Street Fighter is a very popular fighting game series that has earned quite a large fan base over the years. Some would argue that the games even top the Mario games, but that’s a debate for another time. I have played several Street Fighter games in the past, but this is the first mainstream one that I have owned. Was it spectacular?

The intro is pretty good and we’ve definitely got a lot of good animation going. The intros for each character’s arcade mode is pretty good as well. It feels like a nice anime episode that you may have caught on TV. The character’s also get their own endings although Ryu’s may seem a little depressing for some.

The gameplay is definitely the main reason that people have come to play the game. (Along with the nice multiplayer options) The gameplay is pretty solid and I can see why the game has so many fans. Mastering all of the combos can definitely take a while and even then, it’s hard to stay consistent. One wrong turn on the control stick and you’ll be using a completely different attack. I must say that I love the challenge! Of course, good ole button mashing will still take you pretty far. I’ve nearly won 50 online battles using this technique and also classic mind games. (Setting someone up with a Hadoken and then using an Uppercut!) The best part is that luck isn’t a factor in this game. (Very minimally at most) If you lose, you just have to accept the fact that you never stood a chance.

There is also a Challenge Mode in the game, but I wouldn’t say that it’s my favorite. I don’t really like the way that they went about creating it. There are only 100 challenges, but since each challenge is several rounds long, it’ll take you a very long time. I did a few challenges myself, but I don’t really have the time to finish them all at the moment.

The online battles can definitely be fun. You can make a match or join one. They even have tournaments where you can really test your skills! They keep track of your online records, but you don’t get to see your opponent’s while you’re battling. I think that I would have liked that option, but it doesn’t matter very much. The player data that they keep for you in the main menu is pretty useful and while it could be a little more in depth, (Like how much Ultra combos you’ve used) it is good enough. Play time is always the most important thing anyway.

The graphics are pretty good. I wouldn’t call them groundbreaking or anything, but they suffice. While they can’t hold a candle to other PS3 games like Soul Calibur V and FFXIII-2, they are still solid. The trophies for this game aren’t insanely hard either, although you may still find yourself in a jam a few times. (All Medal types, 100 wins, Completing all challenges)

This is a game that I would definitely recommend. If you’re a fan of fighting games that require technique and don’t really have any gimmicks, then this is your game. The character selection is pretty good and there are over 15 characters. Around 20-30 I believe, but I decided not to go and check. One very solid thing about this game is the amount of replay value. There is plenty to do in this game and you could find yourself playing it for dozens of hours.

Overall 8/10

Soul Calibur has always been a cool fighting series. There is a lot more sword fighting than other fighting series. (Street Fighter, Tekken, Virtua Fighter, etc) I’ve always been a big fan of swords and I think that it’s a cooler way of fighting. Prior to this game, I’d only owned Soul Calibur II. (Link FTW!) Could this game continue the epic legacy?

Well, this game has an actual story mode, which was a great addition. The game is 20 chapters long which is like playing Arcade Mode three times. That’s not too bad and the game took me 2:30 to complete. Of course, that’s counting the good ole days of Vs. Mode and ranking up in Quick Battle mode. This game feels really modern which is something that I’ve always liked about PS3. The games always seem to be much higher tech than the other consoles. I mean, just look at MVC3, FFXIII-2, Bakugan, etc. They all have really vibrant colors and the gameplay is nice and fluid.

One interesting thing about Story Mode is that the game takes place several years after the last few games. So, you will recognize some of the characters, but they’re definitely older than we remember. The story mode follows Patroklos (The son of Sophita) as he journeys to find his sister, Pyrrha. He realizes that the man he was serving had just been using him to further his own ends. Patroklos escapes and finds the Soul Calibur. Unfortunately, his sister has turned into a Malfested. Can Patroklos save her, or will he have to make the “Ultimate Sacrifice!”. While you play as Patroklos for most of the levels, Pyrrha is also playable for a couple of battles. Her lines are pretty unique when she wins and you may not even be able to tell that she just won. Her Malfested form is pretty cool and helped the series to get to new heights in terms of power. Nightmare is also epic, even though he’s currently using a decently unlikable character. I dare say that Nightmare’s design grows more and more epic as the games go on.

Aside from the story mode, there are a lot of other modes to play. We have the Legendary Souls mode. It’s essentially a Boss Battle mode and while it may be pretty quick, these guys have a lot of skill. I wouldn’t underestimate them if I were you! We’ve also got the traditional Quick Battle mode which will help you with trophies and give a nice boost to your record.

Let’s not forget about the realm of online gaming! You can challenge others and improve your online record. Unlike Brawl, your record in Wifi is public and you won’t be forgetting that anytime soon. It adds more incentive to the battles and really makes you give it your all. Just watch out for Rage Quitters!

