Another Year, Another Chance for my PS3

Seeing the great debate beginning to brew over this next gen console subject, I can’t just sit on the sidelines and let this one go. If my opinion matters one bit I would say that next gen consoles overall have been a failure, but don’t take that out of context though. There are great games, enhanced graphics, and better game control; but if we look at the hardware associated with the Wii, PS3, and 360, we can see that there have been letdowns with all three systems.

Like Brian T. said the Wii is nothing more than a glorified GameCube. It is a GameCube with motion control. For a long time now I have felt that the Wii was nothing more than a test; a test to see how the public would accept a new form of gameplay. Unfortunately it is widely accepted by all demographics from young to old, to people who really don’t even play video games; therefore causing Nintendo to continue pushing this console. There also is a serious lack of quality software support for this system but yet I can guarantee that Nintendo is raking in the cash, and because of that there is no need on Nintendo’s part to change a thing at the moment.

Then we have the 360. Overall we are looking at a pretty good system. They have support through other social networking communities such as Facebook and Twitter, along with a great library of games. There online service is above average and you can see that paying for the service definitely makes it worth the $50 per year. What the system lacks is the dependent hardware to run the console. System hardware failures plague the console with the Red Rings of Death and the E74 error code. Like Brian T. said too, it is ridiculous to spend $300 - $400 on the system then have to go spend another $100 on a wireless network adapter to get online. You would think since networking technology is not advanced rocket science; it would be built in the system or made affordable at least, but once again the system makes money even with its flaws, so why change what in terms of profits is not broken.

Finally there is the PS3. Let me say I have been let down by this system from the time I got mine and more so then the latter two. One of the biggest disappointments for this system is the lack of software that is available for the system. If you need someone to blame for this you can thank Sony for not providing the training and information that was needed for these developers to program the games. I can see how these game developers did not want to spend the money to train programmers to write for this system when they could just release it on a more popular, easier to work with system like the 360. To this day I still do not own a PS3 game. There hasn’t been a game yet exclusive to the system that I feel I need to have, and if there is a game that is multi-platform I always get it for the 360. But before you can complain about the software I think it is only fair to look at the system itself. We are in the 4th generation with the PS3. If you go here you can see a chart of all the different PS3’s and what hardware they contained.

It’s seems to me the PS3 has taken steps back instead of moving forward to try and provide a better product to their consumers. Look at the 360 for example. They have increased their hard drive space, replaced their original processors with better ones, and added more services to system. The PS3 has removed the flash card reader, removed backwards compatibility, reduce the number of USB slots, and taken away the removable hard drive. So how do they justify the price of the system? Sure they increased the hard drive space, but they removed everything else. No wonder we have seen a price drop in recent months.

That is not all that lets me down with the PS3. The PS Network; now there is a joke if I’ve ever seen one. Sure it is free, but what do you gain by having a free service: lag, poor support, and limited connectivity. If I was partial solely to the PS3 I would be more than happy to pay for my online service to ensure excellent service. Also I need to mention Home. What a waste of time and effort there. If I wanted to participate in something of that nature I would go and play The Sims. At least that way I wouldn’t be subjected to endless advertising. Plus it is completely annoying trying to have a conversation because it is a pain in the ass to type everything when 95% of the people don’t have headsets. Tell me why is there no Bluetooth headset included with the system? This is similar to Microsoft not having Wi-Fi built in to the system. Why not include something that probably costs them pennies to make compared to the $100 it costs us to buy it. When is enough, enough?

Where are we left as gamers when the companies that we support seem to not really care to support their consumers? And it is not only Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony; it is the software companies that support the consoles too. If you read my earlier blog “Diamonds Last Forever” you can see how I talked about there being a lack of games on next gen consoles that take gaming to the next level. There are no revolutionary or breakthrough games on any of the 3 major consoles today. Gaming has reached a standstill in some respects. Hopefully with the introduction of Natal we will see a shift in gaming. We will see what next gen gaming should be and hopefully get everything we should be getting out of these consoles. I know though that a magic wand shaped like an ice cream cone will not be the answer to this. It will be yet another let down from Sony. Maybe they finally realized this and that is why the date has been pushed back so that way they can try and save some face. Let me know what you think and how you feel about today’s gaming companies.

