COUNTDOWN TO NIRVANA: The Magic of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV

Earlier in at the end of August into the beginning of September, I got the chance to go to the HPGRP gallery here in New York and attend their oh so lovely exhibit: The Magic of Kingsglaive and Final Fantasy XV.

Then I took pictures!

GAZE UPON THEM!

Gallery Link!

I thought it was pretty cool. Nothing out of this world, but a good time all the same. Meant to post this yesterday, but I kinda goofed, so...

Yep.

Top 10: Fighting Game Main Peoples!

Okay, so this list has been bubbling about in my head for a while now. I wanted to get it out of my head while the iron was still hot, but, you know, I suck at deadlines and stuff, so that didn't work. BUT I'M STILL GONNA PUT DIS SHIT OUT!

Just way... WAY later than planned...

Here be the rules and regulations.

First and foremost, regulation-wise, it is worth noting that this list is very subjective, and the criteria I am judging upon is first personal preference, followed by (much less importantly) impact and legacy, followed by and least importantly, general popularity.

Think of it sorta like 50% Cause I Want To, 30% Impact/Legacy, 20% Popularity. Sort of.*

As for numerically ordered rules:

1. Must be the/a generally agreed upon protagonist/main character. No deuteragonists or rivals.

2. Must have appeared in more than one installment of the series, provided the series has more than one installment.

3. Series must primarily consist of fighting games. So no side games of a series that is another genre.

4. Series must be original, so no fighting games based on other series.

*These numbers and percentages are not to be taken as gospel, and subject to change as I go, cause fuck it.

So. With those caveats out of the way, let's get it on!

-

First and foremost, Top Five honorable mentions in no particular order include Kasumi from Dead or Alive, Eiji from Battle Arena Toshinden, Haohmaru from Samurai Shodown, Jago from Killer Instinct and Akira from Virtua Fighter.

-

Oh, and for those who have any interest in such things, there are very likely to be spoilers in this here list. So, keep that in mind.

-

And onto the list proper:

10. Yugo Ōgami (Bloody Roar)

"Yugo Ogami (大神勇吾 Ōgami Yūgo) is a fictional character from the Bloody Roar series.  His beast form is the wolf and he's currently the leader and founder of the organisation World of Co-Existence.

Yugo is very aggressive, impulsive and short tempered; he is also somewhat childish and very upbeat. Despite his hot-tempered nature however, Yugo is actually a caring and kind-hearted man who hates injustice and will always lend a hand to anyone who needs it.

Yugo appeared in the first installment, Bloody Roar. He is considered to be the main protagonist of the series, and often viewed as the series' mascot."

The main character of the Bloody Roar series, Yugo makes the list for me and beats out the honorable mentions because his fighting style (a mix between overly speedy boxing, and whatever the hell he does as a wolf) is enjoyable as hell, and he acts as the figurehead of one of the more fun and unfortunately overlooked fighting game series that I've had the chance to get my hands on. 

I mean, shit, the entire series is the clashing of characters who transform into raging were-animals ranging from Dragons, to Unborn, to Rabbits to Chimeras, and whatever in-between!

I also have a tendency to enjoy "character duality" (a term likely to pop up a lot in this list), mirroring, and other things regarding two sides of a coin, or things of that nature when applied to fictional characters. Especially cool ass transformations. The shift from man to beast is not necessarily well executed here, but damn does it look cool.

Between his biker style, boxing techniques and rather cool wolf transformation, Yugo hits some sincerely right notes. At least enough to place him at number 10.

9. Morrigan Aensland (Darkstalkers)

"Morrigan Aensland (Japanese: モリガン・アーンスランド Hepburn: Morigan Ānsurando) is a video game character from the Darkstalkers series of fighting games developed by Capcom. Morrigan is a succubus and a princess of the demon realm Makai, who is very vain and lives for little more than the excitement of battle, but slowly takes up more of her royal responsibilities seriously despite her obsessive fascination of the human world.

Morrigan was introduced in the 1994 game Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors and has since appeared in every game in the series and in various related media, as well as in multiple video games outside the Darkstalkers game series. She is the central character of the extended Darkstalkers franchise and is widely perceived as one of the most popular Capcom characters."

One of the originators of video game sex appeal, and longtime fan favorite, Morrigan has been able to spread her influence far outside of her own games, appearing in nearly every crossover game that Capcom even thinks about putting out and then some.

Interestingly, her character sprite is probably one of the most used sprites of all time, hilariously appearing in nearly every entry of every game she's appeared in utilizing her original sprite from the first Darkstalkers up until Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, where there was no longer a choice but to update, as Capcom had made the transition to 3D models.

My personal enjoyment of Morrigan, however, comes from the fact that she plays like a Shoto character, so in addition to being all different kinds of sexy and being iconic than a motherfucker, at least as far as Darkstalkers is concerned, she also plays in the most familiar fashion possible. And that's great.

She's also a case of character duality, in the case of the shard of her soul, the more impish but innocent looking Lilith.

But all things considered, Morrigan earns her spot on this list due to her impressive legacy, having become the face of Darkstalkers with no doubt, and gaining arguably more popularity outside her own games than within.

8. Kyo Kusanagi (King of Fighters)

"Kyo Kusanagi (草薙 京 Kusanagi Kyō) is the main character in SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters video game series; he was first introduced in The King of Fighters '94 as the leader of the Japan team. He is one of the iconic characters of the series and regularly appears on publicity material and merchandise. 

His name and abilities were designed in order to relate him with the Yamata no Orochi legend. Because he was highly popular and his outfit changed along the series, the designers created a few clones with his old appearance.

Kyo is first introduced as a cocky delinquent high school student who is the heir to the Kusanagi clan, who can use pyrokinetic powers. In The King of Fighters universe, his clan is one of the three clans that sealed the legendary snake entity, Yamata no Orochi. Due to his clan's past, Kyo fights against the Kusanagi's enemies; his rival Iori Yagami, the last member of the Yagami clan, and the Orochi's soldiers. He enters every The King of Fighters tournament representing Japan and uses his clan's fighting style to combine fire with kenpo. Aside from the main series, Kyo also appears in several other media series such as spin-offs and crossover video games as well as comic adaptations of the series."

The delinquent of delinquents when it comes to fighting games, Kyo is bad-boy-style cool personified. His character design is so well loved that whenever it changes, SNK makes a story related clone of him just to be able to keep the costume in circulation. He's not the most original personality, but said personality is so classic, and pulled off with such shameless gusto in Kyo that I cannot help but enjoy it.

In addition, Kyo represents one of the few gaming series willing to go head to head with the mighty giant "Street Fighter", and not come out completely chewed up and spit out like so much rotten food. Not to say that KoF wasn't still soundly handed it's ass, just less so than other series competing at the time.

7. Ragna the Bloodedge (BlazBlue)

"Ragna the Bloodedge (ラグナ＝ザ＝ブラッドエッジ Raguna za Buraddoejji) is the main protagonist of the BlazBlue series. Also known as the Grim Reaper, he is feared by the NOL for being the most powerful individual to have ever rebelled against them since the Ikaruga Civil War. His actions, which included destroying countless number of their branches, has labeled him the most wanted criminal to received the largest bounty ever in the history of the NOL. He possesses a powerful form of ars magus called the Azure Grimoire, or simply referred to as the titular BlazBlue, which is often either the secondary or primary target of those after him and his bounty. His ultimate goal is to destroy the NOL, for he blames them for destroying his family.

