Game rant: King of Fighters XIII

I've been playing this game since the second week of August at the arcade and it's about time I rant a little something on it. =P King of Fighters... such a nostalgic series/name/game, one that changed my life in so many ways (I kid you not!). *Hugs* But then I feel bad; I was actually gonna write up a review on Ryu ga Gotoku 4 and even DJ Max Portable (LOL) on the PSP after I finished those games in August but I got so distracted and busy with KOFXIII and going to the arcade that I had no time/attention for my blog. >_<!!

Yagami Iori 　 Projectile: No Command grab: Yes Aerial command move: No Abusable moves: Jump D, Jump B, Stand C, Stand D

Iori has always been part of my best team for most KOF games not only becos he's always been one of my most confident playable characters but becos he's my longest standing favorite KOF dude. The last KOF game before KOF13 that I truly trained for was KOF 2000 and he had flames then. Now that he's lost it and his moves changed I thought he would be difficult to get re-accustomed to, but turns out it isn't so bad. In fact I'm so used to him the way he is now I actually prefer his new moves; he feels so much faster in both execution and recovery.

Why I like using/am more confident with him:

• It's so much easier now to perform a standard combo ending with his super desperate move (SDM)
  (C + forward A + qcb B + qcb C + qcf scb A/C) thanks to the relaxing timing.
• His 'Jump D' is inferior only to K's which makes abusing it safer than most others.
• 'Stand C' executes and recovers fast and is relatively safe to abuse as an anti-air move.
• He still has his overlap kick ('Back B' in mid-air), still useful for tricking.
• His command grab is now changed to 'scf A/C', which is much easier to execute (to me) than the previous 'forward scb forward A/C'
• Has a powerful anti-air neomax (ultra super desperate move).
• He's the only character I've mastered three BC combos for.
  

K' Projectile: Yes Command grab: No Aerial command move: Yes Abusable moves: Jump D, Jump B, Down B

With the exception of KOF99, K' has always been a fast character (as far as I know) and his moves top tier. (I suppose main characters have certain advantages? XD) As far as KOF13 is concerned, K' is considered the cheapest and strongest hence it's really rare to find a player whose best team doesn't include K'. He's perfect for both offensive and defensive play, which makes him cater-able to practically everyone as long as they're comfortable with executing his standard combos (at least).

Why I like using/am more confident with him:

• His 'Jump D or B' has extremely high priority, giving the player a lot of advantage.
• His 'Down B' is very fast and easily connectable with Iron Trigger (qcf A) + Second Shell (forward D), after which you can follow up with a fairly long chain of attacks inflicting good damage and pushing the opponent all the way to a corner.
• Iron Trigger (qcf A) + Second Shell (forward D) OR Second Shoot (forward B) are just too abusable/cheap.
• EX version of Chain Drive (qcf scb AC) is useful in getting past enemy projectiles.
• I've half-mastered (somewhat) two of his BC combos, though only one is applicable in actual battle (for now).
  

Kusanagi Kyo Projectile: Yes Command grab: Yes Aerial command move: Yes Abusable moves: Jump B, Jump C, Jump + down C

To be honest Kyo has never been one of my better characters in any of the previous KOF games. I know how to use him generally but I was never good enough with him to the point that I'm very comfortable using him against the CPU, let alone a human opponent. However, ironically, Kyo is actually the first character I learned how to use in KOF13. There are so many versions of Kyo in the previous games and every different Kyo has a different set of moves that it's confusing to remember which has what, so I'm glad there's only one Kyo this time and he retains only the best moves. =D I gotta say I'm still not very good at him but I'm better now at executing his combos, which is why he's on this list.

Why I like using him:

• His uppercut has crazy high priority.
• His 'scb B/D' move is abusable; the EX version even more so.
• His Orochinagi SDM (qcb scf A/C) can now be executed in mid-air, hence usable as an anti-air attack.
• He has a short yet very damaging (500) non-BC combo that only requires 2 power bars. (Though slightly tricky to perform)
• I've mastered two BC combos.

