It's all about Fan Service. Service, Service, Service!!!

• 17Apr 11

  Mortal Kombat, the Rebirth

  Nah, I'm not talking about the short film, although I did enjoy director Tancharoen's new spin on the MK franchise. I'm talking about the actual game. I have to say, I was on the verge of writing off MK as totally unsalvageable a few months ago. I was so hyped with Mortal Kombat Armageddon waaay back in the PS2 and Xbox days- I loved the idea of the minigames, the big Konquest Mode and the awesome-looking Kreate-a-Kharacter. But in the end, I played MKA for about a weekend- and that was it. The gameplay was so clunky and unlikable, I just couldn't play it for long- not even making my own bikini ninja girls could save it.
  
  Then there was Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe and... well... Ugh. The Klose Kombat was gimmicky and the fighting just felt mired in mud. The characters were washed-out and the story, while imaginative, was just... ah... Dark Khan? Really? Meh.
  
  And so here I was thinking that as a Tekken, SoulCalibur and SF fan, I would have no room for MK... when suddenly, here comes the kick-ass new trailer, promising so many things. I was intrigued by the thought of a reboot, a building from the ground up. When the actual gameplay vids came up, I was intrigued not only by the Fatalities (which are gorier than ever and horror movie-caliber by now) but by the gameplay, which has finally gotten that modern fighting game open endedness that marks the quality of fighitng games that are predominantly made by Japan. Instead of constricting you to chain kombos, the game is now more free, faster, more freakin' PLAYABLE. I know, since I was able to play the demo (awesome stuff). I came away suitably impressed.
  
  The other prospects of the game and the trimmings have only further intrigued me- the huge Challenge Tower mode, which has a pretty hot reward waiting at the end, and a pretty epic-looking Story Mode that has a Star Trek-ish reboot storyline which promises some really earthshaking events. But in the end, Mortal Kombat just looks awesome, plays just as good. It's full of bloody goodies, and is as violent and sexy as it wants to be. How can I not love that? I'll be sure to have my copy as soon as I can wrest one from a store's bloody hands. Hopefully, I'll be knee deep in gore as I await the next updates in the other big fighting games I'm waiting for.
  • Posted Apr 17, 2011 8:13 am GMT
  • Category: Games
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• 12Jan 11

  Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Hype!

  I can't freakin' wait for Tekken Tag Tournament 2. darn it!!! It's THE fighting game on the horizon for me, even if it's still a ways off. Being in Asia, I'm sure the game will find it's way into local arcades, so thankfully I'll probably be able to get some play in while we all wait for the inevitable console version.
  
  Anyways, so far I'm loving the hype being made by the couple of vids so far released, and the recent Famitsu magazine scans. I'm pretty surprised that Jinpachi Mishima is back- never thought a boss character would actually be in the running to return on the playable roster. That means probably that other MIA's I thought were no-go's probably have a fighting chance to get back into the roster. Ogre? True Ogre? Jun Kazama? Michelle? Who knows. At least Jinpachi in TTT2 is his human (more or less) form, which will hopefully have a greatly expanded move list than his boss form in T5. Methinks he'll be very similar to Gouken in SF- fighting in an older style of Mishima karate, moving slow but pretty powerful. He's really not my kind of fighter though. I'm more excited with the other so-far-revealed newbie, Jaycee. Or is it JC? This hot luchador chick has been jumping around in my Tekken thoughts ever since she first hurricanrana'd her way into the spotlight in the Holiday 2010 TTT2 trailer. Who is this "?" chick?
  
  Of course, if you're any kind of Tekken fan, you'll surely see all the signs pointing to the possibility that this isn't really a totally new character, but in reality ol' Julia Chang in disguise. Kinda like Lee cosplaying as Violet in Tekken 4. But this time, it seems Julia has gone deeper, deeper undercover with an apparent all-new luchador move-list, costumes and even a new, flashier and more showy personality. The signs are unmistakable- JC can easily be seen wearing an amulet that's identical to the one worn by Julia. And of course her name- Jaycee or J.C., can easily stand for Julia Chang. If you wanna go even more anal, if you juxtapose Julia's Tekken 6 artwork on JC's new character art, their faces and features seem to line up perfectly. Well, that's for the anal folks. Like me.
  
