new challengers

Holy crap.. LOTS of new characters!  :)

The Japanese...

...you know I love em'....

SSF4 - New Character run downs

Video Games - E3 2009 - PlayStation 3

Juri and THawk both look pretty cool. DeeJay.. well, he looks like DeeJay, what else can I say?

SSF4

Video Game - E3 2009 - Video Game Trailers

The new modes look really cool. Team battle especially.

ha ha.. cool.

Super Street Fighter 4!

from 1up.com today...

It seemed abundantly clear that we were witness to an impressive hoax or simply an early look at a new Super Street Fighter game after a leak surfaced over the weekend. Screenshots showing, among other things, a returning T. Hawk led us to believe it was real and now we have confirmation of Super Street Fighter 4. Despite the popular theory that the new game would be released as downloadable content for the existing Street Fighter 4 game, GameSpot reports that Super Street Fighter 4 will be released in the form of a disc next spring for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 -- and it won't be a full priced release.

The very immediate and obvious question that springs to mind is just why Capcom made the decision to make this a disc-based released, as opposed to simply doing it as DLC. Producer Yoshinori Ono explained that this was due to the fact that Street Fighter 4's code wasn't designed with this sort of expansion in mind, and the game simply wouldn't be able to support the features being added in SSF4. A downloadable release was considered but ultimately ruled out due to these technical constraints. To ease the minds of SF4 owners, Ono promises that there will be some sort of bonus given to SSF4 buyers who own a copy of SF4, but just what that bonus might be is unclear at this point. You'll definitely want to hang onto your copy of SF4 if you plan on playing online with non-upgrading fans, as the two games won't be compatible with one another.

You can expect to see "roughly" eight new characters -- though that figure could still change -- in addition to the 25 that Street Fighter 4 shipped with. Among the additions are T. Hawk and the brand new Juri, who may not be the only new character added to the mix, as Capcom is looking to add both new and retro characters alike. Other changes include various balance tweaks, new ultra combos for the existing cast of SF4 characters, and an enhanced online component (no specifics on just what's being improved here, except a hint of a potential lobby system).

More details are sure to emerge as we approach the game's release next spring. At least now we know that we can firmly file this rumor as "fact."

I am, of course, excited... I love SF4... can't wait!

Update! Footage of T Hawk and Juri! T Hawk looks awesome :)



from Shoryuken.com:

Some of the information was listed as two new characters, Juri, and Hakan (Hakan being a Arab grappler associated with lots and lots of oils), and EIGHT returning cast members from other Street Fighter games. Dudley, Ibuki, and Makoto from the Street Fighter III series. From the Street Fighter Alpha series, we have Cody, Adon, and Guy, and from the Super Turbo series, we have T. Hawk and Dee Jay. We will have to wait and see what Capcom reveals to see if any of these rumors turn out to be true.

Awesome!

Coming to an Xbox Live Arcade near you!

Good to know...

Street Fighter 4 'How to Unlock All the Characters' clip

Basically, you have to beat the game with every character in order to unlock every character... kind of anoying... It be nicer if you started with them all... I can see having to unlock Akuma, Seth, and Gouken (they are all sort of "boss" characters)... but Dan? Rose?

Akuma - Complete Arcade mode with all other unlockable characters

Cammy - Complete Arcade mode with C. Viper

Dan -  Complete Arcade mode with Ryu and Sakura

Fei-Long - Complete Arcade mode with Abel

Gen - Complete Arcade mode with Chun-Li

Gouken - Complete Arcade mode with Akuma

Rose - Complete Arcade mode with M. Bison

Sakura - Complete Arcade mode with Ryu

Seth - Complete Arcade mode with all default characters

Looks like Phil B. will be playing a couple rounds as Chun Li  :)

-- I also read some rumors that you need a certain ammount of perfects rounds and/or ultra combo finishes to unlock Gouken and Akuma... no confirmation on that yet.--

Chun Li Evolution

Street Fighter 'Chun-Li Evolution' video

So far I'd have to say the Alpha 3 version is my favorite.  Hopefully, SF4 will change that.

Who wants to go home...

..and who wants to go with ME!

Watch the Greatest Scenes of the Street Fighter Movie at 1up

Street Fighter: The Movie 'Guile's Speech' clip

Good ol' Guile... no one inspires a crowd like you...

Street Fighter: The Movie 'Guile's Suicide Mission' clip

I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home.. oh wait.. wrong movie.. I think?

RYU

Cool.  1up.com is doing one of these videos every day this week  :)

Street Fighter 'Ryu Evolution' video

SF4 Downloadable goodies...

from Joystiq earlier today.