Shen Woo Projectile: No Command grab: Yes Aerial command move: No Abusable moves: Jump C, Jump CD, Stand C, Down C

This is actually the first game in which I use Shen cos I didn't learn/use him back in KOF2003. My KOF 'teacher' told me that he's great for beginners cos his combos are short and simple yet very damaging, and so I took his advice and yep, he's one tough bastard alright. He doesn't have projectile attacks, but he really doesn't need it considering most of what it takes to kill his opponent is a single 'C' button a.k.a. hard punch. If anyone is made of win, it's Shen.

Why I like using/am more confident with him:

• His 'Jump C / D / CD' are highly abusable (high priority), possibly inferior only to K'.
• His 'Stand C' has a 1-hit auto-guard, OMG.
• Both his 'qcf qcf A/C' and 'CABC' super desperate move (SDM) grants him invincibility.
• He has two simple non-BC combos that do a lot of damage using only 2 power bars.
• He has the easiest (yet extremely damaging) BC combo in the entire game.

Elisabeth Branctorche Projectile: No Command grab: Yes Aerial command move: No Abusable moves: Jump D, Jump B

I started using her only after I've seen how easy her standard combo is (Jump D + C + forward B + uppercut C + uppercut A + jump D + qcf scb A/C). It may not be easier than Iori's, but this one doesn't require a single drive cancel. To be honest, I find it rather boring to play as her; the only thing I look forward to is mastering one of her (corner) non-BC combos and to be able to successfully pull it off on a human opponent. >_>;

Why I use her:

• Her 'Jump D' is abusable, and 'Jump B' easily overlap-able.
• As long as the opponent is falling in mid-air and hasn't had the chance to do a defensive fall (AB), she can link in her SDM (qcf scb A/C). This is extremely cheap/useful/offensive for players who have fast reflexes and are used to abusing this.
• Her 'qcf A' is abusable and linkable with her SDM (qcf scb A/C).
• Her uppercut launches the enemy, allowing a follow up attack.
• Her 'scb AC' (EX) is very useful once you know when and how to use it.
• I'm trying to master one of her corner combos (in actual battle).
  JD + C + forward B + uppercut C (cancel) + qcf AC + qcf C (x3) + uppercut A + JD + qcf scb A/C

Sakazaki Ryo Projectile: Yes (sort of) Command grab: No Aerial command move: No Abusable moves: Jump D, Down D

Like Kyo, Ryo has never been one of my preferred characters, not until KOF13 anyway. I didn't even intend to pick him up; it was my teacher who made me play his game one day when he was using Ryo, and that made me realize just how simplistically awesome he is. LOL Ryo isn't made for combos; in fact most of the most practical ones are really short and basic, which means he's not exactly made for inflicting major damage in a single given chance. (Well truth be told he does have a devastating combo but it's too hard for me to master LOL) Anyway, he's perfect for poking and annoying the enemy with singular punches and kicks + fireball, which makes him an easy character for beginners or combo-haters in my opinion. XD

Why I like using/am more confident with him:

• Overall a very easy character to use.
• His (light) uppercut is quick in execution and recovery.
• His fireball (qcf A/C) can be used as anti-air.
• His neomax is linkable starting with Down B + Down A!

Sakazaki Takuma Projectile: Yes Command grab: Yes Aerial command move: No Abusable moves: Down D

I didn't actually think of learning this guy but my boy taught me one day and so I just picked him up. Thing is, when I use him I keep doing the same few things over and over; it's either I spam fireballs or I try to go for a down B to start a combo with. It's also an inconvenience that he does not really have an anti-air attack. Still, he's fun cos his full combo is a challenge in itself and I like trying to execute it fully and successfully outside of practice mode.

