[Event] LG Cup Street Fighter IV HD US Qualifiers

With its recent exclusive release of Street Fighter IV, LG has been trying to publicize the game as muchas possible, even running a worldwide tournament for both the Android game and Xbox360 version of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition ver. 2012. Before the world finals in South Korea, LG teamedup with Level|Up to run the US qualifiers this past weekend. We were there inall its competitive gaming, free food, and giveaway goodness.

Unlike most tournaments, the LG Cup started registration andcheck-in rather early at 8 AM, but didn’t formally start till 12:30 AM, an hourand a half after the original posted time. While this is par for the course inmost tournaments’ cases, it was disappointing to see players rushed out soearly in the morning just to wait almost five hours more, or even longer ifthey were in the second pool, to play. In the meantime, players were able toget in some casuals and practice for the tournament. Because the tournamentitself was free, many players like Sebastian "-5" Jennings, the player previously known asOneHandedTerror, and Derek “omni” Daniels who have stopped playing long beforeturned out as well, making for a reunion for some.

As the tournament got underway, things were rolling alongsmoothly with most gaming stations filled with the exception of some keymoments. However, as the tournament had started late, the second pool of thetournament had been changed from double elimination to single elimination.Obviously, it was a huge disappointment to many who attended who could havechosen to attended a tournament elsewhere instead or simply slept in. Consideringthat this was a free tournament with a trip to South Korea as the ultimateprize, there was a lot to be gained and little to be lost. In the end, though, spectatorswere still given an exciting tournament, with MCZ|MRN Joshua "Wolfkrone" Philpot facing offagainst EG. Ari "Floe" Weintraub in the grand finals. Though Floe shocked many with his premiereof Guy, Wolfkrone edged it out.  In theLG Nitro HD’s Street Fighter IV tournament,finals came down to MCZ|MRN Wolfkrone facing off against Victor "Victheslick" Denchartphan. Wolfkronemanaged to win this one as well, despite not having his signature Viper play.

There was fun to be had by attendees as well whether theywere competing or not. With free food and drinks provided, the most thatspectators could complain about was perhaps the lack of freeplay stations,which is par for the course in most tournaments. Before leaving, thanks toiam8bit, many left with extra shirts and posters as well. Overall, the LG Cup’sUS Qualifiers was a good opportunity for players to take a stab at going toKorea, enjoy some free pizza, drinks, and each other’s company.

[Demo Spotlight] Asura's Wrath (PS3)

In the barren month of January, where game releases are few and far in between, a demo for a hyped up game is quite appreciated. With a little over a month before its release, Asura’s Wrath has appeared on both the Playstation Network store and Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace. Filled with over the top action and excitement that reminds us of noteworthy action anime like Dragon Ball and Naruto, this game has already caught our eyes.

The demo offers two levels with vastly different playing styles, both of which exhibit the game’s changing controls and abilities rather well. The first has Asura fighting against a giant boss, a battle that will have players drawing up memories of the PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus. Some parts of the battle work out like a generic action adventure title with Asura shooting plasma while avoiding incoming attacks. In the second stage, it’s a one-on-one duel, where plasma shots are put aside for fist fighting. Both of these showcase the game’s changing command list that is based on the stages and story rather than some tech tree. Once he has built up enough meter, burst will flash across the screen with a button prompt that will be the first of many more. Unlike traditional quick time event games, Asura’s Wrath flourishes on it and continually gives varying, appropriate commands. It manages to be cinematic without ever boring.

Everything about the game is sure to give anime fans chills. The designs look like they’re straight out of an episode of Naruto, mixing Asian mythology with machinery. Even better, a boss can have his starting monologue cut short with a single button press. It all contributes to Asura being nothing short of a badass and players a part of an anime episode with action packed battles. The biggest gripe with this so far is that the English voices also properly mirror a horribly dubbed anime, devoid of emotion and sounding just plain laughable at times. Hopefully a dual audio option will be available for the full release.

