Street Fighter x Tekken Gets Fresh out of TGS

Fresh for Tokyo Game Show '11, Capcom has pushed out a new trailer for Street Fighter x Tekken, revealing some new characters and gameplay nuances. Rolento? Fuck yes, I've been begging for this guy in a Street Fighter game, as he was one of my favorites in Street Fighter Alpha 2, also known as the greatest Street Fighter game ever made. Also confirmed are Heihachi, Zangief, Rufus, and some chick named Lili. Lili? Beats the hell out of me. Capcom has also taken the liberty of adding two more joke characters in the form of Toro and Kuro, stick figure cats with huge heads created by Sony Computer Entertainment (PS3 and Vita exclusive). If your game features a big brown bear that farts in a fighter's face - very mature - why not add a few fighting felines?

In addition to new characters, the beans have been spilled on more of the game's mechanics. Most notable is Pandora, a colorful space cube that has the world warriors all purple and bothered. Is this Street Fighter x Tekken's attempt at story? Aw, how cute. In the vein of Marvel vs. Capcom 3's X-Factor, Pandora appears to gives its user a huge boost in power, in exchange for sacrificing their partner's entire life. It sounds like an even trade, but I'm sure it ain't. Ten bucks says Pandora starts way overpowered, with a post-release patch necessary to tune it down. Typical Capcom. 

Some other neat additions are 4-player tag battles, where each player controls one character. This practice should be the norm in tag battle games now, so I'm glad Capcom is adopting the idea. Also, the absolutely insane 4-player simultaneous battle, which is what it sounds like. Fun but head-spinningly confusing. You can practice your tag combos in online training mode, with a buddy across the country, and configure to automatically join an online battle against two others with your partner in tow.

Street Fighter x Tekken is going to be a solid game, there's no doubt about it. The real question is, will Super Street Fighter x Tekken cost $60 when it releases in early 2013?

Update: Joystiq has corraled some info from Capcom's Seth "S-kill" Killian, and it turns out Pandora has stipulations. It can only be activated when one of your characters has less than 25% health, and immediately kills that character. The surviving tag partner will have an unlimited EX meter for 8 seconds, after which that character will also die. Now that's a last stand.

Productivity Be Damned! Twenty Minutes of Skyrim

Hey you there! I know you, and odds are you should probably be doing something productive as opposed to browsing lesser known games journalism sites (but we thank you for your hits). What should have been a quick bit of peruse is about to go right down the drain, and with it, any notion of accomplishing something at this point of the day, whenever it may be. So fair warning, if you have a deadline to meet, a date to be at, or some other time sensitive matter, turn back now. Otherwise, enjoy the next 20 minutes of pure bliss, courtesy of Skyrim.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution: The Talented Mr. Jensen

Deus Ex is a polarizing piece of video game history. Billed by many as one of the greatest games of our generation and the foundation for many of today's successful intellectual properties, still an even amount of gamers have never played it. As one of the latter, the buzz created by Deus Ex: Human Revolution was sufficient enough to inspire a dose of the original, which I do not regret at all, despite the visuals being a decade below par. I considered it a primer, a late introduction to an incredibly realized cyberpunk universe that many have tried to replicate but few have done successfully. In the wake of Warren's spectre, with the team behind the original having moved on to their own personal projects, Eidos Montreal has undertaken the task of creating a prequel to Deus Ex. Setting the table for one of the greatest games of our time is a rather large trenchcoat to fill, however DXHR is up to the task.

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El Shaddai: Get High with the Metatron

If you ever told me I would play a game based on a bible story and thoroughly enjoy it, I would laugh at you, then proceed to slap you across your face and run away screaming incoherently. El Shaddai: Ascencion of the Metatron has just proven me wrong. The sea isn't boiling, the sky hasn't turned red, nor have any other signs of the apocalypse surfaced. El Shaddai has taken a bible story and flipped it into a truly awe inspiring game.