  You'd ask, why the heck would the devs go that far for Julia of all characters? I say... why NOT? Of all the Tekken babes, admittedly, Julia is the most... well... boring. She's so plain Jane, even if she's obviously hot. Her character is too goody-two-shoes, and her appearance so limited (cowgirl/indian or Chinese kung fu girl?) to stuff like drab denims and earth tones. She just sinks back into the background, particularly when brought up beside ANY of the other Tekken girls. So why the hell not give her a makeover? Of course, turning a Greenpeace activist brainiac like Julia into a sexpot high-flying wrestler may seem pretty radical, but it's actually not that far-off. Julia certainly has wrestling skills, and she's pretty acrobatic. A couple of months spent training in The Dungeon may give her the proper skills. Wrestling is, after all, part performance anyway. Who knew that wallflower Julia had a star waiting to break out inside?
  
  Well, it remains to be seen if JC is indeed Julia, and whether the devs will have this revealed in the game or keep it an 'open secret'. Will we be able to take off her mask and reveal Julia beneath, or will she always keep her identity kinda-sorta secret as Luchadores usually do? Anyway, I am so intrigued by the character that I really will make it a point to try her out first when TTT2 appears later this year. If JC turns out to be incredibly popular, what will this mean for Plain Jane Julia? Will JC make it into the canon Tekkens? Man, I hope so!
  
  Can't wait for the next trailer or video of TTT2. Goddarn, this wait is killing me!!!
  • Posted Jan 12, 2011 9:59 pm GMT
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• 11Oct 10

  So many games, so little time!

  Currently I'm playing three new titles (in addition to still dabbling in Tekken 6 and the occasional multiplayer deathmatch in Uncharted 2. My newest acquisitions include Dead Rising 2, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Valkyria Chronicles.
  
  Each has their own addictive appeal. Even though I didn't play the original DR, the gameplay of the first and the improved mechanics and overall feel of the new game have gotten me hooked, along with an intriguing story. Getting hero Chuck Greene stronger and arming him with odder, more brutal weapons to take out the undead while deciphering the mystery afoot is really damn addicting.
  
  Story is the main thing getting me to push forward in the latest 3D Castlevania. Lords of Shadow looks absolutely stunning, although I find myself looking for a controllable camera. It's not a forgiving game, and often I stare at the screen turning red to signify a game over with dismay. The checkpoint system isn't that bad, but it can get frustrating, particularly when you have to repeat a laborious process of taking out a Boss which isn't so much an actual enemy but one big Quick Time Event (I'm looking at you, Frozen Stone Colossus). After four or five times getting killed and the clock running into the early morning, I decided to call it quits for now.
  
  Valkyria Chronicles 2 on the PSP has the distinction of being able to come with me even out of my gaming sanctum, and when I turn on the game I'm headlong into the alternate reality Europa of VC, leading high school students into combat and loving every minute. Here, while the story is intriguing as well, the satisfaction is simply in seeing your class of outcasts, misfits, prima donnas and underachievers slowly but surely turn into a battle-hardened crew of bad-ass death dealers. It's this generation's answer to Fiinal Fantasy Tactics so many years ago, but thankfully no scenario as yet is as frustrating as some of the mid-level fights in FFT. I'll probably be chewing on these titles, as well as my all-time faves, for the time being. I've no illusion though that I'll probably be well finished with all of them and the new wave of fighting games won't be ready yet, but any time killed on the way to Tekken Tag Tournament 2 or Streetfighter X Tekken is a victory. Gotta keep on playing then.
  • Posted Oct 11, 2010 2:33 am GMT
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