Well I haven't blogged here in a month, but I'm now done with college (graduating this Sunday) and I guess I can do this thing for a bit more especially E3 being next week (Note - My Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review will be up after E3 and also pending if I 100% the game by then too). Then again, the show pretty much started with previews after previews of some of the big games for the upcoming year before the floor opens. I will be a stream monster for the big three press conferences on Monday and Tuesday, so expect recaps of those after they're done as Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are saving the big guns for them (Natal, 3DS, Move, more first-party stuff, etc.). In the meantime, with these all previews and trailers rolling out before the show, its a good time to present my three games of the show before the show even starts in no particular order.
Rock Band 3 - One of the more impressive games to expect to be a contender to be best of show next week is Harmonix's next big entry in their Rock Band franchise, which is well Rock Band 3. It looks like the extra year off letting spin-offs like The Beatles and Green Day do the work was worth it as they are going the extra mile in attempt to revitalize the rhythm game genre, which they made popular again. The obvious new addition is a fifth instrument, which is the keyboard, adding a whole new dimension to the game as I'm very curious how it will turn out when the final version is in shelves. Other additions such as the revamped career mode, Pro difficulties for all of the instruments seems like it is going in the right direction. I'm already expecting RB3 to be my return to the genre after almost two years off of owning one of these damn games with plastic instruments as it comes out this fall.
Mortal Kombat (reboot) - This has been a crazy week for Mortal Kombat fans from the teaser of a possible movie that will likely be greenlighted due to the word of mouf from the internets to this trailer of the new game. This is a reboot of the legendary franchise still by Ed Boon and his team of people, but now WB is publishing it and its good news for fans. It is already making a good impression because it is bringing back truly to its 2D roots of gameplay with no 3D shenanigans or gimmicky fatalities. It is more bringing back to what Mortal Kombat was meant to be in the first place: violent, gory, simple, and fun. Most of the characters in the game are from the original series of games and it is best it stayed that way roster-wise. From the trailer, some elements from the recent games are there like air combos and other things, but it is 2D MK at its finest. It is coming out next year and fans are already pumped for MK to become relevant again in the fighting game genre, but I'm sure serious fighting game fans that play competitively won't care, but MK is all about being fun and casual.
I expect Marvel vs. Capcom 3 to have a huge showing next week even though it won't get game of the show honors. The new trailer shows the characters revealed so far as well as Dante and Deadpool going at it. Some of the big boys of the fighting game community will be there to try it out as I'm looking forward to see what they think of it so far. Has it gone too simplified like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, or some of that Marvel 2 is still there for us to be excited about? If Dante and Deadpool are playable, how will they crossover to the fighting game world gameplay wise? It is still my most anticipated game for now even though it is out next year as well.
That's it for now... more from E3 next week party people!
Street Fighter IV not only brought back the legendary franchise to amazing success, it made fighting games famous again as the community is now as strong as it ever was before. It was only a matter of time when Capcom decided to expand upon what the original game started by adding more of everything while balancing out what was in before. Super Street Fighter IV is that answer as a significant upgrade and enough to make the vanilla game obsolete. All the additions from the ten new characters, new prologues and endings for the arcade mode, and the new online modes all for 40 dollars make this arguably the best deal of the year for anyone that is interested in Street Fighter. Last year's best fighting game just got a whole lot better and there is enough for newcomers, veterans, and the competitive community as Super Street Fighter IV is just that good.
With the ten new characters, the character roster is now at an astounding number of 35. Only two of them of completely new characters, which are Juri and Hakan. Juri is the first Korean character to appear in a Street Fighter game as her style is pretty unique with dive kicks, fireballs, and even a custom combo ultra. Hakan is perhaps the most weird character in the franchise with his oiling up gimmick. His Turkish wrestling style is also unlike anything we have seen in past Street Fighter games as well. Along with Juri and Hakan, eight characters from previous games make their return in Super. Dee Jay and T. Hawk from Super Turbo, Cody, Guy, Adon from the Alpha series, and Dudley, Makoto, and Ibuki from the Street Fighter III series all make their returns. All these new characters made the translation to Super very well as they play pretty close to their previous incarnations. Of course those who were serious with the Street Fighter III characters from 3rd Strike would have to readjust their game with those characters since this still does not have parries like those games had.
