Let's Start Fanart Sundays!

So I think I am going to post fan art on Sundays from now on to give some sort of order to the updates. As usual enjoy the art, I think this week's offerings are pretty damn good. On a side note I ordered Live A Live and Secret of Mana 2 reproduction SNES carts. I will make sure to post pictures after I receive them. I am so excited to finally have the chance to own these two classic games.

Capcom Secret Files

Capcom releases books in Japan to celebrate certain game releases. Games like Strider, Street Fighter 3, and Darkstalkers have all received one. These secret files contain parody art, cut material, and more. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom seems to have gotten one, and since I love the game so much, I think it is time to look back at some of the better material from former secret files.



This appears to be some strange Street Fighter 3 concept art. Note Oro being covered by only a paddle, lol. I kinda like the wrestling Sphinx guy.
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Ever wanted to put together a little Zangief made of paper? Well me neither, but I guess someone did , so this was in one of the Street Fighter secret files.

This was the cover of the Street Fighter 3 Giant Attack Secret File. Hugo is King Kong and Elena is his victim, this is a nice homage. Bravo Capcom.

This is from Darkstalkers 3 Secret File. This one is a little...odd. The focus seems to be on characters showing their ass, or flashing undies. The one with Victor is very disturbing.



Tatsunoko vs. Capcom's Secret File showcases cut material. It is comically listed as Frank West's Scoops. Here we can see cut characters like Phoenix Wright and Nurse Witch Komugi. Also note the great looking Ghosts N Goblins stage. I want that stage for DLC :-)

For more secret file information check this link: http://fightingstreet.com/folders/variousinfofolder/secretfilesfolder/secretfilespage.html

Game Reproductions

I love many retro games, but it is nice to play classics that never got US release. Tons of great games stayed in Japan in the 16-bit era and 8-bit era. I found a site offering accurate reproductions of some of those missing games now in ENGLISH! I am going to have to check out Treasure Hunter G and LIVE A LIVE. They are also offering Starfox 2 in cartridge form...for $100 dollars as well. I better save my pennies.

http://www.gamereproductions.com/

Five Biggest Badasses of the Final Fantasy Universe

Final Fantasy XIII is on the horizon, so I think it is a nice time to reflect on the series' past. Final Fantasy has been a huge series with tons of characters, some memorable and some not so memorable. The series has had it's fill of great stories and cool battles, but what about the characters that make these things so great? Well I am here to talk about the badasses that make up some of my favorite parts of the long running series. (SPOILERS AHEAD)

5. Kain Highwind (FF IV) - Who can forget the enigmatic dragoon of Final Fantasy IV? He is a hero, then a villain, and by a twist of fate, a hero again. I can't count the number of time his jump ability saved my ass in the game while "main hero" Cecil was getting owned. His talent for being a prick at just the right times made him a cool villain, and the duality of his nature made him a deep character. Kain is a badass, and if you don't believe me, try not jumping anytime in the last dungeon. Without this unique ability it is a suicide run in the making.

4. TG Cid aka Orlandu (FFT) - Orlandu is the most broken character in Final Fantasy Tactics and he is awesome for it. He is a legendary knight with abilities that far outweigh any other team member's and is nearly invulnerable to death. He makes a very difficulty strategy game a breeze with his sword attacks that can kill the final boss in around four turns. While some may whine he makes the game too easy, I say admire Orlandu because it isn't too often an old man become the strongest warrior in a game. I salute you Thunder God Cid.

3. Shadow (FF VI) - The mysterious ninja, Shadow, is an odd guy. He comes and gos from your party as he pleases, but it always sucks when he leaves since he is such a badass. He has a dog that randomly attacks for him and he has crazy ass dreams of his past (PTSD maybe?) What makes him so great? Shadow can throw all kinds of stuff. In fact this super ninja can throw a sword that kills the final boss in one hit. HOLY SHIT! Aside from that, Shadow has one of the best theme songs ever bumping him up the list a bit.

