The Charge:
The Versus series returns in an all-new brawl!

Opening Statement:
Never let it be said that gaming dreams don’t come true.  Despite riding high on a wave of pure hype, I would have never guessed that Tatsunoku vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, the legendary developer’s return to their arcade smash-hit Versus franchise would ever see the light of day on western shores.  Seeing as juggernaut anime producer Tatsunoku’s cartoon commodities are tied up in what can only be described as several decade’s worth of logistical licensing nightmares outside of Japan, a game featuring a compilation of some of their best and brightest creations  would hardly be worth the headache for a game developer to even attempt off of their native soil, .  However, once again in what is rapidly becoming a habit for Capcom, trends will be bucked, and throngs of fans will get what they’ve begged for.  Question is…was it worth bringing over?

Facts of the Case:
An assortment of larger-than-life heroes and motley villains from both anime powerhouse Tatsunoku Pro and legendary third party developer Capcom have gathered for a barnburner of a brawl.  Ansatsuken goes head-to-head with Henshin-A-Go-Go Baby!  Crazy tag-team fighting is back!  Get ready for combos that go into the dozens of hits, and more flashing lights than the entire city of Tokyo.

The Evidence:
A 2D fighter with flair to spare, Tats vs. Cap wears its heart on its sleeve.  The regimented, balanced game play of games like Street Fighter have been eschewed in favour of a more frenetic style of fighting.  For starters, the controls have been streamlined down to a grand total of four attack buttons, the requisite light, medium, and strong strikes alongside a command that calls in a gamers’ tag partner for an equalizing support attack.  There is also a catch all “AT” button that will throw out whichever strength strike that best serves the current situation, allowing for a pretty simple way of extending combo attacks.  The result is fighting that is as fast as it is furious, with 10-20 hit sequences becoming a pretty regular occurrence (purists may argue that such simple combos belie shallow game play, but we are talking about a game where damage is measured in the billions of hit points).  Rest assured though, Tats vs. Cap is no simplistic button-masher.  Fresh concepts such as Advancing Guards, Crossover  Raids, Baroque Combos, and offense-smashing Mega Crashes will keep players heading back to the training mode and instruction book for the time being until they grow accustomed to the risk vs. reward structure of what is a refreshingly nuanced fighter.   There are several available control options, though any true gamer with more than a handful of grey matter to rub together will balk at the idea of using the Wiimote or the nunchuck and opt for a Gamecube or Wii classic controller.
With a full roster of 26 playable characters (most of which play very different from one another), it’s quite easy to lose an afternoon when there is more than one gamer in the room.  I am a self-professed Street Fighter fanatic, and despite any apprehension I had in my first few rounds with Tats vs. Cap, I must say that I can see even my hardcore Street Fighter crew, a group that flat out despised the earlier Versus titles plunking down quite a few hours with this one once we get used to the rapid-fire fighting system.  Anticipating the perfect moment to launch a counter-attack can lead to one shattering the game’s illusion of mindless offense.  It’s nice to see a Versus game toss aside the brain-dead air combo happy nature of Marvel Vs Capcom 2, and offer up the same sort of well balanced game play we’ve all come to expect from Capcom’s fighting franchises.  It’s not quite Capcom Vs. SNK for the Dreamcast, but then again, very few games are.
Visually, Tats vs. Cap packs a powerful presentation punch.  It’s not often I encounter a Wii title capable of blowing my mind with great graphics, which of course only adds to the presentation impact.  The entire game is just animated beautifully, every character just oozing a sense of life.  There is the odd case of pixelization on some of the character models, but the rest of the game just exudes such a high level of activity that it’s rarely noticeable and even less bothersome.  Stages are stuffed to the gills with familiar faces and brilliant cameos, and the animations on some of the special moves can and will cause loud chortles of laughter.  Anyone who is not amused by Tatsunoku-side fighter Doronjo’s Supreme Evil Plan hyper combo is completely lacking in a soul.

Vreeeee-hee-hee-hee-hee!

Rebuttal Witness:
Lamentably, not all is milk and honey with Tats vs. Cap.  With all the strength and surprising depth of the fighting system, the game’s online component comes perilously close to biting the big one.  And we all know how much fun biting the big one is.  Depending on gamers’ physical distance from their online opponent, the chances of lag increase almost exponentially.  It’s a nuisance at best, and King of Fighters XII at worst, making certain online bouts completely unplayable for anyone outside of a casual gamer.  After spending the majority of my free time over the past holiday season elbow deep in the buttery smooth online component of Street Fighter IV, I cannot fathom the online modes of Tats vs. Cap to be anything outside of a dismal failure.  Unless of course you’re playing a local round against a gamer in the same room.  Then it’s a real hootenanny.  As well, there are a handful of roster balance issues, which is something that has been a thorn in the side of the Versus franchise since the original X-Men vs.  Street Fighter.  Capcom have done extremely well in adding a sense of depth to the combo system, and thrown in just enough complexity to keep us brawlers coming back, but again the Speed/Power scenario pops up.  A player wishing to win needs to do little more than stack their team with either a zippy little freak like Yatter-Man 1 or a slow moving, damage-dealing bruiser like G. Lightan.  It’s the Spider-man vs. Juggernaut problem, and it’s a real issue that needs to be addressed.  Outside of these two extreme ends of the spectrum, the characters are balanced just fine, but seriously Capcom?  Gamers have been griping about this for close to a decade now.

