The Lone Gamer

Introducing… Honoka!

A couple of days before her trailer will reportedly debut, Dead or Alive 5′s latest (and last?) new character has been revealed. Her name is Honoka, a schoolgirl apparently possessing some ‘secret power’. Little is known so far about her since only a rather low-res Famitsu scan and the screenshot above have been found online. So far, all we know is that she has pink hair and apparently has the biggest breast size of all the female fighters(!).
She seems to know or has some relationship with fellow newcomer Marie Rose, since they seem to have a special tag team intro (and they even kind of resemble one another). Her fighting style is named Honoka-Ryu, which probably is self-taught or self-made. So what’s the story with the pirate glove? Is she an actual martial artist or a ‘magical girl’ combatant? IS SHE ACTUALLY LUCKY CHLOE IN DISGUISE???

Well, the trailer for her debut should answer some of these questions, sometime tomorrow (the 15th). We’ll see then.

Honoka’s Reveal Trailer arrives.

Okay, I have to say I am honestly, legitimately disappointed with this newcomer. At least Marie Rose had her own unique moves and fighting style, but Honoka’s moves (judging by the trailer) are a mish-mash of borrowed stuff from various fighters- Hitomi, Jann-Lee, Zack, Helena, Kokoro- even perhaps something from the big man grapplers (and a thin girl doing a crushing bearhug just looks odd). The thing that sets her apart is her apparently ‘magical’ glove, which we will probably find out about as the game arrives. Aside from her rehashed moves though, I am also not liking her token timid and perky, saccharine-cute schoolgirl character. Hell, since I’m not really a boobs guy not even her huge boobs are a big plus for me. Oh well.

The Japanese version of Honoka’s trailer.

Okay, strangely enough, I am not as annoyed as I was with Honoka watching the Japanese trailer. Perhaps it was due tro her english voice that made me dislike her the first time. However, I still don’t relish the idea of another character who copies moves from other fighters. This is in her story, making her kinda like a female, kid version of Raidou- which leads me to suspect perhaps she’s related to him in some way. Anyhoo, that’s that. Next up is the February release of DOA5LR, which I eagerly anticipate.

Things are heating up for May…

When the first Avengers: Age of Ultron hit some time ago, it just rocked our collective fanboy worlds. It was chilling, eerie and haunting with that unique spin of the Pinnochio song, and the first time we heard James Spader as Ultron was pretty awesome. The second trailer, just debuted, continues to whet our appetites for this surely epic second itineration of Marvel’s premier superhero group film.
I’m curious to see how it reaches that point. I’m not particularly versed well in the Avengers lore, nor am I too familiar with Ultron save that he was created by Tony Stark to help or perhaps even replace the Avengers. I want to see what initiated his creation, in the movie. Everything continues from here- Civil War, the next Marvel films- it all continues from here. Damn, it is the best time to be a comic book fan. Age of Ultron hits this May.

Fight vids like this show off new bits like outfits and hairstyles.

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round is still headed for a February release on pretty much every platform save portables. Team Ninja has been a bit sparing in their release of video for their upscaled sequel, but thankfully they have said that they will be releasing more video to show off their game. So far we’ve seen short matches which usually show off some new costumes for the characters, and every little bit just makes me want this even more. I dunno- basically it’s the same game as DOA5U, but with two new additions to the roster (Mecha-Raidou and the so-far unrevealed female) and upscaling to 1080p resolution (for PS4 and XB1), but I am kinda getting the feeling that there will be little nice bits and bobs of new things to see.

Anyways, the game will also be available on Steam (already preordered!), so PC players will also be getting DOA awesomeness this Valentine’s month. Whoopie!

Preorder swimsuit DLC and offers are plenty online.

On Twitter, Tekken Producer Katsuhiro Harada has just revealed a bit about his upcoming game that’s incredibly NOT about new chararacters (MY GOD!). Tekken 7 will debut a new camera rendering system that will allow two players to play on the same side. So now both P1 and P2 gamers can play facing the left or the right as they wish.
This feature will obviously be pertinent only for the arcade versions that play on two monitors. It may look kinda weird (and a bit disorienting) for onlookers, I guess.

