Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was just released in arcades over here in Japan on September 14th, and we got a chance to play it first-hand! Anyone who has played the original Tekken Tag will instantly feel at home, since the core gameplay remains the same, but there's a few tweaks here and there to build on the experience of the original and keep things exciting!
Tekken Tag 2 expands on the tag mechanics found in the original game by allowing for extended tag combos and other combined moves using both your fighters. Tag-combos can now be done simultaneously with both characters participating in the combo at the same time, not one after the other. Trust me when I say these moves aren't only devastating to your life bar but your moral, too! Tag-throws, combined throws using specific character combinations, have also returned, but in Tekken Tag 2 if you can get the timing right you can actually counter the tag-throws. Not only that, you can also instantly roll your tag-throw counter into a tag-combo, which hurts...a lot. However, the coolest new tag feature added has got to be the stage-tag. If you are playing on a stage in which you can knock your opponent off one level and they fall to the next one, you can tag-out out to your other character and pummel your opponent as they are landing on the next stage, for maximum damage!
While Tekken Tag 2 is based off of a modified version of Tekken 6, in my opinion it feels much faster, and the characters feel lighter, than in that game. However, it does retain Tekken 6's "Bound" hits system, in which you can hit an airborne opponent to the ground and then stun them, so you can extend your combos.
Tekken Tag 2 also has an extensive character customization system. It lets you outfit your fighters in pretty much anything you can imagine, including items that are normally meant for different fighters. Your customized character is then saved to your BaNa Pass card (BaNa is short for Bandai Namco, the game's developers and publishers), and the next time you play, just swipe your card and presto-chango, your customized fighters are ready to go! You can also download a digital version of the BaNa Pass to your cell phone (at least here in Japan, where cellphones do EVERYTHING), and by just magically waving your phone in front of the arcade you get the same effect as if you had swiped the physical card. The BaNa Pass system is also used to track your total number of matches played, and your win/loss ratio as well.
Tekken Tag 2 also uses an always-on online system, so that no matter what arcade machine you are playing on, you are always connected to the Tekken Tag 2 servers. The reason for this is that the servers magically capture “ghost” and win/loss data from any player using the BaNa Pass system; then, taking that information, the servers create a Top-20 list of fighters that the game will randomly throw at you as you play. What's really cool is that because of the always-on online system, these “ghost” fighters respond just like the real thing. The servers record every single little thing these fighters do, even how they would react in certain situations and to certain attacks/patterns. It's kinda creepy, but it's also pretty cool.
All in all, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a great fighting game, and as a fan of the original I am glad to see it return. Look for a demo of the game to be packaged with the November release of Tekken Hybrid, exclusively for the PS3. The full console port of the arcade version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is supposed to come out sometime next year.
A special collection of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus is going to be released in the States on September 27th, but it already came out here in Japan on the 22nd. As such, we've already had a full day to enjoy the awesomeness of this collection. As if that wasn't enough, Japan gets an exclusive special edition collector's box, which we, of course, also managed to get our hands on. Since the box set is rather expensive to import, we would like to share some pictures and impressions of both the games and the packaging with you. Hopefully the vicarious experience will satisfy your curiosity about the collector's edition, and motivate you more to pick up these amazing, artistic games when they come out in your area.
First, let's talk about the collector's edition packaging, shall we? It comes in a nice, hard box cover, as the games are on separate discs, unlike the US version which has both on one blu-ray. The box also holds a special book, filled with interviews, design sketches, and artwork from both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. (Quick side note: Shadow of the Colossus is actually called Wander and the Colossus in Japan, a play on Wanderer.) The box itself is covered in various pieces of artwork, with the names of both games on top in an almost see-through laminate that catches the light in appealing ways.
The best thing about the games being on separate discs is that they have separate instruction manuals. This might sound crazy, but they are the most beautiful manuals we have ever seen. The Ico one is filled with sketches, and is laid out like a story book. The play instructions are also given in a storybook fashion, with directions on which button to press at what time actually being woven into the narrative structure.
The Shadow of the Colossus manual is even more impressive, as it has fold-out pages. As you flip through it, you see a beautiful piece of art, then you fold out a piece of paper, look at the instructions on how to play the game, then re-fold it and turn the page, and the artwork has changed. It's hard to really explain in just words, so hopefully the pictures will help you understand it a bit more. The fact that this manual is like nothing else we've ever seen, however, should be understandable without pictures.
Moving on to the included book, it's chock full of information. It starts with pages and pages of Fumita Ueda's original sketches for the colossi and other design elements, storyboards for Ico and Shadow, and other character drawings and tests. At the end of those, as a special treat, a lithograph of two original art pieces Ueda did for Shadow of the Colossus and Ico are included, which you can see below. The paper the lithos are on, and the art in person, is so beautiful, it's indescribable.
Next is a multiple page, in-depth interview with Fumita Ueda, the creator, himself. He discusses what path brought him to this point in his life, where he intends to go from here, and other various things about his life and his art. They then include pictures of his bookshelf, and he discusses his various influences. If you wanted to, you, too, could live life exactly as this incredible creator! They even include a timeline of what movies/books/pieces of art were most influencing him at which point of time during the production of Ico and Shadow.
After the interview, there are pages and pages about how Ueda and his team work, including a time-flowchart of what a normal work-day (12p to 9p, lucky ducks) looks like for them. They show what tools and technology they use to make the games, and provide a timeline of what the development schedule for both Ico and Shadow looked like. There are also interviews with some of the main staff on Ueda's team, but they are shorter than the interview with the man himself. The last thing in the artbook is a few pages of screenshots from Fumita Ueda's upcoming game, The Last Guardian.
