Two Big Revelations

A clearer and somewhat contradictory picture of new Street Fighter Hakan surfaced today. The Arab fighter is now Turkish and instead of being a white haired, dark skinned version of Abel he now has a mustache. I've always said that we need more mustaches in video games. Sure Mario has a mustache and he's the biggest character in video games but still: you can never have too many mustaches.

The picture is pixely, its blurry, it looks like someone took a cellphone camera to take a pic of a non-HD screen but that's beside the point. From what I can tell he looks badass and a welcome addition to the roster. I might complain a lot about this game but the now six new characters (Abel, Viper, Fuerte, Rufus, Juri and Hakan) all turned out pretty good.

And the second announcement: Power Girl is coming to DCU online. When I think of Power Girl one thing comes to mind: Boob Window. I don't really like the character and thats probably the main reason why, the boob window seems too gratuitous, too unnecessary even in a medium (comics) in which females are typically represented wearing next to nothing. The fact that Power Girl has a rack that can only lead to back problems and a mom haircut doesn't help either.

Honestly, she looks like needs to put some jeans and a polo on and drive Supergirl to soccer practice. Kotaku says that Power Girl is a counterpart to Supergirl but she looks more like her mom, I guess she was created for those nerds who are more into cougars. I don't play DCU online so they the announcement means nothing to me, still thought I'd share.

More Power Girl pics at Kotaku
Full story on Hakan at Hadoken

Stages: M. Bison

Note: the title should be read as a parody of David Bowie's "Changes" (i.e Staaa aages)

M. Bison. The Dictator, the final boss, the guy who's personification has evolved from basic to bulky to overtly realistic to whatever the fuck hes up to these days. Its safe to say that his status as a boss has severely diminished, like Bowser and other villains he was quickly forced into the lovable baddie role. Now he's just misunderstood, replaced by other uglier and stupider bosses (I mean blonde Jesus? wtf??)

The problem with Bison's stage is that its not representative of any country. Bison doesn't fight for a country, he fights for evil and by evil I mean a flag with a winged skull on it. Doesn't get much more evil than that does it? Sure I've heard that the stage is in Thailand, there are monks and a huge bell after all, but Bison doesn't look like a monk or like someone who's just in it for a good fight.

No, he looks more like a Caribbean dictator or, at most, an Eastern European dictator. So why then isn't Bison fighting out of Nassau or Belgrade? Ugh Capcom, did you really want to throw another character representing a country that is already represented? I mean your game is called The World Warrior, how about getting more of the world in there? I know there was no Wikipedia back then but surely you could have gotten ahold of an old CIA fact book.

Maybe that's why he technically represents a flag with a skull on it: Sagat was already from Thailand and so was Adon. Sure this was the height of the Michael Dudikoff and the American Ninja franchise but this didn't mean we needed more and more martial arts bullshit. Congrats, because of you we now have the UFC and the glorification of the bellicose douchebag.

So This Happened

Seriously this is officially the worst kept secret ever. The leaked list of "new" characters appearing in Super Street Fighter IV has all but been proven to be true, with today's unofficial confirmation of Makoto, Dudley and Ibuki coming to the game that only leaves the "new Arab fighter" Hakan. Ummm ok, could they not have unveiled this officially some months ago?

I've talked about this before, many times, and if you follow the Street Fighter tag you'll notice that my tone has gone from incredibly excited to cautiously disappointed to just plain angry at the money grab. As far as the technical aspects go these three new characters look just as good as the previous releases and the original characters do. When Capcom decided on this character style they picked a winner and I'm glad they're sticking with it.

Loser of the Week: NBC and their fucked up Olympic coverage. Almost nothing is broadcast live (especially here in the West Coast, in the same time zone as the fucking Olympics!), they give the American public live figure skating however. Ugh figure skating? that's not actually sport, wheres the hockey? snowboarding? bobsledding? At least I got to see some live curling today.

708 Words on Super Street Fighter IV

Some Super Street Fighter 4 updates.

Capcom has revealed the box art, some new character sketches, a release date and a ton more information about the upcoming title. The main theme of all these updates has been general disappointment. Nothing extraordinary is in the works, nothing that merits a $50 price tag for a "new" game which is made up mostly of "improvements" to an existing title. In other words so far it really does look like a money grab. Let's look at these things individually.

The new art is horrible. Yes I talked about it before, when it was first released and I was liking it at the time. But the stuff I've seen recently is beyond atrocious especially considering what the art for SF4 looked like or even what Udon is doing with the franchise. This new style, that looks like either pastels or cloth depending on how high you are, has no dynamism at all. There is no sense of action, of movement, the characters look bland, uninspired and deformed. By god look at what they did to poor Zangief!

