Hands-On with Sonic & SEGA All-Stars: SEGA digs deep into its roster and strikes racing gold
When it comes to racing games, I like mine of the arcade variety. I don’t want to tinker with gears, I don’t want to worry about acquiring licenses; I simply want roaring engines, insane jumps, crazy power slides, wacky characters, and, if possible, inane weapons that you can use to take out cocky foes that think they have their positions on lock.
Nintendo’s Mario Kart pioneered this genre on the SNES , which led to the eventual cavalcade of cute racers that rode the gamut from “inspired” to “damn, they didn’t even try to hide the rip off.” But occasionally a “kart racer” comes along with copious amounts of unadulterated fun and a compelling universe of its own, that it stands on its on four wheels and shines bright. Such is Sonic & SEGA All-Stars.
Interview: Talking video games and game journalism with HipHopGamer
I can vividly recall the first time that I met HipHopGamer; actually, the first time that I saw him. I was at an Activision party watching some skinny-pantsed hipsters spin the virtual wax, when I saw a dude bop into the room with a god damned wrestling belt strapped over his shoulder. I thought that this was either the ballsiest mofo around, or the most outrageous – - and it turns out he is both.
HipHopGamer has rocketed to popularity thanks to his self-titled website (HipHopGamerShow) where he hosts weekly video articles (or vidicles, as the man’s coined the series of clips). After listening to HipHopGamer give his enthusiastic insights on his own show, exchanging messages about gaming with him via e-mail, meeting at a Sony event, and listening to him on Torrence Davis’ WarZone over at The Bitbag, I knew it was time for an interview. Check it out.
The crux of the HipHopGamerShow revolves around your patented weekly vidicles. Why did you decide to go the video route instead of writing traditional articles?
When you write people don’t get the full understanding and full emotion of what your message is. With video you can see my facial expressions, and hear my tone of voice when I say certain things [for emphasis]. Also, no one else is doing it. See, it’s one thing to make a video talking about games, but I treat my videos as articles. I provide bullet points, so it’s like a story, so to speak. When I present these vidicles people can understand after the first view as opposed to reading something three or four times to try and understand what a journalist is saying. Also, I love being in front of the camera anyway [laughs].
Capcom announces Color of Conflict Contest and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom 2D shmup
Today, Capcom spilled the beans on a couple of big things for fans of their games. First up, is allowing artists to decide the colors displayed on the Final Fight: Double Impact “box” via a contest run through their website. Also, when gamers pick up Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars this month, they’ll get a couple of cool new surprises. More deets after the jump.
Interview: Terry “Valkor” Lewis of The Other View Talks SEGA and The Dreamcast
When I think of a person that’s truly a fan of SEGA’s body of work, no one comes to mind before Terry “Valkor” Lewis, editor-in-chief of The Other View. From the Genesis’ time to the present day, he’s stuck faithfully by SEGA’s side. Today, he’s here to talk Dreamcast as our week-long reflection continues.
What does 9.9.99 mean to you?
SEGA lost a lot of fans after the debacle with the 32X and the Saturn, though for me the SEGA Saturn was a hardware hit, and I loved it for what it was worth. But to me, 9.9.99 was the day that I thought Sega would rise above their past mistakes and regain their hold on the gaming world. To me it meant a world of games that I couldn’t get if I bought a Sony PlayStation 2 or even an N64 or GameCube. I didn’t wanna play the cutesy Mario type games popular with Nintendo, and I didn’t wanna deal with the mediocrity of PS games. I wanted a unique gaming experience that only the guys at SEGA could give me. And here’s how true to the course I stayed; I didn’t buy a PS2 until 2004! I simply wasn’t excited about PlayStation as I was for my Dreamcast.
Retro/Grade, The Time Hopping Music Game With A Shooter Skin
Imagine you’re Rick Rocket, ace star pilot, who’s just saved the known universe from destruction at the hands of invading alien forces. What would you expect upon the completion of your mission? Accolades? Fanfare? Wealth? How about doing the whole damn over again due to a rift in the time-space continuum – - but in reverse! That’s probably not high on your list, but that’s exactly what cruel fate has decided would be the ultimate interstellar Punk’d move.
