Now Playing: Oblivion

It's not that long ago that I finished Fallout New Vegas which is so far my favorite RPG out of the ones I've played recently. I felt like moving on to another RPG and I figured I'd try Oblivion since it's made by the same company as Fallout. I originally described Oblivion to a friend as a medieval Fallout but that description doesn't do it justice since it's a great game in its own right. There are similarities in the game play between Oblivion and Fallout but there's still many reasons why they're both great and very different from each other. Oblivion has been a real treat so far and I'm having a hard time tearing myself away from it all.

 

Favorite Song from Street Fighter II

When I was growing up I spent many hours playing Street Fighter II and these days I often get together with friends for a few hours of intense fighting with Street Fighter IV. For some reason out of all the character theme songs in the Street Fighter series the one that sticks out in my mind most after all these years is Guile's theme. The opening riff is so memorable and it pops into my head from time to time as I'm going about my day. Guile's theme has to be my favorite tune from SF II. I was searching for it on YouTube recently and I came across this funny set of videos where people have discovered that Guile's theme goes with everything. Funny!

Fight Stick Review Part 1: Hyperkin

Click here for our review of the Combat King fight stick.

I really think arcade sticks are the way to go when you're playing fighting games. I know there are probably a lot of great players who use console style controllers but for me playing with a stick is kind of a tradition. These were arcade games in the beginning and that's the way they were originally meant to be played and that's the way I like to play them. Call me old fashioned!

I recently had a chance to test 3 arcade sticks: the Hori Fighting Stick 3, the Combat King Joystick and the K.O. Fighting Stick by Hyperkin. I was pleased with all of them. They work absolutely fine and they instantly brought back memories of playing these games at the arcade. When I was shopping around for a fight stick I was worried about buying a lower end stick like the one by Hyperkin because I read some reviews saying they're not as good as other more expensive sticks. While it's true that the Hyperkin wasn't as good as the others, this was only because the base was a little bit smaller and the stick control felt a little more loose than on my other two sticks. This didn't prevent me from playing the same way and it only reminded me of the worked in cabinets in arcades. While the stick control was a little loose on the Hyperkin controller, the buttons were absolutely normal and very responsive. I would recommend the Hyperkin controller for anyone with a smaller budget or a beginning interest in fight sticks. Aside from the size and fancier cosmetic features, it plays in the same league as the others.

Ken's costumes suck!

What's up with Ken Master's alternate costumes in Street Fighter IV? One of the coolest things about Street Fighter IV is all the different choices in costumes for the characters. I'm a huge fan of the game so I don't mind dishing out the extra cash for the alternate costumes that make the experience more enjoyable for me; even though I think Capcom should have included the alternate costumes in the arcade edition.

I've been downloading the costumes a little at a time and I eventually plan to get them all. The costumes have all been very creative and exciting to look at from Ryu's tattered gi to Rose's frilly dress that makes her look like a southern belle from New Orleans. Some costumes are better than others but since there are usually 3 alternate costumes for each character you can always bet there will be one alternate costume you like, at least that's what I thought until I saw Ken's alternate costumes. They suck! While Ryu has a tattered gi and some cool bruises that make him look like a hardcore warrior on an ultimate quest, Ken has a slightly nicer gi than his regular one with a pair of tennis shoes. Where Ryu has a cool traditional Japanese outfit that makes him look kind of like a samurai, Ken has a silly looking cowboy outfit. Ken's best outfit is probably the 3rd alternate costume I downloaded  where he's wearing sporty spandex shorts and he looks like some kind of cyclist or surfer.

 

The alternate costumes for SF IV are definitely cool and worth downloading if you're a big fan of the game but if you're a fan of Ken Masters, expect to be dissappointed.