For those who noticed, Capcom mentioned they had something big to announce on Monday last week. Well, it's Tuesday, so let's take a little ride in the time machine.
The problem with unknowns like this is that you don't know how high to set your expectations. I had no idea, but a friend of mine told me last Thursday that he heard from anonymous but reliable sources that they were going to announce Dino Crisis 3.
To me, Dino Crisis 3 sounded unlikely. I was about ready to call him on his sketchy sources he reassured me of the likelihood. "It's been leaked, trust me," he told me with a smug look. "They're just going to announce it for reals Monday!"
Dino Crisis to me, is an exceedingly obscure game. It's in the same vein as Resident Evil, but with dinosaurs instead of zombies. But it's finally dawned on me...
Dino Crisis 3 already exists, and it didn't deliver.
What did they announce?
Lost Planet 2.
Lost Planet was a good game. I played it, but I had no idea the sales it garnered warranted a sequel.
So, there we have it. I've gone from Dino Crisis 3, to a revelation, to Lost Planet 2.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The Art of Street Fighting
I was never really interested in the online gameplay on Street Fighter Turbo II HD Remix. The number one reason was because Dhalsim and Balrog players easily abused their throws. These characters had throws which involved grabbing, smacking them around, then giving them one more blow which knocked them away. What they do is give you a light attack, forcing you to block, then repeat their throw. That was a realy turn off. If I was going to be beaten, I prefer someone with some skill, not someone who duct taped his controller to throw constantly.
But in SFIV, things have been rectified. There are no throws like this. Wake-up attacks are more reliable too, and throws can be escaped in my experience. The point of all this is that online competition for Street Fighter doesn't scare me as much as before. Now that I've played it online, I've gotten a reall good look at myself and at others. Pardon my long windedness, but here it goes...
First of all, my characters are Dhalsim or El Fuerte, both representing different play styles. As Dhalsim, I play defensively, shooting fireballs, reaching across with his stretching heavy punch, and generally taking a slow and thoughtful approach to countering my opponent or setting them up for another attack. Particularly, I've gotten used to teleporting right behind my opponent while my fireball is still on one side.
On the other hand, nearly all of El Fuerte's attacks come out of his dash special, making him a very mobile (and annoying) opponent. Run then body slam, run back then rebound and slide kick, or run back and jump and rebound off the wall and do a flying elbow. That's just the tip, but the point is it's very hard to tell how El Fuerte can mix up his attacks. They all have different hit boxes so it'll be a pain for the opponent to correctly defend against.
So that ends the rant on my side, but it's interesting what kind of players I meet online to fight against. Some are deadly and skilled, while others are surprisingly bad and predictable. I guess I'll talk about it some other post.
But in SFIV, things have been rectified. There are no throws like this. Wake-up attacks are more reliable too, and throws can be escaped in my experience. The point of all this is that online competition for Street Fighter doesn't scare me as much as before. Now that I've played it online, I've gotten a reall good look at myself and at others. Pardon my long windedness, but here it goes...
First of all, my characters are Dhalsim or El Fuerte, both representing different play styles. As Dhalsim, I play defensively, shooting fireballs, reaching across with his stretching heavy punch, and generally taking a slow and thoughtful approach to countering my opponent or setting them up for another attack. Particularly, I've gotten used to teleporting right behind my opponent while my fireball is still on one side.
On the other hand, nearly all of El Fuerte's attacks come out of his dash special, making him a very mobile (and annoying) opponent. Run then body slam, run back then rebound and slide kick, or run back and jump and rebound off the wall and do a flying elbow. That's just the tip, but the point is it's very hard to tell how El Fuerte can mix up his attacks. They all have different hit boxes so it'll be a pain for the opponent to correctly defend against.
So that ends the rant on my side, but it's interesting what kind of players I meet online to fight against. Some are deadly and skilled, while others are surprisingly bad and predictable. I guess I'll talk about it some other post.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
SURE YOU CAN!
After a few days with SFIV, I've noticed some subtle things...
With the return of Street Fighter IV, there are subtle tweaks here and there that make it feel fresh yet familar. Focus strikes allow you to absorb an attack and quickly counter attack, with unblockables even, giving you the tools necessary to throw a pressure gamer off your back. Like wise, a focus strike can be done to cancel most attacks, then either follow through with the attack or cancel it with a dash forward or backward. This continually opens the doors to offense and defense, while at the same time, simple focus strikes being employed as counters is about as much as you need if you can't get into such complex motions.
At the core of it's appeal though is are the return of the faithful veterans and classics without feeling like an easy port to 3D. The new 3D design makes the game somehow more mindful of tactics, and alll the original world warriors from SFII return, as well as old favorites as voted by fans like you such as the bubbly Sakura, Bruce Lee knockoff Fei Long, and classic badass Akuma.
The new comers also due a good job or feeling in place. 3rd Impact had a problem of having really out there character designs. Lots of mutants and freaks in the mix like 12 and Mr. Q. Crimson Viper's relationship against Chun-Li gives her a place of belonging. Abel's move set and design give him reward those curious in playing him. And El Fuerte takes his place as the typical racially insensitive Capcom fighting character.
This game is great for returning fans. This game is also great for new comers who hear about the hype from vets like me. SFIV is definitely a well crafted fight game. Tiers will be developed, but thoughtful fighters may find the sky's the limit towards victory. So onwards young warrior, as someday you may shatter the hopes, dreams, and ambitions of hundreds of opponents, piling them together as a stairway towards victory and immortality.