It’s a little tidbit, but more news and snips about this latest fighting sequel should be coming regularly as the game’s February arcade release in Japan inches closer and closer. In particular I’m hoping to see first footage of the recently-revealed Shaheen in action. We’ll see what comes when it comes.

A New Challenger for the New Year!

First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! It’s been a pretty colorful and challenging 2014, and I have to say I am glad that it’s over. 2015 is upon us and this will hopefully bring with it a lot more good things. Like great games to enjoy and keep life worth living! Well, even though its January 1, it seems that Tekken Producer Katsuhiro Harada isn’t wasting any time getting work done in the new year- he has just revealed the latest Tekken fighter to join the big brawl that’s Tekken 7. Well, actually this character has been seen for the past few months, but this day marks his actual reveal as a member of the new roster. His name is Shaheen, and he’s of course the Arab Fighter who was shown off in some concept art some time ago. His design is mostly the same as before, but a bit fiercer-looking in this portrait art. Obviously Harada and team spent quite a bit of work on fine-tuning the design, and feedback seems to be very positive. I am quite curious to see what his fighting style is. Hopefully a trailer will follow suit in due time.

Tekken 7 is due out for a pre-release in Japanese arcades this coming February.

Bioware’s epic RPG, Dragon Age: Inquisition, has passed my litmus test- after spending almost 100 hours in my first playthrough, I wasted no time in starting my second Inquisitor’s adventures. So far, I’ve plowed through another 40 hours and it’s STILL as obsessively engrossing as ever.

Of course, I know most of the story, but this time it’s not so much the mystery of who the Big Bad is, but seeing the different paths you can take in the story, getting to know more of the characters I just glossed over the first time, and best of all, playing the game more competently than before. A big part of DAI’s fun, I now realize, is the combat and fighting- though at first it may seem daunting and repetitive, this game is BLISS once you have a party working like a well-oiled, efficient killing machine. It just clicks. The trick is in choosing your perks/abilities right and most importantly, UPGRADING your equipment and armor by crafting. CRAFTING is a big part of going through this game like a boss.

This time, I was playing a Male Human Rogue Archer- a class I thought would be boring, given what I had seen in many videos on Youtube. It’s basically a character who stays away from the thick of combat, peppering enemies with an infinite number of arrows. Luckily by crafting your bow your shafts do more damage and really pack a punch in battles, letting my Inquisitor be a truly deadly force assisting his companions. Even better was in Dragon Fights- this time I wasn’t really depending on a somewhat Overpowered build (as my previous Inquisitor was a nigh-invincible Knight Enchanter) but more on my own skills- I even didn’t rely on my Archer Tempest’s supposedly broken Focus ability (which I think has been patched). Still though, I now have a much bigger respect for the tanks- the fighters- my second dragon I pretty much solo’ed with Grey Warden Blackwall, simply by keeping his Guard up and holding the line as the rest of the party lay KO’ed due to some bad luck.

I do see myself playing DAI maybe a couple more times at least- after this Archer Rogue playthrough, surely a Warrior build. Well, that’s my Christmas vacation booked already. Heheh.

Feel the hype!

The past weekend, Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono showed off the alpha build of his upcoming fighter sequel, the long-awaited Streetfighter V (or 5). I’m pretty sure the cam vids don’t do the game the full justice it deserves. Though still slightly similar to the look of the Streetfighter IV Era, I am loving the visuals in SFV. Chun-Li at least looks amazing, and I am liking the little touches, the camera angles and the bit of humor inserted into the action. With the Charlie Nash reveal so early and quite a while before this game arrives, I am hoping for a large roster filled with all the favorites.

The extended gameplay trailer debuted at Capcom Cup 2014.

Aside from the various gameplay aspects which experts are sure to pick up, I am hoping that the little bit with the Noodle Bowl is actually a hint at the game having Character Customization. Not sure if this is true, but it would be nice. Just take a little cue from your friends over at Namco-Bandai, Ono-san! Customization is great, and much, much better than simple alternate outfits.

The first-ever Streetfighter V match is fought!

I want this game already. I am sure it will be a modern classic- when it finally arrives. More as we get it then!

It’s coming. It’s coming.

