One thing I can safely assume about anyone who reads my blog is that they like video games. That’s rad, I like video games too. Common ground!

Over on the forum we’ve gotten together to play games from time to time, but right now two games are really at the forefront of our minds: Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 for PlayStation 3 and Mario Kart 7 for Nintendo 3DS. Because we’re enjoying them so much, I decided to add some structure to the fun and introduce Thursday Night Throwdown and Fast & Furious Friday Nights.

Starting this week we’ll be getting together to play once a week (well, twice a week if you want to play both games) and have a good time. This won’t be a super-hardcore tournament atmosphere, just dudes playing games for fun.

If you’re interested we already have threads on the forums started by Megafan and Eric for Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Mario Kart 7 that I’ve turned into official threads for both themed nights. We’d love to have you! (Just remember before registering for the forums to read this splash page!)

I finally found a new main in Soulcalibur V! I wasn’t sure who would become my main character after Namco Bandai decided to kill off my Greek goddess Sophitia, but with today’s character announcement by Famitsu there is no choice but Xiba (or Sheba, or Sheva depending on which Romanization you’re looking at. I’m going with “Xiba” because technically it’s correct when translating from Chinese to Japanese).

As you guys know, I’m a big Dragon Ball fan. What you might not know is that early on, Dragon Ball was loosely based on the Chinese epic novel Journey to the West which featured the great monkey king Sun Wukong as its main protagonist. “Son Gokuu” is the Japanese pronunciation of Sun Wukong, and both characters feature a tail, a staff that can grow in size and ride around on a cloud. Noticing a pattern?

Anyway, as such I’m always a fan of fictional characters based on Sun Wukong. I loved playing as Son-Son in Marvel vs Capcom 2 and I even nicknamed my Infernape “Wukong” in Pokémon Diamond. When I saw Xiba, I immediately knew I had found my new favorite character.

Xiba appears to be a replacement for Kilik which doesn’t entirely sit well with me, but I’ll get over it. In Soulcalibur II, Kilik was one of my favorite characters to play as. In Soulcalibur IV, I learned to hate him. You see, Soulcalibur IV featured an achievement that required you to reach level 20 in ranked online matches. As a result of this, EVERYBODY picked Kilik because he has the best range in the game and his moves are easily spammable. If you played Kilik online, you were a scrub who would do whatever it took to earn that achievement.

As if the reputation of Kilik spam wasn’t enough to turn people off to Xiba, the reveal thread on Soulcalibur fan site 8 Way Run is already brimming with people who hate his personality despite no one hearing his voice or knowing anything he says yet. I think he looks great! His character art that shows him balancing on his staff and chomping on a big piece of meat looks to me like he’s going to be a carefree, upbeat character, and I’m a sucker for that shōnen character archetype, despite being a 27 year old man. This is even better for me, because I’m one of those jerks that likes to use characters that no one else does (see: Sakura in Street Fighter IV, X-23 in Marvel vs Capcom 3, half of the Pokémon I’ve leveled up in every Pokémon game ever). I GET HIM ALL TO MYSELF.

Everything new I see from Soulcalibur V has me more and more stoked. I’ve always been an old school Capcom and SNK 2D fighting fan, but over the past few years I’ve really fallen in love with the Soul series. As I’ve gotten older my reflexes and reaction time aren’t what they used to be when I was 15, so a more “deliberate” game like Soulcalibur is right up my alley.

The gorgeous graphics, epic music and wonderful cast helps too.

It’s nice to know that after the holiday rush is over I still have another exciting game to look forward to.

I haven’t written much lately. Looking at this front page, I’ve hardly written anything of substance in the past month! Sorry about that. That’s just like me, saying I’m not going to stop writing and then doing exactly that. In my defense Christina and I have been very busy, she’s been sick and those Blogimations that no one watches are a LOT of work.

Rather than spend another day doing nothing and complaining that I don’t know what to write about, here’s a few quick thoughts on what I’ve been up to.

- I’ve been playing the 3DS a lot lately! I got back into Ocarina of Time 3D. I still insist it’s not a good portable game, but man is it pretty. I also picked up Pokémon Rumble Blast and it’s a really good time. It’s really simple and easy to play and it’s something that I enjoy playing for a little while as I’m winding down and getting ready for bed. If you played the WiiWare original and liked it, you’ll like this.

