In a deal that sounds too crazy to be true, Activision is for a limited time, offering those who purchase Guitar Hero 5 can get Guitar Hero: Van Halen for free before it hits stores.
If I were a Guitar Hero fan, I'd be all over this.
Key word: "if".
For a myriad of reasons big and small, I've hated every single Guitar Hero game since Guitar Hero 2. It's also worth noting that I began hating the series once Harmonix got bought by MTV to make Rock Band instead.
As someone who has played every single Guitar Hero game not made by Harmonix and disliked it, and as someone who has dropped hundreds of dollars in Rock Band instruments, games and downloadable content, a free copy of GH:VH pre-Hagar only isn't going to get me back into the series. However, don't let me rock your boat. If you're a Guitar Hero fan, there's much reason to rejoice.
Image from Video Games BloggerThe overall pace of the game is notably slower than say, Street Fighter IV, yet it's still more frenetic. The combo system rewards crazy combos that can finish an opponent off before they get a chance to press a finger down onto the controller. Even the heads-up-display and how it works will vary based on what character you choose. It's not my place to get into all of the intricacies of the fighting engine though. There are a lot of other sites that cover that type of stuff a lot better than I ever could.
Not to say that the differences make this a bad game, but a very different one from what I'm used to. Like most fighting games, the learning curve is fairly steep, so it's going to take me some time before I ever get If you are a fighting game fan and you're looking for something new, there is a lot to like about BlazBlue. The 2D-graphics are absolutely stunning. The gameplay is deep enough for fighting fans to really get into and master. Also, the experience does feel very fresh, as the roster of characters are fairly unique and nobody in the cast plays like Ryu. Come to think of it, almost every 2D fighting game I can think of has at least one character that plays like Ryu in it. Having a character like him would probably help ease me into this game, but I think the game is probably better overall without it.
The game isn't without a few faults, however. While the production values during gameplay are incredible, the same love and care was not put into the content between fights. Most of it consists of barely animating characters talking in front of a static background. The voice-acting is pretty bad; likely what you'd expect from translated Japanese anime. Also, the story is so incomprehensible that trying to follow it in the story mode will make your head explode. The most out-there portions of the story revolve around this series of cut-scenes below:
I do intend on sticking with it and seeing where I go from there. I'll keep you updated on my progress of trying to learn the game.
If you bought the regular edition of BlazBlue like me, you missed out on the sweet bonus tutorial DVD that shows you how to not suck at the game.
Well, we're in luck. Thanks to Youtube user Jaxelrod, we have access to all of the character guides in that DVD. Above is the Noel tutorial.
Having watched a few of these, I still feel horribly lost and confused. Maybe if I keep at it I'll eventually figure this game out.
If you have any sort of interest in pro-Street Fighter IV play, definitely check out the live stream above. A lot of the top Japanese players are there (including Diago and Mago) as well as a few of the top North American players.
It's really interesting to compare and contrast this from how players were playing at EVO a few weeks ago. The styles of play for the same game are very unique to each region.
The Rock Band 1 instruments are some of the worst-made video game controllers of all-time.
While my guitar technically still works, the strum bar feels horribly mushy and makes it difficult to consistently hit the notes.
My drums though, have given me way more problems.
I've sent them back 4 different times over the course of 2008. All 4 sets broke. In that time I've had 3 kick pedals. All of them have snapped in half.
Unfortunately, the warranty ran out on my drums a while ago. So what am I left to do? Besides drop $100 on a new set? Attempt to fix them.
My first attempt at fixing the drum pads involved me snapping the cracked pads back together and taping them up. That worked for about...two days. Then, I got more serious.
In order to prevent the pads from cracking apart again, I taped plastic butter knives across the cracks. This worked...for about a week. Unfortunately, directly around the middle piece is a round crack where not even a broken piece of butter knife can properly reinforce.
My next step? Construction glue.
They're drying right now on the table. I'll re-enforce these with something else once the glue is dry.
My kick pedals had to go through this shoddy surgery too. In order to keep them together, I've taped plastic butter knives to the bottom of the pedal.
It's so frustrating to be in this position. I could just buy new drums, but why should I if there's a way I can fix them on my own? I know my fixes feature terrible craftsmanship, but if it works, why not? The Rock Band 2 drums as far as I know work fine, but for the millions of people who got punked by the Rock Band 1 drum set, I feel your pain.
Top image from PS3 Attitude
Growing up, EGM was a huge part of my life. Andy Baran worked at EGM during the early to mid 1990's, which many hail as the glory days of the magazine. While I personally don't recall much of his work in EGM specifically, listening to this very touching tribute makes me wish I had paid more attention.
The show features a ton of voice mails and the Player One crew celebrating the life of Andy Baran, and it's very touching to hear all these great stories about him. If you have a heart, definitely check out this week's episode of the Player One podcast if you don't subscribe to them already. Below is a link to listen to the show:
Player One Podcast Andy Baran Tribute
Image from Arcade Game SalesWith over 70 hours of experience, 1000+ matches and a 65% winning percentage, I knew I wasn't a complete scrub and could actually do some damage. However, there was one problem that has forever plagued me since the inception of arcade fighting games.
This time, the only thing holding me back was the joystick and buttons. I'll give credit where credit is due; the guys I played against were good. But I really believe I could have taken them if my hands could communicate with the joystick like they do with the controller. It was exceedingly frustrating to not perform to my best in front of that crowd knowing I would be better with what most would consider an inferior setup.
It's gotten me thinking seriously about investing in a joystick. There are a number of reasons why I shouldn't invest in a stick, but just for my own piece of mind I'm thinking of finally overcoming that hurdle and going joystick.
I may never play Street Fighter IV in an arcade ever again, but maybe the switch in some way, shape or form will be worth it. Should I take the plunge?