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.

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)

Parrying Makes Perfect

I beat Third Strike mere moments ago with Alex, having already recently beaten it with Akuma, Yun, and Ibuki. That leaves conquering Arcade Mode with fifteen more characters to unlock all the pages of System Direction. I have to say there are few things in the game more aesthetically satisfying than finishing off a particularly tough match with Ibuki's EX Kubi Ori. I'm still not proficient in the practice of parries, but once I'm playing on my new Hori Fighting Stick 3 perchance I will spend some time on intensive training. Wish I knew where there was a 3s machine was somewhere.

Looking Sharp

Wowzorz! Anybody see the latest sprites from Capcom's blog detailing the development of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix? Cannot fucking wait till this drops for the PSN... Instant Hell Murder never looked so good.

Top 10, Again and Again

By now we're all used to the Top 10 [Somethings] in [Something] lists that proliferate all over the internets (e.g., Top 10 Most Clichéd Items on the Internet). Top 10 women in gaming lists are a frequent enough occurrence that there's no need for any more of them (see, e.g., yada yada). The other day, though, I was directed to a blog called ShinyShiny that apparently is in the business of explaining tech gadgets to helpless females(?). The specific article to which I was directed is a top ten list of female video-game characters you should idolise [sic x 2], which is a new enough twist on an old favorite that I was willing to give it a look.

I gave up hope for the ShinyShiny list as soon as I saw Ico's Yorda at number nine. It's true that Yorda can open some doors with magic that the protagonist can not otherwise get through, as they noted. That doesn't outweigh her role in the bulk of the game, which is spent dragging her along behind you like a deadweight, literally leading her around by the hand, helping her jump across tiny gaps and coaxing her up steps, yelling at her, and defending her from shadow monsters. She's completely helpless, and, should you turn your back on her for even a moment, she'll wander off and get into some terrible predicament. I don't understand how she is worthy of idolization. Is it because she's taller than Ico? Did ShinyShiny even play Ico?

Likewise, simply having appeared in many games doesn't make a character worthy of idolization. Consider Princess Zelda of Legend of Zelda fame: She's certainly physically lovely, magically powerful, and deeply good in ever fiber of her being, but she isn't a good candidate for an idol---i.e., someone to look up to and emulate. Advising a woman to idolize Princess Zelda is advising her to play a supporting role in her own story. (For the same reason, Yuna Braska of FFX and FFX-2 didn't make my cut.) Moreover, there isn't "one" Princess Zelda to idolize; every Legend of Zelda game features a different Zelda. Is this what I should idolize? A series of women, each interchangeable with all the others? Should I aspire to be confused with anyone who happens to have the same name as me?

It's not that there's anything wrong with Princess Zelda or Princess Yorda. They're both very interesting, multifaceted characters and have appeared in some of the greatest games ever made. It's just that those qualities aren't something to be idolized or emulated by real-life women. Trying to behave like Yorda would be just as foolish and ridiculous as trying to look like Lara Croft. And anyway, not every female character has to be admirable and aspirational---just like not all male video game characters are great role models. It's just that if you're going to compile and put forth a list of female characters who are worthy of idolization, I feel like a little care should be taken to see that they have some quality that makes them worth admiring (other than having "ethereal good looks" or "great hair"), or at least that you can put forth a legitimate reason why you feel they make a good role model (see Shiny's blurb on Zelda).

Without any more complaning, here is my Top 10 List of Video Game Women You Can Actually Idolize.

10. Beauty Queen Etna (Disgaea). Etna doesn't get to be a Netherworld Demon Lord by using her feminine charms. Instead, she fights her way tooth and nail to the top and then bestows upon herself the title of Beauty Queen. Etna never asks anybody for anything; if she wants something, she goes out and gets it---often, she takes it. And she makes no apologies for her caustic sense of humor. I'm looking forward to the PSP remake of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness with an all-new Etna-based storyline branch.

9. Chun-Li (Street Fighter). "I'm the strongest woman in the world!" Of all the fighting games in all the arcades in all the world, she walks into mine. There are a lot of fighting games out there with a lot of token cheesecake characters, but Chun-Li has been there from the start; her Lightning Kick and Kikoken are iconic; and her little dance of joy when she wins---"Ha, ha, ha, Yatta!"---taught a whole generation of boys to be ashamed when they got beat by a girl.