As far as the games themselves go, well, they're gorgeous. Don't get us wrong, they aren't as pretty as The Last Guardian, nor any other game actually developed for current-gen systems. However, considering that Ico was originally supposed to be a PSOne title which got re-tooled at the last minute to be a PS2 title, and that Shadow of the Colossus is also up there in age, they are impressive. They didn't re-do the game from the ground up, but they made the existing graphics look as beautiful as they possibly could, and they did an amazing job. Besides enjoying an HD bump and the inclusion of optional 3D graphics (which we unfortunately couldn't test, not having a 3D capable TV), the ICO Team went back and bumped up the textures and polygon count in the games. The difference is immediately noticeable; the graphics look crisp and clear, the colors pop, and the characters have visible, recognizable emotions flit across their face as they experience the events in the story. Perhaps more impressive than the graphics, however, is the inclusion of an HD 7.1 audio sound track. If you thought Ico's world was immersive before, imagine it in surround sound. Certain scenes, usually ones with large stone mechanisms moving, were so intense my speakers almost rumbled themselves off my bookcases. The colossi moving is also incredibly impressive; it almost seemed like one of them was about to materialize into reality and step on my house.
Shadow of the Colossus is much the same as you remember it, as far as gameplay goes. However, Ico is noticeably different. For the collection, they used the European/Japanese version of Ico. Why, you ask? The American version was actually released 9 months earlier than EU/JPN versions, and as such those versions had better textures, more polish, and extra features. Those extra features are carried on into the PS3 release. For example, when you beat the game, all of Yorda's and the Queen's strange language is translated, so you can understand what they are saying on subsequent play-throughs. More exciting, however, is the inclusion of the 2-player mode; upon completing the game for the first time, you can choose to re-play the game with a friend taking on the role of Yorda.
As far as the games themselves go, we don't feel the need to really review them. They are classics, and the best argument there has ever been for the 'games as art' debate. If you played them before, when they were originally released on the PS2, then you already know this. Be assured that seeing Ico and Shadow in glorious HD graphics will warm your heart, and re-affirm the love you had for these games when you first played them. If you did not play them when they first released, or if you only managed to play Shadow (Ico was ridiculously hard to find on the PS2), then you need to buy these. Even if atmospheric action-adventure puzzle games aren't what you usually play, play these. They are the best examples of what video games are capable of achieving as an art medium, and you will be better for having played them. We personally hope that all of you will support these games by buying them on September 27th, and at $40 for the two of them, you can hardly find a better deal for your time. You won't regret it. We know we don't. We sincerely hope you enjoyed this look at the Japan-exclusive collector's edition box of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.
Submitted by: Sherrie Blackwell and Aaron McKeever
While there are many, many different games in the legendary Street Fighter series, in my humble opinion Street Fighter III was the best of them. If you haven't played SF3, but are a fan of the series, I highly suggest picking up this game. Even if you aren't a fan of Street Fighter, this game is so much fun that you will enjoy it as much as any fan would.
Street Fighter 3 revolutionized the 2D fighting game world when it was originally released. With its insanely awesome game mechanics, namely the parry moves system and the EX moves mechanic, it had a higher level of finesse and polish than all the other fighting games of its time. You were able to parry a move and negate all damage to your character with the right timing, and you could power up your character's moves by sacrificing a portion of your special meter, both things which had never really been seen before.
This version of the game is essentially a remastered and remixed version of the beloved arcade classic. It has everything the arcade version had and more. You have the ability to fight against opponents online by either matching them to your rank in the game, or just by quick join, which matches you based only on the requirement that your opponent is a warm body. Quick join basically puts you up against any opponent regardless of rank, so you may find yourself fighting a clone of Daigo Umehara. You may google him, if you haven't seen him play yet and you need the fear of God put into you. The game is also produced by GGOP, which is a company that is known for its lag-less online play. In addition to lag-less, totally awesome online play, you also have the ability to record your matches and upload them to YouTube, or watch other players' recorded matches, including your PSN or Xbox Live buddies' fights.
For those of you who might be a little too attached to the original version of SF3, fear not; you can change the game's look into the classic arcade style, or you can keep the new, HD, smoother looking graphics, whichever floats your boat. This version is also loaded with trophies/achievements, so you will definitely find yourself playing this game for a long time if you are one of those OCD 'need every trophy ever' people. Even if you aren't, it's still a fair bet that you will sink a lot of time into SF3 Online with the addition of trials and parry training. You have tons of little mini-trials, which by conquering level up your rank in the game, allowing you to unlock pictures, music, and movies from the game's crypt. These are awesome, but perhaps the coolest thing about them is that one of the trials is actually EVO moment #37 (EVO being a huge annual fighting game tournament). Yes.. Good luck trying to get that achievement. Parry training allows you to practice your parries against any character, which is incredibly helpful. You can even record a dummy character's moves and have it attack you, so you know exactly when the hits are coming, in order to really perfect your parry timing. In any case, the trials and parry training will allow you to master the game on an entirely new level, and perhaps you might even get to the level where someday you will go down in EVO history.
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, in my opinion, has only gotten better with age. It is a game that was considered nearly perfect at the peak of its relevancy and has greatly amazed me even now, 12 years later. If you played this back in the day, or, horrors, you never had the chance to play it, you owe it to yourself to download it from Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network today.