Why I like using him:

• His command grab is easy to execute (qcb B/D).
• He has 2 types of fireballs, both executable at different speeds.
• His fireball SDM is easy to execute as he has no uppercut and the input cannot be mistaken. (Doing a forward "scb forward A/C" may result in an uppercut for those with uppercuts)
• I like executing his long-ass combo.

Ash Crimson Projectile: Yes Command grab: No Aerial command move: No Abusable moves: Jump D, Down B, Down D

Ash is almost exactly the same as he was in KOF2003 so there isn't any real re-adapting required. He gains a new move (scb A/C), though at the same time his fireball SDM is much weakened to the point that it's practically useless, which leaves him with the kick one (qcf qcf B/D) and his new neomax which is a grapple (scb scb BD). To be honest that's still quite enough, cos the EX version of his regular fireball is enough to replace his weakened fireball SDM.

Why I use him:

• Requires no BC combo! In fact, he has no real combo!
• Perfect character to learn how to play defensively/patiently.
• Has a grapple neomax.

Leona Projectile: Yes Command grab: No Aerial command move: Yes Abusable moves: Jump D, Jump CD

Leona was one of my strongest characters in the older KOF games I used to play, so as long as she retains most of her moves (which she does) her usability should be the same for me. The sad thing in KOF13 though is that I don't know any new (or longer/more damaging) combos, and definitely no BC combo for a "charge" character like her, which means I can't inflict enough damage in one given chance. Then again, most of those who use her 'professionally' don't seem to bother with BC combos anyway =P

Why I like using her:

• I can use her the same way I did in the older KOF games, which means I don't have to re-learn this character at all.
• Her neomax freezes the enemy on screen hence slightly anti-air.

Sakazaki Yuri Projectile: Yes (sort of) Command grab: Yes Aerial command move: Yes Abusable moves: Jump D, Down D, Down B

Yuri is simple and handy. It's a shame she lost her follow-up uppercut (heavy version) but she's still useful. I use her like I use Ryo, with little pokes, random punches and kicks and short combos. It's quite enough, really. It also helps to have a running-grabble move that she can use to trick people with from time to time. She also has a BC combo but I have yet mastered it a 100%.

Why I like using her:

• Her standard combos are easy.
• Her "qcb A/C" is fun to abuse sometimes.
• She has a mid-air neomax (projectile) that easily catches the opponent off guard.

Nikaido Benimaru Projectile: Yes (sort of) Command grab: Yes Aerial command move: Yes Abusable moves: Jump D, Down B, Stand B

Benimaru has very few combos and they don't hurt very much, but IMO he's relatively good for poking purposes (like Ryo & Yuri). I didn't use him much for a while but I think I'm back on track with him considering I recently confidently mastered his one and only damaging practical combo - down B + qcf B, down up B, qcf BD, down up B (~350 dmg). Anyone who can master this combo should enjoy using him. =)

Why I like using him:

• I love successfully executing 'down B (x2) + qcf qcf AC'! It just feels so good! XD
• I love poking people with his 'stand B' and 'stand C' (even tho' the latter has no priority).
• I like poking people with his mid-air lightning fist.

Japan Trip, again. (for Tougeki/Super Battle Opera)

I supposed to have written and posted this entry last week but I got lazy so please pardon the slight lateness. >.< Anyway, I'm surprised to find myself in Japan again this year between 16 to 20 September just 11 days ago. It was all becos my boy won two local game tournaments and got himself two air tickets to enter a major game tournament (Tougeki/SBO) in Japan, and he asked me to go along with him. Application for my Japan visa was rushed, but I was lucky enough to get it 12 hours before the flight. *Phew!!*

== Day 1 ==

We flew on Thursday 6am and arrived in Japan at around 2+pm local time. It took us about 2 hours or so to finally get to the train station (Minami Senju, WTF?) closest to the hostel we were staying at. We almost got lost there too, but aren't we lucky I could ask for directions. Xian (my boy) is optimistic and trusts his 'gut feeling' a lot, but admittedly this 'feeling' isn't always reliable. Well, 'gut' isn't always enough for a Capricorn girl. LOL.

