Well people, We’re one month way from the new Mortal Kombat game(April 19th, my Bday ppl), and I think its time to look back at the fighting games that came out on the next-gen consoles so far. The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of the genre will be covered in this post. So sit back, Grab a cold one, and enjoy this retrospective of the fighting game genre.
Let us start with a game thats been criminally overlooked due to its complex fighting system. Virtua Fighter 5. I personally been a fan of the series since part 2, and enjoyed that its one of those games that you can’t button mash(cause it will get you nowhere fast). I takes lots and lots of practice to really learn the ins and out of a character, but when you invest the time, The payoff is worth it. I play this game from time 2 time, just to keep what(if any) skills I have intact. I usually throwdown with Jeffrey, Wolf, Kage, and El Blaze. If you want to play a thinking man’s fighting game give it a try. (sidenote: the game is own PS3 and 360, but the 360 only has online play.)
A series that I enjoyed since the ps-one era (Soul Edge), I was happy to see Soul Calibur IV drop. Its a pretty fun, in which you dont have to be a pro at it to enjoy it, but it helps further down the line when if you want you compete on the tourney level. It’s a pretty enjoyable experience, and with the added “Critical Finish”, it added more off the wall moves to an already insane weapon based fighter. Main Characters to use is Mistsurugi, Yun Seong, Cervantes, Ivy, Voldo, and my favorite, Yoshimitsu. Its dirt cheap now, and its availible on both PS3 and 360.
This next game was a miracle, because it shows that 2d gaming still has a place in the console gaming arena. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger. This game was made by the same team the brought us The Guilty Gear Series ( please make another GG please?) Its almost the same set up as G.G, but with a different button layout, and a few tweaks to the system. But other than that, its pretty much the spiritual successor to G.G. It’s also the first of its kind, a 2d game in 1080p Hi-Def. A moving work of art if you will. and Like G.G, you have to put in a bit of time to get the hang of things, but its really enjoyable game at its core. Recently, the sequel, Continuum Shift was released in the states. Let’s hope for a third game in the future.
One of the few exclusive fighting games on this list belongs to the Xbox 360’s Dead or Alive 4. This is one of those frantic fighting game series that a really enjoyed playing on the 360, cause it was made for the 360. It brought out the full power of the 360 in every way possible, and never slowed down doing it. Sure, some may saw its a button masher, but it has a somewhat huge tourney following, so it must be doing something right. The levels are insane, and given the right position, you can send your opponent several feet down to another part of the seemingly never ending level. This game was has unapologetic fan service up the wazoo (google fan service it you don’t understand). But that was the aesthetic Tomonobu Itagaki was going for to separate his game from the crowd. Well it worked for him in the past DOA games, it worked here. Unfortunately, due to issues with his bosses not giving him and his team the compensation they deserved, He and a few other members of Team Ninja left Tecmo, quite possibly making this game the last in the series thats worth a damn. Almost six years old, Its as enjoyable as it was on launch day for the 360.
Next game worth mentioning: Tekken 6. I have been a fan of the series since ps-one, and even though nothing will ever top Tekken 3, Tekken 6 came close to doing that. Having the largest roster to date, it has the biggest diversity of styles of martial arts in any fighter. From Akido, to Wrestling, Capoeria to Vale Tudo, evrything is covered in this game. The game brought 6 new characters to the table, brought back Tekken Force mode, and Online Play. Plus, the level of customizing your characters is ridiculous. I still play this game to this day with my friends, and I’m looking foward to Tekken Tag Tournament 2 ( yes, its coming out).
Well what is there to say about the next game but, THANK YOU CAPCOM! Super Street Fighter IV was in a way, a love letter to the fans that supported the franchise since its inception. 10 yrs since 3rd Strike, SF IV came out and pretty much brought the fighting game genre to the limelight. By releasing Super Street Fighter IV, Capcom showed the World that its being as dedicated to fighting games as they were in the past. SSF IV is the definitive experience of next gen fighting games. No description would bring this game justice. JUST BUY THE FLIPPING GAME PPL. It’s that good. Before I go into the latest game, Im going to touch on 2 Wii fighting games before I’m accused of being a Wii-Hater.
The games worth a damn are Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Tatsunoko vs Capcom. Well, I’m kinda apprehensive at the fact that this is considered “The Fighting Game” by some in my circle, I look at this at first as a Power Stone 2 rip off, but I gave this game a chance and enjoyed it. Fast moving, off the wall moves, and anybody can win a match, keeping gamers glued to the screen till the very end. I still have a bit of hesitation calling this a fighting game, but its still worth a try. As for Tatsunoko vs Capcom, Its a game for fans of both Anime and Fighting Games alike. If you don’t know any of the roster from the Tatsunoko side, If I say “Speed Racer”, “Gigantor”, “Casshern”, “Teknoman”, “G-Force”,”Samurai Pizza Cats”,and “Karas”, then you know Tatsunoko. Its a huge Anime and Manga production company in Japan with a storied history. A majority of titles made it to our side of the Pacific, but a majority of the characters in the game (unless you’re a die-hard otaku), you wouldn’t know. But besides that, this game is one of the few games that may prompt me to buy a Wii in the future. Its a really good Wii fighter worth playing and owning.
The Wii isn’t really known to have fighter like that, but this game gave some needed attention to the Wii console. All I gotta say after this is this: CAPCOM, PLEASE GET THE RIGHTS TO MAKE ANOTHER RIVAL SCHOOLS GAME MAN(Batsu is a beast in the game people)!!
And finally the game y’all been waiting for: DragonBall Z Raging Blast! Nah, just B.S in y’all, Its Marvel vs Capcom 3. If you listen to the podcast, you already know how I feel about this game, but for those not hipped to the Corrupted Data Podcast, Let me break it down for y’all. Its a good game, but compared to the predecessor, and I know I’m gonna get crap for saying this, I think MVC2 is superior to MVC3 on the grounds of the fighting system, and its kinetic gameplay. I’m not saying that MVC3 is a bad game, far from it, after playing MVC2 for such a long time, I expected something similar to part 2, instead its more like Tatsunoko vs Capcom than anything else which is also a good thing. This game will attract more people to fighting games, but on the flip side, its kinda a slap to the face to the hardcore how easy this game is to play. I still bought it (gotta support it in order for more fighters to be made), and Ain’t gonna lie, I do enjoy the game, the characters but charging people 5 dollars for a character thats already on the disc is Bulls*&t, and don’t get me started in the costumes! Ah, who am I fooling, I’ll probably buy every dlc Capcom throws my way, just like SF IV, and SSF IV. End of story. If you haven’t check it out (and why not?), rent it and see if its worth you $60-$70 dollars.
Well, thats my rundown of all the Fighting Games worth a damn. If I left any out, leave a comment at the bottom. If you like this Ceditorial, let me know as well. Looking foward to ripping hearts out in MK9 this April 19th, but until then check these games out to past the time. Will be back soon for the next Ceditorial, but until then, “Let the Conversations Begin”.
Corrupted Data 