Spinning Bird Kicks: First Look at Nike vs. Capcom's Chun Li Dunks

It was reported some time back that sneaker heads were getting a pack of Nike Dunks styled after Street Fighter characters, but did any of us know for sure if these kicks were truly inspired by Capcom's opus? Last week, sneaker blog N-SB.org outed some shots of the now confirmed official Nike vs. Capcom Chun Li dunks, and man do they look good. The art on the insole is a great touch. 

At $130 these things ain't cheap, but these are the Euro release. I foresee a price drop when they come stateside, hopefully to no more than $100. Personally, I can't wait to get my feet into the white, red, and black Ryu mids complete with frayed headband Swoosh. Heat? Nah, these are hurricane kicks son. Head past the jump for more pics.

Shout to Geo for the tip (via N-SB.org)

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Schala Dual Techs with Wiz Khalifa, Makes Hip Hop Track

Out drinking with the gang last night, I overheard a ridiculous story being told by DJ console's speakers. After the transpirings of Chrono Trigger, shadowy antihero Magus' older sister Schala has become a dope hip hop producer. Who would've guessed?

Schala gone and performed a double tech with Pittsburgh based rapper Wiz Khalifa fusing her theme from the legendary Square RPG with Wiz Khalifa's familiar, but smooth flow. The outcome is a track that's surprisingly groovable, and made me tip my glass in respect to Wiz.

The track, Never Been, is worth a listen even if you're not the biggest fan of hip hop. So Wiz, what's good with the Cathedral Remix, featuring Frog? Don't front, you know Glenn got some ill lyrics.

One Word; Shank

Developers Klei have found something in Shank that has triggered somewhat of a euphoric explosion in my brain. Yeah, really. The anticipation for this game has been slowly building and now, five days before it's release, I really can't wait to play this shit.

Let's act out a fantasy of Doctor Moreau real quick. Ready? I'm gonna take the art of the Venture Brothers, stitch on the musical brilliance of a modern Morricone, and add the style and savvy of a Robert Rodriguez south-western. Interested? Co-op (the second player looks like Danny Trejo,) multiple character skins (dibs on Jim Kelly,) style, gore, challenge, replay value, and all the other good things in life. Impressed yet? And it's a $15 downloadable title. Yeah, now you're amazed. If Cheech makes a cameo Shank might just reach fuckin' legend status.

By the way, Klei is being brutal enough to release Shank's masterful soundtrack free of charge, here. All it took was 3,000 people to 'like' Shank's Facebook fan page. That was easy. Three hours later, we see why the interwebz can be a beautiful place when netizens work together.

Less than a week until Shank is ready to gut his way into your home and let you take revenge into your own hands. I'm ready, you should be too. If you're not, I'll leave you with my favorite Shank trailer to date. Adios.

GC10: Retro City Rampage Just Blew My Mind

Why isn't there more buzz about this game? It looks like a flaming hot heap of freakin' awesome! I have no idea what the hell is happening in the trailer, but I know it rocks.

Retro City Rampage pays homage to tons of old school games including: Tron, Ninja Turtles, Metal Gear, Bionic Commando, The Legend of Zelda, Back to the Future, Skate or Die, Frogger, Contra, Super Mario Bros, Blaster Master, and Paperboy. I'm sure there's even more that I missed. Hidden in there are some other nods to the 80's, like Cheers, and Die Hard. 

Maybe Retro City Rampage is just an 8-bit GTA clone littered with nostalgic nonsense, but damn! It looks like 88 miles-per-hour of mad fun down memory lane. 

All That and a Bag of Chiptunes

Chiptune site 8bitpeoples is offering a massive amount of lo-fi 8bit music for the price of nothing. Because nothing is free! But these 100+ albums/EPs/singles worth of awesome NES sounding music to groove to are. Are you confused yet? Me too! 

Get to downloading some of this stuff if you're a fan of chiptunes. If you're not, get to downloading this stuff and broaden your horizons with something new and get right! If you don't know where to start, try some Nullsleep, Minusbaby, and Bitshifter. Go on, don't be shy.

