It’s a glorious day for everyone here at TechDeville, we are finally bringing change in our blogosphere in association with HomeShopping. After an entire year of blogging, reviewing, criticizing, and the rest, we have come to a point every new startup wishes to achieve. Seeing how the Pakistani Blogosphere is as narrow as ever, I personally wanted to team up with another big name in our IT Industry and bring change in the way we are perceived and connected with the rest of the world/blogging community. There are just a few hand-picked “bloggers” in Pakistan who conquer the ranks and deny access to anyone else willing to do something better than them or move our industry forward rather than just staying quietly at the same old pace of grabbing gadgets and writing a few words about them.
In my personal quest to do something different, I needed ample supply of products at will. In order to make that happen, TechDeville needed the support of a major vendor or distributor of gadgets and other tech-related items. Since HomeShopping is owned by a guy my age, I thought it would be better to talk to him about it, the rest of the companies are owned by over-aged men who know less about the products they’re selling than the janitors who work at their stores. So I emailed him, Shayaan Tahir, the proposal for teaming up and bringing change to the way our people (Pakistanis) see the IT industry.
A week later, we were sitting in the offices of HomeShopping and being amazed by the infinite supply of awesome opportunities we have in this direction. We are now the official media partners of HomeShopping, first order of business is to shoot the pilot of our web series (still untitled) and see how that goes. I know the importance of text in the world of blogging and I will continue to write normal reviews along with this, but with priority to the web series. Our first episode is to be shot this Saturday and is going to be all about the new XPERIA phones (excited).
We are also going to be taking requests and emails from our visitors, the whole idea behind this new series is to engage the youth with TechDeville. I’ve always wanted my blog to be different from the rest, and doing what everyone else was doing really wasn’t cutting it anymore. Here’s to a better experience and change. Kudos to HomeShopping.
It is finally happening, Facebook is going Timeline! Facebook is finally rolling the Timeline update to all of their users. Just this evening, I was browsing my profile when this nice little update appeared on top.
As we reported earlier, Facebook will be making Timeline mandatory to everyone. Even if you’re not a fan of people stalking you and having a “Cover” image, you’re going to have to learn to live with the change as it’s going to be forced on every user. This is by far the biggest change Facebook has ever had.
This could be pretty bad for the people who have always been against this new change, but like every other Facebook update in the past people will learn to like it eventually.
Get ready for Timeline, or don’t. It’s coming either way.
Technology has again proven to be extremely positive in today’s world. It’s not everyday someone makes a difference of THIS scale and potential. #KONY2012 was the trending topic today, not just on Twitter, on Youtube and Facebook as well. So what is KONY2012? It’s a movement against the ruthless warlord Joesph Kony. Terrorizing for many years in Uganda, this ruthless man is the leader of a group called Lord’s Resistance Army which is mostly comprised of children who are trained to rape and kill. They abduct children and make them into killing machines. I myself had no idea of this evil existence, until I saw KONY2012 everywhere today. It’s on every website, in everybody’s newsfeeds and the video is on the front page of Youtube and has surpassed 9 million views in a day.
Please watch the video below, this is one of the most interesting yet sad things I’ve ever seen:
It’s a shock to many when they watch this video for the very first time, that such people reside among us and are shadowed so properly from authorities. Take part in this movement, share the video as much as you can, use #KONY2012 hashtags on Twitter, spread their official page on Facebook. A lot of big Youtubers (Philip Defranco for one) have started spreading the word even further with their huge following.
E3 2012 is only 11 days away now. For those of you who do not know, E3 means Electronic Entertainment Expo. It is an annual fair that has been continuing since 1995, and video game companies use this to show-off their new games and hardware. E3 is the biggest gaming convention and developers spend a lot more at E3 than at any other event.
This years list of games that will be shown at E3 has been released. Here are the 5 games that have caused a lot of excitement.
