Feature: Four Games That I Need Before I Die
Sequels have (for better or for worse) become a staple of the gaming industry; just take a look at the annual sports game updates as an example of sequelitis in action. Still, there are a handful of games that have never received follow-ups, truly deserved another series entry, or simply left questions that diehards need answered. I present to you the four games that I need before I taste the reaper’s cold touch.
Fatal Fury: Origins
Before Ash, K’, and Kyo became the pretty boy faces of SNK, the original SNK/Neo Geo star was South Town’s very own Terry Bogard. His tale was one that every red-blooded American who dresses in red-white-and-blue clothing can certainly relate to: His adoptive father Jeff Bogard, was murdered by the Gordon Gecko-meets-John Gotti crime boss Geese Howard (the details of which can be seen in the opening cinematic of Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition), for being an all around do-gooder leaving Terry and his brother Andy to fend for themselves and learn the art of street justice. This is Fatal Fury lore. This is Fatal Fury history. But is it the entire tale? Let’s look at the details.
- Terry and Andy are the adopted sons of Jeff Bogard
- Terry and Andy have blond hair and blue eyes; Jeff Howard does not
- Geese Howard has blond hair and blue eyes
- Geese Howard has a history of abandoning children (see Rock Howard)
This doesn’t take rocket science, folks, and I’m surprised that SNK Playmore hasn’t dipped into this well quite a while ago. My proposal? Fatal Fury: Origins would act as a direct prequel to Fatal Fury with the Jeff Bogard available as a playable character along with Tung Fu Rue, Raiden, Duck King, Takuma, and a handful of new characters that would help expand the Bogard-Howard mythos. Bosses would consist of Geese (naturally), Billy Kane, Yamazaki, Kaine, and others that would give South Town its proper level of grime.
Bits and Bytes: 8/30/2009
Bits and Bytes is a weekly round up of some of the more interesting gaming news items that happened to slip through the cracks during our normal posting schedule. They’re presented here in easily-digestible bite-size chunks. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more 2D gaming commentary.
Poppin’ Online
Just after a week after announcing that Plants vs. Zombies will be headed to XBLA, Popcap Games has revealed that Peggle Nights is also a-comin’. It’s not just a straight port; Popcap has added 60 new challenges, online multi-player modes, and many other goodies.
The Greatest 2D Sports Videogame Athletes: Ken Girffey, Jr. Edition
Some young’uns reading this may be a lil’ too green to remember Ken Griffey, Jr. before he wore the Mask of the Cincinnati Reds Death. If you’re one of those unfortunate few, and you’d like to witness a portion of his greatness, check out Griff’s self-titled cartridge for the SNES. Although game companies of that era were infamous for signing famous athletes to their own game and giving them ungodly stats to make them worthy of their headline status, The Kid rules the roost in Ken Griffey, Jr. Presents Major League Baseball, but it’s not because of juiced coverboy stats: flesh-n-blood Griff was just that damned good.
Knowledgeable baseball fans are familiar with the 5 skills: hitting for average, hitting for power, baserunning, defense, and arm strength. Griffey owned in all of those categories, and his Super NES counterpart is just as deadly. If you toss a pitch that even remotely nips the corner (and I’m talking Greg Maddux styled plate-nibbling), that son of bitch launches it into the upper deck. Should you have the fortunate of keeping the ball on the turf when facing Griff, you have the difficult chore of keeping him honest on the basepaths. With his cheetah-esque speed, even the slightest lead results in a stolen base or his advancing an extra base on a hit.
How To: Execute Kenshiro’s 100 Crack Fist (Hokuto no Ken, PS2)
How To is a recurring feature in which we demonstrate techniques designed to improve your game, and make your skill set more than a little bit awesome.
Hokuto no Ken for the PlayStation 2 did the unthinkable for many long time fans of the anime: it took the hard hitting fighting that defined the show and merged it with a deep fighting engine that actually satisfies. All previous attempts at a Hokuto no Ken game (from the Genesis’ The Last Battle to the Gameboy’s Fist of the North Star: 10 Big Brawls for the King of Universe) all hailed from the land of suck, so the SEGA-published PlayStation 2 title was quite welcomed.
One of the questions that I receive on a somewhat regular basis inquires how one goes about unleashing Kenshiro’s 100 Crack Fist finisher. Certainly, it was the most memorable move in the series, and one that you want to smack your boys with when they begin to spout off a little too much. Just like the anime, you can’t simply whip it out at anytime – - that would end matches in seconds. You need to set up the scenario. Here’s how to execute Kenshiro’s 100 Crack Fist in Hokuto no Ken.
Virtual Vox Pop: Recommend A Good RPG
Virtual Vox Pop is a weekly open mic in which we ask you, the reader, to sound off on a particular topic. This week, it’s role-playing games.
I hate RPGs.
Not the genre itself, but many of the more insane and repetitive trappings that have become synonymous with role-playing games. Random battles. Your typical sword ‘n sorcery storylines. Inane game limitations such as having the ability to call down fire from heaven, yet being unable to open a door due to not possessing a particular key. It’s all quite frustrating.
