I haven’t written one of these in a long time, and I mean a LONG time. This is due to my laziness in terms of coming up with something to write about. I’ve been trying to focus on so many things these days that I’ve forgotten about this blog or I’ve just been working on improving my game in Street Fighter IV. As of this post being posted, we’ve had our final tournament of the year (BaseLAN 18) and are now going into downtime. For some it’s just a way for them to get better at Street Fighter IV while the burnt out players take a rest. For others it’s a time to catch up on certain things in life that we haven’t done due to trying to get better in Street Fighter IV. By certain things in life I mean playing other games. I, myself, have found that I need a new fix on a game and I’ve come across a few titles to keep me busy until the new year comes around with Super Street Fighter IV.

First game that has entered my mind is Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. When I first popped this into my PS3, I wasn’t really expecting much as I had tried out the first one and was not too pleased with it. I read the instruction booklet that came with the game and found out that this was basically the video game adaptation of the Civil War story arch in the Marvel Universe. I have most of the comics that relate to this game, so the relationship between me and the game are somewhat good, or so I thought. Playing through the game, it was a beat-em-up RPG style of game. This unfortunately meant one thing, repetition. Now I’m not a big fan of most new generation beat em ups simply because they’re usually short, and they tend to be graphically unappealing, or they just make me lose interest. Now I know that all beat-em-ups are like that, but come on, Final Fight was a hard as hell game and was pretty damn long. Rarely would I make it past the Casino stage because I’d get my ass handed to me and have no lives. So getting back to Marvel Alliance 2, I felt like they had the power and stuff to make the game a little more longer and a bit more appealing. They barely incorporate all the characters that are available, I have the same team that consists of Wolverine, Spidey, Daredevil, and one extra from the start to where I’m currently am now in the game. I just wish that they’d make you change it up so that a boss can’t be beat with the same characters. I love Marvel, but I think they should just stick with making better storylines in their comics, rather than making Activision produce their licensed games.

Second game that has entered my bloodstream is DJ Hero. This game came out in October, it’s the middle of November, and I haven’t really talked about it that much. All I can say is that the mixes in this game are sick, I enjoy a majority of them (Minus Black Eyed Peas and Benny Benassi). It’s got something that I just can’t put my hand on when comparing it to other games I’ve played. When I’m spinning the turntable and listening to the songs I just feel like I’m having a good time. The controls are pretty simple, the controller it self is a one “vinyl” turntable, a cross fader, equalizer, a Euphoria button, and a PS3 control set at the top of the thing. It’s completely wireless and goes on with some batteries that need to be replaced from time to time. When I first popped this game in, I was doing a crossover between DJ Hero and Street Fighter IV due to our tournaments that we still had coming up. But after BaseLAN I was able to get my hands more dirty on this game and I’ve come to really enjoy it. Starting at Medium and working myself to Expert in some songs (I’m mostly playing on Hard), I’m pretty sure I can say that this is one of the most unique and best rhythm games that is easy to get into. At first it seems a little confusing, but you’ll learn over the course of playing the songs that the screen slows down and you’re able to just read everything that’s coming towards you. My only quarrel about this game is the controller itself, the crossfader REALLY pisses me off, especially when I have to do Fader Spikes in game.  Great job though to Activision and the Guitar Hero team for releasing this game.

Thirdly doesn’t come to a big surprise, Tekken 6. We all know that 3D fighters have never been my friend. They really have the tendency to make me rage because of some of the ways that people can clutch and come back. Tekken 6, while being my favorite 3D fighter series, is also one of my most disliked games in 3D fighters as well. I really love what Namco has done with the franchise, but god damn, when I saw the netcode and how it’s working. I really wondered what was going on in their heads. They also decided that custom character stuff would not be transferable and could not be used by both players if playing offline versus mode, this is garbage. It makes me wonder if they were really ready to release the game on console or if they just wanted to get it out there so that it can have a spot in the Christmas Catalogue/Flyers. I love how many fighting games are working on bringing in new players as well with simpler systems (Street Fighter IV has shortcuts and other little things to help out casuals and newbies at the game). Tekken 6 seems to offer a lot to offer to casual gamers as well as newbies, as their training mode is one of the best in the fighting game industry. My only issue with this is that it’s become quite apparent that most 3D fighters are very masher friendly and this has been an known issue to really grind my gears (check BaseLAN T6 Results). Working hard for my combos is really something I feel like I have worked hard for, but to get knocked out of a tournament over someone who looks like they’re seizuring on the pad does not bode well for me. But while there are these things that piss me off about T6, the game is fun, learning a new character has never felt more refreshing (I played Steve Fox in T5 and T5DR, now I’m moving onto Lei Wulong). Will you see this Korean in more future Tekken events? To answer your question Keith Bailey, yes, you will.

Well I think that’s about it, I’ve caught up with most things that I wanted to talk about. Street Fighter IV has definitely been put on the shelf at this time, but I won’t stop playing it completely. I’m around so I’ll probably just play it online with some of my GTASF (Greater Toronto Area Street Fighter) guys. Locally though, don’t be surprised if you see me busting out other characters like Gouken, Fei Long, or even Ryu. I hope to see you guys around in the new year and with SSFIV coming in next year, I’m hoping the hype will be just as big again next year. Having 6 tournaments this year really helped us with getting us back on the map and getting our scene to really get up there. Without you guys I’m sure we’d have gone our separate ways a long time ago. I want to thank you on behalf of the GoC (Games on Campus) and Chipdamage for coming out to our tournaments, having fun and hanging out with us. The fight will continue next year, with the downfall of Shane’s Legacy as number 1 in the city. Thanks again everyone for a great year. Peace!

James “Korea” Kim