5. Tomb Raider (Reboot)
We’ve all played Tomb Raider in the past, and most of us loved it. Now, Lara Croft can be seen in complete HD with a re-designed look. However, this might not be the game everyone was thinking it to be…
Apparently, this game features a relatively inexperienced Lara Croft who is stranded on an island and has to survive. So far, no Tombs have been seen in the game’s videos. This is more of a survival game than an adventure game. Lara no longer knows any gymnastics of manoeuvres. She’s just another regular person trying to fight for her subsistence. This game also has an M rating due to the excessive about of blood and gore. Lara has to heal her wounds by herself and can die in a number of brutal ways.
This will be a real treat for some Tomb Raider fans as they get to see another side of Lara and learn about her before she became an explorer. For others, this might not be a source of excitement as they might be looking forward to a proper adventure game. I personally believe that change is always for the better, and here’s to hoping that the changes made to the Tomb Raider franchise are good enough.
Hopefully, another trailer may be released at E3, maybe showing some more gameplay. Tomb Raider has been delayed to 2013, and there’s a chance that a proper release date might be given at E3. Lets hope it’s worth the wait.
4. Resident Evil 6
This is another franchise with a large fan base. And in the past few years, Capcom hasn’t exactly satisfied it’s fans with proper console RE games. Although some fans were happy with RE5, but the majority believed that it could’ve been greatly improved. It lacked the horror element. Capcom has promised to bring back the ‘pee-your-pants’ horror back with RE6. Lets hope they deliver this promise.
This new Resident Evil game will feature Chris Redfield, Leon Kennedy and Jake Muller (The son of Albert Wesker) as playable protagonists. Each of them has a partner with them, but it is not yet revealed whether players will be allowed to control them as well. The entire world has fallen victim to a bio-terrorist attack and new creatures called the J’avo have been formed. They are able to plan their attacks, use weapons and heal themselves.
The game looks great and some footage shows dark areas which can truly make you feel scared, given the right type of music and atmosphere of course. Capcom may show a playable demo, which has been scheduled to release on PSN and XBL in September.
Lets hope Capcom can pull this off to cover their recent failure due to “Operation Raccoon City”.
3. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
I’m not a fan of spin-offs, but due to my love for the Metal Gear series, I’m looking forward to this new installment, even though it won’t be the same.
This game will have Raiden as the protagonist. And as most of you know, it’s not the ‘Tactical Espionage Action’ game anymore. It is now a hack-n-slash, focusing on Raiden has he cuts his way through everything. Literally, everything. The game looks good, but I personally feel that the voice-acting is not properly done. It felt a little awkward when I listened to the voices in the trailer.
I’m looking forward to that demo that Kojima teased a while back. It’s title screen has also been shown to the people. Like many other MGS fans, I can’t wait to see Raiden in action. And hopefully, E3 will quench my thirst.
However, the lack of snake-ness (if you know what I mean) is somehow disappointing. I’m also secretly hoping for Snake to make a cameo appearance at least.
Here is the title screen for the game’s demo:
2. Assassins Creed 3
What was originally planned as a Prince of Persia game, is now one of Ubisoft’s strongest franchises. Over the last few years, people have come to love the Assassins Creed games and can’t wait to know what other adventures await the Assassins. I was surprised to find out that Brotherhood and Revelations weren’t exactly the AC 3 and 4 respectively. Then again, I think it’s a good idea to have another game with the number 3 in it, along with a completely new character.
The game has been in development ever since the release of AC2. Notable characters that might appear in the game are George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and General Charles Lee. This will be something interesting to see.
Gameplay for this game has already been revealed along with an October 30th release date. Ubisoft should show something new for this game at E3, like a completely new trailer with new gameplay elements that have not been revealed. No dubstep music please.
1. The Last of Us
The PS3 exclusive being developed by Naughty Dog has caught a lot of attention. After all, who would not expect great things about Naughty Dog after their amazing Uncharted series?
Not much has been revealed about the Last of Us. Sure there are two trailers, but they leave a lot to be desired. Basically, the game is about survival in a post-apocalyptic America against hostile elements such as the Infected, (humans infected by the virus) and the Survivors (humans that are not infected, but are still hostile). The main characters are Joel and Ellie. The latter is being escorted by the former out of the city, though it is unclear where.