There have been a few exceptions, however, that actually commanded large portions of my game playing time. Chrono Trigger blew my mind with an awesome time travel plot; Soul Blazer’s moral/religious lessons were unlike other games of that time; likewise, Xenogears a few years later.
Your mission this week is to suggest a RPG that I need to play as soon as humanly possible, any system, any era. Can I be convinced that the genre caters to guys like me? GO!
Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming Sprouting in a Game Store Near You
Say what you will about the general non-excitement of a series based on farming and agriculture, but Harvest Moon is one of the rare RPG franchises that actually garners my attention with each release. The fact that it’s decidedly non-swords/dragons/spells/grinding certainly helps, as that aspect of gaming has been beat to death with a dusty broomstick. So it was with much joy that I set my weary eyes on today’s news that Natsume’s Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming is heading to a Gamestop near you right now.
Set in the world of last year’s Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming is a puzzle game that continues the tale of the island’s residents. As the press release states:
Something strange is happening on Sunny Island! Crops are popping up everywhere and growing out of control! If something isn’t done soon, the once-tranquil island will be buried in an avalanche of vegetables! It’s up to the player to solve the mystery of this produce predicament as they tame the crops and gather as many vegetables as they can!
Besides dodging out of control exclamation points, players select one of 12 characters that have their own unique stories and abilities that enable them to stop the overflow of veggies. Judging by the gameplay video, characters can unleash farm-related power ups (such as chickens or cows) that trigger very cool anime-inspired cut scenes.
The game features a variety of modes, but the most interesting may be the Multi-Player mode where you can test your farming skills against a bud’s, and even play against people who don’t have the cart via the Nintendo DS’ Download Play. Unlockables include character art, music, and special surprises in the Collection Room.
Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming is available for a cool $30.
Slasher Film Icons Kill One Another in Terrordome: Rise of the Boogeymen (PC)
Ever since Freddy’s ragged gloved hand dragged Jason’s equally ragged mask to Hades in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, slasher flick fans have been clamoring for cinematic mass murderer crossovers. Although they finally got Freddy vs. Jason a decade later, it only included two blood-thirsty madmen – - what of the rest? Hur4c4n’s Terrordome: Rise of the Boogeymen lets you pit all of your favorite decapitators against one another in a bloody brawl. And it won’t cost you a cent.
Review: MadCatz Street Fighter IV Blanka Fightpad (Xbox 360)
Think fast – - outside of the Neo Geo and the Japanese Sega Saturn, how many consoles comes bundled with an excellent controller that’s conducive to a robust fighting experience? None, most likely.
I’ll be honest, this post was born from a desire to find a controller that wouldn’t work against me as I crafted combos in King of Fighters XII. Fighting fans almost uniformly agree that the Xbox 360’s gamepad is an abomination; it’s brick thick, and the start button is placed too closely to the “X” button, resulting in accidental pauses when you should be tossing jabs and soft fireballs. In fact, only the Dreamcast’s bloated controller is worse.
Bits and Bytes: 8/23/2009
Bits and Bytes is a weekly round up of some of the more interesting gaming news items that happened to slip through the cracks during our normal posting schedule. They’re presented here in easily-digestible bite-size chunks. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more 2D gaming commentary.
Virtual Insanity?
Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue is considered one the most untouchable jazz albums ever recorded, but some intrepid chiptunes makers have taken it upon themselves to cover it with Kind of Bloop: An 8-bit Tribute to Miles Davis. This isn’t your typical nerd-remake; Andy Baio paid royalties, paid artists, and pressed discs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the beloved album, low-fi style.
Popcap Games Invades the iPhone and iPod touch
Plants vs. Zombies is currently the pinnacle of Popcap Games’ success; it is their fastest selling downloadable title, after all. If you’ve been waiting for this copious amount of awesome to hit the handheld market, you’re in luck: Plants vs. Zombies will be available in the Apps Store before the end of the year.
I-play Brings the Hip Hop to the iPhone and iPod touch
Think of it has DJ Hero for Apple’s handhelds. Hip Hop All Star, the latest in the growing rap rhythm game genre, features original tracks from such notable DJs and rappers as Busta Rhymes, Greg Nice, Kool G Rap, Unk, DJ Eclipse, DJ Serafin, and DJ Eddie James. Players must tap notes in rhythm with the music and scratch the t-t-t-turntables. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Multi-player modes lets digital waxmaster battle their boys wirelessly, while downloadable songs and Facebook connectivity spikes the punch.
Vote for 2D-X’ SXSW 2010 Panel
I’ll be honest, folks: I ain’t too proud to beg.
SXSW 2010, the freaknik for the geek set, is currently voting on panel proposals – - and 2D-X is all up in that process. If you click the image above, you’ll be magically transported to the panel voting page where you can cast your vote (or not!) for my proposed topic: How downloadable content is simultaneously heaven and hell for console gaming, and what can be done to prevent it from being misused. A rudimentary run down I must admit, but there’s more info at the link. Warning: You have to create an account to vote, but you love us, no?
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