It is pretty crazy that this one game makes me want a Japanese Wii to import, but if this game is out at SoCal arcades sometime after its release along with NA Wii release, then I'll be happy. Meanwhile, this video features Ryu and Alex against Jun and Ken with air combos, the MvC2 snapback making a return, supers, and more.
UPDATE - The Japanese commercial is now out - a month before its release there.
I think the final roster is set for the console versions of Street Fighter IV at 24 characters now that Gen and Cammy are confirmed courtesy of pics at Gamed.nl. Gen is a surprising choice considering how his role will play out story-wise in this game, so who knows what he is doing here anyway (probably get involved in the Akuma and Gouken rivalry).
As for Cammy, she has been rumored for a while, but she is finally confirmed maintaining for Super SF2 Turbo attire (which is better than her Alpha attire). Other than those characters finally getting confirmed, more pics of Fei Long, Dan, and Sakura were also revealed showcasing possible moves for them (We seen Sakura, but Dan and Fei Long's Ultras seem obvious). Dan approves of being in this game.
I'll start with a brand new one that premiered today on MTV and MTV2, which is "Decode" by Paramore for the "Twlight" Soundtrack. Supposedly this movie is going to be amazing even though I'm out of the loop on that. Anyway, this song (I like it) is definitely a different change of pace for a Paramore single after getting used to "Misery Business," "Crushcrushcrush," and "That's What You Get" thanks to GH World Tour and Rock Band 2. It would be cool if this song is DLC for either two of those games (by the time the movie is out later this month I guess), but my bet is on this song appearing as DLC in GH World Tour than RB2.
Next up is "Human" by The Killers as their first single off the new album Day and Age. I'm hyped for their new album later this month considering their last mainstream albums were pretty good. Of course, this song as DLC could be cool and I hope RB2 gets it (likely not) with a three-pack that includes "Somebody Told Me" (been rumored as DLC for a while) and "Mr. Brightside."
Okay, not really a music video, but Kanye West's "Heartless" has been playing on the radio lately, so I might as well plug the song here too. This song is Kanye's second single off 808s and Heartbreak as a video should be up soon - around album release time (also later this month). I am also looking forward to this album as well - perhaps my most anticipated album of this year.
I guess that's it for now... (Still considering starting a Twitter account soon - Hmmmm...)
More characters were announced at a recent Japanese event for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes. The obvious favorite out of the announcements is the addition of Viewitiful Joe for the Capcom side. This seems more of a finally that Joe is finally in a fighting game and also his first non-franchise game. Now I'm curious how his moveset will play like during fights (looks in the pic above he can use zoom in for more damage as a super or something). Will he be able to mainpulate time just like his adventures? Who knows, but I'm already more excited for this game to come out (still only a Japanese only release, but it seems local aracdes here at SoCal may get it in Winter 2009 - a month or two after its December release for JP Wii and arcades).
Sports off-topic comment: Okay, that Nuggets /Pistons trade is pretty nuts considering the season barely started. Denver can be slightly better with Billups and McDyess, but Iverson in Detroit is just crazy - it won't help them beat Boston.
Sonic Unleashed is out soon (sometime this month) and of course fans of the hedgehog that stuck with him through ups and downs are wandering if this one will break the streak of horrible games and this one actually being good. So far, it seems that way according to the crazy intro (Perhaps the best cutscene ever for a Sonic game with the hedgehog doing the business and then getting owned by Eggman) and gameplay footage below. Who knows if the Werehog stuff would be decent considering Sega's action games have been sucking (Golden Axe Beast Rider for example), but for the Sonic daytime stages, it looks like Sega finally got the speed aspect down. Another thing is Sonic's crappy friends being in the game in some way and I don't know why Sega keeps them around since the majority of them are dumb and pointless (besides Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow).
A demo for Mirror's Edge is out on Playstation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace at about a GB of hard drive space which is basically a tutorial of the game's basics and the prologue level that was the first thing shown when first gameplay footage of the game surfaced earlier this year. The tutorial is a pretty good one is gets you familiar with the controls along with timed jumps and some combat stuff like weapon disarms (timing is key especially trying to do the cool ones. The prologue level can be done pretty fast after a few attempts which less than ten minutes or even five if you're good at the time trial for it (The time trial mode for the demo is only offered by pre-ordering the game to get a code to enter on the demo menus). After the demo ends of hanging on a helicopter just like the first gameplay video, another brief trailer is shown of the later levels and then some.
I totally believe that it is possibly a true breakthrough in first person gaming. It is unlike any other FP game you seen more specifically shooters even though Mirror's Edge has first person shooting elements. DICE has truly nailed the first person feel down as Faith being a free runner as momentum and speed matter when transversing the levels. The core gameplay seems solid based on the demo with the simple controls (it might be a little awkward pressing left bumper to jump compared to a face button at first) and running. The combat itself is okay, but you don't need that much of it to beat the demo unless you're going for weapon disarms against the 5-0. Being immersed in this first person perspective feels pretty good, but I can totally see the core gameplay getting repetitive later on other than going through alternate paths than the recommended red path. Another thing I'm hoping for in the final game is the levels having more variety other than the setting in which I think DICE will deliver on that end.
Graphically, Mirror's Edge is a stylish looking game with a futuristic-like city to jump around and the music (specifically the soundtrack - theme song in the video above) feels calm, moody, and soothing. Of course that soothness doesn't cut in when being chased by cops. There is no sense of slowdown based from the demo, but hopefully the environments stay fresh enough for the rest of the game.
I was on the fence with Mirror's Edge for a while, but after playing the demo, I can see why this game feels somewhat original as a first person game. I won't get it right away (the game is out on November 12th), but it is definitely in my December stash with Fallout 3 and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. If you're in the same position like me considering buying the game, play this demo to get a feel for the core gameplay and determine it is something really cool to do compared to the other big releases out there. I can also see the game as this year's Assassin's Creed in terms of hype and success, but as long as reviews seem mostly good and EA's marketing push for it to do well since it is another new IP from them, then Mirror's Edge is worth checking out.
Off-topic: Another demo came out today on XBL Marketplace which is for Naruto Broken Bond. No detailed impressions other than it is another Naruto game and fans of the franchise (especially Ubisoft's last Naruto game, Rise of the Ninja) will like it keeping the cartoon faithful and the option for Japanese voices at the gate since you change them in this demo.