This leads directly to the box art which is nothing more than a copy and paste of the previously mentioned character art. It's beyond boring, nothing is happening on that box. The Japanese and European boxes are a bit better but not great either, just simple photoshops of characters. They should have created something unique for the box instead of relying on clip art. How about a cover with just one character? and how about this: make that character NOT Ryu? if you insist on getting Cammy in there at all costs why not just give her the cover, or Guile, or fuck it take the SF4 cover and substitute Ryu and Ken for two of the new characters.

Speaking of new characters, nothing has been revealed since Adon, Cody and Guy and that was a few months ago. Last year even! We pretty much know that the other characters will be Dudley, Makoto, Ibuki and a new guy called Hakan. Here's the thing: I don't care for any of these. Honest. I've never played them, had they gone with a character I've actually used and mastered (Remy, Necro, Juli, Juni) I might actually be excited. And the new character? when I heard it was gonna be an Arab fighter I was way happy, then I saw what is possibly a picture of him and....its a guy in a gi. Another fucking guy in a gi? what makes him Arab? is it a special gi? Frustrating.

The other big thing: new ultras, new outfits. Some of these are gonna be great, Cammy in a tiny Bison outfit? yes please. Zangief as Colossus? of course! Dhalsim in traditional Brahmin garb? I'll take two. New ultras? also a plus but for someone who loves visuals and art as much as I do That's really a secondary bonus. The thing about it is these could have been downloadable! I would pay good money to see these costumes in Street Fighter 4. Hell I already did it once. The new characters could have been downloadable also, it would have been much more difficult to pull off sure but if Soul Calibur did it I'm sure Capcom can do it also.

See the main problem here is we're gonna be paying (a lot) of money for what amounts to DLC and a repurchase of the original game. There is not $50 worth of newbies in Super Street Fighter 4, that would be impossible. It's also not a new game yet they want me to spend the same money I spent for Modern Warfare 2. I don't fucking get it, is Ghost gonna be a playable character? I didn't think so.

So in the end: it'll be worth it once it trickles down to $15 on Amazon. Which is only fair because the announcement of this game made my SF4 worth about that much. I'm sure it'll sell like hotcakes to the rest of the Street Fighter nerds (my fellow nerds I should say) but I'm simply gonna have to pass (for now at least). There are too many good new games out there and this is merely good bonus content for a game I already own.

Stages: Sagat

Note: the title should be read as a parody of David Bowie's "Changes" (i.e Staaa aages)

We reach the penultimate of the original 12 Street Fighter 2 characters' stages. Sagat was demoted from being the boss in the first game to the boss's right hand man in the second edition, a demotion that would forever haunt him as Bison became the default final characters while Sagat remained marred as nothing more than Ryu's evil yet respected enemy.

It just so happens that the Thailand stage is my favourite in the entire game. There is something about the giant angled sleeping Buddha statue in the background which conveys a sort of majesty that certainly goes with the character even if it doesn't necessarily go with the country. To a kid playing these games when they came out wasn't about going to Thailand because it was full of sleeping giant statues, it was the mysticism attached to the statue, how that statue defined a particular religion, a religion that was completely different from what we grew up with.

Though curiousity about Eastern philosophy wasn't the reason why this stage was my favourite. It was mainly the aesthetics of it. The way the giant Buddha reigned over the entire screen in its somber sleep at an angle that looked almost 3D in the middle of the 2D gaming world. Besides it's not like you would see a lot of it. It was a pain in the ass to get to Sagat and once you did it you'd beat him in one or two tries and then you wouldn't see it again.

I suppose its safe to assume that Sagat is a Buddhist. All of that way of the warrior junk that he shares with Ryu, how they're both looking for nothing more then a challenge because they're so badass certainly would help the assumption. How such a warrior ended up being Bison's second is certainly beyond my comprehension but he did and now is merely second fiddle. Is this a metaphor for the country of Thailand? no.

So lets get back to the giant statue. A Buddha statue representing a Buddhist country makes sense, while it certainly not the only thing that defines the country but by choosing only one aspect and doing it right they managed to make the stage especially noteworthy. Yes they could have gone with a beach scene but that could be anywhere from Phuket to Acapulco. Yes there are giant Buddha statues in other countries but there is no fighter from Myanmar.

What was Thailand up to in 1989? I'm not gonna pretend that I know but the Buddhism thing is still going on today as it was in 1989 and way before that. By choosing to convey a timeless attribute they've turned a country that is otherwise known for knock off soccer jerseys into an ethereal landscape that will forever remain unchanged. You know just like Sagat's obsession with fighting and shit.

