(A Winner Is Me)
The smartest thing Sega could have done, in my opinion, was to get their polygonal foot in the virtual PS3 door and come out with their highly anticipated Virtua Fighter 5 before a deluge of games begins hitting the platform this spring and summer. In a related opinion, I also feel that the smartest thing Namco/Bandai could have done was get one of their illustrious fighters onto the platform ASAP, in order to give Sega the smallest advantage possible.
When Sega and Namco/Bandai are smart, everybody wins; especially me. But I always win, because I am apparently the greatest fighter in the world.
I did finally get Virtua Fighter 5 on February 22 after an epic struggle. Then, on Thursday, as you may have heard, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection hit the PlayStation Store for downloading, so now I have both. I should reiterate that, at heart, I am a Soul Caliber fan and I have never played much of the previous installments of the Virtua Fighter or Tekken series. But with Soul Caliber IV barely even announced, I'll take what I can get.
First of all, both games look phenomenal. My understanding is that VF5 is running in 720p and Tekken 5 in 1080p (my television maxes out at 720p/1080i, so I may not be squeezing the most graphical juice out of Tekken), and both seem to be running at a solid 60 frames per second. This is especially crucial in VF5, which is so demanding of users' command input that some moves can only be executed by tapping buttons for a single frame---1/60th of a second. These are not any of the moves that I am performing. In any case, Virtua Fighter, despite its lower resolution, has the edge on Tekken in the graphics department, with backgrounds that are completely detailed (I especially love the snowy mountain level in which character movement leaves footprints and impressions in the snow) and extremely realistic character textures (see, e.g., Jeffrey McWild's craggy complexion). Playing as Lili in Tekken, I was disappointed to see the polygons of her hair crash through the polygons of her lower back as she walked away from an opponent after a match. For the most part, Tekken's graphics are beautiful; Tekken 6, I'm sure, will meet or surpass the beauty of VF5.
Neither game features online play. I'm not very clear on the specifics, but my understanding is that frame-based games, which demand deft precision in command input, can't be played online because of latency issues. This makes perfect sense to me---I've played plenty of online games over high-speed internet, and I know you can't eliminate lag well enough to ensure that the two players are synced within 1/60th of a second. Still, it would be nice if I could get out there and play against some other people, since I'm the greatest fighter in the world.
My brother was concerned that once I had both games I'd be hopelessly mixed up about which was which, but there are plenty of differences between the two for me to keep both games straight---and to justify purchasing both. Virtua Fighter's signature realism makes for a completely different experience than Tekken's comic take on the fighting genre. Virtua Fighter is the one in which you can not play as a bear, a kangaroo, or a wooden training dummy. Got it. I think I prefer Tekken's over-the-top martial arts pageant, but I do enjoy them both.
An item in the cons column for Tekken is that it is missing some components I would have made a lot of use of---especially a practice or training mode. But for $20, it's a steal. VF5, a much more robust game in terms of features and modes of play, has a dojo mode for training as well as a quest mode. When I fired up quest mode---perhaps because I am a novice of this series---I was expecting something along the lines of Soul Caliber's Weapons Master mode, in which the character of my choice would engage in some kind of storyline mode. Not so! Instead, quest mode takes me, the player, through an apparently neverending string of versus battles that take place in simulated Japanese arcades, against simulated Japanese players. It essentially simulates the experience of being a Japanese person playing VF5 in the arcades of Japan, as though you are the greatest fighter in the world. The other players are extremely easy, and I played through a good thirty or forty consecutive matches without losing before I figured out how to escape from quest mode. As a complete beginner at Virtua Fighter, I don't think I should have been able to win thirty matches in a row. I know my P P P K combo is awesome, but it's hard to believe that thirty people in a row would fall for it.
Anyway, now that I have both games on my PS3, I would like to see the luchador from Tekken fight the luchador from Virtua Fighter. I think that would be totally sweet.
In related news, Mortal Kombat II is also slated to hit the PS3 online store in March, with online multiplayer enabled. I'm sure this will be my big chance to demonstrate that I am the greatest fighter in the world.
Showing posts with label Virtua Fighter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virtua Fighter. Show all posts
Friday, March 2, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
There's No "L"
I have decided that it is finally time to take the plunge and buy a game for my PS3, which has been functioning basically as a glorified PS2 since I bought it. This arrangement has been just fine with me because, after upgrading the firmware and over HDMI cables, I don't notice any image degradation when playing PS2 games on PS3---in fact, the picture looks better than it does on my PS2, which is connected via composite cable, which, for the uninitiated, is pretty much just a shoelace and a couple of paperclips.
