Tekken 6 BR is out this month at Japan...

After nearly a year of vanilla Tekken 6, Bloodline Rebellion is coming to Japanese arcades in less than two weeks (the 18th). Hopefully, some arcades here at SoCal are willing to pony up for the new board a month or two after. While I'm still bummed that the console versions are coming out in Fall 2009 rather than the the summertime, it will be a feature-complete fighter like previous games. Then again, there are rumors that Namco might go the console exclusive character route again for Tekken just like Soul Calibur IV and honestly, there's enough characters (like 30+) in Tekken 6 BR, and why are they adding more just to get more sales (Well, this ploy worked for Soul Calibur IV). Anyway, here's the latest trailer from an Atari European event (they're publishing it at Europe) and what looks to be the new intro with Jin riding on the bike doing crazy things and then meeting up with Kazuya to maybe finish it all. It's just crazy that Street Fighter IV came out on arcades later than Tekken 6 and it is coming out for consoles before Tekken, which shows which company is handling their franchise right or wrong I guess. I just hope Namco doesn't screw up the Tekken franchise like they pretty much did with Soul Calibur personally (compare that to Capcom's handling of the Street Fighter machine these days with SSF2T HD Remix out and kicking ass and SF IV taking over my life soon).

The best week of Rock Band DLC comes out next week...

Okay, it is not really the best batch of songs as Rock Band DLC ever, but close enough to me since the highly anticipated No Doubt compilation (Basically their Greatest Hits album, The Singles 1992-2003,) comes out on Tuesday for 360 owners and Thursday on PSN. The 13 songs are indeed the best of the best from them.

• "Just A Girl"
• "Its My Life"
• "Hey Baby"
• "Bathwater"
• "Sunday Morning"
• "Hella Good"
• "Underneath It All"
• "Excuse Me Mr."
• "Running"
• "Spiderwebs"
• "Simple Kind of Life"
• "Don't Speak"
• "Ex-Girlfriend"

I'm really curious how the Rock Steady stuff will play out in Rock Band 2 since most of their singles are not really rock at first glance. For the females that are worried about the lack of songs catered to them, this is just perfect and will be amazing for parties. Now thanks to this pack of songs, I should have another big gathering soon to test these songs out.

Guitar Hero WT finally gets the right Pumpkins song...

Even though I prefer Rock Band 2 than Guitar Hero World Tour in terms of rhythm game to get this holiday season (Guitar Hero 5 already happening next year = Boo!!!), some of GHWT's DLC is actually pretty good songs-wise (chart-wise is a toss-up) like this Smashing Pumpkins Pack that came out today. "1979" headlines the pack and probably the other popular mainstream Pumpkins song that has not been available on these games (You can argue for other Pumpkins songs) till now. Now I won't mind "1979" in Rock Band 2 someday, but who knows when that will happen. At least next week for Rock Band DLC is the No Doubt compilation pack (Likely, not confirmed yet), which I will buy in a heartbeat.

Plus, my Halo 360 is back (Finally!!!) and working.

Numerous reasons MvC2 is broken...

This combo video contains numerous reasons why Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is a "broken" fighting game yet people like me still love it. This game just has too many combinations and possibilities, which is why videos like this can happen. Of course, MvC2 is a high-tier fest in tournament play. but coming up with crazy combos like here is just another tip of the iceberg for this eight-year old fighter.

More time trials for Mirror's Edge soon...

Nuevos mapas para Mirror´s Edge from Electronic Arts on Vimeo.

The first downloadable content for Mirror's Edge is shown in this clip which is more trials, but not in the city the game is set at. Instead, these time trials feel like MGS VR Missions style levels in some random spot. This DLC is expected to come out next month and who knows if it is PS3 exclusive or not since they were promised exclusive DLC.

The definitive fighter for the fans by the fans... The Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Review

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix has been through a lot since its announcement in the beginning of last year. You can tell that it is Capcom's biggest and most ambitious downloadable game to date considering how popular the original Super Turbo is for fourteen years. From the new art courtesy of Udon Comics, the folks that also do the art for the Street Fighter comic books, and the new rebalanced gameplay that was consulted by professional players, this ain't your ordinary downloadable game or port. This HD Remix feels like a high budgeted fan-made project for the fans that is still fun and nearly perfect as a fighting game. As if Street Fighter is back in a big way with Street Fighter IV, Super Turbo HD is a reminder why fighting games are still around and its renaissance has just begun.

The biggest purpose for this HD Remix is the rebalanced gameplay since the original Super Turbo was fairly unbalanced for a while. Higher tier characters like Balrog and Dhalsim dominated while low tiers Cammy, T. Hawk, and Fei Long struggle to compete among the rest of the roster. Lots of changes have taken place for this rebalance even though most of them don't seem so obvious at the gate. While it still plays the Super Turbo we all know and love for more than a decade, the new changes make it a completely different game and there is a reason to use every character because they were changed mostly for the better. Some characters gained new moves like Ryu's fake fireball and Bison's fake slide while the majority of the cast have easier inputs for their special moves. For example, Zangier and T. Hawk are even dangerous with their simpler commands for their special throws and E. Honda can absorb fireballs with his jab Sumo Headbutt. Akuma is also now playable and balanced enough to be a viable character like he is in later Street Fighter games, but he is still difficult to beat in the single player arcade mode. If you're not a fan of the new changes, you can still play HD Remix the classic way and it is still as good as it was in the 90s, but the new changes do make the rebalanced mode more fun for veterans and friendly to newcomers.

