This Zangief-sized offering contains games, music, art, video… just about every medium you can think of, all dedicated to this classic series and its devoted fans. For $149.99 (on either Xbox 360 or PS3), you get:

Games

-Street Fighter X Tekken (including all character and Swap Costume DLC)

-Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (with all costume DLC)

-Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

-Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition

Video

-New documentary Blu-ray that highlights the lifelong love affair fans have had with Street Fighter, and how their dedication has affected the game.

-Street Fighter IV, Super SFIV anime movies

-All episodes of the Street Fighter animated series (DELICIOUS!)

-Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie

Light-up Ryu statue

-Brand new statue with light up base. Eight inches tall and frozen in mid Shoryuken.

11 disc soundtrack

-Game music from the past 25 years, including remixes and fan-created music.

64 page hardcover art book

-Containing pieces from fans all over the world.

Ryu’s belt

-Full size martial arts black belt for the aspiring World Warrior. Includes Ryu’s “Furinkazan” in kanji.

Certificate of Authenticity

-Like any good collector’s set, this comes with a lovely piece of paper telling you how limited and special it is. They’re all individually numbered, so get one before they disappear! Arrives on September 18.

King is a natural pick for any WWE fans looking to lock it up in the world of 2D fighters, that at least was the reason I picked him up. He’s got an interesting arsenal of fairly high damage output special moves but some of them aren’t exactly effective for their original intents and purposes. King’s use of his special meter works great in SFXT since it allows him to almost double the damage of his longer combos and regain a good chunk of what you spent to do so. King can be mixed up pretty easily however, since he’s got no absolute answer to get out of pressure, it’s up to the user to understand not only the match-up he’s against but also the available options on how to get out. His command grabs, Giant Swing & Tomahawk, possess great damage rewards but do require the user to train their opponent to defend  a certain way. For these many 50/50 reasons, King is best in the hands of players who excel at taking the time to set their opponents up and even second guess their own executions at times rather than stick to one set offensive or defensive mindset.

Positioning: King can work the field from just about anywhere except full screen.  At close range King users should have already trained their opponent to block high or low long enough to land one of his command grabs and at medium range he can easily blow through projectiles or completely stop any potential jump in pressure. Staying in close for too long however could easily turn bad for King due to his lack of ability to handle cross up pressure. Keep that in mind and be sure to rotate between the two positions at favorable times. King won’t always have the best punishes available to him due to his average reach but he can score a good hard knockdown at the very least to not let something just slip away.

Offensive Strategy: When behind the wheel of King make sure you know what you want in advance. The most damaging of King’s moves are also the ones which take the most time on start up to land. Due to fighting game nature, it will be easier to start off training your opponents to block low, since that is the natural reaction to turtle, and then land your Tomahawk. It’s rare to catch someone blocking high during pressure without eventually turtling so try to hold back on using Giant Swing unless it’s a clear punish to a missed special attack or a bad raw tag. The Jumping Knee Lift is easily King’s best special moves, landing this allows 4 continuous Knee Lifts and can be ended with Jaguar Bomb, Jumping HK and cutting it short at 3 even allows you to end with his finisher. The Konvict Kick is an amazing tool of his, the EX version can be followed up with the standard lp.mp,hp chain and repeated for massive damage. You can even further this with Knee Lift for some serious damage of over 500 and personal style points.

Defensive Strategy: Defensively, King has one of the best shut down tactics in the game! Avoid staying in close for too long so you do not end up getting put under cross up pressure that he cannot handle. Look for jump in attacks and always punish with Mid-Air Leg Screw. Eventually smarter players will try to bait this by jumping at you but without attacking, when you feel a change in their offense, use the Knee Lift to catch them in mid air and turn things back into your own offense. These techniques allow King to control the pace of the rounds better than most of the roster, even if you’ve lost control momentarily by unpredictable attacks.

Special Move Usage: King is designed as 1 part set up ability and 1 part prediction ability. All his special attacks are catered to work for players who know what their opponents what to do before they even do it. Jaguar Step is great to render projectile heavy throwers useless and force them to attack outside of their comfort zone and right into yours. Some of kings moves aren’t very good for their initial purpose such as Running Jaguar Bomb, this move has a 10% chance at best of catching a jumping attack opponent in the air and should only be used as part of a combo ender or tag in. Leg Screw will rarely find any place during a round because most players start their strings off low, pay careful attention to attack patterns just in case this counter may have a more frequent usage against their play style. Shoulder Tackle is his 2nd most high risk/high reward move that triggers a wall bounce if timed correctly as a counter hit, however if this is blocked it is extremely punishable and shouldn’t be used unless you’re at least 80% sure  there is an opening to do so. Moonsault Body Press is an unblockable attack, since it has no invincibility and extremely slow start up, you should avoid using this move all together as if it isn’t even a part of his moves list.