-Brian R.

video game pms

I'm in a bad mood. I'm taking a break from the insanely frustrating process of trying to get my 360 online to set up a Live account. To keep it short, because of the layout of my house and electronics, I have to use Internet Connection Sharing through the PC in my room to get my 360 online which may require me to change my router's IP address which is way more work than it should be. Microsoft's greed once again finds a way to piss me off. I mean, seriously guys...the fucking Wii has built-in Wifi, yet I have to buy a $100 proprietary brand adapter to get the 360 to do this? FUCK YOU.

So Microsoft is on today's shit list for me, how about Sony? Well, it would appear that yesterday they delayed the release of their still-nameless motion controller. Am I mad about that? No, I don't really care...at all. All this did is remind me how stupid Sony has been this generation. Year after year they keep making mistakes from botched launches, to ridiculous amounts of PS3 upgrades/downgrades, to the completely useless PSP Go, to the hilariously underwhelming Playstation Home. The list goes on. Sony already has one failed peripheral on the market with the PS3 Eye. Why introduce another one that is just essentially another Wii remote controller?

I own a Wii, a PS3, and a 360. Everybody always argues which console is better, which has the best/worst games, etc. People are too quick to pledge allegiance to a console or company these days. Despite the success Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have all had over the past few years, I don't think any one of them has actually done a good job and provided an overall positive experience.

Nintendo beat the shit out of Sony and Microsoft this generation with a repackaged Gamecube. Creative, yet shrewd as hell, they found a way to offer a new twist on the last generation that ended up being a lot more fun than the competition offered at the time of it's launch. Unfortunately, Nintendo doesn't know the meaning of quality control and allowed their console to be overrun with shovelware because it kept units flying off the shelves. Because of this, many truly awesome Wii titles were lost in a sea of bullshit and suffered sales so poor that 3rd party developers are ceasing to make hardcore titles. And there's the mostly terrible online experience. And there's the failure to support external hard drives (the SD card update "solution" is bullshit). And Wii Motion Plus should technically be free for us suckers who paid $40 dollars for remotes that should have had 1:1 tracking in the first place. Sony is stupid, but Nintendo is greedy and oblivious.

Sony finally saw the PS3 come out on top last year. A handful of 1st party exclusives like Infamous and Uncharted 2 really gave the console some footing and developers are finally, kind of...mostly getting the hang of programming for the console. Other than those positives, you can refer to all the bullshit mistakes Sony has made in the paragraphs above. The motion controller will fail because everybody already owns a Nintendo Wii, and guess what? We're all bored with it. If Sony thinks they've got the sequel to the Wii on their hands, they are wrong. Find a way to fix support for the PS3 Eye and PSP Go before you rush another expensive piece of technology on the market...

I mentioned Nintendo being greedy, but obviously the greed crown really belongs to Microsoft. The 360 has had the steadiest level of success despite manufacturing hands-down, the absolute least reliable game console in the past 20 years. Many people own beat-up, dusty NES consoles that work better than their 360's. Microsoft's business model is obvious in the way they handle the 360. Moreso than any other console, it is a financial vacuum and they still aren't that reliable. But whatever, I've spent too much time writing this. I guess I should go figure out how I can get my Live account set up so I can throw some more cash at Microsoft...

-Brian T.

Nobody Likes Sloppy Seconds

I wonder if writing a review for a demo is even appropriate but I just find it awfully convenient that the demo happened to be released a few short days after the reviews of the original Left 4 Dead. Like I had said before L4D has solid gameplay. Unfortunately I think that was the problem with the development of the original L4d; they focused too much on the engine and gameplay and focused way too little on content. I had hoped that with L4D2 they would have realized their shortcomings with the original and would take a potentially good game that just fell short, and improve on it. I think it would be easy because the workings were there, but they just needed to add a little TLC.