The story as the series progressed is the same with almost every other character. Capcom moved away from individual stages in favor of random locales which could be just about anywhere. At some point the fight was held at the statues feet, though I can't figure out if thats a legit Street Fighter game or some MUGEN stage. It's a shame too because individual stages based on the old ones with today's technology would have been the balls. It might be making a comeback in Super Street Fighter IV but I'm not to happy with how thats turning out to really care. More on that in a future post.

Stages: Balrog

Note: the title should be read as a parody of David Bowie's "Changes" (i.e Staaa aages)

Today we take a break from the usual Modern Warfare 2 stuff and come back to an old classic: the stages post. Balrog (or Mike Bison, or Vega or Boxer) is the second boss character in the original Street Fighter and the third American we profile. Just like Ken and Guile's, Balrog's stage shows us a completely different aspect of American culture: the excess most commonly associated with Las Vegas.

It would have been too obvious to have Balrog's stage be an actual boxing ring. It would have also been very interesting seeing how Vega's stage was so unorthodox, another odd stage with different properties would have been fun to play in. Balrog could have projected off the ropes and landed devastating punches, alas he still lands devastating punches but does so with significantly less theatrics.

Instead he's fighting in the middle of the Las Vegas strip, in front of the Golden Nugget Casino no less, which shares the backdrop with some fancy cars, bikini-clad women and a substantial array of pimps. This fits in perfectly with Balrog, especially as his character evolved throughout the series. He is portrayed as a less than average intellect who uses exceeding brute force and fights strictly for the money.

Does the stage portray the excesses of capitalism? of American culture? not exactly. The kind of depravity that goes in in Vegas, if you're willing to believe their own motto or "The Hangover", is very specific and unique to Vegas. What we are seeing, then, is not commentary on American decay but rather on that of Las Vegas. That this might be what some choose to think about when they think of the U.S is a whole other discussion and is completely reliant on that person's own values and viewpoints. In other words its just as valid to think this is America as it is to think that the wild west, the slums of Detroit or the concept of gum smacking is what represents us (and this blogger can now, happily say "us" as he recently became a U.S citizen). We are informed by our perceptions, obviously, but we choose which perceptions to believe.

The stage itself is awfully lively. The characters in the back move around quite a bit, the music is fast paced and the challenge of facing Balrog and his quick punches and charge attacks is something that feels completely in place in such a stage. That Balrog was originally an unlicensed clone of Mike Tyson doesn't hurt either. We've all seen Vegas fights and are familiar with the tacky glamour that accompanies them, here is a chance to take part of this glamour, in 1992 using a green electric beast man.

The stage received a great update in the recent HD remake of Street Fighter II. The bikini wearing women remain as do the pimps (one of which looks like a white Snoop Dogg meets Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York) but a douchebag wearing a baseball hat and basketball shorts (poker player? yeah definitely) and an escalade have been added. Oh yeah this is excess. This is decay, this is, and they will be the first to tell you, Vegas.

Oh hey Cody, Guy, Adon

Three more new characters for Super Street Fighter IV were unofficially unveiled today as some dude scanned a Famitsu magazine which does not come out until Friday and was supposed to signal the official unveiling. Somehow I really don't mind these spoilers.

Guy, Adon and Cody are the three returning characters. Nothing out of the ordinary, we sorta expected them. I don't care for any of these so its all a big meh for me. I'm glad I know three more characters sure but the actual characters do nothing for me. Design wise they look great updated to the SFIV style, if anything I'd say Cody's prison outfit should be baggier. We'll have to wait for high quality official artwork to be able to critique them.

Looks like the reveals are going to be made three at a time and possibly done on a monthly basis in order to maximize the hype up until the release.

Check out Hadoken.Net for more info.

I Will not title this "Juri Duty"

Here's the deal. When Capcom teased us with Super Street Fighter IV they did so mainly with promises of new characters. Sure the game would be beefed up graphically, musically and gameplay wise but the one thing you cant get in SFIV that you're gonna really want are new characters. Sure its a money grab but everything is a money grab, right Call of Duty Super Mega Special Collector's Edition? Hence, with money in mind, did Capcom unveil T.Hawk, Dee Jay and Juri.

The first of those two characters we know and don't much care for as that sense of discovery is long gone. But Juri is a different story altogether. She has basically been used as the face of this new iteration, she's the most palpable "new" aspect of this game and as such has been paraded all over the internet. Dee Jay and T. Hawk might make old schoolers happy but Juri is Capcom's promise of excitement to come.

