Mega Man X: Maverick Rising

When most people think Mega Man, the classic series is undoubtedly what comes to mind. But he's not the only incarnation of the Blue Bomber. The first in a line of spin-offs, the Mega Man X series is probably the second most popular of the Mega Man games. It stuck close to the formula of what made the classic series a huge success while adding new elements such as the inclusion or armor upgrades to make X stronger. The classic series has what is without question some of the most endearing music you'll ever hear in a video game. Keeping the tradition from the original boy in blue, the X series is no slacker in the music department either. Though the music in the X games is quite different from the classic series, being more rock based, many are of the mind that it's still superb tunage. The crew over at OverClocked remix must certainly agree because the long awaited Mega Man X: Maverick Rising, the site's 33rd release, is not only one of the best fan tributes to Mega Man music, it's one of the finest Mega Man albums.

First of all, props to the OCR gang for doing an album on the X series. While immensely popular, when it comes to Mega Man remix projects, most fans focus on the classic series. You can count the number of fan remixes for the X series on one hand. 

Maverick Rising is quite the large album. It clocks in at five discs. Rest assured, though, that this is a beautiful mix of quality as well as quantity. With five discs, and over 60 songs, that gives you more than four hours of Mega Man music to listen to. It's enough to rock your ears off. 

There's a truckload of talent behind Maverick Rising. Washudoll, Level 99, Sixto Sounds, Vurez, Avaris, Joshua Morse, audio fidelity, and a plethora of others. If I were to list each contributing member to this album I'd be here all day. Suffice to say, the amount of X lovers that worked on this album is staggering. Unless I miss my guess, it looks like this album brings some new challengers as well. BONKERS is a name that is totally new to me, as is melody and others, but they've made a lasting impression on me. There are names on Maverick Rising that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

So what games got covered? The entire console X series. That's Mega Man X1-X8. Maverick Hunter X and Mega Man Zero 2 and 4 also received some love. Man fan favorites were arranged, including what some may consider minor tunes when compared to the stage themes, like Mega Man X's Title theme and Password theme. In case you couldn't already tell how I feel by now, the music on Maverick Rising is excellent (pun very much intended.) Do you like rock? It's here. Hard rock? Got you covered? Death metal? There's some of that too. You say you like techno and trance music? Step right up. Chiptune? Present. I doubt I've covered all the genres this album hits. I know I've said it when talking about other OCR albums before, but there's something for everyone to love here. Mega Man X fans especially will eat this album up.

It's really hard to list all my favorite tracks from this album because there are so many. Mega Man X6 was a crappy, crappy game, but I will always stick up for it's soundtrack, which saw some of the greatest tunes to come out of the X series. halc did an amazing remix of Commander Yammark Stage with Insecta Robotcia, which is heavy on the chiptune. STING, a medley track that combines Opening Stage, Blast Hornet Stage, Neon Tiger Stage and Password from Mega Man X3 is remixed by Joshua Morse, man that has won my respect many times over through the years. Level 99 and Hemophiliac bring us The Leidenfrost Effect, a soothing acoustic guitar version of Blizzard Buffalo Stage. Crawfish Crackdown, remixed by Devastus, is a sick hard rock remix of Crush Crawfish Stage. For the full track list on this mammoth-sized album, go here.

I especially like way the went about labeling the discs. Disc 1 is the X disc. Disc 2 is Zero. Disc 3 is Vile. Disc 4 is Sigma. Disc 5, acting as a bonus disc is Dr. Light. There's also some spiffy art work to go along with this album. Isn't that album cover awesome? The individual disc art is also pretty sweet. All of the album art was done by Dominic Ninmark, who also arranged some music for the album. How's that for being gifted? I would so buy a physical release of this baby just to hold the art in my hands.

Mega Man: The Robot Museum, 25YEARLEGEND, NiGHTS: Lucid Dreaming, Unsung Heroes and now Mega Man X: Maverick Rising. OverClocked Remix just continues to wow me. This is their largest album to date, trumping the previous champion, Wild Arms: ARMed and DANGerous, which was four discs and 58 tracks long (and one I still need to download and listen to.) Maverick Rising makes for an incredible early Mega Man 25th anniversary present. Kinda makes you wonder OCR has anything planned for the Blue Bomber's big birthday later this year. I certainly hope so. Until then, I'll be listening to Maverick Rising again and again.

Mega Man X: Maverick Rising

Latest Game Purchases #25

Went in GameStop, not expecting to find much in the way of bargains but I came away pleasantly surprised. My local store has had 3D Dot Game Heroes in stock for a good while now. I'd seen it there numerous times for $14.99. Since I was on the hunt for discounts, it seemed like as good a time as any to finally pick it up. Turns out it was the their last copy. It was new so it came with everything. This makes my second PS3 purchase. Despite not owning a PS3 yet, just like the PSP, if I can get some games on the cheap, I'll start building my library early.