I was getting excited as the anticipation to play the demo grew as it was downloading. I feel you should all know that there I really want to like this game, there are just certain factors of the game itself that hold me back. So the demo starts and the opening clip gets me even more excited, but then for me it all goes to shit. It starts flashing all of the things to expect with L4D2. NEW CHARACTERS, 5 NEW CAMPAIGNS, and NEW GAMEPLAY MODES; wow I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a game of the year edition of the original Left 4 Dead with the extra download content all in one. But wait there was none of that fucking promised download content. Why, because it was turned in to a new Left for Dead. Then the disappointment starts to brew. So I begin the demo and instantly I feel that I am playing the original game again. No zoom on weapons, same run and gun, and same bullshit. Where’s the new guns, the new style of gameplay, where was anything new. Eventually I came across an assault rifle, which I couldn’t zoom with surprisingly, unless if maybe I was just pushing the right stick in wrong. They added melee weapons, which were fucking useless when being attacked by a horde of zombies but once you pick up a melee weapon, you lose your pistol. That was just fucking gay and stupid. So really what is new? They couldn’t have just made some map packs available and offer a download for a gun pack.

I know I know that this is just a fucking demo. But if I were Valve I think that since I already have a critically acclaimed game, I would not need to offer a demo to show off what can be found in the original. You would think that they would want to give a sneak peak at what is to come. Maybe not put all their fucking cards on the table, but just enough to get people whet. That is why I think they really do not have much to offer, or I could be completely wrong and the full release of the game will make me eat my words. Either way I am still going to give the full game a try because part of me still wants to like this game. I am curious to know what everyone else thinks of the demo so far, or hear any opinions that you might have in regards to Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2, which is set to release on November 17.

-Brian R.

Nobody Likes to be Ass Fucked

So I was just going to let Brian have the Left 4 Dead blog but with it being Halloween and all, and with my hate being so great for this game, I cannot resist. The problem is where do I start; and do I even fucking waste the time giving credit where credit is due?

I suppose I will start with the good, what little bit there is. Left 4 Dead has solid gameplay and controls. There you go, that is it.

What, were you expecting more? Like what about how the zombies constantly generate in a new place every time. Are you fucking kidding me? Is it mentally fucking possible to even remember where each zombie would generate from considering the mass amount that flock you at any given moment. Come on we are not playing Mario Brothers on the NES anymore. We have advanced enough to make sure that there is enough content in a game anymore to make it almost impossible to remember where enemies come from, regardless if it is random or not. Right or wrong, and that alone is not the only shit that was weak as hell in the game though.

Next we have the major lack of weaponry and the similarity and repetitiveness of every goddamn level. Does anyone remember in Clerks 2 when Randal described the story of the Lord of the Rings in about 1 minute? Well I will do the same but in about 10 seconds. Here we go. We start at the beginning, fill our ammo and fight for a health pack if we are playing co-op, regardless if you are out of health and almost dead, start running and shooting, and finally get to the last door, hopefully before some asshole closes it on you, and then repeat again. Fun right? Then there are the weapons. Talk about a huge let down, only 4 weapons and some grenades. Fuck the fact that the weapons are upgradeable; a fucking Uzi is a fucking Uzi. And really we should say that there are only 3 guns because who really tries to use the sniper rifle when you are being gang raped by a hundred zombies. Because of that this is how Left 4 Dead made me feel, gang raped for $60 worth of bullshit.

But we were all taught that we should learn from our mistakes. Hopefully Valve got this same life lesson at one point in time. In less than 3 weeks Left 4 Dead 2 will hit the shelves. Will I buy it though? No, but I am definitely going to rent it. I believe that everyone should get a second chance. Like I said the gameplay and controls were real good. If they add more weapons and change up the levels a little, then I think that Valve will have a real solid game on their hands. Lastly I didn’t think I should bring this up but should I mention that fact that Left 4 Dead 2 is probably nothing more than promised DLC for the original Left 4 Dead. Who else feels like this is a gang rapping? Let me know by commenting back.