Ragna is sardonic, rude, and abrasive to anyone he comes across. He is also quick to anger, quite stubborn, and never misses a chance to use as much vulgar language as possible. In this regard, Ragna is similar to the stereotypical anime delinquent. This is caused mainly by Yūki Terumi practically destroying Ragna's life, which has created a mass of hatred in him; stronger than that of any other individual. Ragna often becomes infuriated at first sight of Yūki Terumi, which he often takes advantage of through taunting him. However, even in cases where he cannot win or is on the brink of death, Ragna possesses an undying will and refuses to give up, something many characters either hate or admire.

Beneath his gruff exterior, however, Ragna does possess a softer, more compassionate side. He chooses to keep up his public front because of the path he chose – that of revenge. He does genuinely care for certain people, and despite Jin's role in the destruction of his life, still cares for him as a brother.

Later on after the events of Chronophantasma, Ragna goes through more personal development which changes his opinions about the reasons he fights. He starts to rely on his own strength instead of the Azure Grimoire, as its power is to "steal" instead of "protect". He declares that he will no longer fight to destroy and for revenge, and instead, decides to fight in order to protect his loved ones. "

Whereas Kyo is delinquent incarnate, Ragna is a the slow developing delinquent who eventually embraces his destiny as the hero he is meant to be. To me, Ragna belongs where he does on this list 1: Because his design is fucking awesome, and 2: because I am hard pressed to think of a fighting game that so well fleshes out both it's story and characters in game. More often than not, character development in fighting games either doesn't exist, or is delegated to external materials and theory on the interwebs. Ragna and BlazBlue blatantly defy that mold, crafting a lengthy and deep story through which Ragna subtly shifts and changes from hardened criminal, to selfish delinquent, to reluctant champion, to selfless (most of the time) hero, all while still maintaining the surly, angry and sarcastic qualities that make him amusing in the first place.

The story of his struggle against his potential destiny of becoming the Black Beast of legend that will go on to destroy everything only adds to my enjoyment of him, and seeing little pieces of the Beast in his fighting style are little details that add together to make me thoroughly enjoy the Bloodedge.

The only reason he doesn't rank higher is because as much as I love him, I feel like he needs a bit more time to expand his legacy. Those higher on this list are people who have stood strong in my head as the faces of fighting games for quite some time.

6. Terry Bogard (Fatal Fury)

Terry Bogard (テリー・ボガード Terī Bogādo) is a video game character created by SNK Playmore (previously SNK), and is the main character of the Fatal Fury series. In the series, he is an American fighter who enters the worldwide tournaments called The King of Fighters to kill Geese Howard, a criminal who killed Terry's father. Terry becomes a formidable fighter, earning the title of "Legendary Hungry Wolf". In the fourth tournament he participates, Terry nearly kills Geese, but relents at the last moment. Geese responds to this by apparently committing suicide. Terry then decides to become the guardian of Geese's son, Rock Howard.

Terry Bogard is an incredibly charismatic, cheerful and friendly man with everyone around him. He bears no ill will towards anyone other than Geese Howard, the killer of his adoptive father. His relationship with Andy is that of respect, recognizing his younger brother as a potential rival. He feels a sense of kinship with Blue Mary for her loss, and the two developed a long time relationship. He treats Rock as his son, but allows him to choose his own path in life. He teasingly calls Rock, "Rookie". Terry is also well-informed of what goes on in the streets.

In Gamest's 1997 Heroes Collection, Terry was voted as the staff's eighth favorite character. In a 2005 poll made by SNK Playmore USA, he was voted as the number one fan favorite character with a total of 10014 votes. He was voted as the second most favorite character at the time of Garou: Mark of the Wolves with one commenter saying that "Terry's the eternal hero". In the character popularity poll on Neo Geo Freak's website, he was voted as the fourth favorite character with a total of 2,479 votes.

He has appeared in every Fatal Fury and King of Fighters game, and is one of the characters of choice to symbolize the company in crossover games, merchandise and publicity."

Terry Bogard, quite possibly the epitome of the Japanese Vision of the All-American Hero, Terry Bogard is a better version of what Kyo Kusanagi should be for SNK: A worthwhile protagonist and face to go up against the mighty, mighty Street Fighter.

A man of simple tastes and cool as fuck style, Terry looks every bit the part of what is imagined to be the simple American hero archetype, with simple, functional clothes that still look cool, an upright attitude, and all of the muscles. He would fit right in to damn near any 80s and early 90s action movie.

Terry's hilarious/awesome and instantly recognizable engrish, in addition to his explosive and rather cool fighting style easily add to his iconic aesthetic. The culmination results in a classic style of character, one who gets over on being as much the archetype as he can possibly be.

His classic styling make him quite possibly the most popular single creation that SNK has ever produced. He no doubt deserves a spot on the list for that alone.

But my biggest personal reason for including him on the list is because I just really fucking love the Buster Wolf.

5. Jin Kazama (Tekken)

"Jin Kazama (Japanese: 風間 仁 Hepburn: Kazama Jin) is a fictional character and main protagonist of the Tekken series released by Namco Bandai Games. Jin is consistently voiced by Isshin Chiba since he debuted in Tekken 3, making him the only Tekken character and one of the video game characters that are consistently voiced by one actor in every appearance.

Trained by his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima, in order to enter the King of Iron Fist Tournament, Jin wishes to avenge his mother's apparent death. However, during the tournament it is revealed that Jin possesses the Devil Gene (Japanese: デビルの血 Hepburn: Debiru no Chi (Lit. 'Devil's blood')), a genetic abnormality within his body, which causes the betrayal of Heihachi who wants to take it. He is also antagonized by his father, Kazuya Mishima, from whom he inherited the gene. While dealing with them, Jin loses control of the Devil Gene, which causes his transformation into an alter-ego named Devil Jin (Japanese: デビル仁 Hepburn: Debiru Jin), first introduced as a non-playable character in Tekken 3 and playable in Tekken 5.

Jin's personality ranges from calm to angry at various moments, and his words and actions hint toward the bitterness within. He also has one personality trait which is common with many Japanese action heroes. Once Jin's mind is focused in any particular direction, it is very difficult to get him to change or even notice the events and people around him. People close to him, including his friends Ling Xiaoyu and Hwoarang, are always going to extremes to gain Jin's attention, and yet, he rarely seems to notice. It is known, however, that he will help them if they need it, as related media has shown."

Maaaaan talk about a character with family issues?

Jin Kazama debuted as a smooth, cool, apathetic version of Kazuya Mishima, taking over for the former when he went the rout of villain and supposedly kicked the bucket. (Turned out to be not so dead about a game later, but eh. Death is cheap in fiction anyway.)

Easily the best apart about Jin (yet another character struggling with some inner dark side... This is really a trend for me...) is the amount of development Jin has gone through over Tekken's lengthy lore, from being the hip young Kazuya clone, to becoming whatever form of tortured soul he was when he abandoned the Mishima Martial Arts in favor of straight up Karate, to the out of his mind world domination plans he enacted in an attempt to become powerful enough to end the Mishima Bloodline problems forever.

Jin has been through a lot, and his struggle to keep doing the right thing, no matter what he does in pursuit of it is a fantastic concept.

4. Siegfried Schtauffen (SoulCalibur)

"Siegfried Schtauffen (ジークフリート・シュタウフェン, Jīkufurīto Shutaufen) is the main protagonist character in most Soul series's games and the most central character of the series until Soulcalibur V.

