So today's news in Super Street Fighter IV (looks to be the official title now for this expansion) is the reveal of a new character, Juri, and a return of another one with T. Hawk. Not a lot of details about Juri have been revealed yet, but hopefully she's an interesting character to play as. The logo seems official and the latest pics also reveal the fact there will be two ultras and one super for each character, which will change up the game a bit with the different meters. Even though T. Hawk is not really a fan favorite compared to most characters in the franchise, it will be interesting to see how he fits in the SF4 style gameplay. Hopefully he plays like he does HD Remix with easier command inputs for his special moves, but I don't see that happening. For now, I can see him being mid-low tier, but scary and annoying if played with the right hands.
Capcom will make the official reveal of this news maybe tonight or tomorrow as they'll slowly reveal more about Super SF4 (with these two officially in being true, it seems likely that the other rumored characters and changes are true as well). I don't see myself playing the current SF4 seriously now and for the coming months because of school and the big fall lineup of hot games, but I'll still hang around the scene to support it like Bar Fights II on October 11th and so on. In the meantime, anyone hyped for Super Street Fighter IV yet?
UPDATE - (Found this at the Super SF4 Shoryuken forums) New scans (Famitsu I think) have new info and pics for Super SF4 featuring Juri (one of her ultras have a time limit = huh?), T. Hawk showing off his ultra and super (looks to be 720 motion or double half circle motion?), and now officially confirmed Dee Jay (Yay!!!!). The Jamaican also makes his return and hopefully an awesome character to play as (one of the pics has him doing a huge Max Out fireball (EX perhaps?). Dee Jay is also keep his same special moves and perhaps new tricks once he has a Focus Attack. I'm trying to imagine the possibilities now how good Dee Jay could be (hopefully as good as in Super Turbo). Oh man, getting more hyped for Super SF4 now = A happy man.
UPDATE 2 - GameSpot interview with Ono confirming Super Street Fighter IV!!!! Also GameSpot has the first preview on the game as well with some more details.
UPDATE 3 - The debut trailer is above now. Check SRK for the magazine scans on Juri, T. Hawk, and Dee Jay.
UPDATE 4 - New gameplay footage of Juri and T. Hawk (T. Hawk throw ultra can do ridiculous damage pending on your stamina like Juri's and Juri is a very flashy character to mess with too.
UPDATE 5 - The newest trailer (now in direct feed instead of from some Capcom conference) featuring Juri, T. Hawk, and Dee Jay (Yes!!! HYPE HYPE HYPE!!!)
So this highly anticipated TGS 09 Trailer for Final Fantasy XIII finally went up a couple hours ago and all I can say is OMG OMG OMG! No translation yet for this clip, but hey just watch the amazing. This is coming out at Japan on December 17 and good luck on importing it because it will be a little pricey and hopefully understand what is going on with Lightning, Snow, and crew. The Japanese theme song is also playing in this trailer which is a nice touch, but also expected for a big Square-Enix game. Even though Japan gets it this December (also the special 250 GB Slim Bundle FFXIII PS3 there too that same day), everyone else will get the JRPG of the generation in Spring 2010. As you know, I'm not really a hardcore Final Fantasy fan (only played and beaten FFX), but I'm looking very forward to FFXIII.
This clip is from West Coast Warzone earlier this month as AJ "PotatoHead" Papa from Get Your Tournament did a video montage of the magic that is Yeb, the Gen master from San Diego. You will witness San Diego getting hype and of course Yeb deserves all the respect he gets especially after the performance he pulled at WCW. I'm in this clip at the end as everyone gave their applause for his play after being defeated by Edma in the top 8 of finals for Street Fighter IV.
Speaking of Street Fighter IV, this random quick teaser showed up today for what is likely to be the expansion to this game aka Super Street Fighter IV. Rumors have been flying left and right for the past couple of weeks in terms of new characters and changes the game will offer. Hopefully this week, Capcom will reveal all or at least announce that it officially exists. If so, I'll give my thoughts about it eventually.
