Devil Blinga

I can't knock X-Play's 3/5 score for DMC4. Seeing as I liked DMC3 a hell of a lot, I would skew slightly higher, but I concede the criticism that this iteration is merely a new coat of paint and some incremental gameplay developments. The exception being, perhaps, Nero's demonic appendage, the so called Devil Bringer.

Before I delve further into these observations, I must confess I have only completed through Mission 8. I have not yet taken control of Dante, so I cannot comment on changes to his gameplay (though the prospect of switching styles on the fly is quite enticing.)

Whilst I enjoyed switching blades mid-combo in Dante's Awakening, I found myself rarely swapping firearms in the heat of battle for any practical purpose. None of the options really compared to the twin pistols, and the decelerating effect their fire had on descent was a crucial component of my evasion and regrouping. This said, predictably I am not opposed to being equipped with the Red Queen (sword) and Blue Rose (revolver) for the entirety of Nero's play time. The Queen's Rev Guage adds a lot of depth here, allowing for modified versions of Nero's special sword commands, known as Exceed Attacks.

I really have to say here, though, the Exceed System is not very original. Order Sol (from GGXX/ and GGXX^C) and his Charge ability functions almost exactly the same way in both its three tiered enhancement of special moves and the methods by which one can build up charge. But, c'est la vie.

But this gun and sword dichotomy, immediately familiar from the last game, is fundamentally altered by the addition of the Devil Bringer, which is implemented for Snatching enemies from a distance to begin or continue combos, or to deal damage with an enemy-specific throw. This throw, called the Buster, can also be enhanced by the Devil Trigger transformation, and this combination can inflict even more punishment and has its own unique animations for each enemy (including bosses).

And so far, yes, DMC4 has been a bit of a Bossathon, keeping with Capcom's penchant for boss fights. So far I've liked these encounters, and found the design and implementation to be superior to the last iteration. Barring any shortcomings in the rest of the campaign, I should be poised to review this game quite favorably in the near future.

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

Bad Mother Snubbers

We all know Mother's Day is a day to make Mom feel special. Well, we did that for Jenova and The Boss, but there are a lot of moms in the gaming universe that we left out. So here's a quick rundown. (And massive apologies for those who didn't make it into this list, either...) >.>

Mother Brain (Metroid) Big Sis Prinny (Disgaea) Justice (Guilty Gear) Sindel (Mortal Kombat) Olga Gurlukovich (MGS2) Wrinkly Kong (Donkey Kong) Elmyra Gainsborough (FFVII) Edea Kramer (FFVIII) Q-Bee (Darkstalkers) Jun Kazama (Tekken) Nina Williams (Tekken)

Bossa Nova Monday: I-No

Bewitched

For our second installment of Bossa Nova Mondays, we have a much more credible entry, the notorious I-No from Guilty Gear XX: The Midnight Carnival. She is the servant of That Man, the mostly unseen antagonist of the series. Though all of her actions in GGXX are meant to protect That Man, it is without his consent, and he tries to repair the damage she has done in most of the story sequences in which he appears. Her design is based largely on Japanese musician Ringo Shiina, and, like most Guilty Gear characters, her name is a musical reference, in this case to ambient pioneer Brian Eno.

She appears as the boss of GGXX in a somewhat more powerful incarnation than the selectable I-No. She is the bane of many newbies, as she is the first CPU opponent to possess decent AI, and she is undoubtedly the best character in the air, making the obvious jump-in attack a suicidal plunge. Once n00bz learn that this encounter is an (I-)No Fly Zone, they can begin to really learn the game's intricacies.

Weapon:	Duesenberg Starplayer TV guitar
Signature Moves:	Fortissimo, Megalomania
Weakness:	A solid ground game
Distinguishing Features:	Animated witch hat; mole on left cheek
Difficulty:	8.5/10
Win Quote:	After defeating Dizzy, "Those are some nice wings. If I plucked and fried them, would they taste like chicken?"
Similar Characters:	Nevan (DMC3), Lord Raptor (Darkstalkers), Ultimecia (FFVIII), Twinrova (LoZ:OoT)

Region of Gloom

Yes, the PS3 is a tempting piece of hardware, I'll give it that. I very much would like to go buy one, and pick up F.E.A.R., and then Heavenly Sword (whenever the hell that drops). Then come this Winter, I foresee marathon sessions of MGS4 Online isolating me from my typical human interaction. It could also play all the PS2 games that Keif's renegade unit won't play. I could even pick up Planet Earth on Blu Ray.

