Revenge & Noodles: Street Fighter V Is A Great Mix of Intensity & Fun

She has style. She has grace.

As the Capcom Cup 2014 Ultra Street Fighter IV tournament (wherein sixteen of the year's most successful players from the "Capcom Pro Tour" circuit faced off) drew to a close, series producer Yoshinori Ono took the stage to make several announcements. Of note, he mentioned that the Street Fighter V development team has paid close attention to the feedback and analysis generated by the gameplay trailer from last week's PlayStation Experience event. Even so, there were no major confirmations regarding fan-driven topics such as a possible Guard Crush or other features.

Despite not wanting to reveal too much, the event closed with the first publicly played match of Street Fighter V. Popular SF player Mike Ross and Capcom USA's "Combofiend" took control of Ryu and Chun-Li, giving us a solid extended look at the gameplay. Lifebars, EX Meters of varying lengths, and the new Revenge Meter (which likely works similarly to the Ultra Combo Meter from SFIV) were in full display alongside fun new reveals like humorously interactive stage elements. After Ryu knocks Chun-Li into a wall at the end of a round, a bowl of noodles falls onto her head and stays there when the fight picks back up.

You want some screenshots? Have some screenshots:

Street Fighter V Gameplay Trailer: There's Something For Everyone

Chun-Li's work-in-progress match intro from Street Fighter V.

Okay, the obvious joke response to the post title is unfortunately "except for Xbox One owners." Let's look beyond that for a second.

Following up the lovingly crafted announcement trailer, Capcom released an extended glimpse at early gameplay from the upcoming Street Fighter V during this weekend's PlayStation Experience event. While there's still a lot of work to be done, the game already shows immense potential. There are glimpses of mechanics both new and old, and the speculation is already in full swing. Check out the video below!

Street Fighter V's Announcement Trailer Is A Giant Love Letter

An early look at Ryu from SFV.

In the early hours of December 5, 2014, the announcement trailer for Street Fighter V was leaked early over Youtube and various social media platforms. While there's plenty to talk about regarding the corresponding news, I'm much more taken with the video's composition. There would have been plenty of buzz even over a few seconds of cinematics and a logo, but whomever put this together took a much more involved and loving approach.

While it does contain brief glimpses of new gameplay and availability info, Street Fighter V's announcement trailer shares the spotlight with footage of the franchise's previous titles, fan artists, collectors, cosplayers, and competitive scene. SF might be a household name, but it's still a bit niche in the grand scheme. While I'd love to see it become even bigger, I'm glad to see those in charge of producing and promoting the series putting forth so much effort in honoring its past and the passionate existing fanbase.

Update: You can check out the trailer yourself below:

Street Fighter 3 "Daigo Parry" Re-created At Moment 37 Reloaded

Tech Bonus, Tech Bonus, Tech Bonus

This weekend in Fighting Games Land, the "Moment 37 Reloaded" event was all the rage. 2014 marks the ten year anniversary of the most famous chunk of competitive Street Fighter play: "Evo Moment #37" from the Evolution 2004 Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike tournament. For those unfamiliar, this refers to a match where Daigo Umehara (playing Ken) parried a Houyoku Sen Super Art from Justin Wong's Chun-Li in full. The move would have killed Umehara from chip damage even if he'd chosen to block. He seamlessly switched to a jumping parry near the end, setting up a combo that won the round.

Don't watch this with headphones.

Reignite Neo Geo Pocket Color Nostalgia With Pocket Rumble!

Pre-Alpha Pocket Rumble Gameplay.

Cardboard Robot Games' Pocket Rumble is a proposed 2D fighting game that homages the beautifully nostalgic style of handheld Neo Geo Pocket Color fighters and offers accessible, strategy centric gameplay. It can be difficult to jump into more established titles these days given their strict execution requirements and wide skill gaps between beginner and advanced players. Even something like Ultra Street Fighter IV can make for an alienating experience when someone new to the series hops into the shark infested waters of online battle. Pocket Rumble addresses this issue head on.

I'm Still Completely Fascinated By P.T. (Silent Hills)

You're tearing me apart.

When the radio announcer of P.T. (the much talked about Silent Hills playable teaser) threatened "Don't touch that dial now, we're just getting started," he may as well have been referring directly to my impending infatuation. If all of the puzzles are solved straight away, there's only around 10 actual minutes of gameplay, and they primarily take place within a single corner of a messy, roach infested house. Even so, I found myself watching (and sometimes re-watching) numerous playthroughs and continually checking online discussion threads to pour over the latest crackpot theories and analyses. Two months later, I still can't seem to keep the game out of my thoughts.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Is A Perfect Game For Halloween

Welcome to the Madhouse!