With new images, information and videos being released seemingly on a daily basis I suppose now is the time to make a semi-informed decision as to what kind of character she'll be. So here's what we have so far:

She's the first Korean and Taw Kwon Doe fighter in the series. Ok this means nothing to me, not that I have anything against Korea its just that since they went away from personalized stages she could be from the fucking moon and I wouldn't be able to tell where she's from. She's Korean, that doesn't come through in any of the things she does.
She has great kicks and two somethings in her hair. Hmm dont we already have a character with those characteristics? also those points she has for hair remind me of a pinata.

She has a beef with Bison. Storyline means nothing to me. The whole thing is too
convoluted.
She has a pretty cool fighting style. She does. It looks like she's fast and her kicks seem more powerful than Chun Li's. Yes this is a plus.
I like her design. Yes I do, I've criticized the parachute pants and hair thingies but she looks cool nonetheless. Let's be honest most of SF's designs are out there, from the old (Vega) to the new (Viper), Street Fighter isn't afraid of being out there. Sure Juri might seem a bit too fantasy-y but I'm willing to give her a chance. This isn't King of Fighters.

I could go on. Actually I couldn't but I have a video that makes my point for me. The thing with these new characters is that they're designed in 2009 to blend in with characters from 1989. It's gonna be a mishmash, its gonna be a bit off regardless of whatever design is released. The final verdict will have to wait until the game is released, we know what the rest of the characters look like and I've had a chance to play it.

Video Game - E3 2009 - X-Play

Here's that video. Also: bonus stages!

Stages: Vega

Note: the title should be read as a parody of David Bowie's "Changes" (i.e Staaa aages)

The Spain stage is unique in the Street Fighter series in that it plays an important role in at least one move that Vega can perform. When the masked-clawed one decides to jump against the wall like fucking Spider Man and jump on top of his rival that fence has to be there otherwise it looks like he's just floating in mid air.

This was not a problem in the original SF2 because Vega was not meant to be a playable character but merely one of the final four Shadaloo members. Therefore the possibility of him ever playing in another stage was nonexistent and the developers were free to chain him to that stage as much as they could. In later games, in which he was actually playable, his moves were altered so that he jumps off the edge of the screen and not that fence.

But back to the stage. It seems that the working idea behind its design was to cram as much Spain in it as possible. He's fighting in front of a chained-off restaurant in which patrons are no doubt eating tapas as they enjoy a flamenco dance in front of a bullfighting mural. This is Spain in the late 80's, a fun place to enjoy drinking, eating, entertainment and a good fight. It's in Europe sure but it retains that luster and excitement characteristic of a downtown in a culturally rich third world country. There's socioeconomic commentary for the month.

The music plays a vital role in the selling of this as SPAIN. It appears to be borrowed directly from the intro music used for Don Flamenco in Punch Out. Globalization not being what it is today, knowledge of Spain was limited to flamenco music and tapas, there is no sign of the first world socialist haven that the country would evolve into. But at least its not mired in the civil wars and fascist dictatorships that the country suffered through in the middle of the last century.

As for Vega, well he evolved. Not a lot really, he still appears as an ADD raddled metrosexual in the latest Street Fighter game, but at least he has been consistently portrayed as the most cold blooded member of Shadaloo throughout the anime, manga and games. Unfortunately the same cannot be said with the slap in the face that was his casting in the Chun Li movie.

What I've Learned

These are just a few things I've learned after a few months of playing Street Fighter IV on Xbox Live. I've managed to amass a fair amount of fights, wins and different opponents and have gathered some substantial, and subjective, data regarding the community. Most of these things are stupid but some are really interesting.

