Capcom’s Comedy of Fighting Game Missteps

I consider myself to be a massive fan of Capcom fighting games. I’ve poured in thousands of hours into everything they’ve put out since Street Fighter IV, and was a always a fan of Street Fighter II. However, it’s gotten increasingly hard to ignore the calamity of errors that follow every fighting game release. Let’s run through a bunch of them from the last few years, shall we?

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One Last Time: Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Playing this game once more before the release of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite!

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Saying Goodbye to Marvel vs. Capcom 3

From X-Men vs. Street Fighter to the recently released Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Marvel and Capcom have been crossing paths since the late 90s in some of the most legendary fighting games of all-time. While I was well aware of their collaborations, their output in the 90s and early 2000s was a reminder to my younger self that fighting games had moved on without me. As a Nintendo fan who actively played Super Street Fighter II, these crossover games were too complex for my liking. On top of that, these games never made it to Nintendo consoles, leaving me out in the cold.

I wouldn’t get a chance to play this series in earnest until the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The road was rough, and I wasn’t there all the way through, but my time with that game was key to my growth as a fighting game player. In a time now where its successor is in market, this post is for the fallen soldier that is the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 series.

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Sony PlayStation Gold Wireless Stereo Headset Review

Sony PlayStation Gold Wireless HeadsetWhen I swapped out my regular TV for a gaming monitor, the change brought with it a few unforeseen downsides. One, adjusting the volume on the monitor was a pain, as the monitor doesn’t come with a remote or volume buttons on the monitor itself. Two, the audio quality from the monitor’s built-in speakers would disappoint Meghan Trainor, as they seriously lacked bass. Worst of all, my gaming monitor doesn’t have an audio out jack, making it impossible to plug in my own speakers or headphones.

My only recourse at this point was to go with a gaming headset that directly interfaced with the console itself. After stumbling through the research process and buying a pair of Turtle Beach headphones that wouldn’t actually address any of my specific needs, I ultimately ended up with the Sony PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset. Slick in design and fairly reasonable in terms of price point, does this headset address my needs for quality sound?

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10 Ways in Which Street Fighter IV Failed

Street Fighter IV, without a doubt, is my favourite game of all-time. Having literally dedicated thousands of hours to playing it, deconstructing it and building myself up to be the greatest world warrior I could be over the last six years, the race for #1 game in my heart wasn’t even close. Even if the game is eventually surpassed by something else, I’ll never shake the profound effect its had on my life.

It may reign as my favourite game, but it’s certainly not a perfect one. In the wake of the Street Fighter V beta, the flaws of its predecessor glare brighter than ever. Before we let it retire with its rightfully-deserved legendary status, let’s lovingly pick the game apart for its flaws with this list of 10 ways in which Street Fighter IV failed.

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My Latest Street Fighter IV Project: Balrog

In the early days of Street Fighter IV, I saw Balrog as one of the coolest characters in the game. He was also one of the most popular, as pro-players like Gootecks and PR Balrog proved that the character was viable in tournament play. As the game evolved and new characters were added though, his popularity fell off a cliff.

Despite that, I’ve always toyed with the idea of playing Balrog seriously. I always loved the idea of smashing people with the headbutt and finishing them off with the Violent Buffalo Ultra Combo before they hit the ground. After completing my work with Evil Ryu, it felt like a good time to move onto something new.
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Ultra Street Fighter IV jettFTW (Rose) vs. Smug (Dudley)

Widely recognized as the best Dudley player in the world and one of the best overall in Ultra Street Fighter IV, I have my hands full against Smug. Clearly I’m in over my head in this set of four matches, but do I have enough to not completely get embarrassed?


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My Latest Street Fighter IV Project: Evil Ryu

When I made the switch to PlayStation 4, I wanted to use it as an opportunity to try something new with Ultra Street Fighter IV. Rose continues to be my main, but I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with others. This time, I decided to embrace the Satsui No Hado with Evil Ryu.

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My 5 Favourite Rock Band Songs to Play

Being a great song doesn’t automatically make it a great Rock Band song. To be a great song for the game, it has to be fun to play for everyone in the band. For example, I love “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys, but that’s song is mostly a repetitive drone of notes for the guitar and bass players, while rapping isn’t nearly as fulfilling as singing in the Rock Band engine. The soundtrack for Beatles: Rock Band is comprised of some of the greatest songs of all-time, but most of that stuff is easy to the point of being almost boring to play. Conversely, songs that really push the limits of each player may not be inherently great songs that you’d want to listen to.

Inspired by the upcoming release of Rock Band 4, I decided to create a list of songs that are some of my favourites to play. This list is highly subjective, as it’s based on my personal preferences and the difficulty I play on (for reference, I play everything on expert). Narrowing it down to 5 was really difficult, so I’m sure I left out a few gems. However, it also makes for a great conversation starter, as I’m sure that you’re favourite songs to play and your rationale behind that choice will differ. Without further ado, in no particular order, here are my 10 favourite songs to play in Rock Band!

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Ultra Street Fighter IV battle: T. Hawk (DESATENTO) vs Decapre (jettFTW)

Decapre does not match up well against grapplers. If she isn’t careful, most of her offense can be immediately nullified by a command grab. T. Hawk has the ability to do just that, and his Condor Dives give him the mobility to chase her down if she should try and get away. This was a back and forth fight right up until the very end.


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