The Lone Gamer

Avengers Assemble!!!

Comic Book Fans, rejoice. Nah, scratch that… Movie Fans in General, rejoice. The Avengers, one of the most ambitious film ventures taken- the climax anticipated and setup by at least five other major movies based on Marvel Comics’ titles- is the Real Deal. It just simply IS.
THIS is what we all wish a comic book movie can be, overcoming quite a few anticipated film pitfalls and mistakes in the past to come up with an epic two hour plus EPIC that’s smart, thrilling, engaging, dramatic, badass, inspiring AND freakin’ hilarious all in one sitting. Director Joss Whedon, co-writer Zak Penn, and their all-star cast knocks this one out of the park to bring us one of the BEST superhero films and easily THE BEST Superhero Team Film yet seen. Oh, and it’s one kick-ass action-scifi-fantasy Epic and Sure-Blockbuster. Ka-Ching!

Loki (played once again with charming yet conflicted gusto by Tom Hiddleston), the exiled Asgardian god of trickery, has allied himself with the Alien Chitauri- In return for giving him command of their forces, Loki will acquire for them the Tessaract- that Cosmic Cube-esque object of immense power first seen in the events of the Captain America movie. To counter this threat, Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) realizes that the only hope humanity has now lies in the hands of a few, powerful but diverse individuals who must come together as a team to save the world- the Avengers.

Where can I begin? Let me say first that The Avengers straight up gives all the previous superhero movies a right cross. After five or six movies of buildup, this climactic finale (or is it a beginning?) hits the ground running. Whereas some superhero movies are top-heavy with too much dialogue and too-little action, The Avengers has action (and really good action) scattered throughout it’s length… and when there aren’t super-powered beings or super-skilled fighters tussling onscreen, there’s verbal sparring of high order as we get the customary Whedon-esque dialogue and character moments that will flesh out comic book archetypes into real, whole, believable characters or which will just straight up make you laugh out loud. That’s where this movie works and keeps working- it’s great at throwing punches, lines AND punchlines.

You’d think with a team of big names, there would be clashes on who’s the real/biggest star… well, yes and no. Yes, in the way that it’s intended to be that way, and no in the sense that thankfully ALL the heroes get their moments, their parts to shine (and even the Villain, of course, as he should) and even if you may have your favorite, it’s a Team Thing this time. But here it’s even better realized than in any previous team flick- yes, any and all the X-mens and Fantastic Fours. DC Justice League… you have your work cut out for you, if you ever happen.

Yes, Iron Man AKA Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is still his endearingly fast-talking self with some juicy, funny lines and scenes, but that just thankfully enriches the characters he butts heads with- most directly his polar opposite, straightshooting war hero/super-soldier Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, still awesome). Anyone knowing the history between these two (well, really Cap and Tony’s dad) will just appreciate the emotions behind their interactions.
Meanwhile, ever-suave thunder-god Thor (Chris Hemsworth, also still darn awesome) doesn’t take a back seat to his two new comrades, getting quite a few pay-off scenes and moments (I heartily recommend watching the Thor movie beforehand) and nicely gets scenes that show the quiet, cool humanity within this god-among-men. Oh, and he gets one of the freakin’ funniest lines in the flick.
Watching these three, It really dawns on me how perfect and fortuitous the casting for the Marvel films have been, to score these guys in these starring roles.

Mark Ruffalo, who takes over the role of Bruce Banner AKA The Hulk from Edward Norton, was riding on a two-edged sword going into this flick. On the one hand, he didn’t have his own movie to prelude his character and comes in relatively cold. On the other hand, if he bats this right, he takes a huge bite of the flick’s bad-assery as the movie’s pay-off Butt-Kicker. To his credit, Ruffalo delivers as a very likable, earnest and fresh Banner, and he’s quietly dangerous and compelling until The Other Guy breaks out. And then… Oh My.
The HULK. The Freakin’ HULK. It took them long enough, but they got him. They NAIL the Hulk- finally show WHY he is so awesome… in this one. Perfect. SMASH. SMASH. SMASH. He’s the green gamma ray-powered non-nuclear deterrent. So, enemy worlds, take note- you may have armies greater than ours, but we have a Hulk.