The Last of Us looks great. The visuals, the dramatic scenes revealed in the trailers and the girl who looks a lot like Ellen Page are too good to ignore. However, proper gameplay has not been revealed by Naughty Dog, so that’s what everyone should be expecting to be shown at E3. Also, a little clarification regarding the story wouldn’t hurt either.
The latest trailer of The Last of Us can be found here:
Which games are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments below.
Yager and 2K Games have managed to add a rebellious and subversive title to the vast library of military and tactical shooters. Framed in the built of sand dunes, dusty surroundings further filled with sparkle of hundreds of rifles glinting in sun – Spec Ops: The Line is a stunning and gripping third-person military shooter that challenges players’ ethics and integrity by putting them in the middle of intricate situations where impossible choices affecting human life must be made.
While it’s shooting mechanics may be basic, but Spec Ops: The Line fancifully covers the moral dilemmas of war. The Line’s original claim to fame was that it was being postured in Dubai; that enormous city of glass outlined by the desert that never really looks like it should belong. The city has been invaded with huge massacre sand storms that are devastating everything in their path. The team of three, controlled by you have been sent in to try and find out what happened to the 33rd company that was sent there to organize an evacuation. Players fly into Dubai’s unforgiving sands as Captain Martin Walker, interpreted by fan-favorite voice actor Nolan North who’s in almost every game nowadays. Walker is joined by fellow Delta team members John Lugo and Alphonso Adams; the trio gets little time to talk after reaching their destination before the squad is attacked and character evolution is engross to the demands of action.
A couple hours into the game, the dilemma of emotions starts which really separates the game from typical war time shooters. Facing a series of escalating nightmares, you come across dead men hanging from ropes. You see innocent women and children being murdered; others being mutilated, oppressed and persecuted. Everyone is helpless, even you are not able to gratify anyone. And then comes the hardest part as you’re going to have to join in on the travel along this morally difficult turf. As your team fights back, you will have to take the unforgiving decision of shooting your own former brothers in arms. It starts to wear down on your psyche, ego and the teamwork between your fellow men. You start to flinch and recoil from danger at the violence. You start to go a little mad.
The game is at its best during intense fire-fight sessions around and after halfway through campaign. Designed with a lot of character-less violence as enemies who blend into one another becomes the one in the scenes that truly work are the ones that drive your character and maybe even yourself deeper into understanding the brutal cost of war and allow for multiple campaign playthroughs as you make different decisions with no easy answers.
However character less violence is one the greatest weakness of Spec Ops. There are a few times when the game starts to get a bit repetitive. You enter a room, quickly take cover, and kill the enemies, it really gets boring after a while. By the time the game had begun its emotional and psychological genre, it was ready to stop with these kind of inclusive shooter episodes.
The multiplayer portion of “Spec Ops: The Line” is pretty barefaced although the sand elements that play a role in the campaign are often a part of it as well as sandstorms can blow in and you can sometimes blow out windows, dumping the stuff on the enemies. Other than the setting, it’s a typical and average multiplayer and perhaps even a bit sub-par in its map design.
The Line agitates you with dark questions, asks about your role in the forced collision that sustains games like it. It’s still a monotonous array of shootouts, ammo roundups and flashy set pieces; albeit one that delivers a message. The character design is strong, the enemy animation is rational, but it’s the environments that are the most dexterous. The way light and shadow plays through this ambushed city – it’s going to be one of the most memorable game settings of the decade.
The game can’t really be compared to Call of Duty and other brain dead FPS games. From a start, played from a third-person viewpoint, and cover is a major issue. On normal difficulty you can be killed by just a few shots, although you can always wait for your health to regenerate, the game is made a bit more interesting with the inclusion of stronger and armored enemies. As with Ghost Recon: Future Soldier or Gears of War, its two closest points of comparison, you need to be fully aware of your surroundings, of where you can find cover and where you’ll be exposed to incoming fire. What’s more, ammo is in painfully very short supply, so there’s not a lot of room for just crouch down until all your enemies are killed off, either.
