July 31st, 2008 by The Grey Ghost
After testing the waters at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, Street Fighter IV producers are surprised to discover that among the new fighters added to the cast of characters, the fan favorite appears to be Abel. According to producer Yoshinori Ono, the character that they’d anticipated to make a big splash with the American audience is Crimson Viper, the female of the five new characters. In fact, the designers worked closely with Capcom Of America in performing market research to guide her design to specifically appeal to American gamers. Ono intends to take what he witnessed last week back with him to apply to further production of the title.
I gotta say that I’m rather puzzled by this myself. By character design alone, I too was favoring C. Viper, the sexy new hotness wrapped in sharp formal wear. Meanwhile, Abel is a bulky, amnesiac soccer player (maybe?) who is also French. My guess is that while Abel’s design is a clumsy mishmash of lame, in game he’s a titan. I remember seeing many a frown turned upside-down for Abel once gameplay demonstration footage surfaced of him. I’ve always found an appreciation for the short-range, wrestling characters like Zangief and it looks like Abel will be a welcome compliment to the Red Cyclone, should El Fuerte disappoint.
Meanwhile, I’ll not rest easy until I catch a glimpse at the SFIV-incarnated Cammy in action!
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July 27th, 2008 by The Grey Ghost
As expected, Capcom-related news has blossomed from San Diego Comic Con in the form of rumor and speculation. This past Friday, Kevin Feige, President of Production at Marvel Studios gave fans a nugget of hope that we may in fact see a Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, quoted as suggesting, “And maybe sooner than you think.”
My first reaction to this is, oh great–just what the fanboys need. As a fighting game fan myself, it’s an ongoing frustration for me to hear degenerate scrubs crying out for something grander than their beloved Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. Instead of appreciating that game for all the reasons they cherish it for, they holler in true American fashion, “Give us another one, but more!”
The trouble is that most fighting game fans don’t know what they really want. They get so caught up in the novelty of a title that they forget that what they should be asking for is the next great game. Capcom did attempt to answer to such demands with Capcom Fighting Evolution. While I do regret that the community didn’t recognize that game as a sign to better consider getting what they ask for, I do have hope for Street Fighter IV not being the game that everyone wants, but being the game that everyone needs.
Alas, for ten years strong, there has been no shortage of flow for unimaginative demands… “Give us larger teams! Give use more super moves! Give us more characters to choose from! Make it faster! Make it more crazy!” Never once have I seen consideration on whether or not those things add true value to a game. When it comes to understanding game design, I would argue that there are fewer idiots found in any gaming community than those in the mass majority of the fighting game fandom.
That said, this article does bring up an interesting point. Capcom’s current “Versus” game project, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom is one that I’d only rolled my eyes at until I’d recently seen footage of its attractive gameplay. It’s likely to never make its way stateside due to many of Tatsunoko’s characters being held under license by multiple companies in America, thus some expensive red tape to cut through. However, while the use of Tatsunoko characters is a no-go, Capcom’s half of the roster, the graphics, and gameplay mechanics is still quite easy to still port, and would only need some other franchise to take Tatsunoko’s place. Marvel’s lineup could theoretically fill that role.
The biggest hurdle for that idea is what’s always kept Capcom from going forward with producing a MvC3 or even next generation ports of their older Marvel-themed fighting games: Acquiring the license for Marvel characters. Many of Marvel’s characters are currently under license by other companies. And given the boom in popularity that Marvel has experienced in the past ten years, those licenses are no doubt to be way more pricey than they were when those games were produced.
Thank you, Kevin Feige for fanning these flames, but I maintain my own advice to fans: Don’t hold your breath.
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July 25th, 2008 by The Grey Ghost
Capcom has presented a truckload of goodies so far this weekend at the San Diego Comicon. Theoretically because they knew I couldn’t be there to bask in them. Especially since most of the hottest tidbits from the con are about LADIES LADIES LADIES!