Headlining this PSN Demo showcase is Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, which is out this week. Now, you can my review on Ninja Gaiden II for the 360 if you're curious how disappointed I was with it and how it didn't recapture the magic the first game and Black had. However, after playing Sigma 2, aka the expanded version of NG2, a few times, it is pretty safe to say that some changes were made to make the game better, but some decisions are left to be desired for some of the hardcore folks. First is the toned down difficulty and perhaps this game is more beatable on Mentor and Master Ninja, but still hard enough to be a challenge. Next is the censoring in which I don't mind seeing the purple gaze than the blood, but I can see it being a problem for a lot of people that expected the gore to be as drastic as the original NG2. Graphically, this game looks way better than it did on 360 being flat out sharper and more detailed as if the 360 version was some rush job (perhaps it is being a technical nightmare, which I touched on heavily on my review). The demo had some long load times, so hopefully that won't be the case with the retail version considering it has a mandatory install. Also, this demo is filled with content with about a third of the first chapter as Ryu on all four difficulties (Mentor and Master Ninja have to be unlocked though), a section in the Rome area in the night as Ayane, which is a great diversion from Ryu with her playstyle so she is pretty fun to play as in this game (also way better looking than ever before and arguably the best she ever looked in any Dead or Alive or Ninja Gaiden up to this point). Also unlockable are the team missions in which there are three to mess with (two on Acolyte and one on Warrior fighting Elizabet). Other than the main game, the mission mode is a good side mode for players to go for high scores and online co-op (not in the demo sadly) could be cool as two players are in certain sections of the game fighting multiple enemy encounters. Right away with the first chapter, you will notice the gameplay changes and enemy placements from the get go with the Buddha statue mini-boss at the end of the demo. In addition from what I read from various forums, the various changes made to the campaign really do make it a completely different game with multiple characters having different levels of their own and so on. For Ninja Gaiden fans like myself, I think Sigma 2 will be worth a playthrough to experience the changes Team Ninja made to it even though personally I'm not getting it right away (possibly a Winter Break game).
Next up is Lost Planet 2 and I enjoyed the first game for what I was on 360. I have high hopes for this sequel to deliver on what the first game started, but after seeing the latest videos and playing this demo, Capcom is definitely increasing the ante for this one especially the scale and focus on co-op gameplay. As a lot of people would put it, it is definitely Monster Hunter with guns having a squad of dudes around shooting at enemies and huge bosses. Other than the significant change to the focus of the game, the core gameplay remains the same of shooting, grappling, except with more people around, which is cool. The controls remain the same and you can love or hate them if you play tons of shooters, but Lost Planet 2 is its own experience with its epic scale. I wished the framerate could be 60 fps instead of 30, which would make the game more beautiful than it should be, but we'll see about that. Playing it alone makes things longer in terms of taking out the opposition, but it is more fun to play this with multiple players on your side and perhaps easier if there is teamwork. Other than the framerate issues, the game looks amazing just like the first game. Lost Planet 2 is out in I think Q1 2010, aka let's delay our big games here because of the holiday rush and Modern Warfare 2 taking over the world.
That's it for the PSN Demo showcase for this week. I would talk about the new Uncharted 2 Multiplayer Demo, but since early reviews are already out and my claims of it being "game of the forever" on PS3, I'll wait till the game comes out to give a final opinion on both the campaign and the multiplayer. Maybe next time, I'll talk about Brutal Legend if that demo comes out on Thursday.
Last weekend pretty much concluded my summer as it is a return to the grind at the end of this week, but the title says, I had the best summer I ever had.
It all began with a Vegas trip seeing the Beat Freaks perform inside the Jet Nightclub at the Mirage. Yes, I went there alone to watch it and it was worth it. There is a blog post somewhere about this trip if you want more details on that.
