Kind of old news but whatever. X3

https://youtu.be/s0KsQc-Tt0s

I was curious to see how he differs from Carl and I have to say I really like what I see. For Carl, Ada is like a separate character you have to control but for Relius, Ignis looks more like a temporary summon of sorts. To be perfectly honest it reminds me of the way Stands worked in the JoJo fighter which obviously means I'm going to try to put some good time into learning him.

Hey guys. Something kind of weird has happened recently. A while ago I bought several Moon Knight comics from a gentleman who was less than honest about their condition. Well, I tried to send them back for a refund but for some reason the guy just wouldn't take them back. Well, I got my money back so I'm not too upset but now I've got a bunch of comics I don't need. I bought them for cheaper from somebody more reputable.

Anyway, I have no use for them as is I I wouldn't feel right selling them since I don't think they're in especially good condition. Just curious if any of my friends would be interested in them. The comics are Moon Knight 1-38. This is the entire original Moon Knight run from the 80's written by Doug Moench. The quality of the comics themselves is so-so. They're readable but some are noticeably worn and/or browned. I'm no expert but I'd say there's a few that are Fine but most seem somewhere below that quality.

If you might be interested let me know. Moon Knight is a badass character and one of my all time favorite Marvel heroes. Got to say too that this original run is leagues better than Bendis' current hack job run with the character.

-Edit-
There's a bit more interest in this than I expected so I think I'm just going to do a random number generator thing and just let luck decide who gets them. I'll make a list of people showing interest and pick a person in a few days. Also, international shipping is no biggie. =3

1. Rembrant
2. kupocalypse
3. mysteryman01
4. Black_Xuo
5. Lionalliance
6. DawnRN

Hey guys. Just wanted to post a quick journal update. I just realized I never mentioned this but if I've seemed awfully quiet these last few days it's because I've been in Baltimore for the last several days to attend Otakon, the second largest anime convention in the US. So, sorry about not replying to comments and notes. I'll try to get to what I can when I can.

Also, you can expect an audio file report on my time there. Look forward to it. I've got some funny stories to tell.

Okay guys, a little heads up on the contest. The deadline is less than a week away and thus far there has been one submission. There doesn't seem to have been much interest so if you're currently working on something and still plan to submit it by the deadline you must inform me within the next 12 hours of this journal going up. If I don't hear from anybody else I'm closing the contest and announcing our sole contestant the winner.

So yeah, the fourth Mortal Kombat DLC character was annouced and it turns out it isn't even a Mortal Kombat character. It's Freddy Krueger. What? Don't believe me?

https://youtu.be/aaSBkBDcepM

I got to say this had me pretty pissed earlier today but I'm coming to terms with it surprisingly fast for a number of reasons. The roster in Mortal Kombat thus far is amazing, the other 3 DLC characters are great, oddly enough he fits in better than Kratos in my opinion anyway, I love the first Nightmare on Elm Street and, most importantly, I don't actually need to buy him.

It stings a hell of a lot less than Capcom's behavior the last few days which still feel like acute betrayal. On that tangent, how about that leaked roster for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3? Oh I'll get to that later. In the meantime don't you love how Capcom seems to be making a point of giving Megaman fans the shaft this week? Wrap you minds around this one.

Ryota Niitsuma - Why Megaman isn't in UMvC3

Out of all the fan requests he just didn’t enter the top part of the ranking you say? Really now? Funny thing that statement because I could have sworn he was in the top ten picks twice at the Capcom-Unity poll. Let me check.

Capcom-Unity MvC3 DLC Character Poll

Yup, made it in the top ten twice. Come to think of it, remember that Japanese poll SRK posted? I think it went something like this.