He is one of the only characters that have been included in every game in the series since Soul Edge, appearing in Soulcalibur and Soulcalibur II as the story's main villain, as well as appearing in Soulcalibur III and Soulcalibur IV as the main hero. In Soulcalibur II, he is an unlockable costume for his temporary alter-ego, Nightmare, and Nightmare's unmasked appearance (his alternate costume) is that of Siegfried. The non-canon spin-off title Soulcalibur Legends was released in 2007 with Siegfried being the central character, and he has returned in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny. Siegfried returned as a major supporting character in Soulcalibur V and he also is playable in the PS3 exclusive Soulcalibur: Lost Swords.

In Soul Edge and Soulcalibur Legends, Siegfried is somewhat cocky and arrogant, never stopping to achieve what he desires. However, after being freed from Soul Edge in Soulcalibur, he stops being selfish and strives to atone for his sins. When he becomes Nightmare again in Soulcalibur II, he is portrayed as a heartless beast. But when he becomes himself again in Soulcalibur III, he regains his desire for atonement. In Soulcalibur IV, Siegfried fears that he would get other people hurt if he lets them join him. So he isolates himself from others in order to destroy Soul Edge and repent for his sins. However in Soulcalibur V Siegfried is much calmer and relaxed, he also acts as a mentor to his comrades."

Tortured soul with a giant sword fighting to save the world. The tragic struggle of Siegfried Schtauffen from his nonsensical patricide-colored past, to his foolhardy quest to undo history via an insane quest to become powerful enough to murder the bastard who killed his father (hint: It was Siegfried. Siegfried is out of his damn mind) to his fantastic tenure as the Azure Nightmare, terror of the world, and finally ending with his free and clear mind waging one last sacrificial battle against the essence of evil itself that he unwillingly released upon the world covers is riveting from beginning to end, and his aesthetic is positively fantastic. Especially when he's Nightmare in Soulcaliur 2.

I mean damn. Who the hell even needs to look that cool?

That aside, Siegfried, along with Heishiro Mitsurugi and Ninja-in-a-Painted-On-Suit Taki are the faces of one of the most successful, deep, and well crafted 3D fighting games ever to exist, to say nothing of being probably the only successful weapon based fighter aside from maaaaaybe Bushido Blade.

Maybe.

For that alone, he deserves the props. Add the Nightmare costume from 2 to that, and it's on like Donkey Kong.

3. Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear)

"Sol Badguy (Japanese: ソル＝バッドガイ Hepburn: Soru Baddogai) is a fictional character in Arc System Works' Guilty Gear video game series. He first appeared in the 1998 video game Guilty Gear, as the main character and namesake. In the series, he is a bounty hunter who has dedicated his life to the destruction of Gears, a race of magical bioweapons that plunged the world into a hundred-year war known as the Crusades. He was once a member of the Sacred Order of the Holy Knights.

At first glance, he is an aloof, anti-hero bounty hunter, whose apparent laziness and gruffness belies his terrifying fighting ability, and the amazing genius and emotional depths beneath that brash exterior.

Sullen and unrefined, Sol only speaks to others when absolutely necessary. This is reflected in everything he does, and his fighting moves, while rough and unpolished, are executed with absolute precision. He also tends to be impatient and rude towards those who wish to interact with him, whether they are friend or foe. Overall, Sol is not a friendly man, but he is not an inherently evil one neither. He is a person who prefers to convey his intent with his actions.

While he cynically mocks those who speak of justice, he has exhibited a staunch sense of righteousness that motivates him to prevent anything that might potentially threaten the world and the peace established after the Crusades. He is also surprisingly compassionate as seen when he spares and even helps both Dizzy and Solaria, despite both being Command Type Gears whose power could potentially endanger humanity if left unchecked. It is seen through the course of the series that Sol has much deeper emotional depths that he normally doesn't display towards people."

So there's Kyo, the Basic Super Delinquent. And then there's Ragna, the Good Hearted Dummy Delinquent Hero. And then? Then there's the man what all delinquency the world round aspires to be. The final form of delinquency, if you will.

The avatar of the moment you surpass the simple idea of delinquency, ride your flaming motorcycle straight past every other step in-between and finally evolve into the Downright Unforgivably Sinful Epitome of Cool (tm? Sure. tm).

Easily one of the single coolest characters of all time, from aesthetic to personality to moveset to even his goddamn voice, Sol Badguy exudes awesome from every pore, lights it on fire, uses it to light his cigarette, and goes on about his day with a yawn.

The titular Guilty Gear, when he was still a human scientist, Sol took part in experiments that basically broke everything, started World War 3, eradicated Japan, and fucked up life for everyone ever. Rather than letting his dumbass life-ruining decisions turn him into an emo candyass punk, The Badass formerly known as Fredrick decided to just become the most powerful motherfucker the world has ever seen. And then proceed to use his endless swole-ness to make money by beating the shit out of everything. Probably while bored as fuck.

Plus his favorite band is Queen.

2b, Scorpion

"Hanzo Hasashi (波佐志半藏), now known as Scorpion (全蠍人, "Full Scorpion Man"), is a resurrected ninja in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He is one of the very few original characters, debuting in the first Mortal Kombat arcade game. He holds the unique distinction, along with Raiden and Sub-Zero (in one form or another), of appearing in every generation of Mortal Kombat games as a playable character.

Scorpion is a hell-spawned spectre, inexorably seeking vengeance against those responsible for the destruction of his clan and the death of his own family. Despite his malevolent appearance, he is not inherently evil. He joins the forces of evil when promised a means of resurrecting his clan on Earth, or the chance to inflict his wrath against those who butchered them. Scorpion has also (indirectly) assisted the game's protagonists to fulfill these motives.

Although Scorpion is often strict and wrathful, at times he shows a caring side and is very honorable. In the original timeline, when he discovers the Sub-Zero in the second tournament isn't Bi-Han and in fact his more merciful brother, Scorpion vows to protect Kuai Liang instead for killing his kin. In the second timeline, Scorpion truly intended to spare the first Sub-Zero in exchange for the resurrection of his clan, but Quan Chi prevented this. Most notably, in the Mortal Kombat X Comic, it's shown he took in victims and survivors of the Netherrealm War into his iteration of the Shirai Ryu while also raising Takeda. During this time, he treated Takeda like his own son, such as when he comforts Takeda after Fox's death."

Fuck the Ghost Rider, this dude here is the REAL Spirit of Vengeance.

A fire-breathing, sucka-impaling, kung-fu slingin', whirling ninja dervish of pain, vengeance, and rage, and bearer of one of the single most iconic fighting game sound bytes of all time, Scorpion is like the embodiment of every kung fu revenge flick ever smashed into one ninja, rolled in hellfire, then shot out a cannon to wreak havoc on any and everyone standing in his way.

Shit, even if the fate of the world is at stake, if some dumb bastard done goofed and crossed Scorpion in any way? He's dying. Guaran-damn-teed.

I always gotta respect the guys willing to let everything burn for their cause. If you're gonna go for it, you go all the fucking way, no matter what.

Plus, he's one of the OG video game ninjas. Regardless of how overused they are, Ninjas are automatically cool, especially 90s ninjas.

2a. Liu Kang (Mortal Kombat)

Liu Kang (Chinese: 劉康; pinyin: Liúkāng) is a fictional character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He was introduced in the series' original video game installment in 1992, as a Shaolin monk who enters the Mortal Kombat tournament to save Earthrealm (Earth). Since his victory in the tournament, Liu Kang becomes the champion and chief defender of Earthrealm, guided by his mentor, the thunder god Raiden. He also becomes romantically involved with Princess Kitana, an adopted daughter of Shao Kahn, the evil emperor of Outworld.