• -While Ken remains the easiest character to use, and by far the most popular selection, he is not the most annoying. In order to counteract the huge quantities of Ken's you have to play at any given moment you simply select another Ken. Everybody knows how to use them and those who don't can easily pick him up. He's also awfully powerful and his attacks have high priorities.
• -The most annoying character is by far Blanka. People who use him have a particular system which completely depends on being attacked first. They simply wait and shock you, and if you don't let them do that they do that annoyin roll attack. Blanka's attack are too weird to plan a proper strategy against, fortunately it's not easy to master him and most simply choose not to.
• -There are proper and improper ways of using Zangief. The proper way involves using his great defense and large mass to walk towards an opponent, grab him and suplex him. The improper way involves just standing there like a fuckin dumbass and perform his stupid spin attack which absorbs everything. I accept that Zangief is a badass and should be tough to beat because he manhandles you but you don't have to annoy me while doing it.
• -The four new players are about as popular as gonorrhea. Yes they have their hardcore users, especially Abel, but El Fuerte's speed, Rufus' girth and Viper's weakness are not draws for anybody. I tried to use Viper but she doesn't do any damage and takes way too much.
• -Gen isn't very popular either. Vega isn't very useful. Balrog has one attack and it consists of him charging and grunting at you. Rose is the best antidote against the faux badasses that use Akuma. Sagat is too powerful, Seth isn't cheap when you use him, Gouken is easy.
• -The toughest fuckers out there are the ones who really know how to use Chun Li. Jesus Christ, she has lots of possibilities: I've been kicked, combo'ed, short punched, focus attacked and Ultra Combo'd to death by the Chun Li users. At this point I simply select a random.
• -Speaking of which here's the code: if you set your selection at random and your opponent does the same then you both must select a random! it's happened way too much that we're both at the random icon and I pull the trigger and the moron I'm playing then moves one up and takes Ken. It is fuckin annoying.
• -Some personal statistics: The three characters I've selected the most are Honda, Fei Long and Sakura. I've never actually used Honda but my brother does and he uses my account. Fei Long is the character I've used the most and I'm getting pretty good with him. Sakura I don't use much anymore (I did when I first started playing), Ken I use a lot but only against other Ken's or Ryu's. I'm definitely not the only person that has Rufus at the bottom of their most used list but I'm probably one of the few that have Ryu second to last in said list.

So there it is. I didn't add links with pictures because everybody knows what these characters look like and what they consist of. For those who don't there's this handy guide. I fear my SFIV online days might be drawing an end since I'm getting Soul Calibur IV in the mail this week. Is SCIV as good as SFIV? Don't know, we'll find out.

Stages: Ryu

Note: the title should be read as a parody of David Bowie's "Changes" (i.e Staaa aages)

We now reach the last stage of the original (selectable) characters of Street Fighter II. Like Honda's bathhouse Ryu's stage is set in Japan, not in modern neon Tokyo but in a more traditional setting. Japan is widely known for the juxtaposition of old and new, Ryu's stage has no juxtaposition its simply a rooftop in traditional Japan, where it can as easily be 1889 instead of 1989.

The stage doesn't say much about Japan in the late 80's, it is the only stage that is way more interested in representing it's character than its country. The twilight, the moon, the religious buildings all reek of transcendental meditation and all other spiritual mumbo jumbo that Ryu is known for.

I've always thought that making Ryu so focused on fighting and training (as opposed to, you know, women, booze and fast cars) was a bit annoying. Sure he can be all about having a good fight but come on! he has to be interested in other things. This quest to be "the best" has to take a backseat sometimes but apparently it doesn't. Honestly it makes Ryu looks pretentious and this stage does not help dissuade this thought one bit.

But like I've mentioned in other posts this is a necessity in a fighting game, Ryu might have been the first one and he remains the best. Truthfully we already have a more laid back, more relaxed Ryu and his name is Ken.

Getting back to the Ryu stage: I always thought that the shinto rooftop had a couple of cannons crossing it and for the longest time had a completely wrong idea of Japan. This type of house or shrine can be found throughout Japan so it works. It's not flashy or nationalistic but neither is Ryu so I suppose it works. Like I mentioned in the Honda post the game producers were able to go deeper into Japan than into any other country therefore the stages that emerged were not as stereotypical nor exaggerated here. Of course this also doesn't leave much room for our type of analysis.

Well this was it for the first eight but it's not the end of Stages. Shit, its barely the half way point. Next up will be the four Shadaloo bosses (one of which fights in my favourite stage) and afterwards its off to the new challengers. After that there's still a bit more planned. But that's still a few months away so no worries.

Finally I should mention that I got most of my screen shots (and blog pictures) from Moby Games. I assume its a great site, I'll add a link in appreciation.

Street Fighter + Mega Man

For the past two days I've been looking for an excuse to post this picture. Finally I gave up and determined that I have no need for excuses. I mean just look at those things! I have no idea which one I like more, I really do want to just hug and squeeze all of them

Found here.

Viper, Sagat, New Art

Capcom released some more promotional art today for Super Street Fighter IV. In this case its new portraits (official ones) of Sagat and Crimson Viper. Thats a screenshot up there, better quality, full ones can be found at the Street Fighter Blog.

