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PAX 2011 Impressions – Street Fighter X Tekken
So, while I was over in Seattle for PAX Prime 2011 last weekend, I had the opportunity to play some Street Fighter X Tekken at both the Mad Catz booth and at the Capcom booth. We’ve seen trailers and screenshots, but it’s another thing altogether to actually play the game.
True enough, the core gameplay feels pretty similar to what you’d expect from a normal Street Fighter game, but with some definite inspiration from the Tekken Tag sub-series of games. The EX and supers are in there, but the tag-in elements can get pretty creative with linking combos. Also like Tekken, you can do a lot of “air juggling” for the combos. Pacing isn’t quite as frantic as a “versus” game like MvC3, to be sure. I couldn’t remember how to do all the crossover moves, but those will be pretty easy to pick up after a few more matches.
I did find it odd that, like Tekken Tag Tournament, a round ends when just one partner dies; this is quite different from other Capcom “versus” games where all team members must lose all their health for the team to lose.
The graphics style isn’t like Street Fighter IV, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, or anything like that. The edging is “sharper,” if that makes any sense, with much harsher lines than the comparatively softer finish you get with SSFIV. The contrast is dialed up to 11 and there are plenty of exaggerated animations.
We suspect the character selection screen isn’t done yet and more characters will get introduced in the coming weeks. During my time at PAX, I played as Ibuki, Ryu (twice), Hugo, Raven, and Hworang. By far, Hugo was the most fun to play: almost Zangief-like complete with a SPD-like move.
As far as the special SFxT arcade tournament fight stick from Mad Catz, it felt not unlike the tournament edition stick that we already see with SFIV branding on it. The bold red finish on the plastic housing looks kinda cheap, if you ask me.
In any case, we’re expecting a March 2012 release date on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as well as the PlayStation Vita presumably in some slightly different form.
It’s Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Day!
The day you’ve been waiting for is finally upon us. Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
From Deadpool to Dante, She-Hulk to X-23, there’s someone in there for everyone. How has the critical reception been so far? Justin Wong says the game is fun but cheap and easy. 1Up says the possibilities are endless, while GamesRadar applauds the spectacular comic book presentation. Overall, most reviewers are giving scores in the 80-90% range. That sounds awfully good to me!
What are you waiting for? Go buy your copy today! It’s available for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Fighting Game News and Rumors – 12/09/10
Lots of new fighting game news and rumors, so let’s get down to it.
First off, Rurouni Kenshin is on its way to the Sony PSP. The initial graphics don’t look all that great, but the Samurai Shodown style action could be fun.
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition is getting loaded with some new characters, like Yun and Yang, but it looks like Evil Ryu and Shin Akuma are being thrown into the mix too. Better still, these new characters could be made available for us home gamers via DLC on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network too.
Continuing on SSFIV, you can check out the 149-hit combo from Chun-Li. Totally epic. There’s also the Street Fighter: Beyond the Game documentary that’s worth watching too.
What about that other Capcom project? Well, there’s lots going on with Marvel vs. Capcom 3 too. In the video above, we see newcomers (to MvC3) Storm and Crimson Viper in action. Storm’s done the MvC thing before, but it’s cool to see a “new” SFIV make the jump to the versus front.
We also know about Jill Valentine and Shuma Gorath, as well as the possibility of Mega Man and Frank West. Mike Haggar of Final Fight fame could make the cut too. Other rumors include Hsien-Ko, War Machine, Ultron, Hawkeye, Spider-woman, Strider, Iron Fist, Thanos, Amatsu-Mikaboshi, and Victor Delacroix.
That’s the Japanese box art for the game, which I think looks better than what we’re getting. Either way, we’re expecting a February 15, 2011 launch.
Oh, and remember how the Soul Calibur series had console exclusives like Link for the GameCube version? Ed Boon and crew look like they’re doing the same for Mortal Kombat, it seems, as Kratos is rumored as a PS3 exclusive character in the upcoming fighting game. I wonder who the Xbox will get. Master Chief?