The end of June was another fun weekend with the Ladies of Street Fighter IV tournament. This is just one of many examples how awesome the SoCal SF4 community is this whole summer as this game has brought me so many new friends and I loved hanging out with them every chance I get to. From the tournament itself at Arcade Infinity to after-party shenanigans at Banana Bay, it was an awesome day. The megapost has more details from more video, interviews, and pictures of the day (photo shoot and tourney) if you want to check out more about it.
Despite missing Evo and San Diego Comic-Con in July, I went to Vegas again this time with all my best friends I have known for years, which is obviously the best Vegas trip I could ever have. From Jet, swag flus, sideshows, and XS, this trip had it all, but I'll let the blog post about it provide more details on that.
The last big event of my summer of epic proportions I experienced was West Coast Warzone at Irvine a couple of weeks ago. It was obviously a HYPE event throughout that whole weekend from the pool party, drinks, and the tournament itself (I'm in the video above for like 3 seconds). Good times throughout with the SoCal SF4 community again. The megapost has way more than what is here so check that (photos, video, interviews, and more insights).
So that's my summer in a nutshell in terms of major events that happened with me. Of course, there are lots of other things that happened in between all of those from various chill sessions, local parties, random club appearances, beach trips, and so much more. I might as well move on to shoutouts (never done on this blog before) to all my friends who made "The Best Summer I Ever Had" possible.
Starting with the local homies/homegirls (Thanks guys and ladies for an amazing summer!!!)
Pat 112
Mike Dub
Christian
Fred
Dennis
Matt
Devyn
Brent
Arthur (aka Michael Cera)
Mike B
Stephen
John (thanks for the "dead leg")
Nick B
Ray A
Tiff
Genevee (word!!!)
J Ro
Ana (sideshow!!!!)
KP
Jennie
Betty
and many more...
And now, the SoCal Street Fighter IV community... (Thanks for good times as well!!)
Gootecks
Mike Ross
Keno (why are u so nice?)
Teresa
Naomi (shake well!!)
Shoo
Sanchez
Luka (why so HYPE?)
Bebop
KillerKai (The man with the "list")
Sherry
Duralath
DJ Vest
Jeremy aka "Vicious"
ComboJack
Dae
Bustabust (Kobe!!)
TingBoy
UTJ
Jay Jay
Bryant the Tyrant
Warren
AJ "PotatoHead"
Kara
Kelly
Cami
Kai
John Rog
Anna
Colin "Fade Out"
Tatsu
shglbmx
Art
Vic the Slick (Why so purple?)
and many more... Sorry if I missed anyone!
That concludes "The Best Summer I Ever Had." While I had such an amazing time with such great people, all good things must end eventually, which sucks but its true. Once again to all my friends (old and new), thank you for an amazing three months of summer.
Okay, a quick hit about the new Muse album, The Resistance, which is already my favorite album of the year!!! Is that damn good and I love this band too much!! For once, it is one of the rare albums I listened to this year I can listen to from beginning to the end every time I would play it compared to everything else that came out this year so far. The title track is already becoming a favorite of mine. If you're not a Muse fan, better become one after listening to their new album.
I also have the Kid Cudi album too, which is pretty dope stuff too. If you have been anticipating this one for a while, its worth the wait as the album goes like a story as Common (I think) narrates the various acts to set up the next stage of the process.
Not really a part of the music roundup, but I might as well plug it again: please buy The Beatles: Rock Band!!!! Its pretty awesome!!! I was thinking of renting it myself for the weekend (if I can find it which will be hard) and hope some brave soul with instruments can have some fun with me tearing through this game in an afternoon (it is a short game after all).