8. Rydia (Final Fantasy IV). I didn't want to flood the list with Final Fantasy characters, so I had to be pretty choosy. Rydia isn't the most memorable FF character (maybe I'm showing my age by remembering her), but she fairly embodies personal growth. Rydia is the only FF character we see grow from a child to a young woman in the course of a game. She's also the first powerful summoner of the Final Fantasy series. Throughout the Final Fantasy games, the female characters have always tended toward the mage classes while the male characters tend to be the fighters. As a summoner, Rydia was an incredibly powerful damage dealer, blazing the trail for later summoners like Garnet and Yuna.

7. Princess Peach (Super Mario Brothers). Princess Peach evolved from Donkey Kong's Lady (aka Pauline) character, the original damsel in distress. In recent years, however, Peach has really come into her own. Sure, she still needs to be rescued every now and then, but now she does the rescuing sometimes, too (see, e.g., Super Princess Peach). She was a playable character as early as 1988 in Super Mario Brothers 2, and since then she's been holding her own in other titles like the Paper Mario series and the Mario Party series. She's also proved an able go-kart racer, tennis player, golfer, and even a basketball player. She also made an appearance as a formidable fighter in Super Smash Brothers Melee. All without breaking a nail.

6. Impa (Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time). There have been several Impas over the years; we met her first in the original Legend of Zelda and just recently we ran into one of her descendants in Twilight Princess. For my money, the most admirable Impa is the iteration found in the Ocarina of Time. As the young princess's nursemaid and bodyguard, Impa---last of the warrior race of Sheikah---whisks the child Zelda away from Hyrule Castle ahead of disaster and spends the next seven years teaching her young charge everything she needs to know so that, when the time comes, Zelda will be ready to do her part to save Hyrule. When that mission is completed she takes up her post as the Shadow Sage. Impa is both nurturing and ass-kicking, a hallmark of the wise warrior archetype.

5. Ms. Pac-Man (Ms. Pac-Man). When Ms. Pac-Man first pakku-pakku'd her way onto the arcade scene in 1981 she was a female original. The only other lady in the land was Lady from Donkey Kong, and Lady was just a damsel. Ms. Pac-Man, the first female video game protagonist of all time, could do everything that Pac-Man could do---but she was actually faster than Pac-Man and, as a bonus, she had a sassy bow and a cute mole.

4. Jill Valentine (Resident Evil). The original Zombie Stomper from Resident Evil. She could carry more stuff than Chris Redfield (maybe she had a purse?) and open doors with her lock picks, but she couldn't take as much damage as Chris. One of the most common arguments supporting uneven representation of women in video games is that "men play games, and people want to play characters that represent them." Moreover, as I learned in the MMORPG wars, when men play a female character they want a fine (and largely unclothed) female body to watch to make it interesting. Resident Evil split the difference by offering two protagonists from the start. One man, one woman; both completely capable, each with unique advantages and challenges. Jill Valentine wasn't a skinny, skanky supermodel with a couple of guns and a hankerin' for some zombie spankerin'. She really did give the impression of being a fully capable, totally badass paramilitary solider.

3. Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca (Final Fantasy XII). The best female protagonist in an FF game in a long time (but with the worst name). Ashe is sort of an evolved form of FFIX's Garnet. More than anything, I appreciate her bringing the Final Fantasy series back around to more of an expansive epic plot and certainly more of a group dynamic than in recent games. Ashe isn't the narrator (narratrix?) of FFXII, but she is the main character and protagonist. A young widow, resistance leader, and displaced monarch, Ashe is incredibly accomplished for a nineteen-year-old. She's not afraid to indulge her emotions, but she knows when to move beyond them.

2. Amaterasu Okami (Okami). When the sun goddess Amaterasu has to come down to Earth, she doesn't choose to come in the form of a scantily clad bimbo, but in that of the legendary white wolf Shiranui. Her mission is purely benevolent: Armed only with a celestial paintbrush, to restore all the color of the world and drive out an unnatural darkness. Apparently, she is also endowed with infinite patience (I would never have been able to put up with Issun).