-Brian R.

Zombies Ate my Neighbors

I was 8 years old when my Dad showed me Night of the Living Dead. I had never experienced actual fear until that point in my life. When I went to go to sleep that night all I could think about was what I would do if there was a zombie outbreak. Since then I have fallen in love with most things zombie related. A lot of people have. And because of this, zombies are popping up all over the place. And people are eating up all the bullshit. Anything with a zombie on it is automatic gold these days it seems. Though not as trendy and topical as vampires, the general consensus is that zombies are "in" right now. And leading the zombie army on the video game front is the wildly popular Left 4 Dead and soon to be released sequel.

If you think I'm about to suck this game's dick and sing it's praises, you're wrong. I honestly don't see what the big deal is. I will say up front that I have only had about a half hour with the PC version. I'd been super excited to check it out for months and when I finally got the opportunity, I was completely underwhelmed. It was just an FPS. The zombies were intense, but there was nothing truly scary. It was fast and...uh...there were a lot of zombies onscreen at once. But no matter what, I always felt like I was constantly just spinning in circles firing blindly at the ridiculous masses of zombies.

There's nothing that makes Left 4 Dead feel like legit zombie survival experience. Throwing a ton of zombies at me isn't going to scare me any more than if I was being swarmed by a hundred of anything. If 100 chickens were running at me, I would be equally scared. Personally I think that the Nazi Zombie mode in Call of Duty: World at War is the best zombie survival game I have ever played. In Nazi Zombies you're holed up in some small area fighting off waves of zombies as you rebuild barriers over windows and try to upgrade your guns.. You're fighting for your survival in a place you can't escape from..kinda sounds like Night of the Living Dead actually. Or Dawn of the Dead. Or Day of the Dead. And that's the way it should feel. Left 4 Dead has you running and gunning through a lot of zombie infested cities...kind of like Land of the Dead. And you know what? Nobody likes Land of the Dead better than Night, Dawn, or Day.

Essentially Left 4 Dead and Nazi Zombies are doing the same thing. You have four maps to choose from. You can play with 3 other people online. You fight waves of zombies with various guns. Unfortunately I never felt like I was up against a zombie horde in Left 4 Dead. I felt like I was shooting a bunch of zombies trying to get to the end of a level. Little things make a difference as well. For example, Left 4 Dead technically has 8 weapons whereas, depending on the map, you'll have at least 15 weapons available in Nazi Zombies. Left 4 Dead gives you infinite ammo on your pistol and you can dual wield them as well. There's no infinite ammo in Nazi Zombies so you always feel that every shot counts. Nazi Zombies is basically a mini game and it's better than Left 4 Dead.

I can't be the only person who has figured this out. Anyone agree? Disagree? Are you planning on picking up Left 4 Dead 2? Comment or tweet us and let me know! Also check back later in the week because I'm gonna be playing the hell out of surprise halloween themed game for a special review!

-Brian T

War What is it Good For

Up until Call of Duty 4 I was never much of a First Person Shooter kind of guy. With the exception of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom on PC, I hated FPS’s. Halo especially, which I still hate to this day. I played Bioshock when it first came out and didn’t like it. All because I had some hate towards FPS’s, I think I didn’t give some good games the play they deserved. And to be honest I think the hate stemmed from the fact that I fucking sucked at them. When Modern Warfare finally came out I decided to give them one more fare shake. Besides all of my friends were playing it and everybody kept saying how amazing of a game it was. So I bought it, got good at it, and now I fucking love shooters. And I’m pretty confident in saying I will fucking hand most people there asses in COD4 or COD 5. With that said maybe I should go back and revisit Bioshock now.

This last week I have been playing Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. This is a fucking cool ass game that I think should a got a little bit better of a rating across the board. Unfortunately I only had the opportunity to play the campaign mode because I was so stuck on that, I never got a chance to play any multiplayer online. Codemasters set out to create a game that simulated and presented the feeling of realistic all out war. With this installment of Operation Flashpoint, I think they have succeeded.