Lets take a brief trip down memory lane and visit some of these often forgotten titles. Some of them are classics that should have been supported better, some of them are probably known to some extent, while some were rightfully discarded from the memory banks of arcade gamers everywhere. This will be a look at some of the hidden gems in the genre, as well as some rotten eggs that managed to crack open.

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Alien vs Predator

(Capcom, 1994, 1-3 players)

Before that letdown of a movie was released, Capcom threw these two franchises together into a video game. The rather outlandish storyline had the Predators teaming up with the Space Marines so that the Xenomorph infestation could be obliterated. Two Aliens and two humans are playable in this three-player simultaneous beat em up which features a standard attack and jump button, along with a shooting mechanic which allowed players to blast enemies with overheat sensitive projectiles. The catch was, only a few shots can be fired off before overheating, and if one becomes overheated, the cool-down would last several seconds.

AvP excelled as a solo venture just as much as it did with two others joining the battle. Being that this was released years after Final Fight, the graphical detail had a noticeable boost in quality over it, sporting clean animation for the most part. In terms of challenge, AvP provided just the right amount, without feeling too dumbed down or overbearing.

From a sea of beat up titles during the late 80′s/early 90′s Alien vs Predator rode the waves like a champ, and to this day it’s a mindless button mash that will please fans of the genre.

Worth Remembering? Most Definitely.

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Bucky O’Hare

(Konami, 1992, 1-4 players)

Full disclosure – I’ve never watched a full episode of Bucky O’Hare in my life, nor have I played the original NES game. This four-player beat em up boasted quite the vivid audio and video package for it’s time, blending plenty of voice clips between stages with colorful and well detailed cutscene graphics, as well as in-game visuals that could be considered some of the best the genre had seen in arcades.

What makes Bucky O’Hare unique is how the traditional eight way walk layout changes with each stage. Players will start with the traditional method of movement, but each stage changes things up a bit as you go, from a mostly vertical trek to a jetpack fueled area where one must traverse between electrical charges and more. The thing is, despite the variety, it’s really not that fun, or consistent. Attacks are mostly projectile based, with screen clearing bombs easily obtained. Still, some areas seem way too difficult, even for a genre built upon screw points that require extra quarters to enter the machine to continue, yet oppositely, some areas are brainlessly easy.

I suppose those who grew up with the franchise would find a bit more to clamor over, but when it’s all said and done, Bucky O’Hare is a mediocre entry at best, though should be commended for its quality audio and video production.

Worth Remembering? For Fans Only?

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Arabian Fight

(Sega, 1992, 1-4 players)

Depending on who you ask, Arabian Fight isn’t as obscure as I thought. I never heard of it in my life until I happened to stumble across it. This Sega developed beat em up is slightly unorthodox, from its stage layout to its visual inspirations. It’s a four player game, though it’s one that no one should have ever ever known of.

The anime-like visuals during certain points of the game helped differentiate Arabian Fight from other games within the genre. Through magic attacks (usually once per area) a cutscene-like display is shown of the character attacking, and between stage scenes feature these high quality visuals as well. Playing through the game though, you can tell Sega spent more time than they should have on visuals at the detriment of everything else. For example, my first playthrough lasted a paltry 15 minutes through seven stages. I still have no idea how I cleared the game so fast either, especially since the controls are so rigid, with hit detection so poorly implemented, that it made combat as much of a struggle as it was a chore to play. Even if magic attacks cleared the screen in no time, the bosses were still a nightmare thanks to the overall poorly implemented mechanics.

On top of that, the early stages are all two screens long, with in-game visual quality much weaker than the anime-like cutscenes (though the scaling of each character, depending on where they are on screen, was impressive.) As definitely one of the worst beat em up titles I have ever come across, Arabian Fight is a battle worth running far away from.

Worth Remembering? God No.