There haven't been any games that have been worth my $60 just yet. My husband almost broke down and bought Sonic the Hedgehog, but I stopped him just in the nick of time. Most of what is out there so far is racing, real sports, or trash. Since I, personally, am not particularly interested in any of those fine genres, I've taken a pass on the offerings thus far. The lack of substance in the current catalog is also the main reason I've found myself interested in Virtua Fighter 5. I wholeheartedly prefer Soul Caliber, and Killa is a Tekken man through and through. Although I don't have any dislike of Virtua Fighter, it is definitely a distant third for me, falling well behind the Namco/Bandai contenders. I would like to take this opportunity to review Virtua Fighter 5, but I can't, because I haven't played it yet.
At this point I should interject that Killa warned me against airing this tirade. "Don't pick on EB Games/Gamestop," he says, "It's too easy, and anyway it's kind of ripping off Penny Arcade."
On Tuesday, misinformed about the street date of VF5, Killa and I went to down to Ye Olde Game Shoppe. Not the closest location, though. In addition to VF5, I wanted to pick up La Pucelle Tactics for my hubby, and an inventory search of their website showed that only a more distant location had this particular used item in stock. Once we arrived, La Pucelle was procured in short order; I then asked for Virtua Fighter 5.
"That's not out 'til tomorrow," I was told. That’s alright. I realized I had my dates mixed up, or read the website wrong, but it was no biggie. The real prize, La Pucelle, was in hand. Then, the clerk added, "Did you preorder it?" I said I had not.
"Mmmm. Then you won’t be able to get it," chimed in the manager.
"What? Why?" I asked.
"Because it’s going to be sold out," she said.
"Sold out here, you mean?"
"No. . . . everywhere. Nobody is going to have this game. Trust me," she said, with the same sort of ominous tone that is usually reserved for warning one about the dangers of blu-ray lasers. I found that very hard to believe, since Best Buy and the other "big box" retailers usually have scads of these games on hand when they come out---scads, that is, that haven’t already been presold.
"Why don’t you preorder it now?" offered the clerk. "It's just five dollars down and you can come pick it up tomorrow." Now, remember, I’m at the location that is not nearest to my home. That’s part of the reason I don’t preorder to begin with---it necessitates two trips to the store, whereas I really feel that one trip should be sufficient to, you know, buy the thing I came in for. Before I could answer, the manager piped up as well:
"They only send me as many copies as I've presold, plus maybe one extra copy, so if you don’t preorder it, I won’t have one for you." At this, I became incensed. Since the game was to come out the next day, it must have already been shipped. So all the copies she was going to receive were already in the store, or on the way. Yet, they were still trying to take my preorder money on something I was just told would not be available for me the next day.
"So what you’re telling me," I reasoned aloud, "Is that I should not come here tomorrow to try to buy this game?"
"Right."
"In fact, I should never come to your store to buy a new game, unless I've preordered it?"
"Right." And that was all I needed to hear.
The cardinal rule of sales is the ABC rule, to always be closing. I would add a prerequisite to that: For brick-and-mortar retail stores, before you can even begin to close, you have to have the customer in your store; that is, physically in your presence. If the customer is in your store, then you can sell her something. Or at least try to. If the customer is not in your store, then your opportunity for sales is totally null. Telling the customer not to come to your store is the opposite of everything you are endeavoring to do by running a store that sells items.
Although, in fact, this store seems not to sell items.
I understand this phenomenon of scarcity. In the electronic game industry, unsold stock is a huge liability. Price cuts happen all the time, and unsold stock can't be returned to its manufacturer. Moreover, there is no accurate advance predictor of how well a given game will sell. In the movie industry, one can analyze the box office grosses to estimate how many DVDs are going to sell, but there's no such preview for games. It only makes sense for EB Games/Gamestop to stock only as many copies of a game as they are guaranteed to sell. The difficulty in buying a new game on release day from this store is not at issue.
The issue is this: When I do preorder a game, even if I pay in full for it up front at the time of the order, I must pick the game up within 48 hours of its release date, lest it be sold to someone else. Now, in my experience, when I have paid for something in full, it is mine and belongs to me, but the policies at this establishment disagree, which makes me uneasy. In addition---the primary reason that I do not preorder games---I frequently change my mind and my plans. I don’t want to have to drive to Shelbyville to pick up my game when I'm hanging out in Springfield all day. Or if I happen to be at a mall in Capitol City, it’s easier for me to pick the game up there rather than making a stop back in Springfield after my shopping spree.
I left with La Pucelle and a heavy heart, but this tale has a happy ending. On my way home from work this afternoon I stopped by the Gamestop that is nearest to my home. I strolled in and enquired as to whether there might be a copy of Virtua Fighter 5 on hand that I could readily purchase. The clerk looked at me like I had three heads---but only briefly, before handing me my game.
"I didn't preorder this," I said, "Is it really OK for me to buy? I heard this was going to be sold out everywhere?"
The clerk only snorted, and asked "Who told you that?"
