Blazin’ into Blazblue

Getting my 2D hat back on with the spiritual successor to Guilty Gear.

I love 2D fighters- even though I’m obsessing with Tekken 6 and Virtua Fighter 5R, my all-time favorites include Streetfighter III Third Strike. 2D sprites, done excellently, have an appeal that just rocks. I recognize that Guilty Gear was a pretty slick fighter, but I just didn’t like it. I didn’t particularly like the over-designed anime look, the flashy super attacks and Darkstalker-ish roster of odd cosplay fodder. However, what can you do? I really need a new fighter to keep my attention right now (I can’t be doing the Tekken 6 manga all the time, after all), and Blazblue seems to be it. I don’t think I’ll be getting that new KOF title (No Mai, No Buy) so I guess Arc Systems’ latest baby is going to occupy my PS3 drive for a while in the next few months.

Anyway, last night I got to playing. I got the Limited Edition version, which is nicely priced as the regular game- you get quite a bit more in the nice boxed set- a 2 disc OST and a Blu-ray extras disc. Haven’t gotten into those yet. I’ll probably post about them over the weekend. Even though one of the main reasons I got interested in BB was the in-depth Story Mode, for now I just went into Arcade Mode and started it up with the game’s poster bad boy, Ragna the Bloodedge.

Ragna’s apparently some sort of super bad guy in this fantasy world, where the law is a body known as the Librarium, which keeps the ‘peace’ through their use of magic. But Ragna doesn’t seem to be a villain at all- he just wants to be left alone, but is bad-ass enough to never back down from a fight when the odd bounty hunter or homicidal weirdo lays down a challenge. Gameplay is, as usual, enacted with special moves as well as ‘normal’ strikes, with a simple four-button layout. Specials are little more complicated than your standard ‘hadoken’ fireball or dragon punch motions with the pad. However, the special aspect in BB is the Drive Attack, which is unique to every fighter. This is apparently some sort of special power you can invoke pretty much at will, to turn the battle to your advantage.

Anyway, fighting through the rabble in the Arcade mode was like your standard Fighting Game story, which should even be more detailed in the actual Main Story Mode. In the Arcade mode there were a couple of talking head scenes between Ragna and some opponents. The english voice acting was… well… hilariously atrocious, although entertaining at least… let’s just say I’ll make it a point though to listen to all the english dialogue before eventually switching to the Japanese language track. To be fair though, a lot of the engrish was also pretty bad. Moving on…

The opponents, on Normal, were pretty much cake walks all, until I reached the sub-boss, a masked warrior named Hakumen. The bastard routinely used his Drive attacks to reduce my life bar to almost nothing in one or two swipes, which got me stumped for a bit. Eventually though I managed to beat him via quick strikes, but surely there will be a better way to trounce the penultimate enemy once I really get to knowing how to use the Drive techniques and specials more efficiently. The final boss, V-13, was actually easy, and I beat her in one try. The ending though sucked- not that it was just a text ending (though it mostly was just a few screens and voice)… it ended BADLY. I wonder if Ragna’s fate ends up differently in the big Story Mode?

Anyway even if I didn’t like Blazblue before, I’m warming up to it. I’ll certainly be getting into the Story Mode with its reputed branching paths and alternate endings with gusto as soon as I have the time to play more. More on this soon, as I get to grips with this anime beat ‘em up.

Tekken 6 Manga Update!

The Iron-fisted drama that is the Tekken 6 manga continues. As Jin Kazama prepares a major Tekken Force operation at the Russian border, the beautiful and deadly assassin, Nina Williams, infiltrates the Zaibatsu base with the new CEO in her sights.
Updated daily, Tekken 6: Dark Stars Rising is our own unique take on the events and stories involving the many fighters joining the upcoming King of Iron Fist Tournament 6! Check out the action here!

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny Release Date Set?

The Magic Box Gaming news just posted that Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny for the Playstation Portable will release in Japan on August 27, 2009.

A version of last year’s Soulcalibur IV specially-made for the PSP, Broken Destiny will have a host of new features, including God of War’s Kratos as a guest character and several new fighters such as the mustachioed, wristblade-wielding Dampierre. The game will also feature Gauntlet Mode, a new Story/Training Mode that will span 80 missions and teach new players the basics of gameplay. Most, if not all, of the SCIV roster will be making it back in for all-new portable bladefighting.

Can’t wait for this. A few weeks more then.

Tekken 6 Matchups Part 3: Christie vs Anna

Yep, it’s that time of the week again. Gametrailers has just released the third pair of competing character trailers. This week, it’s Capoeira Student Christie Monteiro versus Irish Assassin Anna Williams.

Christie’s kick-dancing her way to our hearts…

Anna’s Assassination Arts brings the pain like no other.

