Playstation 4 2013 Meeting Post Thoughts

I'm glad I didn't stick to watching this thing on Playstation Home because it ran horribly there, when it even managed to start. People were in the theater crying about Sony forsaking them and shit, thank god for Gametrailers.com.

I like the whole Share feature set. The option to take over a friend's game or let them take over yours is pretty sick, though any self respecting gamer will play through their own games. I also like that you'll be able to put the system into a low power state when you're not playing, then go back to playing whenever you're ready. No more long loading times. PC has had this for ages along with general save states for various games, so it's good to see consoles finally go in this direction.

Having gameplay queued up behind the scenes is fucking WONDERFUL. As someone who occasionally posts gameplay videos, I can't tell you how many times I've played something on a whim and wished I had recorded it. Just having that option is fucking fantastic. But the one downside is that the internet will get flooded with random clips now. Many will not have any type of commentary, description, etc. Just tons of random people who never used YouTube before, never had an interest in uploading anything for any reason, uploading every little thing that they do.

I'm not a fan of having your real name out there. I hope that is NOT the default option for player profiles.

The controller still needs a bit more improving, I think. That's probably part of the reason why they didn't show the system itself; they're still not finalized. Pricing and the look of the system will be (leaked) around E3.

GDDR5 RAM? 8 GBs? Big Playstation event and no mention of the price at said event?

Kinda worried about that price point now. I hope Sony doesn't go "$699 US Dollars!" at E3 and expect fanfare because that's not how the console userbase operates.

The Playstation 4 was built with added Gaikai technology that will help with streaming games to the PSVita, but the PSVita itself presumably doesn't have this same tech under the hood. Obviously the PS4 picks up more of the slack with this task, but how well does it work and from what distance? Sony has been known to exaggerate a bit when it comes to hyping products, only to scale expectations closer to release. We'll have to see how this plays out, what they say over the coming weeks and months leading into E3 where most of their cards will be on the table.

Blizzard initially made it seem as though they were in an exclusive partnership with Sony during the event, but when asked about it on Gametrailers' post show (Skip to about 3:04:40) John Hight from Blizzard said "Well, tonight really is Sony's event. We'll talk more down the road about D3 and what we're doing...future plans....", so perhaps it'll hit the next Xbox at a later point, or Sony will be getting some exclusive content or something. We'll see. Generally, I don't think Xbox is going to be entirely left out. Nintendo might even get something.

Killzone Shadowfall looked great and seemed to be running pretty well. There was one moment during the playthrough where the player was shooting someone and opted not to finish them off for some reason(if you watch the footage again, it's some time after he leaps down to flank the Helghast, he probably just did it for time constraints) , but other than that I didn't see anything that was odd. The helicopter shit was awesome. Made me think of The Matrix when he landed after planting the C4. Excellent sequence that probably would have gotten even more praise if it were Call of Duty 57 or whatever number they're up to now.

Thing is, will this game survive? Look at what happened with Killzone 3. People stopped playing it and Sony had to sell the MP separately just to TRY and keep it going. I hope that doesn't happen this time, especially if the game looks and runs that good online. We'll see if it can hang with Call of Duty and Battlefield next gen.

Knack looked alright. A little too "kiddie" but then again if you just go by looks you tend to miss things like Jak and Daxter or Ratchet and Clank. Whenever I get the PS4 I will try the eventual demo.

Infamous: Second Son's trailer was good, but a bit too short and didn't have any gameplay. They hinted at several people having different powers but only showed one guy. Looking forward to more info on this game. Multiple characters? Online play with a selection of heroes and villains to choose from? We'll see.

I kind of felt bad for Johnathan Blow. Following Infamous: Second Son with a quiet trailer like that (The Witness) kind of takes the wind from the viewer's sails. He even said it before they showed his trailer "I don't know how I'm gonna follow all those...explosions!" :lol:. I do like the premise behind his game though. Capturing "epiphany moments" sounds very interesting. That moment when you stumble upon the solution for something is always a positive experience so if the final product really does leap from one to the next, expect a very fun game for fans of his work.

Quantic Dream's random old man tech demo was pretty impressive. The eyes needed a little bit of tweaking(a little too bug-eyed, or even fish like), but other than that it looked so damn lifelike, and like they said it can be improved upon even further(slightly better shadowing, maybe some added blemishes). When I hear "next gen", that's what I really imagine games looking like.

