SLC MvC2 FTW

Apologies for the gross lack of activity here on Final Form; We've been experiencing a mid-summer influx of busyness. I've only been back a scant week from a conference at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Utah. The day of our arrival it was an arid 104°, and I was yet still more aghast at the dry character of the Salt Lake area. Not really the most vibrant place I've ever been.

While mingling with other industry schlubs, my associate and I found ourselves with significant downtime between panels. I ventured to the nearby outdoor mall to subsist the local economy, and I was quite pleased to find not only an EB Games, but also a Tilt arcade! It had a typical collection of shooters, racers, and, my specialty, fighters. My fingers were crossed in anticipation, hoping against hope that I might stumble upon a Dark Resurrection cab.

Tekken Tag and Tekken 4, yes. But alas, no Tekken 5 to be found, Darkly Resurrected or otherwise. On the plus side, I was pleased to find Marvel Vs. Capcom 1 and 2, and Soul Calibur II. I quickly ran through MvC2 alone to leave the old KIL initials emblazoned at the top of the High Score screen, and then I started patronizing SCII, with a careful eye on the MvC2 machine.

Aha! A fly soon became enwrapped in the hyperactive web I was staking out. I waited until the teenager played through a CPU bout or two before I strolled over unassumingly. "Can I get in?" I politely asked. I'm sure this fresh-faced competitor was somewhat confused by Business Attire Killa gaming alongside the sandals and t-shirt types, but, of course, my challenge was accepted.

I didn't want to bring anything less than my A game, so in lieu of Akuma in my second slot, I picked the honorable Nathan Summers (Projectile), along with Sentinel (Ground) in the lead off position, and Cammy (AAA) as the closer. I don't specifically recall the opposing team, save for Cyclops, but I managed to edge him out in both of our clashes, resulting in him walking away somewhat disheartened.

I practiced Ms. White's Air Throw loop for a few minutes against the AI, and then abandoned the machine to once again lie in wait while I mindlessly dispensed Xianghua's tricky combinations. Another youth eventually approached the crossover cabinet, and was playing with an uber-newbie team of Wolvie/Wolvie/Spidey. I let him play a few rounds before cutting in with teh pwnage. I took a bit of a gamble and swapped Akuma in for Cable, but against such an amateur I could have used Spiral/Akuma/Cammy and still have cakewalked it.

I guess this should be no surprise, as SLC is not known for its arcade scene, though it did make me feel the stick practice at home had been paying off. MvC2 does not require the double quarter circle motion with which I've been struggling lately, but still, it was nice to emerge victorious over human opponents without the safety net of the comfortable and familiar d-pad.

Also, I Have This Cake

Not only did I procure my PS3 earlier this month, but just yesterday I was able to recoup the difference post-price cut with the assistance of the helpful Best Buy customer support staff. With my $105 refund in hand, I picked up the drastically cheaper Enchanted Arms as my second PS3 disc. I've been looking for an RPG lately, as I draw near the close of Valkyrie Profile (Goddamn you, Jotunheim Ice Palace!), and while I was considering a replay of either FFVII or FFVIII, for a mere Jackson I can treat myself to this notoriously conventional offering. Keif has been prodding me to use the refund on two more Sixaxes so that some intense splitscreen Resistance might take place, but Catarina has been trying to persuade me otherwise, in hopes of waiting for the seemingly imminent rumble-ready Sixaxis upgrade.

Meanwhile, like everyone else, I've been mastering the Heavenly Sword demo (all two minutes of it) between oglings of the RE5 trailer.

Proactive Interference Blues

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. My transition from the directional pad to my new Hori Fighting Stick 3 has been abysmal. I've been using the stick for SCIII and Third Strike, and though Soul Cal isn't quite as jarring a shock, the rapid fire inputs neccesary in Capcom's 2D fighters have forced the realization that I need to retrain myself to an extent for which I was unprepared. I'm thinking a hyperbolic time chamber may be in order to solve this dilemma.

I've read a handful of threads on the subject, and expectedly they all give me the old "practice, practice, practice" advice. But goddamn, it has been rough. My Dragon Punch input (f,d,df/623) is getting to the point of reliability, though my RDP (b,d,db/421) has been pretty hit or miss. Oh, and the Super Art motion (qcf,qcf/236236) I hit about once in every ten attempts, which is unmistakably a match-losing percentage.