The core fighting mechanics didn't really change that much in Super Street Fighter IV as it still plays like vanilla SF4 with the focus attack, the EX meters, and the ultra combos. The main addition though to the core gameplay though is that all of the 35 characters get a second ultra at their disposal in which they have to choose which one to stick with at the character select screen. These second ultras can be as much as a game changer with their first ultras as if they change up the character matchups dramatically. Ryu for example has his second ultra, the Metsu Shoryuken, which eliminates his FADC Ultra 1 combo as a viable option, but is now more dangerous up close and deal even more big damage with his new ultra. More characters even have more setups and combos that can lead up to their Ultras, which makes more useful than just throwing them out praying they will hit. Other than the second ultras, it is the little changes that count towards balancing the game from vanilla SF4, such as Sagat's Tiger Uppercut damage being nerfed even though he has a new Angry Scar move that would increase damage on his next one. Super SF4 is still as simple to play for newcomers to hop in, but still deep enough for tournament players to grasp learning all the matchups and executing some new tricks.
The arcade mode remains unchanged, other than new prologues and endings for all characters, with eight stages against the computer with some characters getting new rival battles and then culminating with Seth unless you perform specific things to fight Akuma or Gouken after defeating Seth, who is not as bad as he was in vanilla SF4 as a last boss. The versus and training modes are pretty self-explanatory being there for your needs. The trials return from vanilla as well, but the other challenge modes like time attack and survival are gone, which you have to unlock colors and taunts for everyone a different way that is much easier just by playing as those characters a certain amount of times. Bonus stages also make a return from past games as they basically the Street Fighter II ones redone with the current graphics with the car smashing and barrel breaking. The major improvement in the mode department though for Super from vanilla is going online as there are more options of how to play along with various community features too. The online play now consists of your normal ranked matches, but the endless battle and team battle modes are new and necessary additions if you are tired of just playing ranked matches. The lack of a player match is somewhat weird, but it is still in endless battle, which is basically your quarter match style approach of two guys fighting while people have to wait in line just like the arcades. Team battle is pretty straightforward with a Pokemon approach as there are opportunities to OCV (one character victory) a whole team. The online play for the most part has improved with better matchmaking as you don't need to search around a selection of matches anymore compared to vanilla and the the game does a good job of managing lag if things get out of hand. The last major feature that has improved is the replay channel as it is pretty much a YouTube of sorts for Street Fighter watching matches you recorded as well as other ones too as there are specific channels dedicated to certain characters, so you see how others would play those characters as well as learning what to do and not do in certain situations.
Graphically, Super Street Fighter IV does not look much different from the original game as the same style is still being used, but the new characters look great with their transition from their previous appearances. The prologues and endings are still done in anime style, but most of them are stilled, which is a minor gripe. The presentation does get an overhaul though with better looking menus showcasing the characters along with other things being streamlined like the titles and icons, which also make a return from vanilla SF4. The new stages though look beautiful and give the game more diversity like the Construction stage that is reminiscent of Final Fight, and an African stage that takes place during a solar eclipse with animals as well, but the old stages are still in and as good looking as they were before. Most of the soundtrack is also intact too in Super, but now everyone has their background theme song that sound similar to their original tune back in their glory days. These character themes can finally be played during normal fights now just by turning on the arranged music if you're tired of the normal music in the stages, which they still sound just as good. The character voices also can be customized just like the last game with English and Japanese voices as even with the new characters, their English voices can be hit and miss, so it is still preferable to all with the Japanese voices even though Cody in English is better than Japanese as an example. I also don't mind the new announcer too, but the "Indestructible" theme song is gone in which some are sad about that.