2. Kefka (FF VI) - Kefka is batshit crazy, and I love him for that. His theme song makes him seem like a zany, joke character; but that couldn't be farther from the truth. He doesn't plan to destroy the world, he actually does it. In the second half of Final Fantasy VI he simply rules from his tower like a god. Aside from these things making him a badass, the final battle with him is one of the best ever. He basically mocks your team for being lame then proceeds to kick ass to the awesome "Dancing Mad" melody. He proves that it isn't just looks that make a badass, because he sorta looks like a gay clown. Instead he proves his worth with wicked (and sometimes comical) actions, kinda like the Joker.

1. Sephiroth (FFVII) - Love it or hate it, Final Fantasy VII had a massive impact on gaming. One of the biggest reasons was a single villain, Sephiroth. He was once revered as a hero of humanity, but due to some revealing details of his past, he decides to destroy everything on the planet with a meteor. A little crazy huh? Aside from this menacing deed, he killed Aerith, a moment many fanboys still remember vividly ( it was pretty sad for me too.) The final battle with Sephiroth is a very cool one which brings out everything that makes a memorable boss fight truly epic. When he descends in angelic form with a choir chanting his name, you know you are in for one hell of a battle. During the fight to show he means business, he doesn't cast Fire 3 or Holy...no screw that pussy shit, Sephiroth calls out a freakin' planet destroying Super Nova. If that doesn't make you a badass, then I don't know what does...

The list could have been longer with notable characters like Auron and Gilgamesh, but I think the main badasses are listed. I hope XIII lives up to my expectations, and provides memorable characters for long time fans of the series. The world doesn't need anymore spoony bards laming it up.

Next Week in Games...My Head Explodes!!!

Next week on the 26th, three huge games are arriving at your local game store. Mass Effect 2, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and No More Heroes 2 are the three and I am very excited. This means two things. The first is my free time will almost completely be consumed (sorry family and friends) and number two, my wallet will become very thin.Historically accurate depiction of Hitler's demise.

1. Mass Effect 2 - Shepard's work isn't done yet. This sequel to one of my favorite modern RPG's looks great with plenty of new action. I can't wait to see what happened to the original crew, and who the new enemy is. The commercials for this one have me psyched.
2. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom - Even though I don't know who the hell most of the Tatsunoko crowd are, I still want to pick this up. The VS. games never disappoint, and Japan went apeshit over this one. I am not looking forward to crappy online, hopefully Nintendo and Capcom fixed it. Any game starring Frank West gets my attention however,so here is my money.
3. No More Heroes 2- The Wii doesn't get many AAA titles, but this one looks high quality. Did I mention, it also looks freakin' insane? Suda 51, the developer, talks about it in his developer diary. BTW the diary video is beyond insane. Check it out in the link below.

Here is the link:


http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/20/no-more-heroes-2-dev-diary-is-the-swirling-eye-of-madness/

More Fanart from Pixiv

Here is some more great art from the awesome artists on Pixiv. Enjoy :-)
Click Image to Enlarge!

Deathsmiles is Coming to America!

Deathsmiles is finally getting a US release. The publisher hasn't been named, but I am guessing Atlus or UFO Interactive. This is great news since the game is really fun, and it's release opens the door to more US ports for Cave games. I am very excited about this news. If you are curious about the game, I did a review of the import copy last year, check it out if you are interested.

I can't wait to hear more about this. Hopefully a cool pre-order item comes with the game like a nice art book, or soundtrack. I am glad someone is giving this niche title a shot, it truly deserves a chance here. Everyone buy two copies so we get Espgaluda 2 as well!

This would be a strange pre-order gift...

Lords of Thunder Review

Lords of Thunder is a classic shooter from the 90's. The game never received a sequel, but it remains a fun game to this day. I have to shamefully admit I never played the game till last year via a Sega CD emulator. I wanted to play the game since I had heard over and over of the epic metal soundtrack that rocked so hard. I was instantly impressed after booting up the title screen.

After completing the game on the emulator I really wanted to get a legit copy. I searched and found the Sega CD version was pretty expensive. I then looked into the Turbo Duo edition and found that the system and Lords of Thunder were super expensive. My frustration led me to the Wii's Virtual Console. A few minutes later I was rocking the Turbo Duo version on my modern Nintendo system...hell yeah!

Lords of Thunder starts with you selecting armor for your god knight based on an element. The element determines your attack style. After picking your element you proceed to a store with power ups, extra continues, and shields for sell. One more selection takes place after this, level selection. Various islands are available usually based around a certain element like a desert stage or a water stage. This is a pretty cool feature since you can pick different routes each time you play.