Playstation 3 games are not natively supported on Playstation 4. Sony said they're working on a way to let people play PSOne, PS2, PS3 and PSvita games on their PS4, but could not elaborate at this time. That's not a good sign. I know damn well I'm not rebuying any of my PS3 games just to play them on a PS4, fuck that.

With that said, this does work in Sony's favor. Not only because it gives them an avenue to continue to keep the PS3 relevant, but also because it dramatically cuts down on trade-ins of the PS3.

Coincidentally, it was also confirmed after the event that the PS4 will not block used games. So the tech Sony patented last month will not be used in the PS4 after all. Kind of surprising, but probably a relief for Gamestop. Developers are shit out of luck here, though. They will continue to get screwed over by used games sales unless Gamestop is willing to pay them a percentage of some kind.

Watch Dogs again looked amazing. Some screentearing, but I'm sure they'll iron that out. Unscripted gameplay, just some random shit that could happen while you play. Elements of freerunning similar to Sleeping Dogs. Hack this, hack that, control damn near everything. Precision shooting. Fucking love it. And during that playthrough, someone else was in the game trying to take the main character(Adian Pierce) down. At the end of the demo you see a name above a camera, the person is trying to hack in through it. Adian manages to stop it at the end. In the Gametrailers post show, the dev being interviewed said that "sometimes the other person was there physically". Looking at the footage again I didn't notice anyone else running around. That's pretty crazy. Can't wait to play this game. Once again though, the gameplay was on PC, although that particular PC was supposedly comparable to a PS4(also from the Gametrailers post show).

I don't like how they're making the game for PS3 and Xbox 360 as well. Other games coming out in the same timeframe also might be doing the same thing. Games that have multiplayer elements then have a divided fanbase. You are also taking the "one toe in" approach to next gen by not committing entirely to the new system.

I also don't like that developers could have been taking more time to fine tune the PS4, PC, Xbox 720 and WiiU versions instead of doing PS3 and Xbox 360 versions on top of that.

This makes me wonder about GTA V and whether or not they've held the game back because they're working on PS4 and Xbox 720 versions(and obviously PC). If that was the case, it changes the game dramatically. Just like that, the PS4 and Xbox 720 go from systems you might wait to purchase to day one, "get the fuck outta my way NOW" buys. Why get Rockstar's latest and greatest for "last" gen when you can make the leap and then buy a game you KNOW you're going to put tons of hours into? Granted it looks like Watch Dogs will be right up there with GTA(maybe even surpass it in certain areas), but it's a new IP, it's unproven. GTA is the big "dog", Watch Dogs has to step into the ring and survive(oh it WILL, we've just gotta wait to play it).

I understand though, it's about the money. You have a very large install base this gen on the PS3 and Xbox 360, the safer bet is to make a product that's there for them instead of hoping they'll take the $400, $500 or maybe even $600 leap towards a new system, THEN buy your game. Totally get that, just don't like how it for the aforementioned reasons.

Of course Rockstar could stay true to its word and only release the game for current gen consoles(and PC). We'll have to wait and see.

What were your thoughts on the Playstation Meeting? Did it leave you hyped for this holiday season, or were you disappointed?

Tekken Blood Vengeance Review

Several hours ago I attended a showing of Tekken Blood Vengeance, the full length 3D CG movie that will be part of the Tekken Hybrid Blu-Ray being released this coming November. It was a one day "special event" running in theaters across the United States. I honestly didn't want to put my hopes too high for this, but as a fan of the series for well over a decade I couldn't help but at least hope for a good show.

Tekken Blood Vengeance's plot doesn't involve any of the King of Iron Fist tournaments at all, so you really don't see much of the extensive cast of characters that fans of the series have gotten used to seeing over the years. The story follows Ling Xiaoyu as she's sent to keep an eye on her mysterious former classmate, Shin Kamiya. She later finds herself paired up with Alisa Bosconovitch, who has an odd, yet hilarious fascination with Shin.

It's a fairly straightforward story with some twists thrown in along the way. A few other Tekken characters make their appearance(I'll list them at the end of this blog), but for the most part the cast of characters remains small throughout the film. As such, unless your favorite character is female, or a Mishima, you probably won't see them fight in this movie.

The CG is certainly top-notch, and 3D effects(although sparsely used) are generally well done. Most of the battles were entertaining most of the time but there were some scenes that I felt could have been done better. Some characters provide comic relief(particularly Lee Chaolan), though there are times when this is not intentional.