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Knights of the Round

(Capcom, 1991, 1-3 players)

Another game that isn’t completely obscure, Knights of the Round has seen its share of publicity and successes. The Super Nintendo port was one of the better games in the genre to appear on a 16 bit console. A three payer title, KotR blended the bread and butter of the genre with a few twists here and there, while still remaining close to what players would expect in general.

This is a rare case in which I actually prefer the Super Nintendo port over the arcade version. While the graphical quality and sound overall is a bit higher than its 16 bit counterpart, performing a block in the arcade version feels entirely cumbersome. On the SNES, a button was designated for blocking, which really did add a new dimension to the genre, and made it less of a mindless mashfest. With the arcade version players must press away and attack at the same time to initiate the block. If not timed right, the character will just turn around. It was an intuitive change on the port over, and a reason why I prefer it over the original.

With that said, it’s still an enjoyable venture into the world of Camelot. Just about all of my feelings for Knights of the Round were conveyed in my SNES review a while back, so check it out and get a better understanding to exactly why either version is worth your time and money.

Worth Remembering? Yes.

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Spider-Man: The Video Game

(Sega, 1991, 1-4 players)

This was one I so rarely ever saw, and barely anyone faithfully remembered. This Sega developed Spider-Man arcade title featured a cast of characters that would make fans of the webhead facepalm (Spider-Man of course, along with Black Cat, Hawkeye and Namor.) Up to four players can crowd the machine, with only an attack and jump button utilized (a special attack initiates when both buttons are pressed simultaneously.)

One neat gimmick that Spider-Man: The Arcade Game had was a perspective shift midway through each stage. Traditional eight way movement was reduced to a side scrolling adventure, where each character used projectiles as their primary attack, and where enemy health seemed much lower than in the traditional sections. For the most part, these parts of each stage were the least enjoyable, but it was a worthwhile diversion from the norm. Sega also did a pretty good job with the rest of the package, however. Vocal quips at the appropriate moments, large, detailed character models in a visually pleasant game world and controls that, outside jump attacks, were responsive enough to master and use well.

It may not have the notoriety of X-Men: The Arcade Game, but Spider-Man: The Arcade Game is an often forgotten about beat em up that has enough value to it. There are more than enough Spidey villains throughout the game, and they feel less forced in than Batman Arkham City, regardless of genre and scope differences. I’ve only seen this one twice in person, so I’m not quite sure if this game is that rare or not, but if you ever happen to stumble across it in some fashion, definitely give it a whirl.

Worth Remembering? Certainly.

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Crime Fighters

(Konami, 1989, 1-4 players)

Released the same year as Konami’s behemoth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game, Crime Fighters is a more traditional entry into the genre. Up to four players can punch and kick their way through an American looking city, taking out a plethora of both racial stereotypes and gang stereotypes in the style of Final Fight. Attacks were limited to punches and kicks, with with a jump attack available when both attack buttons were pushed at the same time.

Though it’s the oldest title listed here, Crime Fighters looks, sounds and feels even older. TMNT: The Arcade Game had a much cleaner visual presentation, a more coherent audio set up and by far more feasible mechanics than this. The two things that decimate Crime Fighters are the delays on each attack and the impossibility of holding onto a weapon. Take a well built game in the genre for example, like Final Fight. Each attack has a delay after each swing, yet players are able to move and jump quickly after each swing to strategically compensate for this. Crime Fighters punishes players with incredibly delayed attacks that leave them wide open to be counterattacked. Not to mention getting hit with a weapon will knock the weapon out of the characters hands, where it promptly blinks and vanishes for good.

Just based off the mechanics alone, Crime Fighters is a near unplayable mess. The stereotypes all around the game world are hilarious, but that does little to make up for the poor showing overall. It might be a classic to some, but for me, it’s as bad as it gets in terms of gaming as a whole.

Worth Remembering? As Much As the McDLT.

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There’s a hefty number of titles within this fine genre that I haven’t even got around to discussing. From the SNK title that liberally borrows from Final Fight (Burning Fight for the uninitiated), to genre bending creations from one of the companies responsible for over-saturating the genre (Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom/Shadow over Mystara.) Do any of you have any particular favorites that don’t often get as much recognition? Share them with us all in the comments section down below!

It’s Mahhhhhhhhvel baybeee on the iOS. Marvel vs Capcom 2 one of Capcom’s more popular fighters (10 year life) and the source of some of the funniest commentary in any video game. Bringing this to iOS seems to be a no brainer right? Well not quite, I’ll explain in a minute. For those who don’t know MvC2 is a 3 on 3 fighting game where you can switch out to your teammates on the fly. You can pick from various Capcom franchise to put them up against people from the Marvel Universe. If you need more info about MvC there’s a ton of resources available online.

