Costume GET!

Double Dose of Jill

2009-12-18T05:38:00.000-08:00

I knew the first DLC mission Lost in Nightmares featured Jill Valentine, and now it's been revealed that the second DLC will too! Nightmares is a prequel story to RE5 while Desperate Escape shows you other things that were happening towards the end of the game (I'm trying not to spoil in case folks have held out this long to play).

The first three months of 2010 is packed with hot games, but I'm pretty ready to get back to some RE5.

Looks like I'm getting a PSP in April

2009-12-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

Dead or Alive Paradise will be released for the PSP in Japan April 2nd. My first reaction was "PSP?", but these screens from Famitsu.com have me singing a different tune. The DOA series on the PS2 certainly looked good so I guess I shouldn't be shocked at these screens.

I'm actually surprised they didn't try to squeeze this into a DSi, but glad that the choice was PSP. The storage options for potential DLC is definitely better on the Sony portable. Hopefully, the DLC plan is not to charge insane amounts of cash for automatically unlocking content already in the game. I think it was well over $300 to do so in DOAX2.

No More Heroes Paradise Uncensored

2009-11-24T07:17:00.000-08:00

I played all the way through Killer 7. I played maybe 3 hours of No More Heroes. What happened? Although NMH was far more playable and featured a similarly crazy plot and characters, I just didn't like using the Wii remote. This is a game that was made to be played on a regular controller so I'm ecstatic that a 360 and PS3 port has been announced. It's Japan only for now, but I'd be shocked if someone didn't pick this sucker up for the US. As if that wasn't enough, there are neat extras like saucy costumes in the Very Sweet Mode. Above image is from here.

More Tekken 6 Looking through the art book that came with the limited edition reminded me that there are a ton of outfits I haven't looked at yet. Holy crap, Tekken 6 is even more LOADED with costumes than I initially thought. The balance of outfits is off with some characters getting the shaft while others have a wardrobe that can last years. Looks like I'll be spending a little more time in Scenario mode.

Death by Degrees II aka Tekken 6 Scenario Mode

2009-11-18T06:45:00.000-08:00

Let me explain a few things right off the bat:

1) Death by Degrees was one of the worst games ever
2) I really wanted to like DbD and gave it more chances than it deserved
3) Tekken 6 is very good, great even

With that out of the way, we can get to the rest of this post.

Like most folks, I was very confused playing through the arcade mode because it did not unlock the character ending movies like very previous version. It doesn’t even generate much gold for purchasing items. It’s the Scenario Mode that holds all the goodies and that’s a very divisive decision.

At first I hated the mode. It’s clear Namco put a good deal of production value into it, but the play mechanics of Tekken don’t translate well into the world of the side scrolling brawler. I might have stopped playing if not for the fact that you can change what character you play as after the first mission. Of course I chose Nina Williams. All of a sudden, the mode was…tolerable. I was unlocking outfits that cost tons of cash and they had attributes that altered offense and defense. It’s very similar to the Tower mode thingy (can’t recall the exact name right now) in Soul Calibur IV. Because of this loot element this mode became addictive.

I realized that I was playing the game as if this was the Death by Degrees sequel that never would have been made. I took a short break to play some Modern Warfare 2, but I kept getting pulled back to Tekken 6. There are tons of items to unlock and I’ve only used maybe three different characters so far.

Will you enjoy Scenario Mode? I’ll walk through some observations and tips that may help you decide.

The make-up of attributes you want for a fighter often create an eye sore of an overall outfit. This was true in Soul Calibur IV too. Sometimes it’s amusing, others not so much. This is what my current Nina looks like.

The attributes of clothing items you acquire are ranked by letters with S and A rank items being the best. You can sell unwanted items for money and you’ll often get doubles of the same looking item although they have a different power. This works vice versa with different looking items having identical attributes.

Once you clear all the stages, there really is no need to hang on to any outfits you don’t like. I’m not at that point yet. There is one last stage, appropriately called Nightmare Train, that is very tough to clear without some truly premium attributes. That stage also holds the last character I need to unlock, Devil Jin. After that, I plan to sell the ton of extra gear that my 3-4 characters have accumulated and go shopping for other character looks.

What’s nice is that the purchase screen darkens any items you already own for easy comparisons.

Because clothing items are super expensive, this initially selling off will not cover all the outfits I will want to purchase so it’ll be back to farming for gold and item drops in Scenario mode. In between those times I’ll fight to unlock character ending movies in the Arena found in Scenario mode.

At higher difficulties, using an arcade stick is far superior to using the pad. Enemies block and evade throws more so you really need to bust out the fanciest combos and moves possible. For me that means using a stick. You hold down the farthest right button to run/walk around, otherwise your movements are similar to when fighting close quarters. The button immediately left of that changes the enemy you are locked on to. You really need to switch this as often as possible because the automated way its handled in the game sucks. Sticking close to your AI partner is crucial in getting through many missions on hard mode.

Haven’t played much online, but we play at the office which is way more fun. Currently alternating between Jack 6, Heihachi, and Zafina.

Have Tekken 6 already? Whaddya think?

