Tekken 6

Both video games enthusiasts and the more “casual” gamer enjoy the occasional bash on fighting games from series’ like Tekken, Dead or Alive, Mortal Combat, Street Fighter and/or Soul Calibur but there are always those who spoil the fun for everyone else.

“How?” you may ask. Well here is my low down on the top annoying things that competitors can do whilst playing Tekken 6, which is currently the lunch time game of choice amongst my work chums and I.

Button mashing

When in doubt that you actually have the skill to win a fight, mash the buttons furiously and hope for the best! You would imagine that this would not be a very successful method for winning an intense face off, but should a player happen to be using the afro haired Capoeira fighter Eddy Gordo (or his female equivalent Christie Monteiro) this method can prove quite effective, sending him into a relentless and unfathomable spinning-kick frenzy.

This is highly frustrating to those players actually trying to pull off a particular move or a slow winding but unblockable combo arsenal and those actually attempting to defeat their opponent using actual tactics.

Hwoarang and Asuka Kazama are other characters favoured by Tekken 6 button-mashing noobs. This technique works equally well in the Soul Calibur series with the staff wielding Kilik. God damn it!

One move dependency

The triple kick with silver haired martial artist Lee Chaolan...the E.Honda-esque sumo chop of Ganryu...the rotating Ninjutsu arsenal of Yoshimitsu...

Whilst these are most definitively effective, winning a battle by repeating the same move three or four times consecutively is...well, a bit lame. Such behaviour is only worsened by the winner gloating about their amazing Tekken skills (when in fact, there is a complete lack thereof!)

Listen up too Street Fighter players – I am sick of hearing Ryu’s “HADOUKEN!!” every four seconds!

One character dependency

Yes, we all know you’re almost undefeatable when you use the furiously manic Brian Fury or the haggard blonde bitch that is Nina Williams but how about learning how to utilise some of the other characters once in a while? As much as you wish you were the pink haired mechanoid Alisa Bosconovich or the hench Jack-6, taking their form persistently will not see you transform into someone worthy of the Iron Fist Tournament!

Mixing up your favoured fighters with those you are less experienced with makes for a far more interesting experience, for both those playing and those spectating. So stop relying on your favourite trio to win brawls; you might just learn a new attack you can throw in during future clashes!

Sore loosing

So you’ve been mashing the kick buttons for obese behemoth Bob Richards to win seven consecutive fights and now your hands are beginning to get tired. Finally, someone who actually knows the moves for a character (regularly Brian Fury, in this instance) enters the games den for a round and wipes the floor with you.

Your reaction? Squeal like a demented, semi truck-crushed weasel and throw the controller (with an RRP of £40) to the ground in frustration.

Feel better now?

Sore winning

Winning the majority of face-offs over an hour of Tekken play might make your feel like the BIG MAN but guess what? No one else really gives two hoots, or at least, no one wants you to think that they care in the slightest.

So sit down at your desk and pipe down your bragging already...don’t you have a client report due at the end of the day?

[box type="bio"]When Kat Cole is not kicking ass on a plethora of fighting video games titles, she also enjoys winning various sports games. This is why she has already put in her pre order for NCAA Football 12 and also plans to buy Madden NFL 12 when it is released in August.
[/box]

Xbox 360 Tips

Playing on your Xbox 360 can be great, but when you're playing that next round of golf on Tiger Woods 2010, are you really wondering: isn't there more to life?

Well, okay, we're not going to get that philosophical on you today, but you might have found yourself wondering if there might be a little more to your Xbox 360 than playing the same old games every day.

Sure, you love those games, but even great games played a million times over can get to be a bit of a drag. In order to spice up your video game life, let's take a look at what it takes to get more out of your Xbox 360: creativity and...the reading the rest of this article.

Here are five tips to expand your Xbox 360 horizons.

Tip #1: Play DVDs.

This is the most common of the extra-game features available on the Xbox 360, essentially, and there's no reason you shouldn't take full advantage of it. You don't even need to buy a new DVD player: you just need to use your Xbox 360 and - voila! - you're watching movies or episodes of your favorite shows on your video game's TV.

