video games

In Defense of Japanese Hamburgers

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Not too long ago, I played Ninja Gaiden II on the XBOX 360. Though I had a number of problems with it, I would never criticize it for not being “western” enough. Apparently, Team Ninja didn’t feel the same way. They tried to infuse their franchise with elements considered to be western, which proved to be a failure for Ninja Gaiden III.

In an interview with Gamasutra, Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi explained what happened.

“It seems like we made a Japanese hamburger for the west…Maybe as a Japanese developer, we need to make good Japanese food … and that’s what people are wanting from a Japanese developer.”

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Check Out My Viewer’s Guide to EVO 2012 Now on Splitkick.com

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Get hype!

The Evolution Championship Series is just a few weeks away. To get you ready for all of the action, I’ve put together a viewer’s guide to EVO, which you can now check out at Splitkick. This covers where to watch it, what games will be played, as well as some of the big story lines and players to look out for. If you have any interest in watching the event, definitely check out the guide for some additional context.

If You Could Be the Best in the World at One Video Game, What Would That Game Be?

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Also, why would you choose that game? Would you want to be recognized as the best because you have the world’s highest score? The world’s fastest speed run? Would you want to be unbeatable in competition? Or would you want to be considered the best for some other reason? Let’s discuss in the comments!

My Review for Indie Game: The Movie is Now Featured on the Movie’s Official Website

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When I went and saw Indie Game: The Movie awhile back, I did not envision this as the outcome. The review I did for Splitkick is currently featured in the Press section of the Indie Game: The Movie official website alongside a nice pull-quote.  Is it too much to ask to also get featured on the DVD/Blu Ray box? Just kidding. This is awesome! Thank you to the team at Indie Game: The Movie for the recognition!

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How to Plug Headphones Into Your TV

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Recently, my PlayStation 3D TV died an unfortunate (yet apparently common) death. To remedy the problem, I decided to buy a new TV. Unfortunately, the new TV was missing something that the PlayStation 3D TV had: a headphone jack. The vast majority of televisions do not come with headphone jacks, which would have been problematic in Steff and I’s shared living space.

I could have bought wireless headphones, which are built to support televisions. Or, I could have done a Google search for a cheaper alternate solution. In this post, I’ll run you through the process of plugging in any set of headphones into your TV!

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Out Now: Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown

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Historically, I haven’t been one to get to get much out of the 3D fighting game genre. As early as the original Virtua Fighter, it didn’t feel like my style of fighter, and I moved on. However, as I’ve grown more interested in the genre as a whole, I’ve gotten a bit more interested in giving 3D fighters a bit more of an honest try.

I’m currently eying an on sale copy and Soulcalibur V and Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, the latter of which is out now as a $15 downloadable game on XBOX Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

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Let’s Talk About E3 2012

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year for gaming news, as the Electronic Entertainment Expo is upon us. I can’t wait to watch all of the conferences from the major platform holders, read everything that comes up on my reader and listen to all of the podcasts that come from the show. Personally, I’m really curious to learn more about the Wii U, but I’m also keeping my eyes open for some out-of-nowhere shockers that will get me excited for the future of gaming.

Are you excited for the biggest gaming show on the planet? What are you looking forward to seeing or learning more about? Who do you think is going to win E3? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

Check Out My Review for Joy Ride Turbo on Splitkick.com

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Hot off the heels of Kinect Joy Ride is Joy Ride Turbo; the sequel to a motion-controlled game that ditches motion controls completely. On one hand, it’s a curious move to eschew the original’s key selling point. On the other hand, the key selling point in practice wasn’t very good.

If you’re curious about how well it turned out, head over to Splitkick.com to check out my review!

Unboxing the Qanba Q4 RAF Fightstick

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The Qanba Q4 RAF is one of the most sought-after fightsticks on the market for its ability to work with the XBOX 360, PlayStation 3 and PC right out of the box. If you have fighting games across multiple systems or regularly play in tournaments, then having just one fightstick that works with everything sounds a lot better buying multiple fightsticks to do the same thing. However, because of that key feature, this fightstick isn’t licensed by Sony or Microsoft, which means you’ll never be able to buy this at a regular store. Even tracking these down online isn’t necessarily an easy task, as the few online retailers that carry it are often sold out.

Luckily for me, I was able to purchase one at a tournament I was recently at. Let’s open this bad boy up together.

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My Experience at Toryuken

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(Me [right] vs. Rikir [left]  on the Toryuken main stage and live stream of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3)

The ability to excel in a high-pressure situation does not come naturally to most. I, for one, have found this to be the case with everything I do in life – especially in my foray into competitive gaming. I’ve suffered from a seemingly unshakable case of tournament nerves, which has plagued my ability to play to my full potential. It’s hard not to let the nerves get to you when playing for your tournament life in front of a large crowd that is judging your every action.

The cure for shaking nerves? Practice. If you put yourself in a high-pressure situation enough times, you body and mind should get accustomed to the situation. Going into Toryuken – my third tournament to date – I was hoping that this would be the tournament where I could shake off my tournament nerves once and for all.

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