full advantage of my PS3’s ability to pump 720p visuals and 5.1 DTS into my brain. Why would I want to shrink that down to a small screen? Have my thumbs obscure screen real estate? Listen to it in stereo? It’s a waste of tech.

It's like James Cameron said, Watching Avatar on an iPhone is dumb.

This is Sony’s problem. They just keep rapidfiring portables at us, iteration after iteration of a Portable Playstation, trying to best everyone, with absolutely no idea why others continue to be above them in the portable space. No idea why all this graphical horsepower doesn't translate into instant success. It’s missing the realization that a portable gaming experience doesn’t need to replicate the experience of playing on console. It should, for all intents and purposes provide a different experience than what you can get in your home. Ports will be inevitable, but they’re a welcome convenience for a system that ISN’T trying to be the exact same one I have hooked up to my LCD. A 3DS is an interesting prospect because a 3D capable, dual screen, touchscreen device with internal and external cameras opens the door to all kinds of exciting prospects as far as game design. Even something older like Super Street Fighter 4 in 3D is an interesting revisit due to the 3D feature and its persistent challenge mode that utilizes the 3DS’ network capability.

What expierience does a NGP offer up that I can’t already do on my PS3? Take it out of my house?

I already said I don’t want to.

It’s a misappropriation of power as well.


Why couldn't this have been a PSN download as well?..


How many people have played MGS: Peace Walker, or either God of War game, or Grand Theft Auto on their PSP and wished it was on a console instead after the novelty of having a PS2 caliber game in your hands wears off? There’s always a bittersweet taste that comes with playing a high fidelity portable game, and it’s the fact that it would be better served on a console instead. Cost is yet another issue. If I’m going to pay a high cost, why not just shell out the extra dollars and get it fully uncompromised? Yet another boon of portable gaming has been trounced by the fact that my portable wants to be my console, and it's called being cost effective. DS games are affordable, very rarely touching the $40 range. Console competitive iOS games range from $5-10 dollars. Just how much are these PS3 caliber games going to cost on the NGP? The thought makes me flinch, along with the thought of how much the unit itself will cost.

Quick question: What happens when people are forced to pay premium prices for a digital experience they feel isn’t? Piracy.

The abominable situation surrounding the original PSP is proof of this.

It’s a situation I see being replicated in this one, if they aren’t careful. The NGP will come out, and when the novelty wears off, it will hard if they don’t have anything compelling lined up besides “Lol MGS4 portable”. When it gets jailbroken, and it most certainly will, I see this thing being used for more evil than those quad core processors were meant for. I see homebrew, hacks, and exploits aplenty as people push the boundaries that Sony themselves put in place, just because they can. I don’t see this being an NGP. I see it being a PSP2, being hacked, exploited, and ultimately used for the opposite reason Sony released it in the first place, just like the last one. The worst part is, there is legroom to carve out a unique portable experience yet. I just have a feeling it won't happen due to this endless chasing of a technological peak on their end.

It's frustrating to watch. Sony seems so out of touch with what its customers want at this point that it’s maddening. We just keep taking each new thing they throw at us, each time becoming more alienated in the process. Cool gadgets though?



I just hope I’m wrong in the end.
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Outside the box

I keep trying to figure out why I like watching Street Fighter so much.

Perhaps it’s the constant set of checks and balances I can see through and analyze, having played the game for years. Similar to those who watch sports and can drop statistics at the drop of a hat and know the players of the league, I know this game. I know the players. I can hardly see the difference between an NFL fan and myself in this respect.

Street Fighter in particular has always had a bit of a unique balance in my opinion. It has a set of rules that were instituted over two decades ago, and has only expanded—not completely changed, but expanded—as the years went on. Projectiles clash only with projectiles. A crouching mid may get you out of a sweep. A throw requiring some kind of input will easily beat out most attacks. These are intuitive constants that have stood the test of time and made Street Fighter into the fighter mainstay it is today.

However, no amount of foreknowledge can anticipate that upper echelon of players. Those that, against all odds and reason, know how to extrapolate the game in unforeseen ways, doing things the developers never thought possible. This extends to the community as well, as they discard yet another tier list and learn the hard way that a fighter’s base ability is nothing compared to the person using them.

This is the brilliance of Street Fighter, in my opinion. The allowance of just that much leewway means that the game you purchased may not be the same game you're playing next year, due to an ever expanding repetoire as more and more skilled players come to grips with the system.