It might be a little bit of a pain if you have to lug your Xbox 360 around from TV to TV in order to play DVDs on each one, so you might want to spring for a cheap DVD player if you have a television in the other room. If not, simply plug in that DVD of Iron Man and let 'er rip!

Tip #2: Go from Xbox 360...to desktop.

Okay, so maybe your Xbox 360 isn't going to be your main computer, but as Lifehacker notes, you can get a lot more out of your Xbox 360 if you turn it into a sort of media center. Since Xbox 360's can easily connect to the internet these days, this might not be as hard as you think.

Lifehacker has a great guide for doing this as well. And what can you do once you have a media center ready to go on your Xbox 360? Your Xbox 360 can record as a DVR, for one - this requires installing a tuner card. You might be surprised just how much entertainment you can manage from your Xbox 360...and you'll wonder more and more why you ever bought that DVD player!

Tip #3: Play music.

Your Xbox 360 can easily play music - even while you're playing games. If you're sick of the same old sounds on a game of FIFA 2010, then you might want to consider adding your own sound track: your favorite songs.

Sure, some of the songs might be a little out of place, especially if you're a Classical music fan, but you'll find this can enhance your gaming experience and kill two birds with one stone. Heck, you might even want to explore the potential of using your Xbox 360 as a CD player when you've got guests around.

Just make sure you don't let them see how much you've been playing Xbox 360.

Tip #4: Get Xbox 360 Live.

Okay, we'll admit that Xbox 360 Live is just another way to play games, but you haven't played Halo 3 until you've played it with strangers from all over the world. In fact, it can make a great way to socialize when you don't actually feel like leaving the couch. You can also invite your friends to play you, which will save on gas money.

Tip #5: Turn it off!

Just occasionally, it can't hurt to turn off the Xbox 360 and enjoy the outdoors for a little bit. You'll like the exercise, and when you come back indoors you'll feel fresh and ready again. Cure the Xbox 360 boredom with some good habits like getting out of the house more occasionally and you might enjoy the gaming experience far more.

Mortal Combat Original

With fighting game giants like Street Fighter IV, Marvel vs Capcom III and Soul Calibur IV dominating today's market with 3D graphics and carefully moderated violence, it's easy for the new generation of gamers to forget the fighting series that pioneered surreal violence, innovative display techniques, and everyone's favorite fatalities.

The Mortal Kombat games, a series of unsung gems with incarnations on nearly every gaming platform from the SNES of old to today's PS3 and Xbox360, shocked the world with unrelenting violence, "realistic" blood spray, and unique approaches to the 2D fighting genre starting with the original's 1992 arcade release.

Originating from a humble crew of just four designers, what would one day become one of the hottest selling series to date launched itself into the forefront of market sales ridding a wave of controversy that only served to amp up sales.

With a ferocity unlike any game to precede it on the market, Mortal Kombat games introduced the arcade scene (and later several consoles) to the "toasty" excitement of a fast paced blood-splattering combination of digitized actors, Karefully Koncealed in-jokes, and unhampered brutality culminating in a bone-crunchingly satisfying fatality.

Just one year after Mortal Kombat's hotly contested release, Midway did it again with Mortal Kombat 2 and again with Mortal Kombat 3, released in 1995, which addressed concerns of the original two titles' defensive play style, adding a run button and chain combos that would lend Mortal kombat 3 its infamously fast-paced play style. Mortal Kombat 4, released to arcades in 1997, signified the tenuous transition of Mortal Kombat games from the retro-styled, comical 2D fighters of yonder, to the serious 3D combat that splits the series' player-base to this day.

Mortal Combat Xbox 360

The move from 2D to 3D brought on a slew of changes to the familiar mechanics of the series, including revamped move sets and sophisticated sidestepping mechanics that took fighting into a new dimension. Gone were the animalities, babalities, brutalities and friendships, replaced instead with even more viscerally satisfying fatalities. These changes continued in Mortal Kombat 5 ("Deadly Alliance," or "Vengeance"), a 2002 release, introducing weapons and fighting styles in addition to streamlining the use of the third dimension. It eliminated the earlier introduced run mechanic and further simplified character moves.

Mortal Kombat 5 continued limiting fatalities, this time to one per character and, for the first time in any of the Mortal Kombat games, to the exclusion of stage fatalities.

