Despite what I'm about to say, it's still amazing. It's probably the best downloadable game this year, apart from Braid and WoG. But I have one single, solitary problem...



WTF IS UP WITH AKUMA'S HEAD?!

Seriously, he looks like he's been jacked up on steroids in the 14 years between this and Turbo. This really bothers me for some arbitrary reason, and it's only like that when he's standing still. Every other animation has the correctly proportioned head/neck mass.
But the game just looks and plays so damn good that I'm willing to excuse it.



LP LP → LK HP. Commit it to memory.
=)

Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles



To be honest, it looks pretty decent for a puzzle game. I'm not into puzzlers whatsoever (apart from Wetrix (a guilty pleasure)) but this seems like it could be amazingly fun to play with someone like Colette Bennett, competitive style. The graphics are gorgeous too, and I'd totally buy it if the means were within my grasp.



I can't get over the fact that this may be the very last commercially released DC game ever (it came out on November 10th). It's been 8 long years since I first fell in love with it, and it saddens me to finally see it truly die, like the N64 with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. Hopefully it will continue to have a healthy homebrew community (of that I have no doubt) and the support of retro gamers around the globe as the definitive Shmup/Fighting game platform.



R.I.P
Sega Dreamcast
1999-2008

So Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (SSF2THDR) is right around the corner, and I felt I needed to pay my respects to the best fighting game character ever created. Akuma is pure, unbridled awesomeness.

1. His name means "Devil", and all of his moves have insanely epic translations.
Such as Destructive Strong Surge Fist, Air-Cutting Surge Fist, and Instant Hell Murder/Raging Demon.

2. He isn't just a mindless brute; he actually has a strict code of honour that he rigidly adheres to.
He won't fight weaklings, and he only accepts challenges from those he deems worthy. For instance, he stopped his fight with Gen when he realized Gen had cancer, and he spared Ken because he believed he could improve greatly.



3. He is the strongest Shotokan character.
You could say that he's a mix between Ryu and Ken, but he's way more. If you go into a battle as Akuma with a Ryu or Ken mentality, you're likely to lose. He has his own strategies which are hard to describe, but I usually get by (if I'm playing for fun) with a Hyakkishu+HK into a crouching HP+LP Shoryuken. It completely destroys noobs, but not every iteration of him possesses the Hyakkishu jump-in so I gotta mix it up. He has awful defence in most games though, so it's best to go all out aggressive. (Also, it's possible that Gouken in SFIV is stronger, but I dunno yet.)

4. He looks menacing as hell.
Which is unfortunate, as he isn't really a villain, but it suits his style so well that it's not a problem. It was revealed in Street Fighter: Generations that he took his trademark prayer beads from his master Goutetsu after defeating him in a fierce battle (IIRC, I haven't watched it in ages). And his dark red hair, coupled with the black gi make for a vicious looking contender.



5. Shin Akuma.
You WILL die the first time you fight him in CvS2. You have no idea what you're up against. He's almost twice as fast, twice as strong, and has some ridiculously cheap moves. But it fits with the character, as Shin Akuma is just Akuma using his full power. He is NOT being controlled by the Satsui No Hadou; rather he has mastered it himself. Normal Akuma is him holding back so he doesn't accidentally kill his opponent too quick, sort of like the way Oro only fights with one arm to prevent a similar mishap.

6. He can destroy islands/landmasses, and cut through steel.
As often demonstrated in his end sequences, Akuma possesses far greater power than he fights with (mentioned in the previous point too). In his SFIII ending he literally cuts through a submarine with a single stroke, instantly obliterating it. He also destroyed an island in something (I can't remember whether it was a game ending or an anime).

7. Akuma WILL annihilate you in SFIV.
.....Provided you play on the highest difficulty, that is. As I plan to...



In closing, Bison is a pussy compared to Akuma. Deal with it, Bison fanboys.

...Since everyone else seems to despise her.

So Left 4 Dead comes out here on the Emerald Isle tomorrow, and I'll be picking up the 360 version mainly because my PC hates my guts and dies when it attempts to run something more advanced than KotOR II. So with the guys on the site having called dibs on everything from the socially relevant black guy, to the stereotypical Alzheimer's-stricken old man, I feel I must stake my claim on the obligatory female charcter. Yes, that was a double entendre.

Zoey is the character that you love to play as when nobody's looking.



Am I right? Of course I am. You love to hear her erotically breathing heavily while fleeing from large-tongued Smokers and fat bastards that explode in your face.

She's based on Chell from Portal, who in turn, is based on her voice actor. Who is also Zoey's.



There's no point in tiptoing around it; Alesia Glidewell is damn hot. So it makes sense that they'd base the only female in the group off the attractive VA. Don't lie; you would too.

I can't goddamn stand Francis either.



Look at him, standing there, grinning nonchalantly and whatnot.
It's forgivable for Bill and Louis because A. Bill's old and B. Louis is dressed like Shaun (of the Dead), but Francis has no excuse other than being a sex-starved biker deviant.

So, why dibs?
Because I play games naked. That's enough of a reason for anyone.

If Sonic Unleashed is as good as Jim Sterling expects it to be, then DO WANT.

http://www.UltimateGameChair.com

No details at the moment, but the recently launched Reign Productions have announced that their first project will be a music game (surprise, surprise) that will cater specifically to Metal (wow, actual surprise). It will feature cameo appearances from some Metal stars, much like the recent Guitar Heroes, and will culminate in the formation of a metal supergroup, somewhat similar to Bloodbath (I hope). =P
I've been waiting for something like this for a while now, (having had to whet my appetite with the shit that Harmonix decides is metal) so it's with great relief to say that a major announcement will be made at the NAMM global music products show in Anaheim, California in January.



Here's hoping for some classic Opeth. =D