- Thanks for forumite Hexen, we’ve discovered VGCollect.com. It’s a video game database that allows you to keep track of your collection, and if you own something that’s not listed, you can add it to the database yourself! We have a pretty long list of stuff to add and we’re not even close to done, but you can check out our list so far here.

- Ben Paddon (who is the genius behind GameJournos, formerly GJAIF, don’t ask what it stood for) has started a web show called PortsCenter, where he takes a look at games that have been ported to a multitude of systems, how they’re different and which version is the best. The first episode focused on Doom, with the episode going into detail about why the PlayStation version is the best. It was a great episode and I found the original long-box PlayStation version of Doom in near-mint condition at my local comic shop about a week later. I picked it up and it really is the best version!

Check out the episode on their Kickstarter page, and be sure to toss them a couple bucks so we can see more in the future.

- During a trip to our local anime shop I discovered Kotobukiya’s Bishoujo line of statuettes, where they take icons of American comics and pop fiction and render them in a beautiful anime art style. I bought Jean Grey, and with X-23, Liara T’Soni and Jaina Solo on the horizon they’ll be getting lots of my money. I’ll be reviewing the Jean Grey statuette for Christina’s site Otakuholic pretty soon, so stay tuned for that.

- I’ve talked about the Daizenshuu EX podcast a few times before, and I finally got to cross something off my nerd bucket list because I was a guest on episode 277 to talk about the latest Dragon Ball video game, Ultimate Tenkaichi. Give it a listen, it was a really good discussion! Spoiler, I’m the only one that liked it.

- I think I’m a REAL games reviewer now, because I’ve been getting games in the mail from PR companies! It’s kind of funny that the first game I ever received from a PR company is Grease Dance for Xbox 360, but hey, it actually wasn’t a bad game! I’m such a nerd, though; I saved the packing slip and hung it on my fridge FOR NOSTALGIA.

Not every game I’ve been sent is fun, though.

Also, if you never checked out my first review for KINECTaku for Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, you may do so now.

- This past weekend I was in the Star Wars: The Old Republic beta test. Legally, according to the fine print in the non-disclosure agreement all I can say is 1) there was a beta test and 2) I took part in that beta test. So guys, there was a beta test and I took part in that beta test.

On a completely unrelated note, HOLY SHIT.

- Finally, we got Super Mario 3D Land yesterday. I don’t want to say much because I’m taking it slow (the game is short, so I’m limiting myself to only one World a day) and I want to give it its own post in the future, but it’s an absolute blast and that THIS is the game that will make you a believer in 3D games.

That’s all I’ve got! Regular updates to resume soon. I PROMISE.

I haven’t bought a Dragon Ball game since Dragon Ball Burst Limit for the Xbox 360 in 2008, and even then it was only because I wanted a Dragon Ball game in HD.

There’s a lot of reasons that despite how big a fan of the series I am, Dragon Ball games stopped being interesting to me long ago (at least the fighting games; action RPG Buu’s Fury on the Game Boy Advance was pretty awesome). Sloppy mechanics for one thing. I know that the series is mostly known for its intense fights that look like they’re on fast-forward, but that doesn’t make a fun game. Adding on to that, large rosters are impressive, but I get bored when you have over 100 characters and they all control the same.

The other big reason was that EVERY SINGLE GAME had the stupid “Story Mode” that had you fighting through the storyline of the series VERBATUM. Every time a new game came out, they expected you to start with Raditz and end on Boo. I’ve seen the TV series. I’ve read the manga. I don’t need to relive it in each annual entry in the game series.

However, I’m definitely picking up Ultimate Tenkaichi when it comes out later this month, despite its STUPID name (“Tenkaichi” translates to “number one under the heavens,” so the game is pretty much called “Ultimate Ultimate”) mostly due to one feature: the new create-a-character mode.

Sure, it’s extremely limited and you can only make Saiyan characters, but it shows me that they’re finally making a game where they’re trying something new.

Also, the game looks gorgeous. That helps too.