So one of the most hyped up fighting games ever is on iOS what could go wrong? Well apparently plenty. This is good port of the Dreamcast version of the game which is the closest thing you can have to the cabinet. However there are some issues that definitely need patching and addressing. The first of them is that the some background graphics in some of the scenes look straight off of a PlayStation. The problem glares at you when you pick your character, win a match, look at a high score, navigate the menu, etc. If it’s not the actual stage backgrounds which are fine it’s many of the other screens. While there are limitations on what you can do with iOS I feel that there are too many unpolished parts of the UI (user interface) and other objects before you get into the match.  Another issues is  that the background warps horribly during super moves. It looks as if your screen is broken in the back while two heroes slug it out in your palm. Those are the only major issues that related to the games graphics I’ve came across. The sprites are fine for the most part except for Morrigan. Poor thing has had her sprite reused so many times since the first game she appeared in.

A bulk of the issues center around gameplay and features. First of which centers around inputs being dropped or in some cases not read. In a fighting game inputs are how you control your character and key to doing anything. MvC2 has a nasty habit of not reading button or directional taps properly. It’s really hard to match the accuracy of a control pad or arcade stick with a touch screen or maybe it isn’t but there’s definitely something wrong as some matches things are crisp while some my characters do what they want.  Another issue is that quite frankly there’s not enough screen and there’s too many buttons. Even if you use simple mode which sets MvC2 to a 4 button mode from 6 and you make the joy stick and buttons nearly invisible sometimes you just can’t see the characters. You can try playing it on compact mode and moving all the buttons to the bottom to alleviate this but it brings me to my next problem – it’s extremely hard to find a configuration that is comfortable and practical where you can use the controls properly. I feel that this game would be perfect on a iPad but on phones it really suffers. And to top it all off they make you unlock all the characters (again if you already did this on the Dreamcast.) Why is unlocking a big deal? In this game you earn points based on how much/long you play them which you then use to buy characters and colors. Most people play their mobiles in transit. Are you really going to sit down and try to unlock ‘dat’ mango Sentinel if you have consoles at home or other things to do? I felt like this was a way to force some life into this game. I think they should have let everyone be unlocked from the start so you can learn some new characters on your way to work/school or try to recreate your own EVO moment.

"Ahhh just like old times"

Overall it is still MvC2 and a solid port but it really needs some patching. I’d say hold off on downloading it until the first round of patches. If you really need some Mahvel in your life then by all means go for it but I feel that there are better Capcom fighters on the market.

X-men: The Arcade Game

After years of complaining companies have started bringing the classic quarter eaters back to modern console. The cartoon big three beat-em ups, The Simpson, X-Men and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, were always my favorite. I downloaded all of them when they hit the market place for Xbox and have been happy with my purchase ever since. Once I found out that these guys were on the iOS I had to get them and test them out.

For those who don’t know a beat em up is the type of game that you walk from point A to point B pummeling everything in your way then fighting a boss. Once you beat the game you usually start all over again. The appeal of these games is to figure out ways to beat them on one credit which is the sign of skill and the fact you’ve memorized the patterns of every enemy and boss.

The game itself is a direct port of the arcade with some of the art work (mainly the character art) redone. So the visuals and audio are just as good or bad depending on your stance as you remember them. However the sound effects of the characters getting hit and hitting seem a bit low, which could be a bug.  The controls are good and well sized for the screen. While MvC2 fills the screen this game takes a less is more stance and shrinks the buttons down and places them in parts of the screen where they aren’t too intrusive or covered by your thumbs. The controls are responsive and you’ll have no problem beating up on the Brotherhood and hordes of Sentinels ( still haven’t figured out how throw enemies consistently but that’s just my poor skill).

At the 99 cent price point I feel this game is a great way to kill time on the trains, waiting for appointments or just looking to kill time while gaming.