Super Street Fighter IV is everything you could of asked for that was missing in the original game. More characters are in which range from some of your favorites from past games. Various character tweaks to balance out the gameplay this time around are for the better as Capcom did a job for the most part of making this fair with no one character dominating as low-tier characters struggle to get things going as each character still be dangerous in their own way. The story is not as bad going through arcade mode with the various characters as the endings make somewhat sense for some. The online experience, however, is improved significantly with more modes like endless and team battles and community features with the replay channel that will keep players busy for weeks, months, and maybe even years especially with each character getting their own ranking level along with your own overall ranking. The amazing thing is that all of this is 40 dollars as you could not ask for a better deal for that. Even if at standard price, it is still worth it even though most of the game is a year older. If you are at least interested in Street Fighter or fighting games at the slightest bit, Super Street Fighter IV comes under the highest recommendation as you could not thought Capcom can make it better, but they did, which is truly an amazing feat for today's standards.
Score = 10/10
Pros:
10 new characters and they're as much fun to play as the original cast. There is always someone in that roster that will fit your playstyle.
The gameplay changes like various balance tweaks and the addition of the second ultras make things way more deeper learning the matchups.
The online experience has significantly improved with more modes, better matchmaking, and replays.
Graphics and music remain unchanged, but the new tracks and improved presentation are superb too.
Cons:
Uhhh... none unless you're not a fan of Street Fighter or the genre at all.
Off-Topic though - Expect my review of Super Street Fighter IV sometime this week... already put 40+ hours into it after a week and had my first real session with that game at Arcade Infinity last night with the likes of Alex Valle, Gootecks, Fuson909, Moval, Cicada, Keno, and more. Currently, I'm rocking Dee Jay out of the new characters, but my existing mains from vanilla are getting major usage. I'm just grinding it out getting everyone's colors and taunts to not worry about them and got most of the trials done with everyone. Its just now the online and getting serious with it.
After Burner Climax has been around for four years at the arcades marking a return of the franchise from the old Master System and Genesis days for Sega. It was able to bring the franchise to this current generation of games maintaining his simplicity yet brutal difficulty. It is definitely a true Sega arcade game then and even now with its short fun and the ability to play it with a moving seat and a flight stick as a true arcade experience. After a long wait, Climax finally gets released on consoles as a downloadable game for the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network as it maintains the simple gameplay Sega arcade games have been known for years, but loses that true experience only arcades have.
This is a straight port of Climax as the arcade game remains intact from beginning to end and not much modes have been added in the console versions. There are still three planes to choose from of various colors and you're ready to roll through all the 20+ stages (you're not going to go through all the stages in one run as there are branching paths) in mere minutes as long as you can stay alive. Even though it is still simple to pick up and play locking on at the opposition firing away missiles at will, it is still a brutally difficult game at default settings as you are bound to got shot down numerous times before figuring out when to dodge missiles and enemy patterns. The big addition to Climax compared to past After Burner games is the ability to slow down into Climax mode, which is basically bullet time allowing to quickly lock on enemies during this limited period and taking all of them out. Also in this entry is specific emergency orders, in which there are bonus missions to take out specific aircraft for more points. Completing these will matter on which ending you'll get after a single run through the game, which doesn't take long (more like ten to fifteen minutes). At default settings, the game is indeed hard as I mentioned earlier, but there are EX Options that can be unlocked performing specific things a number of times allowing the game to become easier such as more lives, a bigger cursor, and more. There's also a Score Attack mode with infinite lives where you have the opportunity to get a high score with no EX Options on. All in all, After Burner Climax is still a blast to play on a controller as much as a flight stick at the arcades.