1)Mega Man X 2568 +542 (34.07%)
2)Phoenix Wright 2116 +251 (28.07%)
3)Strider 1865 +671 (24.74%)
4)Gene 1194 +82 (15.84%)
5)Frank West 1112 +2 (14.75%)
6)Vergil 1110 +38 (14.73%)
7)Juri 1062 +69 (14.09%)
8)B.B Hood 993 +26 (13.17%)
9)Classic Mega Man 967 +78 (12.83%)
10)Bass.EXE 889 +2 (11.79%)
11)Jon Talbain 887 +96 (11.77%)
12)Ryu (BoF) 791 +1 (10.49%)
13)Sigma 790 +12 (10.48%)
14)Captain Commando 778 +36 (10.32%)
15)Leon Kennedy 742 +61 (09.84%)
16)Cammy 681 +14 (09.03%)
17)M. Bison 667 +54 (08.85%)
18)Jin Saotome 613 +65 (08.13%)
19)Mega Man EXE 548 +52 (07.27%)
20)Date Masamune 496 +32 (06.58%)
21)Ken 464 +85 (06.16%)
22)Batsu 379 +46 (05.03%)
23)Guile 333 +12 (04.41%)
24)Chuck Greene 321 +74 (04.26%)
25)Edward Falcon 247 +0 (03.28%)

Hey! He made the top ten twice again. Hell, he was the number one pick. Fancy that.

You know what? I don't like this Niitsuma guy. This is the same dude who said spectator mode for MvC3 wasn't feasible for whatever reason and that the games netcode was "the speed of light", meaning good I suppose, which it isn't. Seems every time he opens his mouth all that comes out is bullshit and lies.

If you can't tell the truth at least be vague without being false, like Ed Boon was about Mortal Kombat's 4th DLC character.

I can't be the only one who thinks the inflation crowd will go to town with this.

https://youtu.be/IGDIReuJ6eI

Rain is pretty sweet by the way. Kind of gimmicky but lots of fun to use regardless. So far he seems to have incredibly damaging combos from virtually anywhere on screen and some very interesting properties to his specials. His mix-up is really lacking though. Feels kind of like Ermac in that regard.

New main! I love my Noob but he's my sub now. Rain is hot shit. Wears purple and look at the fabby entrance pose. And goddamn the roundhouse kick. THE super roundhouse kick. Best part is if I win and get hate mail I can reply "Game...Blouses...".

https://youtu.be/8-0rm_Q5Vjo

Who wants pancakes?

https://youtu.be/MC7rhVFLfvo

Enjoy.

Working Title: Johnson's Big Blowout

Would you like to win a free copy of Shadows of the Damned? If so then keep reading. But before I lay out the rules please watch the following video.

https://youtu.be/-BUWx7xVzrQ

Johnson is the name of that flaming skull you saw. Your traveling partner and personal arsenal through the duration of your trip through Hell. He's also the focus of this contest.

The Contest
The challenge is to make an advertisement for Johnson, similar to something you'd see in a magazine or on a billboard. In the game he shows the ability to turn into guns, a torch and even a motorcycle so who knows how many more forms he has up his sleeve. Your job is to make a funny advertisement showcasing perhaps some other thing Johnson can do. At the deadline, the funniest ad wins a free copy of Shadows of the Damned for the system of their choice.

Now, how you go about making this ad is completely up to you just so long as it's visual. What I initially had in mind was Photoshop work with existing images but since this is an art site I've also decided to give people the option to actually draw their submission if they so choose. However be aware the sole factor in choosing the winner is going to be humor. How you make your ad is up to you. It doesn't matter if it's Photoshopped, sketched, or drawn in MS Paint. The funniest entry wins. And don't feel confined to only making a dick joke like the video. Do what you want.

Rules
-You must be at least 17 to enter.
-When you have a submission ready please upload it to an image hosting site and send me the link via note with a title "Contest Entry".
-In that same note please mention which system you'd prefer it for: PS3 or Xbox 360.
-Entries must be visual. How they are made is up to you.

Deadline
The deadline is going to be four weeks from now: July 27, 2011 at 10:00 pm Central US time. I may also end the contest before then if I go for more than two weeks with no new entries. If I contemplate ending it early I with give one week notice so people can notify me in they are are working on one.

And there you have it! If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments. Also, there's no obligation but if anybody feel like mentioning this contest on a journal you'd have my sincerest thanks.

Now go and make Johnson proud!

Gamers can expect Rain in July.

*Ba-dum tish*

Seriously though. He's got a cool costume this time at least. Not like his shitty outfit in Armageddon. Also, how awesome is it that NR isn't charging us for these new Klassic outfits?