While the Sega Dreamcast is one of, if not possibly my all-time favorite gaming console, it only produced five titles for this console generation that fit my top 25 list. The quality overall of the titles selected could almost be the strongest out of any generation I have experienced, especially with no singular dominance in genres present. Lats take a look at my Top 25 128-bit Games:

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15. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GCN)

Rating: N/A

I kinda cheated with Twilight Princess. It was first released alongside the Nintendo Wii in November of 2006, with the Gamecube version being released a month after that. I spent a bit less time on the Gamecube version overall than the Wii version, but I felt it should be represented on this list, mostly because it’s not on the next list. Mindless waggling was changed over to button presses, though the gameplay as a whole, and even the visuals in many respects, changed little. The wolf portions might be a bit grating, but Twilight Princess was yet another installment in the Zelda franchise that managed to capture my heart and steal away plenty of my time.

14. Mario Kart Double Dash (GCN)

Rating: 8.7

Double Dash is often passed over as the “best kart racing” game out there, and that’s a crying shame really. I know the whole two rider gimmick didn’t resonate with fans of the franchise as much as the single riders did, but that added layer of depth really went a long way in differentiating its self not only from other Mario Kart titles, but any other kart titles in general. Most of the maps felt just right as well, sporting some bright and colorful tracks to drive through. Even the roster seemed more diverse and fleshed out.

13. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II (XB)

Rating: N/A

Even I can admit that Knights of the Old Republic II wasn’t anywhere near as gripping and memorable as the first installment, but it was still an interesting adventure in its own right. There were bugs, a lot of content didn’t make it in, and most aspects to the game felt exactly the same as the first game, but it was still a story that had its unusual moments, enticing me to keep soldering on to see how things develop. Definitely give Knights of the Old Republic II a whirl, but be sure you played through the first game beforehand.

12. Capcom vs SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001 (DC)

Rating: 8.9 (PS2)

At the peak of the crossover craze in the late 90′s/early 00′s, Capcom vs SNK 2 was a bombshell combination. A mammoth roster of Capcom and SNK brawlers were enhanced by six different gameplay styles, each with their benefits and disadvantages. The number of combinations possible can lead to a mind boggling number of possibilities. Add in a second player and you have one of the most chaotic, yet gratifying fighting games ever created. Even though there are licensing issues, Capcom vs SNK 2 is the perfect candidate to receive a HD visual makeover and re-released onto Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network.

11. Star Wars Battlefront 2 (XB)

Rating: 8.7

A blissful combination of the Star Wars universe and third person shooting, with a healthy dose of vehicular combat. Each map was huge, providing numerous areas to battle and chaos to ensue. The only thing that ever held back the on foot melees was a combination of weapon variety and weapon pick ups. The heroes that were unlocked mid fight did add a bit of spice to each ground foray though, which were balanced quite a bit all considering. The aerial combat was a thrill and a half, especially the Hoth battles. The online portion might have been shut down, but even offline, Star Wars Battlefront 2 is still as addicting as ever offline.

While the Sega Dreamcast is one of, if not possibly my all-time favorite gaming console, it only produced five titles for this console generation that fit my top 25 list. The quality overall of the titles selected could almost be the strongest out of any generation I have experienced, especially with no singular dominance in genres present. Lats take a look at my Top 25 128-bit Games:

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20. X-Men Legends (XB)

Rating: N/A

Within this generation, two multiplayer Marvel titles took center stage - Marvel Ultimate Alliance and X-Men Legends. The former was released during this current cycle as well, though the latter manages to outshine even the current generation installment of Marvel. Play as one of four X-Men on screen at once, switching over freely to whichever character you want, X-Men Legends fused a “loot grind” action RPG feel into the Marvel Universe, and produced a title that’s still quite replayable, even to this day.

19. Yakuza (PS2)

Rating: N/A

The sandbox boom was in full swing around the time Yakuza was released on the PlayStation 2. Sega, a company that released one of the first sandbox titles to gain notoriety (Sega Dreamcast’s Shenmue) released the beginning of a fascinating series that’s reached four installments in the US. A gritty story with frequent bouts of comedic moments sprinkled in, a plethora of mini games, advancements in combat and so on were only just a few aspects to Yakuza that stood out. Though each succeeding installment utilized Japanese voices with English subtitles, Yakuza‘s English voice over really wasn’t something to scoff at. In any case, Yakuza presented more than enough to slit its self at number 19.

18. Indigo Prophecy (XB)

Rating: N/A

There are a number of franchises that attempt to position themselves as interactive movies of sorts, and Indigo Prophecy manages to pop into my mind before any other title, even before the Metal Gear Solid franchise. The movement controls were rigid, and the use of QTE (which were random, adding to a more frantic sense of “what’s coming up next?”) but it was an interesting take on an interactive story, one that would be revisited and retooled somewhat years later in Heavy Rain on the PlayStation 3. Unusual story, unusual atmosphere, unusual amounts of investment.