Sigma 2 DLC

2009-11-13T06:50:00.000-08:00

I saw an update on the PlayStation blog regarding a DLC costume pack for Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and got curious. A quick search revealed what they look like. The Rachel outfit is fun, but also a little bland. Might depend on the mood you're in I guess.

Momiji's outfit looks better, but it also lacks personality. She needs clothes that say "This is the real Momiji and she is ready to rock". Right now it says "I'm going to the lantern festival with friends. I hope there are no bad ninjas there".

Ayane's is probably the best of the lot and I'm not just saying that because it's the sexiest. It's a sassy dress that tells the enemy ninja they are about the get their ass kicked and they will like it and ask more more until dead. The only bizarre touch is her gloves which appear to be the same material as her leg stockings. Come on Ayane, spring for some real gloves next time. Treat youself.

Oh right, there is one more outfit, the white ninja suit for Ryu which was available as a pre-order bonus. The entire pack goes for $3.99. Whenever I pick up Sigma 2, I'm 80% sure I'll pick up this DLC. The chance goes to 100% if I can get Sigma 2 for a good price.

You had me at Jill Valentine (UPDATE)

2009-10-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

This is old news, but Resident Evil 5 Alternate was shown at the most recent Tokyo Game Show. The big hooks are that it will support the new motion wand and contains a new sub-chapter with Jill and Chris. The jury is out on the motion wand thingy, but I’m psyched for this extra story as well as playing as Jill in the main game instead of the special mission modes.

Since Capcom added costumes for the PC version, I’m betting there will be at least one more set for this update. I had an “incident” with my 360 save file so starting fresh on the PS3 is fine by me.

BAYONETTA!
I checked out the PS3 Bayonetta demo via a Japanese account and the game just rocks. It’s going to be very hard to wait till January to play this. Kotaku posted some costumes in the game and they are…um…interesting? I’m not crazy about them, but I’ll take them since they are free (at least they better be)!

The closest thing to it is Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 which I also finally got around to checking out in demo form. Feels pretty much like the first game with minor tweaks. It’s on my watch list for sure. Just depends on when some free time opens up and perhaps any price drops happen.

TEKKEN
According to FedEx tracking, my Tekken 6 box should be arriving sometime today. Very excited to check out the first wireless arcade stick. I have complete faith in Hori that it will be a quality stick. I chose the 360 version since the majority of fighting games in my library are on it (Virtua Fighter 5, Soul Calibur IV, etc). Sort of want a wireless stick for the PS3 too since my copy of SFIV is on that system.

That will have to wait a while till my wallet cools down. Maybe closer to the release of Super Street Fighter IV perhaps. I’m sure the flood of other wireless sticks and fighter pads will be in full force by then.

UPDATE!
More Bayonetta costumes are surfacing. Original source here, which I put on my RSS after being alerted via Kotaku.
Yikes

Little more classy. Sort of.

Sigma 2 now or later...

2009-09-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 for PS3 comes out this week and the internal debating has started whether to pick it up now or later. Pre-ordering from GameStop will net a costume for Ryu and an art book and CD for an extra $10. I was not wowed by the previous CE for Sigma PS3 although this package looks much better.

Guess it all comes down to time and I'm still a long way from finishing Muramasa and messing around with Beatles RockBand. I downloaded the demo for Sigma 2 over the weekend and will try to play it tonight to see if it helps make up my mind.

There are some very cool comparison shots of the 360 and PS3 versions here. Some of it is lighting, but it's obvious the texture work is much improved.

Xbox 360

PS3

Muramasa GET!

2009-09-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

My experience with Odin Sphere informed me that a guide with maps of the levels will be very handy to have and it has proved true so far.

The flow of the game is much better than OS. As far as I know, there are no alternate costumes in the game, but the art direction and overall visual punch clearly put this in the CosGet wheelhouse.

I plan on picking up Ninja Gaiden Sigma II next so it'll be a back-to-back dose of ninja action.

Soul Calibur Broken Destiny...Next Week?!

2009-08-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

Wow this totally snuck up on me since I haven't been paying much attention to PSP news. I still haven't decided to pick up the PSP GO so it would be premature to pick BD up in anticipation.

The wait for Tekken 6 has definitely got me in the mood for a fighter and I'm still not convinced that game should be BlazBlue.

Aside from Beatles Rockband, the September release game I'm super psyched about is Muramasa: The Demon Blade. Being a big Odin Sphere fan and 2D in general, this is about as good as it gets. That cover image from the latest issue of play magazine is bananas. I don't think I can bring that into the house or even keep it at my desk at work.

BlazBlue?

2009-08-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

I had been planning to pick up KOF XII, but all the fan uproar gave me cold feet. BlazBlue has been out for a while now and I’m thinking of giving it a go. Played a ton of Guilty Gear back in the day although it was on a very casual level meaning I never could wrap my head around the high level techniques (or even mid level for that matter).

The art is certainly nice and the characters are entertainingly bizarre. I dunno. Kinda torn. I figure Beatles Rock Band will dominate my time in a few weeks so the window of opportunity is not so large. Above image from Gpara (link is somewhat NSFW)

More Tekken
Catching up on some shots released a while back. October is inching closer.