It is also important to mention how beautiful this game looks four years later. The in-game action looks and runs very smoothly at a consistent frame rate of 60 frames per second with barely no slowdown at all. Seeing all the carnage you unleash on the opposition is a great feeling especially when your aircraft is going at ridiculously fast speeds like a true fighter jet. For those that get easily dizzy when playing, this game may not be for you especially with a game going so fast along with all the barrel rolls your aircraft will do to avoid enemy fire just like the arcade experience of the moving seat. As for the music, it is your classical Sega-like rock music you expect out of their arcade games, which is good for the most part, but the in-game chatter of your comrades can get a bit annoying telling you to brake and such. If you don't want the default music on, there is an option to turn on the After Burner II music straight up from these days for old-school purposes along with that "fire" sound effect every time you fire missiles.
After Burner Climax is one of those arcade games you would want to play in short stretches as a normal playthrough would take less than fifteen minutes at the most. Since it is that short, it is always to nice to play here and there unless you're willing to go after those high scores to climb up the online leaderboards on score attack mode. At first, the game will be difficult to complete in one go as the EX Options does make things way easier to rack up a high score and stay alive. Even four years later, the game still looks great and arguably better than most retail games out today since it is Sega AM2 as they know how to make the arcade experience as smooth as they can especially with 60 frames per second even when going as fast like a true fighter jet. If you want classic arcade style gameplay, then there is no hesitation to buy After Burner Climax at its ten dollar price tag.
Score = 8.5/10
Pros:
Classic arcade-style gameplay (feels like a true Sega arcade game)
It looks and runs beautifully at 60 FPS when at the aircraft's fastest speeds
EX Options make the hard game easier for those that can't pass it in default settings
Cons:
The game is really short (10-15 minutes), so after numerous playthroughs in one session, it can get old, so its better to play it in short stretches
The in-game chatter can be annoying hearing them every second
What is now a dream for ten years is now a reality as the rumors are put to rest with Marvel vs. Capcom 3 being official. The teaser trailer shows off the Marvel and Capcom logos (teasing other characters in the video?) and then it goes off comic-booky style with Ryu, Wolverine, Morrigan, Iron Man, Hulk, and Chris Redfield from the Resident Evil franchise. The last clip shows off the gameplay engine which is more Tatsunoko vs. Capcom like with the visuals as the engine is based off Capcom's MT Framework. Now the wait begins for this highly anticipated title...
Note - I had footage of me playing these games, but I guess it didn't turn out well. Here's my video in case y'all still want to see it.
Capcom knows how to do old-school right in this current generation of consoles especially on the downloadable services like Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network from Bionic Commando Rearmed, Mega Man 9 and 10, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Their latest downloadable offering is Final Fight: Double Impact, a fantastic retro package that consists of the early 90s beat-em ups Final Fight and Magic Sword. These two games were great brawlers in the arcades during the early 1990s and these two together are still blasts to play today. For what you are paying, there is plenty of retro goodness with challenges, GGPO-like online play, and lots of fanservice for fans of the games as well as Capcom in general.
Final Fight is the star of this package as it is the arcade version from beginning to end. If you don't know the simple story to this classic, something is wrong with you if you're around in the 90s that skipped on it. Anyway, Metro City Mayor Mike Haggar's daughter, Jessica, gets kidnapped by the Mad Gear Gang as it is up to him, Cody, and Guy to save her. Since it is an old-school beat-em-up, the game is obviously not that long, but definitely a coin guzzler at the time. Good thing there is unlimited continues, so its easy to breeze through as an experience, but players would be pushed to play through it without continuing. Each character has their advantages and weaknesses as Guy is faster, but does not produce much damage, Cody being the middle ground, and Haggar being slower, but can produce more damage especially when grabbing enemies pile driving them at will. Final Fight is still as good as it was back in the day being simple to play, but hard to master beating up the Mad Gear Gang. Magic Sword is the other game of the bunch and while it may seem like an odd addition to this package, it is actually also as fun as Final Fight, but in a different fantasy-like setting. The simple goal in this game is you have to transverse through a castle of 50 floors to save your land from evil hands with a choice at the end of going with the good or evil ending. Unlike Final Fight however, Magic Sword is a little more chaotic with lots of things going on screen with your hero character and minions that have to be freed by various keys. The different helpers from giants, wizards, knights, and ninjas provide a good hand for a temporary time, but your sword is still your main weapon especially with various magic spells being used depending on which minion you have following you. Double Impact has specific challenges for both games giving them more replay value where you have to do certain objectives to unlock things in the Vault from getting a certain score in a level, finding the secret rooms in Magic Sword, and so on. Unlockables on the vault range from fan art of the games, Street Fighter comics, and even the Final Fight episode of the Street Fighter cartoon that was on the USA channel in the 90s.