Rounding off the team are the less-than-super-powered members; Natasha Romanoff AKA The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is SHIELD’s best assassin and agent, and even if she’s not as strong as the big boys she’s in fine form and NEVER a damsel in distress- testament to Whedon for keeping this lady badass AND smoldering hot at the same time. Give this girl her own flick.
Then there’s Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) who made his debut in Thor. He has to contend with being sidelined as a baddie for most of the film, but when he’s good… he’s REALLY good.

Bringing up support is SHIELD- the ‘good guy’ secret army headed by Fury and captained by the always-reliable Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg, reprising his longtime role) and Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), who makes her debut from the comics onto the screen. Also making its debut is a longtime SHIELD ‘accessory’ that finally um, surfaces in fine form.

So, it it all so perfect? Are there any big flaws or noticeable hiccups? Well, a couple I guess. I wish the music was more epic, and more pronounced like the score was in, say, Thor. The movie deserves that. As it is right now, the music is okay. I wish the Chitauri- Loki’s alien flunkies- were a wee bit scarier. I also wish a certain event in the film didn’t happen because I really like the character. Oh, and lastly- the 3D didn’t do a thing for me. Eeeh… this flick shines even without it.

Regadless… at about two and a half hours, The Avengers starts off with an action-packed setup even before we get to any of the actual superheroes, then liberally sprinkles action and badass fights throughout until the even more action-packed finale. But it isn’t just about action and tons of CG slickery- this film will keep you engaged even during the quiet moments, and some scenes of amazing emotion- specifically that one scene in Germany, where a man stands up to a god. Magnificent.

It’s also the simple consistency and continuity (payoffs all around for those who’ve seen all the other films in the series), the way the characters spar with each other (physically or verbally) thanks to the clever and sharp script. Amazingly, pretty much EVERYONE gets their chance to shine, to be badass when they need to be, to be heroic when they have to be, and freakin’ funny because they just are. Order the small soda so you don’t miss anything. Seriously.

This movie OutStars, OutFights, OutWits, OutFunnies and basically OutClasses all comic book movies that have come before. The bar has been raised, and we can only hope they keep shooting for the stars. They certainly shot for the stars to make this movie, and by the fates, they scored a bull’s eye.
What comes after this one? Only time will tell, but things bode well. Here’s to The Avengers continuing the fight someday, but till then THIS is here and now and goddamn that’s all we can ever ask for.

The Lone Gamer gives The Avengers 6 Marvelous Stars out of 5 (because there are 6 Avengers, after all!).

Go watch this with your friends, so you can do a Team Pose afterwards.

Eternally Retold and Eternally Resold!

I have to admit; Me and the Soul Calibur series… we have what may be seen as a platonic relationship; a bond akin to that of longtime friends. I’ve been playing this franchise since the original Soul Edge (in arcades!), to the awesome PSX port, to the leap onto Dreamcast and a new name of Soul Calibur and so on, and so forth.
Through all these years, the Soul games have been my stereotypical Hardcore Casual game- I love the series and its storyline, the characters and such… but I never get intimate with it. Which means (get your minds out of the gutter) I’ve never found myself requiring myself to master the game, or any single character. I get every installment, play through the Arcade modes to see the endings, play the quest modes, and then after the freshness has been sucked out, I return to my main squeeze (other fighting games).

When Soul Calibur III came out, I got into the series more- I loved the whole, chunky package and tons of content; the chunky Story Mode with it’s multiple paths, the RTS-ish Chronicles of the Sword and, best of all, Character Creation. From here, I knew I would be a lot closer to SC than ever, although I was still not finding myself getting too jiggly with the gameplay.

