I've told this story a few times on this blog. A story about how I grew up in an extremely religious home with parents who frowned upon violent entertainment, and who strictly adhered to the various ratings systems implemented across the entirety of the entertainment industry. I mentioned that it wasn't until my 13th birthday (through some begging & desperate pleading) that I was able to convince my mother to buy me "Street Fighter II: Championship Edition" for the Sega Genesis as a birthday present. Of course after that big feat my world opened up in huge ways allowing me to enjoy various other fighting games, and violent video games while not being strictly monitored or chastised for doing so. Street Fighter, more or less, was my gateway into fighting games and so much more. Some things to my moral detriment ... certain adult things. That aside I have invested years of my life in playing, enjoying, and learning fighting games. None more so than Street Fighter though. It is for that very reason I decided to pre-order Capcom's "Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection". I wanted to relive the moments I experienced as I played through the various series entries in the Street Fighter game library, and after having picked up my copy today I aim to do just that. I don't expect the games to be as impressive as they were the first time around, but the trip down memory lane will be more than worth the $40 asking price. At least to me.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Friday, May 25, 2018
Riddled Corpses EX Mixes Old School Mob Brawlers With Shmup Mechanics
Complete with two co-op score based modes, and a cooperative story mode with five stages of progression CowCat Games, and Diabolical Minds challenges the gamer or gamers to take on one of the most grueling fights for apocalyptic survival ever! Whether you love the oldschool appeal of the side-scrolling wave filled brawlers, or the arcade shoot' em ups of old you will find tons of replay value in this story driven fight against the evil of all evils. A furious fight against an evil which has, and continues to resurrect the dead in order to destroy all of humanity. Through a character upgrade system that alters gun play Gradius-style, and unlockables in the form of other characters and weapons with their own unique combat offerings you will face wave after wave of the undead in an attempt to best the true prince of darkness. The ultimate end goal being a complete story playthrough, or an arcade mode playthrough. Each with a different way to experience the trek through madness. That and one of the most difficult static survival modes to ever grace the shmup genre!
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Fighting The Fighting Game Con
I know I'll likely catch flak from the fighting game community, and be passed over for future fighting game reviews, but what I'm about to share with you comes from a deep love, and understanding of a genre that has the potential to be good. Potential that is yet to be realized, because of greed.
Modern fighting games, for all intents and purposes, are a cash grab. Plain, and simple. Though the eSports venues, and competitive scene goers/participants would try and have you believe otherwise there is a reason no one else outside of the perceived viewership window is truly "getting good", and why we don't see new professionals coming into the spotlight as often as one would expect given the hype surrounding competitive gaming. The fighting games of today are ultimately, and purposefully being pitched at the most lucrative gaming crowd ever to grace the gaming industry purely for money sake. That gaming crowd being the casuals. Casual gamers have shown time, and time again they'll blindly follow games and gaming trends if they can look cool to their friends and audience. The keyword being "look". Developers, and publishers aren't dumb, and they fully realize what attracts gamers to the casual scene. They know it's a mixture of faux competition, bragging rights, and plenty of flash added in for extra special effect. What this means to developers is that they can develop, and shovel out incomplete games that simply look, and feel the part year after year with little effort put into the game's competitive infrastructure. They know they have the casuals conditioned to accept this same meaningless routine experience regardless of the lack of competitive value provided. That experience being a year long shelf life of the vanilla version, and other slightly upgraded releases down the line with a few new bits and baubles introduced to keep things fresh enough for casual consumer appeal.
Modern fighting games, for all intents and purposes, are a cash grab. Plain, and simple. Though the eSports venues, and competitive scene goers/participants would try and have you believe otherwise there is a reason no one else outside of the perceived viewership window is truly "getting good", and why we don't see new professionals coming into the spotlight as often as one would expect given the hype surrounding competitive gaming. The fighting games of today are ultimately, and purposefully being pitched at the most lucrative gaming crowd ever to grace the gaming industry purely for money sake. That gaming crowd being the casuals. Casual gamers have shown time, and time again they'll blindly follow games and gaming trends if they can look cool to their friends and audience. The keyword being "look". Developers, and publishers aren't dumb, and they fully realize what attracts gamers to the casual scene. They know it's a mixture of faux competition, bragging rights, and plenty of flash added in for extra special effect. What this means to developers is that they can develop, and shovel out incomplete games that simply look, and feel the part year after year with little effort put into the game's competitive infrastructure. They know they have the casuals conditioned to accept this same meaningless routine experience regardless of the lack of competitive value provided. That experience being a year long shelf life of the vanilla version, and other slightly upgraded releases down the line with a few new bits and baubles introduced to keep things fresh enough for casual consumer appeal.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Through Action Packed Capitalism "Penny Punching Princess" Spins A Common Narrative
Socialism, and Capitalism ... it's a touchy topic of discussion for many, and like those many debating the very nature of the roles each side plays in society NISA has also jumped on the bandwagon through this very game. Albeit on more neutral and enlightening terms. Through a comical story with an obvious point to be made we find an heir to the throne of a tyrannical kingdom that was lost to the lure of capitalism. Money overpowered the powerful, as it were. At the heart of the tale being told is a penny punching plot of revenge where the princess and her Miya stag beetle companion Sebastian use the very capitalistic tools that destroyed their king, and kingdom to fight the powerful mob-like presence that is the Dragoloan Empire. With a powerful punch that produces coin, skills that kill, and a calculator that allows the bribing of monsters the Princess, and Sebastian set forth to rebuild castle Tyrannical's influence, and it's population by the very means it was taken down.
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