Last year’s Raging Blast 2 was unique in that the story mode was based on the old “OVA” Saiya-jin Zetsumei Keikaku, or Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans (for the incredibly convoluted history, check out Daizenshuu EX) that they re-animated and included as a bonus with the game. It was a step in the right direction for sure, and it’s nice to see developer Spike again stepping outside of the tried and true.

I’m not really reading much about the game beforehand; I looked a little bit into the character creation stuff just to see how in-depth it was (not very), but I don’t really want to know what the mechanics are or anything. It’s nice to be excited about a Dragon Ball game again and I don’t want to ruin it.

(For the record, my favorite Dragon Ball game is Dragon Ball Z: Super Butôden 2 for the Super Famicom.)

I got kinda mad this weekend.

I had been looking forward to the release of Street Fighter III 3^rd Strike and decided to get it on PS3 instead of Xbox 360. While the 360 is my system of choice, it seems like everyone I know buys their multiplayer games on PS3 so I figured I’d start buying fighting games for my newer console. Since I love my Mad Catz Fightpad so much on my Xbox 360, I ordered one for the PS3. Good idea, right?

Nope.

It arrived in the mail and I downloaded Street Fighter. I knew the PS3 version of the Fightpad was wireless, but I was surprised to see a USB dongle in the package. It doesn’t connect to the PS3 via BlueTooth like the DualShock does; it uses a radio frequency.

I had a feeling that this wasn’t going to be as awesome as I thought.

When I tried playing Street Fighter, my special moves weren’t coming out, I’d have to hit buttons multiple times before they’d register, and sometimes I’d take my thumb off the d-pad and my character would keep jumping over and over again.

Long story short, the controller is a piece of garbage.

I tried playing with the regular DualShock but that’s no good either. The d-pad is no good for fighting games and Street Fighter is too hard to play without a six-button layout. I bought a game I can’t play and spent $35 on a controller that doesn’t work.

Fortunately, there’s an unofficial adapter that lets you use a wired 360 controller on your PS3 that I’m going to invest in. If you guys just had Xboxes, I wouldn’t have this issue. Thanks jerks.

(Note: I originally published this article on Bits ‘n’ Bytes Gaming on February 16, 2011)

You would think that with a smaller roster, a new art style and a retooled control scheme that Marvel vs Capcom 3 would be primed to disappoint series fans that have anticipated the third entry for ten years, but you’d be wrong. Every change has been for the better, and its reworkings, additions and yes, even omissions, all create a more solid experience than the evidence would lead you to believe.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 is the third installment of the wildly popular 2D fighting series pitting Marvel’s roster of fantastic superheroes against Capcom’s stable of colorful and wacky characters. The first two games were largely similar, both featuring very similar rosters of characters and the same 2D art style and control scheme. MvC3 bucks tradition, employing a new 3D graphics engine (although the gameplay is still 2D), slimming down their selectable characters and simplifying the game controls to make it more accessible to newcomers.

The graphics run on a modified Street Fighter IV engine, with large, detailed characters featuring “comic shading,” giving each character an inky, hand-drawn look. While many internet dwellers swore to never purchase the game as soon as the change was revealed, the game looks wonderful in motion, especially on a high definition television. The characters themselves look fantastic, each retaining their iconic look but looking consistent with the rest of the outlandish cast.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a vs game without crazy, screen-filling super moves and dazzling light bursts as the combatants duke it out. The graphics just ooze style, and anyone who is skipping the game because it isn’t the same hand-drawn style as the other games in the series is definitely missing out on what is quite possibly the best looking fighting game ever.

Not only does the game look incredible, it’s got the audio chops to back it up. The game’s tunes are the same jazzy style as Marvel vs Capcom 2 (and yes, Take You for a Ride is still in!), with each of the game’s characters given their own theme as well. Capcom’s side is all very iconic, and the Marvel side has quite a few impressive tracks as well.

The voice acting is very well done to boot. Not content with simply employing high-caliber US voice talent like Johnny Yong Bosch, Tara Strong, Steven J. Blum, Jennifer Hale and Michelle Ruff, the developers have allowed players to individually set Capcom characters to either English or Japanese voices, with each character able to be set individually. It’s fun to see the characters who should be speaking English speaking English and the ones who should be speaking Japanese speaking Japanese, especially when the voice talent includes names like Ryōtarō Okiayu and Fumiko Orikasa.