1. Samus Aran (Metroid). We spent the whole game of Metroid thinking Samus was a dude. Why? Because she was clad head to toe in her power suit and it didn't have built-in breasts or a tiny cinched waist; because the instruction manual referred to Samus as "he"; but mostly because we had never seen a female character in a video game before who wasn't sitting around waiting to be rescued, and we certainly didn't see them flying around space shooting brains with their totally awesome ray guns. Only Ms. Pac-Man approaches Samus's early protagonist status, and never forget that Ms. Pac-Man was just having a snack; Samus Aran was saving the whole galaxy.


Honorable Mentions
---Judge Magister Drace (FFXII). I would have given Drace a spot in the main list, but her appearance in FFXII is so brief. Drace is the only female among the Judge Magisters of the Archadean Empire and the champion of the youthful Prince Larsa. Drace is a decent person first and a judge second, and she proves herself when she attempts to arrest her corrupt monarch, even knowing that the futile effort will cost her life.

---Mama (Cooking Mama). No, she's not saying "You're not mine!" when you mess up. She's saying "Do not mind!" Mama doesn't want you to feel bad when you burn the toast or drop the eggs on the floor. She just wants to spend time with her kids, doing something fun and educational (cooking). It's too bad more mamas aren't like her.

Tried and Treacherous

or Tappin' Yaki

My recent poetic outpouring was instigated by the subject of the second stanza, Super Mario Brothers' ultimate power up, the fire flower. My doting girlfriend Poptart recently got a Wii, and besides Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Keif's copy of Mario Party 6 (yeah, Snow Whirled), she/we thirsted for some of the irresistable Virtual Console offerings.

Using the Wii points card thoughtful Catarina had given her as a birthday gift (while we were out for teppanyaki, natch) we snagged Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Brothers, and Super Mario World. The NES classic is definitely one of her best games, and she is far superior to myself in this arena. (I still blame the damn Game Genie for retarding my 8-bit skills, Mega Man aside.)

Poptart not only is much better with timing and jumping than myself, her ability to get to Super Fire status and stay there is remarkable. This is what sparked my current fascination with the archetypal aerial projectile. By hanging back and bringing down the fiery rain upon hapless Spinies and Hammer Brothers, she was able to maintain her flower power for world after world.

Although I'm opening myself up to obscure pointings out, methinks SMB may be the first instance of a midair projectile. I concede that the aforementioned fireball is virtually the same whether launched from the ground or not, but its existence at such a developmental time for games really got my lobes humming. My other examples are actually quite distinct from typical shooting attacks, for this reason (trajectory) or that (anti-gravity effect), and I feel each one listed was rather unique in its unusual parameters and chronological placement.

Therefore, the Veggie Toss does not belong.

It has also become apparent to me that tapping A (the button) as quickly as possible must be a genetically determined trait that favors females. It stands to reason that a Y chromosome lowers the firing rate of synaptic impulses of nerves in the human hand. Such is the only logical explanation for the observation that the Mario Partiers I know with the highest demonstration of this skill are all women. Poptart, Keif, and Roach are so fundamentally beyond the competitive reach of myself and even Legoman (who is notorious in tapping A circles for his suggestive "hyper-slide" technique) that my syllogism is ironclad.

Now, if only I could get Poptart to channel this ferocity into Third Strike via Chun Li's Hyakuretsukyaku...

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

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/

Are They or Aren't They?

Here's my little couples in gaming response, coming hot on the heels of (read: ripping off) Catarina's Three Great Couples post. However, this supplement is going to focus on three of the more ambiguous relationships in games.

Jun Kazama and Kazuya Mishima

Well, we know they had sex; their son Jin is a testament to that. So some of the ambiguity goes out the window there. (Yeah, great choice, Killa.) The actual nature of their relationship is hard to pin down, though. The Tekken anime depicts their connection in great detail, using it as a central part of the storyline.

The anime, though, is not considered canon, and, unlike cinema, fighting game storylines are rarely so simple. What we do know from the games themselves is that Jun Kazama entered the the second King of Iron Fist tournament to stop Kazuya Mishima's illegal trade of endangered animals. When she encountered him, being the Chosen Kazama, she could sense that his supernatural power came from his deal with Devil. So... she hooked up with him. (Okay, you kind of lost me there, Namco.) Devil would later try to possess her unborn child, but she defeated him, and kept Jin safe by relocating to some remote mountains. And that is virtually all we know of Jun and Kazuya's temporary union. But, hell, it really is the closest thing to a coupling in Tekken, besides Xiaoyu's crush on Jin. Or Kuma's crush on Panda.