Soul Calibur IV came and kinda went. The game looked freakin’ awesome on the PS3, but it was eclipsed by Tekken 6. Irritating aspects included a much leaner, sparser game, with the loss of much of the content from SCIII, although Character Creation looked a lot slicker and sexier. I still loved SCIV, but, after I saw all the endings, got tired of Tower of Souls, I would only revisit it occasionally to tinker around with CAS. Little did I realize that SCIV was almost the last-ever SC. After a couple of years, fans realized that Namco-Bandai wasn’t coughing up another Soul Calibur- not without some persuasion. Thanks to constant demand by gamers and a more public persona for the game devs behind these brawlers, the Tales of Souls and Swords would indeed be retold again.

So here’s Soul Calibur V.

Picking up 17 years after the events in SCIV, Soul Calibur V sees the never-ending battle of the Soul Swords- Soul Edge and Soul Calibur- blazing anew as a new Holy Warrior- Patroklos Alexander- carries on the fight against the demonic Malfested as he searches for his missing sister, Pyrrah. Both returning heroes/villains and new warriors appear in this latest chapter of this Tale of Souls and Swords.

PROS:

The Game Looks, Sounds and Moves Freakin’ Sexay. I have to say- this game is a looker. Yeah, it’s still on PS3, and probably uses a lot of the same assets from SCIV… but it just looks gobs better. Character models look finer and more refined with more minute detail, with hair and skin looking much more lifelike and… well, soft and nice (where it should). Costumes boast realistic textures that look great even up close. The game’s lighting also makes everything look that much more solid and lifelike, and there’s depth of field too- which means that things look that much more convincing. The characters also seem to animated a lot smoother, and the game just looks amazing at its constant 60FPS.

But perhaps even better this time around are the Stages- some are truly epic looking backgrounds for the action, including a sprawling battlefield seemingly ripped from the Lord of the Rings. SCV truly is as much fun to watch as it is to play- the action is just so easy to discern and appreciate, despite the lightshows and pyrotechnics that seem to happen with every clash of blades.
As for the music and sounds… heck, this is Soul Calibur! Fantasy epic music is a given. Voice-acting is a mixed bag though… English voices are fine for the most part, for the default, standing roster; the voices for CAS or Created Characters though range from Not Bad to Not Meant to Be Heard. Oh well.

The Gameplay is Fast, Sharp and Damn FUN. As I’ve said earlier- I’ve never found it a need to get intimate with SC’s gameplay… until NOW. For some reason, SCV is just very fun to play, and I want to play it just to play it. The controls are more responsive and razor-sharp, the new gameplay elements like the Soul Gauge, the new Ultra-esque Critical Edges and the EX-style Brave Edges give the battles more dimensions and depth than ever (as if it needed to be any deeper). Overall, the game’s pace is now faster, more offense-oriented and strategic. Project Soul apparently set out to please two crowds- they put in flashier gameplay to attract casual gamers and those players into games like Streetfighter. However, they also backed that up with aspects and tactics that hardcore tournament-level fighting game players can chew into as well. But can you really please two masters?

I think it says something that even after I get my butt kicked by the game’s EVIL A.I. several times in a row, even having me stalk away in disgust… I find myself invariably heading back, learning some new moves, raring to get back and play more. And when I finally beat that goddamn-cheat-of-an-AI, it feels FREAKIN’ GOOD. I think I’ll be playing this game a lot. For a long time.

Fast Tube by Casper
A True Warrior NEVER GIVES UP!!!

Character Creation is Much-Improved and a Blast! This often wacky game mode returns from the previous game even more robust than ever. Yeah, there are a lot of stuff and aspects that seem ripped directly from SCIV, but there’s enough new stuff to do and use that can kinda excuse that. The ability to alter body types and the size of body parts, more minute color editing and the ability to map stickers/patters or textures onto the characters just means a lot more detail to fool around with, which anyone who enjoys this kind of thing will have endless fun with. It still can’t hurt to have more stuff, and I am kinda irritated that they made some choice bits locked as Paid DLC… money-grubbing Namco-Bandai… Meh. But hey, just give me more goodies and I’ll bite. Grumble…

CONS:

The identity of this angelic figure will be revealed as you play through the Story Mode.