On top of that, my strings are too disconnected to combo. I don't think I've hit Akuma's crouching forward, short Tatsumaki, fierce Gou Shoryu once yet. Shit, I can barely throw Zanku Hadous on my first attempt. My parrying is virtually non-existent. If I recall correctly, in my latest set of 3s matches with Legoman, all of which were against his solid Ryu, the only match I eked out was with Dudley, with whom I am only peripherally proficient. (Luckily for me, Lego was completely unprepared for Dud's Cross Counter. ^^)

Take for instance one of my favorite Cervantes setups. The Dread Charge (qcb+B/214B) into the dash cancel (f+B+K/6BK) into his Phantasmal Fleet command throw (qcf,qcf+B+G/236236BG). I had hoped this would become easier with my new stick, but I am even further away now than I was before. My fingers are clumsy, and my stick control imprecise.

My Killa style... I mourns it!!

I do not doubt the sage advice of my fellow fighter fans, that there is a glorious glowing light shining at the end of this arduous tunnel, shining brightly with the promise of faster inputs and kara cancels. Right now, though, that light is a dot. It is a motherfucking dot.

E3 Predictions: Killa Edition

What do I think?

• The PSP redesign seems like a lock, and I have quite a keen interest as I have already devised a plan to hawk my current old-gen unit ahead of the release whenever it may be. I suppose I should get moving, though. Moments after the announcement hits the value is going to take a nose-dive.
• I also have to agree with Bis Sis on a new SSBBrawl character announced, and likewise I would not be surprised by a third partier. My third party pick would be Mega Man, if he wouldn't be so damn similar to Kirby. Taito's Bub and Bob would also be nice, as would Jak with Daxter, though they really don't fit the platform criteria. If they bust out an in-house shocker, I've got all my pink chips on Birdo.
• To continue to piggyback, I think any announcment from Ueda's camp would be an HD Remix of Shadow of the Colossus. I don't think we're going to get any real taste of an original project. Sorry.
• I think Capcom's SSF2THDR and SPF2THDR will be dated and priced. Date? November-ish. Price? A bit tougher to guess. We'd be lucky to see them for $8, although I think anything over $15 would be a mistake. (That's PSN dollars by the way, which is roughly equivalent to real money.)
• The new MGS4 trailer will elaborate further upon the unknowns that are omnipresent in the enigma that is Guns of the Patriots. My guess? Keep your eyes peeled for Vamp.

E3 Predictions: Catarina Edition

I've been on the edge of my seat all this week. So many uncertainties to be resolved this month---Are they redesigning the PSP or not? Will Harry Potter die at the end of Book the Seventh? Will I turn twenty-six on schedule?

My preparations are all ready. My husband is poised to get me that PSP to take the sting out of hitting those mid-to-late twenties, somehow so much more depressing than the early-to-mid twenties. I have requested PSP games to accompany my new handheld. I have even secured some sweet headphones for the purpose. Everything hinges on E3 and the announcements it brings.

People all over the Web are speculating on what surprises that E3 has up its figurative sleeve. Kotaku is even running a fantasy betting pool. Early dribs and drabs have been coming out all week in anticipation of the big event, but there must surely still be some surprises in store.

My own predictions:

• Sony will reveal the redesigned PSP. Although I'm hoping against hope that they don't---I don't want to wait 'til X-Mas for my toy!---I think this is as sure a thing as any.
  
• Nintendo will announce major news regarding Super Smash Brothers: Brawl. But what will it be? My money is on a new character unveil---but will it be a Nintendo stable staple? Or third-party madness? As Nintendo's keynote follows Microsoft's and Sony's, a Brawl bombshell could put them in position to overshadow the other two speeches. Can you say Sonic?
  
• Team ICO will announce their newest project. We all know they've got something under their hat. The unexpected pre-E3 price cut on the Playstation 3 gave the console a sales bump this week, and news of a successor to ICO and Shadow of the Colossus from Ueda and friends could really help sustain the upswing.
  
• Although this one falls squarely in the slim-to-none-chance category, I'm hoping that Namco Bandai will announce that Eternal Sonata (aka Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream) is coming to the PS3 in addition to the XBox 360.
  
• Finally, I believe Nintendo will unveil a new Mario Kart title for the Wii. Come on, Nintendo. The Mario Kart franchise is money in the freaking bank. I don't know what's taken them so long, honestly.

Fighting Stanzas: Accent Cure

Localization How sweet a thing it can be ^Core - fuck yes Sleek white box be damned Waggle controls? What the fuck? C'mon, stick with it Coming soon... stateside A.B.A. and throw escapes Order Sol's Force Breaks Fighters, Celebrate! Aksys to be commended Killa's problem solved

Bossa Nova Monday: Evil Ryu

He's a bad motherfucker.

