The Original SF2 Cast set for Street Fighter 4 (More pics)

This pic is currently my wallpaper on my desktop now because it is pretty funny. Ryu's facial animation is just priceless as Bison teleports to give him the look. Other Bison pics show his Psycho Crusher and his Dive attack he usually does after the Head Stomp if u press punch. Bison's special moves having EX versions just seem nuts for now.

Here is Sagat's Tiger Uppercut during his Ultra combo. I have seen it action and it seems like a crazy version of the Tiger Genocide, which is the Tiger Knees to Tiger Uppercuts. Like Bison, Sagat's EX specials are nuts too with a multi-hit Tiger Knee and multi-hit Tiger Uppercuts similar to Super SFII Turbo and the Street Fighter Alpha series.

Here's Vega and he is a brunette in this one compared to being blonde in previous games. So far from what I read, he seems the same as previous SF games with Rolling Claw and the Flying Barcelona now having EX versions, which seems crazy.

Lastly, here's Balrog, the infamous boxer who was high tier in Super Turbo. He retains his same old moves now with EX versions. I just can't imagine EX Crouch Dash Punches or even EX Flying Headbutts if it is way safe against projectiles.

Well, the original 12 from Street Fighter 2 are set for Street Fighter 4 and Capcom is still revealing more characters and stages towards its summer release at Japanese arcades. Location tests might continue there to reveal anything new. Akuma is a sure safe choice to be in SF4 while some new ones are still probably waiting to be shown. Fans want Cammy in and I think is a sure bet too since this game needs more ladies and Capcom promises more of them in this one, so we'll see if they deliver on that front. Otherwise, Street Fighter 4 is still awesome and I hope it makes an appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con this summer or likely this year's Evolution tournament this August at Las Vegas.

Kojima messing with our minds again....

So this trailer surfaced today being related to Metal Gear Solid 4 and many questions have rose with Hideo Kojima continuing to mess with fans' minds. Is Shadow Moses in MGS4? Is this a PSN Metal Gear Solid HD remake? Some signs point to this whole scene being in MGS4 in some way being Young Snake while it was all a dream for Old Snake. Well, we are six weeks away from finding out anyway, so wait till then.

Time to Rise Down and listen to The Roots

Apparently, this album didn't make Tuesday's Music Roundup since I wasn't aware that The Roots's Rising Down came out this week, so it deserves its own post. Their new album is pretty good maintaining their own style of hip-hop (Well, Questlove is pretty dope) and a great cast of cameo appearances from Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Common. Sure, they don't have the mainstream pop they used to have with previous hits like "The Next Movement" and Break You Off," yet they continue to make good hip-hop music to please their fans. My current favorites are "Get Busy" and "75 Bars" since they already have music videos for those games being familiar to them. The intro and outro both felt a little weird at first, but I think I'll eventually get used to them. This is my album pick of the week for those that are looking to download something good.

Music Video of the Day (4/30/08): Busta and LP

Okay, I was a day late on this one, but here's the video for Busta Rhymes and Linkin Park's video for "We Made It." This is also my first time listening to the song and even though it is a Busta song, it felt more like a Linkin Park song instead (looks like Mike Shinoda produced it). The video itself is a little basic promoting the simple message of "making it." It is quite different for Busta (The Big Bang being sort of a return to form for him to me). I'm curious to see if his new album, Blessed, will retain what makes Busta the rapper he is, but this song feels a little pop-ish to me.

Music Roundup for 4/29/08

This week's Music Roundup focuses on a new song from one of my favorite bands and the soundtrack from GTA IV.

We start with a new song from Coldplay called "Violent Hill" for their new album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. I only listened to this song once and it seems different from previous stuff, but I approve of change. Coldplay's albums are pretty good, specifically A Rush in the Blood of the Head. X&Y wasn't that bad, but it could of been better. Well, this is another album I'm looking forward to this year I guess.

Lastly, I'm talking about GTA IV again, mainly its amazing soundtrack. Rockstar delivers again with this one being a mix mash of old and new. For now, I have been listening to the hip hop and R&B radio stations since I know the songs. The soundtrack CD that comes with the Special Edition contains the exclusive songs when I couldn't find them to download. Sure, you will find certain hits like Flashing Lights, Ne-Yo's Because of You and R. Kelly's Bump & Grind. Then there's the other genres of music u will find, which are good stuff too. I'll probably mention more about the music in my review, so wait till then.

That's it for the Music Roundup, so I'll be back next week for more maybe.