Naked Snake and the Boss



Perhaps the most perplexing couple in modern gaming is The Boss and Naked Snake, as shown in MGS3. Having her own son taken from her moments after giving birth, The Boss developed a maternal attachment to Naked Snake, or Jack, as she would call him. Snake denies to Eva in dialogue that there was a sexual component to their relationship, but speculation still runs rampant among Metal Gear fans. Having been comrades for ten years it is problematic for Snake to be charged with hunting her down and killing her as part of Operation Snake Eater. On an emotional level, personally, killing her may have been the hardest part of any videogame I've played. That defining moment would create a chain reaction guiding the events in Naked Snake's, and in turn Solid Snake's life.

Cammy and Vega

Master Vega, the leader of the Shadaloo crime syndicate, claims at one point that Cammy is a clone of him. This most likely is untrue. It is much more plausible, given other evidence, that she was kidnapped and subjected to gene therapy to make her more like Vega, as the original plan was to use her as his next body should his Psycho Power overwhelm his current manifestation. She was also brainwashed, enhanced with experimental drugs, and trained to be the assassin codenamed Killer Bee. In Cammy's ending from Street Fighter Zero 3 (her first canonically chronological appearance) she defeats Vega, destroying his body, and he utters the phrase, "How could I lose to a copy of myself...?" He then begins to invade her mind, until Chun Li intervenes.

Skip ahead to the Street Fighter II timeline. Cammy is an amnesiac agent of the British special forces unit Delta Red. Upon defeating Vega, he tells her, "How could you forget about me, Cammy? [...] We were in love!" Expectedly, she has a hard time believing this.

And then there's her win quote from the non-canonical X-Men Vs. Street Fighter...

{Shin Bill Cosby} Wiki Vandalism

Oooh, ooh, my turn! Some Wiki Vandalism I ran across while researching my Old Timer's post.

"While Akuma sought to master the life-threatening Shun Goku Satsu technique, he eventually increased his strength by embracing the principle of Jello Pudding Satsui no Hadou (The Surge of the Intent to Murder/Murderous Intent)."

Gamers Don't Have an Old Timer's Day

It can be hard for a gamer to think about aging. Most gamers are young. Characters in videogames are usually young. The player character is usually a strong, young man. Typically, in games, the more times you do something, the easier it becomes. Either your character becomes stronger as you progress, like levels in an RPG, or the player's experience of a scenario makes it easier the next time, like in a platformer or a racing game. The idea that with time one can become weaker, and less able to cope with challenges, is a frightening thought.

I remember Final Fantasy IV very fondly, as it was the second game of the series that I played. In fact, the SNES cartridge I had did indeed say "Final Fantasy II" but this was merely to prevent the οἱ πολλοί from knowing what they were missing.

Even as a youth I was steadfast in my good RPG habits, which primarily are (1) save, save every chance you get, and (2) when in doubt, level up. Whenever, wherever, just fight random encounters to build yourself up a bit. Well, I luckily didn't fall into a pitfall that was likely to ensnare anyone who follows these tenets blindly. You see, in the Water Cavern, you gain the once great sage Tellah of Mysidia. And as Tellah gains levels, his stats go down, to indicate his advanced age and frailty. If one first leveled "up" for an extended period, and then saved, one would be stuck with an extremely vulnerable sage.

Not only does he become weaker with every battle, in the original version he had a command called Recall, which would allow him to randomly remember one of the powerful spells he once knew. So not only is his body withering with age, his once great magic prowess is now hindered by his failing memory. As a young gamer in the earlier 90's, this struck me as a very interesting mechanic; immediately unfamiliar due to my internalization of the concept that leveling up made characters stronger.