ST HD Remix offers single and multiplayer modes typical of the fighting genre with the standard 12-stage arcade mode of defeating eight opponents and then the four bosses (Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison). In the original Super Turbo, the difficulty was notoriously hard with the computer A.I. nailing combos and reversal attacks like nothing as if they were human characters. Now in HD Remix, the difficulty is toned down to an easier level as if it is a warmup for the online mayhem. Speaking of the online multiplayer, it is the best online fighting game out now with the best netcode for a fighter (near GGPO-like) with lagless matches. The online's structure is the normal quick and ranked match options along with the quarter match feature that was in the disappointing XBLA port of Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting. There is also a tournament mode to set up brackets of players to match up. Of course, your connection does matter when playing online, but my experience online has been nearly perfect despite some laggy moments, disconnects, and random bugs revolving the display of health meters and the screen itself.

Graphically, this HD Remix feels like a whole new game thanks to the new art done by Udon. The move animations still feel the same as they were fourteen years ago with these new sprites and even the projectiles and flame effects are unchanged. The stages themselves are also remade with the new art and now the detail is there in the background of various people doing random things. The game also goes widescreen because of being HD and still looks beautiful as if it is a comic book on whatever size TV it is on. Even the endings are remade with the new art to tell the characters' stories better. For purists, you can still turn on the old sprites for the characters, but the stages don't go back to their original ways so the old sprites in the remade backgrounds feel out of place.

As for the sound, a new soundtrack was made specifically for this HD Remix courtesy of Overclocked Remix, a recognized group of remixers for video game music. It is perhaps the greatest soundtrack for a fighting game with these remixed tunes using different genres of music from the rocking Ken BGM, the jazzy Vegas-themed Balrog BGM, and the epicness of Fei Long's stage. Even though it may not feel like true fighting game music for some, these tunes are simply good enough to play even in everyday activities. If you're not a fan of the remixed music, there is still the old-school music to bust out to if you prefer that. The sound effects and voices remain unchanged, but I am bothered when I usually hear the left side player's voice and don't hear the right side player's voice at all. Also, some voices were changed for the better like Guile's Sonic Boom voice returning to his old Street Fighter II ways and even a new announcer, but other nitpicky sound bugs like the music not playing sometimes when playing online matches prevent this amazing game from perfection.

Even though Street Fighter IV will be the true second coming of Street Fighter II and the center of the fighting game renaissance, Super Turbo HD Remix is how a remake should be handled when in the right hands. It is the definitive fighter for the fans by the fans from the rebalanced gameplay allowing the whole roster to be competitive, the new art by Udon, and the awesome remixed soundtrack. For 1200 Microsoft Points (or fifteen bucks), you're getting a lot of game out of this HD Remix for fighting game fans. There is enough depth for newcomers to try the game since it is easier to pull off some moves and supers for the majority of characters while veterans have to adjust to the changes that some old tricks might not fly in this remix. Despite some bugs and sound issues, HD Remix is close to perfection as a downloadable game and a complete package and it is the perfect time to play fighting games again.

Score = 9.5/10

Pros:

• Amazing rebalanced gameplay allowing the whole roster of characters to be competitive
• The new art by Udon comics make the game feel like an actual comic book
• Even with the rebalanced characters, the game is still as deep as ever
• A special remixed soundtrack that feels like a tribute to the original tunes.
• The best online netcode for a fighting game that is near GGPO level

Cons:

• Various sound issues like the 2P side not saying anything
• Random bugs like weird health meters and black screens do happen

The Trailer for the Evo 2K8 DVDs

This trailer is indeed hype with the influence being from a Nike commercial earlier this year. It is for the Evo 2k8 DVD set remembering the greatness that it is the Evolution Championships. I actually never been to one yet and I hope to some day. The games featured are Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Super SFII Turbo, Tekken 5 DR, SFIII: 3rd Strike, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I think this will be the last year with that constient lineup of fighters since the genre to off to new and perhaps better things. My hopeful Evo 2k9 lineup will be... (the major games likely)

• Street Fighter IV
• Super SFII Turbo HD Remix (replacing old ST)
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl
• SFIII: 3rd Strike (people still play this)
• Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion (hoping console versions will be out at that time.

Missing there is Soul Calibur IV, BlazBlue, Virtua Fighter 5 R, King of Fighters XII, and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom since Evo does use console versions rather than the arcade versions. The Soul Calibur games don't really a great turnout at this tournament as well as the Virtua Fighter games, but enough people are there to do it even though it won't be like the turnout for MvC2 or SFIV. Plus, who knows when the console versions of BlazBlue and King of Fighters XII will come out and if before Evo, then they will be in some way or another. As for TvC, we'll see how many people here are willing to buy Japanese Wiis since this game is out next week at Japan and for the arcades too.