Marvel Vs. Capcom-mania!

Well, over a decade of demand and we finally have it. Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is here. Was it worth the wait? Does it equal the hype?

I'm an avid fighting game fan. Since the moment I stepped into a 7 Eleven for Street Fighter II to the day I waited till midnight only to lose a free copy of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 at Wal-Mart (more about that later). First I want to go back about my experiences of Capcom's Marvel fighting franchises and it's "Marvel Versus" series of fighters.

First game that started it all was X-Men: Children of the Atom. This game was using Capcom's CPS-2 board and was the first Capcom fighter to introduce many techniques that exist in fighters today. Of these the recovery roll after being knocked down and the ability to super jump by tapping down, then up. The game made it to home consoles in the US and ported by Probe Entertainment and published by Acclaim. I spent many a quarters on this after school at my local 7 Eleven (yes, some of you may recall they did have arcade cabinets before).

A year after Children of the Atom, Capcom followed up with Marvel Super Heroes. Not to be mistaken for the Super Nintendo side scroller beat 'em up. Marvel Super Heroes kept with the main formula that made CotA a hit, with the inclusion of the Infinity Gems/Gauntlet. The Gem would bestow a special power once activated with one meter on your power bar. The character design and artwork was also a tribute to Jack Kirby, and for the most part was retained till Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. This game saw release in the US by Capcom for both the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. The PlayStation version was part of Capcom's "Fighters Edge" banner.

In 1996 Capcom raised the bar when they released X-Men Vs. Street Fighter. The first in the series to introduce Tag Team fighting and assist type moves. Replacing the "Infinity Counter" from Marvel Super Heroes was the "Variable Counter." Also, any damage taken would drop your yellow meter, and the red shadow meter behind it was recoverable once that fighter was tagged out. This game also introduced the massive Hadoukens that are now a staple in the Versus series. Also, the final boss fight introduced the first larger than life boss battles with a giant Apocalypse. This game was released only in the US for the Sony PlayStation, but the ability to tag out left it lacking. Also, it led this blogger to importing the Sega Saturn version and a Pro Action Replay with the 4 MB expansion pack. Best deal ever. The PlayStation version remained under the "Fighters Edge" banner.

A year later Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter was released. The game dropped most of the X-Men roster in favor of those left behind in Marvel Super Heroes. Nothing else really changed except a few engine tweaks to help balance the game. You still Apocalypse, but after defeating him you had to deal with Cyber Akuma. The game also got a washed down port for the US PlayStation. So if you wanted a true to arcade experience, you had to scour eBay for this puppy.

Next up is Marvel Vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes. The game isn't a huge leap from its predecessors. The one major game changing change was the inclusion of limited assist characters. Which at the outset seems random, but can be chosen with a unique button hold command. Thus, we only saw Psylocke, Lou, and Colossus Assists. Another notable change was the ability to use three meters and summon in and fight with your second character for a short period of time with unlimited super meter. The game was ported to PlayStation in yet another watered down version. The Dreamcast port however was faithful to the arcade experience and was touted as a launch title only to be delayed till September 30th. The game was now under the "Capcom Edge" banner, which was formerly the "Fighters Edge."

Finally one of the biggest fighting games and still played to this day around the world in various arcade circuits. We have Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. One of the most outrageous and ambitious fighters out there. The gameplay mechanics saw the most major change with the switch to four attack buttons and the inclusion of dedicated assist buttons. The game itself saw many changes during it's life cycle with many drastic ways the game was played. From a more methodical approach, to a spacing approach, and now to a frantic rush down. The game has passed the test of time and has been ported to more recent systems such as the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade and on the PlayStation 3's PSN. Last's year's EVO Tournament series saw it's final display of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 action. Not too shabby for being a ten year old game and to garner that much respect and still be in the spot light.