The controls have been simplified a bit as well, ditching the two punch and two kick scheme from before and utilizing a control scheme like the one used in Tatsunoko vs Capcom consisting of Light, Medium and Hard attacks. As a result, controls feel tighter and combos more fluid.

New players have the option of selecting a “Simple” control option, which eschews normal attacks and assigns special moves and combos to the buttons instead. It’s a great way to allow scrubs to play against pros, but it doesn’t give them an unfair advantage because they’re giving up their basic tools in exchange.

Marvel vs Capcom 2 was an unbalanced mess, roster-wise, which is understandable when you consider the game had fifty-six playable characters. Playing as Magneto, Storm and Sentinel (and knowing what you were doing) pretty much guaranteed you a win due to imbalance and infinite combos. The roster in MvC3 is smaller but feels much more varied, which is a good thing. Weighing in at thirty-six characters (with two more announced as DLC), a few fan favorites have been left by the wayside (seriously? No Mega Man?) but overall it doesn’t feel like it’s lacking in the variety that made MvC2 so much fun. Series newcomers like Dante, Deadpool, Thor and Chris Redfield all add a ton of flavor to the mix, and you’ll have no problem finding a team that you like.

Just be warned: Final boss Galactus is a PAIN IN THE ASS.

Aside from standard Arcade and Versus modes, you also have the option to battle online (which is entirely lag-free in my experience) along with helpful training modes to help you practice the combos and special moves of each character.

I’ve been a Capcom fighting game fan for as long as I can remember, and I’ve put more hours into Marvel vs Capcom 2 on the Dreamcast than probably any other fighter I’ve ever played. Marvel vs Capcom 3 is not only a worthy successor in this storied franchise, it in fact sets the bar even higher, which is even more impressive when many thought the bar was at the highest point possible. It’s so good I almost couldn’t pry myself away from the game to write this review.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 is available now for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

All I really need to say about Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition is that it manages to cram all of the features of its console big brother into a smaller cartridge. This isn’t just a portable version of SSF4, this is SSF4.

Granted, there were a few things that needed to be scaled down in the transition to a handheld: backgrounds that were full of life and animation are now static, and character model elements that were fluid before, like Ryu and Sakura’s headbands, are now stiff and immobile.

Honestly, though, those omissions aren’t even that big a deal: the game still looks great. The character models retain their personality from the HD versions of the game (and judging by screenshots I’ve seen, they look even better than the iPhone version). The 3D, which you wouldn’t think would add much to a 2D fighter, really adds a lot of depth to the game, with the backgrounds becoming layered and the fighters really popping in the foreground. The fact that Capcom is one of the few developers that still likes to use color in their games really shines here, and the game is a great way to see what your new handheld is capable of.

The game has a new 3D view mode, which moves the camera slightly over the shoulder of your character, and it certainly looks cool and makes good use of the 3D effect, but it makes play extremely confusing. It’s something you’ll use for one match to check it out and then switch back to the regular camera mode.

All thirty-five fighters from the console versions are playable, with all alternate costumes and colors unlocked from the start (I call eternal dibs on Sakura, alternate costume, color 6). The anime openings and endings for each are still in arcade mode as well. The voicework and music all still sound amazing, especially in my Astro headphones, and there’s no noticeable drop in quality from the console version.

The game makes use of the touch screen by allowing a “Lite” control mode, which allows you to assign any normal, special, super or ultra attack to any of the face buttons as well as the touch screen. It’s a good thing that it’s there, too, because trying to play like you would on the console just doesn’t work. The circle pad isn’t conducive to many of the precise movements needed for many high level techniques, and using the d-pad becomes bothersome due to its placement below the circle pad. Trying to keep your thumb on the d-pad and your forefinger on the L shoulder button is extremely uncomfortable.