The series would continue to advance with titles like Mortal Kombat 6: Deception and Mortal Kombat 7: Armageddon before leapfrogging into the vs genre with Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe with no end in sight. Many hardcore fans will never forget the easy-going, faced paced antics of the original series, and more and more those early games have fallen out of the limelight in favor of the simplified, flashy iterations that now reign. Despite it all, perhaps somewhere along the line, the old and the new will come to terms and form some kind of friendship. Friendship?!

Images from: iGN, Video Game Central

[box type="bio"]This was a guest post by John for HMV.com where the latest Mortal Kombat games for xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are available for pre-order and the Nintendo 3DS console is available now.[/box]

The XBox Kinect

Although the whole world has been used to the idea of motion controllers for some time - the Nintendo Wii essentially made a more active way of interacting with video games the norm rather than the exception - the technology is not slowing down and settling into a niche.

It’s actually in sales, as you’ll note by the presence of the Xbox Kinect, a fascinating device that allows your Xbox to use your body as the controller, essentially making every video game you play on it a lively and sweat-inducing experience indeed.

But is it really right for you? Well, we don’t know you personally, so we’re not going to be the ones to judge. But we are going to be the ones presenting reasons why it might be true. Hey, it pays to be a little optimistic in this day and age.

Reason #1: Moving is better than sitting.

We all know that exercise is good for us. But we just don’t like it. And it’s no surprise that we don’t. Look at the way most adults exercise in these modern times: by going to big gray gyms and walking on treadmills. Dogs have more exciting exercise lives than we do, no? Well, that’s the sad condition of things, but luckily the world of exercise is on the upswing because of technology like the Kinect.
How does the Kinect work? Simply by observing your movements - yes, it’s a bit like 2001: A Space Odyssey but less creepy - and translating those movements to a character or item on the screen. If it sounds complicated, you clearly haven’t been playing video games in the past five years or so. And an excellent requirement of the process is that it gets your body moving, which is more than a traditional controller can say.

Reason #2: More room in your living room.

Less wires taking up valuable space and making your living room look like a basement? Sign me up. I like to keep things simple, personally, and there’s a good chance that you also enjoy a less-than-cluttered look to your home. Technology like the Xbox Kinect certainly delivers on this end of the bargain, helping you play a variety of games using only yourself as the controller.

Reason #3: It’s fun at parties.

Let’s face it: when many of us acquire some excellent shining piece of new technology, we want to show it off. That’s why the Kinect is so great: it’s so easy to show off - and people actually want to join in! It’s not the same as showing off a brand-new LED television set. Neighbors at your dinner party might groan to think about your boastful pride. But playing the Kinect is not a shining testament to your wealth, but rather your sense of fun. It’s a great thing to share, rather than show off. And that’s why it can be so great at parties. Just, uh, make sure the coffee table is put away.

Reason #4: Live in the future.

Although this technology is indeed innovative, you’d be surprised at the other benefits it has in your regular life. You can use your hands to control what’s on the television, for example, meaning you don’t have to worry about which remote does what. There are also voice-activated commands that will definitely feel like you’re talking to the ship’s computer from Star Trek. We always live in the now, but the now feels an awful lot like the future with a Kinect in tow.

Reason #5: Fun for the whole family.

As if the previous four reasons weren’t enough, consider that the Kinect is a great way to buy something for the whole family. Adults will feel fine working out at home, and kids will enjoy the games. Need we say more?

Nintendo 3DS Games

If it seems a very, very long time since gaming had a hardware launch, then that’s because it is.

The last big console launches were nearly five years ago now and the last major portable console was the PSP back in 2005.

Usually, we’d be looking to the hardware giants to throw an entirely new generation of machines our way. But, having repeatedly reiterated on the handhelds and put the major machines on life support with various waggly peripherals for the last three years, the new wave of home consoles are absent and new handhelds have been somewhat unwillingly pushed forward into the spotlight.

If you’re Sony, that’s partly because the spotlight is constantly shone in your face (interrogation style) by the specialist press. The leaks that preceded the announcements of the Xperia Play and NGP revealed everything but the names of the respective platforms (largely because ‘Playstation Phone’ and ‘PSP 2’ is what we're going to be calling them anyway). The Nintendo 3DS meanwhile was outed by impending leaks in the Japanese press, its 3D technology essentially impossible to demonstrate to a world of 2D screens.

