What a few weeks june has been

For those who are not familiar, VGreaction.com came back right before E3 and we are going strong moving forward! https://www.facebook.com/VGReaction?ref=hl Make sure to like the FB page and checkout all of the new stuff we have cooking also dont forget to stop by the site! We are full of new content post E3 and we are going to keep rolling to infinity and BEYOND! www.vgreaction.com Hope to see you guys there and stick around, we are here to stay and we have some very interesting new content right around the corner!!!

The Madness that was E3

So I completely forgot to give everyone following my blog (all five of you are noted and appreciated) the update of whats been going on this past week, as I said I am back writing and with this past week being E3 its sort of a now or never deal right??? Here are the links to the work that has been published to the vgreaction site Sony Conference Impressions: http://vgreaction.com/games/craig/sonye3.html Top 5 Anticipated games of E3:http://www.vgreaction.com/games/e3top5preview.html Konami pre E3 impressions: http://vgreaction.com/games/craig/pree3-2013konami.html There is more completed but has yet to be processed though WordPress and published, the next update will be in a more timely manner

Guess who's back

Simply put Im a dad now I got some more free time, I'm organized and ready to write lets do this

Capcom crosses the lines with Street FighterxTekken

Over the fighting game generations Capcom has set itself apart from the competition by making great games and putting thier signature fighters in different crossover series. Ryu Ken and the Street Fighter crew have traded blows with a multitude of opponents. From earth's mightiest hero's and villians in the Marvel franchise, the Kings Of Fighters, Darkstalkers and even the son's of sparta from Devil May Cry. Ryu has truly earned the tittle of world warrior but how will he match up against the competitors from the king of iron fists tournament?

Street Fighter x Tekken looks to answer that question in what is easily one of the most anticipated and hyped games of this fighting generation. While the game can look intimidating and difficult at first with all the tagging and cross arts sfxt is very user friendly and relatively easy to pickup and play. In the presentation department Street Fighter x Tekken is visually beautiful, taking on a similar art style to Street Fighter 4. Backgrounds look amazing and change as the match goes on and all of the Tekken and Street Fighter characters look spot on from their previous incarnations.

Capcom does a great job integating all of the Tekken characters into the game and making them fit in the Street Fighter engine and gameplay mechanics. Seeing Kazuya, Jin and the rest of the Tekken cast in a 2d platform immediatly lets you know your not in the king of iron fists tornament anymore. Its really intriguing to learn how these traditionally 3d characters move and function in Street Fighter X Tekken, for some characters like Jin playing on a 2d battlefield gives them a huge advantage since there is no such thing as a sidestep and if anticipated rolling is not advised.

Sfxt is a very solid tittle and a welcome member of the growing fighting game family that started with Street Fighter 4 back in 2009. Arcade mode doesint have much in story but what it lacks in that department it makes up for with fun and addicting gameplay, two players can team up and take on the cast leading to some crazy cooperative play. Offline there is also versus, training, trail and mission modes to sharpen you skills and help build your team, but online is where the game kicks into high gear.
Teaming up with friends and playing online matches easily is one of the most exciting aspects of Sfxt, you can also go to the briefing room and practice together to perfect the games many and damaging combos. The game also boasts a channel mode where you can watch videos of gameplay, and a scramble mode that can be played on and offline that is reminiscent of super smash bros.

Overall Street Fighter X Tekken is a great fighter that sets itself apart from others with an iconic cast and very well done gameplay mechanics. Capcom seems to be learning from previous mistakes and has put the extra effort into making Street Fighter X Tekken great and it shows in every aspect of the game. While there are online connection issues from my experience they are few and far between, also since its release there have been rumors of hidden characters left on the disc and a minor sound problem. At this point all we can do is hope Capcom patches the game soon and resolves these issues but the game is still great and a lot of fun to play. Sfxt is arguably one of the best fighting games of this generation, with fast and addicting team based gameplay it sets iself apart from the growing pack of fighting games by encouraging team synergy and creativity between two players to work as one unit. With strong game mechanics to keep the hardcore gamers happy, and a variety of gameplay modes, gems and simple commands to keep newcomers interested Street Fighter X Tekken gets a 8.6 out of 10

SFXT Rating 8.6 out of 10
+Awesome graphics
+Tekken casts fit into the game perfect
+Cross arts add flashy gameplay and a higher level of strategy
+Tag modes on and offline promote teamwork and add another level of fun and excitement that you dont see in most games
+Amazing gameplay

-Wierd sound glitch
-If your new to SF there is a learning curb
-Connection problems

Soul caliber 5: The tale of two games

Soul Caliber 5 is the newest installment from Namco and Project Soul of the blade wielding fighting franchise. Soul Caliber 5 brings back its amazing fighting engine and also adds to it with the return of the critical edge system from the Soul Edge game from the arcade era as well as major changes to the story. This time around SC5 goes for a different feel moving the story forward in time and marking a new generation of fighters and their quests for the soul swords, the spirit sword Soul Caliber and the evil Soul Edge. SC5 is truly the tale of two swords but overall the game tells two very different story's as well, just as Soul Caliber and Soul Edge are the two polarizing weapons in the series there is an extreme contrast of good and bad in the different game modes of Soul Caliber 5.