There haven't been any games that have been worth my $60 just yet. My husband almost broke down and bought Sonic the Hedgehog, but I stopped him just in the nick of time. Most of what is out there so far is racing, real sports, or trash. Since I, personally, am not particularly interested in any of those fine genres, I've taken a pass on the offerings thus far. The lack of substance in the current catalog is also the main reason I've found myself interested in Virtua Fighter 5. I wholeheartedly prefer Soul Caliber, and Killa is a Tekken man through and through. Although I don't have any dislike of Virtua Fighter, it is definitely a distant third for me, falling well behind the Namco/Bandai contenders. I would like to take this opportunity to review Virtua Fighter 5, but I can't, because I haven't played it yet.
At this point I should interject that Killa warned me against airing this tirade. "Don't pick on EB Games/Gamestop," he says, "It's too easy, and anyway it's kind of ripping off Penny Arcade."
On Tuesday, misinformed about the street date of VF5, Killa and I went to down to Ye Olde Game Shoppe. Not the closest location, though. In addition to VF5, I wanted to pick up La Pucelle Tactics for my hubby, and an inventory search of their website showed that only a more distant location had this particular used item in stock. Once we arrived, La Pucelle was procured in short order; I then asked for Virtua Fighter 5.
"That's not out 'til tomorrow," I was told. That’s alright. I realized I had my dates mixed up, or read the website wrong, but it was no biggie. The real prize, La Pucelle, was in hand. Then, the clerk added, "Did you preorder it?" I said I had not.
"Mmmm. Then you won’t be able to get it," chimed in the manager.
"What? Why?" I asked.
"Because it’s going to be sold out," she said.
"Sold out here, you mean?"
"No. . . . everywhere. Nobody is going to have this game. Trust me," she said, with the same sort of ominous tone that is usually reserved for warning one about the dangers of blu-ray lasers. I found that very hard to believe, since Best Buy and the other "big box" retailers usually have scads of these games on hand when they come out---scads, that is, that haven’t already been presold.
"Why don’t you preorder it now?" offered the clerk. "It's just five dollars down and you can come pick it up tomorrow." Now, remember, I’m at the location that is not nearest to my home. That’s part of the reason I don’t preorder to begin with---it necessitates two trips to the store, whereas I really feel that one trip should be sufficient to, you know, buy the thing I came in for. Before I could answer, the manager piped up as well:
"They only send me as many copies as I've presold, plus maybe one extra copy, so if you don’t preorder it, I won’t have one for you." At this, I became incensed. Since the game was to come out the next day, it must have already been shipped. So all the copies she was going to receive were already in the store, or on the way. Yet, they were still trying to take my preorder money on something I was just told would not be available for me the next day.
"So what you’re telling me," I reasoned aloud, "Is that I should not come here tomorrow to try to buy this game?"
"Right."
"In fact, I should never come to your store to buy a new game, unless I've preordered it?"
"Right." And that was all I needed to hear.
The cardinal rule of sales is the ABC rule, to always be closing. I would add a prerequisite to that: For brick-and-mortar retail stores, before you can even begin to close, you have to have the customer in your store; that is, physically in your presence. If the customer is in your store, then you can sell her something. Or at least try to. If the customer is not in your store, then your opportunity for sales is totally null. Telling the customer not to come to your store is the opposite of everything you are endeavoring to do by running a store that sells items.
Although, in fact, this store seems not to sell items.
I understand this phenomenon of scarcity. In the electronic game industry, unsold stock is a huge liability. Price cuts happen all the time, and unsold stock can't be returned to its manufacturer. Moreover, there is no accurate advance predictor of how well a given game will sell. In the movie industry, one can analyze the box office grosses to estimate how many DVDs are going to sell, but there's no such preview for games. It only makes sense for EB Games/Gamestop to stock only as many copies of a game as they are guaranteed to sell. The difficulty in buying a new game on release day from this store is not at issue.
The issue is this: When I do preorder a game, even if I pay in full for it up front at the time of the order, I must pick the game up within 48 hours of its release date, lest it be sold to someone else. Now, in my experience, when I have paid for something in full, it is mine and belongs to me, but the policies at this establishment disagree, which makes me uneasy. In addition---the primary reason that I do not preorder games---I frequently change my mind and my plans. I don’t want to have to drive to Shelbyville to pick up my game when I'm hanging out in Springfield all day. Or if I happen to be at a mall in Capitol City, it’s easier for me to pick the game up there rather than making a stop back in Springfield after my shopping spree.
I left with La Pucelle and a heavy heart, but this tale has a happy ending. On my way home from work this afternoon I stopped by the Gamestop that is nearest to my home. I strolled in and enquired as to whether there might be a copy of Virtua Fighter 5 on hand that I could readily purchase. The clerk looked at me like I had three heads---but only briefly, before handing me my game.
"I didn't preorder this," I said, "Is it really OK for me to buy? I heard this was going to be sold out everywhere?"
The clerk only snorted, and asked "Who told you that?"
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