A lesser Japanese based hardware manufacturer would still have expected to have sold out in the first week of release, and almost everywhere that was selling the 400,000 units had sold out well before the machines had been manufactured. So now that the 3DS is finally a known quantity, what do we know about the selection of games available when the 3DS makes it to Europe, North America and Australasia?

The Loss of this One is Quite Formidable

The Japanese launch is more or less perfectly mirrored by the worldwide release schedule. There are the usual localisation differences for established brands: Puzzle Bobble 3D, for instance, becomes Bust a Move. You’ll be able to lead Villas to victory in Pro Evolution Soccer rather than Winning Eleven, and so on. Japanese trade magazine Famitsu scored the games 24 and 32 out of 40, respectively. One of the few titles to remain Japan only is Shanghai 3D Cube, another poorly received puzzle game that was hoping to build create something unique with cube-based, 3D puzzles.

The most sorely felt absence will doubtlessly be Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle. Whilst the DS became a dumping ground for minigame compilations, Ubisoft’s questionable ‘imagine’ series and a million terrible games that ended in ‘z’, Professor Layton single handedly revived the point and click adventure, cross-bred it with the DS’ breakthrough Brain Training series and fused the whole package with a hefty dose of anime anglophilia. The trouble is, they’ve paid such delicate attention to the localisation of the series that the Western markets are now a couple of titles behind Japan. With hundreds of lines of dialogue to translate and a missing fourth game (The Spectre’s Flute), fans will have to wait a while for this one. This is a massive loss to fans and Nintendo because The Mask of Miracle sold 117,589 copies, making it the most popular game on the DS at launch. Famitsu’s four reviewers gave it a respectable 32 of 40.

Familiar but Solid

New console launches are rarely the time for wild innovation and new intellectual property. A lot of the safest bets for buying on day one are established franchises: Ridge Racer and Super Monkey Ball both picked up a ‘3D’ in their titles and the same safe-scoring 32 in Famitsu. The standout titles, are franchise favourites again. They’re also ones that (in the absence of the professor) have been the most talked about in the gaming press. Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition is something of a known substance, a fast-paced, visually exciting game and litmus test for the quality of the 3DS hardware. Famitsu’s 34 of 40 rating is in line with their previous assessment of the home console versions, so this will be a first day purchase for many fighting game fans.

But the top honours go to Nintendogs and Cats which only dropped two points in its Famitsu review. One of the few Nintendo developed titles on release day, it’s the most perfect a counter point to Street Fighter IV that you’re ever likely to find. It’s also representative of the split in the 3DS userbase, a slower paced (but equally brilliant) title that will appeal to the ‘new’ gamers that the original DS created.

Steph Wood has many passions, but videogames are probably the most important. Still, they’ll also find plenty of time to write about Cottages to rent and other seemingly obscure subjects.

Nintendo Wii 2

We all know how successful the Nintendo Wii has been.

Not only is it one of the top-selling game consoles that’s ever graced this planet, but it’s changed the way we interact with games: many of us expect to have a more hands-on experience with our games now, not simply content to twiddle our thumbs all day and night in order to get our characters on the screen to move.

But there are some whispers in the gaming industry that Nintendo has not fully capitalized on its stellar success by releasing a follow-up. Sure, in Hollywood releasing a sequel can be a mixed bag, but that’s usually not the case when the sequel is following up on a blockbuster. And when you consider the gaming world, in which sequels are not only part of the norm, they’re basically part of the culture - well, you start to see why it’s so odd we haven’t seen a Wii 2 yet.

Why not? Let’s dig a little deeper to get to the bottom of exactly what might be going on in the world of Nintendo.

Analysts: Nintendo May Have Blown It

When you think of Nintendo “blowing it,” you really start to wonder. Really? Nintendo? The gaming company that’s been around since we were kids, the gaming company that’s launched itself into new relevance with the Wii? Well, some people are indeed willing to commit such blasphemy, including Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter, who’s had this to say:

"With as much respect for Nintendo management as I can muster, I think Nintendo's completely blown it with their second generation Wii strategy," he said. "I think they have the mentality that to launch a new [console] they have to retire the old, and I think that's wrong.