An honorable mention, and somewhat spiritual sucessor to Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. Which in my honest opinion would have been a smash hit if it was ported to Xbox 360 and/or PlayStation 3. Instead it was left to die in the wasteland known as Wii Exclusives. Many of the mechanics that were brought into this game carried over to Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, and now is also making me want to give TvC another crack. Maybe once I get a Tatsu-stick for my Wii.

Finally, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. A game MvC2 Champion Justin Wong, stated is "easiest and cheapest fighting game that was ever made..." Which, whole heartedly I can agree with. Chip damage was a big part of MvC2, and is an even larger part in MvC3. I've yet to come across anything bad and abuse-able of the assist system. Just spamming projectiles and assists can be rather annoying. The X-Factor mode has yet to show anything negative. There are infinite combos already out there, but some are situational and shouldn't merit any alarm just yet. I've been trying to play Ranked Matches on Xbox Live and keep getting the "connection to host lost" message. Player Matches on the other hand are fun and easy to get into. As for the lack of spectator mode makes 8-player lobbies a bore.

As for a quick run down, will this game stand the test of time like Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. Yes, and no. As long as players keep supporting it, it'll go far. If Capcom keeps supplementing the title with more DLC characters (Mega Man, Frank West, please?), the legs should be long on this one. Well, thank you for reading this, hopefully I can make a more routinely return to blogging.

Also, here's my OverClocked Remix of the Day in honor of Street Fighter. Enjoy.

The Gamer Blue Print the first 16 Years

So I was going to blog about some Street Fighter related items, but today I felt like typing about something else.

So today was my son's two month check in and vaccination shots. Poor little guy. As soon as he wakes up he cries. The pain must be unbearable for a two-month old. So I figured I would carry him and play some video game music. Thanks to Mega Ran, my son was put to sleep. I also played some jams from the Plasmas and Select Start. During this time I began to think, what games should I let my son play, should I just let him play what ever "Imagine Babyz/Petz/Dogz/Catz" game or should I let him begin his video game lineage the same way I began mine?

So I decided to make a chart of the years and how old I was at the time to coincide with my son's age and what not. On this list I compiled some of the best games I played during those years. For instance, in 1985 I was 4 years old, and Super Mario Bros. was the game of that year. Granted, I don't think I got my NES until 1986 or 87, but it's a good measuring stick for my son.

So here's the list of games, only in order of their release (from the top of my head).

2013/1985 (4 yrs) - Issac will be four years old. Little kids are pretty advance these days, but the game in 1985 would have been Super Mario Bros. (NES)

2014/1986 (5 yrs) - Ghosts 'n Goblins is the only game I can come up with during this time period.

2015/1987 (6 yrs) - Oh man, this is going to be a great year for Issac. The Legend of Zelda, Double Dragon, Punch Out! (with or without Mike Tyson), Castlevania, and Mega Man make this one great year to finely shape young Issac's video game career.

2016/1988 (7 yrs) - A good time for Issac to learn his first cheat code... Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start... good old Contra.

2017/1989 (8 yrs) - Time for Issac to learn the importance of great co-op play with Guerilla War. Then some great single player action with Mega Man 2, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for NES.

2018/1990 (9 yrs) - This must be a great year for "III's" as Super Mario Bros. 3 and Mega Man III are released. Also going to have to make my son watch Fred Savage in the Wizard.

2019/1991 (10 yrs) - The 16-bit era has begun. The 16-bit Wars are raging. Issac will get the best of both worlds while playing Super Mario World and Sonic the Hedgehog. Other notable games are SNES version of Street Fighter II. And one of my favorite video games of all time, Final Fantasy II (IV).

2020/1992 (11 yrs) - Super Mario Kart and the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past make this a must play SNES year.

2021/1993 (12 yrs) - My PC gaming cherry gets popped with Doom, so naturally as a part of gaming history for me, Issac will battle the hordes of demons. On the SNES side of things, the FX Chip hits big with Star Fox.