Hot Tekken babes face off this week! Well I have to say the winner is easily Christie, with her cool and sexy flips and kicks looking far more impressive and cool than Anna’s fickle slaps and swipes. If you’re in the US or Canada, vote by sharing these vids to unlock cool content on the official Tekken 6 website. View or download hi-res versions of the trailers here.

Tekken 6 is set for release on PS3, Xbox360 and PSP this October 2009.

Tekken 6 Character Countdown Part 29: Roger Junior

The Ultimate Mama’s Boy takes the spotlight.

As a way of counting down the time to the release of Tekken 6 for the PS3 and Xbox360, I’ve decided to begin this weekly series of lengthy, character-specific articles, each one featuring one of the 40 or so competing warriors in the latest and greatest King of Iron Fist Tournament. Hopefully, by the time we finish and reach character number 40, we’ll have the console version of Tekken in our hands already.

Part 29 brings us to one of the several non-human fighters in the lineup. Though his ‘family’ has been in the game since Tekken 2 intermittently, this fighter joined only in Tekken 5, and is probably one of the youngest entrants in the tournament. Surely one of the oddest characters in the roster, or in any fighting game for that matter, this fighter surely embodies the sense of humor and playful fun that is part and parcel of the Tekken series. We’re talking about the boxing kangaroo, Roger Junior.

Roger Junior
Distinguishing Features: He’s a baby kangaroo with boxing gloves firmly ensconced in his similarly-armed Mum’s pouch.

Strengths: High priority attacks, speed and lots of effective moves and combos. Very high irritation factor. Has an extra limb (tail) for use in battle.

Weaknesses: Not one of the game’s power players. Crappy item move. Daddy issues.

Affiliation: None. Fighting in the tournament to secure for him and his Mama a stable future.

Background: During Kazuya Mishima’s reign as head of the Mishima Zaibatsu in Tekken 2, many experiments and projects to create the perfect soldier were set in motion. One of them resulted in the Rogers- genetically-engineered fighting kangaroos with enhanced intelligence and combat skills. The first Roger (Roger Prime?) participated in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2.
Roger had a family, consisting of a wife and child. Soon after Roger Junior was born, Roger Senior was taken away, leaving his family distraught.

In Tekken 5, Roger Junior (carried by his mother, Roger ‘Mama’) entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 to enter the Mishima Zaibatsu and learn about the whereabouts of the missing Roger.

Unfortunately, while Junior was ultimately able to enter the Mishima labs and find his father, it wasn’t a happy reunion. Junior found his sire living a care-free life of luxury, prompting the angry young kangaroo to punch his Pop’s lights out.

Roger Mama then filed for a divorce from her good-for-nothing husband. But now bereft of the Male of the House, Mother and Son were faced with an uncertain future. When the King of Iron First Tournament 6 was announced, they decide to enter, the prize money and the stable life it would bring firmly in their sights.

Character Analysis: It must be noted that the one who does all the fighting and talking really isn’t Roger Junior, but his unnamed mom (by default called ‘Roger Mama’)- Junior only steps up during his CG ending in Tekken 5, dealing the ‘Final Blow’.
So what’s to be said about this Mother-Son Two-in-one Character Combo? Surely one of Tekken’s oddest fighters, and personally I find Roger Jr. totally irritating and annoying to fight against. He’s ridiculous to look at, but his attacks are very effective, combo-heavy, high priority and totally designed to rub it into your face. But once you do beat him into the ground, it’s OH SO SATISFYING. I guess it’s kinda obvious that I don’t consider Roger Junior one of my favorite fighters in the roster, eh? Well, I guess they can be considered pretty cute mascots, but I assure you that won’t be your thoughts for long after you’ve been pounded into the dust several times by this Mauling Marsupial.

Anyway… in contrast to their weirdness, Roger and Mum have a pretty simple story that is pretty much just their own little adventure set against the backdrop of a world being ravaged by megacorporations and demonic entities- all Roger Junior wants is a stable life with the Tournament prize money. That’s it. Well, saving the world along the way would be nice, but really… can anyone see the Mishima Zaibatsu being brought down by a couple of boxing kangaroos?

What lies in the future for Roger Junior? They find themselves up against other hungry teams spoiling for the Tournament prize money this time. Surely Roger and Mom will find some resolution, but I doubt that this will be a simple happy ending. I wonder if Roger Senior is really gone from the story or if he will someday redeem himself. We’ll just have to see what happens since I do believe that these cutesy animals and their sordid little subplot will continue to appear as the series’ comic relief.

Tune in next week as we delve into another fighter’s story!

Tekken 6 is slated for release on PS3, Xbox360 and PSP this October 2009.

Retro Gaming Cheeziness: Battle Arena Toshinden 2

When Intros Attack!

I came across this video lately and it just brought back so many memories. It’s the CG intro to Battle Arena Toshinden 2, one of the early 3D fighters on the original Playstation back in the mid-90s. I remember getting this fighter alongside the original Tekken for PSX, and, well… while the gameplay was floaty, imprecise and awkwards, it at least gave us this pretty funny intro.

I mean, how can you beat live-action versions of your fighters to spice up and pad the game? It really looks pretty ridiculous now, but back in the day I’m sure that a lot of us went OOOOOH and AAAAAH at the flesh-and-blood Sofia and Ellis… or not. Actually, this intro was pretty cheesy even back then, heheh… Anyway, BAT2 wasn’t horrible, relatively, and it did give me some entertainment then. Nice to see this bit of videogame history now, I guess. Moving on, then…

Tekken 6 Console: Unlockables are Outdated, sez Harada

During a recent interview at Videogamer.com, Tekken 6 producer Katsuhiro Harada made known his stand on unlockable characters:

“Why we locked the characters originally was that in the arcades, it was kind of to extend the life of the game by gradually unlocking characters. And also with the home versions as well, because you can rent games or whatever, it was to protect us against that. That’s kind of outdated now though, especially with online play. If we were to have locked characters it would irritate a lot of people, to be playing against others online and to not have all the characters available. So I think it’s no longer useful.”

The recent Streetfighter IV release required players to beat the game repeatedly in order to unlock 9 of the total 25 playable fighters. Tekken 6 on the other hand has all 40 characters playable from the start.

So does this mean there’s nothing to work for in Tekken 6? Hardly. Aside from the 40+ CG endings and storylines to uncover via the main modes, there are literally hundreds of customization items and costume parts to buy in-game (read: No Real Money Use) and outfit your character to your specific fashion tastes.

See this- once you unlock Cammy and company in SFIV, that’s it- want anything more than alternate colors? You’ll have to spring for their crappy ONE alternate costume on PSN or Xboxlive. In Tekken 6, you get 40 characters, 37 of them unique (no freakin’ four fighters or so with the same basic moveset), with dozens and dozens of customization options out of the box that lets you make them totally unrecognizable if you want, at NO ADDED COST. Seems pretty clear what’s awesome and what’s needing quite a bit of updating, eh?

Tekken 6 is set for release on PS3, Xbox360 and PSP this October 2009.

More Tekken 6 Console Screens, Lars’ Naruto Outfit

“Do. Not. Say. Anything.”

Gamespot has just posted about 20 new screenshots of the console version of Tekken 6. The new screens include more looks at the Scenario Campaign and some views of Jin’s CLAMP-designed duds, and of course, Lars’ new, console-exclusive outfit designed by ‘Naruto’ manga-ka, Masashi Kishimoto.

And, well… seeing it in good quality pics now, I can say that it’s… um… freakin’ ridiculous-looking. I guess Kishimoto didn’t find Lars’ hair crazy-looking enough. Wahaha! Anyway, seeing the other screens, in particular Asuka and Lili teamed up in Scenario Campaign with Miss Rochefort hefting a minigun more than makes up for seeing Lars’ awful outfit.

Check the screens out here.

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny Media Blowout

Even on the miniscule screen, Ivy still impresses.

Okay, Gametrailers may have pretty poor taste when it comes to fighters but few other sites have cooler or nicer-quality vids. Anyway, they just posted a gaggle of gameplay videos from the upcoming Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny for the PSP.

There are about five short vids, each just shy of a minute or so and consisting only of the final round. While no new fighters are shown, each match features at least one of the hot Calibur ladies, from Cassandra to Sophitia, Ivy and Taki. The PSP fighter is looking quite good- character models are, naturally, smaller than usual but still animate quite smoothly and the action seems intact. I expect no less from Project Soul.

Check out Gametrailers’ Broken Destiny Media Collection here.

Musing about Tekken 6 PSP

The PSP Tekken 6 is looking rougher, but not necessarily tougher, than the biggie home versions…

Some screens of the PSP version of Tekken 6 came out recently, and they look… well… they don’t look as good as the PS3 and Xbox360 screens. But of course, that’s a given. The screens so far seem to at least adequately approximate the look of T6, but of course the character models have more jagged edges, lack the fine details and lifelike textures, colors and lighting are a bit more ‘videogamey’ and closer to the previous Tekken Dark Resurrection and earlier Tekken games.

I’m actually thinking that while Namco-Bandai’s Project Tekken will do all they can, this will probably end up like a souped-up, chock-to-the-rafters, updated with Tekken 6 moves and B! system version of DR, with gobs better customization. But if the PSP game can maintain the rock-solid 60fps frame rate, I’ll be amazed. Anyway, if it plays and feels like the big screen versions, it will certainly be the best fighting game you can pack into a portable, ever.

Also, will this monster fit on a UMD? Or will it be distributed as a download title? Methinks that it would be a pretty awesome package to have the upcoming PSP GO come with Tekken 6 already installed out of the box.

Anyway… according to the site QJ.Net, the PSP version is due out shortly after the PS3 and Xbox360 versions, on November 3. Not that long to wait, I guess, if this is accurate. More on this as we get it.