Bad Ass Shit:
• Open World Setting – Allows many options when confronted with challenges. Flanking enemies, going head on, or avoidance all together
• Real Reaction to Injury – Getting wounded in the leg makes you limp and you can’t run. If you are wounded in the arm you can’t steady your weapon as well
• Weapons – Very realistic. Switch from single shot, burst, or full auto. Grenade Launchers, RPG’s, mines, and various grenades. Gun firing ranges are realistic and hit detection is above average.
• Artillery and Missile Strikes – Fucking awesome. The look and devastation that is caused makes this an awesome addition to your arsenal when it is available.
• Vehicles – Flying a helicopter is like using a flight simulator
• Realistic Simulated War – This game can make you feel like you are really in combat

Shitty Shit:
• Sound Effects – Had the surround sound turned to “11” and still thought I should be feeling these explosions not just hearing them.
• View in Vehicles – Could only look forward when driving or flying. Thought you should be able to turn your head and look out the side windows.
• Button Layout – I don’t know if it could have been better or if I am just stuck on Call of Duty’s button layout.

Indifferent Shit:
• The Story – Sets up real well but once the game starts it is just mission after mission with no fillers. But realism is the goal and that is how it would be in real life.

I wish that I would have had more time with this game. Unfortunately Gamefly fucked me and didn’t send it out on the release date so I got stuck renting it. I could have almost bought it with the amount I ended up spending on late fees. But the real question is; is this game worth buying? For me I would have to say yes ...kind of. This game does kick ass. Even though I did not experience the multiplayer, from what I have read about it, the game there is some real potential there. Unfortunately the game is fucked by poor timing. If you’re like me with 2 kids, a wife, a full time job, and no money tree in the backyard, then you need to prioritize which games are a must. With Forza Motor Sport 3 coming out next week and Modern Warfare 2 coming out next month (both a must have for me), I would much rather wait until after Christmas when all the price drops start to happen. Maybe I’ll pick up a used copy then. That way I can fully enjoy the game in its entirety at my pace because this game is definitely fucking worth it. Has anyone else played it and agree/disagree? Comment back and let me know.

-Brian R.

give me all your 360 games

So thanks to Brian, I now have an Xbox 360. Finally, I'd been putting off getting one for the longest time, but I finally knuckled down and shelled out the money for one. I spent all my money on the console so I don't even have any games. Brian let me borrow Assassin's Creed and Skate 2 to play until I can grab a few games of my own. Until then I'm living in 2007 playing Assassin's Creed for the first time. I won't waste anyone's time going into detail on my opinions of this game that most of you have already played, but I will say I'm liking it a lot thus far. Either way, the point of this particular blog entry is simply to express my joy. Of course now I'm posed with a very big question...what game do I buy first?

The first game I got for the Atari 2600 was Space Invaders. The first game I got for the NES was the classic SMB/Duck Hunt combo cartridge. My first Genesis game was Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition. My first Saturn game was Christmas Nights. DS, PS2, GBA, XBOX, DC, WII, PS3...I remember my first game for each new console. I want to make this first purchase count. I have a pretty decently-sized catalog of games to choose from and I think I've got it narrowed down to a few right off the top of my head. Keep in mind I'm trying to go with 360 exclusives.

-Dead Rising is probably at the top of my list right now (barely) for the simple fact that I fucking love zombies. This is definitely more intriguing to me than Left 4 Dead. Plus I gotta get acquainted with Frank West before TVC comes out next year...

-Mass Effect looks amazing. It looks so amazing that I actually know almost nothing about it. I remember people talking about how great it was when it came out and I remember all the positive reviews, but I didn't have a 360 so I didn't want to get myself all psyched on a game I couldn't play. But now I can play it and I bet it's cheap as hell.

-Gears of War...I have mixed feelings on. I've never been blown away by this game because I've never felt comfortable playing it. But it's cheap and I'm willing to give it a serious try.