Spec Ops: The Line has some intense game play issues. Players might take it as a boring title due to repetitive combat, story filled with plot-holes, awkward check-pointing and the most important of all issues, the dilemma of emotions which is dragged in a war time shooter game. However it has a good story and character moments are though-provoking and unique. The graphics’, colors and sound is up to the standards which makes it a fine game but incomparable with Call of Duty and the like.
Techdeviile awards Specs Ops: The Line with 3/5 stars.
All these ‘Collectors Editions’, ‘Limited Editions’ and ‘Special Editions’ are created by developers to make the fans love the game a lot more, and to gain more knowledge about the game. At the same time, they are also a way to fish more money out of our wallets. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that some ‘special’ editions are quite worth the extra money. However, one must be careful not to purchase these very often, unless you want to have your wallet drained, or have a large amount of spare cash just lying there.
Here are 5 amazing game editions to look forward to:
5. Bioshock Ultimate Rapture Edition
Although not announced by the developers themselves, the British Board of Film Classification has confirmed the existence of an Ultimate Rapture Edition. This will include the first and second Bioshock games along with all their DLCs. No pictures or further details have been revealed as yet. This edition is a wonderful opportunity for all those who have not yet tried the Bioshock games. It will surely get you ready for Bioshock: Infinite.
Cost: Unknown
4.Halo 4 Limited Edition
Looks like Halo fans will be celebrating Christmas a little early. Not only does this Limited Edition come in a very sleek-looking case, but it also contains a lot of bonus content to keep you occupied for a while. Early Specializations and bonus in-game goodies are a few perks that you will receive if you buy this. Also, the Special Edition of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn that is included in this edition of the game, will allow you to go deeper into the game’s history.
Cost: $99.99
3. Assassins Creed III Freedom Edition
The Assassin’s Creed 3 ‘Freedom Edition’ may not grant you freedom from everything, but it sure gives you a lot of other things to be ecstatic about. A 24″ figure of Connor, very detailed by the way, unlike most other figures bundled with games. George Washington’s notebook is also included in this edition which will help you discover the secrets of the Assassins and the Templars during the American revolution, hence granting the players access to information that will not be given in the game. And obviously, the edition will provide you with several single-player and multi-player goodies.
Cost: $125.85
2. God of War Omega Edition
Once again, this edition has not been announced by the developers, but has been listed by Playfront. Apparently, it will contain five God of War games; The main three games, Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta. These games will be shipped in a box along with a steelbook containing the art of the games and a bronze statue of Kratos, which will be individually available later.
Cost: Unknown
1. Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collectors Set
Capcom is being real generous this year. This is, by far, the most attractive ‘special edition’ of the year. This set comes with four games: Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition and Street Fighter x Tekken. And the set doesn’t end there. You also get a 8″ Ryu statue, an 11-disc soundtrack that contains all the tracks from all the Street Fighter games, a hardcover book that contains pieces by fans, a documentary, all the Street Fighter anime episodes, the Street Fighter II Animated Movie and movies for Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV. A lot to digest, isn’t it? As for the cherry on top, you get a replica of Ryu’s belt. Now you can be the warrior that you always aspired to be.
Cost: $149.99
Bonus: Resident Evil 6 Premium Edition
This may be either ridiculous or amazing, depending on how much you love Resident Evil. This edition will include the game, four tablet skins and Leon’s jacket. Seems pretty cheap, right? Well, it’s not. This thing, which is only releasing in Japan, costs roughly $1300. Unless you’re a RE veteran with a lot of cash to spare, I recommend you stay away from this one.
These editions are a source of ecstasy for most gamers. Yes, they might be slightly expensive, but for the hardcore gamer, they’re definitely worth it. So, which one are you buying?