Still, there’s fun to be had as long as you don’t go in expecting it to be as awesome as the console version with a proper controller or fightstick. The AI actually seems ramped up from the console versions as well – on Easy, the computer always knew which attacks would knock me out of my moves at exactly the right moment – and combined with the imprecise controls it can get frustrating. Now, before you start accusing me of being a scrub, I’m perfectly capable of holding my own on the consoles, even at higher difficulties and while playing against experienced players online. For 3D Edition, though, I found it quite relaxing to just turn the difficulty all the way down and treat it as a way to enjoy my favorite fighting game without having to get all tangled up in hardcore play.

The coolest new feature, though, is the figure mode. As you play you earn FP – Figure Points – which you use to purchase bottle cap figurines of the game’s fighters. You can also use Play Coins, if you wish. You purchase them through a slot machine system, so while they’re somewhat random, if you’re good you can still nab the one you want. The figures are used in the game’s StreetPass functionality; you build a team of five figures (all of which have levels, ranging from one to seven depending on their power) with a maximum total level of twenty. Anyone else you walk by who’s played 3D Edition will engage in a quick battle with your figurines, earning you more Figure Points. I haven’t gotten the chance to try it out yet, as this isn’t Japan where I’m going to walk by several people with the device without even trying, but I’m really dying to give it a go.

All in all, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition is a great purchase for grizzled veterans and fledgling fighters all the same. Keeping all the features of the console version while adding in things to make the game more accessible to newcomers (and also realizing the limitations of the control mechanism) make it not only an excellent launch title, but a game that will remain a “must-own” even as the 3DS’ library continues to grow.

So I’ve been playing a whole crap ton of Marvel vs Capcom 3 lately. It’s an amazing game, and considering how much time I spent playing Marvel vs Capcom 2 on my Dreamcast it’s really no surprise how captivated I am by its sequel.

I’m getting pretty into it, too; I’ve been reading Shoryuken’s guides and I watched Level|Up’s “Wednesday Night Fights” event last week. I’m trying really hard to get better, even though I’m not having much luck.

I decided to try to sell my fightstick on eBay the other day, since I wasn’t using it, and I’d buy another fightpad so Christina and I could play together. We set up the auction and I was about to write the description, but as I looked back on the pictures from my blog post about it… I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I couldn’t part with the fightstick.

I know it’s a bit harder for me to use, because I’m not used to it. I went to arcades as a kid, but not often because there weren’t that many near me and my parents didn’t like taking me anyway. I grew up playing fighting games on controllers. It’s why I liked the fightpad so much.

But the stick… I’m forcing myself to learn how to use it better. I still tend to get confused in the heat of a tough battle, but I’m forcing myself to “stick” with it (haha!) and it’s helping. I go on the Shoryuken forums and browse their thread where people post pictures of their custom sticks, and it’s amazing what some people are doing. I love fighting games, and I need a stick to call my own, just like those guys.

I have Christina coming up with a new design for it, so I’ll put new art on it (just over the old art, I’m not ruining that) and put in new buttons, a new ball top, a new bezel and a plexiglass cover. I think once I really make the stick “mine,” like I did with my old Hori stick, I’ll feel more comfortable with it. I’m weird that way.

I’ve written many times about how much I love Capcom fighting games. I’m drawn to them like a moth to a flame, or like a high school girl to a jerk who won’t pay attention to her. I had been meaning to check out Tatsunoko vs. Capcom for Wii for a while now, but I for some reason had it in my head that I didn’t want to play it without an arcade stick. Then I remembered that the d-pad on the Wii’s Classic Controller, unlike the one on the Xbox 360 controller, actually works, and my amazing wife added the game to our GameFly queue as a surprise.

We both really, really like it. Christina has given a few different fighting games a try but they’ve never really stuck with her. She doesn’t want to have to learn hitboxes and frame data (and honestly neither do I), so Tatsunoko vs. Capcom has been quite delicious to her, like a juicy orange on a warm summer day. It’s certainly technical if you want it to be, but it’s also very casual-friendly if you just want to learn a few special moves and button mash most of your way through it.

I’ve played a lot of Street Fighter IV this generation and already I like TvC more. As much as I loved growing up playing Street Fighter and Capcom’s more “serious” fighters, the Vs. series has definitely risen above the rest as far as my enthusiasm has been concerned. I love having multiple fighters to configure into various teams, I love the crazy team-up super moves, and I love combos that can reach the 50-hit mark. There’s something about the mayhem of it that just makes it so much more fun to play. I mean, come on, TvC even measures its damage in the billions. BILLIONS. There is nothing more satisfying than pulling off a team super and seeing the combo meter tell you that you inflicted 21 billion damage on your opponent.