-Blue Dragon got me super pumped a while back when I first started reading about it and then after it came out it was buried in a sea of mediocre reviews. But you know what? I've played plenty of RPGs that were supposedly mediocre, but I loved nonetheless. Legend of Dragoon (PS) is a perfect example.

Do I go with one of those 4? Viva Pinata? Crackdown? Lost Odyssey? What have I been missing out on? If you had $20 - $30 to spend on a 360 game, what would you get? I'm trying to stick with games I can only experience on the 360, but I know some multiplatform games are better on the 360. I'm actually looking for some reader feedback on this. Everyone and anyone with an opinion on the matter should let me know, preferably by the end of the week. Friday is payday and I haven't bought a game for a couple of weeks...

-Brian T.

and suddenly our blog name makes sense...

Hi, I'm Brian Tasch. I'm a Steet Fighter fanboy. I have Ryu tattooed on my arm. I own just about every Street Fighter game released in the US, as well as a few imports. I will buy anything SF related...comics, clothes, manga, posters, action figures, anime, controllers, and yes, the 1998 JCVD Street Fighter movie. I love Street Fighter more than a person should love a game. If the disc for SF4 had a bigger hole in the middle, I would probably try to fuck it. So I'm sure you can imagine my excitement at the official announcement of Super Street Fighter 4.

First off, let me say that anybody who didn't expect Capcom to release another version of SF4 is a fool. Either that or they've never played a Japanese fighting game before. Every Street Fighter has at least 3 upgrades/sequels...even the shitty EX series. Hell nearly every fighting game in general has at least 1 or 2 incremental upgrades. Depending on the franchise, a lot of these games don't get released in America...but that still doesn't change the fact that truly competitive fighters are designed to be tweaked and rebalanced. I honestly don't understand why people are so up in arms about SSF4. Why would you NOT want more characters, backgrounds, ultras, and moves? Why would you not want shitty characters to get better or overpowered characters/moves to be nerfed? How many of you would honestly choose Street Fighter 3: New Generation over Street Fighter 3 Third Strike? Probably none of you. So for all the complaining people are doing, I don't really see the downside to having another Street Fighter game be released.

People are going to find a way to complain about anything they can, but let's be honest: Super Street Fighter 4 is probably the best direct upgrade to a numbered SF game...ever. It took 4 versions of SF2 to add 8 characters and we're getting at least 8 in the very first sequel. There are going to be 33 characters in SSF4...that's INSANE. Alpha 3 is the only SF game with more characters on it's roster with 36 fighters, but it still took Capcom 3 years and 3 versions of the game to get there. Add to that necessary balance tweaks (which believe it or not, ALL fighters need), new moves and ultras, new backgrounds and music, better online, bonus stages, and new challenges and you've got an amazing retail upgrade to one of the best fighters ever made. How can you possibly complain?

Obviously nothing is official in terms of pricing yet, but we have been promised that it will not go for the full $60. Realistically I see the game retailing for $30 to $40...and I'm definitely leaning toward $40. Brian mentions that he wants to see it go for $20 and cited recent GTA expansions as a price model. GTA isn't made in Japan though. Plus we're getting all new intro and ending movies for all the characters. This seems like a much more expensive expansion. The cost to not only add all the new content, but to localize the game must be taken into account as well. I'm not saying I wouldn't love to pay $20 for this game, but I would expect to pay at least $30. Also, don't think for a second that Capcom wouldn't charge you the same amount of money for a retail package SSF4 as they would if they were somehow able to make this DLC by the spring. They're trying to make money. It would cost more for Capcom to patch SF4 than it would be for them to simply add to SF4 and re-release it. The more Capcom makes off of this, the more fighters we're gonna see from them. The fact that Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is even being released in the US is a testament to that.

But you know what the best part about Super Street Fighter 4 is? Do you know what's better than new characters, new ultras, balance tweaks, bonus stages, etc? What really makes it worth it to go out and buy a brand new hard copy of this game? We will never have to listen to "Indestructible" again.