I stumbled across this video while paging through the internets, looking for some decent footage to analyze. There are some profound things going on in this video, but whether you’re well versed or not, it’s quite the show indeed. I don't think even Capcom thought this was possible when they designed this version, but they better be proud..

After all, circumventing the system is what we gamers do best. Bravo!


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Screw off. LittleBigGyp.

So….let me get this straight. You have a nice little game prepared for your peripheral of questionable success, and to you guys, the logical thing to do is to make it Playstation Plus exclusive? A subscription fee for a “Free” download that could’ve easily been a $5-10 downloadable release?

WHO has Playstation Plus? Last I checked, it was a resounding failure on par with Home’s limited audience, and with questionable features like “early demos”, or “PS store discounts”, what did you expect? It was a attempt to stab at what made Xbox Live successful without actually knowing what made it successful (see PSPgo and the iPod Touch), and since they decided to keep giving away the online multiplayer for free, it further invalidated the $50 a year fee to all but the most dedicated of Sony blind followers.

If I can thank Sony for anything, it was giving me a choice NOT to have it, because it really is a worthless service. Pay…to get discounts? Some of which are usually only a savings of 2-3 dollars? Early demo access? I can wait a week. Free PSone download of THEIR choice every month? I’ll pass. Automatic game/system updates? How is that even a PAID feature?

By offering the entire infrastructure with negligible contrast between paid and free, they shot themselves in the foot right out of the gate. Also, their constant parroting that it’s “free” to play and communicate online with your friends (potshots at XBL) locked them into this position. They couldn’t have started charging for it even if they wanted to. It’d be a harsh betrayal of their fanbase. Kind of like the Qore subscribers that were screwed over because of PS Plus’ similar feature set.

Same thing going on here.

I understand that they REALLY need subscribers for the fledgling premiums. But this is stupid. They did it with High Velocity Bowling around launch time to a resounding backlash, and here we are again. Instead of making it available to the millions of PS3 owners, ESPECIALLY the ones who have bought the Move, they’ve bottlenecked the userbase to what I’m sure is a few hundred thousand (if that). The lot of early adopters who bought the Move this year and are still really wondering what the HELL to do with it are screwed as well. Good job.

The worst part of it all is, really. I like the Move. I think it’s forward thinking technology in the vein of the Wii remote’s physical input, and is in some ways better. I also like the way it’s marketed as a controller I can play real games with despite the inevitable presence of shovelware. That’s definitely something that appeals to me. But I don’t think Sony wants me to like the Move. Not like this they don’t.

I don’t want an EyePet. I want a Kinectimal. Echochrome II isn’t out until the end of the month. Despite the extra legroom the motion sensor gives me, I literally played the hell out of RE5 on my 360 and Heavy Rain is only worth going through another time BECAUSE of the Move integration. Sports Champions is tangibly pleasing but aesthetically dry, and really, The Shoot is the only game keeping me from shoving the controller up my nose in a WoW cancellation style freakout. They’ve got me shooting, ducking, spinning and all sorts of tomfoolery, making it easily one of the most tactile lightgun games I’ve ever played.

I can still remember the look on my face yesterday morning:

“A LittleBigPlanet Move game?! I didn’t see this coming..”

*clicks*

(Playstation Plus Exclusive)

“Surely they mean the ‘free’ price tag…eh, whatever. Good for them.
(Nope. No “Buy” link to be found.)

*incredulous stare*



Good job, guys. Minimum $17.99 just to play?

I’m good.

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Accurate depiction of your friendlist on 9-14-2010.

Yep.


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...Goddammit, Ninja Theory.

Ninja Theory + DMC = (Stephen)Dorff May Cry?

Devil May C(ash in on current vampire marketing trends)?

No thanks. No really. I can appreciate the refusal to continue where DMC2 left off, but dammit, we can't keep making him younger. While I have no problem with yet another prequel, I have an issue with the way he looks. We went from the handsome boyish charm of DMC3 Dante, to this travesty? Brandon Lee is probably turning in his grave due to misappropriation of his likeness.

Seriously. He looks like something a Crow direct-to-DVD movie shat out while squatting in front of Hot Topic.



I'm looking at these screens, and I'm wondering what the hell happened here. As a fan of DMC since the beginning, I'm well aware that at the conclusion of DMC 3, Dante was around 19 years old. Just HOW much younger is he supposed to be here, and...why in the hell is his hair black?