Liu Kang is one of the most popular and accessible characters in the series. He is one of Earthrealm's greatest warriors, having defeated many to prove his valor. Throughout the series he has been gradually portrayed as the main hero, becoming champion after the first Mortal Kombat tournament. Liu Kang has found a nemesis in the traitorous Shang Tsung, a sorcerer who he has defeated on numerous occasions. Kang is often considered the greatest threat to the plans of Tsung and his emperor, Shao Kahn. He is a member of the White Lotus Society and trains extensively at the Wu Shi Academy. It was at the Academy that he was murdered by the Deadly Alliance of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi.

His body was resurrected without his spirit in Mortal Kombat: Deception. This physical half killed hundreds of innocent people, with the skills he refined to protect them while he was alive. He retained his personality as a zombie, as he still had his trademark yells. A notable exception is the intro of Armageddon, where he groans like a recognizable zombie.

He is said to be one of the Great Kung Lao's last descendants through various media (a trading card, the first film, etc.) It is possible that Liu Kang and Kung Lao are cousins. He is referred to as "The Immortal Champion of Mortal Kombat" in later games, and his ending in Mortal Kombat: Deception has him again assuming the role upon his restoration to life.

You know? I'm not even gonna lie to you. I love Liu Kang, but his placement this high on the list is for certain 90% thanks to his characterization in the first movie. Liu Kang is great. That's about it.

AND NUMBER ONE

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

1. Ryu (Street Fighter)

Ryu (リュウ or 隆 Ryū) is the protagonist and main character of the Street Fighter series. Ryu has made an appearance in every Street Fighter game, as well as in almost every crossover fighting game with Capcom characters in it.

Ryu has arguably become the most famous character in the fighting game genre, starring in early fighting games such as Street Fighter, and started to become popular in Street Fighter II, where he was considered a "basic" character. He, along with Mega Man, is considered one of Capcom's unofficial "mascots".

Ryu is usually a silent, humble, serious individual whose severity is often juxtaposed against the light-hearted, fiery persona of his best friend and oldest rival, Ken. He travels the globe with a stern nature, often appearing to others as boring or detached. On rare occasion, Ryu shows a very bad sense of humor. Cool and calculating, patience is Ryu's biggest strength. Ryu's overarching goal in Street Fighter is to become a total master of his fighting style. To this end, Ryu plays the part of the wandering warrior, and takes both his travels and his training very seriously. Although he appears to be aloof and unemotional, Ryu is actually a kind and good-hearted person. He respects others with skills equal to his own and holds heroic figures like Captain America, Spider-Man and Cyclops in high regard, as seen in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. However, by the time of Street Fighter III, it seems that Ryu has developed a somewhat more friendly personality. He is still very quiet and reserved, but is willing to greet people with a smile and some kind advice, very much like his master Gouken. Ryu doesn't exactly consider himself a heroic person, but he does fight for innocents when he sees injustice.

There is, however, a dark side to Ryu. His drive to improve himself, no matter the difficulty, can sometimes develop into a drive to win and to be the best, no matter what the cost, as these two goals are so dangerously similar. This darker drive is fed by, and in turn feeds, the Satsui no Hado within him, an influence which Ryu must constantly fight to suppress (at least until the time of Street Fighter III). Ryu's desire to be better can sometimes make his advice to his defeated opponents seem more arrogant and judgmental than Gouken's, though he is fundamentally well-intentioned. In times when his inner darkness threatens to overcome him, Ryu relies on his friends and rivals - primarily Ken, Chun-Li, Gouken, Rose, Sagat and Sakura - to keep him grounded and snap him out of it.

Early Street Fighter manga often depicted Ryu having a more "rough and tumble" personality, as well as a bit of a goofy side. He was also shown to be quite irritable when hungry. In his short story in Street Fighter Gaiden, he was shown to be a rather happy individual and, personality-wise, somewhat like Goku from the Dragon Ball series. This is quite different from the stoic person he is often shown to be in the games.

Ryu is consistently ranked as one of the most popular and memorable characters from the Street Fighter franchise as well as gaming in general among critics. GameSpot featured him in their article "All Time Greatest Game Hero". He additionally ranked number seventy-one on UGO Networks's "Top 100 Heroes of All Time" article. UGO also placed him at #2 on their list of "Top 50 Street Fighter Characters", stating "Whereas Ken is flashy, Ryu is contemplative, tortured and driven." IGN ranked him first in their "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters" article, stating "Ryu is a testament to the virtue of simplicity in character design. White gi, dark gloves, red headband for a little touch of color, and that is it. It's rare, when you think about it, to see too many fancy pieces go into the making of an icon". GameDaily listed him at number two in their "Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time" article, stating "He always seeks a bigger challenge, and that determination makes him one of our favorites"; in a later character profile article for Ryu, they stated "Ryu is a formidable fighter that gets the job done.... Bottom line, you can't go wrong with Street Fighter's most iconic character." The same site ranked him sixth along with Ken in the Top 25 Capcom Characters of All Time with editor Robert Workman saying "It was just impossible to choose between one of these world warriors". 

He has also been recognized as one of the best gaming characters from all time. He was voted as one of the best fifty characters in both a Famitsu issue and the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition from 2011. In the February 1992 issue of Gamest magazine in Japan Ryu ranked third Best Character of 1991. In the January 30, 1997 issue Ryu ranked number thirteen in Top 50 Characters of 1996. In a 2010 survey of 4000 online matches for Super Street Fighter IV, Ryu was the most popular character, with 16.6% of the usage. In 2011, Empire ranked him as the 27th greatest video game character, adding "he has remained the definitive beat-'em-up fighter and go-to-guy for the discerning player since the days of SF2."

UGO listed Ryu's headband twenty-sixth on their list of "The Coolest Helmets and Headgear in Video Games". In GamesRadar's article "The 56 characters of Marvel vs Capcom 2", Ryu was described as "The heart and soul of the Street Fighter series" and "probably the most well known fighting game character in the world"

Honestly.

Seriously.

If you thought any

AND I MEAN ANY

other person was gonna be in this #1 spot?

...

Man...

...

There aren't even words.

Just go home. Go on, get. Get away from me. Friendship over.

...

You still here? Kick rocks! Touch gravel! Go away!

...

Okay. Now that that's been handled

Ryu is the greatest fighting game character ever. Period. Bar none. There isn't even competition. He is the face of not only the most popular fighting game series ever, but (NOT) arguably the face of the entire fighting game genre.

His iconic (and often mispronounced) special moves, both on the stage of look and execution are the base influence for almost every fighting game protagonist to follow him.

He is the fighting game basis, if you know how to play with Ryu, you can get into damn near any 2D fighting game at a basic level with almost laughable ease.

He is the eternal wanderer, gracing innumerable fighting game titles, and a major draw to a nonsensical amount of crossover games and references. From his moves appearing in other Capcom titles, to clones of him appearing in other media ranging from Avatar: The Last Airbender to Gravity Falls and countless others, Ryu's influence is felt across a huge range of pop culture.

He's the friggin' man.

He's the best.

-

Alrighty! That took foreeeeeeeeeeever to finish. I don't think I've ever had a more severe case of writer's block. Like, I've been late and lazy before, but damn. 

That said, I'm trying to keep content coming out semi-regularly, and while the blog's been kinda stagnant, the youtube channel has been updating significantly more regularly, so, you know, keep an eye out on that. I do intend to eventually post stuff there that isn't me getting my ass handed to me in Street Fighter, maybe the next top 10 list will be a video instead or something.

Ooh, that could be fun, actually... We'll see!