It should be noted that the new game will likely have all new artwork for all the characters done in a style that is a departure from the SFIV "ink" style which not only functioned as official artwork but also played a part in the gameplay in the form of the character's focus attacks. The new artwork doesn't suck but it lacks the kick that the ink style had. They're nice drawings and all but the chalk/pencil thing is inferior to the ink thing. It just is. I'm not saying I wouldn't pay money for an artbook but its not as good as the former is all.

As for these two particular drawings, I do like them. It's hard to characterize Sagat as anything other than a bad ass so any drawing of him will look like we've seen it before. As for Viper, her appearance is too odd and specific to really do anything with it. Long braided red hair, glasses, black outfit, not much room for modification. They gave her the standard Street Fighter thunderthighs, accented her curves and made her usual smirk a bit too subtle.

Also what is going on with those backgrounds? Sagat is breaking some meteors while Viper sits on the side of a futon? I vote we go back to the old solid color backgrounds.

Stages: Honda

Note: the title should be read as a parody of David Bowie's "Changes" (i.e Staaa aages)

One of two Japan stages in the original Street Fighter II was Honda's bath house (or Sento or 銭湯). The good thing about the two Japan stages is that they were not designed with stereotypes of the country traditionally known to outsiders, the Sento might be very traditional in Japanese culture but it is not stereotypical, the juxtaposition of it next to the Japanese Sumo wrestler creates the sense that even though we don't know about the Sento or its importance we do instinctively associate it with Japan.

The bathhouse in Honda's stage is very traditional, in fact it looks just like this one. A community pool (bath) in the middle with a traditional Japanese painting (with landscape, rising sun and kabuki player) on the wall next to it. Towards the sides baskets and what appear to be soap machines lie, accessories no doubt present in any communal bath. Of course everybody knows that once the match is over the kabuki man lights up. Since the Sento isn't specifically linked to Sumo the story was that Honda worked there. The stage made appearances in some subsequent games, including some crossovers.

The stage would be very recognizable to the Japanese and those who know its culture. The question of how to scream "JAPAN" to an outsider is more complicated, should they have included godzilla? baseball? pocky? schoolgirls? ome of those weird vending machines? the bottom line is they could have potentially messed the stage up in grand fashion if they wanted to go with total stereotypes, fortunately they decided to keep it classic, respectful and more realistic.

As the spread of Japanese culture across America (and the world) becomes stronger its customs, including the more obscure ones, become more well known and accepted. Twenty years after the release of SFII we no longer need the obvious stereotypes and therefore appreciate the inclusion (and possibly introduction) of lesser known Japanese traditions such as the bath house.

The only downside to this is that the knowledge of a culture on the part of Japanese developers was limited when it came to other countries, therefore when it came to places such as India or (as we will see later) Mexico, they did have to go with complete stereotypes. Leaving those outside those countries with a wrong impression of them and those inside with wondering just what the fuck was going through the developers minds.

There it is, a Japan heavy entry with no mentions of Sapporo, I'm sorta proud of myself.

MAXIMUM

Admittedly I've been a bit lazy lately, not in the mood for playing SNES or finding stupid shit to fill in blog posts. Welcome to Ocotober. Ah well, I'm sure this will go away soon, for now here's a clear picture of Dee Jay for Super Street Fighter IV.

I always sorta liked Dee Jay (though not as much as my brother) mainly because he had thick legs. He gave some good kicks and was relatively easy to control. Cammy was useless because she would jump up and down maniacally for no reason, T.Hawk was useless because he couldn't move much and Fei Long required too much mastery to actually use.

Dee Jay was easy, he kicked and dance his way into many people's hearts. My favourite part were his MAXIMUM pants which, apparently, only said that because the word could be read both when he was facing right or left. Sure maybe he was not as popular as Cammy (for obvious reasons) and didn't make it to the original cut of SFIV but he managed to get himself a following, at some point even getting an action figure.

It remains to be seen, I suppose, how his moves will transfer to the new SF, thankfully I have yet to encounter an old character that has been ruined by the updates.

The New Warriors - CONFIRMED!

Rumours have been spreading for a few days now about Capcom announcing either a new character for Street Fighter IV or an overhaul (hopefully a downloadable one) titled Super Street Fighter IV. Yesterday there was a picture with a leaked T.Hawk and a Japanese website (which pretty much confirms the whole thing) and today a French website (which has gone down because its never seen so much traffic) was sent some screen captures. Check them out at Kotaku.

So that pretty much confirms T.Hawk is coming to the game as early as tomorrow but it also confirms a new character named "Juri" who's design is horrible in that pose pic but ok in the fight screenshot. Really Capcom? you couldn't give us Juli or Juni you had to give us a new character and on top of that call her Juri? are you messing with us? Of course it's also entirely possible that this is Juli but has not been translated properly, if so when did she go emo?