But I still won't be able to play the new Guilty Gear XX Accent Core on it.

The PS3 may not be subject to the last-gen drudgery of region encoding for its current media, but archaic PS2 DVD-Roms are still enslaved by the outmoded regulations of those technocrats who can't face the terrifying future of imminent glocalization. It seems the true complement to the Playstaion 3 may be the modded Playstation 2. With a little overseas transaction, a dash of Swap Magic, and the equitable procurement of Catarina's dusty PS2, I could make Force Breaking with Order Sol a reality.

But wait, the plot thickens. When a posting for Accent Core for Wii (!) first surfaced, speculation flared, but nothing reassuring could be trawled up from the depths of the inter-Zeinest. That is to say until this late-breaking blurb from a usually reliable source. Is this for real for real? Will it use the Classic Controller? How could it possibly not? Accent Core, really? So many questions, but why dizzy myself with this swarm of guesses? What are the odds of the Wii version even being localized, when the last two PS2 entries were not? Who am I kidding?

Likewise, I don't even have a Wii, only the generous use of Legoman's. In all likelihood, I may go ahead with my [Import + Modding = Crazy Propitious] plan at the end of May, and hope that a timely North American release of Accent Core doesn't come down the retail warp tube any time soon, much as Catarina fears a PSP redesign hot on the heels of her sprint shoes impending purchase.

On the plus side, having the Japanese version would be hardcore 1337 to the limit extreme. The next logical step I suppose would then be to summon all my translation bravery for an attempt at Namco x Capcom, the JPN-onry SRPG crossover I've coveted for the longest time. It just seems a shame that the upcoming game in which I am most vested, once again, is for the cheapest, oldest, and weakest console on the market.

Fighting Stanzas: The Aerial Projectile

	Striking from safety A videogame tactic Midair projectiles
	Fiery Mario Eight bit plumber's final form Hammer brothers' bane
	Air cutting surge fist Gouki's Zankuu Hadouken See, Street Fighter, too
	Float while bullets rain Dante's rapid fire descent Teh third dimension
	Guilty Gear's princess Creative delayed assault Dizzy's bubbles - Pop!
	Best valor discrete Advantageous strategy This death from above

Odds and Ends

Hope everyone likes the banner. I've had the actual logo done for some time, but retrofitting it into this template was trickier than I would have hoped. Sooner or later we'll give this space a new coat of hyper paint; until then, consider this the first step of our Spring cleaning.

My time with GGXX#Reload has been going well. I've found Sol to be very easy to pick up due in large part to the familiarity of his control scheme. Entranced by the unique character design of Dizzy, I have forced myself to learn to use her properly, though her mishmash of bizarre projectiles and furious ground combos took some time to absorb.

I pretty much have the idea of Bursting down, but Roman Cancelling is still alien to me. I've been studying the frame inputs in Training Mode, but I'm still nowhere near a point where I can use RCs or FRCs in the heat of battle. This game really makes me thirst for a console version of Slash or Accent Core sometime soon.

I ran into this recap of MGS2 in haiku form on the PA G&T forums awhile back. Thought I'd share it with you, and likewise post it in a more accessible location for my own viewing. Many thanks to aett, and his mad summation skills.

Turn off the console

I need scissors! 61!

We have Rosemary "

Now that we've delved pretty deeply into FFXII, and have gained a working understanding of the gambit system, it makes me think about how many menu choices I've made over the years in Final Fantasies, and RPGs in general. FFX-2 alone could be near a million... C'est la vie.

The Moves

After an insightful, well thought out entry by Catarina, or two, or six, I feel somewhat compelled to answer back with an update of my own. Of course, after I post my reprisal, I tend to feel guilty for pushing her oft superior post lower down the hypertext totem pole. But alas, such is the nature of the tubes.

Whereas Big Sis Prinny has been covering the cutting edge, I have been haunted by the ghost of fighting games past. Guilty Gear X2: The Midnight Carnival #Reload, to be specific. I remember SRK calling it the best two dimensional fighting game I wasn't playing. They were, of course, correct on both counts.