Would you like to win a free copy of this game?

https://youtu.be/SzxXa6UosbU

If the answer is yes and you're at least 17 years old then stay tuned. Sometime within the next week I'll be having another contest to give away a copy of this fine game. Just need to decide on the rules.

Before I start I just want to ask how people feel about roster spots being giving to two thematically similar characters just for the sake of having them fight. I mean matches like Fei-Long vs. Law or Bob vs Rufus. Do you think these pairings would be redundant and a waste of space or too awesome to pass up? On a similar note, considering this is being built off the Street Fighter 4 engine how likely do you think it is we'll see SF characters not present from any of the SF4 games?

Anyway, seven characters have been completely confirmed for the game thus far. Going to list a few I want to see. I'm hoping each side eventually gets nine more characters. That will bring it up to 16 per side which is what was in the first Capcom vs. SNK. X3

Street Fighter
Bison
Hakan
Gen
Vega
Zangief

Tekken
Lee
Feng Wei
Yoshimitsu
Paul
Kuma

These picks are based on a combination of guys I like and matches I'd love to see. Admit it. Gen against Feng Wei would be so many kinds of cool. Zangief brawling with Kuma would be godly. Also, way I see it Namco is going to want one of their joke characters in there and I'd much sooner see Kuma than Roger Jr. or Mokujin.

Anybody in particular you care to see?

Online for Mortal Kombat on PS3 is just as shitty as on the 360. I played some random fights and it was lagging just as much as the Xbox. Jack squat is improved. Took just as long to find matches and controls were just as (un)responsive.

I swear, if 3rd Strike and Skull Girls suck while actually using GGPO then I give up on hoping for fighters to be good online. Thank goodness I have friends with solid connections.

We already knew about Skarlet and Kenshi. On the 14th it seems another was confirmed and I couldn't be happier about who it is. Noob is in trouble of being relegated to my Sub depending on how this new character turns out. Who is it you ask? I'll give you a hint.

https://youtu.be/9rGA_rZxIV0

Source

At this rate the only other characters I really care to see are Cyber Smoke and maybe Fujin or another new character if they meet the bar being set by Skarlet. Other than that this is nearly as perfect a roster a Mortal Kombat game can have.

Also, an observation. I played my PS3 copy online for the first time today. Connections were still far from perfect but they were significantly better than the last time I played online on my 360. I see two possibilities. Either this recent update improves the netcode or the PS3 version has better online than the 360. Probably the update though.

So far anyway.

I'm not even wasting my time with the press conferences. I'm just watching the highlights and checking out game trailers. Trailers are the big one because new games are the reason I even keep tabs on these is because I hope to see something that gets my blood pumping. Especially something new. However, all I've seen this year is sequels sequels sequels shooters sequels shooters sequels.

TGS at least showcased Shadows of the Damned and Asura's Wrath yet I haven't seen squat of those games yet. The only new thing that moderately stirred me was El Shaddai and it turns out that game just totally slipped under my radar and is already out in Japan. That aside, there are some sequels that I'm looking forward to, but they don't get me that excited because I already know what to expect.

Some other assorted thoughts:
-I don't give a flying fuck about WiiU. Just another gimmick. Nintendo, get your head out of your ass and impress me with some games, like...

-Kid Icarus Uprising is pretty cool looking. First time in years I've been remotely interested in a Nintendo game. Too bad I don't plan to buy a 3DS.

-Cole in Street Fighter X Tekken is the biggest WTF moment for me this year so far. I'm so sick of guest characters in fighters.

-Sly Cooper 4 teaser was great. It was funny and Demitri was in it. Demitri is my fave character after Sly himself so I'm glad Sucker Punch is still giving him love.

-Among the many sequels on display, the one I'm most interested in is Prototype 2.

-Among the many, many...many shooters on display, the only ones that remotely interest me are the new Deus Ex and Bioshock Infinite.

-I really hope Silent Hill: Downpour is good and not just "okay" like Homecoming was.