Star of the upcoming Street Fighter film, “The Legend of Chun Li”, Kristen Kreuk sat at the Capcom booth to promote the movie. I’ve always felt she might be too young to portray Chun Li’s mature character, but I can’t deny that she’s still cute as a button. And apparently ripped, as she’s been working out to properly fill the role of “the strongest woman in the world”. Were I there, rather than asking for an autograph, I would probably ask, “Why is Smallville still on the air? You gotta jump that sinking ship; this could be your way out!”
Then came the next animated Street Fighter IV trailer, which included the notable appearance of my personal favorite world warrior, Cammy. While Capcom has generously given Cammy exposure in their fighting games, they’ve always seemed to be hesitant to acknowledge her popularity with the fans, for fear that she may compete too heavily with their star, Chun Li. In an open statement at the Capcom panel on Thursday, Seth Killian revealed that Cammy had won the recent poll posted on the Capcom-Unity site as to which character the fans would most like to see added into Street Fighter IV. Score one for the pigtails, ladies and gentlemen…
The con has only begun, so I’m curious to see what more Capcom has in store for us. Though I get the impression that they’ve fired their big guns right out the gate, so any other stories to work their way out of the convention will consist of amusing anecdotes and rumors spawning from overheard comments. For me, I guess there’s always next year…
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July 24th, 2008 by The Grey Ghost
Where are all the dead squirrels? Where do they go when they die? Not in a theological sense; I mean seriously, where the frick are they?? I see squirrels frolicking about wherever I may venture, but not a single dead one upon the ground.
The only instances where I’ve ever seen a dead squirrel is in the aftermath of being tragically hit by a car or caught by a predator. It leads me to wonder…do squirrels ever die of natural causes? Like old age or cancer? You never see a case where a squirrel is gleefully stowing acorns into his nest, then suddenly clench his chest and drop like a stone to the earth below. Color me morbid, but this world would just make so much more sense if occasionally squirrels would appear to fall from the sky.
The death doesn’t have to be the result of an ailment… What if the squirrel is just clumsy? Do not even squirrels apply to the laws of natural selection? All it would take is one miscalculated leap from tree to tree and he’s boned. Be that as it may, you never go for a stroll and suddenly hear the sound of a squirrel’s equivalent of “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!”, followed by a terminal *SPLAT*. Why is that??
Are squirrels immortal? Do they laugh in the face of the Grim Reaper, immune to his touch? Can they not die unless life is stripped from them? Or is it just a the formula of coincidence and timing that they appear to only be killed by outside forces? Do the numbers add up between the rate that they reproduce and the rate at which they’re killed? Have squirrels as a species been blessed with such a dealt hand…or cursed? The world (or at least I) may never know…
Posted in Humor, Random | No Comments »
July 21st, 2008 by The Grey Ghost
The interminable question of whether or not video games may be considered as art may yet go unanswered. However, while the game software may not by some, their cartridges have proved themselves so. Enter Famicase, an exhibition of Famicom (that’s NES in the states) cartridges given new life with custom-made labels of fictional game titles. The group of artists behind the exhibit each designed very convincing labels, reminiscent of those found on video game cartridges of the 1980s.
Not that I like to promote artistic copycats, but that’s an idea that I’d like to see imitated with American hardware. I often see mock-ups made with Photoshop (or MSPaint, in some cases) in various message boards, etc, but none of them would I mistake for the real deal. What I think merits this as an artistic expression is that it exercises specific tones and themes that one would recognize from game packaging from that era. The above example being one of my favorite pieces, in that it certainly illustrates something to which those of us who have owned an aging NES can relate.
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July 18th, 2008 by The Grey Ghost
The trailer for the upcoming Watchmen movie was leaked earlier this week. This trailer excites me, but not because it’s of The Watchmen… In fact, I stand to lose a lot of comic geek street cred’ by admitting that I’ve never read the classic graphic novel. Worry not! For I intend to correct that by the time the film hits the theaters.
What gives me a tingle about the trailer is the use of a rare Smashing Pumpkins track for its soundtrack, The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning. If it sounds familiar, that’s because its the sister track to the song The End Is the Beginning Is the End, which was used in the soundtrack for the 1997 abomination, Batman & Robin. “TBITEITB” can be found on a CD single released only in Europe, along with “TEITBITE” and two instrumental remixes.