It seems like forever since the last, real Streetfighter sequel (that wasn’t an upgrade) came out- Streetfighter IV was released in 2008. Man, that was six years ago! Since then, we got Super Streetfighter IV, SSFIV Arcade Edition and Ultra Streetfighter IV (there’s still Ultra Streetfighter IV PS4 Edition coming, which may get a special subtitle eventually). But thankfully, this extended period of IV is over (even if it was pretty awesome. V is coming. Streetfighter V. Recognize!

First off; The Trailer. Short but sweet. I am particularly liking that they elected to have Chun-Li in the fight instead of having Ken face off with Ryu (which was the case in IV). To be honest, it doesn’t look like a huge leap from SFIV- there’s a tinge of it still there, although the models do look more ‘mature’, less cartoony and chunky. Still, the trademark Capcom/SF physicality is there- both males and females are buff and muscled- while still pleasantly feminine, Chun-Li definitely looks like a martial artist that can kick your ass. It’s still fancifully proportioned, but I was never expecting it to look something like VF or Tekken in terms of realistic models.

The flashy new effects- liking it. I am digging the Water swirls around Chun, and the Electricity around Ryu. Will every fighter have a certain element or energy signature for powering up? I expect Bison would be Darkness and Shadow. Some characters would be Wind, Fire and such- the Avatar The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra fan in me is beaming.

Can’t say I am incredibly well-versed in game mechanics, but I do love the extended combo potentials, the breaking into new areas, the guard-breaks. But as always, I just hope they pay more attention to character animations and detail. I hope they learn a bit from Guilty Gear Xrd in terms of dynamic camera angles for Supers/Ultras or whatever Ultimate techniques will be called this time (Victory Blows?). I would like to see something cool and different with Win or Lose screens, and with cutscenes and cinematics. More than any other, real-time graphics can convey a story so there’s no need for pre-rendered CG.

That it’s on PS4 is awesome- the prospects of it looking all that it can be since it is being done wholesale domestically on Sony’s machine guarantees perfection. I am hoping for more trimmings- a FULL roster to show off everyone from Ultra back (with more fighters joining in). I want to see Character Customization please, instead of the crappy DLC costumes- that said, even if Capcom flubs that aspect again, at least there’s the PC version so we can at least hope on modders to make their masterpieces again for this game.

This is the future coming right here. I wonder how long it will take? Since it will be released on console and not arcade, here’s to it coming out sooner rather than later. Man, with Tekken 7, Mortal Kombat X, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round and conceivably Virtua Fighter 5 Version B coming in the near future, I am so glad to be a fighting game fan in this day and age. Beating people up never looked this awesome.

Are you ready for Chloe?

At today’s 20th Anniversary Celebration Event for the Tekken series, Producer Katsuhiro Harada talked about his upcoming game on NicoVideo and revealed the latest new character for Tekken 7- ‘Lucky’ Chloe appears to be a young girl with a bit of a Cat fetish and some fighting style that somewhat resembles breakdancing or capoeira.

A Kawaii Challenger appears!

Aside from the Chloe intro, a new trailer showing off the existing characters in action was also debuted. The game is set for a pre-release in February 2015, with a full arcade release (in Japan) in March. So far Harada has revealed that the game will feature time-release characters (which may bring back so-far MIA fighters). Aside from Chloe, there will be more new characters according to Harada.

More on this as we get it.

More Tekken 7 action!

The fanservice fighter heads to PC, more sexy outfits and action incoming!

It’s been speculated for months, and recently an entry on Play-Asia pointed to the possibility of Tecmo KOEI’s sexy fighter finally headed to the Windows PC platform. Well, speculation ends and fact take over- Team Ninja has officially confirmed Dead or Alive 5 Last Round will release on Steam, with the game now available for preorder. Incentives abound for those who order the game in advance, in the form of additional downloadable costumes (some of which are shown in the trailer above). The more people preorder, the more free stuff- so preorder away over here.

Also teased is the debut of the all-new female character, who will be unveiled in full on January 15. Earlier, DOA’s first boss Raidou was revealed as a returning fighter (albeit in cyborg form). The new female has already been confirmed to be all-original and totally new to the franchise.
DOA5 Last Round is set for release on February 17, 2015 on PS3, PS4, Xbox360, XBox One and PC.

DOA5LR on Steam? Awesome mods, here we come!!! WOOHOO!!!