17. Bully (PS2)

Rating: N/A

Parents around the country cried foul when Bully was first announced, mainly because the same company behind the ultra violent Grand Theft Auto franchise, were at the helm. Mothers didn’t want their children playing a game about a kid that murdered other students. Naturally Bully was nothing close to that sentiment, and instead offered a year long look through one troubled kids life at a boarding school, where he was more of a bully halting kid, rather than a bully in his own right. The game world, from its location to its cast of characters, was one of the more enjoyable ones in the genre, and even with the number of additions to the gameplay to differentiate its self from the more violent releases in the genre, it never got as much praise as it deserved. A tongue-in-cheek adventure that never tries to push the player around.

16. Resident Evil: Code Veronica (DC)

Rating: 8.1

I love me some Resident Evil games….well, aside from the atrocity of Resident Evil 5, but still! Code Veronica was another dark chapter of the whole Umbrella debacle, which finally paired Claire together with her brother Chris in the starring role. One deviance from previous Resident Evil titles included a camera that would occasionally follow the character and not just be frozen in place. It seemed like a minor change, but it was refreshing to finally see some minor evolutions with how the mechanics worked. Regardless, it actually feels a bit more dated than the older installments of the franchise (which were featured on vastly inferior consoles at that) but Code Veronica still manages to provide enough entertainment and memories that will live on for a long time to come.

While the Sega Dreamcast is one of, if not possibly my all-time favorite gaming console, it only produced five titles for this console generation that fit my top 25 list. The quality overall of the titles selected could almost be the strongest out of any generation I have experienced, especially with no singular dominance in genres present. Lats take a look at my Top 25 128-bit Games:

Notable Omissions:

Metal Gear Solid 2, 3 – As with Metal Gear Solid, I just never got into the franchise as much as I wanted, outside MGS4. MSG3 I did enjoy somewhat, though I really did loathe MGS2.

Halo, Halo 2 – I actually did enjoy Halo, but I really found Halo 2 to be mind numbingly poor. I also disliked its approach of “realism” in only having a couple of ballistic weapons at one time, which every FPS had to adopt (though I understand for games such as Call of Duty.) The single player in Halo 2 was a yawn fest, and I still think its multiplayer is overrated, as well as  annoying in the sense that it’s frustrating that it takes 101 bullets to fell anyone.

Okami, Zone of the Enders 1-2, Beyond Good & Evil, Psychonauts, Eternal Darkness, Shenmue, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker – Outstanding games….but I have not played enough of them to warrant any of them to be on my list. Though I have to admit that the Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner opening theme is one of the best things I have ever heard in my life.

80% of all RPG’s – My queue is filled with the likes of Tales of the Abyss, Xenosaga Episode I-III, every Shin Megami Tensi (minus Persona 4) Suikoden III-V and so on. Some of these titles I played a bit into and fell in love with (especially Persona 3) but too many factors pulled me away from them.

Sonic Adventure – This was the reason why I bought my Sega Dreamcast, even though I didn’t get it until years later. Playing it again on both the Sega Dreamcast and Xbox Live Arcade….my God this hasn’t aged well whatsoever. That opening theme though….still catchy as all hell.

Soul Calibur – I recognize its achievements, though I still prefer Soul Blade/Edge any day of the week.

Jet Grind Radio – Never clicked with me, though it’s gorgeous even today.

Super Mario Sunshine – UGH. Thoroughly pointless IMO. The waterpack gimmick fell flat for me, the colorful world felt flat and mostly dead. One of the most disappointing Mario games I’ve ever played.

Devil May Cry/God of War franchises – Both are worthwhile and must plays, but none of them had any place on my list.

Marvel vs Capcom 2 – The official #26. Still a chaotic thrill ride worth taking, whether it’s the Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox or Xbox Live Arcade/PSN version.

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25. Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)

Rating: 9.0

The game that almost glorified running hookers down with a corvette, Grand Theft Auto III was the rebirth of a franchise, which spawned into a mega sensation. Each release after GTAIII has become a highly sought after title, but it was GTAIII that started the craze. Run or drive around a good chunk of real estate, following a storyline, or just off doing your own thing. The freedom and diversity on display wasn’t as plentiful as the current releases, but there’s no denying its satisfaction and groundwork that it laid out.

