Sunday, January 22, 2012

Mortal Kombat Trilogy On PS3

The other day I did a blog post about the missing fatalities in the moves menu for Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe (PS3). I was annoyed that the fatalities and heroic brutalities are missing in the game for no apparent reason. Well I have good news for MK lovers on the PS3. I downloaded the Mortal Kombat Trilogy the other day which is available through the Playstation Store. The arcade versions of Mortal Kombat I, II, and III are all included in the trilogy. The good news is that if you like these classic arcade titles you can purchase them for very little and best of all, the fatalities are included in the moves menu. I know some people out there already play these on MAME emulators but I would strongly suggest anyone with a PS3 buy the trilogy if only for convenience. I have to say it's really handy having all the moves right there in the menu and I feel like I can finally start getting to know these characters in depth. The other great thing about the MK trilogy on PS3 is that you have the option to play online with leader boards and rankings so you can practice all those classic moves on others. 

So if the fatalities for the MK arcade trilogy are easily accessible in the moves menu then that begs the question, why weren't they included in the MK vs DC Universe game? It doesn't make sense! 


Favorite Song From Fallout New Vegas

There are many things that go into making a great video game and one element that shouldn't be ignored is the music. Anyone who watches Angry Video Game Nerd videos will eventually hear one of his rants about an old school game that goes cheap on the music with annoying results. So, since video game music will likely never be as bad as in the old days, it's good to be thankful for some of the great tracks that our out there in some of our favorite games today. I was playing Fallout Vegas earlier and I have to say I really enjoy the selection of the music from the game. While it's all really good, my favorite track would have to be Johnny Guitar. There's just something really dark and mysterious about the piece that I really enjoy and it fits the mood of the game so well. It's a great tune sung by Peggy Lee. Click here to listen to Johnny Guitar on YouTube.


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Where are the fatalities for MK vs DC Universe?

One of the great things about this generation's gaming consoles is how far we've come along from the NES, SNES and Sega Genesis days. Back when arcade fighting games first came out for home consoles you had to study the game manuals for the moves if you didn't know them already. Chances are that you're pretty good with one character but not all of them so if you're kicking some ass with Scorpion but then you get a little bored and want to try a new character like Reptile or Shang Tsung you'll have to stop and study the manual or look for the moves online. The great thing about games for Xbox and PS3 is that they can support online manuals. If you're playing Street Fighter IV with Gouken or Juri for the first time you can press start for instant access to all of their moves. That includes special moves like hadokens and shoryoukens, super moves, ultra combos and unique moves like Guile's reverse spin kick.

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe was the first game in the MK series that I bought for PS3. I was exited about the fatalities and brutalities and I couldn't wait to have them there in the start menu, easily accessible like the Street Fighter IV moves but then.... 
They weren't there. I'm not sure if there's something that I've missed or that I am still missing but I had to check online for fatalities and heroic brutalities. The fatalities are complex and difficult to learn so why wouldn't they be included with the rest of the moves in the start menu?

Fight Night Champion Online

So I finally signed up for the Playstation network and I've discovered the joy of online gaming for the first time. I know, I know, I'm a really late arrival but hey, better late than never. The first two games I tried online were Street Fighter IV and Fight Night Champion. Well, online gaming can tell you a thing or two about people's mentality. One of the first things that struck me about playing Fight Night online were the boxers people create. The middleweight and lightweight divisions weren't that bad but the heavyweight division was downright disgusting!

By far, the majority of boxers I fight in the heavyweight division online are the tallest boxers with a thick muscular build (usually the Tyson body type which looks ridiculously intimidating) and the biggest reach which is somewhere around 82 or 83 inches. There's hardly any variety to these user created heavyweights, especially in the lower ranks and it can be rare to fight someone that doesn't fit the biggest physical measurements. 

Does everyone have to be the biggest, baddest, most powerful and intimidating boxer?

Lucky for the more reasonable ones among us that our big bad opponents usually don't have the brain to match their muscles. When I created my heavyweight I was thinking of an average blue collar type guy. My first heavyweight was a brawler but I tried to make him well rounded by building up different punches both to the head and body. This has been frustrating for the tough guys in the online heavyweight division who choose to spend all their xp points making one punch (usually the straight to the head) as strong as possible while ignoring the rest of their boxer's attributes. These guys forget that it's a boxing game not Mortal Kombat and I've been using that to my advantage when they come into the fight thinking they'll win with an early KO.

I've come up with a scenario that often goes something like this: 
I'm the underdog who steps into a fight with a guy who's overall rating is a few points higher than mine. Less experienced fighters rarely challenge guys higher up the ladder so my opponent thinks I'm a fool for challenging them and they are over confident. They come out in the first round and immediately show me that they've spent xp points trying to make one punch as dangerous as possible. I know this because they come out swinging their one and only heavy punch and rarely throw jabs or other punches that would compliment and set up the big punch. My opponent usually has me stunned and in trouble a few times during the first half of the fight; this works to my advantage because once they've hurt me once they are over confident and think they will KO me very quickly. 

The tough guy keeps throwing power shots with the same punch while I pretend I'm more hurt than I really am. I throw jabs and power shots to the body and while these slowly wear the other guy down, they're not pretty flashy punches like a powerful hook to the head. I stay away from my opponent and try to conserve energy for the first half of the fight. My opponent thinks the fight is his because he has won every round on the judge's score cards and then BAM! I come out for the second half of the fight with most of my stamina against an opponent who is tired and slow. Once their stamina is gone their punches don't hurt as much. Counter punches and power shots are much easier to land because the opponent is slow and frustrated. It's only a matter of time before I knock them out with an even mix of brains, speed and power. When this happens some guys get so frustrated that they quit before the fight ends and they end up with a loss and a negative online record for disconnecting from the fight.

So there are a lot of dumb fighters out there but the higher climb up the ladder, the smarter the boxers become and then fighters do come along who know what they're doing and fights become a real challenge. I have to admit that I have been the victim of having too much confidence also and found myself paying the price late in the fight. I respect the players I come across who have a real knowledge of the sport. Unfortunately it feels like the majority of the gamers out there want to be the big bad tough guy that knocks you out in round 1 and don't seem to understand what Mike Tyson said in the promo trailers leading up to the release of Fight Night Champion, 

"This is a thinking man's sport. A tough man is going to get hurt real bad in this sport."




That's right Mike, it's a thinking man's sport and that's how you win in boxing. 


Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Street Fighter Web Series

I've been really excited about fighting games recently. My collection of them for the PS3 has grown recently with the addition of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, and an upgrade from Super Street Fighter IV to Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition. I have enough fighting games to keep me busy for a while and I plan on getting my hands on the new Mortal Kombat soon also.

With so many fighting games on my mind I was doing a YouTube search under Street Fighter thinking that I would come across a review of the game or something like that. What I ended up finding was even better! I found a YouTube web series called The Street Fighter. It's still rather new so I'll try not to spoil it for everyone by giving too much away. Basically, it's about an average Joe with a penchant for Street Fighter IV and fight sticks. The show is very well made and was very entertaining to watch. I read a ton of positive reviews for the little series and it even left me wanting more so I actually checked out a "making of" segment afterwards. The acting, directing, plot and camera work were all great. The Street Fighter was very entertaining and has something for almost everyone, even if you're not a big fan of Street Fighter video games. There's even a nerdy but sexy gamer chick that works in a comic book store (a nerd's dream come true!) who is one of the main characters. Judging by the YouTube comments, she already has quite a few fans. The Game Station did a great job making this project, be sure to check out their YouTube channel.

Here's The Street Fighter Episode 1. Enjoy!