The Trophies for this game aren’t outrageous and you should be able to get most of them in no time. This game has a lot of replay value and the battle style never gets old. Not everyone will agree that it beats Tekken and SF, but I’d say that it does. There are so many ways to approach a fight and it’s fun using your tactics. Ezio is the guest character in this game, but I can’t say that he’s nearly as fun as Link was.

One thing that I should definitely mention is the Character Customizer. Soul Calibur is known to have the best one and I’ve seen people make characters that resemble Link, Mario, and even Bass EXE! I’m definitely going to give that a shot at some point and it sounds fun. You could almost buy the game for this reason alone. Think of it as a console version of Mugen! There’s no end to the possibilities and it’s definitely fun to play around with.

The character roster may not be huge in this game, but it’s big enough. 28 is a solid number and then we have the custom characters which increases it by a lot. The stage count is also impressive and I’m glad that they added a solid number of them. Having a good amount of stages is nearly as important as having a lot of characters so that we get variety.

Overall, this is a solid game that is definitely worth your money. The game brings a whole new level of excitement to the franchise and you will feel every blow. There is enough content here so that you can keep playing it for a long time. Getting to level 99 is a long, but not tedious journey. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series and I hope that it comes soon.

Overall 8/10

Final Fantasy is a legendary video game series and you can expect that every game in the franchise will turn out to be very good. From all of the (main, aka numbered) games that I’ve played, I can say that they’re all Great. Not just good or very good, but great! Final Fantasy XIII was a solid game and I dare say that it may even beat FFVII. Could the sequel be as good, since Lightning is no longer the main character?

Well, the game starts off with one of the greatest cutscenes of all time! I dare say that it Is the greatest cutscene of all time. Lightning and Caius have an epic (Quicktime) battle where buildings are being destroyed and Valhalla is on the brink of ruin. Not only was I thrilled to see a really cool villain, (The first major threat since Sephiroth) but the series was definitely getting more climatic. This was the perfect way to start off the game and you got to play as Lightning. who’s far superior to Serah

How did Lightning become a warrior of Valhalla? Well, since she made the ultimate sacrifice in FFXIII, it makes sense that Etro would want her to be the leader. Considering how powerful Caius and his army of monsters are, it’s good that Lightning is there. It’s also nice to see the monsters from the first game, take on Caius’s army. It was definitely intense. Interrupting this battle is Noel, who falls from the sky. After seeing how useless he was in the fight, Lightning just ditches him in a portal and proceeds to fight. Unfortunately, the plot continues from Noel’s point of view.

This Is a Final Fantasy game, so I’m not going to take the time to explain everything. The plot would take many paragraphs and it’s something that you should experience firsthand. That being said, I will talk a little more about the plot since that was all just the (Epic) protloge.

After her resurrection from FFXIII, Serah is now at a peaceful village with some minor characters from the first game. She’s now a teacher and she works to make the world a better place. Lightning’s Moogle can become a Bow and Arrow which Serah uses to defend herself. The world is pretty crazy and aliens appear out of nowhere. It would seem as if the world was ending! Noel comes to help, but he just adds more questions to the mix.

Serah and Noel must travel across time and space so that they can undo the evils that Caius has wrought. The time stream is very dilluted and things are happening that shouldn’t have. Along the way Hope decides to go to sleep for 500 years in a time travel test. I just figured that I’d throw that out there since the original FFXIII characters don’t really do anything in this game. They travel to many worlds and see futures as they may have been. They also get to travel to the past, the only weird part is…Lightning is gone! She’s not in the past anymore and she’s not in any of the futures. Caius must have done something!

The climax of the game is definitely awesome and is one of the best in Video Game History! Caius makes for a perfect villain and he basically embodies darkness itself. Plus, if he has truly destroyed Lightning…can anyone defeat him? Odin…..let’s just say that he went up against the wrong Bahamut!

The game only took around 21 hours, but it will feel like a lot more. That’s definitely in a good way and you experience a lot of plot. Throughout the game you will have traveled to dozens of planets and I recommend trying out the Chocobo races. There are many weapons to get and once you have the Ultima, you’ll be good to go. Choosing what battle formations to use can be a critical part of the game.

The gameplay is pretty good and basically plays out like the first game. This time you only have two humans at a time, but you get a monster to help out as well. The leveling up system is definitely intense and you can get up to level 600! I got Serah and Noel to around level 305 before I completed the game. Getting level ups isn’t very hard so you won’t need to worry about that. There are fragments to be found throughout the game and they do pay off. You can buy items for a lower cost and get more EXP per battle. Who wouldn’t want to get those fragments!?

There is a Lot to do in this game once you complete it, so you may find yourself playing this game for many hours once you have finished it. It sounds like a lot of fun and once I’ve finished most of the games in my backlog, I may go back to finish it all. The game’s a lot of fun and the gameplay never gets old, so why not right?

The music in this game is also very good. The theme against the minions is a cool rock song for some of the battles and the climax is filled with a lot of good songs. The last song is pretty great because it’s very emotional and fits the ending. The ending is also a spectacular ending and one that should be put in the record books. Not only does one of the two main heroes die, but there’s an after credits scene. Let’s just say that one of the characters didn’t have a change of heart!