Character Conundrums. Coming in from SCIV, and with a 17-year Time Skip, SCV does a ‘Streetfighter III” or ‘Tekken 3′ and takes some significant cuts to the roster. Some characters were replaced, to their fans’ chagrin, with younger, brasher versions- such as Taki with Natsu, Kilik with Xiba and Sophitia by her children, Patroklos and Pyrrah (to a degree). Some longtime fighters disappeared entirely, along with their fighting styles- and their presence was really missed by gamers.

To add insult to injury, the roster includes no less than three mimics- characters who don’t have a fighting style of their own but use that of others in the lineup. The inconsistency of who returns or not is sure to get debates rolling. If Taki retired due to her ‘old age’, then why didn’t Talim or Seung Mina return, being still relatively young, even after 17 years? This is the kind of thing that gives way to speculations and talk that the game was rushed, or that cuts were made to save the MIA characters for Paid DLC. Not really the best thing to hear about a game that’s still got things to prove.

Soul Calibur V’s Story Mode will take you several hours to finish- shorter if you breeze through the fights. It’s mostly told through these still-frame illustrations with voice-overs, with pivotal moments shown by some lavish CG cinematics.

Sparse Single-Player Content. Along with missing character, there are missing features aplenty. The biggest cuts seem to be to the game’s Solo Player modes… something I, as The Lone Gamer, take very seriously. Arcade Mode, for example, no longer features endings at the conclusion of play… a mainstay since Day One. Why not? At the very least, this could have been the venue for the game to showcase more info about characters.

The now showcased Story Mode concentrates only on a few characters, with several in the roster not even appearing at all. This new narrative is told mostly with still artworks with voice, punctuated by some lush cutscenes. The story is easy enough to follow and may be satisfying for those willing to invest in the goings-on, but there will surely be those who find it pale in comparison to the more impressive storytelling in Mortal Kombat’s Story Mode, which is the current standard of such modes in beat ‘em ups.
That all said, there’s little more aside from Quick Battle- which is basically Ghost Battle from Tekken 6, which pits the player against a large pool of CPU AI opponents of varying appearances and skill settings. Legendary Souls is another single player mode, but really is only for those willing to invest time in learning and mastering the gameplay; casual players need not apply as they will almost surely be eaten up by the Boss Level A.I.
Character Creation may be considered a bit of a Solo-mode, but only to a point. Once you’re done creating your CAS fighters, you’ll probably want to play with them. Sadly no Quest mode is to be had, no team battles or Survival modes, no variant gameplay to be had aside from the basic Quick Battle and, of course, Online.

That’s gotta hurt.

IFFY:
Really, what the HELL is it with the Evil A.I.? Some of the enemy CPU characters will not let you get up. They will KILL you even as you struggle to your feet. Isn’t there some way of countering or escaping such assaults from Alpha Patroklos’ perfectly-timed re-bouncing combos? What IS the secret to SCV’s Ukemi? I wanna know!

The Lone Gamer’s Rating: 4/5
Soul Calibur V features first and foremost fresh and challenging gameplay at its core- and as a result, is more fun to play now than ever before. It does so though at a cost- this lean and mean package comes with less of the bells and whistles and trimmings that many fans have come to expect. Still- a fighting game is all about FIGHTING, and that’s where SCV does best.
SCV is, in many ways, an equivalent to Streetfighter III or Tekken 4. It’s that chapter of a fighting franchise often dreaded… that game which TAKES RISKS. It makes changes that may often be unwelcome, even if needed or necessary to shake up the game. SCV’s best aspects are for gameplay, which should be rewarding in the long-term. However, the glaring cuts in the roster and content are things that will surely have negative effects on the game’s popularity. Still, this is a fighting gamer’s fighter… challenging and rewarding gameplay is here to be had, whether you’re a solo or competitive player.

One has to speculate though…will this SF3 or the Calibur series have a ‘Third Strike’ upgrade eventually? Will we see a ‘Super Soul Calibur V’ with addition of the missing characters, more single player modes and bonuses attached? Maybe, or maybe not. But I have to say, if that were to happen, I’m buying.
At the very least though I think this series has been given a shot in the arm that it needed to freshen up for the new fighting game era, and it can only get better from here. Till we see the next awesome SC game, I’ll be playing this one.