Anywho, more stuff coming soon! If you got beef with the list, feel free to let me know with a comment or something about how wrong you are!

Cause this list is infallible. Fact.

Mwahaha.

Yep.

(Basic character descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and the Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, King of Fighters, Capcom, Soul Calibur BlazBlue and Guilty Gear Wikia pages)

Continuing undeath!

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Despite beliefs and rumors to the contrary (and a solid year+ of inactivity) the eternal engine that is Stuffimus Maximus soldiers on!

The theory is that this time I will be able to finally get it together and start making content on a semi regular basis again. Now, true, I've been a liar many times before, and there is little assurance that this time will be any different. But I figure as long as I keep trying, something's gotta give somewhere, right?

Right!

So, let's make with some updates!

• Beat Dark Souls II and Bloodborne. Had great fun with both, and have cemented my eternal fandom to the souls series
• On a related note, Dark Souls 3 is nearing release, and is supposed to be the end of the Dark Souls saga. It looks amazing, the beta was hella fun, and y'know, stuff. I need it. Totally pre-ordered the collector's edition, and I really want the collector's edition strategy guide cause it comes with an Estus Flask! But I can't justify paying 130 for that...
• I never did get around to playing the DmC reboot. So much for that.
• Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition lived up to many expectations and fell short of some, but what that all comes down to is Vergil's awesomeness has not decreased in the slightest. Like, not even a little bit.
• I... As I write this, I remember now that I completely forgot about Winter-Een-Mas. I am a failure. Blarghl...
• In less depressing news, Pokemon Sun and Moon were just announced, and I have no idea which one I'm gonna pick! I generally always pick the "Blue" version game, but... Praise the Sun... WHAT DO?!
• Beat Uncharted 1 and 2, getting ready to work on 3
• Recording most of my Street Fighter V games, so I might start uploading those to el U-Toob channel.
• Have been playing Phantasy Star Online 2 like a madman, and may need admittance to some sort of center for rehabilitation for my addiction. Possibly. Maybe.
• My Holy Game Trinity of Sonic the Hedgehog, Ryu and Cloud Strife have all made it into Smash Bros. My life may be on the verge of completion.

That about covers the important stuff that I can remember (It has been a year...)

So  on to the continuing saga of Final Fantasy.

FFX: FFX may be one of the best games I've ever played. All of my feels, feels everywhere. While the undying fanboy within will not let me have the game as my favorite FF, it is certainly the best as far as I'm concerned. 9.5/10

FFXI: I finally made a character!

FFXII: I'm trying to slog through this. I really am. The lore is cool, and I like the world itself. But Ebony Jesus Cristo, this game is boring as watching paint dry. No score for now, but I don't have high hopes.

And with those out of the way, the most important piece of FF news is that XV will have its release date revealed at the end of this month...

I am not ready. I don't think I can be ready. But I will be in LA to see the reveal with my own two eyes. May God have mercy on my soul.

At some point in the near future, I'll be posting about my plans with StuffMax going forward, but as far as reviews go, my next planned review will be Dark Souls 3! Plenty of time for me to gear up to actually commit and do it!

Let's hope this works out!

Can't count on nobody for nothin' these days...

And by nobody and nothing, I am indeed referring to myself and my steadfast lies. Cause clearly, I ain't update a damn thing, and the video stuff didn't happen either.

But!

As usual, I am planning to come back, and say I'm going to do things, and likely fail at doing them, but with much gusto!

This time, my plan is to begin reviewing games again once I play one as it comes out, as opposed to reviewing a game long after it's past it's due date and such.

So yeah. That oughtta be fun. In theory.

So let's make with the relevant updates, and things that mattered to me, I suppose!

• Was gonna beat Dark Souls 2. Did not because Scholar of the First Sin got announced, and I want to play the more definitive version.
• Speaking of definitive versions, Devil may Cry has a definitive edition coming out, and now that time has passed, my hate has subsided, and they've chosen to include a lock-on function, I'm kinda inclined to consider giving it a shot. Admittedly, they made the idea way easier with the second DMC based announcement:
• Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition! For the PS4 and Xbox One! With a very teasing image and voice clip of my main homie Vergil! Dear god, the excitement.
• Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire was rather... Whelming. It did very little with the opportunity it had, and honestly, I think Nintendo kinda just phoned this one in, particularly compare to the phenominal Fire Red/Leaf Green or Heart Gold/Soul Silver. Not to say OR/AS is bad, just... It's nothing crazy.
• Winter-Een-Mas has come and gone. My goal was to beat 2 Final Fantasy games. I unfortunately failed. Poor time management lead to me making it to the end of the second game, but not quite finishing it in time. Much to my dismay. But I did get to go to:
• Distant Worlds, the Final Fantasy orchestral concert! It was great. And I met Nobuo Uematsu. So I am rather happy.
• Took a trip to MagFest in Maryland. Great convention, Met Smooth McGroove, chilled at a Death Battle panel, had a great time overall.
• Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is on the cusp of release, and it looks amazing. And a special edition New 3DS is confirmed to release here in America. My money...
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 has been out for some time... But I'm finally playing it!

That should cover general news type things. There are a few others (Got a Vita, started pushing through uncharted series, grabbed a PS4 and an X1) but they're less important.

And for some quickie reviews/FF series progress!

FFV: Everything I loved about FFIII, but with a better story, and far better characterization. 7/10

FFVI: The first FF in the series to convey its story and characters with such strength, despite its sprite-based graphics. By this point in time, the overarching story isn't massively original, but the fleshed out cast and cool scenes are much appreciated. 7.5/10

FFVIII: Squall is one of the most strongly developed characters, perhaps of all time, especially in the area of developing as the story goes along. Zell amuses me, Seifer has a cool coat. Laguna's kinda cool. The rest of the cast sucks, and the story was very meh and unnecessarily complicated after maybe halfway into the second disc. Junction system is fun, and Triple Triad is one of the most addicting games I've ever played. 6.5/10

FFIX: This game feels like what the first 3 Final Fantasies well and truly wanted to be, but couldn't because of technological restrictions. Fun, whimsical, but not particularly gripping. There was for sure a plight, but I didn't find myself feeling the weight of it, or caring about it until near the end of the game. 7/10

FFXIV (part 2): I'm at level 50 and playing the endgame content. At this point, I feel whatever MMO you play is sort of just a skin for the genre, there isn't a massive amount of differentiation, so it comes down to what aesthetic you like best. That said, I still love FFXIV, The references to the rest of the series don't stop, and I enjoy them in all of their forms. It's also a far more story driven MMO than I usually get my hands on, so that's fun. The downside to all of it is things like the finial fight in the game are restricted to 8 man parties, so if you want to enjoy the story and watch the cutscenes at your leisure, you're gonna want to do those dungeons with people who are willing to wait, which is uncommon this late in the game. It's mostly people doing speed-runs at this point. But a good time all the same. Main story was fun, and I beat it, so I'm at 11 FFs defeated so far. Feeling good. 3 to go. 8.5/10

After going through bits of VII again, I'm gonna amend that score to an 8.5, and I'm considering a 9, but I'm staying away from it, because fanboying is not how one should write reviews.


That covers everything for now. Gonna try and update more! Will talk about future plans soon. Don't quote me on that.

Return of the Dragon!

Okie dokie. I clearly am the suck at keeping up with this thing. But I'm making yet another comeback. The idea this time is to just keep trying until I catch a rhythm. Any who, next up, super late, is Sonic Generations. Soon after, I plan to review the Souls series in order to prepare for Dark Souls 2.