I'm willing to give Juri the benefit of the doubt, after all the four new characters aren't completely horrible, but I was hoping for one of Cammy's stewardess friends to make it in also. I'm sure she makes sense but I dont feel like paying $60 for a new game (if its not downloadable) for a new character that didn't make it through the cut and another who I could never cared for in the original Street Fighter. On the other hand, Fei Long and Cammy are already in that would just leave Dee Jay outside so maybe he's in the package too. Still, not paying another $60.

UPDATE: According to the Street Figher Blog (which has more pictures) there are ten additional characters, which pretty much guarantees a new release and NOT a download, according to a comment on Kotaku,

The new characters are supposedly....
T.Hawk
DeeJay
Makoto
Ibuki
Adon
Guy
Cody
Dudley
Juri (original, seen in the photos)
Hakan (an Arab figher, also original)

This is getting interesting. Very interesting,. An Arab fighter? about time. We'll have to see what happens tomorrow. Unfortunately, given Capcom's money grabbing nature and SF fans completest, obsessional nature it looks like its a new game and we're all gonna buy it anyways.

CONFIRMED - Wow a second update huh? go internet! looks like the game has been confirmed as a standalone (new game) to be sold at a modified (cheaper) price. It'll contain 8 new characters (not the ten up there) three have been revealed: T.Hawk, Yuri and Dee Jay. Get a look at the third most famous Jamaican in the world (after Bob Marley and Usain Bolt) right here. Good stuff. By the way Super Street Fighter IV is a good title but you know what's better? Street Fighter IV 2. Yeah thats a winner.

Stages: Guile

Note: the title should be read as a parody of David Bowie's "Changes" (i.e Staaa aages)

Because nothing says "superpower" better than a display of military might it was only fitting that Capcom would go to an airbase full of fighter jets to represent Guile's stage. Ok maybe its not full of fighter jets but the one F-16 certainly proves the intended point: the U.S has the most advanced air force in the world, just look at that fucking jet!

The stage has some other interesting features. First there is a U.S Airforce roundel right in the middle of the stage, in the same spot that the hammer and sickle holds in the Zangief stage, the message is simple: freedom, brought to you by the U.S military vs oppression brought to you by bureaucratic factories in the USSR. This isn't a negative thing, its simply the truth! The cold war ended with the inefficiencies of the Soviet model of "communism" laid completely bare, the differences between the two stages highlight these inefficiencies while still maintaining that the U.S and its over reliance on its military is not a utopia either.

In the interest of treating this entry as a meditation on the cold war let us pursue a comparison of the two stages. The many levels of fences in the USSR stage are a complete contrast to the vast openness of the Air Force base, sure there are advanced machines in the Soviet factories but the workers dont have access to them, they're state owned you see. On the other hand if you really want to get in that F-16 then by all means.

Also who would you rather hang out with? the drunken bolshevik workers or the blonde men and women of the United States Air Force, pulled straight out of the then recently released Top Gun. You could be Iceman or Maverick and, better yet, you can get laid right afterwards. In the USSR all you really have to look forward to are more and more meetings of the Comintern and the Comecon. Snore.

Lastly, lets not forget that this is a Japanese game and the differing views of the two cold war giants are not from an American, and therefore biased, point of view but rather from a Japanese. This is not to say that there isn't any bias, Japan being a capitalist country and whatnot, but this is still a valid representation of how the international community saw these two countries: the declining empire of bureaucracy vs the emerging empire of military might. The Guile stage, then, is still a jab at the U.S, but the reason we see it as a positive is because of the images we have grown up with.

Stages: Dhalsim

Note: the title should be read as a parody of David Bowie's "Changes" (i.e Staaa aages)

I imagine the conversation in Capcom's offices circa 1988 went something like this:

Capcom Exec -Hey we need an eccentric character for that world champions fighting sequel
Capcom Creative-Ooh I know, how about someone from India? those people are crazy what with their funny hats and recent wars with Pakistan and China...
Capcom Exec -Good idea but how are we going to animate the character's stage?
Capcom Creative -Elephants. Dont they worship a crazy elephant with six arms? well lets just get lots of elephants!

Maybe it wasn't that simple but it certainly feels like it. Dhalsim truly is the eccentric, voodoo, mystery character who can get away with doing supernatural things in an otherwise non-supernatural game. So he can extend his arms and legs, so he can breathe fire, its because he's into that kooky religion! there's your explanation.