Asura’s Wrath seems to be Japan and Capcom’s answer for Sony’s own God of War, featuring both eastern mythical figures and a plethora of quick time events that deliver an exciting visual experience. It’s a shame the demo didn’t showcase anything other than boss fights, but it certainly has us hyped up for its release on February 21.

[Review] Pet Zombies (3DS)

Pet simulators, like famous Japanese robotic dog AIBO, are really only enjoyable if players can’t own the actual pet. Once I got my own dog, Nintendogs immediately began to gather dust. When the imaginary pet in question is a bit more exotic, obviously the real life alternative is out of the question. A different take on the recent zombie trend, Pet Zombies doesn’t let players blast zombies, but raise them as the name would imply.

In the game’s world, apparently the zombie outbreak has been somewhat controlled, because zombies are openly for sale as pets. From the get-go, players will be able to select one of several zombie archetypes, ranging from jocks to scientists. Afterwards, players will be able to customize them, but most of the customization options are shallow, only allowing players to change their skin or clothing color. In the beginning, the variety in archetypes may be exciting, perhaps allowing players to live out fantasies of raising a fallen friend or torturing those high school enemies, but there also seems to be little differences between the zombies aside from the occasional gestures.

As with any other pet, zombies need food and entertainment. However, the way the game is designed doesn’t need players to actually care for their pets that much. There are two spectrums toward which players can take their zombies: nurture or torture. It sounds fun at first, especially given that most pet simulators discourage mistreating pets, but players will eventually find that it makes little difference how they choose to raise the zombies. The game doesn’t even keep track of time; zombies never suffer from starvation or separation anxiety, but only notice that they would like a snack or some playtime when players are actively playing Pet Zombies.

While playing with zombies, players will soon find that they need in-game currency for additional toys and food. To get these, they’ll have to play through some of the minigames. Compared to the actual zombie raising, this segment is much more fun, though that might not be saying much. These are usually just endurance trials, the player’s ability to catch coins flung from trash bins or floating throughout the airspace. As a time killer, these are sufficient but are unlikely to keep anybody’s attention more than for one or two tries at a time. Thankfully, that is enough to help players stock up or buy a precious toy they’ve just unlocked through raising their zombies.

It’s always interesting to see a game that takes a trend and turns it on its head. Upon seeing the game, I couldn’t help but think of Shawn of the Dead, yet the game fails to be a fulfilling comedic or immersive experience. Conceptually, it could have been fun. As a pet simulator, however, it creates too large a disconnect between the game and player to ever create the illusion of raising a pet. Players who always wanted to abuse their pets in Nintendogs or Petz might want to take a stab at Pet Zombies, but it will have little keeping power beyond that.

Available on: 3DS; Publisher: Majesco Games; Developer: 1st Playable Portables; Players: 1; Released: November 16, 2011; ESRB: Teen; Official Site

Note: A retail copy was provided to Denkiphile for review purposes by the publisher.

Why and How SOPA Must be Stopped

While it’s been getting a lot of attention from most of theinternet, and by internet I mean Redditors, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)has little signs of slowing down. For associations and companies like the ESAand CBS that support it, it may seem that preventing and punishing piracy is unquestionablyessential in protecting their assets, but the broadness and scope of which SOPAaffects the whole industry is one that will ultimately do it more harm thangood. For individual gamers, it’s essential to finally stand up and getinvolved in the political process.

Aside from just making piracy a federal offense, one thatnot only the victimized companies can act on but the federal government aswell, any form of copyright infringement follows suit. Most notably, thisincludes streaming of material. As a member of the fighting game communitysince the days of Capcom vs. SNK 2, Ihave seen the good that this so called “copyright infringement” has done.Gameplay videos distributed online helped build the fighting game communitymore than the games and their mechanics themselves could ever have. Whethergamers have competed in a tournament or not before, they must know of thefamous “EVO 2004 Moment #37,” where famed Japanese player Daigo Umehara tookdown American player Justin Wong with a flurry of parries that allowed him tomake one of the biggest comebacks in any competitive gaming event to date.

