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...

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.

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

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.