His stage suffers from much the same oversimplification and overdependence on the whole ascerbic Hindi thing. Ganesh is there not because he's the Hindu god, nor because it has any special significance for Dhalsim's abilities but rather because he's a recognizable symbol of the religion. Probably the most recognizable symbol, in fact.

Besides the big Ganesh in the middle there's not much else to look at. It's a sort of palace, there are other elephants because that's what you would expect. What else is going to be included? they weren't going to make any political statements so no Gandhi, no nuclear weapons, no mention of the wars with Pakistan or China. But none of this is necessary because this is not an educational game, it was not intended for IR majors, it was certainly not intended for people in India either.

Not that any of this is all bad, with technological and global limitations this was the best they could do. At least they maintained the elephant gimmick in subsequent games, even as they added more elements and beefed up the character.

Stages: Blanka

Note: the title should be read as a parody of David Bowie's "Changes" (i.e Staaa aages)

Stages now takes us to Brazil, the only place (besides Boston) where green monsters are not only accepted but downright beloved. There really is no reason for Blanka to be from Brazil: he doesnt fit the stereotypes of the time (soccer players and carnaval) nor does he speak Portuguese or belong to one of the very specific social classes.

So what makes him Brazilian? well nothing, the story is that he was in a plane crash and separated by his mother as a boy. Apparently he was lily white (hence the name) but became green with time. He only fights in Brazil because originally he was to be a sorta black slave character, the design later evolved into a freaky green man.

Now onto the stage. Its a basic "jungle" setting with varied flora, fauna and various people cheering on the fighters. This could be anywhere really, there is nothing that specifically says "Brazil", there is no soccer, no favelas, no racial inequalities (though you can still sorta see some in the stage), no Seu Jorge to be found anywhere. Much of this can be explained away when we realize that the world wasn't as globalized in 1989 as it is now, there was no internet, City of God had not been made yet.

Instead of this being the Brazil stage, then, it simply becomes the nondescript Latin American third world stage. Blanka could have easily been from Colombia, Peru, Mexico and the same stage (with minor tweaks) could be used. It can be reasonably argued that the stage is set in the Amazon (a possible synonym for Brazil in the late 80's) but it could easily be any other river in Latin America so even if it is meant to be the Amazon it still feels like a cop out, especially since Brazil is such a visual country.

With time Street Fighter added at least one other Brazilian fighter that did not fight in the jungle while the Street Fighter IV stage for Blanka though is still very much influenced by the original. Given that Blanka is a feral beast I suppose we can give Capcom a pass for the jungle stage, if anything Blanka was not the Brazilian fighter in SF2 but rather the beastly one, he filled a required trope just as Honda was the burly one and Chun-Li the girl. The stage is simply another way in which Blanka fills that role.

Had the character been a soccer player, a plantation owner or Lula da Silva odds are he would not be fighting in the jungle, but instead in some other Brazilian landmark. The problem is that in 2009, after the character became iconic and beloved, it was time to move him somewhere else and they simply failed at that.

Pour Vous, Sagat

So guess what? apparently Sagat is the most powerful character in Street Fighter 4. This is odd, not only is he not even the boss but he hasnt been the boss since the first Street Fighter game, the one that doesn't even count!

I noticed when I first bought the game that the I had a difficult time beating him on Xbox Live, if not in regular arcade mode, because of his overpowering abilities: he has an uppercut that nullifies air attacks, two different fireballs, a devastating tiger knee, and the most powerful super combo attacks. When I decided to exploit his height to my advantage I found myself unable to get to his side of the screen through a see of tiger fireballs. It was demoralizing and only because he was so strong I've avoided using him.

But a few days ago I ran into a small obstacle: I could not clear the 11th challenge in time attack mode, one which removes all SC attacks, focus attacks and almost every other special move. It's 12 stages long and I was unable to get past the 7th stage with my usual characters (Sakura, Guile, Zangief and Viper), I really wanted that achievement so I decided to see exactly how strong Sagat actually was.

Suffice it to say I only had to play through that whole charade once. He made easy work of Zangief, Blanka, Guile and all the annoying little characters, by today I had gotten that achievement. Now to the crux of this whole thing: its addicting, playing as such a powerful character, which moves that are not so complicated to pull off, who is so overpowering is addictive. I mean just his fuckin kick is delivered with the passion of three men!

And for this I salute you Sagat. You came back. You were humiliated in the first game, scarred in the second, humiliated again by the live action movie but you have since made a proper comeback. I mean shit, you even have action figures devoted to you, vinyls even! You've come a long way baby and its only a matter of time before you become that face of the franchise. You're the Bryant Reeves of the fighting game genre.