The Kingdom Hearts series is a series very close to my heart, I loved watching Disney cartoons as a kid while my favorite games have always been of the JRPG genre namely the Final Fantasy series. So when I heard about the game about a decade ago, I just couldn’t pass it up, I begged my Mom for a whole week before she finally bought me the game and as soon as I put the game in I was hooked. Kingdom Hearts is the ultimate nostalgia trip for gamers like me which make it one of my favorite series of all time.
Now onto the game I’ll be reviewing today, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance – boy that’s a mouthful. Kingdom Hearts 3D is the seventh game in the series and by the looks of what I’ve played is going to be the last game before Kingdom Hearts 3 although Nomura-san and his team are really unpredictable at this point.
Kingdom Hearts 3D takes place after the events of Coded or after RE: Coded if you’ve played the remake. Sora and Riku make a visit to Yen Sid who informs them about the return of Master Xehanort, and they only stand a chance of defeating him if they become Keyblade masters. Our heroes are then sent to take the Mark of Mastery exam where they have to visit seven sleeping worlds and awake them using their Keyblades like previous games. The game has two protagonists (Sora and Riku) like Birth by Sleep had three (Aqua, Ventus and Terra) with each of their campaigns being parallel to each other. Storywise the game satisfied me a lot, it even had a few cameos from the The World Ends With You so fans of that game are in for a treat.
Lets get one thing out of the way first, Kingdom Hearts 3D looks and sounds great. The graphics are undoubtedly the best I’ve seen on the 3DS, the environments and character models are highly detailed although sometimes the frame rate did tend to drop a bit in high traffic areas. For KH 3D, series music producer Yoko Shimomura are joined by Takeharu Ishimoto (The World Ends With You) and Tsuyoshi Sekito (Brave Fencer Musashi) to compose the score. I know I’m not the only one who thinks the Kingdom Hearts series has one of the best OSTs of all time and Kingdom Hearts 3D proves my point.
The gameplay at its core is just like any other Kingdom Hearts game. You have to hack and slash your way to victory in quick seamless battles and if you succeed you’ll be awarded with experience, money, health and even items. Just like any other RPG you have to level up to gain new abilities and upgrade your stats. The fights are a bit faster though thanks to the brand new Flowmotion system. The Flowmotion system basically allows you to jump off walls and rails and parkour your way to a stylish flurry of combos. Some enemies can be really weak to Flowmotion attacks and the attack can help quickly dispatch enemies, but that’s all its really good for. Although I liked using Flowmotion you can complete avoid it if you want, its completely optional.
Another addition to the battle system is the inclusion of Reality Shifts. Reality Shifts are special attacks which can be triggered when you’ve applied enough damage to your enemy. These attacks change depending on the world you’re in and are pivotal to boss fights who can only be defeated by using a Reality Shift.
Another addition to Kingdom Hearts 3D is the inclusion of Dream Eaters which will serve as both the primary enemies and party members. There are two different kind of Dream Eaters, the good kind called Spirits who will join you in battle as party members while the evil ones are called Nightmares and will serve as the main enemies like Shadows, Nobodys and Unversed did in the previous games. So no, Goofy or Donald won’t be present to help you out when the going gets tough, these Pokemon-ish creatures are all you’ve got.
Unlike Pokemon though these Dream Eaters are created with parts dropped from defeated enemies. You can have up to two Dream Eaters in your party and one in stand by if anything goes wrong. Square Enix has introduced a Nintendogs-esque system for the Dream Eaters where you have to give regular attention to your neon colored friends to make them perform better in battle. Just like in real life these pets too are effected by morale and require you to play with them (via the touch screen of course). You can level up your Dream Eaters in a variety of ways namely by giving them treats, playing minigames and the standard XP gaining.
The most annoying part of the game are the boss battles, they are just so frickin’ hard. After a few hours into the game each boss starts taking quite some time to defeat, they aren’t even that difficult but their life bars seem to go on for days. Towards the end you’ll start facing bosses with 7-9 health bars which require some grinding to get through.