Evil Ryu is a "What If" character from the Street Fighter universe. The end of the first World Warrior tournament (from SF1) was retconned to contain the following scenario: A victorious Sagat standing over the all but beaten Ryu, and as the Thai fighter offered his hand to help his fallen opponent up, the surge of the intent to kill,

or Satsui no Hadou, a force that Ryu had never been taught by Gouken, emerged within him. He struck his rival with the ultimate wake-up attack, the Metsu Shoryuken. This blow nearly killed Sagat, tearing his chest open, and in the process won the tournament for Ryu.

Aside from that one moment, canonically speaking, Evil Ryu has never been heard from again. He appears outside of Street Fighter's actual continuity in Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3, and only as a boss in World Tour mode. In this incarnation, whether as a boss or as a playable character, he is an incredibly powerful combatant. He is the strongest and fastest Ansatasuken warrior (aka shoto-clone) save only for Shin Akuma. He gains the notorious Instant Hell Murder and a few other tricks normally reserved only for those who have turned to the darkside of the style.

Japanese Name:	Satsui no Hadou ni Mezameta Ryu
Style:	Lethal Goutetsu-style Ansatsuken
Signature Moves:	Metsu Shoryuken, Shun Goku Satsu
Weaknesses:	None
Distinguishing Features:	A darker gi, the kanji 殺 (Murder)
Difficulty:	9/10
Similar Characters:	Violent Ken (SVC), Nightmare (Soul Calibur), Order Sol (Guilty Gear), Devil Jin (Tekken)

Gamers in the Wild

Last night, my husband and I went to the Kennedy Center to see Video Games Live, the game music concert. As I mentioned previously, Killa was unable to attend because of a work function. His history with the event is thus: He was all set to see VGL when they were touring in 2005, but they canceled their DC show (along with others) and so he didn't get to see it then. This time around, his place of business is in the middle of their busiest week of the year, so, again, he wasn't able to see it. He will have to live it vicariously through this blog post.

I feel obligated to briefly explain what Video Games Live is, because apparently this knowledge is not ubiquitous. Perhaps fifteen minutes before leaving for the show, my husband said to me: "So, is this going to be people on the stage playing video games, live? Or what?" VGL is a symphonic performance (in this case, performed by the National Symphony Orchestra and the Master Chorale of Washington) of music from various video games, accompanied by video clips from the featured games and some onstage live performance. During the pre-show they held a cosplay contest in which a young man dressed as Link beat out a couple dressed as Mario and Peach cart-racers to win a Nintendo Wii. I imagine he then went home and played Twilight Princess on it in the most Escheresque example of meta-gaming imaginable.

The show itself featured a medley of classic arcade music and the music from Super Mario Brothers, Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, World of Warcraft, Halo, Kingdom Hearts, Metal Gear Solid, Advent Rising, Final Fantasy, Medal of Honor, Civilization IV, God of War, Tron, and possibly others I can't remember offhand. Sid Meier himself came on stage to introduce the music from Civ IV and to announce (in what host Tommy Tallarico called a "Video Games Live exclusive") that the Civilization series would be coming to handhelds and consoles, which would have been exciting if I had not read it on Kotaku last week. Oh well.

The Metal Gear Solid segment featured a hilarious live-action skit with a man (ostensibly Snake) in the infamous cardboard box giving an armed guard the slip. My husband, having just finished God of War last week, was particularly impressed with that segment. And, even though I'm picking on Sid Meier, and though I haven't played any of his games, I thought the music from Civ IV was especially beautiful and moving.

The absolute highlight of the evening (for me) was Martin Leung, the Video Game Pianist, who made a guest appearance playing a solo piano rendition of his Final Fantasy medley. SquareEnix apparently won't let them show game footage from any of its games on the monitor during the show (boo? This was also a hindrance to the Kingdom Hearts segment, which featured footage from Disney movies only). Instead, the monitor showed Leung playing his piano for the duration, which was fine with me, as he's one of the most animated players I've ever seen. I was able to pick out "Zanarkand" from X, "Aerith's Theme" from VII, "Eyes on Me" from VIII, "One-Winged Angel" from VII, and, of course, the recurring victory fanfare and the crystal theme.

All in all, I suppose I would have liked to hear more music from Final Fantasy ("Liberi Fatali" or "Eyes on Me" are highly recognizable favorites); perhaps I should have just gone to see Dear Friends. The symphony played "One-Winged Angel" as their final encore, and the entire house went nuts. We had a wonderful time and would go again if the opportunity presents itself (hopefully, next time, with Killa and Poptart). I would encourage anyone to go see this show if you have the chance.