Go here now.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SimonViklund

For those of you who don't know, Simon Viklund was the man behind the brilliant remixed soundtrack of Bionic Commando: Rearmed and made the original compositions for the sequel. For those of you unfamiliar with those I'll just say Viklund composes some very, very cool sounding chiptunes. If you like that retro sound do yourself a favor and give his stuff a listen.

https://youtu.be/qKxPbjS-Xfo

I wonder how much he'd charge to compose a song? XD

Welp, there was an official announcement for Soul Calibur 5. We all knew this was coming.

https://youtu.be/VbIjwEHgtbc

It's kinda hard for me to not look forward to this at least a little bit. It is Soul Calibur. However any enthusiasm I have is severely tempered by the fact the last couple games in the series weren't very good. Soul Calibur 3 was a glitchy, broken shit-fest. Soul Calibur 4 watered down the fighting mechanics to appeal to the lowest common denominator. It was also sluggish and lacking offline modes. All the same here are preliminary thoughts on the matter.

They say the game takes place 17 years after SC4. This makes it sound like SC5 is going to be kind of like Tekken 3. A generational shift with new faces put to old styles. This son of Sophitia they've shown lends credence to this notion. I actually like this idea. Frankly, some characters don't even really have much reason to be involved in the story anymore and new characters with new motives would be nice. Some characters are getting stale anyway.

I saw official artwork for Siegfried's new look and I love it. It looks more reserved than his previous one and that is entirely a good thing in my book. A lot of designs in Soul Calibur 4 were so garish and over the top they were often silly looking or just plain ugly.

Bring the gameplay back to it's former glory. It was so simply and slow in SC4. The big gameplay mechanic that really defined the series was the guard impact. It was necessary to use before because guys were so fast when stringing together attacks you needed to GI them to shift momentum. Also, characters used to be a lot more intricate with a lot more flexibility in what they could do. Soul Calibur doesn't need to be dumbed down to still be accessible. Soul Calibur 1 and 2 are proof of that.

Drop create-a-character. I'd prefer they spend that time on characters that already exist and actually making them good.

There's already talks about guest characters. Fucking hell...

The novelty wore off a while ago guys. I'd prefer instead of taking the time to add guest characters that they make original characters for their own damn game. What's worse is that it almost feels like it's become a marketing point of emphasis for the series. They wouldn't shut up about Star Wars characters in the last one. Every trailer had to emphasize it. It sends the wrong message. Like they don't have faith in their product's ability to stand by it's own merits so they have t flaunt guest characters. Leaves a bad impression in my opinion.

Darth Vader and Yoda were retarded. Nostalgia Critic sums up my thoughts rather well.
https://youtu.be/NvgU9-SgjcM

Oh my god...I am shamed. How could I for all these years have browsed the internet and never have seen the Berserk outtakes. What really has me floored is I'm almost certain those things are 100 percent real. It's been years since I've seen the show but I recognize a lot of the voices I heard on those outtakes so I have a hard time believing they're fan made.

This is probably old news to a lot of people but I don't care. For my fellow Berserk fans if you haven't done so before, go to Youtube and search "Berserk Outtakes". There's six volumes uploaded by MrPengiSan. Do eet! Do eet nao!

Here's s sample of the win.
https://youtu.be/stdY7NMWhLc

You know, this was a lot of fun the first time I did it so I think I'll do it again. Same as last time, feel free to ask three questions in the comments and when I get the chance I'll answer what I can in an audio file. Ask me anything about anything. It doesn't need to be about me necessarily. You can try to stump me and ask me something random and difficult for example or maybe you want an opinion on something. Just try to keep it at three questions. Oh, and for the sake of avoiding repeat questions from last time, here's a link to that journal.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1647037/

Couple other things. First, I was thinking of doing a JoJo retrospective since Steel Ball Run is over. I was thinking covering one arc a day over a week. If I did do you think it would be better to write out the retrospective in journals or put them in scraps as either word documents or audio files? Just need some opinions.