The story really wasn't that interesting, and seemed to drag at several points throughout the film(which is particularly bad for a 90 minute film that's dubbed in English). Dialogue came across as hokey and forced at times. Some things were painfully explained by the characters and just had me shaking my head. For example...

Ling: I can't make out part of this photograph.
Alisa: Perhaps if I scanned it I could find something useful. What do you think?
Ling: Yes!

Now I'm paraphrasing, but that's pretty much how the scene went down.

One reason for this could be that the film is, as mentioned before, dubbed in English. Not only is it dubbed, but many of the voice actors aren't that great, or flat out just don't fit the character. You take that and the dialogue("You're like my refrigerator!") and you have some laughably bad scenes. I honestly considered getting up and walking out at one point, and I went there wearing a Tekken 4 T-Shirt that I've had since that game hit the Playstation 2 back in 2002 (it's clean and it still fits, sue me).

But I can't sit here and say it was all bad. Panda was genuinely funny and involved in many of the cooler scenes. Lee Chaolan had the funniest lines in the film. The Nina vs. Anna battle at the beginning was nicely choreographed. While most of the fighting game cast doesn't make it into the film, some of them are still referenced, at least.

After the film ended, there was an interview with Katsuhiro Harada from Namco Bandai, and the director of the film, Yoichi Mori. The interview is in Japanese with English subtitles. Reading the subtitles and keeping an eye on the people on screen isn't anywhere near as easy as it is on a small screen, so in that regard I'm glad they dubbed the film.

The interview gives some insight into why the director made certain choices regarding the story and selection of the characters, which I won't delve into here because they'll ruin some of the plot. This will be on the upcoming Blu-ray for sure.

Overall, I can't say I enjoyed this film as much as I would have hoped, but I still appreciated seeing it on the big screen. If there's ever another CG Tekken film, I hope they go with less story and more action.

List of Characters:
Nina Williams, Anna Williams, Jin Kazama, Kazuya Mishima, Ling Xiaoyu, Panda, Ganryu, Shin Kamiya, Lee Chaolan, Alisa Bosconovitch, and one more.

Capcom full of shit? Who knew???

So if you're new here, this blog is meant to be an extension of my YouTube channel, which is RIGHT HERE. Click the link, watch and (hopefully) enjoy some of the videos I have up, subscribe because later this year when get myself a new computer, I'll be kicking that channel back into high gear like I've always wanted to.

Alright....so Capcom basically said the Tsunami Tragedy that happened months ago was the reason why they decided to make Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 a disc-only release.

Please don't take my word for it, read one of many articles on it right here.

As has been pointed out by many people since this interview started making its way around the net, wouldn't it be much cheaper to release the game specifically as DLC?

No packaging, no pressing discs, no shipping, a more limited in-store marketing campaign, for starters. Those would be the benefits of a DLC release. Benefits that could be passed on to the consumers, via a lower price point.

I'm calling bullshit on this, as I'm sure many of you are too.

This has been Capcom's M.O. for years now. They should have just left the Tsunami out of it. Using a disaster like that as a smokescreen is disgusting.

Freddy Krueger in Mortal Kombat

The funny thing is, this popped up as a rumor before the game dropped several months ago. I remember reading it on the official website forums and laughing my ass off.

Now that it's a reality and I've seen the Freddy Krueger Trailer, I'm both excited and somewhat let down at the same time.

It's Freddy, but they went with the 2010 version instead of the legendary Robert Englund from the original, 1984 version. So, at least if the trailer is any indication, he's the more serious version.

One of the things that made Freddy unique in the original series of films was his twisted sense of humor and memorable quotes. The humor's there, but he really doesn't say much in the trailer. I really hope they've done a lot more with the character than we've seen.

Freddy's moveset really doesn't look all that exciting. His X-Ray attack is very generic, much like Mileena's was before NetherRealm Studios tweaked it months prior to release.

His fatalities(at least the two seen in the trailer) are well-done nods to the film series. I kind of wish NRS had not spoiled them, but we still have his ending to look forward to.

A 'Freddy vs. Jason' dream match could always happen down the line, that'd be fun.

What do you think? Are you happy with Freddy as DLC, or were you hoping for someone from the MK universe like Tanya?

Uncharted 3 Beta First Match Follow-Up

Figured I would expand a bit on my commentary here...