The gameplay in SC5 is great as always in the series. The controls are fast, very responsive and the critical edge system adds a Marvel vs Capcom feel to the game with each character having there own "hyper combo" allowing even newbies to get into the game and do some amazing moves in spite of the fact that there is a learning curve for combos if you are new to the game. The other new addition is the brave edge system, by using a portion of your power meter you can add more damage to special attacks similar to street fighter and Mortal Kombat; this adds some defense to the extremely aggro style of gameplay that Soul Caliber is known for. The game looks visually amazing, from the changing fighting arenas to the armor effects and flashy combos SC5 literally shines onscreen and its graphics and gameplay are top notch. Hands down the biggest attraction in SC5 is the online multiplayer. While the gameplay is pretty simple and straightforward with ranked, unranked and quickmatch you can also record previous matches and send them to friends and opponents waiting to cross swords as well as watch matches live as you wait to fight. SC5's online experience is one of the best among fighters, like a razor sharp katana its basic, to the point; highly effective and well polished as well as the best in the series to date.

(While SC5 has its flaws, Character creation is definitely one of its strong suits)




Unfortunately while there are some great points to the game they can get cancelled out by the games horrible story mode which circles around two new characters to the series Pyrrha and Patroklos, the daughter and son of Sophitia who both receive the soul swords. SC5 takes place 17 years in the future, characters have aged and most have been replaced by younger future counterparts. Unfortunately SC5 makes no attempt to integrate any of those characters into the story or even give this new group of characters much of an introduction. The story mode which by the way only allows you to play with only three characters and offers no training for them is downright horrible filled with still photos and a terrible plot. And when you do actually get a cut scene or two its filled with atrocious voice overs. Soul Caliber is one of a few fighting games that actually had a interesting story with the potential for much more with the morally driven plot lines of Soul Caliber and Soul Edge constantly at war with each other. Its really a shame when you see legends of the series like Seigfried; Ivy and even Nightmare having so little relevance to the story and when they do appear its seems only as an accessory to Patroklos or Pyrrha.

I know I am not alone when saying that it would be great to see a Soul Caliber game with great online like 5 but with a story centered around the soul swords and Seigfried and Nightmare's story. Going in depth on SC's history and seigfried's struggles with both Soul Caliber and Soul Edge since he is one of the few character in the series to wield both swords. Gamer's who play fighting games might not be the most interested in a great story, but at the end of the day you have to sit back and think if the asking price is 60 bucks a pop what exactly are you getting for your hard earned money? Aside from the aforementioned horrible story there really is not that much else for offline play. There is an arcade mode witch by the way has no proper story for any of the other 25 characters left out of story mode, including guest fighter Ezio Auditore Da Firenze from the Assassins Creed series.

This is yet another instance where gamers are left wondering why project soul and bandai did not pay more attention to offline play? Even a small story for Ezio involving the soul swords would have been very interesting to see and it makes me wonder exactly why we did not get a chance to see that happen. Aside from story and arcade the game rounds out with legendary souls mode, which is arcade but with some of the characters from the now previous generation of SC fighters and a harder difficulty. Training, vs, quick match and a very in depth character creation mode. Make your own character and give them a fighting style and then customize them down to color patterns armor and voice effects, this mode is very deep and allows for lots of customization after unlocking items through story mode as well as on and offline play.

Overall Soul Caliber 5 is a good game but with some very rough edges, the online is great and competition on or offline with friends is amazing and exactly what the game was made for. Unfortunately venture offline alone and you will see that SC5 leaves much to be desired, if you don't have friends who are picking this tittle up or you don't like playing online opponents then you may want to steer clear of SC5 or at least pick up a used copy so you can dodge the 60 dollar price tag. With the return of the fighting game revolution thanks to capcom and others there are plenty of fighters out there to chose from.

