"SO! THE LEGEND IS TRUE!!!"

About 4 months ago, I had stumbled across this game through one of the few YouTube shows that I regularly watch. Needless to say, I was blown away (and still am) by what the trailer promises to offer (especially with Goku fighting Kid Buu, ending the fight with the spectacular Spirit Bomb - my jaw just dropped). After looking more into the game (since, lucky for me, there have been gameplay videos on this game), I've learned several things about this game:

1. The game is still incomplete, with the game's developers constantly releasing updates to include more characters (including moves, intros and outros)/stages/music, while also balancing out the game's physics, mechanics, and AI (it's too challenging as of now). As of now, there are only 5 characters (Goku, Vegeta, Adult Gohan, Frieza, and Super Saiyan Goku).
2. The game is incomplete due to the fact that this is all entirely fan-based game! This is an amazing fact considering how much work has been put into the game (this was all accomplished in their free time! They can't monetize this project because of IP stuff).
3. The game utilizes the Mugen fighting engine. This means that the game will run flawlessly on a Windows machine, but it'll take some work to work around the schematics of a Mac (which is what I have, so I haven't had the opportunity to play the game myself, sad to say).

The game, as a whole, is not only an homage to some of the more advanced-skill 2D/2.5D fighters out there (think Guilty Gear,  BlazBlue, Killer Instinct), but it's outstanding that you know that people who created this game have deep love and respect of the DBZ universe. The detail to the sprites and their animations is just gorgeous (just look at Frieza's tail during his standing animation). This DBZ fighter is a must to those who are not only looking for a fun, challenging fight, but every DBZ fan must check this game out, despite the game not being entirely complete. Lastly, here is the demo trailer video that first introduced me to this already awesome game:

"Blaze" It Up! (Late Post #4)

Key Characters in BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

Over the summer, I've had the pleasure of diving into the "BlazBlue" universe, as I call it. So far, BlazBlue has been expanded through 3 main entries (Calamity Trigger, Continuum Shift, and ChronoPhantasma, respectively). With each new game that's released, new character are introduced, as well as both the overall main story and each character's backstory (for both new and veteran fighters) become more elaborated (as it should be). Since the BlazBlue universe has gotten considerably bigger (through spinoffs, an anime series, and supplemental novel and manga publishings), there's just too much info to share on this one blog post, but click here and it'll take you to BlazBlue's wiki page. All pertinent info can be found here.

 BlazBlue, in short, is a 2D J-Fighter, mixing elements from Capcom's classic Street Fighter and Marvel v. Capcom series, as well as a personal favorite series, Killer Instinct. BlazBlue, like KI, requires much time and patience to learn (let alone master), since much of the action is fast-paced.

What I've been enjoying most lately has been the game's soundtrack. It's difficult to label the genre (there's nothing wrong with that - a soundtrack with many flavors is greatly appreciated), but I'd say it's mostly hard rock/speed metal with melodic and symphonic elements infused in each music. However, the Chronophantasma remakes (marked by "ii") are full of surprises. So while, I'm not currently playing the games at the moment (damn you, adult responsibilities), at least I have to the soundtrack to drool over.

Here is Noel Vermillion's Bullet Dance II, from BB:CP:

Here is Jin Kisaragi's Lust SIN II, also from BB:CP: 

ULTRA COMBO!!!

Killer Instinct (or many fans prefer to call it, Killer Instinct 3) is coming exclusively to an XBox One near you. 

However, my experiences with the fighting game go way back to its SNES port of the original arcade game. But as a 6-year-old kid, I had no idea how to play the game. Even now, at 23, I still don't know! If anything, the only thing I could do that was anything remotely advanced was Cinder's Master/Blaster Combo (7/9 hits respectively, depending on the initial Rush Attack's strength). I had a friend who once performed Riptor and Chief Thunder's Ultra Combo (a 20+ hit finisher). It blew my mind and my jaw dropped. The Announcer's echoing chant of "Ultra! Ultra! Ultra!" (the Announcer chants "Ultra!" in the SNES port, but will yell "Ultra Combo!" in the original Arcade version) seemed ingrained into my memory, and ever since then, I've always wanted to perform an Ultra Combo of my own. 

If you want to know what an Ultra Combo looks like: 

However, thanks to the modern Internet Age, I managed to find a decent tutorial (I say decent, since this specific tutorial doesn't cover some of the more advanced techniques. Also, the tutorial will be at the bottom of this paragraph.). This makes playing KI all over again much more desirable. That elusive combo won't be elusive any longer. More importantly, I can finally play the game without having to rely on button-mashing or endlessly spam the one combo I know how to perform. This breakthrough is just as tantamount as learning how to properly play Street Fighter and Marvel Vs. Capcom. I'm getting edgy just even thinking about playing KI - I can't wait to play as Cinder, Orchid, Glacius, and Riptor. 

Here is the tutorial video that I found:

Speaking of the characters, one of the things I had a hard time understanding was the plot of the game. Some characters were easy to understand: 

• Jago wants defeat the supernatural evil behind Ultratech. 
• Riptor is a Dino-Human hybrid because of Ultratech (and it's in the tournament for Ultratech to test Riptor's abilities).  
• Fulgore is a cybernetic prototype from Ultratech (and if Fulgore wins, it becomes mass-produced). 
• Cinder is an experiment gone wrong, imprisoned against his will. He is promised freedom, if he can defeat Glacius in the tournament. 
• Glacius is an extraterrestrial captured and forced to fight for its life in Ultratech's tournament. 
• Orchid is a spy, hoping to expose and defunct the company behind the Killer Instinct Tournament.
• T.J. Combo fights to reclaim his lost fame after being exposed for using cybernetic arms (which had initially allowed him be a great boxer). 

Other characters, such as Chief Thunder, Spinal, and Sabrewulf, were a bit farfetched, but they are unique and memorable characters nonetheless. 

But here is where I get lost in the plot. According to killerinstinctonline.net, certain characters have been defeated or victorious. For instance:

• Jago successfully defeated Fulgore. 
• Chief Thunder defeated Spinal.
• Glacius defeated Cinder and was able to go home. 
• Sabrewulf was severely injured in the tournament. As a result, Ultratech recaptured Sabrewulf and gave it cybernetic implants to enhance its strength. 
• T.J. Combo successfully defeated Riptor, but not before losing his right eye in the bout. 
• It is revealed that Orchid and Jago are siblings, separated at birth and reunited at the tournament.
• Also, I think Orchid was officially the winner of the KI tournament, since the sequel takes place 2000 years in the past as a result of Eyedol's defeat (though this is entirely my opinion). 

So yeah, it's hard to discern what are the true endings for each character, especially when each character can win the tournament and each character has their respective endings that may (or may not) corroborate with the overall plot of the game. 

Nonetheless, Killer Instinct is an amazing fighting game series, offering gameplay mechanics unique to its games. I can't wait to see more of the upcoming Killer Instinct game! Finally...