Since then, the size of the Evolution Fighting GameChampionships (EVO) had gradually grown, until the release of Street Fighter IV and its inclusion inEVO 2009. In EVO 2008, the largest tournament had just fewer than 400 entrants,a number that was shattered by over a thousand Street Fighter IV entrants in EVO 2009. Ever since then, we wentfrom having one or two quiet fighting game releases a year to several highlyanticipated releases, including Street Fighter X Tekken and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 next year. Without the streaming that powered this community,it’s questionable, maybe even doubtful, that the player base would havesustained itself, much less grown to the size it is now. In turn, the veryrelease and popularity of Street FighterIV and all subsequent fighting games would have been questionable as well.This is one whole genre of the game that would be dead if it weren’t for “copyrightinfringement.”

Beyond the effect it has on gaming itself, there is also thequestion of the bill’s constitutionality. The restrictions in place are a baneupon every American citizen’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech andfreedom of press. Imagine all the ways “copyright infringement” has been usedto enhance this generation’s ability to express itself. These range from thelackluster anime music videos that pop up frequently to memes that become aneverlasting part of the internet and our thought processes. Whether these meettraditional ideas of free speech and expression or not shouldn’t matter – to passSOPA would be to abridge upon these rights. It certainly is something thataffects everyone.

Overly optimistic onlookers may see the situation and simplybelieve that the Supreme Court will right any wrongs the President and Congressmay enact. The truth of the matter is that the Judicial branch has no abilityto enforce any ruling it makes. Imagine a scenario where SOPA passes and agroup of independent game reviewers on YouTube are arrested for posting upvideo reviews. Shortly thereafter, the case is appealed all the way up to theSupreme Court, where the justices find in favor of the defendants and rule thatSOPA is unconstitutional. In theory, neither the executive or legislativebranch has to back up this ruling. In fact, this has happened before in thecase of Worchester v. Georgia; thoughGeorgia had lost the case, the court had no authority to command Georgia. In asense, the Supreme Court is like a highly valued advisor – one whose opinion ishighly regarded, but by no means supreme. This imaginary scenario, of course,does not even begin to account for the possibility that SOPA is upheld.

So the Supreme Court is obviously a last ditch effort tostop SOPA. But we must nip it in the bud and stop it before a single blogger,YouTube uploader, or meme artist is considered a felon. To do that, we must alltake part in the political process. This doesn’t just mean to vote, but toactively voice yourselves to your representatives and senators. Before you say,“But I’m just one person. They wouldn’t care about one vote!” It’s not just aboutyour vote. Every single person who has viewed a video on YouTube, read areview, or giggled at a picture on Reddit owes it to themselves and futuregenerations to make themselves heard.

Though the video makes a good point that the bill's supporters are somewhat dubious, it's unlikely to affect any congressperson. Do you realize how much theserepresentatives make a year? The average salary for a congressperson is$174,000. If I was a congressperson, I’d want to keep that kind of high payingjob for as long as possible. But in order for our senators and representativesto keep their jobs, we need to make them work for us. Without our votes, representativesand senators have no power and no jobs. Take a stand and tell these publicservants how you want them to vote on SOPA – don’t leave it up to lobbyists anda congressperson without explicit orders from his or her constituents todecide. I've already contacted my representatives and two senators. Now it's time for you, and everyone you know, to do the same. 

[Friday Five] Reasons to Get the Wi-Fi PS Vita

With the launch of the Playstation Vita only a little morethan a month away, it seems like the prime time to talk about the system. Afterit had launched in Japan to abysmal figures that were dwarfed by the 3DS’sgrowing sales, most experts predicted an early price drop like Nintendo did forits portable or even the possibility of a cancelled North American launch. Butwe’re not here to talk about that. No, I personally have faith in the PSV. Justnot the 3G model.