Super Street Fighter 4 is a long way away (spring 2010) so you can rest assured I'll be discussing it quite a bit as new information becomes available. For now I just wanted to tell everybody to chill out! We should be stoked for an upgrade to an already amazing game, not nitpicking and complaining. The fighting community is the biggest it has been in years and it's almost entirely because of Street Fighter 4, like it or not. Keep playing Street Fighter 4 and then go out and buy Super Street Fighter 4. And fight me and Brian. Our PSN IDs/Gamertags are along the sidebar. Do note though that I think I have a fairly annoying Bison.

In Your Face Bitches: Super Street Fighter IV

This is fucking bullshit. This was my first thought to the announcement of Super Street Fighter IV. All I could think was that Capcom was getting the breast pumps out to start milking there consumers even more in a money stricken economy. I know why they would do it, because who doesn’t like money, but as a consumer you can’t help but feel like you are getting raped in the process. Then I began to think why it wouldn’t just get released as a game add-on or expansion pack made available through DLC. So many questions came about without any answers. Then the next day came the official announcement and the releasing of some of the details of the new game. From that my demeanor started to turn from anger to anticipation.

One thing that made the official announcement of SSFIV even better was the statement made about the price. It has been said that we are not going to see a “new release” price tag on SSFIV but it will be listed at an upgrade price. Thank god because all I kept trying to figure out was, how do I explain to my wife, who hates video games by the way, that I am spending $60 on a game that I technically already have. Trust me it would be a tough sell, and with having 2 kids I don’t always have $60 at my disposal. What I would like to see is what was done with the expansion packs for Rockstar’s GTAIV. The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony were both released with a $20 price tag. To me that was a great move on their part because it allowed them to generate even more revenue off of the same game without making people second guess whether or not they should buy it. Unfortunately I do not see that happening with SSFIV, because they are not simply creating an expansion or another game based on the same workings as the original, but they are adding and changing things to hopefully make SFIV an even better game.

So how do you make a game even better? One way to start is by adding new characters. Who doesn’t fucking like new characters? It has been said that there will be up to 8 new characters added to SSFIV but the rumor mill on the internet is saying that there may be up to 10. As far as new characters announced go, they have officially announced 3, and 2 of them aren’t even new, new characters. So far there is T. Hawk and Deejay. Hooray for that considering I never even played as them before. T. Hawk to me just looks like another Zangief. Slow, huge, and strong. The videos of Deejay that I have seen look pretty awesome. He looks like he has some nice special moves along with the ability to link in some nice combos. Then there is the new, new character Juri. I haven’t seen much video showing some real game play but what I have seen is her ultra combo, and it looked fucking awesome. But I could have been blinded because her opponent was M. Bison, I love seeing M. Bison get his ass handed to him. Fuck that stupid head stomp move. Anyhow I hope to see some new characters and some old favorites added to the already large list of fighters. But who am I kidding. I know that even if there were 100 characters I would still pick Ryu every time. What can I say; he is fucking awesome and easily the best Street Fighter character of all time.

Other features and game tweaks are also expected to help change the overall appearance and feel of Street Fighter. We are going to see a balancing and reworking of every original character in Street Fighter IV. This too is awesome. Why, because I am sick and fucking tired of all those douche bags who play with Sagat and think they did something amazing when they win a match. I am sick of getting a standing strong kick to the head and half of my life being taken away. That one is for you Tats008. There is also going to be some other added features like bonus stages, new background stages updated online play, and new intros for all characters. On a final note I have also read that there is talk about how the video replay might get changed also. That was a huge letdown when they released the Championship Mode update for SF4. I was pissed when I found out they only let the top 5,000 ranked players upload videos, which basically meant almost everyone lost that option after a couple of days.

So why wouldn’t you want to buy this. It looks fucking amazing. New characters, game tweaks, video uploads, all at the low price of hopefully $30. But wait there is still one more thing, GAME LOBBIES. Now we can take the nostalgia that we all had when we were kids playing Street Fighter 2’: Champion Edition on our Sega Genesis’s with all of our friends, and now do the same from our own homes. Winner stays and loser goes, bitches.

Brian R.