Anyway, after we arrived at the hostel, Xian took a shower before we left for Shinjuku as he got drizzled by the rain. I brought an umbrella (thanks to my sister's reminder) so I was alright. XD To get to Shinjuku, we had to transfer to another train at Akihabara but as our stomachs were already growling we decided to have dinner there first. The only place I know where there's food at Akihabara is the 8th floor of Yodobashi, the same place I had sushi during my previous trip in April. I was in the mood for meat then, so we ended up choosing a katsu place. Xian really loved his curry katsu there, which was practically the only food he ordered at a restaurant in Japan that he liked at all. >_>;

After that we took the I-forgot-which-line straight to Shinjuku and were lost for a while cos we had no idea in which direction Taito Game Inn was in. I asked a few random people for directions but no one really knew. Grrr. In the end one of Xian's friends who went to Japan with us gave us the proper directions through text message and we finally arrived at the arcade at 9+pm.

Now speaking of Japanese arcades.... OH. MY. GOD. Horrible. Effin' horrible. It's no wonder everyone assumes that all video gamers in Japan are smokers. Most aracdes in Japan are narrow and small, and this one's no different. The Street Fighter 4 machines are located on basement 2 and there were a good 30 people or so gathering around and watching and the cigarette smoke was just overwhelming. I wanted to stand around and watch but godddd, I couldn't last long. I wanted to leave the arcade altogether and go somewhere smoke free but I didn't think there was anything fun nearby and I was getting sleepy from the lack of sleep on the plane so I just tolerated for the next 3 hours somehow.

We met Kindevu (one of Japan's most famous SF4 players) while going down the stairs to the basement just as we arrived at the arcade. Xian waved at him and he was surprised, greeting him "Oooh! Shangri-la!" (LMAO). (Kindevu calls him that cos' during the previous Korean SSF4 tournament that they were in together, Xian used Dhalsim and selected the Yoga Shangri-la super desperate move) Later, we found AOI (one of Japan's Sagat grand masters), Shirou (one of Japan's Abel grand masters) and Zak, a cute UK friend Xian made in Sweden during a tournament over there. Xian's so totally all over him. XD!!

It was hard for me to stay awake those few hours at the arcade cos I was seriously nodding off but I was fortunate I had my PSP with me. DJ Max is likely to keep me awake for at least an hour. XD Anyway, we stayed at the arcade till it closed at midnight and then we went back to the hostel together with the rest of Xian's friends.

== Day 2 ==

I forgot what time all of us woke up at, but we left together in the morning for the Taito game center @ Big Box at Takanobada station. There was gonna be another SF4 tournament called the "5vs5" (I could be wrong about the name) and Xian's entering with four of his friends while another five joined as a separate group. Both groups were unfortunate to clash with Momochi's team straight at the beginning but if you ask me, at the very least Xian got the chance to battle it out with Momochi again in an official tournament. ^_^ (The two fought each other at the Korean SSF4 tournament and according to Xian he had never once been able to defeat him, which in my opinion labels Momochi as his immediate rival, even though he's technically Japan's current champion in several tournaments x_X!!)

(Xian (1P) vs Momochi (2P) at the 5vs5 tournament)

Xian agrees Momochi is his rival, but at the same time he's also his idol. LOL. Well, I suppose it can't be helped, since he's someone he looks up a lot to and they both use the same character Akuma. BUT! Momochi is not my idol. =P Mine is standard and expected - Umehara Daigo. XDXDXD!!! He ish luv~~!! <333 During the tournament, a friend spotted him in orange and I started looking around for a dude in orange tshirt since. When I first found him I totally fangirl'ed XD!! Sadly I wasn't able to take a sneak shot of him, except for one that isn't clear enough to show anyway. At night when Xian and I were leaving, Xian actually went over to Momochi (who was standing next to Daigo chatting) to wave him a bye. I was soooooo itching to actually stop and ask Daigo (and might as well Momochi) for a photo but I guess that was the first time I was actually shy enough to do it..... and I sooooo bloody regret it. T_____T!!!!!!!!! Daigo was just right there in front of me, yet I couldn't do nothing!!! WHHHYYY!!! T____T!! *head wall*