You’re Saving Money

Maybe it’s because I’m a miser or maybe it’s because gamesare costing more and more, but the amount you’ll be saving really adds up. It’snot just the initial extra $50 you’ll be saving, but you also have to considerthe subscription fees that will be racking up every month. Right now, AT&T's revealed plans are at $15 per month for 250MB of data and $25 for 2GB of data. It’s simply notworth it considering that…

You Might Have a CellPhone

In the age of smart phones and data plans that can get unlimited data at speeds up to 4G, depending on the provider, there’s no reason to settle for adevice that can only reach speeds of 3G for an extra subscription. Any of the socialnetworking opportunities the PSVita has, such as Facebook and foursquare, areabundantly present in any smart phone. And I’m certainly not spending an extrapremium for the luxury of telling the world I’ve been playing Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 at Denny’sversus just telling them I’m at Denny’s. Plus, with a cell phone…

Internet’s EverywhereAnyways

The tech savvy gamer knows that most phones can be used ashotspots, whether the carriers allow it or not. Many places, including Denny’s,the cheap gamer’s diner of choice, will also have complimentary Wi-Fi. Internetis either simply so abundant or found in so many other sources that it‘s just awaste to jam it into another device. Tether your phone or buy a drink at aStarbucks, because those are both better alternatives considering…

3G Speeds for OnlineGaming…Really?

Even with my 15Mbps connection, gaming is often an iffy andlag-filled affair. Giving AT&T the benefit of the doubt and having faiththat it will consistently deliver the 1700Kbps and 700Kbps upload speedsurveyed by Speedtest.net earlier this year, I still wouldn’t expect a smoothexperience. Good luck dealing with low coverage areas and dead zones, too. Remember,not all 3G is delivered equally.

Minimal HardwareDifferences

The only addition to the 3G model that the Wi-Fi model lacksis the GPS chip. Otherwise, gamers who purchase either model will end up withthe same experience. Unless developers start to utilize the GPS chip in somegames, which heavily relies on the success of the 3G model itself to berealistic, it will sit by and miss out on all the action. Oh, and did I mention how unreliable most GPS chips are indoors, where most gaming will likelytake place? 

[Review] Batman Arkham City (PS3)

After creating a game that is heralded as game of the year, there must be a huge sense of satisfaction with all those involved. Soon after the champagne is gone and the confetti is cleaned up, everyone is left with the question: "What now?" How do the developers follow that up? How can they make a sequel that not only reaches the success of the prequel, but raises the bar to a new level? That was the challenge that Rocksteady Studios had in front of them after the glory that was Batman: Arkham Asylum. So as we start the new year, we take a look back to the best games of 2011 and check out Batman: Arkham City.


From the get go, Arkham City beautifully transitions from where Arkham Asylum left off. The former warden of Arkham Asylum is now the mayor of Gotham and has sent all the inmates of the asylum to a large gated area of Gotham that is Arkham City. Hugo Strange runs Arkham City and Bruce Wayne has been captured then sent into Arkham City in an epic, Hollywood worthy, cinematic intro.

The gameplay mirrors that of the original game and why not? If it's not broken, don't fix it. This is really a huge testament to the franchise's success; the core of the gameplay is very simple. You can fight all the thugs with a single button; if you want to add some counter attacks then you're now up to two buttons. Anything further than that is unnecessary, though the game will prompt you on how to perform certain combos and unlock the fighting potential of Batman. If you find this too easy, then you have the option of removing the prompts and left to learn and memorize these combos, but regardless of what you choose, you'll be in an action packed, and visually stunning battle every time. It can get redundant after awhile, especially in the regard of the random groups of thugs you encounter along the way. But most of the time you can spare yourself by just passing them along. Arkham City is quiet large, with many different buildings that you can interact with and free roaming the skies as Batman is really half the fun. In fact, gliding and grappling will quickly become the preferred mode of transportation; not only is it faster but walking and running with Batman is really rather cumbersome and not very smooth, which was something that unfortunately carried over from the original. Batman's place is in the skies anyway.

Without giving too much away, the plot is very intricate and packed with almost every Batman villain you can think of. They've even added a couple of missions where you can play as Catwoman that are behind the scenes but still relevant to the main plot. Another thing that I learned about Batman is that his life sucks. I say so because now, through this game, I feel as though I understand what it is to be Batman. Hear me out. You're gliding around the city on the hunt for Mr. Freeze, and when all the sudden your radio scanner tells you there are some thugs assaulting someone. Are you going to be that heartless guy that carries on with more important matters and let's this poor innocent man get mugged or worse? Okay; yeah you do sometimes, but a lot of the time you put your own mission aside to help out others. Believe me that this is no understatement. There will always be other side missions to accomplish, which really goes to show that there is always work to be done for Batman. These missions vary from random acts of kindness on the streets to full fledged missions with other bosses that show you how large and in-depth this game really is. There are even little trophies that the Riddlers has scattered around the city. This all makes for countless hours of content - relevant content. Everything about this game has a great attention to detail.