I never expected to see a 3DS game for $14.99 but lo and behold, Ridge Racer 3D new for an incredible price. Didn't think I'd make my next 3DS pick so soon, but it's nice to be proven wrong. I've been a huge fan of the Ridge Racer series for a long time now, though I must confess that I haven't played a new entry in the series since Ridge Racer V on the PS2. So it will be interesting to return to the series after being away for so long.

Game Art #27: Grand Theft Auto Gallery

This Game Art feature contains artwork from Patrick Brown. A huge fan of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series, Patrick's GTA fan art is some of the best I've seen. There's art for the numerous 3D GTAs as well as an excellent piece for the spectacular Chinatown Wars, one of the best games in the series, despite playing a lot like the earlier titles. Enjoy.

Videos I Like #7: The Problem With Warp Whistles

Nearly every game in the Super Mario series allows the player to use warps, a means to skip entire worlds in order to make your journey shorter. But in making the trip brief, what of all the things you'll miss along the way? The unexplored worlds, the unseen enemies, the unused power-ups. Seriously, when you warp you can miss quite a bit. At least Bowser certainly thinks so. Brought to you by the gamers over at CollegeHumor, The Problem With Warp Whistles explores the nature of warping and it's affects on the hero. Sure, you got to Bowser in a hurry but what about all that stuff you passed up? Well, unless it's Lost Levels. The quicker that game is over and done with, the better. But I digress. At 2:16, this video is pretty short and it's safe for kids to watch. I'm especially fond of the placement of sound effects in this flash video. The sound of a Koopa shell bouncing back is used to go along with Mario's shocked facial expression when Bowser tells him one of the power-ups that he missed because he skipped some worlds. Great stuff from a great animation short.

Playing the 3DS

On March 1st, I finally bought a Nintendo 3DS. Over the past week, I've been playing Nintendo's latest handheld and loving it. I figured I'd give some impressions on the system.

The 3D


I've never bought in to the whole 3D on anything. Not for games or movies. I just don't see the appeal. The 3D affect causes me server eye strain when turned all the way up but on low levels, it is tolerable. For the most part, I prefer to play with the 3D off. Having said that, the 3D does have it's uses, especially for a game like Super Mario 3D Land where the enhanced depth reveals that not every platform is on the same level as it may appear with the 3D turned off.

The Games


When I picked up my 3DS, I bought two games: Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. The original plan was to play both games from day one. "The best laid plans." Mario Kart 7 is has not even been opened as Super Mario 3D Land is occupying most of my time on the 3DS. The game is just so freaking fun, even if it is on the easy side. It mixes platforming elements from the 3D Mario games and the 2D Mario games into one grand adventure. Super Mario 3D Land made buying a 3DS well worth the dough.

If it's wrong for a grown man to love a
video game, I don't wanna be right.

As of this writing, the 3DS has a sizable amount of games I want to pick up, both ports and original titles. Pilotwings Resort, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time 3D, Star Fox 64 3D, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D Kid Icarus Uprising, Shinobi, and more that I won't even mention. Having a 3DS opens up the playing field for even more games. The only problem is the $40 price tag that 3DS games carry. It still doesn't sit well with me. So unless I find some good deals, it will be rare if I buy more than one 3DS title at a time.

The Virtual Console

Firebrand's first adventure is quite good.

Like the Wii, the 3DS has it's own Virtual Console system where you can buy downloadable versions of old Game Boy, Game Boy Color and eventually, Game Gear games. These and original titles can be purchased via the eShop. I downloaded four games thus far: Super Mario Land, Donkey Kong, Gargoyle's Quest, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX. Many of these titles can be gotten for dirt cheap, in some cases, a lot cheaper than what a physical copy would cost you. $5.99 for Link's Awakening DX is a very good deal as is $3.99 for Donkey Kong, one of the best Game Boy games and Mario games of all-time. Best of all, playing these on the 3DS elevates the blurry scrolling issues that was associated on the original monochrome Game Boy. More than likely, I'll pick up Tetris, Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, Balloon Kid (Balloon Fight is one of my fav early NES titles) and Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins. I cannot wait to see what other titles hit the Virtual Console. Make Mole Mania on the Virtual Console happen, Nintendo.

-----------------------

So yeah, the 3DS is for my money, $170 well spent. However, I have not retired my DSi and I have no plans to do so. Whenever I play a DS game it will be on my DSi to conserve battery life. That and some of my DSiWare titles (Mighty Flip Champs, Mighty Milky Way) can only be played on my DS. The 3DS is merely another means for me to play great games (or in some cases, enhanced ports) on a system I can't play anywhere else.