I'm really enjoying the beta so far. It's definitely different from Uncharted 2, but still retains much of the same feel. This is something that many developers strive to do with their games, but they tend to overshoot the mark. A good example of this is Saints Row 2. Instead of building upon the strengths of the original surprise hit, developer Volition scrapped part of what worked and introduced all new multiplayer modes that many fans of the first games didn't like.

So far in the beta it feels as though Naughty Dog has a better handle on this concept.

Fan favorite(and a staple of most online shooters) Team Deathmatch is back, though with some new elements. Power plays, which grant the losing team an advantage for 1 minute of play, are a first time addition for the series. Kickbacks, very similar to streak bonuses in games like Call of Duty(though not quite), are also new. Lastly, some stages will be dynamic. On the "Airstrip", you'll start off either inside of a plane that's taking off, or outside on a truck fighting to get aboard. It's actually done pretty well, and should only be better when the game launches on November 1st.

Other changes are a bit more subtle. Melee range has been toned down. The finishing animations for melee battles have been worked into multiplayer. Jumping and rolling look and feel a bit different than they did in Uncharted 2, or Uncharted 1 for that matter.

Run speed, probably due to the addition of a sprint button(more on this later), has been slowed down a bit. Sound effects for the weapons pack more of a punch. You'll see hit markers when your shots connect now.

All these changes make the game feel a bit different at first. The physics are also slightly reworked, giving your character a more realistic, weighty feel to go with all the finely crafted animations this series is known for.

Hardcore Uncharted 2 players might be turned off a bit at first, but if they stick with it for a few matches the vast majority of them will really enjoy the game.

Two really big changes are the aforementioned sprint button, and the return to 1.04 damage levels.

The sprint button was honestly something myself and a large part of the Uncharted 2 community who stuck with the game after 1.05 were against. It's a pretty significant change, which to many can, at first, seem to take a bit away from Uncharted's unique appeal and put it more in line with the Call of Duty franchise. I have to admit that it still felt alien to me after six or seven games, but I was getting used to it. While you're sprinting, you're wide open for being shot
as you sacrifice turn speed and the camera zooms in a bit. I think it's a fair trade.

The return to 1.04 damage levels let us all play this game the way it was meant to be played again.

Running for cover, just barely escaping as you leap up a wall, or chasing down an enemy who's doing those things, that's when Uncharted shines. It's very exciting, very fun to play, and I'm glad to see the game head in that direction again.

As the beta goes on Naughty Dog will be letting us test out additional modes and features. I can't wait to try them all.

I won a copy of L.A. Noire from 1up.com

Here's the video I posted over on Youtube® about it:

L.A. Noire Unboxing

L.A. Noire is an awesome game, and even though I'm way behind in terms of posting footage, I will definitely be posting footage of the game on my channel.

Dead Rising 2: Case West Review

Dead Rising 2: Case West Review

by king_ruckus

Pros:

Frank West is back, and he's got some great one liners.
Some cool new combo weapons to mess around with.
Mad Scienist hairdo makes Chuck look like Heihachi Mishima.

Cons

No character select in a game that hypes the return of Frank West.
Photography feels more like an afterthought.
Doesn't add much to the Dead Rising mythos.


Dead Rising 2: Case West picks up right after the events of Ending A in Dead Rising 2, with Chuck Greene still suspected of causing the Zombie Outbreak in Fortune City.

After a brief introduction, Chuck Greene and Frank West(the main character from the original Dead Rising) head to a PhenoTrans facility to meet with Frank West's mysterious source and collect evidence that will clear Chuck's name.

You can either play this DLC alone, or with a friend via Xbox Live. Player 2 will take control of Frank West.

Much like Case Zero, this DLC is more like an extended preview of what the full game has to offer, although it seems to offer less than Case Zero did at half the price. You can still build combo weapons, change costumes and mix drinks, but there is no pawnshop this time. There are a good number of normal zombies and gas zombies to fight through, and some of the new weapons can clear a path in seconds. You've also got some human enemies to deal with, but having armed guards and later, Big Daddy rejects, attacking you at random is more of an annoyance than a challenge.

You start off at level 40 even if you've maxed out Chuck Greene in the full game. It's an understandable choice, as the DLC is already fairly easy to get through even before you top out at 50 again.

Frank West is with you the entire time and he's basically invincible. You never have to heal him, and while you have the option to give him any weapon at any time, he's more than capable of handling himself.

In an odd choice that is sure to upset a lot of fans, you can only play as Frank if you join someone else's game. Why Capcom didn't add a character select to this game is beyond me. There is literally no moment in the game when these two characters are not in the same room, even during cutscenes. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that making Frank West playable in single player would not have taken much work.

