This week marks the return of three familiar game faces, each updated and tweaked to conform to today’s standards, and to take advantage of today’s hardware.
Okay, let’s not beat around the bush: SF3 is the finest Street Fighter there is, period. Yes, even better than SF4. When you get down to it, the highly detailed polygons and focus attacks cannot compare to the pure majesty of beautifully animated pixels and parrying, which takes REAL skill to pull off. Also, Third Strike’s cast cannot be beat; sure the big fat oily dude from part 4 is funny and all, but do you seriously want to enter a fight with him? Hence, why the demands of diehard SF aficionados have finally been met. And with online code being powered by GGPO, the absolute only reason for getting your ass handed to you will be skill, or lack thereof. PS3, Xbox 360
The original version for the DS offered hard as nails, old school tactical role playing with a distinctly modern day flair. You play as a kid who is trapped in Tokyo with his pals due to a demonic outbreak. Thankfully you all have devices that allow for the capture of demons, to have them fight on your behalf. And while knowing many days you and your pals have left to live is handy, it simply adds another grim layer to an already hopeless situation: everyone’s dazed and confused, as well as starving, in a city that’s devoid of power and communication with the outside world. The 3DS port adds to the formula in all sorts of ways: a longer quest, more demons, improved visuals, full voice acting, and best of all, varying difficulty levels (thank God; the first game was damn near impossible to clear). 3DS
Everyone cites Grand Theft Auto as the first game that allowed the player to do anything, but it was Deus Ex that truly offered the ability to approach any situation from multiple angles and make every game truly unique. Use your brawn or your brains, it’s all up to you; any combination of both netted some rather spectacular results. The Blade Runner/Shadowrun-vibe won the hearts and minds of cyberpunk fanatics across the spectrum, plus the original helped to set the coarse of modern day PC gaming as we know it. Hence, why the latest is a rather curious beast. Instead of using today’s tech to spin an even crazier, more futuristic tale, Human Revolution is a prequel, in which humanity hasn’t been completely overtaken by nanotech but is in the midst of a biomechanical revolution. Plus, all we’ve really seen is a focus on more intense combat, which is nice and all, but not all of us prefer going into every situation with guns a blazing. Hopefully those who wish to stick to the shadows will be rewarded nonetheless. PC, PS3, Xbox 360
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What’s New In Games This Week