Fast Tube by Casper
Max Landis and friends make a funny.

Truth be told, as much as a comic fan I am (or was), I never really got into Superman. I have many friends who see him as the Paragon, the greatest, the best, the ultimate- but he just comes off to me as okay. I liked the movies, but can’t stand that last one. Oh, and I never read the actual Death of Superman comic. Never. Which is why watching this hilarious, sorta-drunk and cameo-filled short film by young director Max Landis (son of John Landis, Director of Chronicle) relating, roasting and deconstructing the Demise and Subsequent Resurrection of DC Comics’ Flagship Superhero was not only entertaining but enlightening. Check it out. Treats include the really cheap but somehow awesome production values, the wealth of cool cameos (stay till the very end, dudes) and perhaps the best superhero film I’ve seen recently. Check it out!

I didn’t realize it coming in to the ol’ Salt Mines… but today’s actually the Last Work Day for 2011. In just a few hours… it’s Holiday Breaktime for me!

Then it’s ME TIME for the next 11 or so days. That’s a week and a half of time for me to catch up on sleep and games. But not only that, also that may be time to catch up on other stuff that has been neglected all these months. So maybe I can whip up some stuff that’s actually kinda productive, like a comic book script, artworks or whatever. What to do, what to do. Nah, maybe I’ll just spend the whole time sleeping in. MEHEHEHE.

Of course I’ll still be blogging the whole time no matter what. I’ll be doing it from the bed or the game seat, but I’ll be right here. Happy Holidays then, gamers!

Apologies to my loyal readers and the odd browser who wandered here. The recent lack of updates is due to a heavy influx of work at The Lone Gamer’s day job. Yes, I DO work, and have to do so if I want to continue my gameblogging lifestyle (well, until the time when the blog actually starts paying for my meals, heheh).

Anyways, enough excuses, I know. I owe you all a review of Tekken: Blood Vengeance/Tekken Hybrid, which I plan to have up by the weekend. I’ll have more stuff up as well with that, to make up for lost time. Yeah, and I STILL am playing Skyrim as well.

later then!

Fast Tube by Casper
Xianghua’s little girl will kill you with cuteness!

Things have been quiet on the fighting game front as of late.. well, unless you’re in France where it seems that the latest build of Soul Calibur V are making the rounds. Up above is hot new SCV gameplay from uber-gamer Kayane at the Paris Game Week event, using newly-revealed fledgeling warrior Leixia (Xianghua’s daughter). There’s even a bit of action from Guest Fighter Ezio Auditore and the returning Nightmare mixed in as well. Have to say I am liking some of the new touches, like the transitions between multi-level stages. Pretty cool!

As a bonus, here’s another vid from Paris Game Week, showing off Hisaharu Tago presenting the game for the press and gamers. Of course, since everything spoken in it is either French or Japanese, but we English speakers can still enjoy the visuals and the kinda-cheezy-but-cool cosplay. Heheh…

Fast Tube by Casper
Tago-san shows off the newest SCV build.

As for Leixia, what can I say ‘cept… man, Leixia got her mom’s good looks and skills in oodles. Still think those shoes are pretty silly-looking though.

Soul Calibur V is out on PS3 and Xbox360 this coming January 31, 2012.

Fast Tube by Casper
The Latest TTT2 Trailer Will Assault Your Senses!

Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada has just posted this awesome new spot for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on his Facebook page, this time featuring the many awesome Tag Assault and Tag Throw attacks featured in this arcade hit.

It’s hard not to squeal in delight at the badass combo beatdowns shown off in this 2-minute spot, and it’s interesting to see the combinations of players that pull them off. You have your expected teams, like Paul-Law, Raven-Yoshimitsu, JIn-Jun, Asuka-Lili… but then you got team ups like Bryan-Dragunov (Didn’t Bryan KILL Sergei in the Tekken live-action movie..? Heh…) and Zafina-Ogre. I’m hoping there are a lot more Tag Specials in other pairs of fighters just waiting to be discovered.