I'm sure you've heard more than enough praise for Batman: Arkham Asylum by now, but I can't help commenting on the exceptional timing of its inclusion as a free Playstation Plus title for October, 2014. Many of us are already getting into the Halloween mood, and the Batman franchise fits the holiday perfectly. Its titular character is a dude that parades around the shadows dressed as a bat, for crying out loud!

All Final Smashes Are Not Created Equal (Super Smash Bros 4)

This is my boomstick!

While Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS' visuals are bolstered by a dazzling array of stages, the Final Smash moves of each character bring the wow-factor to the forefront. Even four-player games can leave friends waiting for a turn, and a little cinematic flair keeps watching from the sidelines a lot more interesting. The chaos that unfolds during the likes of the Giga Bowser transformation or Ness' PK Starstorm keeps up the hype for all involved.

Even so, I quickly noticed that said hype levels are a bit inconsistent among each character's Final Smash. They all have a bit of "cool factor," but some of them really go above and beyond. Perhaps there's some character bias involved, but not all of them leave me wanting to shout "best thing EVER" levels of hyperbole from the rooftops. No, that's pretty much exclusive to Mega Man's Mega Legends move.

Super Smash Bros. FanArt Frenzy!

Smashy smashy.

Hey now. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS was finally released in North America and Europe today! I can't play it just yet, but I'm stoked that it's finally here. Between watching frantic early gameplay and admiring the wide variety of awesome stages, I felt inspired to check out the inevitable onslaught of new Smash fanart. Let's look through some examples!

From Karl Fan: Lucina from Fire Emblem.

The Nintendo 3DS XL NES Edition Has Me Torn

The Nostalgia Gods are merciless indeed.

With the impending release of Super Smash Bros. 4, I've been gearing up to finally purchase a Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. The handheld version releases first, so that's been my initial focus. I've been considering buying used or refurbished to save a bit of cash, perhaps straight from the online Nintendo Store if not eBay or Amazon. I'd just about made up my mind when I saw the shiny new 3DS XL NES Edition pictured above. Cue one of the greatest first world existential crises of our time.

Super Smash Bros. For 3DS Has A Great Assortment Of Stages

Little Mac and Marth duking it out at Prism Tower.

Despite not being able to get my hands on it just yet, I've been looking forward to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS far too much to ignore the onslaught of gameplay footage that's been coming in. I've even been lurking about in various Twitch streams to take in as much of an early look as I can. I'm loving what I've seen thus far, and I feel like I already have a nice sense of the game from a presentational standpoint.

With fighters, I think it's easier to take in all of the little details as a third party observer. I've actually found myself focusing on the scenery almost as much as the crazy slugfests taking place in the foreground. If you're interested, here's a collection of gameplay shots that show off a nice chunk of the game's stages:

Battlefield

Street Fighter IV's Ultras Are Impressive Even When Stripped Down

What did the five fingers say to the face?!

While the dramatic camera angles of the Street Fighter IV series' Ultra Combos offer the most visually engaging aspects of the games' 2.5D style, the effect would suffer greatly if the characters' animations were lacking. Thanks to Youtube user moo422, we can check out every Ultra from the Ultra SFIV iteration of the game in a fixed perspective. The end result reveals that many of these moves are impressive even without additional cinematics.

Marvel vs. Capcom's Attack Names Would Be Pretty Weird In Comics

Can't we all just get along?

With Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins on sale for just over $3, it was clear that there was no better time to finally make the purchase. This compilation of the original Marvel vs. Capcom and Marvel Super Heroes is a wonderful journey through mid to late 1990s arcade nostalgia. Of course, the anime style attack names shouted by the characters throughout each match comprise one of the first quirks you're reacquainted with as you begin battling your way to either Thanos or Onslaught. Just as Street Fighter gameplay is riddled with cries of "Hadoken" and "Shoryuken," Capcom's Marvel based fighters assault your ears with the likes of "Berseker Barrage," "Charging Star," and "Spider Sting!"