In Retro/Grade, the sheer awesomeness of Rick Rocket’s alien asskicking has screwed up time, so you must repair the damage left in his wake by retracing Rick’s battle…backwards. So how exactly does developer 24 Carat Games implement a reverse shmup? My utilizing rhythm game mechanics. It’s up to you to guide Rick’s ship to the appropriate “space lane” from which his weapon was shot in his original mission and press the fire button simultaneously. Plus, you have to make certain that you avoid the enemy attacks as they return to their gun torrents. After all, dropping the ball here creates the bane of time travel, the paradox, which ends the mission.
King of Fighters XII Gets a Release Date: 7/28/09
Fighter fans and SNK fanboys, this is the moment for which you’ve been waiting. Courtesy of the King of Fighters XII Twitter feed:
…happy to announce that the official release date for KOF12 is July 28, 2009! Mark your calendars and get your pre-orders in now!!!
Consider this mystery officially solved, Watson.
Around the Web: BlazBlue Calamity Trigger Reviews (PS3, Xbox 360)
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger has finally arrived, much to the delight of fighting fans. If you’ve been waiting for the reviews to roll in before pulling the trigger, rest easy inknowing that this beautiful (yet surprisingly deep) fighter is receiving heaps of praise. Here are some of our favorite review excerpts from around the Web.
Gamezone states: “Graphically, BlazBlue looks awesome. The game’s aesthetic represents some of the best 2D graphics that you’ll likely find on any platform, with gorgeously rendered character models, superb animations, and some excellent environments, each one teeming with tons of details. The special moves are also great looking and add a nice element to the game’s look. This is definitely one of the best looking 2D games around.”
First Impressions: King of Fighters XII (Xbox 360)
Much like taxes, the slow march toward death, and knowing sweet love from a fine woman, there’s one there’s only one true inevitable in my life: I will drool in a Pavlovian manner with the release of a new King of Fighters game.
I’ve been a die hard since the Neo Geo’s King of Fighters ‘94, and followed it until well-after the death of SNK’s dream machine. Over the course of the series, I grew to love the insane mix of newcomers (Kyo and Iori), classic characters pulled from older, non-Neo Geo properties (Ralf and Clark), and fighters siphoned from other Neo Geo hits (Terry Bogard, Ryo).
Few long-time King of Fighters players would challenge this statement: The franchise’s graphics and music peaked with King of Fighters ‘98. A a decline in quality soon followed as SNK declared bankruptcy, was purchased by Aruze, and eventually reborn as SNK Playmore. Although the King of Fighters games of recent years were quite fun with the added tag factor (King of Fighters 2003, King of Fighters XI), they were becoming increasingly archaic as SNK Playmore recycled sprites (or tweaked them slightly) on an annual basis. The company attempted to compensate by placing its 2D characters against slick 3D backgrounds on the home consoles – - a jarring mishmash that didn’t sit well with many. It was just a stepping stone; we long time fans wanted fresh sprites. And the company stepped it up big time with King of Fighters XII.
King of Fighters XII marks a wonderfully dramatic turn for the franchise. The visuals, of course, are the meat in this tasty sandwich: Each of the 22 characters have been redrawn from scratch to bring them into the new millennium – - no recycled sprites here. Art director Nona loves the 2D medium and King of Fighters XII is his love letter. The animation is fluid down to clothing movement, the shadow/lighting effects are awesome, and the backgrounds bristle with a life not seen in a fighting game in some time.
Replica Neo Geo Stick Japan-Bound; America Stiffed Again?
If you’re one thats keen on playing fighting games with a control pad, two thoughts immediately come to mind: 1) you probably didn’t endure rigorous arcade competition back in the heyday of arcades, and 2) my Geese Howard in King of Fighters ‘98: Ultimate Match will totally beast you. Totally.
Dedicated stick-warriors and those that still have Neo Geo-lust will appreciate the new hardware coming out of Asia. According to 1Up.com, Exar will manufacture a line of joysticks modeled after the iconic Neo Geo AES controller – - gee, I wonder why. Those dollar signs are dancing in the pupils, eh, Exar?
Still, I’m digging the arching four buttons set up and the perfect classic color scheme. The one thing that I hope changes is the build quality; the original Neo Geo AES sticks were a tad fragile for my tastes, unable to withstand my combotastic fury for extended periods before shorting out.
This PS3 exclusive stick will arrive in Japanese stores on July 16th for 5,229 yen ($54), but we’re certain that plucky importers will have them in stock to coincide with King of Fighters XII’s PS3 release. A dedicated King of Fighter XII stick will also be available for around $65 US (photo after the jump).
[Hat Tip: 1Up via Impress Game Watch]
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