Awesome Games Done Quick 2015 Highlights

List-post incoming in 3, 2, 1...

Awesome Games Done Quick 2015 is now behind us. Over 160 games were played over six days, and the donation drive was a great success. I wrote before about not having the time to check it out live, but I've finally been able to catch some highlights via Youtube. Let's go through a few of them below!

It only seems fitting to start off with a four-way race to finish Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. This is easily one of my favorite games and I still love seeing it. Skip to around 7 minutes in to get to the good stuff!

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:

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!

A Look Back at Grumpy Jii-san's Anime Reviews

"Because an old man can watch cartoons too."

I can't tell you why, but I recently thought back to Grumpy Jii-san: a somewhat older gentleman with an almost Santa Claus-like beard that stops to review anime while hiking through the Arizona mountains. It might seem like an unlikely premise for a Youtube channel, but trust me when I say that it's absolutely awesome. Let's look through a handful of examples!

Here's a look at Jojo's Bizarre Adventure on freakin' LaserDisc.

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:

Captain Falcon Looks Great So Far in the New Super Smash Bros.

As handsome a devil as you'll ever see.

Everyone reading this likely already knows that Nintendo has just confirmed Lucina, Robin, and Captain Falcon for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U. I'm unfortunately not as familiar with the Fire Emblem cast, so Captain Falcon does a bit more for me in the excitement department. If you haven't checked out the reveal trailer somehow, it's definitely worth watching:

Transformers: The Movie's "Dare" is a Great Fit For Asura's Wrath

This is his happy face.

In a recent edition of "Boss Rage," Youtube gamer Maximilian took on the DLC Evil Ryu and Oni battle from Asura's Wrath. As the fight with Oni drew to a close, he threw Stan Bush and Vince DiCola's "Dare" from the Transformers: The Movie soundtrack over the action. Despite its synth-fueled 1980's cheesiness, the song actually manages to fit the game quite well:

No "start at..." codes are working, so skip to 8:50 for the song.

Evo 2014 Fighting Game Tournament Day 2: Highlights

They're destined to do this forever.

As you might expect, the second day of Evo 2014 was filled with many hours of fantastic high-level fighting game matches. There was even a bit of upcoming game news sprinkled in! The whole event can be a lot to take in, so let's look at a handful of highlights:

Super Street Fighter II Turbo proved yet again that it still has some life left. The match above is the 3 on 3 "X-Mania USA" grand final featuring Team M3 versus Team Japan 2. There was some solid play here, especially from Mao: a Vega player with a personality the size of the moon. Like many, I still absolutely adore this game, and it does the heart good to see it get a bit more time in the spotlight.

I Love This Ultra Street Fighter IV Hugo vs Zangief Match

Get grabbed.

In another adventure through the Youtube vortex, I came across an incredibly fun Ultra Street Fighter IV match featuring Hugo vs Zangief from a semi-recent "Wednesday Night Fights" event. Ch-check it out:

Shovel Knight's Butt Mode Adds a Cheeky New Bit of Fun!

Yep. I'm totally naming my next band "A Terrible Butt."

The Steam Community Discussion forums have been abuzz with a myriad of cheat codes for Shovel Knight, Yacht Club Games' popular new indie platformer. Of the 300 plus codes, the most attention grabbing is undoubtedly "Butt Mode." When activated, select parts of the game's text are replaced with the word "butt." The resulting giggles can be heard far and wide.

Yes, Single Player Fun is Possible with Ultra Street Fighter IV!

The gates of online backlash await!

It's an unpopular stance that was widely dismissed, but I've already gone on about the importance of single player modes in fighting games. We're not all in a town with a competitive scene, and many of us lack the time for serious practice. Should those of us in that situation just bow out of playing fighters altogether?

Of course not! While single player focused features like Street Fighter Alpha 3's World Tour Mode and Dramatic Battle are becoming rarer these days, there's still some fun to be had. The new SF4 update Ultra Street Fighter IV is no exception. Look no further than Maximilian's Oni "Boss Rage" video!

5 Fun & Geeky Videos Worth Revisiting

The Ninja Turtles in the midst of another raucous hardcore anthem.

While the Internet is always moving forward with new memes and viral sensations, going back through old bookmarks to revisit the lulz of days long past can be a great cure for boredom. I especially appreciate anything that features a goofy spin on some of my favorite cartoon, video game, and comic book characters. Ever the generous type, I've decided to share some of my favorites! Here are 5 fun & geeky videos worth revisiting:

Bill Bailey plays Enter Sandman by Metallica

Oh dear. While rehearsing for Sonisphere, the amazing comedian/musician/actor Bill Bailey offered up quite a powerful rendition of Enter Sandman in this "message to Metallica." It's just so...it's just so beautiful.

Gotta love him!