Game Art #26: Pokémon Gallery

What? Did you think I wouldn't do a Game Art feature showing off one of biggest franchises on the planet? Think again. I'm no stranger to Pokémon. I once owned the original black & white Game Boy version of Pokémon Blue and I know how addicting hunting for pocket monsters can be. I've considered getting back into the series but as I said, I'm aware of how addicting these games can be and I already have  lot of stuff on my plate at the moment. Maybe someday I'll get down with Squirtle and Pikachu again. For now, here's some Pokémon fan art. Enjoy.

By TheBourgyman

By super-tuler

By slimu

By Delano-Laramie

By RhexFiremind

By angelskully

By miimiiakatsuki

By mark331

By e1n

By Qinni

By kittiara

By Zhampy

By purplekecleon

By EiffelArt

By Pikiru and colored by ruri-chu

By Sa-Dui

By arugaisou

By dreamwatcher7

By Nazzirithe

By aeonpants

By Cornelia-chan

By kissai

By nine-tan

By Delano-Laramie

By purplekecleon

Street Fighter X Tekken DLC... Already on Disc

So I'm guessing Capcom has finally gotten the hint that gamers are sick of buying updated versions of their fighting games. Only took 'em about 20 years to figure it out, but hey, better to learn the lesson than go through life as an uneducated idiot.

There will only be one physical version of Street Fighter X Tekken so you won't have to buy an Ultimate, Super, Hyper Turbo Max Plus whatever edition later in the year. Huzzah! The kick to the crotch on that? The Downloadable Content is already on the disc. Let me repeat that: The downloadable content is already. On. The. Disc. The reasoning behind this? Well, how about we look at the official statement from Capcom, shall we?

Capcom has confirmed that 12 new fan-favorite characters will be available as Downloadable Content (DLC) on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions of Street Fighter X Tekken later this year. The playable characters will make their debut on the PS Vita system when the game is released this fall, with the console and PC versions receiving them as DLC soon after. The character information and files were intentionally included on retail versions of the PS3 and Xbox 360 game to save hard drive space and to ensure for a smooth transition when the DLC is available, allowing players who choose not to purchase the content the ability to play against players that do. More specifics regarding pricing, dates and other additional exciting DLC plans for Street Fighter X Tekken will be shared at a later date. As a reminder, the retail version of the game will be the only disc-based version consumers will need to own and all future upgrades will come from post-launch DLC. The new characters fighting their way onto Street Fighter X Tekken are... from the Street Fighter side... Blanka, Cody, Dudley, Elena, Guy and Sakura will be playable and from Tekken... Alisa Bosconovitch, Bryan Fury, Christie Monteiro, Jack, Lars Alexandersson and Lei Wulong will all be available."

I take it back, Capcom hasn't learned anything. It seems Capcom is doomed to eternal stupidity.

"Ensure for a smooth transition"? My bull crap sense is tingling!

The is DLC already on the disc. On the disc! Capcom is gonna make us pay for something that we already own! That line about smooth transition is about as real as silicon! What Capcom is really saying is, "We're just a bunch of greedy cash whores that want your money." It's that simple, people. But some players are perfectly fine with it, which I have to say, is bewildering.

Some are already speculating that in a year or so, Capcom will release a complete disc version of Street Fighter X Tekken at a budget price. Since this is Capcom, I'd say that isn't out of the realm of possibilities. And if that does happen, anyone that shelled out the cash for the first version and all the DLC will really feel like a chump.

Last week I was having a conversation with my friends on facebook about Street Fighter X Tekken. It went like this.

Me: I'd hold off on buying Street Fighter X Tekken. Capcom will probably release Ultimate Street Fighter x Tekken Hyper Alpha Attack Strike for the Future HD Remix+ later this year. Yes, that joke is old. Deal with it.

Brandon: It cant be a joke if its actually the truth. A sad truth really.

Charles:  Street fighter X Tekken Vs. Marvel & Capcom Vs. SNK hyper 3D HD EVO......part 1
Only 2 Characters will be playable on 1stage.
The moves and other characters will be DLC.
You can't play the game unless you download the start up screen
Lol

Brandon: Of course that will all be after you buy the external quarter slot machine to actually be able to play the game. You will need to ship the coins to CAPCOM every week, and you'll not be able to play again until they get the money.

Charles: Lol.
Yea
But you have to get it converted to "Cap-coins" that only work for THAT game and you can only play Vs. Mode with some one that has the same ammount of coins and you have to pay per game.

Me: There's probably a Capcom employee reading this and thinking: GENIUS!!

Source: Capcom Unity