Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Shang Tsung's Babality

Earlier today I was playing the latest MK for PS3. I had it on the easiest level and I was trying to blaze through computer opponents with Shang Tsung. I was trying to do one his finishers but I accidentally hit the wrong button and I discovered his Babality instead. So, here it is for you to enjoy, my happy accident from earlier in the day.



Shang Tsung's Babality:

back, down, back, light kick  (from a jumping distance)

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Freddy Krueger Mortal Kombat

As I mentioned in my last post, I've finally gotten my hands on Mortal Kombat for PS3 and I've been blown away by how amazing it is. Earlier this weekend I was checking out the DLC characters for MK and I was really excited about Freddy Krueger. I remember watching Nightmare On Elm Street as a kid and Freddy was one of the most charismatic slasher bad guys around. Having him in a game is pretty awesome and that's one of the cool thing about the new MK, the ability to play characters outside of the MK universe like Kratos. I've never played God Of War but it seems like a great game that has a lot of fans so I'm sure GOW fans are just as thrilled about Kratos as I am about Freddy.


 It was definitely cool being able to play the nightmare king himself and Freddy proved this weekend that he can fight right up there with the big boys of MK universe. If you're a fan of Mortal Kombat and the Nightmare On Elm Street movies then you'll get a kick out of laying down Freddy's nightmares on your opponents.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Now Playing: Mortal Kombat

Oh yeah baby! I finally picked up MK for the PS3 last night and I've really been enjoying slamming computer opponents into the ground and seeing all the different fatalities. I might do a real review of the game later but for now my first impression is a solid two thumbs up! I was worried that Mortal Kombat would kind of suck because MK vs DC Universe kind of sucks but I was pleasantly surprised. One of the biggest things that sticks out about the game and the best surprise so far is that the fatalities aren't ridiculously impossible like they seemed to me in MK vs DC. 

I haven't gotten a chance to really explore all the characters, their moves, or all the different modes available in the game but I expect to be pleasantly surprised. How awesome is it to have Freddy Krueger available for download? I grew up watching Nightmare On Elm Street and I still enjoy watching the movies every now and then. They were a lot scarier back when I was a kid. Now they're actually kind of funny. That Freddy sure does have a sense of humor! I can't wait to download him and actually, I think that's what I'm going to go do right now, download Freddy so I can put him in my game...

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Madden 13 Wish List

I was thinking about the different sports titles coming out from EA for 2013. I'm looking forward to seeing the improvements in all of them and I generally love EA sports titles but like many other people I've been dissapointed by the Madden franchise. Is it really that bad? Yes, it is, but I'm also a big Madden fan and have been since I was a kid. The reason for the huge dissappointment is the superstar mode. Some people like controlling the whole team in franchise mode or playing as the GM. I'm a superstar mode kind of guy. Whenever I play almost any sports game the first thing I want to check out and enjoy is the career mode; I want the full experience of the professional athlete and this is where Madden goes wrong. I think they had it right back in the PS2 and XBox days when your superstar had a house, a map of his city and many different aspects you were able to customize. These days, superstar mode gets boring quick and if a career mode is boring I stop playing that game. Like I said, I'm a superstar mode kind of guy.

I'd like to go on a rant about this but I found a YouTube video that says exactly what I'm trying to say. I agree 100% with everything the guy in this video is saying. So, here's our message to the EA sports Madden team, we hope you're listening.

The main points of the video are:

1.GO BACK TO PS2/XBOX DAYS
2.POSITION BATTLE
3.GET lDEAS FROM NCAA FOOTBALL
4.GAINING SKILL POINTS
5.CAMERA ANGLE
6.DRAFT DAY
7.ENDORSEMENTS
8.INTERVIEWS


Do you agree or disagree? Leave your comments below and help get the message across to the EA Sports Madden team.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Fight Stick Review Part 2: Combat King

Click here for our review of the Hyperkin joystick.