Also, Mortal Kombat is my savior. It kicked in my door and saved me from a highly abusive relationship with Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. She swept me off my feet and we are riding into the sunset. XD

Every new character announced Anarchy Reigns makes me giddy because they all look so damn cool. The newest one was Nikolai who looks sweet. I hope there a re still more to come down the line. It's funny. I was so sure I was going to use the ninja with my namesake but...well...then they announced Blacker Baron.

https://youtu.be/U1vb5SZbKOw

Dude was awesome in MadWorld and I got to keep my pimp hand strong. XD

Holy crap! Screen shots and gameplay videos of Phantasy Star Online 2!

https://youtu.be/NxqukE7UfLk

I'm not much for MMORPGs, but I've always had a soft spot in my heart for PSO. Phantasy Star Universe is decent but I feel it's still inferior to PSO because it failed to match its predecessor's amazing atmosphere.

Simply put this footage gave me tingly feelings in the happy center of my brain. It's a PC only title so I have serious doubts about if PSO2 will ever leave Japan but if it does then I'm all over it. I've been meaning to upgrade from my old laptop to a proper desktop PC. This may be the best excuse to do so. XD

With a joystick in my hand I feel guilty, understand... I run Sentinel.

Ahem...

So yeah, after hours of experimenting with several characters in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 I finally settled on the team I plan to use when I feel like getting competitive. As competitive as I can feel with a game like MvC3 anyway. Anyway, I felt like sharing with my fellow fighter enthusiasts. It is as follows, in order as well as with assists.

Wesker - Samurai Edge
Spencer - Armor Piercer
Sentinel - Sentinel Force Charge

...

You guys done booing at that last guy yet? XD

A robot, a cyborg, and a scientist who is also a superhuman byproduct of genetic engineering. I deem it...Team Science!!! I like this name because it makes me think of that Oingo Boingo song every time I say it. I really think this is a solid team with some fantastic synergy going on. Here's my thought process behind it.

I knew from the get go I was going to have Spencer on any team I made. In that regard I somewhat built the team around him. His assist doesn't really help either of my teammates much. The thing about Spencer is he's only okay on his own but he has some immensely powerful tools when the team dynamic is taken into account. Wesker and Sentinel both have assists useful to him and both allow Spencer to exploit the DHC Trick. If I carry someone to the corner I can rather easily get over 1000k damage off a single combo without even using XFC. The main reason Spencer is second up is because I like to have Wesker build a little meter first. Spencer is much more threatening with a few Bionic Arms in reserve to punish bad assists among other things. It's the new Falcon Punch.

Wesker in general is a fantastic point character and battery because he really doesn't need meter to do big damage. His bread and butter combos can easily do 500k on their own. Factor in his great mobility as well as his high priority normals and I'd say you've got a stellar guy to rough up the opponents from the get go. He's useful endgame too though should it come to that. I gave him his Beta assist because it's OTG properties are handy and the fact it's low allows the Spencer and Sent to try some unblockable stuff.

Sentinel is Sentinel. As much as people bitch about him he really isn't the best character in game. He's slow and his mix-up is poor. Laser Spam sucks. Hell, I don't even think Sent is a very good projectile character. People complain because he's stupid easy to use, spam tactics work online due to lag and his damage is absurd especially is XFC. The best reason in my opinion to put Sentinel on teams is because he's just such a great asset on the sidelines. For any team really. He can literally work with everybody. That's the big reason I use him anyway.

Sentinel is solid on point but his other properties are what earns him a spot on my team. Sentinel Force Charge is easily one of the best assists in the game bar none and Hyper Sentinel Force is a great DHC hyper. Like I said earlier it can be used for the DHC Trick and it's safe on block so if the other guy saw that Bionic Arm coming I have a way to get out. Even with the health nerf Sentinel still has what makes him so scary and it's why I have him last: raw damage. He can't really take a hit anymore but I can still mount a nasty comeback at the end of a match with a Level 3 XFC. It just takes one hit and it's still scary.

And that's my team. It's been working pretty well so far. I just need to play more lag free matches to start learning how to get around dumb bullshit better. After that I may need to see how I fare in a tourney. I still don't take MvC3 very seriously but I'd like to see how well I can do.

Any thoughts on this team? Or better yet, share what you've been running! I'd like to see who others are using to determine the fate of two worlds.

