Day at Capcom!

So, as part of my real job, I was lucky enough to get invited over to Capcom HQ in London to play some Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5. What a hardship eh?

So last Friday, I got the 7.30 train to London Kings Cross. I like the train, as long as you can get a seat.. Perfect time to read Watchmen, listen to my Walkman and drink coffee - which is preceisely what I did.

Rolled up to Capcom in Hammersmith at lunchtime, and was promptly taken to a downstairs room, where the sight of not one but two gorgeous Taito Viewlix cabinets greeted me. Few seconds later, Street Fighter IV was up and running, and I was all set!

Played the arcade machines for a good few hours, and despite having already been lucky enough to play it in Tokyo in September last year, I still found myself totally sucked in. It's just that damn good. The flow, the character, the feel, it's just classic Street Fighter.

The new characters aren't bad either, with Abel and Crimson Viper offering some different styles for the SF series. El Fuerte looks like he'll have the ability to really frustrate and confuse people in VS matches, but he could take a serious bit of practice before you'll get the hang of him - lots of running around and linked leaps and throws. VERY different from the other characters in the game.

Afterwards I got to to try my hand on the Xbox 360 port of the game, and I;'m pleased to report it's pretty much arcade perfect. Additional modes are present, as well as a heap of extra characters including Sakura, Dan, Cammy, etc, but you have to unlock these in the game itself before you can use them.

It's already my game of the year. And yeah, it WAS one of my games of last year, but that was the arcade, and this year is the console version. It deserves multiple awards, plaudits and as much love as I can give it.

Resident Evil 5 I'd already played a chunk of thanks to the Japanese demo on 360, but it was still nice to see the opening section and see how the action begins to unfold. I WON'T spoil it for my non-readers, but I think it's safe to say if you're a fan of RE4, then 5 is going to blow you away!

I didn't go away empty handed either - nabbed myself a nice little Street Fighter IV promo box with a Chun Li figure, move cards for the characters and a Street Fighter IV USB memory stick! Score!

Oh yeah, before I forget - my Street Fighter IV preview over at GAME website is here!

Street Fighter - Legend of Chun Li movie poster.

Pretty much anything Street Fighter gets me excited - comics, games, toys, anime, pencil cases, etc. But the upcoming movie "Street Fighter - The Legend of Chun Li," this I'm not looking forward to.

It was bad enough having the not particularly Chinese Kristen Kreuk as Chunners - yeah, she's half chinese Smallville nerds, now shut up - and bad enough that she's sparrow thin and couldn't kick her way out of a paper screen.

The movie poster though, that's the final kick in the face. After countless fantastic box fronts throughout the game series, with some amazing artists over at Capcom and their new buddies Udon, surely someone somewhere at Capcom or the movie company thought something better could be done than this...


It's just... wrong. The font, the logo, the caption, the silhouettes, the faces. And jesus, Michael Clarke Duncan, guaranteed shitfest. And is that supposed to be Vega/Balrog?

I just don't get it - using faces on a poster makes sense if it's some big names sure, but that's just a bunch of C listers. Fair enough Kreuk might bring in the Clark Kent brigade, but they probably don't like SF anyway - not enough goody two shoes all American bullshit going on for them.

Still at least there's no Van Dammage or Kylie Fucking Minogue, but this is going to stink.

artificial construct's best of 2008 part 2

2008 was a solid year for gaming, with the "next-gen" consoles hitting their stride somewhat, and plenty of quality releases across all formats. The return to the arcade scene of one of the true daddies of gaming certainly helped make 2008 shine, that's for sure. So in no particular order, here's my top 5 retail/arcade games of the last year!

1. Devil May Cry 4 - Over the top and as stupidly insane as ever, DMC 4 is my most played game from 2008. A whopping seventh of the year was taken up by Capcom's stylish action game, and while it was not quite the hardcore coolfest of DMC 3, the fourth game in the series still managed to shine. New character Nero's grapple ability mixed up the gameplay nicely, while Dante's late appearance in the game merely reminded you just how cool he is. Awesome stuff.

2. Rock Band 1 and 2 - Trumping Guitar Hero in no uncertain terms (in my opinion,) Rock Band made living room jam sessions a reality for all, and showed just how much fun you could have with a group of people, some plastic instruments, and a fridge full of drink. Everyone fancies a go, it just depends on how much social lubricant they require before they feel ready to blow your ears off with Bon Jovi. And drunk singers are always great. Fun for everyone, only a complete misanthrope would hate it.

3. Space Invaders Extreme - Take the most famous game of all time and change it from an out of date dull-fest into a pulse pounding high-score grasping one more go beast you say? On Nintendo DS? It's bound to be shit I hear you cry. How wrong you'd be, if you were reading this and crying out, which you're not, so this is all just me talking to my imaginary games luddite readers. Anyway, I digress, as Space Invaders Extreme is the bollocks, the nuts, and the nadgers. Pure shooting heaven, trippy visuals, and lovely tunes - what more could you want? Oh, space marines? Fuck off back to Gears with you.

4. Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise - Almost didn't make it into my top 5, as I only got round to buying it on the 27th of December in the sales, but like the previous game, VP:TiP is more addictive than candy, crack and Veronica Mars. Master romancing, variant finding, oddity evolving, sour taming, chilli growing, pond digging excellence - you simply CANNOT turn it off once you get started. "Just one more species before bed," you'll say, until many different coloured Fudgehogs later it's dawn. "Just one more before work..."

5. Street Fighter IV - I couldn't have a top 5 for 2008 without it tbh. It might not be easily playable anywhere outside Japanese arcades currently, but it's out, and I've played it, so as far as I'm concerned it goes in. Easing back the depth a touch of SF3 a touch to allow new players back in, SFIV takes the series into 3D succesfully, retaining all the tight gameplay and visual touches the games are known for. Ryu, Ken and the original SF2 cast are joined by a few Alpha upstarts, as well as some all new pugilists, and it all plays magnificently. The home release is my most wanted game of 2009 too. SHORYU-REPPA!

artificial construct's best of 2008 part 1

Not that anyone reads this blog, so quite why I'm bothering is beyond me, but here's my favourite stuff of 2008. That I can remember.

Album - an antiquated concept perhaps in today's download and MP3 biased music world, but it's still nice to pick up a CD, especially when it's as damn sublime as Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago". Bought on the strength of it being referred to as "melancholy" in the Guardian Guide one weekend (I can't resist a good dose of melancholy), this has definitely become my favourite disk of the year. Fragile vocals delivered in a eerie falsetto, minimal production and rythmic accompaniment, ghostly guitars, and some quirky/icky lyrical choices combine in one almost perfect package. Re: Stacks is the tune of choice for me, but Lump Sum, Flume and For Emma all deserve a mention. And Skinny Love.

Oh fuck it, all of them. Just buy it already.

Single - Kings of Leon "Sex on Fire". Yeah, I know, me and every other person with ears. Still, it's a belter, and only the deaf and people with dreadlocks are left untouched by it. And people with dreads clearly have no taste, so their opinions are automatically null and void.

Epic chorus, insistent drumming, and a hookline that will stay in your head for fecking days. Brilliant.

Movie - "The Dark Knight" Another populist and popular choice, but for once it deserves all the hype. Sure, Bale's bat-voice becomes a little grating after a few watches, and there are plot holes a-plenty, but it's definitely the best comic book movie yet thanks to it's gritty tone and Heath Ledger scaring up the screen in a truly demented turn as the Joker, and gives all the rest of the franchises a clearly defined goal to aim at. And completely miss, knowing the state of Hollywood and comic books.

Games, comics, and whatever else I've enjoyed in 2008 in the next post.