Posts Tagged ‘Fighting’
One of Tatsunoko vs Capcom’s characters revealed
Capcom has come forth today to speak of their forthcoming Wii title Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars. They aren’t giving us any gameplay details but instead a glimpse of one of the game’s new characters.
According to GameSpot, this new character goes by the name of Tekkaman Blade and can be seen giving Ryu a slash attack in the above screen shot.
Capcom’s Tatsunoko vs Capcom will be out for the Nintendo Wii on December 1st, 2009.
Read (GameSpot)
Castlevania: Judgment Game Review–An Enormous Disappointment
When I first saw a copy of Castlevania: Judgment on the shelves, I had a brief interlude of wistful memories of my boyhood, playing eight-bit Simon Belmont, taking on legions of ghouls and other assorted monsters in a flurry of whip-cracking, heart-finding action and adventure. I even began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the Wii would manage to do something commonly regarded as impossible and give me a taste of my childhood back.
Imagine my shock when all they managed to deliver was a cheesy fighting game.
The plot is downright baffling in its over-complexity, and requires that you have a basic understanding of pretty much the entire series in order to fully grasp it. I’ll do my best to sum up here: Galamoth, a recurring character from earlier Castlevania installments as well as something called “Kid Dracula”, is out to destroy his rival Dracula (oh, that makes sense, kind of) by sending something called the Time Reaper ten thousand years into the past to take care of Dracula while he was still just Kid Dracula. Anyway, this doesn’t sit well with a time traveler from earlier games named Aeon, who uses his time travel capacities to gather up a whole legion of possible “heroes” to defeat the Time Reaper and keep the timeline as it is. Thus, you’ll pick one of Aeon’s possibilities and start beating the hell out of everybody you come across to prove that you are sufficiently The Ham What Am enough to go and take out the Time Reaper.
Basically, this is Soul Calibur with a completely different set of licensed characters, and for the Wii. I’ll tell you straight out, this is not the best kind of game for the Wii to actually put out. Why? Because my arm hurt like crazy after just one fight. You walk in as Simon Belmont himself, and you KNOW what weapon Simon Belmont has.
Yeah, a WHIP; thus, you know exactly what you’re doing in order to fight your opponents—you’re pulling your arm back and snapping it forward almost relentlessly. And your opponents aren’t shy about blocking, either—it might take you a few dozen hits in order to actually win a fight. Oh, sure, you can use different controllers to take down some of the strain on your arm and shoulder, but then all you’re left with is just another fighter game with some different licensed characters and not a whole lot in the way of good storytelling. Sure, there are some unlockables to be had here, and that’s always a plus, but considering the river of crap you have to Shawshank your way through in order to GET to that Zihuataneho of unlockable glee, you may well not be that interested. And if you’re not sufficiently interested to play for the unlockables then there’s really not that much point to the entire game.
I give them due kudos for taking chances, and don’t want to discourage anyone from doing likewise. Sadly, this time around, it just didn’t work. So the verdict on Castlevania: Judgment is to stay at least one hundred feet away from it at all times unless you’re an absolute Castlevania addict who can’t get enough of these characters and is prepared to slog through a nightmare of a game to enjoy them fully.
Conduit Developer Reveals Next Wii Game
While many gamers consider the Wii to be nothing more than a fancy toy, I think it’s an underutilized system whose potential hasn’t been delivered yet. A few developers tried the sword swinging style previously, but High Voltage, developer of the Conduit has announced their hopes to succeed where others failed with the help of Wii Motionplus.
Their next game after the Conduit is released will be Gladiator A.D., a brutal title which says that it takes its inspiration largely from recent film 300, meaning that we’ll probably see a decent amount of stylized blood and some slow-motion.: “The concept for Gladiator A.D. is to recreate the brutal fighting and high tension of the gladiatorial arenas of ancient Rome,”
As you might expect you’ll be fighting via slashes and stabs of the Wiimote and there’ll be multiplayer as well as several different story lines based on which gladiator you choose. Plotlines will be affected by your choices as after you defeat an opponent you’ll have the option to either kill them or leave them alive. Each character is more than just a slightly different story and background. They’ll all feature customizable equipment with a wide range of weapons and armor, some of which will be unique to each character. Two that have been mentioned so far are a druid and a Egyptian noble girl.
