Alright class, welcome. This is where you learn about the wonders of gaming. Please sit and enjoy yourself as I bombard you with loads of semi-valuable information. Let's start with the genre that I first played in my gaming experience.

Fighting Games, pt. 1

If there is any genre in gaming that screams action, it’s the fighting game genre. There’s something about that drive to learn that uber-powerful button that brings that sense of determination out of people. There’s also that incredible thrill ride of going crazy on those buttons and watching the characters on screen lose there minds that keeps people dropping those quarters. There have been many great fighting games through the years, and the genre remains as one of the most necessary genres for any platform. Here I will give examples of some noteworthy fighting games for the Playstation 2 (my only platform right now) and explain why they are worth your money and time.

1) Soul Calibur III



Let me spell it out in plain English: Soul Calibur is my favorite fighting game series. Sure there are some technical glitches with the overall balance of the characters (I’m talking to YOU, Raphael with your cheap “B-B-B” attack!), but ultimately, I love because it’s balanced (overall), it’s elegant, and it’s accessible. Those of you who KNOW what the heck an eight-way run system, a clash system, and a guard impact system are will love to strategize your fighting style. At the same time, those of you who just like pressing pretty little buttons really fast will have a blast as well. Add onto this a flurry of innovative weapons and moves, a rather decent plot, the most unlockable content on any fighting game to date, and the most innovative gameplay modes to be witnessed (such as an insanely addictive, real-time, table-top strategy game and a mode that allows players to CREATE THEIR OWN FIGHTER) you have one juicy slab of fighting game goodness. Honestly, the only thing standing between Soul Calibur III and utter perfection is online play.

Official website:
http://soulcalibur3.namco.com/

Intro movie:
http://trailers.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/t_sc3_intro.wmv

Gameplay footage:
http://trailers.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/...ber3_gp2_gt.wmv

Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore



Even though several fighting games present themselves in various creative fashions, they usually have one common gameplay feature: the condition for victory is to fight your opponent until his/her health runs out. This worked fine in the early days of Street Fighter II, but many wanted innovation. The release of Virtua Fighter satisfied this by adding a new victory condition: knock your opponent out of the ring, and you win instantly (this can be found in Soul Calibur as well). Several future games have incorporated this feature, but no franchise did this better then Team Ninja’s Dead or Alive. Seeing as the whole “ring out” feature led to some rather short matches, the team decided to do something different. You can still knock your opponent out of the ring, but instead of ending the match there, your opponent drops to a lower level, loses a good amount of health, your character jumps after him/her and you continue the fight. This feature is what is known as “multi-tier levels”, and it keeps the fights exciting and deep. The game also shines in its counter-attack system. You counter attack, then your opponent counter attacks your counter attack, then you counter attack your opponent’s counter attack that counter attacked YOUR counter attack. It can go on for miles. Add some memorable characters, gorgeous cinematic cut-scenes, and a decent plot, and you have an excellent fighting experience. Add on some less revealing clothes for the “chestacular” female characters, and you have a DECENTLY excellent fighting experience.

Official website:
http://www.tecmogames.com/games.asp?id=12

Gameplay footage (Dead or Alive 4):
http://trailers.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/t_doa4_gp.wmv

Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution



When Sega re-released Virtua Fighter 4 as a Greatest Hit title, the company actually added content to the game while knocking down the price by more than half. And this was already the game most critics considered to be “the best fighting game ever made.” That title’s since been stolen by Soul Calibur III, but Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution is still one the most demanding, complex, and rewarding fighters on the market. By creating fighters and taking them through an exhaustive training regimen, you can build their abilities, unlock new gear, and even teach them to fight on their own – without you ever touching a controller. That’s hardcore fighting action.

Official website:
http://www.sega.com/gamesite/vf4evo/
Trailer:
http://trailers.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/...ghter4_ev_1.wmv


Guilty Gear X2



In the realm of movies, it seems as though traditional hand-drawn animation is being pushed to the wayside as the classier CGI movies are given all the attention. This is echoed in the genre of fighting games, where classic 2D fighting games are dying off while the 3D fighters hog the spotlight. But just as there are people like Hayao Miyazaki and Katsuhiro Otomo who show us that hand-drawn animation can still be a marvelous thing in this day and age, there are people like Capcom and Arc System Works who show us that 2D fighters still have some breath in them. Consider Arc System’s wonderfully insane title, Guilty Gear X2. Those of you who still crave the awesome-ness of 2D fighters (LIKE ME!!) should pick up this disc of nonsense. Learn the bizarre language of “psych bursts”, “faultless defense”, “burst gauge”, and “false Roman cancels.” On top of the innovatively intricate and solidly addictive gameplay features are probably the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous 2D visuals ever crafted by man. The visuals are so amazing, they could possibly give those fancy 3D fighters a run for their money. The high-resolution animations and CGI effects will often times make you think your watching some bizarre and stylish action anime fight scene instead of playing a game. As a major fan of action anime, how could I refuse an experience like that?

Official website:
http://guiltygearx2reload.com/’

Trailer:
http://trailers.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/...ygear_xx_mc.wmv



Marvel vs. Capcom 2:



Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is the ultimate nerd testing system. It answers so many questions that goes through every geek’s head every day. Who would win? Ryu or Magneto? Morrigan or Psylocke? Megaman or The Hulk? All these questions and more are answered in Capcom’s massive 2D fighter, thanks to the inclusion of fifty-six playable characters from Capcom’s classic titles and Marvel’s best-selling comic books. The three-on-three tag team gameplay doesn’t get old either. While sometimes it does seem to be unbalanced with some of the characters moves, the average person will still have a blast whamming at those buttons and watching three insane characters virtually rape some dude onscreen at the same time.

Site:
http://www.fightersgeneration.com/fightgen/games/mvc2.html