Download it!

GC10: Knights Contract is a Tough Old Bastard

Knights Contract, a game that opened my eyes back during E3, has returned with a brand new trailer for us to salivate over. It's bittersweet, since it's all cinematic and no gameplay, but that's not turning me off. The gameplay previously shown is good enough for me to trust the action will be hot and fast, like a night in the sack with yours truly. 

This trailer seems to establish our heroes' identity in Europe during the middle ages, facing overwhelming odds against bloodthirsty beasts. The protagonist is a scarred up, grizzled old badass who grunts off cannonball-sized holes in his stomach with the surliness of a true immortal. His ladyfriend is a reincarnated witch of immense power, who he hopes to keep alive long enough to reverse his "curse" of immortality. Curse? Am I the only one who thinks being immortal would be crazy?

Knights Contract, due out on PS3 and 360 in 2011, looks like a hybrid of Ninja Gaiden, Demon's Souls, and Monster Hunter. Sounds like a great mix. I'm looking forward to seeing more in the future, let's hope this one doesn't disappoint.

Is Lords of Shadow Worthy of the Castlevania Legacy?

Hardcore Castlevania junkies like myself have some reason for excitement, as Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was recently given a finalized release date; October 5th. With the date cemented in place, Konami has whipped up a casket of new media to give would-be vampire hunters a wooden stake in their pants. Of course, Castlevania purists may already be jaded by Lords of Shadow, but until we're able to actually play through the game, we have nothing to run on but speculation. So let's speculate, have at you! 

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GC10: Brink is S.M.A.R.Ter Than Your Average FPS

I'm just going to come out and say what we're all thinking. Dev Diaries are torture. Sure they're full of interesting and eye-opening info, but they're also heavy on the filler, padding the gaps between golden gameplay footage with talking heads. Why can't we have the devs talking over the footage? Because then no one gets screen time, and we can't have that, can we? Though we see devs as mythical beasts who work 80 hour weeks in one of the hardest and most fulfilling professions in the world, they are vain humans just like you and me.

So anyway, Brink looks awesome. This dev diary explains Brink's S.M.A.R.T. system, Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain. The parkour looks good, as does the combat aspect, if a little bland thus far. Though in a 16 player match, running on walls and vaulting over railings while nailing a headshot with a semi-automatic pistol sounds like it could create beautiful bloodshed not seen since The Opera. 

I hope developers Splash Damage can figure out a way to add some sort of third-person view, either through a chase cam or replay system. While Mirror's Edge pulled off the first person parkour well, and Brink looks to do the same, as stylish as some multiplayer kill runs are going to be, it'll be a shame to not be able to see them in the third person. 

Side note: I love the devs. Most of them anyway. Keep doing what you do! Also, what came first, the acronym or the  definition?

GC10: The History of Metroid in 7 Minutes

If you're like me, you're a smooth-talking, handsome, dynamite lover in the mold of Lando Calrissian. You'd also be a shameless geek, who has a hard time sitting through any online video over two and a half minutes, unless it's something really interesting. The latest Metroid Other M primer is seven minutes, but it's fascinating enough to keep your attention easily locked in place.

Maybe you've never played a Metroid game. Maybe you have, but your beer-soaked, pot-clouded brain can't recall details from it's above average story. That's definitely not the category I fall in to. Either way, the following trailer will bring you sufficiently up to date on Metroid's storyline in preparation for Other M. You should watch it. 

GC10: Dead Space 2 Dives Head First into Asskickery

Dead Space 2 could be one of the games I'm looking most forward to. The game play clips we've seen thus far have just looked crazy good. The latest clip to pop up on the interwebs may not be as intense as some of the earlier footage we've seen, but it looks dope regardless. A little zero G, a little puzzle solving, then propelling yourself through the cold expanse of space dodging shrapnel so you can successfully breach a hull with your head. Awesome.

via Game Informer