Finally, Something to Look Forward To?

Capcom vs. SNK 3 has possibly (April fools in mind here) been recently announced as a launch title for the PS4 sometime in 2014.  As a member of the fighting game community I am most certainly excited for this game, and since Capcom vs. SNK 2 was such a huge tournament hit, there is little wonder why someone might be excited for the next (hopefully competitive) step for the franchise.  Its been a while since I've talked about a fighting game so I'm pretty excited.

In case you aren't familiar, heres something to give you an idea of what to expect.

Other fighting game staples that have received next gen upgrades have changed fairly drastically. Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter 4, etc. so it wouldn't be surprising to find out that CVS3 would end up being slower and with new systems.  The previous KOF feel with exchangable grooves was a fun and unique system, hopefully as more details give way, we will be able to get a better handle on what to expect, not to mention what fighting games on the PS4 can handle. Of course, all of this could just be a not-so-elaborate April fools joke. Wouldn't be surprised either way honestly.

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Persona 4: Arena Review

Hot damn have I been waiting for this game for quite some time now. I'm sure you remember my ranting about it earlier. The game was love at first sight for me, but of course, nobody else has my unique views when it comes to games like this. So before you take my word for it. Here is a legitimate review for the title.

Prepare Yourself for Battle!

So, it has been another dive into the world of fighting games for lil' ol' me for the past weeks. The 25th anniversary of Street Fighter official Capcom sponsored tournament series kicked off on the 27^th which I did attend but did not compete. Super big names in the FG community would have slaughtered me in ways I have only ever paid good money on the internet to see done to other people...but probably with severely less latex involved. The event was in Austin, TX so I spent most of my time with friends I hadn't seen in a long time. But I didn't forget to visit Arcade UFO while I was in town. I did quite well on the SSF4AE cabinets, but it was more due to the lack of good competition there rather than my own personal skill. If I was better at third strike I would have challenged my friend Yuuki “theAdonis” Spencer. He took part and got 5^th place in the event, it may not sound impressive, but he got to walk away with 200 bones and a swag-ass T-shirt (swag as in 'stuff we all get') for a free-to-enter tournament. It was a good start to a fighting game based week.

The EVO of years past

Remember back in 2004 when Daigo did the full parry on Justin's Chun Li super art 2 for the match win?  It was super hyped because of how clutch it was during such a tense match. 

Since then EVO has never disappointed in delivering quality matches between the best players around the world.  This year's EVO looks to be ridiculous.  $25K for SSF4AE 2012, $23K for MK9, $15K for Umvc3 and Virtua Fighter 5, $11K for KOFXIII, the money at stake at this event is ridiculous, and it is sure to draw a crowd.
 

Street Fighter X Tekken Review

Capcom is no stranger to competition in the fighting game arena. Major franchises like SNK, Marvel, and Tatsunoko have done battle against the Capcom roster but this time, a new challenger enters the ring, in Street Fighter X Tekken (read: Street Fighter cross Tekken).  Namco's famed 3D fighter makes its 2D debut in the first of two titles in the Capcom - Namco co-venture.  All throughout the development of Street Fighter X Tekken, two major questions have piqued  gamers' curiosity; "How well do Tekken characters work in 2D" and "How do the mysterious  gems work?" The answer to both of those questions are pretty positive. 

Capcom's representation of Tekken characters remain true to their Namco roots in terms of general feel.  Not only do the Tekken characters have quite a few more moves in comparison to the Street Fighter characters but in some cases, as with King's Shoulder Tackle and Rolling Elbow, even the inputs are the same.  There are,  however, some creative liberties taken to keep Tekken characters competitive against the Street Fighter cast.  Several Tekken characters such as Jin and Steve were given projectile moves they don't have any iteration of in Tekken.

Hands on With: The Hitbox

The Hitbox features an eight button layout similar to the Madcatz and high end Hori arcade sticks. Unlike those sticks, or any other stick for that matter, the Hitbox features four direction buttons rather than an actual stick.

The placement of the directional buttons are quite unique also. On the upper left are the "left"," down", and "right" buttons. The "up" button is towards the bottom of the stick and is considerably bigger than all of the other buttons. The placement of the" down" button alongside the" left" and "right" buttons shows some serious thought from the stick's designers as most fighting games use a quarter circle or half circle motion that runs along the bottom of the stick.

Playing Tekken 6 on this stick felt really fresh. Usually I have trouble landing the Electric Wind God Fist , a difficult yet vital move for Kazuya, Heihachi, Jin and Devil Jin, but the Hitbox made doing it simple. There is an initial learning curve but after you get used to it, you'll be amazed at how easy it becomes to perform more advance movements.

Now for the big question. Is it worth the $150 price tag? Not so much for the casual fighting game enthusiast but for those that want to shave some travel time off of their standing 720's it's definitely worth considering.