"I think the right strategy would have been to get a second generation Wii out and keep the old Wii at the same time, and have the second generation be the natural progression upgrade model."
Needless to say, it’s a pretty stinging criticism, perhaps more stinging because it rings so true.

But is it really true? Well, we can say this for sure: Nintendo has indeed been mum about its second-generation Wii, with some people believing they’re primed for a release in 2012, even though each year has been increasingly big for the gaming industry. In a world that sees a new smart phone release just about every working day, you have to wonder if Nintendo isn’t leaving dollars on the table.

Maybe It’s a Good Thing

Of course, for the people who would rather see a Nintendo Wii 2 come out and be a smashing success rather than a simple upgrade over the first generation, Nintendo’s moves (or lack thereof) hits their purist taste buds just right. To this crowd, Nintendo’s simply biding their time, making sure they get everything right so the Wii 2 can be a similar step forward in gaming as the original Wii has been.

Indeed, not every analyst thinks that Nintendo is completely flubbing its own success, and believes it may be primed for another great run. Another analyst by the name of Colin Sebastian said “We expect a strong 2011 launch for Nintendo's 3DS, which offers game-play and video playback differentiated from existing portable devices.”

It’s a mixed bag. On one hand, Nintendo Wii fans probably can’t wait to get their hands on a new generation of interactive gaming. On the other, they don’t want to see a second-rate product hit the market too early. Our solution? Nintendo should release a great product quickly. If only that were as easy to accomplish as it was to say.

Microsoft's Xbox 360

In the world of quick technology, instant downloads, and easy-to-acquire game systems, it might seem like blasphemy to suggest that you don’t actually buy a game console.

But that’s not what this article is doing!

Instead, we come with a very specific recommendation for your console-buying habits this year: we think you should hold off.

Why? Well, you’ll have to keep reading to get the full story, but for the moment let’s just say that there are many instances in which patience pays. After all, you’re not going anywhere, are you? And the technology certainly isn’t going anywhere, although the prices will be headed in a specific direction: down. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, waiting to buy a new Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 might just be the best decision you make all year. Here’s why.

Reason #1: The prices are expected to drop.

This is the biggest reason, so we’ll want to make sure we cover ourselves and can actually make the case the prices will really drop. After all, you don’t want to get caught waiting for a new Xbox only to find out that the prices never dropped all year. So with that in mind, here’s our reasoning.

First, there are a few rumors and conversations in the gaming industry that the Xbox is due for a price cut. Why? Microsoft in particular seems to be in the proper position to put a little pressure on the other guys because of their wildly successful year in the gaming industry in 2010.

But there’s more to the story. Analysts believe that all gaming consoles could be primed for a price cut this year, as CNet notes, with Microsoft potentially leading the way. That means you can expect to see the same quality as you can purchase right now for a reduced price - simply for having the patience to wait. Maybe you don’t have that much patience, but if you don’t have much money either, you might have to.

Reason #2: Technology will continue to expand.

The original Xbox is ancient compared to what’s coming out of the gaming industry these days. Between technology like the Microsoft Kinect and the raise of Wii-like action-based controllers, the entire gaming industry is changing, updating, and expanding. Like in the world of smart phones, the expansion always seems to happen at an exponential rate, with one company innovating on top of another company’s innovations.

What this means for you is that technology will only get better, with new releases out in 2011 that might cost more, sure, but if you ignored Reason #1 already then you don’t really care about price, do you? True gamers are always on the lookout for better technology and want to live on the cutting edge...but sometimes only patience for the new releases will get you there.

Reason #3: You can save money.

Not only because of Reason #1, mind you. If you put aside $50 every month for a few months to buy a gaming console, it has a significantly different impact on your finances than a single $250 purchase, doesn’t it? Even though the money is the same, it never quite “feels” like you’re truly taking $250 out of your own pocket if you spread out the damage across more time. And given how many of us are looking for work and extra cash these days, handling your purchase this way might be a simple necessity.

Of course, if you’ve got a lot of money to spare, you can always ignore these three reasons and simply get a PlayStation and play it until the sun comes up. But we’re guessing if you’ve read this far, that’s not you. Don’t be afraid to delay gratification sometimes; the rewards can be great.