Hearing all of this again made me imagine how bizarre (and cluttered) mid-battle dialogue would become if comic books followed the same convention. I took to Photoshop to see what it might look like. Behold:

This Playstation Optimus Prime Toy is My Childhood Personified

When I saw that Takara Tomy is gearing up to release an Optimus Prime toy that bizarrely transforms into an original Playstation console, it was if they were perfectly summing up my entire childhood. My early years were spent watching the old Transformers cartoon over and over, and my afternoons and weekends were largely occupied with Playstation games as I entered my teens. Regardless of how "out of nowhere" the concept may seem, it was pretty much guaranteed that I'd be all in for Playstation Optimus.

NECA's NES Batman Is Something I Never Expected To See

This is my favorite dance move.

NECA recently announced that they will be releasing a 7 inch NES Batman figure, complete with the odd blue and purple color scheme the character sported in Sunsoft's Batman: The Video Game. This honestly caught me by surprise. There are tons of new Batman action figures every single year, and I could have sworn that all of the possible variations were already accounted for.

I'm impressed that NECA managed to find a version of Batman that had previously fallen through the cracks. My most recent experience with Batman: The Video Game was watching the Game Grumps' playthrough, and I didn't think about the possibility of seeing that wacky color palette in plastic form a single time. Even if it feels less "essential" than the likes of Greg Capullo's Zero Year Batman or the Batman: Arkham Knight costume, I'm glad that NECA saw the potential.

The Latest Samurai Shodown Footage is a Horrible, Horrible Tease

Samurai Slot Machine

I've always considered Samurai Shodown to be one of SNK's coolest franchises. I remember thinking the original game was just about the best thing I'd ever seen when I was a kid. While it was ultimately eclipsed by Soul Calibur in the sword based fighting game department, Shodown is of undeniable importance to the genre as a whole.

Unfortunately, SNK Playmore's last attempt at keeping the franchise relevant didn't pan out. 2008 saw the release of Samurai Shodown Sen, a negatively reviewed 3D fighter that generally flew under the radar. Regardless, I'd love to see them give it another shot.

Something along the lines of Street Fighter IV or the Xbox One Killer Instinct that uses stylized 3D character models on a traditional 2D plane would probably work wonderfully. In fact, there's a recent bit of CG rendered Samurai Shodown footage that gives us brief glimpses of exactly that. When viewed out of context, it looks pretty promising. You can check it out below:

Killing Cows in Minecraft Makes Me Sad

What have I dooooooooone?!

As of now, my experience with Minecraft is a bit on the limited side. I first played the game during a family outing and enjoyed it enough to eventually purchase the PS3 edition. Of course, my maiden voyage consisted of trying to earn as many of the game's trophies as possible while still in the tutorial level. When it came to the "Cow Tipper" trophy — wherein you have to kill a cow to get leather — I couldn't help feeling bad as I hacked away at the poor thing.

I can only think back to one other time where I killed a seemingly innocent animal in a game: a huge group of crows in Resident Evil 4. I can't recall feeling quite so bad in that instance. Maybe I was swayed by all the sweet loot they dropped.

I'm rich!

Angry Birds Transformers Toys: I'm Totally Buying A Starsqueel

So Angry. So Birds.

Right around this time last month, we learned that Angry Birds: Transformers would indeed be headed our way. Now, TF fansite Transformers At The Moon has uncovered some trademark applications revealing four character names. So far, we have Optimus Red, Megahog, Bumblebird, and Starsqueel.

If there are indeed toys of these characters — and the applications suggest there likely will be — I'm totally buying a Starsqueel. I don't care how much it costs. I don't even care what it looks like. I'm buying it.

You wanna know why I'm buying it? Because it's named freakin' STARSQUEEL, that's why!

Whoever came up with that name has an open invitation to be my BFF.

That's it for this one, I s'pose. Hit me up on Twitter & Facebook until the next post rolls around!

Awesome LEGO Mega Blastoise is Awesome

Bllllaaaaast

ZaziNombies LEGO Creations has created a rather beautiful LEGO build of Mega Blastoise from Pokemon X & Y. It's quite an accurate representation, even down to the shading! Check it out:

The Music Of Final Fantasy Has Always Been Wonderful

"Final"

Like many, one of my favorite elements of the Final Fantasy franchise has always been its music. I'm enamored with the soundtrack to FFVI in particular. That was the first game soundtrack I truly fell in love with, and as such, it's the one I revisit most often.

When I see others talking about FF music, it's often from VI or beyond. It seems the earlier titles are sometimes pushed aside. I'm not sure what inspired it, but I recently listened to music from the original game for the first time in quite a while. I must say, it made for a lovely journey through nostalgia. I was struck by how well a lot of the tracks have held up. Just check out the Chaos Temple's score: