Just for Show

Armed but not at all dangerous.

The above pic shows off the new Item and Weapon-based Intros for Virtua Fighter 5, newly added to Version D. Unlike in Tekken 6 though, the items won’t be usable in the actual game but just for adding flash to the characters’ entrances and win poses. At least, this is what we assume since we haven’t seen yet any such entrance or win pose with them. The items look cool, and range from stuff that suit the characters well like Aoi’s naginata, or are totally off the wall like Wolf’s Jay Leno look. In any case, it seems that the Sega devs are really having fun with their fighter, and you have to wonder when, if ever, a console will be lucky enough to get a VF5 Complete Edition with all these cool little doo-dads and trinkets. Probably never, given Sega’s track record, but one can always hope. In any case, this is all just Japan-only so all we can do is glower and wait for the better-than-arcade-perfect Tekken 6 for the PS3 someday…

Pretty Soldier Girls

Alicia Melchiott, reporting for duty!

Valkyrie of the Battlefield AKA Gallian Chronicles is coming for the PS3, and this Strategy RPG with strong anime stylings has me intrigued. Primarily though, it’s the art and potential story that has me looking at it with interest. The look of the game has this watercolour-style palette, beautiful Studio Ghibli-esque characters and designs, and a pretty, ornate design to everything that makes war lovely to look at as only anime can do. I mean, you have menacing battle armor, cute but deadly-looking tanks and fetching sniper girls… what more can you ask for? Also, the story- which involves a squadron of Gallian nationals fighting to take back their land from a much larger, stronger enemy- has elements of romance and intrigue that any otaku should get into fairly easily. I have to say though that it is kinda weird to see the opening intro- various scenes of war machines and battle interspersed with boy-meets-girl moments and various cool-looking characters.

Unfortunately, the turn-based gameplay seems kinda iffy. It’s like Final Fantasy Tactics, albeit with guns, which is kinda weird. It’s really odd to see your character standing with his head out in the open, stupidly not minding as an enemy soldier is pouring hot lead into his temples.

I’ll hold off judgement though, and await this title with continued vigilance. Gallian Chronicles is set for an english version release later this year.

Forbidden: Siren gets Creepy Remake on PS3

A new Siren game, for the PS3, was announced recently, preceded by a disturbing teaser online. The game is Siren: New Translation, and it is apparently a remake of the original game. For the uninitiated, Siren is a frighteningly eerie Survival Horror game in the vein of the creepiest Japanese horror films of recent years- think Ringu. The shtick in Siren was that you switched between various characters trapped in the dead town of Hanuda, often engaging in Sight-Jacking, which gave you temporary ability to look through the blood-gushing eyes of your undead pursuers.

Well, I was able to watch the demo video posted at Gamersyde, and certainly the game looks pretty awesome- the graphics are slick and use light and dark pretty well, with lifelike character models (well, the ones who are alive, anyway) and some creep-out moments. Much of the gameplay seems to involve sneaking around, with you having to shut off your flashlight when the undead shibito are about. Sight-jacking is back, as well as apparently easier combat judging from how the player characters were able to batter down attacking shibito with axe or bullet. Perhaps too well though- maybe it took away a bit from the scare factor when you could plow through ten or so zombies with little difficulty. But then, perhaps this was just for the demo and will change in the final game.

Good thing, like Biohazard, the game seems to be in english at least partially, with the American characters speaking english (an apparent improvement over the somewhat perplexing British accented-dub used in the original translation), though some characters speak in Japanese and the text is in kanji. Not the easiest to import. But with games not that plentiful on the PS3, this should be a good title to see translated over for us english speakers.

No word yet though if and when Siren comes to US PS3’s, but once we hear the eerie news, we’ll post it here asap.

New (well, at least kinda new) MGS4 Trailer

Here’s a new trailer from Nicovideo Japan that’s been turning heads all day today. It’s actually not totally new- most of the scenes are from previous trailers, just remixed and re-edited and shown with some cool, dramatic voiceovers and music. But the ending sequence shows a scene that’s pretty new, though familiar. And it’s finally cool to see green stuff and vegetation in a MGS4 spot… heh.

Check it out!

GTA IV Peeks

With the actual game just days away from release, leakages of Grand Theft Auto IV on the web are slipping in. A pirated version of the game is already on torrents, and without a doubt already being played on some adventurous gamers’ consoles at this very moment. In fact, I was able to watch the intro (albeit taken by cam) to the game on Kotaku before the post was taken down. Now, while I’m not really a fan of the series, I am intrigued by the game’s sheer detail. Taking the role of an Eastern European ex-soldier and future career criminal in Liberty City (this ain’t Salaryman IV after all) looks to be something worth looking into while I wait for MGS4, SCIV and T6. We’ll see.

Three more for Soulcalibur IV!

The latest Famitsu has revealed three more fighters in the Soulcalibur IV roster! They are Pinay bladed-tonfa wielder Talim, hulking barbarian warrior Rock and the ever-perplexing Yoshimitsu. This is great news, though I wish they had included Setsuka already in the update (but I’m pretty sure she’ll be unleashed in time).

Anyway, Talim looks good (still with the baggy pants, I see), Rock looks pretty smashing with his new Rhino helmet and Yoshi… well… you look and see for yourself. Heh.

You can check out the scan here.

Virtua Fighter 5R Report from Japan!