The cast is great as well. I’m not terribly familiar with the different Tatsunoko series (except Casshan, which I liked) but I definitely want to check them out after this game. Many of them hail from the era of anime where helmets with colored visors were all the rage and it’s really fun to see them butt heads with some of Capcom’s finest. The Capcom side is also surprisingly varied, with only Ryu, Chun-Li, and Alex representing Street Fighter.

I’m really glad we checked it out because I’ve wanted a fighting game that Christina would want to play with me for a while, and we’re actually able to have very close matches most of the time. I’m trying not to learn too much of the technical aspect of the game, actually, to keep it fun.

The game is cheap enough now to where it’s an easy purchase to justify if you’ve been on the fence about it. We did the “Keep It” option from GameFly and it was about $20, which seems to be what it’s going for in stores these days. It’s a lot of fun, it has a rockin’ soundtrack and interesting cast, and it’s welcoming to both die-hards and casuals alike. Get hype!

I haven’t really played Street Fighter much lately, mostly because I just couldn’t get used to playing with an arcade stick (and playing with the Xbox 360 controller is NOT an option). It wasn’t anything wrong with the stick itself, it just wasn’t the way I had always played Street Fighter. In the heat of battle I tended to get flustered and lose my position on the stick, and as a result I’d lose and get angry.

I had some good luck the other day and managed to pull a loot card in a booster pack of World of Warcraft cards, so I put the card on eBay and decided to invest in one of the Mad Catz Street Fighter IV Fightpads. They were advertised as a cheaper alternative to the arcade sticks, and I had heard nothing but great things about the d-pad they designed. I picked the one with the Chun-Li design because a) blue is my favorite color, b) I thought it’d be weird buying a controller with a buff dude on it, and c) c’mon it’s Chun-Li, the First Lady of Gaming.

You see, when I was a young lad growing up in Antelope, California, I didn’t spend my time playing Street Fighter in the arcades. We didn’t have a lot of arcades in the area so a trip there was a special treat (even moreso when you consider that my parents both hated the fact I loved video games so much). No, I spent my time playing Street Fighter with one of these bad boys:

I took to the new controller immediately. It took me maybe three or four Hadouken motions before I was comfortable with the d-pad. I did a couple trials to warm up and then jumped online. The difference was night and day! I won 8 out of my 10 matches (which is pretty good for me!) and even when things got tight, I didn’t lose my cool and bumble with the controller.

The d-pad is fantastic. I had read that they took a lot of inspiration from the Sega Saturn controller (considered by many to be THE fighting game controller, which makes sense when you remember that the Saturn was the best home console for 2D fighters in history). It’s incredibly responsive, and although the d-pad feels like it has a lot of swivel to it, it doesn’t feel floaty or slow. The buttons are great, being a bit larger than the ones used on the standard 360 controller, and they have a very satisfying click when you push them.

The top of the controller is a glossy plastic adorned with whatever character you prefer (There are Ryu, Ken, Akuma, Blanka, Chun-Li, Guile, T-Hawk, Sagat, and Juri versions available) and the bottom is more of a rubbery material. This is my only complaint with the controller: I get that they used the rubbery material to keep the pad from slipping if your hands get sweaty, but as a result it made my hands MORE sweaty. My hands typically don’t get very clammy when I play games, but they definitely felt that way after a few rounds with this new pad. It WAS particularly humid out today, and we live on the third floor, so it could have been the weather. Still, it’s worth noting.

It also has a turbo function that can be toggled for each button, as well as a switch to set the d-pad as either the d-pad, left analog, or right analog of the default controller.

The pads retail for $40 and are available for the Xbox 360 (wired) and PlayStation 3 (wireless). If you want to get into Street Fighter and hate fumbling with the default controllers but a $100 or more fightstick is a bit too much for your tastes, then this controller is a fantastic investment. If you wind up playing on the 360, let me know if you’re ever up for a match! My gamertag is Joe Sunrider.