I really can't express enough how great of an experience it is to play this game. It is like you are living the character of the major motion film, with great graphics, cinematic movie score, and a great plot to go along with it. Though it obviously is a sequel Arkham Asylum, Arkham City delivers in its own right and can be a stand alone game with the hours upon hours of content. Though it is not in my nature to give anything the title of a perfect game, this game does come close. The franchise has created a great environment that can be enjoyed from the noobs to the veterans without detracting from the gameplay experience, allowing the player to engulf themselves into the world of Batman.

Available on: 360, PC, PS3; Publisher: Rocksteady Studios; Developer: Warner Bros. Interactive; Players: 1; Released: October 18, 2011; ESRB: Teen; Official Site

[Review] Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic (3DS)

Though it only joined us in the last generation ofportables, the Cooking Mama serieshas already become an imminent release for Nintendo’s portables. A release onthe 3DS on the question also begs the question of what the game could have tobenefit from the system’s capabilities, considering that the game takes placemostly on the touch screen. The answer: not much, but Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magicstill keeps all of its charm and base audience with the its new outing.Unfortunately, the problems that have plagued older games in the series stillremain as well.

 Stereoscopic 3D, the3DS’s most outstanding function, is hardly used. At most, items may pop up fromthe bottom screen to the top, either foretelling an incoming ingredient thatmust be grasped or punishment for throwing ingredients in a blender at thewrong time. Visually, the game still has improvements over its predecessorsthough and the finished products can actually look quite tempting. Otherwise,the visual style for Kitchen Magicstays true to the series with few differences to the 2D art – so much so thatplayers may confuse it for a preceding title.

For the most part, the gameplay also remains unchanged.There’s a healthy amount of new cooking methods, most of which revolve aroundtiming your actions. The 3DS’s gyroscope is also put to use, allowing certainminigames to be completed by wiggling the system around rather than using thetouchscreen. However, the game doesn’t really inform players when a gyroscopecan be used and it’s rather imprecise compared to the touchscreen, making it a trivialaddition.

Any veteran chef will look at the game as a joke thatfeatures unrealistic and excessively complex ways to get the same job done.It’s doubtful that any cook will actually choose to squeeze falling bananas outof their peel rather than doing so the generic way.  Minor bickering about the game’s lack ofrealism aside, these do provide a healthy amount of challenge. Players willhave no trouble finishing recipes in a matter of minutes due to the game’stolerance for mistakes, even rewarding players with a gold coin despitemistakes, and its mostly short recipes. It will take practice, however, tofinish certain challenges in a timely fashion and be awarded with stars thatbuild towards new accessories and kitchenware for Mama.

After the first ten or so recipes, repetition will kick in. Thishas been a longtime issue for the series and rears its ugly head again with Kitchen Magic. Beyond just crackingendless eggs and mixing countless ingredients together, even the combination minigamesreek of repetition; no matter what condiment players are putting onto their riceor soba, the minigame will be the same. Multiplayer options largely revolvearound the same gameplay as the single player, hardly providing a remedy.

For kids and family road trips, Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic may be ideal with its short bursts ofcooking fun. Those who have However, anyone looking for a deep experience willbe disappointed by the repeats in preparation and lack of improvements from thepast formulas. Any visual upgrades made were minor at best and it’s hard to recommendplayers to pick this up over its past, and probably cheaper, counterparts.

Available on: 3DS; Publisher: Majesco Games; Developer: Cooking Mama Limited; Players: 1 - 4; Released: November 16, 2011; ESRB: Everyone; Official Site

Note: A retail copy was provided to Denkiphile for review purposes by the publisher.