The other although less annoying part of the game is the Drop system. Unlike Birth By Sleep which allowed you to play all three campaigns one at a time, Dream Drop Distance’s campaigns run in parallel motion. The Drop system basically switches you back and forth between Sora and Riku as the Drop gauge or meter runs out. This can be really rage inducing during lengthy boss battles as if you drop between a boss battle you’ll have to start it all over again when you drop back.
This also makes completing challenges harder which if completed award you Dream Points which are used to gain buffs and earn the Drop Decelerators which as the name suggests slows down the Drop Meter.
You may have been wondering before reading the review if 3D is just a cash-in side story or a game really worth your time. Luckily it falls in to the latter category. 3D is one of the best games I’ve played generation and is a must buy for all 3DS owners. So go out and get it!
TechDeville awards Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance 4.5/5 stars.
Undeterred by its deposition to the Call of Duty crowd, Ghost Recon Future Soldier is a terrific and peerless update of Tom Clancy’s tactical shooter. Ubisoft is perhaps best placed to open up second among the war on modern military shooters out there. Their third person, cover-based approach might be hardly removed from the heavy hitters in the world of elite video game soldiering but it’s no less bombastic, explosive or enchanted.
The game starts off with a Ghost team being taken out by a hidden bomb wiping the whole team out. Then it’s up to another Ghost team which you’ll be controlling, to find the source of bomb and take out everything which gets in your way. The Ghosts will end up further down the rabbit hole as they expose different secrets and go to many flung and dangerous locations around the world. However this isn’t the most intriguing part of stories, but it does try to rig it in a more serious manner, compared to other blockbuster shooters.
One of the most onerous games in some respects, Ghost Recon doesn’t allow you to stand out in the open and expect to survive for more than a few seconds, well on the harder difficulties anyway. It forces you to think strategically, to plan ahead and use cover at all times technically. Most of the times, the best route is to not fire at all, but to move silently and secretive to your objective without the enemy realizing you’re even there. Almost every mission requires a sneaky mindset, the game is Ghost Recon after all. Use your recon drone to scout the surroundings instead of popping your head out and risk being detected. Better to wait and hold fire and watch patrols from the drone than charge in and be torn to shreds, this is what a tactical shooter is.
While traveling between Russia, Nigeria, Pakistan and other portentous but audacious places, in Ghost Recon players are treated to some wonderful variety and choice, as well as the challenges each location gives, makes Ghost Recon more exciting. Russia will see poor perceptibility thanks to some impressive snow storms which look great by the way, whilst Nigeria has you trying to stealthily and secretly move through crowded villages while trying no to hit the civilians. Each area gives the Ghosts a chance to try out new toys dependent on where they are and what they are needed for, which vast the experience of the player as they have to play strategically
The new tech has a great impact on how the game is played and despite some early fears that some of it may cause the game to be too easy, or give the player a completely unfair advantage; there are no real issues with that at all. The tagging system is improved a lot as it works well too. You can spot and tag enemies by using items like sensor grenades, UAV or even your vision, then issue a command to the squad to take them out simultaneously.
The AI is fairly intelligent at normal difficulty, giving a decorous challenge, but the harder difficulty sees you really needing to plan specifically each attack and each move. It keeps things really intense and severe as you progress through each environment. You need to be quick and stealthy with UAV’s use as AI will spot it if it is in their line of sight. Again this adds a balance to the new tech rather than being overly advantageous to the player.
Whilst Future Soldier is enjoyable in single player, it gives best experience in co-op and four player co-op at that. Playing online with three other friends, with headsets on talking your way through each encounter takes the game to a whole other level, if you can play it this way, then you are in for a treat.
Guerrilla mode is also there aside from main campaign mode, like other games it sees you attacks various maps and take on various waves of enemies, in different ways, ranging from stealth, to all direct fire fights. It is designed primarily with co-op in mind, as multipliers and bonuses can be got by working as a team and killing multiple enemies in quick succession for rather than fighting alone for own prestige. Trying to do this in single player is a lot more difficult and a lot less rewarding.