== Day 3 ==

We woke up early this day at 6am cos we gotta arrive at the Tougeki tournament grounds at 8:15am. Xian was participating in the KOF13 tournament which started at 10+. There were rules that needed to be explained to all the players but we were lucky there was this very friendly Hong Kong guy we made friends with (one of the tournament staff) who was able to translate for him.

To sum it up, Xian actually pulled through the tournament well and landed in the semi finals as best 4! Man I was so proud of him!! It was his first overseas KOF tournament and he instantly got into best 4; that's really creditable. It was unfortunate that he lost in the semifinals to a player nicknamed "Giant" but still, I think he did Singapore proud. ^_^

I posted Xian's matches on facebook (can't post it on youtube due to strict SBO regulations) and it's set to "friends only" so I don't think many of you can access it, but here's the finals match between Giant and Oeppu:

After the KOF13 tournament, we were free to leave if we wanted to, but dude, it's Tokyo Game Show! Of course we had to check it out while we can! We walked around and checked random things out half-assedly, not really paying that much attention to anything. I didn't even recognize most things anyway except for a few games here and there. I couldn't be arsed to queue up and try any game they have there either cos it's just too time consuming and I'm not really interested.

The first good thing that I found there was actually a Maeda Keiji (from Sengoku Basara) cosplayer. When I first saw her I had thought it was a male, a very pretty male (mind you I'm usually not into pretty males). My eyes were already heart-shaped at that time so I took a few random shots before I actually went over to ask for a pic with her. That was when I heard her voice and found out she's a lady and I was like "OMG!!!!!!!" XD!! She's just so awesomely and beautifully androgynous (it's even better if you see her in person) I was so in love. <3333 Wahahahaa! Even Xian agreed. =P

Then, the next best thing I found were the Ryu Ga Gotoku booths/stages. I've heard from some friends that the new RyuGa game now involves a zombie apocalypse, but I hadn't seen any video or pics on it until this day. I actually winced at the trailer. It was prolly Nagoshi's idea (one of the directors) and I respect the man but my god..... what da hell is he thinking?!?! Yakuzas and zombies!??!! He must be trying real hard to break the Guinness World Record of Randomness. Still, it was a pleasure and surprise to actually see the real Nagoshi on stage with my very own eyes. I was really lucky I happened to walk past and noticed the event on the stage at the right time. ^_^

We continued to walk around the halls for a little more before I decided to go back out and check out more cosplay. I only take pics of what/who I recognize so please pardon the few number of photos. There were also way more photographers and "spectators" than cosplayers in that little 'outdoor' area which made it hard to take actually take pics at the best angle and without having others blocking your view and stuff. It's a shame there really weren't many that I could recognize. Some I recognized, I couldn't bother taking their pics anyway cos they weren't really that great.

I was gonna go back and re-check out all the booths again with more attention but my stomach started to growl and I decided to leave for dinner since we can always come back tomorrow.

== Day 4 ==

This is the day Xian and his boys have all been waiting for, the reason why they're in Japan - Street Fighter 4 tournament at Tougeki. Xian and two other friends previously won a local SF4 tournament where they earned the priviledge to represent Singapore in this Tougeki tournament. There were a total of 32 teams, some of which are foreign (US, Korea, China, Taiwan, etc). Long story short, they managed to pass the first match but lost to team S.O.M. (Shirou/Ojisan boy/Mizoteru using Abel/Sagat/Blanka respectively) next, a very strong and reknown team in Japan. It is a shame, but they were happy to admit they lost without regrets. *hugs*

I couldn't record any footage of Xian's team's matches so I've nothing to show, but here's one from youtube of Momochi (Akuma) Vs Mago (Sagat) from the semi finals. Other than Kindevu (Rufus) vs Daigo (Ryu) in the finals, this is probably the most intense match in all of Tougeki 2010:

(Pst... I dislike Mago, and so does Xian. We really don't want him to win you see. Not to mention Xian can't bear to see his idol lose. LOL!!)