Apparently Frank West went to the Duct Tape Academy, because in Co-Op players controlling him can make combo weapons like Chuck can. Both players can also snap photos, though you won't get points for it unless you snap photos of specific markers. No more Horror or Erotica shots. It feels more like a tacked on gimmick than a necessary part of the experience.

So is this DLC worth $10?

Having played through it three times, I'm still not entirely sold. I feel like the final product could have been better. It's a short epilogue that really doesn't expand much on the full game storywise. There are minor tweaks and improvements to the gameplay formula, but the overall experience is still very much the same. Definitely not a bad thing, but not really worth $10 either.

While I enjoy playing the game, I can't say I feel this is a necessary purchase. Die hard fans will most likely rush out to buy it without so much as checking a message board, but for those of you who are just getting into Dead Rising 2 on Xbox 360, opt for Case Zero now and wait for the inevitable discount on Case West.

RATINGS SYSTEM

Retail Releases:

Buy it - This game is worth your money out of the box.
Rent it - Worth playing, not necessarily worth paying full price for.
Skip it - You shouldn't waste your time.

DLC

Buy it - This DLC either adds to the core game significantly, or is a great standalone product.
Wait for a Discount - Enjoyable, but overpriced. Make the leap at your own risk.
Skip it - A money grab. Protect your wallet from the publisher's hands and save your money for something worthwhile.

My suggestion for Dead Rising 2: Case West:

Wait for a Discount.

Tekken 6 Review

Tekken 6 is an imperfect gem of a fighting game. Most fans of the series will no doubt enjoy this latest installment, but there are many small issues that crop up and make you wonder why it wasn't held back for more polishing.

There were two versions of Tekken 6 in the arcades, the original, which added Bob, Zafina, Miguel and Leo to the ever expanding cast, and Bloodline Rebellion, bringing along Lars Alexandersson and Alisa Bosconovitch along for the ride. This console version is basically the latter of the two, with a "Scenario Mode" that tries to tell the backstory of Lars and Alisa. We'll get to that later.

There are two major additions to the combat system for Tekken 6. When hit with certain moves during an air juggle, characters are slammed to the floor, unable to move for a second or two. Called the "Bound" state, this situation is great for expanding combos and getting the fight in your favor.

The second major change is the new Rage system. When someone's health is low enough, their attacks do added damage. It gives them one last chance to get back in the game, which can lead to some intense battles between evenly match players.

Aside from the combat revisions, there's a new motion blur effect that kicks in during certain animations(you can turn this off in options if you want). The effect is done well and adds a sense of realism to fighting games that I'm sure other developers will try to emulate in one form or another.

Character models are the game's highlight. All 40 characters are meticulously detailed and sport some great animations. If you don't like the default costume for your favorite character, there are a ton of options to choose from. You're bound to end up with the look you want, you'll just need the skills to back up your masterpiece. No one likes to look good on the floor in a fighting game.

To unlock those customizations you'll need plenty of Fight Money, Tekken's own personal currency. You'll earn fight money any number of different ways. Many of the fan favorite modes are back, (Survival, Arcade, Team Battle, Time Attack, Arena- a shortened story mode, and Practice to name a few) and you'll earn money from most of them. An even easier way to unlock stuff, however, is to tackle the all new Scenario Mode.

Scenario Mode has you picking stages off of a map and going through them Urban Reign-style(yeah you read that right, unfortunately). It follows the story of Lars and Alisa, but you unlock a new character for Scenario Mode each time you beat them or work with them. You'll then be able to use them in place of Lars, only the cutscenes will still show him instead of whoever you've chosen.

The story is mostly forgettable, something that's sadly becoming a standard with the Tekken games. Controls for this mode can range from manageable to downright horrid, depending on how many enemies are on screen. Alisa or another character is with you at all times. Sometimes they do what they're supposed to do, other times they'll follow you and simply stand there. If they're low on health, they won't seek it out. I've literally seen Alisa run right by Chicken instead of over it to get her health back. I've watched and laughed as she stood amongst a sea of eggs as her health hovered near Rage levels. In that case it's up to you to run close by the health your teammates needs so that they'll unintentionally heal themself. Seriously.

While this mode isn't exactly the most fun to play, you have the much appreciated bonus of unlocking items during your run. It's much cheaper(and faster) than buying each item individually, and adds a bit of fun to an otherwise disappointing mini-game as you watch the tally near the end of the level, telling you how much money you've earned and what items you've picked up.