A Day in the Life at Liberty City (Part 1)

Today is the big day that Grand Theft Auto IV is out and I actually did get it at midnight over at a nearby GameStop while waiting in a line for nearly three hours (I came early since the line did get pretty long around 10 pm). I woke up and booted up to see if it works and it does only to turn it off three hours later after doing some missions here and there. So far, I'm loving it a lot even though the missions themselves are not much yet till later in the game (probably when I start getting missions at Manhattan). The driving feels different than what you're used to in past GTA games, but it was worth getting used to. I haven't done much shooting yet since the missions at the beginning are not really focused on that. The story already feels like something special with Niko being the awesome dude he is even from the beginning (I stopped after rescuing Ivan, which is not much for now). I like the fact there are branching paths now as with the last mission I finished, so it is cool to explore different sides (or just having multiple saves). Then again, I died a few times already and the punishment wasn't much going to the hospital keeping my weapons and losing not much money. At the same time, I didn't get busted yet either. I can see why Niko is chasing the American Dream being at Liberty City for the first time and feels screwed by Roman telling him all those things, and I can relate to him in some ways of trying to make it in this society we live in. 

Good thing my copy has not screwed up yet even though some folks over at NeoGAF seem to have some problems with their game (majority is PS3 version for now I think). The 360 version, meanwhile, looks great and pop-in appearing time to time. The casual activities like bowling, going to the strip club, and getting drunk are quite fun (especially drunk driving being all blurry and stuff causing me to drive conservatively since I was on a date with Michelle going to the bar). Even with 3 hours so far in this new Liberty City, I feel like I done a lot in that time with the cell phone system being an awesome addition and watching TV can kill some time since some of the shows (especially with San Andreas references from Las Venturas) commercials can be interesting at times. I already encountered good moments already with people hanging on your front door of your car after u steal it from them while listening to Flashing Lights.

I'm probably done for the day playing GTA IV (maybe later which is pending). I love the Special Edition and how it is all packaged in one small box. The duffel bag is not as big as I thought, which is okay, and the lockbox is cool too. Let's just say it is going to be a while till I done with this one and Mario Kart Wii is already pushed to the side due to GTA IV's awesomeness (shockingly GameSpot gave it a 10 too).

A Day full of Spike Shells & Lightning Bolts

Today, I got Mario Kart Wii and played the hell out of it (Well, I got it at midnight). So far, I made significant progress especially with GTA IV around the corner. Basically, most of my six-to-eight-ish hours was in the Grand Prix mode beating all cups on 50 cc, 100 cc, and 150 cc. I realized it takes some work to get all the unlockables (kind of like SSB Brawl), but that can wait for a later time. Once I stuck with the Nunchuk/Wiimote control option, its more likely I'm staying with it, but I'll try the wheel out in a later day.

As with Nintendo games with a multiplayer focus like this, the single player GP mode is grinding to unlock everything. 50 cc and 100 cc are breezes for veterans, but 150 cc and Mirror will need some luck to pass by especially when the rubberband A.I. is just simply overboard with spike shells and lightning bolts likely hitting you while in first place. Then again, the traditional Mario Kart formula is there in full force and if you're hoping for a significant overhaul like what Double Dash did, you're not going to find it there.

The difference between karts and bikes is not that much other than size and levels of drift since the karts have two levels rather than bikes with the blue only boost. Personally, I prefer bikes right now because of the wheelies for more speed. Surprisingly, there are more ways to gain speed in this Wii iteration to spice up the action with drafting when it works when you're directly behind an opposing racer and gaining boost after nailing tricks. Speaking of the trick system, it is simple to pull off shaking the Wiimote even though your wrist will start to feel it doing that many times. Actually, the sound effects were too loud and annoying on my Wiimote speaker (Well, I had it at max) making me turn it down a little bit because there's a lot of speaker usage. Mario Kart is also known for dirty comebacks and the agony of defeat getting the lucky item towards victory (Stars or Golden Mushrooms for example) or a Bullet Bill barely beating you at the finish line. 

I'll mention the graphics on my review, but so far it is marginally improved over Double Dash. I haven't tried the online yet, but I downloaded the Mario Kart Channel for my Wii Menus just in case. I did give local multiplayer a shot and that's a totally different story and perhaps one of my biggest disappointments in the game. The framerate differences are way noticeable and splitscreen with 4 players is where it matters for that. For 2 players, it is not that bad framerate wise being similar to the single player action, and who knows online since u can have another player along for the ride. I haven't tried battle mode yet and that's also disappointing being team based with big maps.

I guess I better save what I still have left in my mind regarding Mario Kart Wii for my review soon.