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Notch to Bethesda: COME AT ME BRO

Markus ‘Notch’ Persson, creator of Minecraft and head of game dev company Mojang Specifications is a little bit of a badass. Following the success of the indie hit Minecraft, the Mojang team has moved on to their latest project, named Scrolls. A trademark of the title has been seen by Bethesda has infringement on their Elder Scrolls trademark, thus litigation ensues. Notch, in true Phoenix Wright form, has some objections to that. Like most normal people, Notch doesn’t want to get caught up in courtroom proceedings, be it for financial issues or time investments. His solution? Quake 3.

"I challenge Bethesda to a game of Quake 3. Three of our best warriors against three of your best warriors.” Yup, he just took it there. Notch’s terms would have each side select a map, and have the order randomized. After 20 minute matches, the team with the highest frag count would be declared the winner. Should team Mojang triumph, Bethesda must drop the lawsuit. If team Bethesda emerges victorious, Notch must change the title of Scrolls to something Bethesda won’t get ticked off at.

I’m sure Notch is aware that Bethesda is in cahoots with id Software, creator of the Quake series. For him to lay down a challenge, and possibly face the creators of his chosen playing field is ballsy indeed. As awesome as it would be, I would be surprised if Bethesda took him up on his offer. Big mistake on their part, if they live streamed those matches, imagine the hits and publicity? Regardless of who loses, everybody wins!

via The World of Notch

REVIEW: Fruit Ninja Kinect

Before you even begin to read this review, I want to tell you right up front that it is a severely half-assed piece of work. Transparency is where it's at, homey. The reason is simple: there was never supposed to be a Fruit Ninja Kinect review. A downloadable throwaway of 800 Microsoft Points, meant to do nothing but kill a few hours, turned into something far more engrossing than I expected.

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The Sights of San Diego Comic Con 2011

Comic Con was over 2 weeks ago you say? Shut your mouth! Editing photos is a long and arduous task, especially while working a full time job, playing and penning 3 reviews, and on occasion, saving the world from certain doom. I know, I know, cry moar! 

At any rate, here are some of the photos from San Diego Comic Con 2011. You'll find some cosplay, some toys, a bit of cleavage, and a huge heaping of awesome. Break out the soda and popcorn and enjoy the show!

San Diego Comic Con 2011 Gallery

REVIEW: Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

Oh, how I love non-linear side-scrollers. Super Metroid, Metroidvania, and everything in between. If it features action, adventure, exploration, upgrades, backtracking, slick 2D visuals, and a map that is ready to be explored to 102%, I am all over it. It's no surprise then, that I was so excited to get my hands on Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, a downloadable title that features all of the above with one stipulation: you have full 360-degree control of a spaceship and its weaponry!

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Terribly Voiced Trailer or Not, I'm All in on Deus Ex: Human Revolution

I've been looking forward to Deus Ex: Human Revolution for quite some time. I'm hoping very much that it ends up being better than a steaming pile of excrement, because my sixty bucks says this baby is going to be a big time winner!  

Eidos Montreal and Square Enix haven't been shy when it comes to marketing DXHR, and I can't blame them because everything about this game looks incredible. Stylized violence, stealth, character interaction, ability upgrades, item management, what else do you want? If you've been hiding under a rock and haven't seen the dozens of other videos, just watch this one. A mundane-voiced gentleman summarizes all you need to know, for the most part. Rest assured, the voice acting in-game is much better than this trailer's voice-over. 

If DXHR has one strike against it at this point, it may be that there is too much going on. It looks to have the scope of an Oblivion or Fallout 3 in that it will easily warrant at least 2 plays, just so you can see a percentage of what the game has to offer. When these flimsy plastic discs are sold for three Jacksons, you take a game with replay value like this and make sweet love to it. Yeah, that's my plan, as long as the bounty of options don't muddle things up. Let us pray.

August 23, mark it down. Catch a mysterious affliction that can only be cured by the augmentations found in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Take the entire week off, because from the looks of things, you may need it. You have a sickness, and the only cure is more arm-blade!

REVIEW: From Dust

I must admit, titles where the player is given the powers of a God and asked to shape the world how he or she sees fit were never compelling to me, regardless of how incredible the premise sounds. In what feels like the first game in which I play the part of the Almighty since I've become a mature gamer, I decided to give From Dust a Godly go of it. Does its foundation hold up to the heavy expectations heaped upon it, or is this one wiped away by a tsunami?

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