While most people are likely chilling out on their Labor Day weekends, let's just say my weekend is a little different or actually way different. Last weekend was West Coast Warzone, aka the biggest SoCal tournament in existence as big names from the region as well some of out of towners from NorCal, Shytown, and East Coast. Street Fighter IV was the main game as nearly 300 players entered that alone and about a third of them registered at the last minute. Other games were Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (aka I love watching this game!), Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (on Dreamcast!!!), BlazBlue, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (Teams 2v2), and King of Fighters XII. As West Coast Warzone is my first console major tournament, it was definitely a fun event to experience competing in Street Fighter IV, hanging out with familiar and new faces, and getting my drink on (sort of). I gotta give hosts of the tournament John Rog and Kai for doing their thing even though its their first time hosting a major like this as I'm sure they learned a lot of what to do and not do next time.
I used a Hori Stick EX3 since this tournament was on Xbox 360 as I at least played early in the second pool compared to most people waiting the whole day to play in the later pools. As I rolled with M. Bison, aka Dictator, I won my first match against some random Balrog player. Most of the pools seem stacked with big hitters despite many roadblocks, specifically players rocking console characters. My pool was stacked with solid players from Combofiend, who I had to face next after winning my first match and Yeb, the San Diego Gen master and crowd favorite. I had to face Combofiend with the internets watching on live stream, which was cool to play on the main stage, but certainly the nerves kicked in a bit. My mindset is just go there and play the game, which I did (Yet Gootecks plugs my Twitter before the match starts lol). Peter is a nice guy and a veteran of Street Fighter games having big tourney experience for years. He played Sagat against me and while he won 2-0, I gave him my best and didn't go anything stupid playing a smart match as some rounds were close. After that, I was sent to losers and won my next match against some Ryu player. Usually Bison has the tools to beat shoto characters like Ryu and Sagat, but still those shotos win the matchup. I was eliminated in my next match against Fade Out, another Ryu player who knew what he was doing compared to the other Ryu player I faced. With that, I was knocked out of the tournament and at least I didn't get 2 and out, which makes me happy. All that is left to do there is just chill, hang out with friends within the awesome community and drink.
How does it feel to get the "Double R. Kelly" as Yeb's Gen shows Magus1234's Viper what's up.
West Coast Warzone was filled with so many people. It was great hanging out with friends I have met in the last few months thanks to playing SF4 as they are nice people that like to go crazy at times. I already made my shoutouts on Twitter and the SRK results thread, so check those places as there are so many folks to shout out even though I knew I forgot some people (Sorry!). Also, I filled my stomach with fast food, beer, some energy drinks, and a cranberry vodka, in which I feel so unhealthy, but hey there was an open bar the whole time and sometimes you just need something to get hype, which was the case for me. Even with the tournament going on, the whole weekend just felt chill hanging out with friends like going to Carl's Jr. with Mike Ross and Eliver aka "KillerKai." It was such a friendly environment that it is hard not to get mad at people especially being at SoCal, where it feels like family and maybe we're just too nice.
Street Fighter IV was the main event of the weekend as Empire Arcadia's Marn from the East Coast won that tournament. I gotta hand it to him for going to hostile territory across America to take it from SoCal Street Fighter legend Alex "Calipower" Valle. Alex could of had it in the bag as he whiffed a jab dragon punch to lose and eventually Marn came back after losing five straight games. Sure, there might be suspicions of Marn sandbagging it playing it cute against Alex, but still played to win regardless (he just wanted drama to happen I guess). While West Coast may feel pissed off that a known player from East Coast invaded it and won because of pride, still California represented at this tournament. Edma finished 3rd with his Akuma, Yeb the Gen master from San Diego finished 4th as SD was there in force getting hype (GYT Interview with him above as you'll probably see me walking somewhere), which was cool. Johann aka UTJ finished 5th with Dhalsim, which was cool too. NorCal represented as well with Filipino Champ's Dhalsim finishing on the top 8 and Magus1234 did well with his Viper even though he got double perfected by Yeb.