Here's hoping I can stick to it!

The First Lie of the New Year!

Okay. So I totally lied about coming out with content last week. But, I'm gonna try to make up for it by attempting to double the content this week.

I am a fool.

But screw it, ain't nothin' to it but to do it!

Yep.

Lies, plans and resolutions (which are also likely to be lies)

Okay. So clearly that Pokemon X review hasn't happened yet. I am a liar.

I will get around to it.

I also have reviews for a few other games in mind. And for once, I won't even make it a mystery! Consider this a preview post, if'n you will!

Upcoming reviews (In no particular order):

Nier
Pokemon X
Grand Theft Auto V
Demon's Souls
Sonic Generations (Warning: gonna be fanboytastic)
Metal Gear Revengeance
Fire Emblem Awakening
Various Final Fantasy Games

And of course, there are more, but those are what I'm gonna try and focus on.

Now for the final part, resolutions.

It is my plan and resolution to go forth and try and write two reviews a week, starting in January. I dunno how well I will hold to it, but I'm gonna give it a go.

In January, I will also be tracking my Winter-Een-Mas tribute. Last time, it was Demon's Souls. This time, I shall tackle Dark Souls.

Pray for me.

That out of the way, as a bonus, I finally finished FFIV, and while I haven't finished XIV, I've gotten far enough that I can give a solid impression, so some quickie reviews:

FFIV: Strong storytelling with a diverse plot hampered by a basic overall story, bland world, and a truly forgettable endgame. Tired of Kain's punk ass betraying me. But very enjoyable as a whole. Love that soundtrack. 7.5/10

FFXIV: Hard to describe why I like this one so much in quickie format, but screw it: Lush and lovely world, excellent soundtrack, fluid (for the most part) gameplay, solid story, and decent, if sometimes sluggish pacing kept me hooked. The community, at least pre-level cap is pretty solid, and I can even bear playing with people I don't know, something I am normally very much against (weird, I am aware, but it's just a quirk.). Don't have the money to continue my subscription atm, but as soon as I do, it's go time. 8.5/10. Very much considering a 9.

Okay. So that's that.

Yep.

Cobwebs all over the blog and other news.

Well.

I've certainly failed at maintaining something resembling upkeep.

Hopefully, that will change at some point in the near future.

My own horrible schedule-keeping capabilities aside, as far as news in my universe, I am currently undertaking a challenge to beat all 14 main line Final Fantasy games before the fifteenth game is finally released and consumes my soul. As of right now, I've currently beaten 1-3, 7 and 13, and am in the middle of 4 and 14. I suppose the easiest way to ensure that I gain a semblance of maintenance is to post along as I make progress.

Let's keep hope that I can make it happen, eh?

Oh. And for the sake of keeping in theme with the blog, some super quick reviews of the series so far!

And I mean super quick.

Games measured on a 1-10 scale.

FFI:

Super-basic and bare bones, but a fun experience during travel. Takes joy in giving you no idea where to go next. Kinda makes me feel like a kid again.

6/10

FF2:

Just as basic and bare bones as far as combat is concerned, but with a far more valiant attempt at making a story. Level up system is cause for fury, but game is easily made fun when you discover that pretty much everything in the game short of a few enemies and the last boss can be defeated via liberal use of Teleport.

6/10

FF3:

Backslides a bit in the story department into more basic territory, but is more fun than the other two in takes place in a more enjoyable world. Evokes the feeling of wanting to be a hero as a child. Plus, I'm always down for class switching.

7/10

FFVII:

I love this game. The world easily creates a sense of immersion, and the characters are beyond enjoyable. Graphics haven't aged well by any means, but when playing it on my PSP, I find it easy to ignore that.

8/10

FFXIII:

I feel like this game had serious potential that just got wasted. The battle system is quite fun once you finally have the ability to toy with it as you want, and switch party members as you want. And the world is beautiful, if a bit generic at times. The game itself is linear as fuck, and I find myself totally unable to care about any of the characters, or even the game's prominent story issues until nearly the last chapter.

4/10


And I suppose that's that for now.

Yep.

Finally! (Tribulation's End)

And so, as of 2 days ago, I have finally defeated the wall of evil stopping my attempt to complete this damn AMV. I am pleased beyond belief. Soon enough, it shall be on the U-TOOB, and I will be able to end this thing once and for all.

Update to come once the upload is complete.

Review Shi!

As in Shi, the japanese number four. I think I'm going to count my reviews in a different language for as long as I can. Or until I get bored...

Anywho!

Today's review iiiiiiis:

The clash of the decade! Well... One of 'em anyway...

Street Fighter X Tekken!

Yes indeed, a long awaited clash of fighting game titans, Street Fighter X Tekken is a multiplatform fighting game. It's one of a pair; this one is helmed by Capcom, while the opposing game, Tekken X Street Fighter, will be brought about by Namco. Much like the last game I reviewed, this game is a monstrous collaborative effort. But, the question is, does this fighter pack any punch? Let's find out.

Now. Before I go on to this review, I feel I must point towards the Fighting Game Guidelines! Because there are, in fact, some changes to the review style for games of this genre, and I just want to be sure anyone reading is up to date, and isn't wondering "What the hell? Where's the rest of the review?!"

It's all good.

Reviews, away!

Presentation

A fight I never thought I would see happen...

Street Fighter X Tekken seems to boast a watercolor/lava/blood influenced art style, which, combined with it's music pacing, serves to present a pulse pounding, exciting experience once the game gets going. When you first turn on the game, the opening cinematic you're treated with is a combination of all of the CG trailers, but cut together very well to mesh with the music. At times, however, the shading style gets to be something of an eyesore.

The game's story is presented via text assisted pictures, much like the prologues and epilogues in the Tekken series. While this is great for keeping things short and sweet, there aren't enough bits and pieces of exposition in other aspects of the game to really provide any depth.

When fighting, flashing lights and zoom in camera angles keep fights intense, and the music picks up in  speed as rounds progress, really helping the immersion and hype in the fight.

The game modes are fairly standard for a current gen fighter, with arcade, versus, trial and online. I miss the days of survival mode and time attack, and whatever extra modes there were, but they are a thing of the past. However, the game does kick things up with two four player options; regular tag mode with four players, and Scramble mode, which allows four players to get in on the action at the same time in team against team all out brawl. While not the best competitive option, the mode provides hours of fun as the most intense matches break out.

Personally, I'm most impressed by how well the Tekken characters translate to the Street Fighter art style, fighting right in side by side with the Street Fighter cast while still maintaining the distinct and diverse Tekken flair.

In all, the package comes together quite nicely.

8.0/10: The game's presentation has a few flaws, but as a whole, it's quite bueno, doing an excellent job of wanting to keep you fighting.

Graphics

Definitely in yo' face.

Graphically, the game is very fluid, with strikes, blasts and super attacks all accompanied by various spark and trail effects, making all of the fights as visually exciting as they are fun. Characters are expressive, and move in a very distinctive style, one cultivated over various iterations of Street Fighter IV. That in mind, however, if you've played any of the games in that series, then understand that the graphics aren't much more impressive than that. It's sort of like they took a new coat of paint to those older graphics.

7.0/10: On it's own merits, the graphics for the game are very nice, with rarely a stutter or drop in framerate. But the graphics have not progressed significantly since Street Fighter IV, and for anyone looking, it shows.

Sound

Thst's gonna sting!

All of the hits, thuds and slams come across in true Capcom form in this game, with yells of "Hadouken" and "Shoryuken" ringing out clear as a bell. The voice work is pretty damn good, and the ability to individually choose each character's vocal language is a nice bonus, though one quickly becoming a Capcom standard.