Rating Soul Caliber 5 7.7
+ Online is very well done
+ Gameplay is fast paced and fun to play
+ New Critical and Brave edge systems add accessibility
+ Character Creation is lots of fun and sparks imagination and creativity
+ Graphics and sound are both amazing
- Terrible execution on story mode
- "Story" focuses on only 3 characters out of 28?!?!?
- Not much to do outside of on and offline multiplayer
- New generation of characters without as much as an introduction???
- Learning curve could discourage new players

Carnage report: Capcom unleashes it X-factor with ultimate marvel vs. capcom 3

When capcom unveiled marvel vs. capcom 3 fighting fans rejoiced, after a decade of waiting a new age of heroes had arrived and many couldn’t wait to take them for a ride against friends and foes online and competitively. MvC3 released a mixed bag of emotions from fighting fans, while players loved the new addition of players like deadpool, zero, thor and wesker; there were complaints about character tiers and the notorious x-factor. Capcom also promised improvements to the game in the form of downloadable content (dlc) this didn’t happen save the 2 downloadable characters and a few character skins packs. But capcom has responded to the complaints and controversy with the release of ultimate marvel vs. capcom 3, many fans of the first game feel the additions made in umvc3 should have simply been dlc and a part of their original $60 investment.

While this may or may not be true here is my opinion on the highly controversial release of ultimate marvel vs. capcom 3

Ultimate marvel vs. capcom 3
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release: November 15th, 2011
Price: $39.99

Umvc3 in many ways does improve on mvc3, with a roster boasting 12 new characters new team combinations and match ups are possible. One thing that was a bit of a downer for the first game was that even though the roster had 38 characters the upper tier consisted of the same characters, Dormammu, Dante and wesker. Umvc3 changes that by adding not simply new characters but characters like firebrand, Ghostrider and the fan favorite Strider hiryu who all seem to have high level potential and can challenge for top tier against the previous installments champions. The game also adds different play styles into the mix, for the marvel side iron first uses a Bruce lee- Fei long esque fighting style that uses a chi system do dole out massive damage in combos. The highly questioned characters like nova, Dr. Strange and rocket raccoon also have there own versions of a trap game, luring you into attack and then countering with strong and high damage attacks or combos. This adds a new layer to the umvc3 creating a game in itself to learn the new characters and their tactics and integrate them into existing teams or creating new teams and strategies to succeed in battle against your opponents. This adds a very cerebral and strategic element to the game that I felt mvc3 lost after everyone saw the top tier characters used at EVO and other fighting tournaments.

Along with the addition of new characters making the roster count 50 returning characters have received different tweaks and buffs. This may sound bad at first but capcom really did a good job here. Certain characters were unanimously seen as overpowered in the first installment (i.e. wesker and Dante) and while certain aspects of those characters have been toned down, like wesker health they still are playable and very competitive characters. On the other hand for some characters that were deemed too weak or nerfed like Captain America, Capcom has made additions to the characters that make them more effective and competitive. Cap himself is the best example of this, with the addition of his double jump, more invincible startup on moves like hyper charging star and his new OTG shield slash players can maximize caps battle tactics, cross ups and team synergy in a way that was not possible in the games first installment.

Capcom has done this with all the returning cast in some drastic and subtle ways, characters like storm and magneto have been improved and have movement traits that add a few tricks to their arsenal. Ryu and Doom are both faster, Doom to the point that he can now be considered an on point character and use rush down tactics to pair with his awesome assists and dangerous aerial assault. Ryu now has a host of new hadoken and shoryuken variants as well as a devastating denjin mode. Overall capcom has added variety to the roster and also made sure with buffs and tweaks that characters rarely used before will see much more play and variation while still keeping the top competitors a very dangerous and viable threat.

Game modes are where the majority of the question marks appear for umvc3, while the inclusion of a spectator mode is a welcome addition to the game Capcom does not score any points here as it was seen unanimously as a fail to have previous Capcom games like super street fighter 4 and even the remake of mvc2 have spectator mode but not mvc3. If you have save data from mvc3 you will receive a galactus mode wich is fun for all of maybe 30 seconds. The usual gambit of game types for fighters are here as well, arcade, versus, online ranked and unranked matches as you would and should expect. The promised hero’s and heralds mode that will add a card game like twist with power ups and ability’s for characters in the game has not been released yet so not much can yet be said of that mode. One thing missing is the event mode from the previous game, while most didn’t pay a lot of attention to the game type it still is missing and makes us wonder why with so few game types from the get go would Capcom remove one?

Along with character changes and game modes the combat engine itself has been altered and it will lead to some serious ramifications in game if players don’t notice them. The Delayed hyper combo glitch (DHC) has been removed from the game so those who banked on that technique will have to reexamine their strategies and battle tactics. The other drastic change is to the devastating x-factor, fans of the series had a very serious love or hate attitude toward x-factor in the previous game and it was widely viewed as overpowered, giving a power boost so strong, one character could potentially massacre another team. X-factor has been toned down in power and in time of use, but the trade off is now x-factor can be unleashed in the air adding a myriad of air combos and potential innovation by players.