Makatiel, a poster on the VFDC forums just reported stuff about Virtua Fighter 5R (which is currently being location-tested in Japan), and mentioned quite a lot of interesting stuff. For starters, the new karateka is, without a doubt, a guy. His name is Jean Kujo, and he apparently has a lot of charge or chargeable moves. His attacks are supposedly very interesting, and include throws that includes lots of strikes, and a slow but powerful pounce move. As for Taka-arashi the sumo, his mass is now put into play- other characters now struggle when trying to throw him, and juggles don’t work as well on him due to his weight. Awesome! Finally a big, fat guy who actually feels big and fat… instead of defying physics and reality like some silly, generically-named fighter in a certain awesome arcade fighter…

Anyways, a lot of the reported details are gameplay-related, and the game seems very much different from the previous revisions of VF5. You can check out the thread posted by Makatiel here.

Also, Wannafightus on Youtube has posted a bunch of VF5R vids. Check ’em out!

Soulcalibur IV Preview

The nitty-gritty so far…

With Tekken 6 nowhere in sight as yet, the spotlight is firmly on Soulcalibur IV as THE fighting game to look out for on the horizon. It’s only about three months away, so it’s what we’ll be playing well into 2009 after we’ve chewed the fat on MGS4. What do we know so far about this slashing sequel?

First off, the game will have a roster of about 30 established characters, not counting any created or custom characters (more on that later). These include veteran like Siegfried, Mitsurugi, Nightmare, Ivy, Sophitia, Taki, Cassandra, Xianghua, Kilik, Maxi, Yun Seoung, Seung Mina, Astoroth, Voldo, Cervantes and Zasalamel. New characters include new female knight Hilde, who is a canon addition to the cast, and bonus characters Scheherazade and Angol Fear. Guest characters for SCIV are Yoda and Darth Vader from the Star Wars Universe, a wild cameo which got fans and gamers reeling.

Scheherazade and Angol Fear are actually characters created by famous manga creators in Japan. More such characters from other creators and manga-ka will be revealed as the game counts down to release. While so far unannounced, as yet MIA veterans Setsuka, Talim and Rock may eventually be revealed as the SCIV devs ‘don’t want to disappoint their fans’.

Players will be able to customize characters, from the default fighters or characters created in the Create-a-Soul mode. Aside from changing appearance, certain pieces of armor or clothing will actually have effects on a character’s abilities in battle.

The new Critical Finishers are the new way to finish a round/battle without the need to completely deplete an enemy’s life bar or achieve a ring out. If a character blocks too much, parts of his or her armor may be damaged and leave them vulnerable. Once a meter is filled, a Critical Finisher may be used (by pressing all four buttons), triggering a cutscene of the attacker doing a kick-ass attack that totally destroys their opponent. It’s assumed that the overhead slash Siegfried does on a dizzy Tira during one of the earlier trailers is an example of the Critical Finisher. According to one report, each character has a different, unique finisher, such as Cassandra who does a butt attack which erupts in an explosion of hearts.

There will be a Story Mode, as before, and will have cutscenes telling the tale of the fighters as they go through their quest for the Soul Weapons. There will be a new single player mode called Active Matching Battle where players choose from a pool of fighters and fight a steady stream of enemies in a single arena.

Players will be able to acquire new weapons and armor by playing through the game, but there will be some equipment exclusively available via downloads.

Soulcalibur IV will be available in a premium edition ($80) that will include a tin box case, a Soulcalibur comic/art book, a tournament ‘kit’ that will allow players to keep track of their playtime, and exclusive access to some downloadable content.

The game will be released simultaneously on PS3 and Xbox360 on July 29 in the US.

New Mortal Kombat Shocker

Okay, if you thought Jedi guest-starring in Soulcalibur IV was wild, then THIS new development should blow your mind. The upcoming, next-gen MK will be- get this- Mortal Kombat VS The DC Universe. Yep, the DCU, as in Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and so on. WHAT. THE. HECK???

Okay, maybe this is something straight out of the Phantom Zone, but bear with it. Apparently some weird magical event has caused the MK and DC universes to merge, bringing the heroes of both realities together for some superhero-level brawling. The game will apparently NOT be rated M, and will include new combat systems with the esoteric names of Freefall Kombat, Klose Kombat and Stage Interaction.

What do I think? Sounds like more Boon Hokey to me. Mortal Kombat has NEVER played great, and in my opinion, never will. The pedigree of this series is as plain as day. Even MK Armageddon, which I had some hope in, eventually turned out to be crap. And no, there has never been any good superhero-based fighter not made by Capcom. This, I think, won’t be any different, no matter what weird tie-up or fancy-sounding mechanics they try to throw in.

Bah. Give me Soulcalibur IV and Tekken 6. Or KOF XII. Or Blazblue or Samurai Spirits Edge of Destiny. Anything but this tripe. Moving on.

Tekken 6 No Show, No Go?

Well, Namco-Bandai’s Gamer’s Day has come and gone, and unfortunately for us Iron Fist Tournament fans… there was ZERO mention of Tekken 6 at the event. Gametrailers even posted what is supposedly Namco-Bandai’s game lineup for 2008, and while it contains Soulcalibur IV, Soulcalibur for Xboxlive, Tales of Vesperia, Afro Samurai and a game about Pandas… no Tekken 6 for the PS3.

However, SD-Tekken, who sent a reporter to the event, does give us all a glimmer of hope. According to them, a Namco representative did say that the home version of Tekken 6 is STILL slated for sometime later in 2008.

We can only cross our fingers and hope, people. Safe to say, Namco-Bandai is concentrating on SCIV for now, but after the July release all bets are off and perhaps we’ll be seeing Kazuya and Company then. More on this when we get the news.