The combat system is still gesture based though, so this isn’t the true 1:1 fighting game that many have been hoping for, but it certainly seems to have the potential to be one of the next big hardcore Wii titles.
Soul Calibur IV Game Review–Long Or Short Term, Still A Value
Fighting games seem to be thinning out of late, buried under a slew of first person shooters and sports games, but one particular gem has managed to emerge from the fray to continue a following that goes back decades, back to a simpler time when there were arcades in malls and most people got their head-to-head action from a room full of bleeping machines. Today we’re talking Soul Calibur IV, part of the long running series.
Featuring all your favorite fighters, and a panoply of new ones (including for reasons that still escape me Garen Malek, Darth Vader and Yoda depending on what version of the game you buy and whether or not you go in for the downloadable content), you’ll plunge headlong through the stories of all the various fighters, which is why you’re not getting a plot synopsis of the game this time around. It would just, plain and simply, take too long. Each character has his or her own individual story, and occasionally, it even overlaps with other characters’ stories to make this strange sort of massive latticework of plot over the whole game. I’m actually very impressed that this ridiculous brawler game is getting THIS kind of plot.
And your involvement with that plot won’t even feel all that minimalist. You’ll be fighting all the other characters, sometimes one on one, other times two on two, and sometimes even four against one as you advance through the stages to find out what your character’s particular connection to the legendary cursed sword is this time around.
I’m actually very surprised by this—normally fighter games, for me, have been pointless button mashers where you try to memorize lists of moves for use against opponents of varying and in some cases downright ridiculous skill levels, but this time I got access to a whole array of moves that required little more than a controller direction and a button press, plus a whole bunch more if I wanted them. I could use Yoda’s force powers to fling myself headlong around the screen, or if I wanted to, I could just use his surprising agility to make short hops and bash my opponent into oblivion with my light saber. There was a LOT of variety here, and frankly, I was glad for the opportunity to just sit down with the game and let the smack down go on. I even got little nuggets of plot regularly as I beat an opponent or series thereof, just enough in just close enough increments to make me want to keep moving. I got through Yoda, Voldo and Ivy’s plotlines in maybe a half-hour’s play time, but man, I wanted to catch everybody else’s plots too.
This game might be a bit big for just one rental—and if you’re a party game sort you may want to buy a copy just to keep it on hand—but even just a short time with it won’t leave you disappointed or missing a whole lot of the plot. This is a game with lots of surprises that looks beautiful and plays even better. I don’t recommend fighting games very often—maybe because I don’t get many of them TO recommend in the first place—but I can’t see a way you won’t have fun with Soul Calibur IV.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 probably not right around the corner
Shortly after getting wind that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 would be hitting Xbox Live and the PSN sometime around June 29th, Joystiq contacted Capcom about Marvel vs. Capcom 3 to which Capcom’s Seth Killian responded:
The short answer is no, that’s not any part of this deal. What we’re hoping is that if people get really juiced about this title, and we can show Marvel that there’s a lot of heat behind this, then they’ll open up the door for us to do something with 3.
So everyone, you heard the man; the more hype created for Marvel vs. Capcom 2’s rerelease the better chance we have at seeing a Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 slated for June 29th release
Marvel Entertainment recently revealed their Q1 financial results for this year and bundled in some information about Marvel vs. Capcom 2’s reintroduction.
We first got official confirmation that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 would be getting an Xbox Live and PSN re-release last month but were left in the dark in terms of release dates.
Well, that information they included with their financial results was actually a release schedule that had Marvel vs. Capcom 2 dated for a June 29th Xbox Live and PSN release.
Joystiq notes the fact that neither Microsoft nor Sony traditionally update their services on Mondays which suggest the game will actually be released sometime in the week of June 29th. Either or, the game is on its way.
Capcom confirms Marvel vs Capcom 2, releases trailer
After that leaked achivements list pointed at Marvel vs Capcom 2, it was only a matter of time until Capcom released an official announcement.
Well, that time is now and Capcom has announced that Marvel vs Capcom 2 will in fact be hitting Xbox Live and the Playstation Network sometime this summer. While the game won’t be getting a complete makeover a la Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, there will be an addition of an online matchmaking system along with a few visual tweaks.
You can check out the above video detailing the game’s return and check out the PSN exclusive demo when it hits this Thursday.