Closing Statement:
After the dust has settled from that last 32 hit combo, when all is said and done, Tatsunoku vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is a fantastic example of fan service and a more than solid delivery of apotentially brilliant new fighting franchise.  This fills a long empty niche on the Wii, and more than makes up for 2008’s massively over-hyped (and tragically mediocre) Super Smash Bros. Brawl.  Plus, there’s a ton of bonus content to delve into.  Gamers looking to knuckle down with some serious fighting action can’t go wrong with Tatsunoku vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, a cartoon cavalcade sure to please a whole new generation of fans.

The Verdict:

I have to admit that even for a guy who came of age during the whole anime explosion of the 80s and 90s, I still have no freaking clue who Yatter-Man is supposed to be.  I dig his disco threads and electric yo-yo, but I have no clue who he’s supposed to be.  I loves me some Tekkaman Blade though.

- J

Platform: Nintendo Wii
Developer: Eighting
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: January 26th, 2010
Rated: T for Teen.

The Charge
This is going to be one hell of a fight.

Opening Statement
Capcom returns to its bread-and-butter, unleashing the first true Street Fighter sequel in over 10 years. The mechanics are old-school, the plane is 2D and most of the fighters still aren’t wearing shoes–so why is it the greatest fighting game I’ve ever played?

Facts of the Case
Okay, let’s see. Apparently Bison died or something and reincarnates in a body but is also involved with building a new, more powerful being with an opening in his gut for him to inhabit, Krang-like. This sounds a little strange, perhaps. However, I will bet my money (party bets) that whatever Krang-like creatures sets up house in his gut will be nothing to mess with. In fact, staying very far away from this creature would be a good idea.

There’s another tournament and our fighters enter for various reasons, but ultimately they’ll have to square off with this guy Seth, who sounds less like a malevolent bringer of destruction and more like the starting fullback in a small Adirondack regional high school.

Blah blah blah ha-dou-ken!!!

The Evidence

So yeah, the story of Street Fighter IV makes little sense, but that’s not the point. Journeying through the game’s story mode really only serves two purposes: 1) to give you the opportunity to hone your fighting skills so you don’t get consistently horsewhipped in the online arena and 2) to grant Capcom the smirking satisfaction of subjecting players to yet another painfully cheap-ass final boss (though, in fairness, Seth is a far cry from the current title-holder of Cheapest F—— Final Boss, Gill from Street Fighter III).

As soon as you take this game for a spin, and would consider yourself even a mild Street Fighter aficionado, I have no doubt you’ll feel right at home, nestled in the warm embrace of quarter-circle D-pad motions. Unless of course you’re using the 360 D-pad, then you’ll be nestled in the embrace of an ill-tempered porcupine (if you have the 360 version and can find the Capcom fightpad –which I use and love–or the sticks, get them).

Gameplay is startlingly familiar. Were you a beast with Ken or Ryu or (shudder) Dan back in the day? You’ll be raining down Dragon Punches with ease. How was your spinning piledriver motion? Zangief players will have zero problem driving their opponents head into the pavement. Capcom has maintained the brilliant simplicity of Street Fighter II, making it accessible for newbies and easy to pick-up for rusty veterans.

And for the harder-core virtual pugilists, the addition of the Focus Attack (a charge move that can shield against some attacks) adds another layer of depth to master. Two gauges accompany, the Revenge Meter, which builds as you take damage and allows you to unleash a kick-ass special move to equalize the fight, and an EX meter, which you can tap into access special versions of the special moves or let max out and blast out a Super Combo.

My experience online has been virtually lag-free and the talent pool is varied. One moment I’ll be piledriving like crazy, the next some Ryu savant will smoke me. Offline offers challenges to unlock colors, icons, personal actions and titles. It’s a nice distraction but taking on humans is what this game is all about; if multiplayer isn’t your bag, this game may not have the lifespan.

Graphically, Street Fighter IV is a stunner. Though the fights take place on a 2D plane, the characters are 3D and they’re beautifully rendered. They’re highly detailed, well-animated and emotive (I can’t get enough of the wide-eyed “Oh crap!” expression on opponents as Zangief winds up for an Ultra Combo, especially if said opponent is that douchebag Sagat). Backgrounds are full 3D and great-looking, stocked with characters that react to the fight. The soundtrack is fine, reminiscent of the vintage themes, but not as memorable–for good or ill–as the Street Fighter III score. That opening rap song makes me want to claw out my eardrums with Vega’s claw, though.

The Rebuttal Witnesses
The training option really does kind of blow. It’s simple sparring against a CPU bot. Good to practice your thumb gymnastics, but you won’t learn anything, unless by accident.

Closing Statement
I made my pixel bones on Street Fighter II and my hype for this installment was stratospheric. It’s a testament to Capcom, that my expectations were eclipsed. It’s my all-time favorite fighting game, and brother, I’ve played a lot.

The Verdict

Platform:Xbox360/Playstation 3
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: February 17, 2009
Rated: T for Teen