Skip ahead about half a decade to 1996. Capcom was refining the formula of its popular Street Fighter Zero/Alpha to quickly produce a sequel. They had reincarnated Birdie and Adon from the original Street Fighter into the interquel series, and to expand the roster for SFZ2 they again drew from their back catalog of fighters. After his stint as a Chinese assassin in the mediocre original, Gen returned to action in the Zero series after learning that he was dying from leukemia. He sought a worthy opponent, and came across Gouki/Akuma, the master of the Satsui no Hadou. Although it is not entirely clear, one would have to postulate that Gen was finished off since it was a fight to the death, and Gouki was later seen chronologically killing Vega/M. Bison's second body in Street Fighter II Turbo. Although, with fighting games, you never know what's canon, right? Regardless of the timeline, Gen did manage to make a large contribution to the next generation. He is responsible for training the young relatives of his Street Fighter (I) countryman Lee. Of course, I speak of Yun and Yang Lee of Street Fighter III. In particular, Yang's Mantis style is very similar to some of Gen's techniques.

Fatally afflicted, yes, but Gen is still a treacherous challenge in Zero 2 and 3. His ability to switch between his Sou-ryuu and Ki-ryuu styles mid-match makes his moveset formidable. He is remarkably quick and agile for being old and terminally ill, and for this reason doesn't really give the sense of mortality one gets from Tellah's predicament.

But with nothing to lose, Gen faces the deadliest opponent of the Zero series, and dies the way he wished, in battle with a worthy adversary.

Skip ahead to the new millenium, and please take into consideration the character EGM called the fourth greatest boss of all time.

Let me linger in this world just a little longer... I have already slept enough for one lifetime... enough for an eternity...

These words echo through the dense woodland of Sokrovenno, signaling the dawn of one of the toughest challenges the Metal Gear series will ever dish out. Personally, I have an attachment to The End and I can say without hesitation that he is my favorite boss fight. Ever. I believe my first successful attempt took about forty minutes. Even on my Foxhound run it took me almost twenty. And if you're having a really hard time, just keep trying. If you haven't beaten him in two weeks, he will just die of old age. Of course, you could save, and advance your PS2's internal clock a fortnight. Or you could just snipe him in his wheelchair immediately following an earlier cutscene. If you're a cheap fucking coward.

Like the rest of the Cobra Unit, The End is codenamed after the emotion he carries with him into battle, in this case the desire to continue to exist. He is over one hundred years old during the events of Snake Eater, and doesn't have any interest in killing Snake. The Ancient Sniper merely wants to test his ability, and to try once more to do what he does best, to hunt his prey.

Hideo Kojima seems to be revisiting similar themes again in MGS4, wherein Solid Snake is suffering from advanced aging. Preview trailers show this new Old Snake apparently commiting suicide, and there is speculation that his health and stamina may steadily decrease throughout the game, not unlike our first example. Of course, this is merely assumptions made about a Kojima game, which means absolutely nothing, as Hideo loves to shock his audience with unexpected twists.

So from this, what should a gamer learn about aging? About sickness and mortality? I think that in continuing, and finding extra lives, and dodging bullets and Bullet Bills, one forgets that no amount of skill or effort can allow one to evade the inevitable; That there is no eternal life code; And that nothing lasts forever.

Classic Dialogue, Sugah

Rogue's ending from X-Men Vs. Street Fighter.

After rebuffing M. Bison's offer to become "normal", Rogue has a heartfelt discussion with Chun Li on a picturesque hillside.

What have I been up to?

(Purple Dhalsim rocking flesh-tone Zangief with the Yoga Legend super.)

Yeah, I've been wasting some time screwing around with Street Fighter EX 2 Plus on MAME when I have some free time at home. I know in my last arcade post I said I didn't care for 3D fighters in emulation, but, you know, I'm waffling. Emulation was my first taste of Rival Schools, and my EX experience is rather lacking.

I've played a couple of X-Men Vs. Street Fighter matches online over Kawaks recently, only to have my ass handed to me by scrub tactics. I may need more practice, or I may have to admit that I just can't execute with a keyboard. Ah well. Sooner or later I'll find some competition close to my (low) level.

When I'm not at my household CPU, I've got Prince of Persia Revelations in my PSP, and Metal Gear Portable Ops ready to take it's place ASAP. I've also got Ico with me whenever I get some rare PS2 time over at Poptart's or Catarina's.

So, you know, I'm ready to kill time at a moment's notice.