The graphics are pretty cool in a nostalgic sense. They feature a little above average 16- bit sprite work and the speed in some levels never blurs your vision. The bosses are impressively large and detailed. The stages themselves look decent but are not the greatest. The anime art in the game's shop front and ending are pretty nice however.
My favorite parts of the game are the music and gameplay. The music is a metal fan's dream. I love the soundtrack and personally feel it pales only to Symphony of the Night in great guitar work. The gaming world needs more guitar soundtracks. The gameplay is pretty tough ( the Turbo Duo version being harder than the Sega CD port) but extra continues for sale makes things easier on the committed player. The music compliments the hardcore shooting action perfectly, you will never hate repeating a stage since it gives you another chance to hear the awesome music.

You can get the game for cheap on the Virtual Console. I have not noticed any real problems in the emulation, but then again I have never played the original game on the Turbo Duo. If you have some extra cash and want a cool shooter, pick this gem up. The game can be hard, but that should not deter you from trying this one out.

Randomness:

• This game is a follow up to Gate of Thunder, a similar shooter on the Turbo CD featuring spaceships.

• The US version of the Sega CD Lords of Thunder has the sexiest sounding shop keeper ever!
• The Sega CD version is noted for being a graphically inferior port that is a bit easier in difficulty than it's Turbo CD counterpart.

Fighting Game Femme Fatales

Here is fanart dedicated to the fighting game genre's hot femme fatales. I know Bridget is a crossdresser, but I liked the picture (plus I couldn't find a nice picture of Baiken.)

Game Music via Piano

During my time at Magfest last week I listened to plenty of great music from classic games. Many of the bands I listened to were great but one guy really got my attention. He was sitting on a piano jamming Mario, Final Fantasy, and Castlevania tunes. I bought one of his CDs, which was basically a soundtrack to Final Fantasy VI. The purchase was not a mistake, I love it.

I did a little search on Google and found he has a site with his music for download. The downloads are also FREE. This download list contains the entire soundtrack I purchased. I highly suggest checking out the guy's work. If you love classic game music you will not be disappointed.
http://danielbrown.vgpiano.com/audio.htm

Fanart Time with a Hot Bonus

If you have not noticed, I enjoy posting kickass game art. Well here is some more!
Click to Enlarge!

This next pic isn't from a fan. It is from George Kamitani, the head artist at Vanillaware ( famous for Odin Sphere and Muramasa.) He is such an amazing artist, this picture is just incredible.

Bayonetta Rocks

I picked up the 360 version of Bayonetta yesterday, and I have found it hard to put down ever since. The game's actions sequences are amazing and the story is entertaining for an action title (she kills angels for a living.) Sega has included goofy nostalgia moments like references to Eggman, music from Outrun, and Halos that seem very similar to Sonic's rings. The creator also references some of his past titles like Viewtiful Joe in the dialogue. The game seems like a return to Sega's glory days.

The combat system is wild. You jump between guns, swords to chainsaws, animal forms, and butterfly wings in every fight. The combat has what seems like an infinite amount of possibilities for combos. What helps this is the "witch time." It works like the Matrix's bullet time, the time around Bayonetta slows and she is able to beat the hell out of enemies. If she combos enough, a torture attack opens which allows her to place enemies in guillotines or iron maidens. It is pretty insane.

One of the coolest parts of the fighting is the climax attack. When Bayonetta gets a strong enemy down to a certain amount of health this option opens. Bayonetta suddenly goes nude with only a few strands of hair covering her, and her hair starts turning into giant demons. These demons proceed to massacre the angelic foes in a variety of sick and interesting ways.

The graphics are fluid and Bayonetta oozes sexiness. The soundtrack also seems pretty damn good, in Japan it got a 4 disc edition if that tells you anything. One slight annoyance in the game is the overuse of the word "fuck." It seems like the game uses the word in every sentence. It works in Tarantino movies, not in a video game. Otherwise I am loving this game. I still haven't beat it, but from what I gather there are tons of unlockables such as new playable characters and costumes. Do not write this game off as a Devil May Cry knockoff. I almost did, and I can say that would have been a big mistake.