I don't trust Ninja Theory. Enslaved looks really nice and everything, but after a track record that is literally limited to Kung Fu Chaos on the original Xbox, and Heavenly Sword, sue me if I'm just a LITTLE skeptical about the direction they're taking DMC in with this alleged reboot. This is even with the promise that this new title will, in their words: "retain the series’ signature mix of sword and gunplay but add additional weapons, all new powers and a revitalised gameplay system as players encounter the game’s devilish mix of enemies and navigate the rich, interactive environment."

...Hopefully that "revitalised" gameplay system includes a jump button.

As far as I could tell, DMC didn't NEED rebooting, and the fact that Dante looks like he's as goth as his surroundings is unsettling. As an angsty rebellious action hero with platinum white hair, he was just cheesy enough to be self-depreciating and cool at the same time. Here, I just don't know what to think. What was wrong with continuing from where 4 left off, in a comfortable place between 1 and 2? I for one enjoyed (relatively) mature Dante, and wanted to know more about Nero, including his connection to the Sparda family. Now, like the Prince of Persia reboot that Ubisoft gave up on, it looks like I'll never see that new thread fleshed out.

Lost in a sea of marketing and..oh hell I don't know.

Fuck this game so far. They'd better flip this faster than Cole's unnecessary re-redesign in inFamous 2, or I can't see myself playing this at any point in the future.



GOD. Why the hell does he look like Edward Cullen?

Yep. Just as I can't unsee it, neither will you. Crab in a bucket, we're all goin' down.

Source: Destructoid [TGS: New Devil May Cry starring a younger Dante revealed]

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Just to drive it home a bit..

Someone at Apple must be reading. That, and they must really like numbers.

Numbers make the shareholders happy, define a consumer's reliance in a product, sometimes serving as a tipping point in new purchases, but more importantly, numbers give Apple a reason to crow above their competitors.

At their most recent press conference, they had a ton to show yesterday. Namely, that there are over 120 million of their devices using iOS out there in the wild. For the uinitiated, that would be referring to the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. With over 230,000 activations (or device purchases) daily.

To put things in perspective, The Nintendo DS has a worldwide tally somewhere around the range of 132 million. Someone's catching up.

Not only catching up, but outselling both Nintendo AND Sony with a rate that speedy.

A rate speedy enough to give them 50% of the portable market now.

Wow.



I've sung my praise of the iDevices as a gaming platform before, but even I couldn't anticipate numbers like this, and certainly not this fast. But am I surprised? No.

But I know who should be. If they know what's good for them.

It's a frightening prospect, a portable platform with the ability to evolve and grow as the market or technology demands, but Apple's got it. Previously, a portable could be released with the lifecycle of a console and enjoy a healthy 4-5 years before an upgrade was necessary. But with the ever evolving smartphone market, especially as a portable gaming platform with Apple at the forefront of such a revolution, we're seeing their hardware upgrade once a year. With better hardware, comes the prospect of more and more emergent software, and it's what's making their devices sell the way they do. The question of just what an iPod can do next is much more compelling than a handheld whose capabilities are clearly defined for the upcoming 4 or so years.

If you had told me two years ago that I would be seeing the Unreal Engine on my phone, I would've snickered heartily.

Now?

I just finished taking these shots from my phone. They're from Epic Games' tech demo Epic Citadel that shows the iPhone 4's ability to run their Unreal Engine 3 tech.




If only you could see the amazing water effects, dynamic lighting, textures, and overall stability (to put it very lightly and not tech heavy) in a still shot. I have chills, and I'm simply a consumer.

The entire portable gaming market has changed. With their ability to update their tech anually, it makes them a force to be reckoned with on a level that even Nintendo can't match. I doubt it's in an effort to keep up with Apple, but you can see Nintendo and Sony attempt to jump on the update bandwagon with incremental upgrades with questionable success (the multiple revisions of the DS and PSP cluttering store shelves and confusing consumers is proof of this), but the difference is, they aren't true revolutions of the hardware before it. As such, it's difficult to justify the frivolous upgrades on display when they're hardly integral to the core experience (built in cameras, microphones, better screens) in the same way Apple makes their revisions. I can't stop saying it. It's scary.

This is without me mentioning the digital distribution model that fuels the device, something the entire industry wants anyway as an ability to combat the sale of used games and pirated software, and the fact that the low cost and high profit of iOS development is very attractive to many a developer.

It's going to be a very interesting road ahead. Nintendo has the 3DS coming, and while no one on this planet has seen a true stereoscopic 3D handheld with the alleged power of a GameCube..no one knows what Apple has in store for us next year, or even the year after that with the newer runs of iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches.