Overall ultimate marvel vs. capcom 3 is an improvement over the first attempt even if it is unanimous that the first game left a lot to be desired, the additions make the game worth an attempt if you enjoy the series and at $40 it is not a bad price, the new characters and balancing breath new life into a game that got dropped earlier this year at the prospect of better tittles and hopefully Capcom has learned its lesson and will keep a healthy stream of dlc coming in the future.

The dark knight makes his return in Batman Arkham City

After all the acclaim and praise for Batman Arkham asylum and two years of waiting it is finally time to unveil Batman Arkham city. Time has passed after the events in the asylum, Quincy Sharp is now mayor of Gotham thanks to some underhanded help and the eerie Dr. Hugo Strange has now opened Arkham City, a dark gritty run down section of Gotham that will hold all the prisoners of Black gate Prison and the previous Arkham Asylum. Sensing dangerous elements Batman enters Arkham City to get to the bottom of this growing plot.

The presentation for Arkham City is amazing to say the least, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil seem to be the two destined actors to live out the epic struggle between the dark knight and the clown prince of crime, and yet again they do an astounding job along with the rest of the returning crew from Arkham Asylum on Arkham City's amazing story full of twists and amazing turns. In Arkham City the environment itself seems to be alive, teeming with side missions and activities happening alongside the main storyline to keep you busy, trophies to collect and crimes to solve, assaults and brutal beatings happening all over the city. A phone booth killer and a mysterious figure watching the dark knight are just a few of the events that will keep the Arkham City disc spinning in your disc tray.

Unfortunately all this content can be a double edged sword, while it is great to have so much to do in Arkham City it can at times dilute the main storyline with all the random happenings around the city that seem to all be urgent when they occur. There are also a plethora of villains in this game, almost to the point where some A-list villains like two-face or Poison ivy end up playing second fiddle to the main opponents. While some would call this a strike against the game I will call it even because rocksteady has been dedicated to one goal and one goal only giving us gamers a true Batman experience and this is part of that experience, giving you the feeling the while, yes you are Batman you still are only one man in a city that is screaming out for savior and full of deadly opponents.

The first thing you will notice in Arkham City are the similarities and the differences from Asylum. The one button combat system has returned and been built up and expanded on, now Batman can takedown multiple enemies while countering and combat is smoother in AC making Batman a more polished and lethal combatant. The bulk of the caped crusaders gadgets have also returned along with new tech to keep Batman armed to the teeth, and as well as the basic functions most of the gadgets have combat capability’s and have a hot button setting so they can be effectively used during battle. These improvements empower players and truly give them the feeling of being the Batman and wielding all of his technology, suddenly walking into a room full of opponents is not such a daunting task because u have the equipment needed to succeed.

Improvements have also been made to the dark knight's aerial tactics as well. Dive bombs, flying kicks and swooping down on enemies adds new dimensions to Batman in traversing the city and in combat. Batman can dive through the air to pick up momentum and then continue to glide and soar through the snowy skies of Gotham, or in combat use the new dive-bomb attacks allowing him to come screaming out of the skyline and take out enemies. These new skills and abilities transform Batman's image from a physically dominating land master into a truly dangerous aerial predator, able to take out enemies from the ground or air with equally lethal tactics.

Another element that makes this game a great experience is the inclusion of Catwoman as a secondary main character. Those who buy the game new, or used and download the Catwoman content will get to have Selina Kyle and Mr. Wayne alternate between having the main role in the story, also Catwoman gives an interesting and very different perspective on the happenings in Gotham than the caped crusader with different morals, goals and gameplay. Where Batman is a big, powerful, extremely physical fighter and a dark brooding character; Catwoman is a smaller, sleek, more agile combatant with a very sultry attitude and her change of pace and four levels in the main storyline are a must have to get the full Arkham City experience.

Overall this game is amazing, developers rocksteady have once again given us a truly awe inspiring Batman experience. The balance between protector, detective and predator truly make you feel as if you are the dark knight and rocksteady has taken that core that is Batman and put it into an amazing storytelling experience with Arkham City. While tasks and opponents may be daunting no matter what difficulty you play on you are given the feeling that you are Batman and you can rise to the occasion through tactics, use of your tools and mental as well as physical execution, the skills that make this hero without superpowers arguably the greatest of them all. Batman is a fictional character in the DC comics’ universe, but if the dark knight were real, with that ever-present scowl on his face; Arkham City would be at least one thing for the caped crusader to smile about. Needles to say any and all Batman fans and gamers looking for a great action adventure experience should pick up a copy of Batman Arkham City.