The game's not even on shelves, yet Capcom's gone ahead of the curve to firm up details of Street Fighter IV's first DLC, the "Championship Mode Expansion Pack." Now, before you start getting all riled up about spending more money on a game you just bought, know this: it's free.

Expected to hit shortly after the game's release, the add-on will introduce three significant features aimed at hardcore players. Replay Mode is pretty much what it sounds like: share recorded matches, watch top-ranked ones and vote for your favorites. The enhanced tournament matching system will deliver "improved tournament match making for beginners and mid-level players," with Capcom explaining that "competitors earn Grade Points (GP) to earn entry into more advanced tournaments." Finally, there will be two new point systems -- Championship and Tournament -- for measuring player skill.

The release dates and pricing for alternate character costumes have also been confirmed. The costumes will be released weekly on XBLM and PSN in themed sets containing one costume per character. Each set will run 320 ($4) on XBLM and $3.99 on the PS Store. The full schedule and details of each set are after the break.

Gallery: Street Fighter IV - Alternate Costumes DLC

Sounds like they got some cool stuff planned! (too bad they are losing so much monies) Be sure to check out the gallery of costumes! They look pretty neat!

Achievement Unlocked!

OMG!  I FINALLY BEAT AKUMA!!!

In Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix!! I finally beat that sonuvabitch!  It took me soooo long.. and sooo many tries... but I defeated him with Chun Li!  It was the most hard fought 25 achievement points I have ever earned!  :)

Gaming Overload...(big long post)

... I'd have it no other way.

Actually, not really an overload... but there is a lot going on in my gaming space these days.

I am playing in a Pathfinder game being run by my friend Jason down in Philly.  Right now its looking like we'll be playing that game once per month.  Our game next month is this coming weekend.  I am playing a Cleric, and we are having a great time.  Pathfinder is the best version of 3.5 I've played, some interesting changes in there... some of the rules are cleaned up and streamlined (Turn Dead became Channel Positive Energy.. waaay better now).  We are playing through the published Pathfinder adventures... which are very well written and very cool.  This is a different group than the group I am running in our Iron Kingdoms 4e game.  (some of the guys are the same though)  The IK group is made up of my best friends, so I am very fond of those gaming sessions.  Unfortunately that is the game we don't get to play quite as often, due mostly to distance, but we have another game scheduled for mid-March.(usually we play.. every 3 months or so...)  I love the Iron Kingdoms world, but I find it very limiting and somewhat difficult to write adventures for (from a DM standpoint).   So, I guess I should be thankful we don't play this campaign as often, because it gives me more time to write the stories.  :)  (always look for that silver lining!)  But that campaign is going well.  We just finished up a the last adventure a couple weekends ago... and we document that campaign on our wiki site.  

But that's not all!  One of the reasons we play the IK campaign so rarely is that it is difficult to get all the players together at one time in order to play.  Some times a few guys can make it, but not everyone... and the story really requires all the characters to be there... not too mention nobody really wants to miss an episode of the story, so we conceded that we would not play the campaign unless all the character were present and accounted for.  Add an additional complication...we are adding another player to our IK game.. so it'll be that much more difficult to get everyone together... SO (sorry, a long winded explanation leading up to this) we are going to start yet another campaign.  This one will be a classic D&D campaign, set in 4e, using all 4e has to offer.  I miss the classic monsters and races (that are non-existent in IK).  I miss the Beholders, the Mind Flayers, the Umberhulks, the Chromatic Dragons... and I long for an (for lack of better phrase) old skool DnD game.  So, I will be running this campaign as well, and this will be run with the same guys in the IK group, but we'll play this whenever we cannot play the IK game, so if someone can't make it for IK, we'll play D&D 4e.  It will also be more "casual" so if someone can't make it, no big deal, we still play.  Also, depending on when/where we play, there may be very different people playing from one game to the next.  I am working on some sort of idea that will explain why characters suddenly pop in and out of the story... maybe the Astral Plane (or some other plane) is too close to the world and occasionally the balance gets knocked out of whack... and people get pulled in?  Who knows...   Also we were toying around with the idea of playing using one the new Virtual Game Table programs out there to play online when we can't make it together in person.   Wizard's of the Coast is supposed to be making one.. but damn they are taking their sweet ass time on it... so we may go with a third party system.  Fantasy Grounds looks very promising...but its not free.