Redundantly, it's scary to think about.

I apologize if it seems like I'm drinking the Apple kool-aid along with the rest of the masses, but the fact of the matter is, the numbers don't lie, their strategy is sound (and WORKING), and as a core gamer? Because I always have my phone on me, and the quality of the software on the device is comparable to my portable systems with half the hassle of operation? I rarely use my other handhelds now. Remember when we all laughed when Steve Jobs said he was going after the DS some years back? Who's laughing now?

Does Nintendo finally have a solid competitor in the portable market? Yes.

Sony? Well..we've gone over that already.

Time to get to work, boys.

Source: Engadget
Apple Claims 50% of Portable Gaming Market
Apple ships 120 million iOS devices since iPhone's launch


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Gorilla-Proof

Akin to the legend of the Gulf War Game Boy, things like this just constantly reaffirm my stance that products from Nintendo are designed to withstand nuclear fallout. I mean, there are several written accounts of the little handheld that could surviving everything from avalanches, to rollercoasters, to well...WARS, and if this is any indication, we will NEVER be done recounting crazy tales of Nintendo's voodoo craftsmanship.

...Or ability to appeal to EVERYONE.

The story's almost too good to be true. Some knucklehead boy at the San Francisco Zoo accidentally drops his DSI XL into a Gorilla habitat. Noticing almost instantly, a massive honking gorilla approaches it, and instead of flattening it out of sheer animal madness, actually picks it up and inspects it. He then proceeds to open the thing and flip it around, presumably looking for the power button, but after several attempts, ends up looking just plain confused.

But it gets better! A smaller one approaches, and tries to show the big one how it's done...and fails as well after attempts culminating with trying to "see" through it. Presumably frustrated that he cannot get his DK on, big dude snatches it back, tries to flatten it, then finally EAT it before being lured over by a trainer, who traded him the DSi for something more edible.

I don't know what's more amazing. That the gorilla actually tried to play it, or that aside from some drool and scuffs, the DS was fully operational when it was returned.

How sneaky of you, Nintendo. Your announcement that this thing was for "old people" and "people with bad eyesight" was just a smoke screen. It's clear to me now who the intended audience was. Giant screen, giant stylus, it all makes sense now! Target audience get!

GORILLAS.

Who would've thought?


Source: You Got Donkey Kong On This Thing?

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Dream Match 2012?

With the announcement of Street Fighter x Tekken, the fighting game community is in a frenzy. Endess speculation and discussion about gameplay, endless fan rants about balance and why it should or should not happen, but arguably the most fun part of any crossover are the dream matches. For the first time ever, a lot of rivalries have the potential to be put to rest, and since both recent games in each franchse retained their classic characters in each roster, the possibilities are not only there, but potentially endless. I've of course, had a ton of conversations among friends about who should fight who and why, but these are the ones in particular that I found the most interesting. Matchups after the jump!


Fei Long vs. Marshall Law



While this is the most obvious pairing, it's also the one I want to see much. Even though they're both obvious homages to Bruce Lee, their similarities lie in technique and look alone. In reality, they're both a pair of kung fools, the former being a cheesy action star who seems to speak in bad dubbing, and the latter being a scheming...doofus. No really. After watching this ending, I dare you to tell me that the clash of martial arts technique and slapstick that would ensue from their battle wouldn't be a sight to behold.



Christie vs. Elena



While this one seems a bit far fetched in theory because Elena isn't actually IN SSF4, one can only hope one of the new characters added to the arcade version of SSF4 is Elena. Not only is she the only SF character who practices Capoiera, (making her unique enough for consideration) but it'd be an excellent segue into a SFXT matchup catalyst. It's as much a display of showmanship as it is a fighting style, and while Christie is an incredibly realistic rendition of the discipline seen in movies and popularized by breakdancing, Elena's is simply more elegant, more over the top im my opinion. I think it's an unnderstatement when I say that a fight between them would be likely a mindblowing (not to mention stunning) show. Woo!



Bob vs. Rufus



Both incredibly agile despite having meatball like frames, both are obsessed with being the best at what they do. Both are implausibly, confusingly, hilariously skilled with their respective unconventional fighting styles. Fighting devs have a knack for making fun of the competition with some of their fighters, but in this case, I can't tell which one is making fun of which. With Rufus being an unknown newb, and Bob being a formerly respected fighter in (percievably) terrible shape, I think a spat between the master and the mook has to have come up during brainstorming. I mean, LOOK at them fight.

This is inevitable. It has to be.