Well, for your entertainment, here's the Kindevu vs Daigo finals match. T___T Sigh..... I had really really reeeeeally wanted Daigo to win (so do a million other fans XD), and it didn't help that Xian was totally rooting for his beloved Momochi. Grrrr!! Oh yeah, for those may not know, Kindevu is in the same team as Momochi.

Staying till the end of the SF4 tournament means staying till the end of the entire Tougeki and TGS event, which means I actually didn't get a second chance to re-check out TGS. ^^; But it's okay, I kinda think checking it out once was enough since I'm not interested in queuing up for any of the games. Before we left the hall I found Ono-san (SF4 producer) alone and asked him for a pic, that's about it. XD

== Day 5 ==

Our flight back to Singapore was in the late evening and we had to check out of the hostel at 10am, so we were free to go anywhere in the few hours in between. Everyone had breakfast together at a nearby restaurant, but after that Xian and I left the group to go to Akihabara for some shopping, my shopping. LOL. I'm lucky that the station we stayed closest to is not far from Akihabara, or I wouldn't have had the chance to shop for my toys at all. XD Lots of thanks to Xian for helping me drag my luggage all over the place!! >_<!! *hugs*

We only had about two and a half hours so it'd be impossible to re-explore all of Akihabara's otaku spots. But very fortunately the one place I know that has a ton of toy shops is just a few steps away from the south exit of Akihabara station so I raided the place, got what I could and then proceeded to leave for the airport at around 2.30pm. And that's... pretty much it. ^^;; There's really not much to say/write about when it comes to an Akihabara shopping day.

Anyway, conclusion is, Tougeki was very fun. Loved it lots. You just don't get that kind of gaming atmosphere anywhere, and definitely not in Singapore. It's a great experience for all fighter gamers, you should have been there too. ^_~ Best of all, Tougeki is bloody effin' SMOKE FREEE!!!! YESSSSS DUUUUUDE!!!!!!!!! SMOKE FREE. Ameeeeeen~~!!!!!!!!!

Super random note: If I were to note one thing about Japan I really hate other than the fact that arcades aren't smoke free, it's the fact that finding a garbage bin is like finding kyptonite. Fuckin hell.

OMG.... It's been another two months since I've touched this blog... T_T To be honest there were a number of things I was actually going to write about. I finished Ryu ga Gotoku 4 near end of July and was gonna write a review but I went back to Indonesia for a week of holiday and then I got lazy to write. >_>; In Indonesia I finally got me a PSP and started playing DJ Max Clazziquai and actually itched to write a sort of review on it but when I came back to Singapore I got too lazy again LOL.

After coming back to Singapore, the unexpected KOF XIII phase came around. I started going to the arcade to try out the newly released KOF XIII game. Little did I know that this little change was gonna somewhat change my life a few weeks after. x_X This phase has lasted 6 weeks and is still running. Sigh... I must really have a lot of fate with this game that's already once changed my life as a kid. XD

Above is a screenshot of the character selection board for KOF XIII. Those circled in green are those I like using the most, and the blue ones are those I'm comfortable enough at using but aren't as good as the green ones. Those greyed out are those I have no clue how to use and those greyed + crossed (Daimon & Raiden) out are those I really have no intention to learn/use.

KOF XIII is fun, of cos it's mostly becos I play it at the arcade with a bunch of friends which enhances the experience by a thousand times. Though to be honest, the trigger that led me to give it a try was simply becos of K'. When I saw his new in-game sprite / stance I was like omggggggg *drooooolssss* Totally enough motivation to start it =D