Multiplayer offers up various modes, each with their own immense enjoyment, experience with sets of objectives. Conflict, Decoy, Saboteur and Siege, all these maps offer up enough variety across which, the online aspect becoming stale, old and decayed. Saboteur seems to be the most enjoyable, with a kind of reverse capture the flag, whereby teams have to secure, transport and plant the bomb before the enemy team. However the online servers are pretty inconsistent, some are laggy as hell while others will be smooth as butter. Depends on your timing and luck mostly.
There is plenty to be taken from Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, the game is a bit different to previous entries in the series as it is a very much improved version of the Tactical Shooter, however those changes are positive rather than being negative. Ghost Recon hardcore fans may not get on with the new direction, but in general it is a fine game well worth your attention and is certainly recommended.
Gruesome monsters, highly detailed character sprites the latest fighter from developer Arc System Works and Atlus, Persona 4 arena brings life characters from highly applauded Persona 3 and 4 games, while using high definition 2D animated style fighters. Assisted by an original, hardcore fighting engine from one of the most respected 2D fighting game developers in the industry, Persona 4 Arena represents the biggest, most manifest expansion of the venerated series to date. It is the kind of fast-paced frantic combat title that every JRPG fan would definitely love to play.
The game allows you to use two combatants in battle which might lead you to believe that its a tag team fighter, well its not. Persona 4 Arena combines both single and tag team styles, entreating you to control two fighters in conformity. This includes your main character and his/her persona which are the title creatures of the game aiding you in battle. Although having few setbacks, its mechanics are easy to grasp as it is too friendly to fighting game newbie’s like for example each character has an auto-combo. That means just pressing the attack button will result in a impressive full on assault or a special attack if one has enough juice in their SP meter. Followed by this, the game has a highly detailed tutorial mode perfect for beginners to start smashing buttons and enjoy the 2D fighter.
The game although being simple to new comers has plenty of advanced tactics waiting to be castigated by seasoned fighting pros, hence the game should not be accused of lacking elaboration. There is a very sleek and smooth addition drawn straight from the game’s universe apart from regular attacks and special assault moves. Allowing every player to use their Persona, awful nightmare creatures that can called upon for devastating attacks. The game also implements many of the status conditions from the RPG series, with poisoned characters taking inconsiderable damage over time. There are also plenty of different features to master like: short hops, air dashing, and even hasty kills, which lets you bash your opponent within a cartoonist ball of dust and sound effects, before launching them into the air for further combo rendering them potentially dormant.
The strongest element of the game is its long story mode, offering a uniquely prosaic plotline for every character. You usually don’t play fighting games for the story but neither do you often get a fighting game based on a long running JRPG franchise based so heavily on its story. Although the story is full of cliche dialogue and blabbering about friendship and what not, fans of the Persona series will feel right at home. Voice acting is top notch, which is surprising to see from a Japanese game (I’m looking at your Resident Evil). The story mode however feels a lot like a visual novel, filling the screen with paragraphs at a time, although you can always skip it with a press of a button. For those who aren’t willing to endure the plot and pre-battle cutscenes which are often longer than the battle itself there’s always the Arcade Mode.. The Arcade Mode offers a thankfully abbreviated version of game’s events and lets you smash through the competition while still getting to experience some of Persona 4 Arena’s fantastic voice acting.
Overall, Persona 4 Arena is excellently presented with all inclusive story mode enclosed by the original creators of Persona 4. Consisting of plenty of modes and solid online experience, its one of the most entertaining fighting games this gen. Choosing between both English and Japanese voice acting allows you to play the game as you want. Graphics are perfect as razor sharp hand drawn sprites and animations meet an amazing array of effects in this 2D animated fighter. It blends many mechanics from the JRPG series into a highly paced fighter that anyone can enjoy. In short, whether you’re a diehard fan of 2D fighters or just a fighting game beginner who likes Persona, you really owe it to yourself to pick up this fantastic game.