Nina vs. Cammy



This may have been neglected in the reveal trailer, where Nina's counterpart in battle seemed to be Chun-Li, but I think that was due more to their iconic status than anything else.

This is a real rivalry.

When the game finally does release, why wouldn't a duel between two gorgeous deadly government agents be anything but a limb--no--potentially NECK-breaking CQC fest? There's something to be said when you're an individual whose learned so many fighting styles through training, you walk away with a mish mash style people can only describe as deadly. Cammy's recent special moves highlight just how effective an assassin she is, and when put up against Nina's highly trained exploits, it isn't too hard to imagine an epic fight of (Daniel Craig) Bond proportions.

Besides. Cammy had the better game.That's got to be something else to be bitter about.

Paul Phoenix vs. Guile



I'm going to admit, I chose this one solely on the merits of inexplicable hair suspension techniques more than anything else. Scientists still can't figure out how these two keep their respective coifs intact during a fight, and as silly as Paul can be (He is after all, Law's partner-in-crime), I can see him clashing with Guile's one track minded sentiment (which often gets him into mistaken identity fights) nicely. Imagine a scenario where Guile runs into Paul, believes he may know something about Charlie, and due to his boneheaded nature (and Paul likely overreacting in defense), ends up inadvertantly starting a fight?

Seems plausible, no? I'd anticipate a very interesting match, seeing as both practice effective grappling and striking fighting styles with a mixture of strange self-improvised moves..



T.Hawk vs. Julia



...Actually, on second thought, these two actually need each other, being an endangered species and all.

Perhaps they should team up.

...

There were a bunch of other ones that didn't make the cut, (E.Honda vs. Ganryu, King vs. Zangief, you seem BORING), but these were the ones that appealed to me the most. I'm pretty certain as the months pass, the reveals will likely be shocking, some even disappointing, but I know a few of these have to make the cut. We have after all, grown up playing these games, and if this project isn't a labor of love with the fans in mind, how could any of these not see the light of day? They're simply just too priceless not to.

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Cry if I want to - DJ Hero Party Mix Pack Review

Tis another day, and suddenly, out of nowhere, DJ Hero Content! While I was completely sated with the Domination Mix Pack and the great Preview for DJ Hero 2, the Party Mix Pack is a complete surprise, and it can't come soon enough, as I don't think I can really wait until October to keep the party going anyhow. After seeing the tracklist in the description on Xbox Live, I worried a bit. With beat juggles (arrangements) of The Pussycat Dolls "Buttons", Rihanna's S.O.S., and a mashup of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" with Duran Duran's "Girls on Film" (wha?), it signaled a more MTV pop direction that left me not knowing what to expect. While the first two I could tolerate, given that I didn't exactly hate their original versions, it was the mashup at the end that really had me going. Those two songs? Really? How could that possibly work?

I hit the download button with a hint of unease, but remained faithful. You know, I never would've thought "Feel Good Inc." would mix with "Heard It Through the Grapevine" so well until this game, and surely, the same applied here, as the high quality of their mixes thus far left little room for doubt.

Was I right?



DJ Hero "Party Mix Pack" (Downloadable Content)
For: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii (Songs sold as individual tracks)
Publisher: Activision/Freestyle Games
Price: 640 Microsoft Points, $7.99 PSN, 300 Wii points (per track)
Release: 7/4/2010

To put it lightly: No, I wasn't right with my assumption at all. But it isn't all bad news. While the Party Mix Pack features an daring track selection and a decent challenge, its lazily put together arranges and questionable third act, not to mention its oddly placed difficulty spikes ensure that seasoned veterans have little to return to, and the casual fan has yet another pack of songs to add to the collection, but it will stay in rotation for only so long before interest is lost.

But, to my verdict, yes?

Once again, songs are rated on a 1 to 5 scale, with an overall grade given at the end.

Pussycat Dolls - Buttons (Beat Juggle)



I was half awake and nearly had a perfect sightread on my first try.