The music in this game, however, is nothing particularly notable; there are only a few standout tracks, and while they're nice to hear and helpful for the game's atmosphere, I've heard much better work from Capcom, and the lack of memorable music as something of a disappointment.

6.5/10: The game's sound effects are top notch as is expected, but the musical selection is sincerely wanting.

Controls

Light Punch!

Street Fighter x Tekken plays with a basic 6 button configuration; three punch buttons, three kick buttons, with a light, medium and heavy variant for each. The game primarily runs on the concept of "Cross Gameplay", or the art of abusing switching and using your teammate. Characters are capable of switching on the fly, or by use of a "Launcher" attack, that sends your opponent into the air, and tags in the teammate.

There are also techniques for switching in your teammate in the middle of using an attack to extend your combo. Huge damage is dealt when you use the "Cross Assault", which sics both teammates on an opponent at once in real time, or the "Cross Art", which is the SFxT variant of a Super or Ultra combo, a cinematic where both teammates thrash on the opponent for a bit using some of their strongest attacks.

Throw in some cool new string techniques such as one button quick combos, and the dial-a-combo Cross Rush (performed by stringing low, medium and high attacks together, then hitting high one more time to link into a Launcher), and you have a pretty solid and fun experience.

The game plays solidly and smoothly, with buttons reading accurately, and translating to the screen smoothly. Good stuff.

10/10: Honestly, there really isn't any issue with the controls. The game controls smoothly and intuitively, and between the tutorial and trial modes, the game provides a pretty easy transitional opening to the more advanced techniques of the game.

Fun Factor

And so it comes down to it, the part which stands most important. The whole reason the game is played. the fun factor.

Shoryuken!

 Street Fighter x Tekken is great fun, especially if you have a good group of friends to play with, or a hankering for some online beatdowns. Unfortunately, the game can get stale pretty fast if you're not hard into fighting games, but if you're a throwdown aficionado,  then this game can definitely entertain you for hours on end.

And I re-iterate.

7.5/10: A great romp for anyone into fighting games, but can get stale fast, especially if you played Street Fighter IV FAR too often...


And now... To the score! Wait... First, I direct you to the top of the post just in case you need to review the Fighting Game Guidelines just one last time. NOW THE SCORE!

THE VERDICT!

Street Fighter X Tekken scores a 

39.0

A HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTER!

Applauso.

A solidly enjoyable slugfest thoroughly being hindered and railed on by bad press for Capcom (entirely deserved on their part. Fuck Capcom.) due to their DLC practices, I would recommend this game in a heartbeat. Just because Capcom as a whole is one collective asshole doesn't mean thatg the game sucks. It should be judged on it's own merit. But don't expect me to listen to these reasonable words when DmC: Devil may Cry comes out. Fuck that game, Fuck Ninja Theory, and Fuck Capcom.

But not Ryu and Ken. They're cool. At all times.

'Till next time!

AMV coming soon.

In the stretch of time between karate chopping my writers block repeatedly so I can get on writing the next review, I've started work on a new AMV. Hopefully, I can have it up soon. That would be nice.

Yep.

Review the Second!

And Stuffimus Maximus makes it's way to it's second review, which will be...

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron!

(Wow! That's a mouthful...)

El Shaddai is a multiplatform (PS3, 360) Action/Adventure game developed by UTV Ignition Entertainment, headed by spectacular game director Sawaki Takeyasu (Devil May Cry) as well as Masato Kimura (Okami, Viewtiful Joe). With that kind of line up, I'm expecting an unforgettable experience, as Devil May Cry is one of my favorite action game series' of all time, and I hold Okami as out and out one of the greatest games ever created.

Let's see how it measured up. On to the review!

First Impressions

Having experienced the demo first, I was already excited to give El Shaddai a whirl. The game seems positively beautiful from an artistic standpoint, and the combat was nice and fluid in the demo, if a tad simple. When the game begins, prior to pressing start, you're treated to a small cutscene that gives you an idea of the game's quirky nature via a swift character introduction, followed by a beautiful presentation of the title of the game. Upon actually starting the game, you're given a brief idea of the story, then thrown straight into your first fight, no instruction or anything of the sort. It was a bit off-putting, but the entire presentation was done in such an interesting fashion that I definitely wanted more.

(9.0/10: While different, the game struck with it's art style, fluid movement, and wonderful sound. It promised a rather beautiful and deep experience.)

Overall Presentation

Trippy, eh?

My god, if there's one thing El Shaddai does well, it's presentation. From it's streamlined menus to the constantly changing landscapes, from the cliffs of heaven to the depths of hell, from a passionate, celebrating city to a radically different tron inspired thrill ride, El Shaddai never fails to provide an interesting image, be it a grand sweeping world, or a simple fading watercolor background. It's soundtrack matches it's visual display magnificently, with sound effects you would imagine attributing to heavenly machinations, and an excellent musical score.

However, the game's presentation isn't entirely perfect. It's good points in the long run fail to help tell it's nigh incomprehensible story beyond some basics, and the voice acting is subpar at best.

(8.0/10: The game looks and sounds beautiful, but it's plagued by a "strange and hard to follow" at best story, and other tidbits.)

Let's get more in depth.

Accessibility

While El Shaddai does throw you into your very first fray entirely unprepared, the game is relatively easy to pick up and beat your way through. You don't need a Harcore Gamer's Degree in Action Game Destruction to make it through this game by any stretch. Truly, the only issues the game has as far as access are story based. I like to think myself as an outside-the-box thinking person, with a fairly artistic and broad imagination, but... DAT STORY! While the story issues are the only ones, they are huge ones in my opinion. If the game I'm playing is based around the single player experience, then the inability to immerse myself in the game's world is an issue for me. And on further thought, the... Different art direction may be off putting for those looking for a more "cool" or "badass" experience.

(6.0/10: While the game is easy to pick up and play, it's somewhat hard to get into, considering the oddities of the art direction and, again, the extremely questionable presentation of the storyline.)

Graphics

...Preeeety.

Graphically, El Shaddai slides from excellent to masterpiece quality, with vigorous use of watercolor-styled and inspired imagery, vibrant and well placed colors, and gorgeous accompanying effects, be they the sparks flashing across a blade mid-purification, trails from blistering attacks, the pulse of the protagonist's steps as he makes his way across a glowing glass floor, or the subtle effects in the air that let you know you're in a windy area, or perhaps a zone filled with sorrow and sin. However, it is an eccentric looking game, and these things can cause a person to want to not give the game a second glance.

But it really is pretty though...

While the look may not necessarily appeal to some people, as a whole, the game looks beautiful. I never encountered a bit of slowdown during battles, and due to the constantly changing look of the levels, I never felt that the look of the game grew stagnate.

Yep. Definitely pretty.

Even at it's most simplistic, El Shaddai manages to provide an interesting graphical force. Definitely one of the game's shining points. If I were to say something bad about the game's look, it's that the characters themselves aren't necessarily the most graphically impressive bunch. They seem to play a strong second fiddle to the environments and special effects.

Other strong points include the game's combat animations which are fluid, and quite a treat for the eyes. Enoch (The protagonist, who could have done with some earlier introducing...) moves in a satisfyingly flashy fashion, blade whirling, feet flying, blasts careening all done with the game's deceptively simple combat system.

(8.5/10: The game looks beautiful and inspired, with some extra cool combat moments, and some rather impressive action sequences in cutscenes, but the art style may be a tad too different for some.)