But the really big news surrounding this is that I am going to create the game world the campaign take place in.  This is something I have not done before (create a world from scratch) so we'll see how it goes.  4e seems to be a good system to create a world in... and I am quite excited.  I will hopefully soon, have some beginning info up on here for your review.  It will be a "typical" fantasy world.. and will follow the 4e idea of towns/cities being "spots of light in the darkness".  I will begin with some general thoughts, and a breakdown similar to this post about  Lokipan's Rimoria.  And needless to say.. I will be stealing ideas from other campaign worlds.. all the cool DM's are doing it these days..  :D

I am also still in the middle of several video games... been playing Fable 2 some more, mainly to play through the DLC, Knothole Island, which was pretty cool.  Now I am just trying to wrap up some other quests (finding the rest of the Gargoyles, Silver Keys, and Archaeology scrolls) and just messing around.  I have an evil character started, but I just don't find it as fun as my good character.  The game is so fun and has such a cool world, its hard to stay away for long (not too mention my wife always wants sex.. sheesh)... I am also closing in on the end of Dead Space, which is an excellent game.  And I'd love to finish Mirror's Edge (brilliant game) if I can ever get past the one really tough part I am stuck on (game is hard)...  Dead Space is interesting.. it has an cool, although not very original, sci-fi story.. and its just a superbly crafted game, the interface, the sound, all top notch.  It borrows a ton of ideas from other games... Halo, Bioshock, Gears of War, Resident Evil, Doom 3, Metroid Prime... but it takes those elements and applies them in interesting ways and manages to mix them up quite nicely.  Hoping to finish up those game before Street Fighter 4 comes out.. because I will probably not be playing anything else for weeks after SF4 hits.

And back on the tabletop front... I am getting behind in buying my Hordes/Warmachine models.. I have 2 armies, and one small custom army (pirates).. and the new faction for Warmachine, The Retribution of Scryah (aka, elves) is rumored to release at GenCon.. and I am definitely playing that faction.  The lore/history of the elves is the Iron Kingdoms is amazingly cool, one of the coolest cosmologies/histories I have ever read in  a game world.  So that means 4 armies to collect, build, and paint.  I really need to get caught up!  Oh, and add Infinity to that list, granted, Infinity requires far less models than Warmachine/Hordes so its a bit easier to keep up on. (though the models are all so cool, it makes you want to buy them all!)

Needless to say - my gaming life is busy; in one way or another... that was the point of this post.  On to a couple other things... 

I am finding that life without cable TV... is OK.  Thanks to the Internet...  cable TV isn't really necessary.   There are not many shows I watch, but the ones I do watch.. I don't need cable for.  I watch BSG (available through iTunes and on Hulu.com), Legend of the Seeker (iTunes, Hulu), Clone Wars (iTunes, StarWars.com), Dr. Who (Netflix), and I recently downloaded ROME to rewatch it (torrent download).  So no need for cable TV... plus, all the shows I listed... I watch without commercials.  Can't beat that with a stick!

I also watched for the first time.. Final Fantasy: Advent Children (through Netflix streaming on 360) and I must say.. I really enjoyed it.  If you did not play Final Fantasy 7, then it will make no damn sense... because the whole movie is one big fan service to FF7 lovers.  But seeing the old gang back together (Vincent, Yuffie, hot hot Tifa) welled up so much nostalgia in me... I was practically misty eyed...it was cool.

Also, other than a few choice pieces from SideShow Collectibles and Gentle Giant... my Star Wars collection hasn't really gone anywhere lately... mainly for one big reason.  I have no money!  With all the models, game books, videogames (and bills) I have to pay for... I have not had much chance to collect much in a while.  I have long since given up on trying collect each year's sets of figures.. it becomes too hard to find them all, and buying sets of figures online becomes way too expensive.  Often I will will pick and choose specific types of figures to buy... but I haven't done that in a while.  But I think I am gonna start collecting astromech droids.  There's a bunch of them out these days.. and buying one figure or two each month won't be two bad... hopefully, I will soon  have an impressive collection of astromech droids adorning my shelf.

Lets see.. what else to ramble about.. mentioned Street Fighter 4 a bit earlier..  I am totally in the grips of Street Fighter Mania right now... there are other games out that I want to play, but Street Fighter Mania won't let me think of anything else..  I played some Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix the other night with Darkheel and Chaosturtle..  was much fun, I lost a bunch, but was undefeated with Chun Li.  Did I mention Street Fighter Mania?  I am still undecided on which characters I am gonna study in SF4... Chun Li of course.. but who else?  The options I am considering currently are E. Honda, Cammy, or Dhalsim.  I enjoy playing all of those...but Honda and Cammy are supposedly lower tier characters this time around... (so goes the word on the street and the interwebs)... I just don't know... there's always Rufus... hmmm.. or maybe Gouken (Sheng Long) if I played him.. then all of us would have one of that "style" of charatcer... (lokipan = Akuma, darkheel = Ryu, chaosturtle = Ken, bespin = Sheng Long)  That might be interesting... but that means I'd finally have to learn how to do a Dragon Punch...but theres always Rufus... look at him! he's got a bucket of popcorn!  