Read (1UP)
Street Fighter IV Power Up Pack goes live
If you didn’t know, Capcom has recently released the Power Up Pack that we first learned about earlier this month, for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
There are 2 prominent updates featured in the free pack; Championship Mode and Replay Mode. The Championship Mode is just that, you’ll be automatically seeded based on your skill level and then get the chance to participate in a single elimination tournament against players from around the world.
The Replay Mode on the other hand allows users to record and download other players matches so you’ll be able to relive that clutch Super Combo over and over.
Again, the Power Up Pack has been available for a few days and is free for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
UFC 2009 Undisputed demo hits Xbox Live, PSN
Mixed Martial Arts fans will be happy to hear that a playable demo for UFC 2009 Undisputed has been released on both Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.
According to the press release, the demo will allow players to face off with either Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell or Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. It also includes a tutorial mode so everyone will be able to get a feel for the game before jumping into battle.
THQ’s UFC 2009 Undisputed is set to hit store shelves on May 19th for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Harada: Tekken for Wii “very interesting”
Katsuhiro Harada, the director of Tekken 6, had some interesting things to say about bringing a Tekken game to the Wii in an interview with GamePro. When asked if Tekken 5 or Tekken 6 would be heading to the Wii any time soon, he said, “That would be very interesting. Like the Xbox 360 owners, if Wii owners are passionate and make it known they really want the series on their system, we would love to be able to answer that request.”
There has been a serious lack of quality fighting games for the Wii as compared to the other consoles. In fact, the only Tekken game that has been released for any Nintendo system at all is for the Gameboy Advance. “Hearing about the huge number of Xbox 360 owners who are Tekken fans, especially in North America, definitely played a huge part in influencing us to bring the game to that system,” the director said.
So, it’s pretty much up to the fans to voice their opinion about why there’s no Tekken for the Wii yet. For any naysayers about the controls of the said system, Harada had to say, “…the standard controller lacks the right number of buttons and the placement is awkward, so… I suppose the classic controller could handle it!”
Tekken 6 will be heading to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 27th.
More MadCatz FightSticks on the way
Despite a small number of displeased buyers, MadCatz’ Street Fighter IV branded FightSticks have managed to fly off the shelves. In fact, these controllers sold so fast a number of orders were left unfilled.
Well, Capcom has issued a statement saying the problem is being addressed and MadCatz will increase production to meet demand. In fact, Capcom expects existing orders to be filled when more of these controllers ship by the end of next month.
Let’s hope this means that these new units will be completely free of any problems. Although, the problem apparently wasn’t as big as everyone made it out to be.
Read (Capcom-Unity)
SF4 DLC has Chun-Li showing more skin
For those of you that are really into the look of video game characters, your sure to be drooling over the latest addition to the Street Fighter 4 DLC arsenal.
Included in the Femme Fatale Pack, which was released some time ago, are all new costumes for the women of Street Fighter IV.
As you can see above, it’s safe to say that these costumes removed some clothing instead of added it.
More screenshots in the read link.
Read (PlaystationLifestyle)
Street Fighter 4: CES 2009 Trailer
Capcom has blessed us with this beautiful high definition trailer of Street Fighter 4, featuring a sick bout between Akuma and Gouken.
The fighter has already debuted in Japanese arcades since July, but console versions will be released worldwide in February. The PC version will be out the second quarter of this year.
TMNT Fighting Game Being Developed
Popular 80s cartoon will get another video game to its lineage, as GoNintendo, going by a secondhand report, reveals that a new four-player Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fighting game is in development for the Wii for release next year.
The site cites Nintendo Power, reporting that the game is being developed by Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Team Ninja veterans. Further information includes the game being a 2.5D fighter, published by Ubisoft and aimed for release in September 2009.
The game will apparently feature story, battle and tournament modes, as well as online multiplayer. It is yet to be officially confirmed.
King of Fighters XII Next Year
Long-running brawler series King of Fighters will have its twelfth entry arrive in North America and Europe sometime next year, publisher Ignition announced today. They forgot to give a specific release date though.
The sequel will utilize “new 2D high definition, high resolution sprites, on detailed 2D backgrounds” all of which are hand-drawn.
It is expected to hit Japanese arcades next April, with PS3 and Xbox 360 versions following soon thereafter. More details are promised to be revealed soon.