I am stumbling into the game way late, natch. XX Slash and XX ^Core have made much of what I am learning obsolete. I managed to beat Boss I-No on Maniac level difficulty, yet I still have zero skill with Roman Cancels (false or otherwise) and Bursts. I can't even nail down Sol Badguy's infamous Dust Loop. I wanted to perhaps focus on this Dust Loop trap, or perhaps the Immoral Flame's Dragon Install. Unfortunately I don't have the background in the series to share with you the quintessential technique; the one move that could sum up the hyperactive anime-heavy metal amalgam so rife with delicate balance and rich intricacy that hangs like a succulent forbidden fruit before a starved fighting gamer's eyes.

But, hell, let's look at the signature techniques of a few competitive fighting series. Maybe we'll learn something.

The Shoryuken

A lot of moves come to mind in the extensive Street Fighter universe. Chun Li's Hyakuretsu Kyaku is one of the most recognizable, along with Zangief's Spinning Piledriver, Blanka's Electricity, and Vega's Psycho Crusher. But what is the signature move of Street Fighter? The Hadouken comes in a close second, but hardcore fans know the answer: The Shoryuken.

Yes, the Hadouken (Surge Fist) is a very popular choice, but I'm afraid in the competitive world of Street Fighter, the Shoryuken (Rising Dragon Fist, or Dragon Uppercut) is the Jupiter of special moves. When to execute and when not to execute the Shoryuken is the hallmark of an Ansatsuken expert. In its initial animation frames it is invincible (or nigh invincible in later incarnations) yet if missed it leaves the player completely vulnerable as they slowly descend. It was the very first anti-air move, predating the far slower, and lower priority Flash Kick. And we all know how integral jump-in attacks were in an environment before dashes.

(Sidenote: In recent SF2 matches against Legoman, I often find myself trying to dash in on him, to no avail.)

Even the command input, forward, down, down-forward plus punch, is simply known as the Dragon Punch, or "DP" in popular notation for all fighting games.

Flight

I originally was writing this as Cable's Air Hyper Viper Beam, but after reviewing the competitive criteria of the Shoryuken vs. Hadouken decision, I'd have to say the most important special move from the Marvel Vs. games is Flight. Why? Three reasons: Magneto, Storm, and Sentinel. These three are featured so prominently in high level play because of their ability to control the screen while staying out of harm's way. The typical championship team consists of two out of the three and someone with a particularly effective Anti-Air Assist, like Cyke or Cammy. Hell, seeing just those three isn't uncommon either.

I know Flight wasn't really the essence of the entire series, but with the constantly shifting rosters of the Vs. series, few moves showed up every time, except for Wolvie's Berserker Barrage or the beam-style Shinku Hadouken. (Again with the Hadouken! Christ, Killa, give it a rest...) Without a doubt, Flight is an invaluable part of the expert's arsenal. If I had to go with an offensive move, it may still have to be Sentinel's Rocket Punch over Cable's AHVB, due to Cable's absence from most high tier teams.

The Mishima Crouch Dash

"Another non-attack?" I know. But the Mishimas and the Crouch Dash are so crucial to Tekken that it could not be avoided. I should say that the Crouch Dash (1) has the same input as the Shoryuken motion, except for Kazuya's abbreviated version; (2) ducks under high attacks; (3) parries low attacks in some instances; (4) can be linked with more Crouch Dashes for a Wavedash; (5) precedes the Hellsweep; (6) precedes the Wind God Fist, and the Electric Wind Godfist; (6) precedes the Hell's Gate.

A lot of those points are Mishima specific, although other characters have the maneuver. Armor King, for instance, can Crouch Dash into his Double Upper (his own version of the Wind God Fist) or his unique Dashing Clothesline. It is hard to argue that the King of Iron Fist tournament does not center around the Mishimas, and the fact that Heihachi, Kazuya, Jin, and, later, Devil Jin's high level play neccesitates mastery of the Crouch Dash and its inherent variability makes the choice pretty easy. But again, like Flight, it is an evasive maneuver first. For an attack, the Electric Wind God Fist seems like a solid choice.

I'm sorry; I know I've glossed over two decades of fighting games. No Soul Caliber Guard Impacts, no Fatal Fury Deadly Raves, no Smash Brothers Meteor Smashes. No Mortal Kombat nothing... To compensate I'll leave you with a fortune cookie from Master Tzu that should help you digest the significance of my selections.

"Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack."

-- Sun Tzu, /The Art of War/