2022/1994 (13 yrs) - Another SNES dominate year. Super Metroid, Final Fantasy III (VI), Mega Man X, and one of the greatest platform games of all time, Donkey Kong Country.

2023/1995 (14 yrs) - Some of the last greatest RPGs of the 16-bit era, Earthbound and Chrono Trigger. Also, the Pokemon craze begins with Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue.

2024/1996 (15 yrs) - Super Mario RPG bids plays the SNES's swan song as hits like Resident Evil and Super Mario 64 hit the Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64.

2025/1997 (16 yrs) - Powerhouses like Star Fox 64 and Final Fantasy VII hit the market. Castlevania Symphony of the Night proves 2-D games will never die, and Goldeneye 007 brings home great First Person Shooter action to the Nintendo 64.

Hado... you know the rest!

So Street Fighter IV is finally here, and now I'm realizing something... I am one lousy Street Fighter player. It started to set in while playing my friends in HD Remix last week, where I only had a handful of wins. How do I suck so much? I do no know. I can do combos, I can focus-cancel moves, and all kinds of stuff.

I'm loving Street Fighter IV, except the fact that there are so many Akuma players out there. I've beaten down a few before they could do a Raging Demon, but most of the Akuma plauyers rely on that damned move. I'm almost postive that's how most of those players have obtained their BP. Scrub out as Akuma and just Raging Demon your way to victory.

Well, back to the drawing training board...

STREET FIGHTER IV VIDEO APP

STREET FIGHTER IV VIDEO APP

Reedakis... you suck!

Tales from Xbox Live...

Well, here's a funny story of what happened last night on Xbox Live. Lately I've been playing a little bit of Halo 3 since my Uncle Manuel finally got an Xbox 360 and Halo 3. Well, so last night we were in a Neutral Assault game on Valhalla.

Normally I just let the game start, and hardly ever speak a word. Well, some Halo newb named "reedakis" began talking smack. Asking if I was Asian or something, and making stupid remarks. I just kept answering with "What?" Ala Stone Cold Steve Austin. So right before the game begins, he says, "your going to have my d*ck in your mouth."

I think nothing of it, and just want to let my actions speak for my words. The match begins, I start off lousy. I think I died about 4 times without a single death. Then suddenly as they were about to plant the bomb I caught fire. It was great. I made "reedakis" my personal bitch. Every time I would kill him I would shout into the microphone "hey reedakis, who's d*ck is in who's mouth now?" It was hilarity. I think we ended the matching with 3 bomb plantings, with my personal kill/death ratio at 17-9 with 5 assists. It was great.

So pretty much this is for all the "reedakis" people out there. Cut the crap. Your sh*t talking was pretty much pointless. So "reedakis", you sir may kiss my ass.

Street Fighter IV...

Street Fighter IV is closely approaching US Console release. It almost feels like it was yesterday when Street Fighter II made it's Super Nintendo debut. I still have calluses on my left hand thumb thanks to Street Fighter II and the SNES directional pad.

As the days get closer and closer to the release of Street Fighter IV, I feel the nerves getting tense. The anxiety is building. This isn't any fighting game release, this is Street Fighter IV. Not Super Duper Street Fighter II' Turbo the New Champions Edition, or Street Fighter Zero Max Double Upper Left Right Down Up Select Start, but a whole new digit in the Street Fighter saga.

I'm a huge fan of Capcom fighting games (Marvel Super Heroes, Street Fighter). I'm not a walking library like Marc, BigMex or even my friend John Yamamoto, but I am a Street Fighter purist. I remember evolving my game thanks to John. Throws used to be taboo untill I realized how easy it was to through, and even take sacrifice hits and throw on the recovery.

With the release of Street Fighter IV, I hope I'll be able to improve my game. Especially since the last time I played IV was at Super Arcade and Mr. Calipower himself (Alex Valle) got a perfect on me... I left the arcade with my head down, but not out.

Here comes a new challenger! Attack me if you dare, I will crush you!