Alright... I think I have rambled enough for this post...

UPDATE :  I beat Mirror's Edge!  Finally made it through the really tough part.. a really great game!

STREET FIGHTER FOUR!!!!!

There they are... all the characters in Street Fighter 4.  I can't wait!  Its almost here!  I pre-ordered my Collector's Edition, and I even ordered one fo the new Madcatz brand Street Fighter Game pads.. basically, imagine the 360 controller.. take away the two analog sticks, and move the trigger buttons to the face of the controller.  So basically, a 6 button controller.  And replace the awful D-pad on the 360, with a much much better one... and you have a controller perfect for Street Fighter 4 (also great for Street Fighter Turbo HD Remix) Actually, heres a picture...(yup, its got Chun Li on it.  I think they make Ryu, Ken, and Akuma ones too.)

And in related news.. in case you haven't seen it... here's the trailer for Street Fighter : The Legend of Chun Li... I am required to go see it. (since its a Chun-Li movie) but man.. I don't want to.   You know... for a movie called "The Legend of Chun Li" this trailer shows surprisingly little footage of Chun Li.. what does that tell you?

Zangief Chronicles

These are hilarious.

http://www.zangiefchronicles.com/Z/

There are 4 episodes so far...

final issue

Well, there it is.  The cover to the next issue of EGM.  The cover to the issue that will never be printed.  They will be putting it online to read on 1up, since the issue was already finished when they closed down the mag... but you won''t be getting it in your mailbox, nor finding it at the newstands... Looks like it would have been a good issue.   :)

But, like all talented people who are cast off by big corporations... they land on their feet.  And good news has sprung up already... there are already THREE podcasts in the works by ex-1up folk.

Rebel FM - first episode is available already. 

Geekbox Radio - Starts this week.

Yet un-named Show - Made by the awesome guys who did the 1up Show.  The 1up Show was awesome and one of my favorite TV shows (even though it wasn't on TV), and I am greatly looking forward to what these guys come up with without "the Man" holding them down.

New Movie Poster for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

from 1up.com today...

New Movie Poster for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

via 1UP NEWS RSS feed by Kyle Stallock on 10/15/08

There's been so little word on Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li that many have probably been wondering if it became another victim of development hell. Based on the track-record of game-to-film adaptations, especially of the last live-action Street Fighter movie, the same people were probably hoping that was the case.

Now, according to a report from First Showing, the Japanese website for the film has just launched and a poster for the movie has been released with it.

As always, I'll save my ultimate judgment until I actually see the film, but right now my hopes aren't very high. Please, Kristin Kreuk, prove me wrong.

Street Fighter Cosplay

From the Tokyo Game Show.. lots more cool cosplay pics over at 1up

and in related news...more Street Fighter 4 characters!

Sakura = CONFIRMED

Dan = CONFIRMED

Fei Long = CONFIRMED

looks like we're gonna have a pretty full list of characters!  :)

and I don't know who this woman is, or what character she is dressed as.. but holy frak she is hot...

Stuff and some junk...and some trailers...

So it has been overall.. a pretty crappy week. have not been in a real good mood of late and haven't been in a blogging mood. Sunday I went down to Philly with my pal Mike to visit our friends Jason and Josh. Stayed most of the day... went out to eat some Indian food, played a couple fun games of Warmachine/Hordes (won one and lost one) and when we went to leave we found that Mike's car had been broken into... window smashed, his GPS unit stolen.. it sucked. A crappy end to a good day. And the rest of this week has just been.. blah. I am still planning on writing up my reviews on the Clone Wars episodes.. I will end up being a week behind, since I have to wait for episodes to appear online from now on. (the show is good, I will say that much right now.. it also had the biggest ratings for any Cartoon Network show ever, so its target audience -kids - also really liked it).. anyways... the Tokyo Game Show is currently underway.. and lots of info is spilling forth on lots of upcoming games.. these two trailers made very very happy... the Street Fighter one is just a really cool trailer.. not really any new footage.. and the second.. well its a a new foray into a universe I love to play videogames in... Hurrah for Video Games! They make real life bearable! I am going to be putting together my character for our upcoming D&D game tonight/tomorrow.. so expect a post on that soon as well.

Street Fighter 4 'TGS 2008' trailer HD

Halo 3: Recon 'Debut' trailer HD