Sound

Much like it is visually gripping, El Shaddai boasts a rather impressive sound selection, with particularly excellent boss battle pieces. The music fits the game excellently, but, and perhaps this is just a problem I have, very few tracks solidly leap out from the others. It's an overall excellent soundtrack, but as far as memorable pieces go, there are only a few. But again, that's probably just me.

The vocal work is nothing particularly amazing, though the nonchalant voice of Lucifel, the game's narrator, stands head and shoulders above the rest of the cast. I suppose my biggest gripe was I didn't feel any particularly gripping emotion coming from any of the characters. At least, not vocally.

Sounds effects are used wonderfully, with shatters accompanying Enoch's armor breaking as he takes damage, or the unearthly sound of energy strumming vibrantly as Enoch purifies whatever he has equipped at the moment.

All in all an excellent audio experience.

(8.0/10: While there isn't much to say for the voice acting, a beautiful, if not very memorable score accompanied by excellent sound effect work make for a pleasant time on one's ears.)

Controls

In a slightly bold twist, El Shaddai abandons the idea of a gigantic customizable combat system in favor of a very simple one. Light attacks are controlled with square, harder attacks with triangle, and more rhythmic combos can be produced with delaying button input to change the combo. There aren't any further combos to unlock, and very very few upgrades, and the biggest possibility of depth in the combat system lies in switching between the three weapons that Enoch can gain access to by stealing them from other enemies. In order to really speed up combat, it's vital to know which weapon beats which enemy, especially since whichever weapon you steal overwrites the last weapon you had, so it's necessary to plan out which enemies to defeat first.

The weapons Enoch gains access to are the "Arch", Enoch's most commonly seen, and all purpose fast and flashy close range weapon, shaped like a bow that functions like some sort of sword/staff hybrid, the "Gale", what appear to be a flock of paper airplanes that Enoch controls as his long range weapon, and the "Veil:" A combination of a shield, and giant-ass holy gauntlets, the Veil is slow but hella powerful, relying on powerful charged hits to break opponents, and grind them into a fine powder.

Another thing one needs to know about the weapons is that the more you use them, the more they're "corrupted" by the enemies you face, and the weaker they get. In order to keep them at optimum efficiency, you must remember to purify with L1/LB to restore them to full power. The same button is used to steal a weapon from a stunned enemy, an efficient tactic for making fights easier to get through.

Enoch's health is not handled via use of a bar or meter, but is rather viewed by the state of his armor; the less armor Enoch has left, the closer to death he is. If he is struck when beaten down to his jeans (yes, jeans.), Enoch's health will be completely defeated, and he will fall. When you fall, it's not necessarily the end, however. You can rapidly press the face buttons to force Enoch to get back up with some of his armor regenerated, though this becomes harder and harder the more you fall.

Progression through the levels is handled through 3-D and 2-D platforming, and is usually fun enough, but can be complicated by an odd shadow placement/timing of the shadow's arrival, causing more than a few falls over a misjudged jump.

All in all, it's a stable system, but it can get stale fairly easily if you're expecting more.

(6.5/10: The game plays well enough, but aside from the weapon stealing and the revival method, don't bring much by way of breaking ground to the table.)

Difficulty

The game is not hard at all on the default normal difficulty, though I suspect the challenge was not at all the intent for this game, so much as it was the presentation and the idea of the game itself. All the same, Lucifel is correct when he says "You can beat the game in 7 hours, if you really try" in a fourth wall breaking moment near the very beginning of the game. And any idea of a challenge the game may have is erased by the ability to simply mash buttons when you fall in combat to raise up and continue fighting.

(3.0/10: The game isn't very difficult at all, and honestly, I believe the game would have seriously benefited from a few challenging boss battles, at the very least.)

Replayability

There are about 5-6 difficulties to beat it on, with various unlockables like artwork, and alternate costumes becoming available to you for collecting various hidden items throughout the levels, meeting all of the wandering wisemen, and obtaining the highest possible ranking for every level on the various difficulties. So there's at least a decent amount of reason to give it another go if you enjoyed the game.

(5.5/10: While there isn't a huge amount of endgame content, there's at least enough to justify a second playthrough.)

Story

And here, quite unfortunately, is where El Shaddai falls apart for me. The tale of El Shaddai (loosely based on the "Book of Enoch") is about a human named Enoch, a priest/scribe who is sent to travel the world to find, defeat and imprison 7 fallen angels who have descended to earth in order to sample it's pleasures, to prevent the archangels' plan to eradicate all life on the face of the planet with a giant flood to start humankind anew. It's a tale that (quite literally) spans hundreds, even thousands of years. In game! Sounds like groundwork for an epic tale, yeah?

This is Enoch.

Mmmm.... Not so much.

El Shaddai, in it's attempt to be an artistic masterpiece, only ends up coming across as half eccentric, half hot bloody mess of convoluted exposition presented in a watercolor shell of crud. Or maybe I simply don't have a palette refined enough to appreciate El Shaddai for the work of art that it is.

Whatever the case, for a story with the potential that it's base has, El Shaddai's story presentation is terrible. It's only through the occasional breaks in chapter where Lucifel brings everything up to speed that I gain any real understanding of the story. Which is a problem, because if I can't immerse myself in the game's story (which, as an artistic game, I believe it should be somewhat reliant on) then for what reason should I pay it any mind at all?

The cutscenes are extremely vague, and don't offer much information towards any of the character's motives, or development, or even relevant relationships. And while there are nice little quirks on the side, such as Lucifel saving your progress by making reports to God on his cell phone, the little sense he makes isn't enough to make the story coherent. Collecting shards of "Ishtar's Bones" will also reveal more of the story, but this requires you to go find the aforementioned shards in a possibly game ending maze known as "The Darkness". There's a hidden portal to The Darkness in each level, and a shard of Ishtar's Bones is hidden in each one. But that will only then reveal these story pieces in a menu, or in the gallery. 

The story should not require this much work to discern.

(2.5/10: An awesome base, but terrible storytelling, and a lackluster actual story bring El Shaddai down kind of hard...)

Fun Factor

And so we come to the score of grand importance. The Fun Factor. And most unfortunately, while everything in El Shaddai is nice to look at, and listen to, the game itself, is not terribly fun. I mean, don't get me wrong, It's fun for the first few levels, but the inexplicably bad story, coupled with the eventual staleness of the combat system, mean that by the time I had completed the game, I was more than happy to put it in it's box, and never look it's way again. The game does have moments, however, that are a blast. Boss battles are suitably enjoyable, if a bit repetitive, and the absolutely out of nowhere TRON inspired level was so much fun that if I were to pick up the game again, it would be solely to play that level. But in the end, it's just not enough.

(3.0/10: The game is probably great fun for one who doesn't care about the story, or depth of combat style, but it's not enough for me. And even the game's best moments can't change that.)

And so, we move on to the score. In case you don't know, here's a link to the score guidelines, just so you're aware of where my opinion lies after you read the final score: http://stuffimusmaximus.blogspot.com/2012/01/score-guidelines.html

THE VERDICT

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron scores a

60.0

A GOOD GAME!

*applause*

While I certainly enjoyed El Shaddai as a whole, the game's over-reliance on beauty in simplicity, coupled with DAT ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE STORY! bring the game down too hard. Which is unfortunate, as El Shaddai had the potential to be positively amazing. It could most certainly have benefited from more emotional content in the voice acting, a slightly deeper, more fleshed out combat system, and it definitely could have done with a far better presentation for the story.

But yep. That's that. Hope you enjoyed it. Should have another review coming sometime soon.