24. Disgaea (PS2)

Rating: N/A

The Strategy RPG genre has become a sickening addiction for myself. Disgaea was one of a few in that genre that grabbed me by the grapefruits and refused to let me go. The hilarious storyline with a lovable cast of characters further helped to engross me into its rock solid gameplay. The series has evolved in several different ways, though the original has the charm that captures my heart each time.

23. Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service (DC)

Rating: 8.3

Released in Japan in limited quantities, this hodgepodge of Darkstalkers – Darkstalkers 3 was more or less an “ultimate” version of the franchise. Each character has three different versions of themselves, each representing one of the three releases, along with the crisp, near arcade perfect visuals and quality overall. The Darkstalkers franchise might not receive the level of love from the fighting game community as the pillars of the community (Street Fighter, Marvel) but make no mistake – Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service is still one of the most enthralling titles in the genre.

22. Metroid Prime (GCN)

Rating: N/A

Mario and Link made the transition to 3D years before, so why not Samus and the Metroid franchise? Still one of the most gorgeous games on the Gamecube, Metroid Prime also built an enjoyable game world within the beauty of its looks. The somewhat unusual control methods can be a turn off early on, but quickly become second nature. It’s definitely one of the upper echelon within the franchise, and it’s a title that most Gamecube owners should have already played years ago.

21. Phantasy Star Online (DC)

Rating: N/A

A radical departure from the standard Phantasy Star franchise, Phantasy Star Online boldly went where so few console games have gone before – online! Create your avatar, link up with folks on the Sega Dreamcast’s 56k modem (or solo if you wish) and take on a myriad of enemies, all while collecting materialistic upgrades and physical upgrades. While the ability to play online ceased years ago, it’s still a pleasant enough romp through the game on your own.

Hugo (Street Fighter X Tekken)

The largest asset to the Mad Gear clan has found his way back into the Street Fighter scene since his days years ago in Third Strike. Much of his arsenal has carried over to  SFXT including Giant Palm Breaker, Shootdown Backbreaker and Ultra Throw. Some of these come with an added juggle capability which makes his special moves a lot more scary to be on the receiving end than ever before. Hugo is a tank, his HP (health points) is 1150 which is the highest in the game making him an effective tank. Although he has so much health Hugo also moves like a tank and is extremely slow and sluggish regardless of dashing forwards and backwards. His size also makes him fall victim to cross ups often even when the offensive player didn’t mean to do so because of his large hitboxes. It’s no surprise that Hugo deals a lot of damage, all of his full combo chains remove close to %25 of anyone’s health on the roster which separates him from being a grappler and more so  a striker in comparison to his Third Strike persona.

Positioning: This will take the most practice with Hugo since it’s best to stay up close and personal to abuse his size and range but also know when to back out to avoid falling victim to his large hitboxes. From almost any range Hugo has a viable tool to remain effective in both offense and defense, knowing when to switch gears between the two keeps him at peak performance. Close to mid range is always ideal for the better portion of any fight since most players will look for ways to zone Hugo and exploit his weakness at covering distance.

Offensive Strategy: Most players will find this frustrating to accept and adapt to at first but Hugo is not primarily a grappler in this game. His command grab range requires you to be practically nose to nose with your opponent, making it easily read and difficult to set up for. All of his command grabs between Moonsault Press, Ultra Throw and Meat Crusher all take a considerable amount of time on start up to land; these command grabs are only useful against overly defensive or offense stunned opponents. However, Hugo is well equipped in his striking arsenal equipped with rapid fire light punches, quick knockdown abilities, overheads and even armored specials like the Super Charged Monster Lariat. Crouching LK,MK from mid range is a long reach knockdown combo that is deceptively fast and safe. His cross up ability is great when using Body Press as he can hit in any range from his chest to his knees. Gigas Breaker is FAST and covers a small amount of stepping distance which makes it a great answer to overly button press happy opponents, you will never be disappointed with it’s damage either.

Defensive Strategy: With good anticipation and proper execution, Hugo can stop a lot of pressure before it gets the chance to start rolling. Charged Monster Lariat absorbs one attack which allows him to blow through any ground or jump in pressure while Shootdown Backbreaker stops MOST aerial assaults without question. Rolling out on wake up doesn’t cover much ground due to his size but (Jump+HP)  is an excellent tool to create distance out for a tag or simply reset the situation. When under fireball pressure Hugo’s options are limited to neutral jumps and armor usage; with the correct judgement of health Hugo can intentionally jump into a projectile to eat a hard knockdown and roll through on wake up to cover more distance a lot faster than his traditional movement could have.