I ordered the Combat King Joystick from Ebay when I was looking around for fighting sticks. The Combat King Joystick seemed like a decent quality stick and the price was affordable. This particular stick was shipped to me from China and the delivery was quick and reliable. The joystick and buttons on the Combat King controller felt very tight to me and I liked that. I mentioned that the Hyperkin fight stick I bought felt very loose, the opposite is true for the Combat King. Everything felt very tight and in place. The quality of the parts is very good. I originally thought that this fight stick was the best of the three that I tried and this was mainly because of how tight the controller feels. I later realized that this is only a matter of preference when a friend mentioned that he actually prefers a loose stick and that the Combat King felt a bit stiff.  I thought the stick and buttons felt great when they were nice and tight but my friend preferred the loose controls of the Hori Fighting Stick 3 which I will be reviewing as well.

Another reason I chose the Combat King when shopping online was because it came with a cool Street Fighter IV picture on it. Most higher quality joysticks that I've wished for have those graphics so when I saw that I could get something like that myself at a low price I just had to get it. Unfortunately this backfired on me a little because the graphic and the plastic cover protecting the picture were'nt very well made. After only a short while playing, the protective plastic on the Combat King started peeling off. It started with only one of the corners at first so I put a bit of duct tape on it; then a while later I more started peeling off on the side. I had to duct tape a big section of that as well and the picture is still in tact but the tape ruined the original esthetic and it was dissappointing to have to patch up an otherwise good arcade stick. 


There are some things worth considering if you're thinking of buying a Combat King. It looks like a decent arcade stick, something you would take to a tournament. There are turbo and macro settings on it but they are located on the front panel facing you, not on the face of the controller like they are on the Hyperkin and Hori sticks. This could be a good thing if you're always playing on a table top. The suction cups are pretty good too and they really stick well to plastic surfaces. The downside to having these buttons located there is that if you're playing with the controller on your lap in a more casual setting then there is a risk of accidentally pushing these buttons. This has happened to me and my friends while we're battling each other. The button that functions as the PS button is also located there so funny things can happen in the middle of a fight. You could accidentally hit the macro button on the joystick and program a set of moves to one button without even knowing it.

The Combat King fight stick I ordered is the same model as the one below. That's the graphic that it comes with. The plastic cover on graphic is hardly noticeable in the picture. Mine first started peeling off at the corner where it says SSFIV and then it happened again along the side where you see Cammy and Vega. Notice the 3 buttons on the front panel and that none of the buttons (start, select, square, triangle etc...) are labelled.




The last thing worth mentioning with the Combat King is that the buttons are not laid out in the standard way for PS3 users. Both the Hyperkin controller and the Hori 3 controller are clearly laid out. You know exactly where L1, R1 and all the other buttons are and should be. The Combat King is the only stick out of the 3 controllers that does not have the button layout of a typical PS3 controller. This isn't really a huge deal and you get to know the controller with a little time but it can be annoying. Getting the buttons to match the kicks and punches where you want them isn't as straight forward as with the other two sticks and I have to fully customize my settings in Street Fighter IV instead of choosing premade arcade stick settings that are in the game.


You can order the Combat King with an extended joystick for the same price as the regular sized stick so if you prefer the longer controller then this is something worth considering. I'm happy with my Combat King controller. It has a stick on the side that says professional fighting joystick. Is it a professional fight stick? I say yes, but it's certainly not perfect and it has it's a  little quircky. I was looking for something good, something professional, but I was also on a budget and looking for something affordable. The Combat King is what I was looking for, even if it's not perfect.


Overall:


Responsive controlls with good quality parts
Controlls feel tight when it is new
Comes with turbo and macro settings
Comes with a Super Street Figther IV logo
Plastic cover peels easily but it this can be prevented easily with some tape
The controller can be ordered with a regular sized or extended joystick
The buttons are not laid out in the standard way for PS3 users