I’m psyched for the sequel because there’s a lot of potential. The remaining hero seems to have turned into a villain and it may be time for Lightning to become the hero once again. The next game is called “Lightning Returns” after all! Serah and Noel were decent heroes, but I am definitely ready for a new lead. Aside from Lightning, Noel, and Caius, the rest of the cast wasn’t extremely interesting. The monsters were epic, but none of the human characters were really cool. I don’t really mind since they can be ignored for most of the game.

I should also mention the graphics. I doubt this will surprise anyone, but the graphics are some of the best that I’ve ever seen in a game. Imagine the Advent Chidren film, but in 2013 and set in an apocalyptic time. The intro reminded me of Cloud’s fight against Sephiroth and it was definitely similar. Another hero against a hero who turned into a villain. There are definitely a lot of parallels in the games.

I highly recommend getting this game. It’s one of the best games I’ve played and it has passed Kingdom Hearts II for my favorite RPG of all time. This is one game that you definitely will not want to miss. You don’t even need to get the original game first since this one works as a stand alone, but you will appreciate the cameos more if you do get the first one. This game definitely increases the danger and epicness of the game and is the best Final Fantasy game to date. I’m not sure if the final game in the trilogy can possibly top this one, but it is Final Fantasy, so I won’t deny that it has a chance. When a game has the best intro, one of the best endings, and possibly the greatest after credits scene, how can you not buy it!?

Overall 9/10

Lost in Shadow is a unique game that came out for the Wii. I can’t say that I had ever heard of it before I went to Gamestop. When I saw the game, (With such a great price) I knew that I needed to buy it. Everyone had been talking about Limbo being awesome and this looked similar….so why not!? I’m definitely glad that I ended up buying this one.

Lost in Shadow has an epic beginning which may leave room for interpretation. Here’s the plot, (As best as I can describe it) a kid is kidnapped and when he wakes up, his body is gone. His shadow is all that’s left of him and now he needs to find it. It would seem that his body has been taken to the top of a really huge tower. The shadow must be careful, he may not be a physical being, but..THE SHADOW BEAST is lurking around! There are also a lot of other monsters and obstacles that he must be on the lookout for. Not to mention that the being who kidnapped him may still be around.

The plot is definitely intriguing and plays like a horror game. Along the way to the top, you find the memories of other kids who died. Each memory makes you stronger and your health increases. There is a leveling up system in the game, but it’s less prevalent than in most. It’s very easy to level up and each level up is pretty drastic. By the end of the game, you’ll be completely outclassing your opponents. (In the final boss, my health would always be full thanks to the minions) You should probably go and collect all of the 90 memories. Something cool may happen if you do…! I did’t, so I don’t know what the bonus is, but it’s probably worth it. I may go back and do that at some point.

The gameplay is fun and it’s like Mario. Not exactly the same and you do have the option of attacking. I’d say that it’s like a mix of Drawn To Life and Mario. Story mode is decently long and you’ll probably be playing the game for a while. Getting a game over is pretty rare and you really don’t want to die. If you die, then you resume the game as another kid and the previous “you” is added to the total of dead people. It may take a little time to get used to playing in the shadows at first, but you get the hang of it.

Towards the end of the game, you also get to experience the “Light world”. Instead of being a shadow, you become a being of pure light. It’s the only way to exist in the real world without your body and it’s fun. The game turns into a 3D platformer during this part and it can be a nice change of pace.

Time to go into one negative. It’s not a big deal, but the game is pretty easy. There are only 2-3 bosses through the game, but none of them will really pose a threat. You health bar is just wayyyy too big and you don’t need much of a strategy to defeat the enemies. Just keep on swinging your sword and the enemy will go down quickly. The Final Boss is a little different, but you will defeat him easily enough. The minions are constantly re spawning so you can just beat them (In one hit btw) and you’ll gain back most of your health in one shot. Games don’t have to be super difficult, (Like Mega Man X) but I think that it should be a little tougher than this. Take Mario (Only the 2D games) or DBZ. I’d never call them difficult games, but some levels could still take a few tries. It’s not a big deal though, since you’ll enjoy the game anyway.

Well, this was definitely a solid Wii game. The Shadow Beast makes for a pretty impressive villain. He even has his own theme going when you fight him…or when you’re running away from him. Towards the end, this fairy appears who can rip holes in reality. (Or the dimension, but impressive eh? That scene came out of nowhere) I think that the game could definitely use a sequel since I would like to see the mysterious knight battle. (And the ending is pretty depressing for the main character) I definitely recommend this game. You’ll have a unique Wii experience and a lot of fun along the way. The game has a good amount of replay value and I should mention that the graphics are pretty solid. They’re excellent during the cutscenes and look like Final Fantasy. Time to go and buy the game folks!

Overall 6/10