Special Move Usage:  Stay away from using his command grabs until you’ve gained the ability to train your opponent to be slightly overly defensive. Hugo has more than enough striking specials to keep the opponents mind on anything but a grab. Giant Palm Breaker should be used for constant ground pressure inbetween any pokes with normals combos due to it’s range, chip and safe usage. Command grabs are great for punishing whiffed launchers, DP’s and slow recovery specials since you don’t have to worry about it’s slow start and deals heavy damage, especially his Meat Crusher. Hugo’s special move arsenal is a divided portion of assault, punish and prediction so knowing what is best for each situation is a must. Most of the time the focus should be on the assault aspect until the opponent is further tempted to fight his way out of your pressure. All 3 scenarios work well with Monster Lariat since it puts the opponent in a juggle state for multiple combo follow ups, making this easily his BEST special.

The 32/64 bit era also gave birth to my all-time favorite game, Suikoden. I know that seems like a spoiler, but the number of times I’ve mentioned my man crush with Konami’s RPG have been well documented, so sorry if that ruins any kind of non existent anticipation. But with that, lets take a look at my Top….25 – 2 32/64 Bit Games:

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10. GoldenEye 007 (N64)

Rating: 9.4

GoldenEye wasn’t supposed to engross people like it did. It was a movie licensed video game – how many of those actually succeeded over the years? But the company behind such marvels as Killer Instinct and Donkey Kong Country managed to create a console first person shooter that I still consider one of the benchmarks. The single player was captivating in its own right, with higher difficulties enabling added objectives, but the multiplayer was considered one of the greatest throughout any platform and any genre for quite a while. A bit dated these days in terms of visuals and controls, but still a blast, especially with three other enthusiasts.

09. WCW/nWo: Revenge (N64)

Rating: 8.8

While WWF No Mercy and WWF Wrestlemania 2000 did offer more in various ways, WCW/nWo: Revenge always meant quite a bit to me. From recreating matches I had just seen the night before on WCW Nitro or Thunder so I can keep the champions up to date, to booting it up for the hell of it these days, it’s always been a captivating experience. Movement was slow, but it was actual chain wrestling, with a gameplay system that still far outshines anything THQ and Yukes have tried to provide since the PS2 WWE Smackdown days.

08. Star Ocean 2: The Second Story (PSX)

Rating: N/A

Boasting over 80 endings (which was a bit misleading with how the endings were made), Star Ocean 2 provided a stellar showing with each facet. Memorable music, intriguing combat, a fascinating game world and so on. Star Ocean 2 was definitely one of the longer RPG’s I’ve played as well, with each playthrough usually lasting me at least 80 hours, but those were some of the more satisfying 80+ hours I’ve spent with a game, each time I played through it.

07. Resident Evil 2 (PSX)

Rating: 9.3

I remember when Resident Evil 2 was first shown, it was a completely different game than it turned out. What was shown at first looked incredibly promising, yet what we got was what i still consider the premiere installment in the franchise. The visual detail improved over the first, as did that voice acting (somewhat.) The one neat feature that really hooked me was the “zapping system” which was playing the game first with Leon and then changing over to Claire at some point, and vice versa. It doesn’t sound like a big deal today, but it was a big deal back then, and it did add some replay value as well. Each of the Resident Evil titles on the Sony PlayStation were memorable, but Resident Evil 2 has the edge overall, thanks to each piece falling into the right place.

06. Street Fighter Alpha 3 (PSX)

Rating: 9.3 (JP)

Capcom fighting game ports on the Sony PlayStation were….okay they were craptacular. Piss poor load times, tons of frames of animation axed, mere shells of their immaculate selves. Street Fighter Alpha 3 tried to right a lot of the wrongs committed previously, with more fluid animations, as well as just a slight less load time. The gameplay remained as addicting as ever, with three different ways to play each character. The console exclusive World Tour mode remains one of the greatest bonuses added to a fighting game, allowing players to pick a character and run the gamut against characters with certain win restrictions placed (only supers can damage your opponent, a gauntlet battle against a handful of the same character on one health bar, etc.) All together, it’s still one of the best packages in the genre, and a must play.