Lars Alexandersson vs Naruto!

Tekken 6’s bad boy makes his ninja world debut.

For those begging for a bit of a bone as we wait for the next Tekken game, here’s a look at the Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 trailer, which has the first footage of ex-Tekken Force fighter Lars Alexandersson in his Masashi Kishimoto-created costume. I have to say, he looks a lot more fitting in this setting than he did in Tekken 6. It’s a neat little bonus, but I won’t be getting this title just for this… now, if they added Alisa as well, perhaps…

New VF5FS Trailer, Twitter Support Revealed

More teasing from Sega…

Here’s the latest trailer for the upcoming as-yet-arcade-only fighting upgrade, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. This is pretty much just a slickly-edited pre-rendered movie showing off the characters facing off and doing some fancy new moves as opposed to actual in-game footage, but it’s quite exciting. There are hints of some cool new maneuvers like Vanessa’s new lie down stance being able to counter pounces, new wall throws and more stuff that the real hardcore should pick up after some repeated views. The water effects are kinda funny- man, do those VF folks sweat a lot! Sadly there’s still no word of a console port, but I think it’s only a matter of time. As of now though, the announcement is that the arcade version (Japan only) will have Twitter support, allowing Japanese players to post victories and win streaks over the social network directly from the game. Wowee.

Anyway, check out the cool HD trailer for now. More on this as we get it. A console port HAS to be in the works, somehow. Keep the faith, people!

Movie Watch: Green Hornet Trailer

The Hornet. Kato. Ooh!

The trailer for the new Green Hornet movie just came out, and I have mixed feelings. I grew up seeing the original TV series with Van Williams and Bruce Lee, and even though I wasn’t a huge fan, I thought it was pretty cool. This new effort seems similar to the Land of the Lost remake that it seemed like more of a parody of the original, edging more towards comedy than anything else. However, that is apparently not the case (according to an interview with the director over at AICN). It’s comedic but has as much action as there is humor, supposedly.

Anyway, the gadgets and guns look slick, plus as before Kato (played by Jay Chou) looks suitably awesome (with some nice fight FX). The new Hornet, Britt (Seth Rogen) is pretty funny- a slacker hero, kinda like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark but not having as much talent or as big a chip on his shoulder. All he does is spend some bucks for some hi-tech toys, a martial arts bodyguard and off he goes, costumed anti-hero!

Some more bits.

Cameron Diaz? Isn’t she a bit old? Maybe she’s hoping the loyal secretary/love interest role hits big like it did with Gwyneth Paltrow in Iron Man?

Christopher Waltz as the villain- I loved the guy in Inglourious Basterds, so it’s cool to see him, now more as a more overt villain. And he’s got a cool gun.

Where’s the classic Hornet theme? That was kick-ass and MUST be back.

Kinda bummed that Stephen Chow backed out of this project. Would have been interesting to see his take on this, with cool gang imagery like the Axe Gang from Kung Fu Hustle easily in his forte. Oh well. This is due out in January 2011. We’ll see if it also becomes a cult hit or a miss then.

Resident Evil: Revelation Teaser Trailer

What could turn partner against partner?

Here’s a first look at the upcoming Resident Evil game for the Nintendo 3DS. The new title is called Resident Evil: Revelations, and contrary to my earlier assumptions it seems to be an all-new chapter in the series, and not just a simple retread. The graphics and character models are from RE5, but the story being teasingly doled out is going into never-before-seen territory. Chris and Jill, talking about killing each other? A Poseidon Adventure-like setting on the high seas? Who’s the creep in the chair… Wesker?

On the strength of the plot alone, this looks like a must buy for me. Add to that the apparent fact that the trailer is real-time graphics (powered by the beefy MT Framework), and I have to say that the 3DS seems to be one impressive bit of kit. Color me… expectant.

Upgrade Complete! iOS4 is in the House!

Today, iOS4, the free new OS for iDevices came online and I was able to update my iPhone 3GS in the wee hours of the morning. There are about 100 new features in the spiffy update, but really- I’m already happy with just a couple- the ability to set Home Screen Wallpapers, and the ability to pack in apps in Folders. I’m sure I’ll discover the joys of Multi-tasking and other perks soon enough, but for now I gotta start churning out those Homescreen backgrounds.

It’s not all Cheerios though- quite a few apps and games are as yet unfit to run in the new OS, such as Call of Duty World at War: Zombies, which crashes continuously now. Anyway, this should only be temporary as the devs upload patches to adapt their apps to the new order. Hopefully this will now filter more fun into iGaming, and it’s a great prelude to the fun I’m gonna have on the upcoming iPhone 4. Damn, I do love my toys.

UltraJumpEgg Tekken Manga Updated!

His power is up to 9000!!!

The latest chapter (Battle 10!) of Ultra Jump Egg’s ongoing Tekken 6 comic is now online and ready for reading. After being used as a punching bag last time, Jin finally unleashes his inner demon to combat his similarly-devilish dad, Kazuya. The fight though is cut short by the timely interference of a certain Girl from Osaka… man, that Asuka is really something… NOTHING fazes her, not even a clash between two supernaturally-powered sorta-villains. While a bit over the top with Asuka facing down Devil Jin and giving him a stern talking to, I actually wish that this was how Asuka’s story mode ending in the game was… it’s far better than her freakin’ losing her lunch to Lili or that sorta crap. The story’s far from over though, as the arrival of Alisa adds a third side to the super-powered free for all.