- there's no air block
- ultra combos are more common then supers
- it's fucking awesome
With the return of Street Fighter IV, there are subtle tweaks here and there that make it feel fresh yet familar. Focus strikes allow you to absorb an attack and quickly counter attack, with unblockables even, giving you the tools necessary to throw a pressure gamer off your back. Like wise, a focus strike can be done to cancel most attacks, then either follow through with the attack or cancel it with a dash forward or backward. This continually opens the doors to offense and defense, while at the same time, simple focus strikes being employed as counters is about as much as you need if you can't get into such complex motions.
At the core of it's appeal though is are the return of the faithful veterans and classics without feeling like an easy port to 3D. The new 3D design makes the game somehow more mindful of tactics, and alll the original world warriors from SFII return, as well as old favorites as voted by fans like you such as the bubbly Sakura, Bruce Lee knockoff Fei Long, and classic badass Akuma.
The new comers also due a good job or feeling in place. 3rd Impact had a problem of having really out there character designs. Lots of mutants and freaks in the mix like 12 and Mr. Q. Crimson Viper's relationship against Chun-Li gives her a place of belonging. Abel's move set and design give him reward those curious in playing him. And El Fuerte takes his place as the typical racially insensitive Capcom fighting character.
This game is great for returning fans. This game is also great for new comers who hear about the hype from vets like me. SFIV is definitely a well crafted fight game. Tiers will be developed, but thoughtful fighters may find the sky's the limit towards victory. So onwards young warrior, as someday you may shatter the hopes, dreams, and ambitions of hundreds of opponents, piling them together as a stairway towards victory and immortality.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Guess what folks?
Street Fighter IV is in my hands now. It was actually in my hands at around noon today, but of course, I just had to crack it open and see how it is.
Full looks later. Now, I've got some homework to do... badly.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Flying High in the H.A.W.X. demo
Tom Clancy games have had a history of high difficulty curves. I draw this experience from the Splinter Cell games. And now Ubisoft's newest Tom Clancy game has hit Xbox Live as a demo, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X..
You play as U.S. Air Force pilot David Crenshaw. The game takes an interesting split between simulator-like fighter game play to high flying arcade dog fights. The feature responsible for this is the ERS (enhance reality system). In game, it's explained as a computer system that keeps the pilot safe by correcting common human error and making flight adjustments. In actual game play, this lets you turn on ERS for a steady behind view (whether 3rd person behind the craft or 1st person in the cockpit) or turn it off for a freed up view as if from another aircraft. The mechanic is that with ERS on, you'll have a steady flying experience. With ERS off, you're free to pull off fantastic aerial stunts in order to better your opponents, with the risk of problems such as stalling and loss of control.
For a Tom Clancy game though, it's much easier then I thought, at least with it's selectable difficulty. On normal, you'll take a fair share of hits before being blown out of the sky. The rest is just keeping your reticule on your target for a lock-on and letting your missiles fly.
The interesting thing is the RPG-esque level up system. As you rank up from completed missions, you unlock new aircraft with different weapon load outs and stats from armor to speed and handling. There were three to unlock on the demo; the standard versatile fighter, a ground bombing specialist (resembling a Harrier), and the anti-air fighter (with a resemblance to the Tomcat).
The missions presented was the standard training mission getting you familiarized with the controls, and a mission giving you a sudden coup d'etat in Rio De Janiro. The action is pretty intense, especially with the ERS off, letting you pull off awesome brake turns (reducing speed dangerously to stall, turning, then throttling up), loops, and the sonic booms that come with all that boosting in speed.
Multiplayer was available in forms of head to head and co-op, but I didn't get the chance to try them.
All in all, H.A.W.X. was a surprise. It got me interested in what the final game will look like, but if it's like the demo, it should be an awesome ride in the sky.
You play as U.S. Air Force pilot David Crenshaw. The game takes an interesting split between simulator-like fighter game play to high flying arcade dog fights. The feature responsible for this is the ERS (enhance reality system). In game, it's explained as a computer system that keeps the pilot safe by correcting common human error and making flight adjustments. In actual game play, this lets you turn on ERS for a steady behind view (whether 3rd person behind the craft or 1st person in the cockpit) or turn it off for a freed up view as if from another aircraft. The mechanic is that with ERS on, you'll have a steady flying experience. With ERS off, you're free to pull off fantastic aerial stunts in order to better your opponents, with the risk of problems such as stalling and loss of control.
For a Tom Clancy game though, it's much easier then I thought, at least with it's selectable difficulty. On normal, you'll take a fair share of hits before being blown out of the sky. The rest is just keeping your reticule on your target for a lock-on and letting your missiles fly.
The interesting thing is the RPG-esque level up system. As you rank up from completed missions, you unlock new aircraft with different weapon load outs and stats from armor to speed and handling. There were three to unlock on the demo; the standard versatile fighter, a ground bombing specialist (resembling a Harrier), and the anti-air fighter (with a resemblance to the Tomcat).
The missions presented was the standard training mission getting you familiarized with the controls, and a mission giving you a sudden coup d'etat in Rio De Janiro. The action is pretty intense, especially with the ERS off, letting you pull off awesome brake turns (reducing speed dangerously to stall, turning, then throttling up), loops, and the sonic booms that come with all that boosting in speed.
Multiplayer was available in forms of head to head and co-op, but I didn't get the chance to try them.
All in all, H.A.W.X. was a surprise. It got me interested in what the final game will look like, but if it's like the demo, it should be an awesome ride in the sky.
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