While no after party happened as advertised since things didn't run on schedule which was expected, the pool party still went off and that was chill and fun. Despite not a lot of pool action and some lack of ladies, it was still good times hanging out and drinking with friends. Other highlights from the weekend ranged from me buying drinks for some, some buying me drinks, paid half of Duralath's SF4 entry, and a Kobe Bryant sighting at the nearby IHop to Irvine Hilton as Dae, Bustabust (who feels that his life is complete meeting Kobe and also making Yi "5 Star" jealous), Duralath, and ComboJack saw the man himself getting some food taking a picture with him. (Damn I missed this!!!). While old and new faces were everywhere at the event, it is also cool seeing some of the OG guys in the Street Fighter scene from Alex, John Choi, James Chen, MrWizard, and Mike Watson. Some ladies such as Sherry, Teresa, and Naomi from the ladies-only tournament earlier this summer were there hanging out as they are my friends supporting other friends in the tournament and appearing on the live stream at some point. Get Your Tournament, was also hard at work the whole weekend providing coverage for everything, so I gotta give Glenn, AJ, Kara, Kelly, and Cami their props for taking video and pictures of the madness (stay tuned for those soon).
I feel like I can mention more about the awesome weekend that is West Coast Warzone, but its getting a little long and coverage from the event is not over yet. Besides Street Fighter IV, I enjoyed watching certain games like 3rd Strike and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 because we still believe in the old school. Especially I was getting hype for 3rd Strike because its one of those games you love to watch, but suck at playing it. Yi "5 Star" won that tourney with his Ken defeating Ken I's Makoto in grand finals, who provided a great show as character variety represented from Ken, Oro, Chun, Alex, Akuma, Remy, Yun, and Yang (Good thing it wasn't filled with high tiers compared to Marvel). Chunksta won Marvel vs. Capcom 2 in convincing fashion as the highlight of that game there is Mike Ross returning to his beginnings and finished 3rd. I still think he loves that game deep down even though he hates it now. Seeing these old games get major rep is awesome as 3S is still amazing as you can't get away with stupid crap compared to Street Fighter IV and Marvel is whatever. BlazBlue and King of Fighters XII were there too, but I didn't care that much for it. Other than that, an amazing weekend and another highlight of the "Best Summer I Ever Had" (that post will be soon). Again, thanks to hosts John Rog and Kai for doing their thing at this tournament as well as other staff for holding it down especially Gootecks for making sure the stream worked at least. There so many shoutouts to friends I would mention, but you know who you are. Thanks for good times everyone and I'll see you guys around sooner or later.
Keep checking this post for more on West Coast Warzone from photos, videos, and more.
Kelly from Get Your Tournament's pictures of the weekend... (some shown here). Click here for the others.
Kara from Get Your Tournament's pictures of the weekend.
Guitar Hero 5 is out this week and even though I'm way tempted to get it since the word from the streets say that this one is the best GH game in a while, which is a good thing. From what I seen, they took out the distractions and the interface seems easier to navigate making it more user friendly especially for casual players. Above is "Comedown" by Bush, which is like the only Bush song I would play in these type of games.
The first trailer for the next downloadable episode in Grand Theft Auto IV, The Ballad of Gay Tony, went up earlier this week and once again Rockstar Games deliver on making awesome trailers for their products as I'm pretty excited for this one even though I don't have a Xbox 360 anymore. The storyline seems like up my alley and introduces some gameplay elements that were in previous GTA games like parachuting. Also, club music FTW!!!
Last not but least, I gotta plug this since I'm going to be there as West Coast Warzone will be an amazing event for the fighting game community. Get Your Tournament's Cami Vicencio put this video up of her interviewing the hostmaster, John Rog, Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez, Kai, Keno, Sherry (repping the ladies of SF4), and Bryant. Oh man, I can't wait till tomorrow and the whole weekend not just for the tournament, but good times with friends the whole time. Check out warzonetournament.com for more information like the stream that I might be on hanging out maybe and other stuff.