Of course, this just makes the wait for this brawler even more deliciously excruciating. For now though, check out the vid and visit Harada on Facebook to give him a Like or a Thumbs Up!

Fast Tube by Casper
Jun’s as stylish as ever with this nice white ensemble.

I’ll say it- Character Customization rocks. It’s perhaps my most favorite extra feature in this generation of fighting games, and I’m glad it’s back in force in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Well, it will be- right now the available items and customizations for each of the fighters ranges from few to ridiculously scant. But really- this scarcity of items and clothing should only be temporary, and will be addressed by updates and add-ons via TTT2′s connections to it’s network. Rest assured, the characters will have their full wardrobes in time, perhaps more so than Tekken 6 and Bloodline Rebellion had.
Signs are good though- apparently characters are getting common, more ‘normal’ clothing and not the usual costumes tailor-fit to their personality, which we may assume means in the end we’ll have lots of choices to compose a look for our fave brawlers.

So far in the TTT2 vids posted online, customized fighters are few- but they’re beginning to pop up. Take these two vids in this post for example. Jun’s sporting a nice pair of hot pants and boots with leggings- recolored white to match her overall scheme. Ogre below is sporting something that’s unique to him- one of several animal heads to replace his beastly default. Have to say though- True Pelican is creepy but I think if and when I see True Elephant, I’m gonna want to run out the door. More as we get it then!

Fast Tube by Casper
True Pelican has arrived. You will all perish in flames!

Devilman, er, Devil Jin from Blood Vengeance, joins the playables in TTT2 Prologue.

It’s been recently revealed that Devil Jin will be joining the roster of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue, the TTT2 demo included in the Tekken Hybrid Blu-Ray package. DJ joins Ling Xiaoyu, Alisa Bosconovitch and Devil/Kazuya. Four characters is still a pretty lean roster, particularly for a Tag fighter, so hopefully we’ll have the rest of the Blood Vengeance cast- perhaps Nina and Anna Williams, Lee Chaolan and Ganryu to be playable as well. Well, we can dream, can’t we? Anyways, Devil Jin will appear in Prologue in his new form revealed in the Blood Vengeance film, which has some purist fans riled up. It’s probably just an alternate skin, so if you don’t like it, don’t pick it. Tekken Hybrid will be out in the Holiday Season of 2011.

As for Tekken 3D Prime Edition for the 3DS, looks like it will be coming out later than Tekken Hybrid, as it’s still being developed. The 3DS fighter is being targetted for an early 2012 release. More as we get it then!

What is Jennifer Zhang AKA Juri Han from SF High the Musical up to these days?

Remember Streetfighter High: The Musical? It was that hilarious but awesome fan-made production which melded in cool costumes and casting, wacky antics and some cool tunes to make for an enjoyable show that, at the very least, kicks that horrible Chun-Li movie’s butt in terms of love and respect for the Streetfighter franchise.
Among the wonderfully-cast cast were a bevy of cute costumed babes- and the most eye-catching for me (although that Makoto was also so adorable) was the show’s Juri Han, played with mad-eyed conviction by Jennifer Zhang. Well, it was quite amazing for me to later find out that this bad girl not only danced, sang and performed a storm in the musical, she also produced and wrote the whole shebang. Now that’s amazing- for all I know, this girl has access to some Feng Shuei Engine.

Anyway, what has Miss Zhang been up to since then? Well, nice to hear that this talented lady has been pretty busy since SFHtM, and is writing and producing her own horror flick, Dead Inside, and still producing some cool music. But thankfully, she hasn’t forgotten her gaming roots, and she’s actually produced a new single dedicated to gamers, mixing in game-based references with the often risque lyrics. So if you like naughty dance tunes, check out Miss Zhang’s latest work (with James Tha Deejay).

Fast Tube by Casper
Jennifer Zhang Wins…

If you like that, there’s a more explicit or ‘dirty’ version of the song available as well for listening here. Give ‘em a listen. In any case, I’m hoping for a Super Streetfighter High: The Musical someday- Jennifer, make it happen! Heheh…