Despite that ringing in my mind as a bad omen rather than a testament to skill, there wasn't a complete trainwreck left in my wake, but not anything too special here either. It's a slow, wispy track that mimics the same energy and tempo as the original, (why not make it energetic and interesting?) but sounds so close to it that you'll wonder why they've bothered to call it a beat juggle at all until the final moments, where a clever use of samples and scratches do a bit to liven things up at the end. It isn't enough to save the song from it's squarely middle of the road challenge, but it's a decently fun run that could've stood to be more interesting to play overall. Bit of a missed opportunity. (Rating: 3/5)

Rihanna - S.O.S. (Beat Juggle)



The same can also be said about this arrangement of Rihanna's song S.O.S. Carrying a higher and a more playful steady tempo than the song before it, its strange inclusion is only exacerbated by how boring it was to play. While I could stomach Buttons due to it's fun lyrics, heavy middle eastern-esque twang, and entertaining, yet unremarkable chart, I couldn't wait for this mix to end, and even started dropping notes and neglecting rewinds towards the climax because I didn't want to extend the song any longer than it should've been. Again, it was a bit skimpy on challenge, and I probably would've gotten another impromptu perfect if I hadn't gotten so bored 3 quarters in. Maybe a true Rihanna fan would enjoy it more than I, but that seems to me like it'd need to survive on made up excuses, rather than it truly being a good track to play and listen to on its own merits. (Rating: 2/5)

Duran Duran/Lady Gaga - Poker Face vs. Girls on Film



Well, this is strange. Watching the video, you can get a glimpse of what I mean. This way, you won't find it strange when I wonder aloud as to what the hell they were thinking with this one. While I enjoy "Poker Face" (the Cartman version sits proudly as a part of my Rock Band 2 tracklist), and "Girls on Film" on their own (Yes, Duran Duran has played MORE than "Hungry Like the Wolf"), whoever thought they would work as a mashup needs their ears, and brain checked. Very little of Poker Face is present besides the lyrics, and using GaGa's vocals with Duran Duran's synth results in a strangely awkward sound that requires a tempo increase on the former's part, turning the song even more poppish than it was before while managing to make it sound rushed and NOW!-ish at the same time. While the song has admittedly grown on me in subsequent playthroughs, I think it's more because of the song's unique blend of tapping and crossfading, rather than it's strength as a pretty good, but below standard mashup. I was disappointed, but still return for a challenge here and there. (Rating: 3/5)

So there you have it. While I was expecting something with a little more heart, and definitely little more challenging (especially after the amazing Domination pack), I didn't get that at all, and ended up feeling a bit shortchanged. The worst part was, the mixes themselves weren't terrible, per-se, but instead so middle of the road that in a game that insofar has had EXCELLENT downloadable content, it ended up feeling mediocre by comparison. It isn't even their fault for setting the bar so high in the first place, but rather their fault for not matching it with this uninspired effort, because for the first time wince release there's finally a pack that I didn't enjoy much at all. My advice for experts is to not expect too much from an unimaginative set, and midrange players, appreciate the oddly paced challenge, but don't expect to play it more than once or twice at best. Bummer.

Rating: 6.5

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Outdoing Stuart Black.

It's funny, to this day, Black is still one of my favorite shooters of all time. Originally from the previous generation of gaming, but definitely not FEELING like it, it deftly combined gratuitous "gun porn" aesthetics with a tactical underside that bested even the hardest of the hardcore. Unsurprisingly, everyone loved Criterion's take on the modern FPS and wanted more, and it's no surprise that a sequel was expected and anticipated. What was a surprise however, is the fact that said game did NOT get a sequel of any kind, leaving the masses to only imagine what could've been. If Black was able to be the spectacle it was on outdated hardware, imagine what it would be like now?



The creator of Black stepped forward and announced his new project, a spiritual successor in the form of Bodycount and triumphantly announced his return to the world of shooters, and how we would all be rocked by what he has in store for us. Exciting!

...To be honest, it sucked. A bit bland in some spots, a bit spotty in others, it's as if his hubris at having created one of the most intense shooters of the last gen has overshadowed his sight. There are so many shooters now that equal or best the intensity that Black displayed four years ago that his successor feels dated by comparison. These are just alpha impressions though, and while the game does have time to improve, if it keeps looking like this:


I have no choice but to assume that he's lost it, and I need to move on.

However, someone seems to be getting it. Polish developer People Can Fly (most famous for their stellar balls out shooter Painkiller) and Epic Games (Unreal, Gears of War) are putting together a shooter that looks to turn the action shooter on its head. Joystiq has the scoop with a brief walkthrough of one of the game's levels, and I have to admit..It looks like so much fun, it's prospective 2011 release date is going to be agonizing. Relentless destruction, a focus on creative kills and mayhem (with a combo and point system for an extra layer of tactical planning/childlike glee), and visually superb? Sign me up.



No,really. The points system is so robust that you get special bonuses for shooting a man in the ass. This game needs a release date already.

Mr. Black? Do step your game up.


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Shaq Fu 2010