Being that Double Impact offers the arcade versions of Final Fight and Magic Sword, Capcom and Proper Games definitely did a great job of recapturing the arcade experience. Co-op can be played either locally or online with obviously another player. Recapturing that arcade experience allows for drop in drop out play just like you're slipping in quarters back in the day. If you're worried that the online will be laggy, don't be since the network code is based off GGPO, the infamous code used to play old fighting games on the computer. With GGPO, you are pretty much getting lagless gameplay as it performs better than most network codes out there. Hopefully, more games use this code as it is just a start for its console appearances. Surely, it is always better beating down the opposition with another person as much as playing them alone trying to complete challenges. The online experience, however, can be perhaps mixed as someone would leave the game right off as you join as if they forgot to change their settings of how people would join your game either by anyone, invite only, or none at all. Also, players are just willing to do challenges for specific levels or just go straight to the end of the game, so it could be rare to find another random person to play a whole game with you meaning its best to play these games with a friend that is willing to go all the way.
Graphically, the two games are arcade perfect, but it depends on the customization of how you want the games look. On default, there is the cabinet mode where the actual arcade cabinet is the border for the games. There is also options for widescreen, no cabinet, and filters as seen in the downloadable release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 last year. For this new release, the soundtracks are remastered for both games and they are arguably one of the better remade soundtracks for any old-school game in recent memory as it sounds modern while maintaining that old-school feel. The other sound effects of hitting, item grabbing, etc. remain unchanged from their original releases.
Final Fight: Double Impact is another great example by Capcom of how to treat your old-school games right as other publishers and developers around that time should take notes. The arcade experience has been recaptured to the best of their ability with drop in/drop out play, great network code thanks to GGPO, and enough replay value to play the games numerous times with the challenges to unlock goodies on the vault. The remastered soundtracks for both Final Fight and Magic Sword are also another highlight of this package even though there is an option to play the original music instead. Sure, after unlocking everything in this release, there isn't much to do and playing these games too much in a single day can get draining and repetitive even though they're both short beat-em-ups. For ten dollars, you can't go wrong with Final Fight: Double Impact if you still love the old-school and you're a Capcom fan seeing all the references used in the games that have followed them especially in Final Fight.
Score = 8.5/10
Pros:
Two great beat-em-ups in one package
The arcade experience has been recaptured with drop-in/drop-out online play
GGPO network code lives up its name for this release
Remastered soundtracks are among one of the better remade soundtracks today
Cons:
After unlocking everything in the vault, there isn't much to do other than play them for nostalgic reasons.
Just wanted to mention my gaming plans for this month and surprisingly its quite stacked for me.
Final Fight Double Impact (April 15 on PSN)
Skate 3 Demo (April 15 on PSN)
After Burner Climax (April 22 on PSN)
Super Street Fighter IV Launch Party on April 23?
Obviously... Super Street Fighter IV (April 27)
UFC 2010 Undisputed Demo at the end of the month?
Expect reviews of Final Fight Double Impact, After Burner Climax, and of course Super SF4 soon as well as UStreams of all this stuff too. In the meantime, here's a superb After Burner Climax run on the arcades below.