Before the advent of digital distribution a la iTunes, many a time did I used to hear one song off of an album and wish I could purchase a CD single, only to resort to shelling out the expense of the full album. Thus was the case with the Batman & Robin soundtrack. Fortune smiled upon me when I discovered an import of the “TEITBITE” single in a local record store. It was the best $6 I’d ever spent because to this day, it’s probably my favorite Smashing Pumpkins record and still finds a place in my regular music rotation.
From what I understand about the plot of The Watchmen, I believe the use of “The Beginning…” is quite appropriate. If I’m interpreting the lyrics correctly, “The End…” feels like it symbolizes Genesis, or the rise of humanity. How we assume our rite as God’s chosen ones on Earth and the self-proclamation of our glory. Conversely, “The Beginning…” is more akin to Revelations in that it illustrates humanity’s downfall. Our own arrogance leading to our destruction and cries as God foresakes us.
My message to Warner Bros. is this: Mission accomplished. I am excited about this movie. Not only that, but I now plan to pick up the Watchmen trade paperback sometime in the next few months.
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July 17th, 2008 by The Grey Ghost
In Akihabara, Japan you’ll find this little stand that offers watermelon milk, among other mixed fruit drinks. This alone would pique my interest in that I’m certainly down with fruit-flavored milk-based goodness to cool me down on a hot day. However, the stand felt it needed a little something extra in it’s marketing. It claims that their drinks are a sexual aid, increasing one’s sex drive. They base this claim on the pretense of a supposed discovery by an American research group that eating watermelon is just as effective as taking Viagra.
I think we can chalk this one up to over-sensationalism of the media and then by someone trying to market the concept. I can see how watermelon can affect one’s circulatory system, but I’ve yet to eat some magic seedless that gave me an 8-hour erection. Both playing on men’s desire to increase their sexual prowess. I can see how it would work out for the guy hosting the milk stand since, let’s face it, what isn’t considered an aphrodisiac in Asia? Between rhino horn and bat’s balls…at least I can palate some watermelon.
Posted in Health, Random, Sex & Romance | No Comments »
July 16th, 2008 by The Grey Ghost
According to the jacket to the novel adaptation to the action manga, Black Lagoon, a third season of the anime is on its way to production. Black Lagoon’s story is centered around a group of mercenaries that operate in the seas of Southeast Asia. While the lead character is supposedly the Japanese salary man, Rock, the star of the show is clearly the ultra-hot, gun-toting Revy, who’s more likely to break your nose than hand you her phone number.
I’m quite excited about this announcement! The anime is a personal favorite of mine, in that it mixes just the right amounts of excessive violence and sexuality without suffering from being overly gratuitous. It also helps that she show doesn’t at all take itself very seriously, lining its mature story themes with satire of the action show genre.
FUNimation announced just recently that it plans to re-issue the first season as well as the previously canceled second season of the anime later this year, relieving Geneon if its North American distribution.
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July 14th, 2008 by The Grey Ghost
I just thought of an awesome idea for a 1970s style cop show.
He’s a straight-laced cop who’s tough enough to handle the street, but still plays by the book.Years of taking out the trash have turned him into a chain-smoking hard-ass. He wants to retire, but they keep pulling him back in.
She’s a rookie who grew up on the streets, looking to get her kicks on the night beat. Hip to the disco scene, she patrols the city in her pink bell-bottomed sequin fabric uniform. Careful, fellas! She’ll break your heart…and your collar bone!
Together, they’re the departments hottest new team to clean the streets. Coming this fall…
SMOKE & MIRRORS
Friday’s at 9 / 8 Central
Posted in Humor, Random | No Comments »
July 13th, 2008 by The Grey Ghost
My buddy Chuck (aka Comtar) wrote a super-long post in his LiveJournal, the highlight being the last part concerning reviews of Metal Gear Solid 4. Chuck’s been a close friend for years, has loads of video game experience, and is a pretty sharp guy… Which is why I often ask him to write for my site here! Another reason being that he and I differ in many of our opinions, which is good for diversity, I think. For the interested, my own comments can be found on the entry as well, throwing in way more than my own two cents.
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