Street Fighter is undoubtedly one of the best 2D fighting games, and one of the oldest too. It’s been around for a long time, ever since the Arcade cabinets back in the 80s. In the first Street Fighter game, the player could only have Ryu as a playable character (Unless Ryu loses to Ken, in which case you play as the latter for the remainder of the game), but after the premise of Street Fighter II, there have been numerous playable characters that have gained quite a reputation.
Furthermore, the Street Fighter Animated Series have further provided information about the origins of these characters which increase their level of appeal. Being an avid Street Fighter fan, and haven seen the Animated Series, I have gained enough knowledge to determine which characters are the best. Therefore, here is a list of the top 10 Street Fighter characters.
10. M. Bison
Okay, he’s not the best villain out there, but he’s a good character nonetheless. He lacks the evil radiance that every good villain should have. Despite this, his Psycho Power is quite… powerful. And it is for this reason that he is the leader of Shadaloo and has the capability to conquer the world.
9. Zangief
I shudder at his very name. A large, muscular, naked (save for the underwear and the boots), hairy-chested guy. Or, in other words, a stereotypical Russian. We all love Zangief, but we fear him too. His attacks are incredibly powerful and difficult to block and dodge too. He may not have any projectiles, but compared to his brute strength, projectiles are for wimps.
8. Cammy
Cammy is one of the most popular choices amongst fans. But for what reason? Her moves or her skimpy outfit? Everyone has their own reasons. And whatever they may be, most players can use Cammy proficiently and conquer their enemies if they play carefully. She is without mercy.
7. Guile
Cammy and Guile are similar in a number of ways. The best example of their similarity is that they are both very serious about fighting and have a proper, official cause for it, instead of personal reasons. You can see this striking similarity by watching their intros in Street Fighter IV. That being said, Guile is a very powerful character; both in the animated series and the video games. He may not be very popular but it’s not like he cares either. And does anyone else feel that the shape of his hair is unique?
6. Vega
Many would disagree if I said Vega was a fair fighter. His mask and claws upset the balance of the game as they give him an edge. I personally feel that Vega is overpowered, but ultimately, it’s not easy to master him. Since he’s quite different with his moves, many players fall to their knees before him. In the Animated Series, he almost overpowered Ken before the match ended in a draw when both the fighters became unconscious. His lust for blood is interesting and his mask adds to his enigmatic, yet cool personality.
5. Blanka
This green little fighter is crazy. Literally. Blanka has several advantages. One of his moves prevents you from going near him, but when you decide to use your projectiles, he can swiftly dodge them and counter attack. The only way to beat him is to match his speed… or play against a complete newbie.
4. Chun Li
The first female fighter, making her premise in Street Fighter 2, where she was the only female fighter. When I first played the game, I thought it was not fair for the guys to beat up a single Chinese girl with a cute face. But as it turned out, she was a tough cookie. She may seem all cute and cheery on the outside, but she’s a ruthless fighter when the time comes. Chun Li is a widely recognized character and continues to be considered one of the best and prominent Street Fighter characters.
3. Ryu
Who didn’t see him coming? Ryu has been the face of Street Fighter since the first game. Without him, there would be no Street Fighter and I wouldn’t be writing this opinion piece. He’s a lone warrior, with only one objective: To improve upon his skills and become stronger.
2. Ken
Both Ken and Ryu were trained under the same master, Gouken, and so their moves are identical. But Ken takes the cake here due to his better style. His spinning kick is better and faster, and his Shoryuken is fiery. Not to mention he’s rich and good with the ladies.
1. Akuma
To sum up Akuma, take Ken or Ryu, make them twice as strong and add a touch of evil along with some attitude. Akuma is the upgraded and enhanced version of Ken and Ryu. He is twice as strong and very evil. I personally believe him to be more evil than M. Bison. Ha, Akuma was even selected to be the final boss in Street Fighter x Tekken if the player selects characters from Tekken’s side. The only problem with Akuma is that he can appear to be slow at times. Ultimately, his amazing strength makes up for his weakness and his attacks can easily be chained together to destroy the enemy.
Well, that’s it for my opinion. Who are your favorite Street Fighter characters?