I’ve learned though to curb my enthusiasm a bit- most probably they’ll either talk their way out or end the battle without too much action within the next issue, and that should be it for the current story arc. It’s intriguing though how Jin reacted to Asuka’s ability to bring him back to normal- ‘investigate her physique’? Yeah, he just wants to learn about her influence over the Devil Gene, but who knows what this could lead to? I really wish they used Asuka more to this effect in the canon storyline. It’s really high time she stepped up as a heroine in Jun’s direction more by now, even with an occasional catfight with Lili every now and then.

Check out the latest Tekken comic update here!

Dead or Alive 3D: Reboot or Retread?

Raidou back from the dead?

Everyone seems to be on the ‘Reboot’ bandwagon these days. Old games are getting new coats of paint (in MK’s case, a deep crimson coat), and Tecmo’s flagship brawler is no exception. Presumably taken from some dusty cupboards, Dead or Alive 3DS looks intriguing but kinda strikes me as outdated in these days. It still looks like DOA3 or DOA4, but the presence of what appears to be Raidou (the series’ first end boss) makes me think that maybe they’re starting again from square one. Back before everyone started playing volleyball. In some ways that’s cool, since the earlier DOAs where actually the best in the lot for me. Anyway, hopefully there’s enough action and fan service in this one to actually get me to buy a 3DS. We’ll see…

How 3D will this be?

Dead or Alive in 3D?

Kasumi and company may be back in action care of Nintendo.

According to the latest news from E3, the upcoming Nintendo 3DS may be something fight fans will want to look forward to. Not one but two fighters are headed for the fledgeling new handheld, 3D versions of Streetfighter IV and Dead or Alive. I can care less about another SFIV (If it was Super I’d be interested), but DOA is something that’s got me intrigued. Hopefully it will be updated and have new stuff, instead of a regurgitation of DOA2 or whatever. How will Tecmo handle their flagship fighter without the touch of creator Tomonobu Itagaki? We’ll see. It’s still pretty early, but we’ll be on this like a hawk.

Musing About the New Mortal Kombat

The best MK ever? Certainly the most gory.

As a longtime fighting game enthusiast, one of the coolest things for me in the recently-concluded E3 2010 is the upcoming Mortal Kombat game. I’ve had it up to my nose in craptitude from the last several MK chapters- from the lackluster and totally forgettable Mortal Kombat Armageddon to the gimmicky and kiddie MK vs DC Universe. This new, unabashedly more bloody and brutal new MK destined for 2011 looks promising.

First off, it looks quite pretty- the character models are detailed and the designs nicely updated/refreshed. I’m not a gore hound, but I can appreciate the detail given to the fighters’ skeletal models which are highlighted in the new ‘X-ray’ attacks. Clothing damage is also good, though I am hoping they fix this so that your fighter doesn’t look TOO roughed up at the end. The stages are full of detail, Easter eggs and nods to past games, which is awesome.

The fighting action looks fast, and supposedly has more room for players to make their own combos, rather than having a great emphasis on dialed combos (which reeks). The gameplay is very juggle heavy, though the addition of combo breakers may remedy this. So far gameplay videos shown look cool but I seem to notice that no one blocks… perhaps this is just to demo the moves. Anyway, it looks great for the most part… as MK games go.

Oh, and the blood. The BLOOD. This certainly looks to be the most gory MK ever, bar none. As I’ve mentioned, I don’t revel in gore, but this over-the-top, Final Destination-level of blood and dismemberment is a bit entertaining. It’s all a nice little novelty though- you can only watch Kung Lao’s buzz saw fatality so many times before it goes old, and the thing to keep your attention then will be the fighting action.

Tag Team play looks fast and furious, and I approve… that should be loads of fun, and a large roster should make for endless combinations and strategy. I hope the Single Player mode is good, but with MK a story-heavy one player mode is usually in place.

It’s still a long way to Spring 2011, but color me expectant of the new Mortal Kombat. My only fear is that they may backtrack and cut down the blood and violence at the last moment, which happened in MK vs DC, which utterly sucks. I look forward to seeing more info, seeing the rest of the roster and finding out if there’s any kind of customization to be had for the MK fighters. More as we get it then.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising… CUTTING EDGE!

Anticipation… RISING…

I just saw the E3 debut trailer for the upcoming Metal Gear title, Metal Gear Solid: Rising. After all these years, this title looks to give gamers what they’ve all been asking for… the ability to play as a bad-ass, super-powerful cyborg ninja. Konami missed the chance with MGS4, but this time it’s all about Raiden AND his sickeningly sharp blade. In fact, Raiden’s sword seems to be central to the gameplay, allowing you to CUT and CUT with exceptional precision. It leads me to thinking that maybe Rising will support the Sony Move or Microsoft’s Kinect motion control devices so you can direct your slashes like you’re waving an actual blade.

A fully-destructible environment and enemies open to cutting up as you please would be pretty sweet… and stress relieving to the max. Heheh.

Rising is probably set before the events of MGS4, perhaps revealing the events that turned Jack into a cyborg, plus his battles against The Patriots and rescue of Sunny Gurlukovich. Hopefully it will also show us events post-MGS4, to see where this white-blooded hero’s fate is headed. Can’t wait to start cutting up dudes when this comes out, whenever.