Earlier in the year, Namco promised online play for this mode, which may have made it a slightly better experience. At launch, that was not available. We'll have to wait for a patch.

That's not the only thing that needs patching, though.

Aside from the usual offline fun, there is Tekken 6's online component . Namco touted the netcode as "improved" when asked about it earlier this year at E3, but unfortunately it doesn't seem that way.

If you played Tekken Dark Resurrection Online for the Playstation 3, you have an idea of how badly things can go with an online fighter. Unless you played against someone in your immediate area, matches ranged from decent to dismal. It's the same case here. Juggles you'd land offline with little effort need to be reworked or done with different timing. As someone who's been playing online games since Phantasy Star Online for the Sega Dreamcast, I fully understand that latency and 60 frames of data per second cannot always come together in perfect harmony. Ranked matches are paired for you(to prevent people from fighting the same victim over and over, for one thing), and Namco's netcode doesn't always make the best choices. Thankfully, you can do Player Matches, which I strongly recommend. You have the Quick Match option, which is pretty much Ranked Match without a rank, throwing you against someone who probably isn't close enough to your area for a good fight, or you can go the Custom Match route and pick from a list. Why you're not given the option to simply do a Quick Match for someone in your area is surprising to me.

In fact, that's one of many odd design choices Namco made with this game...

In your usual fighting game jargon, many things have been nerfed.

In Practice mode, there is no option to record and playback moves for your dummy. You can no longer "hold" a move from the movelist and then scroll through it with the right analog stick, something that makes learning characters much, much easier.

I've also experienced random slowdown for myself when practicing with Paul(this guy's an even bigger beast now, but that's something else entirely). It happened at least six times during the same practice run. This doesn't happen during any other mode, or at least hasn't for me so far.

Oddly enough, the "Hidden Retreat" stage is not selectable in Practice mode, either.

The "CHICKEN" soundbite is gone. Why take that out? It's been a staple since Tekken 3.

During all modes, you'll see the name of that particular mode at the bottom of the screen. There's no need for this at all, even though you barely notice it when you're fighting, which only makes it stand out more. I don't like to speculate, but I have to wonder if maybe someone forgot to remove some code during the debug process. I just can't understand how seeing "Player Match" or "Survival" benefits the player. Fight number? Yeah. Total time? Perhaps. But the name of the mode? No need for it.

The HUD after the main title screen just doesn't feel right. It doesn't look cool or feel seamless. I don't know what Namco was going for here.

The ability to rank up past 1st Dan offline has been removed. You have to rank up online, which makes no sense. Why not just give players an offline AND online rank? It worked just fine in Tekken Dark Resurrection Online, and it gives players a little more to do, a little more incentive to keep playing.

The graphics are inconsistent. As mentioned earlier the character models are impressive, but the stages themselves range from good, to underwhelming. If you look closely, you'll notice in the backgrounds of some stages that buildings or other set pieces look crude. Some stages do a great job of hiding this with fog or other weather effects. Other stages miss the boat, and spectators with a sharp eye are more likely to notice.

Speaking of weather effects, characters do not get wet or get snow on them at all, even though a couple of the stages have heavy rain and snow effects. To me, this is inexcusable in today's age, even with 40 characters. If it's raining, you can't have both characters in the middle of it without showing any effect from it. You've gone and added motion blur, so why don't we see their kicks and punches interact with the rain and snow in some way as well(making a trail in the snow is a small step)? At times it's disheartening because you can see what Namco was going for with certain stages like Lightning Storm, Tunnel Disaster and Manji Valley. You're initially taken in by them, but once you look closely and notice the little things missing, you can't ever get that first impression back.

The soundtrack for this game is hit and miss. Nearly every Tekken game has a few memorable tunes that fans seem to embrace, and while this one is no exception, it certainly has less than earlier installments. The music seems to get the job done for the most part amping you up for a good fight, but it's not something you'd rock in your car.

In spite of all the small inconsistencies, I still feel this game was worth the $60 investment. I'll be playing it for quite some time, and if the upcoming patch does what it's supposed to do, I'll probably even play Scenario Mode online with a couple of friends from time to time. I just wish Namco had made less missteps with this game. This is the wrong time of year to release an unpolished product, and they could certainly feel the heat on 11/10 when a.....little known.....title named Modern Warfare 2 just happens to hit the market.

Final Score: 3.75 out of 5