Well guys, I've been quiet for a little while but there's a good reason for that. You see, I was on a little get away trip to unwind a bit. I spent the weekend in Los Angeles visiting my good friends  ryuakira and  let

It was a great time. I arrived Friday. We went out to dinner and basically chilled at my hotel until it got late. Lots of nerd chatter and such until it got late and they had to leave. It was a pretty sweet hotel too considering I got to rent the room for basically 70 dollars a night. Woot promos!

While there we basically kicked around and had fun in Glendale. We ate places, visited stores and all that good stuff. I finally got a chance to try some authentic Falafel. Got to say I think I'm in love with that stuff. One place in particular we went was basically like a litle convention center called Frank and Son's. Ton's of booths selling collectors items. We obviously gravitated to the anime stuff. I really had to hold myself back on some things. Saw some awesome figures and Transformers but I ultimately ended up buying an artbook that was out of print last I checked.

When we weren't hitting the stores we were usually chilling at Let's place,watching videos and playing games. Ryu and I both bought Dissidia Duodecim so we often played that. We also watched the Darkstalkers OAV. We enjoyed it but often joked about how the story makes absolutely no sense at all. We also went out and saw Rango. Now that movie was just weird as hell.

Anyway, I had to leave on Monday. We had some last minute fun but man, I got to tell you, parting with friends at the airport is always so sad. We had a big group hug and I went to the checkpoints. I was texting with them until the plain had to leave. I missed them almost right away. Hell, I miss them right now.

Even so, we're still in touch obviously and we all agreed we need to get together again really soon. It was a great time and I love these guys. Great people I'm honored to call bro.

Now I just need to get them up here. ^.=.^

I've got a few friends who work for Sega and they were nice enough to give me a heads up on something very cool.

Sega of America has recently decided to hold auctions on eBay for several rare, obscure and just plain awesome items. Absolutely 100 percent of the proceeds are being donated to the Red Cross to fund Japan relief efforts. Items include signed promotional good, soundtracks, games and even the one of a kind official Bayonetta costume worn at Sega's booth during E3 2009. Check out the list of items below.

Play for Japan

Even if you can't afford to bid on these you can still give a little money to one of the places taking donations. Red Cross is how I went. And feel free to tell others about this auction. It's for a good cause.

Apparently there was a patch released for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 today. Here's what it changes according to SRK.

-A glitch with Haggar and Spencer was removed.
-Spencer's corner loop has been removed.
-Akuma's infinite was removed by giving his tatsu more severe hitstun deterioration.
-Sentinel's health reduced from 1.3 million to 905K.

I highlighted the last one because unlike the other three which address glitches and gameplay issues, the Sentinel nerf is a character balance change. This concerns me.

I really have to wonder exactly what Capcom's priorities with this title are. The game has barely been out a month and already they've put in a serious balance change to a character based on nothing more than a currently unsubstantiated belief the character was overpowered. Any hard data, i.e. tournament results, is either scarce or nonexistent.

For the record, I do think Sentinel needed tweaking in some way but I'm not convinced such a drastic health nerf was the best. 1.1 or 1.2 million maybe. He needs some health to compensate for the huge hitbox. However it won't ruin him I don't think, except maybe online. Now people simply will need to play him more intelligently, being more cautious calling his assist and not banking on super armor to open combos.

Bottom line is instead of improving the netcode or fixing multiple glitches, like Doom's game-crashing Hidden Missile glitch, Capcom instead opted to make a knee-jerk balance tweak. That shouldn't be where priorities lie at the moment. Right now you guys should be worried about polishing the fundamentals of a product people already feel is very rough around the edges.

I love ya Capcom but I swear, these last few months you've been slipping a bit.

More MvC3 talk. Damn good comeback.

https://youtu.be/qqKlK8-4glw

Two things I want to say about this video. First, it has me seriously questioning having Spencer be the point man on my team. Second, Marn looks so damn salty. I got nothing against the guy but seeing him walk after losing such a good fight like that just made me laugh. Dude, it was an epic match. You put on a good show. At least shake the guys damn hand.

I want you to yes "Bionic Arm" right now. Go on, it's fun. Feels good.