RE5 PC and Tekken 6 updates

2009-07-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

The PC version of Resident Evil 5 has two new outfits. A mad max style costume for Chris and a business suit for Sheva. I really, really like them both. Wonder if they'll come to consoles as DLC? Probably not right away or for free.

New outfits have appeared for Tekken 6. First up is the EX costume for Zafina. Probably her best look so far.

Next is this pimp suit for Heihachi. This looks familiar, but I can't recall at the moment if this appeared in another form before or if this is all new. Feel like I've seen something similar though.

These last two are for Lily. The schoolgirl outfit is okay, but a bit too similar to her default costume.

Aha, bat wings and an eye patch! Now we're cooking! Sort of. Source of all Tekken 6 pics here.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 art and video

2009-07-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

There is a very cool update on the PlayStation blog from Team Ninja producer Yosuke Hayashi. He reveals a few more details on each of the female players as well as offering large downloadable art. The biggest bonus is the first footage (at least that I've seen) of Momiji in action.

Score another dollar for Tecmo aka Rio Blackjack

2009-06-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

After purchasing DOA Blackjack Kasumi, I noticed Tecmo had another game on the app store. It's basically the same blackjack game, but stars Rio who is big in Japan, not so much here. It was listed for 99 cents so I decided to take the plunge so I could compare the two blackjack offerings (it's back up to $3.99 now). The above shot is Rio's default dealer outfit.

Rio's cowboy outfit is unlocked at the 300 chip mark.

Rio's third outfit is available after reaching 500 chips.

Rio's evening dress is unlocked at 800 chips.

The kung fu gear appears at 1000 chips.

Last, but not least the fetishy maid outfit was unlocked at 1500 chips. At least I think it was. From around the 500 chip mark, I'm not 100% sure what milestones tied into the outfits.

So which game is better? Even though Rio gives you more outfits and images US audiences probably haven't seen, it still comes down to which character you like better. If Rio was $3.99, there is no doubt I would have only bought Kasumi.

One more thing, both games require a lot of your iPhone's resources. You'll often have to power off and power on your phone to free enough memory to prevent crashes. This may not be an issue on the 3GS phones, but it definitely is for regular 3G.

Costumes of DOA Blakcjack Kasumi

2009-06-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

Against my better judgment I purchased DOA Blackjack Kasumi version ($3.99). I shouldn't say it like that because it's not a terrible game at all. A very solid game of blackjack and a decent amount of items to unlock. It just doesn't take very long to unlock everything, even if you play just a few hands here and there. The costume you see above is her default outfit while dealing cards and in the intro screen. (sorry for the crappy pic quality. Hard to get good shots off the iPhone screen)

The player two white ninja outfit is unlocked by reaching 300 chips.

Kasumi's bikini is unlocked at 500 chips.

The last outfit I found was her cheerleader outfit at 1000 chips. I currently have about 2800 chips (that last push to 3000 is taking some time), but so far no more outfits.

I unlocked almost all of her gallery images. It's possible buying up everything could unlock one more thing. Anyone know?

Oh, one more slight embarrassing item (yes more embarrassing than the game itself). The name of the game is shortened on your app screen as "DOA BJ". I'm positive this was intentional.

Tekken 6 fan packs

2009-06-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe Tekken 6 isn’t slated for release till October. To help with the long wait, the official site has downloadable fan kits that feature hi-res art of the characters as well as screens. Some of these show off the alternate outfits for the characters.

I think I’ve seen Anna rock that coat before, but Nina’s outfit looks brand new.

Zafina’s alternate outfit is just as strange as her pose.

Original link via mognetcentral.

Hmmm Black Jack eh?

2009-06-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

$3.99 for a Black Jack app featuring Kasumi with unlockable outfits and costume gallery is a tad expensive considering I just scored Peggle for just 99 cents yesterday. Okay, four bucks isn’t outrageous, but it’s obvious there is going to be an app for at least a few of the other Dead or Alive ladies if not all. That means it comes down to which DOA gal is your favorite and if you like playing black jack.

A cheaper alternative is the Rio Black Jack game also from Tecmo which looks exactly the same except for the character for only 99 cents.

E3 Costume Watch

2009-06-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

I skipped Ninja Gaiden 2 mainly because the gore was a bit too much for me. That aspect appears considerably toned down in the E3 videos of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 I’ve seen. The likelihood of a purchase increased with the news that fan favorite Rachel (and by fan I mean me) would be joining the previously announced Ayane and Momiji (from the DS NG game). I’m guessing Sonia is still in the game since that would alter the storyline.

Rachel’s outfit looks pretty much the same. Only her axe weapon thing received a makeover.

Momiji’s outfit has very strong Kasumi 2P costume influences. It fails if you look at every little costume detail, but I’m okay with it taken as a whole. She really needs an alternate outfit that is more ninja-ish.

Ayane exposes a lot more flesh and gets the requisite random pieces of metal that Ninja Gaiden costumes must have. It lacks elegance and subtlety. Wins minor points for sexiness.

The prospects of picking up Soul Calibur PSP, and also an actual PSP, also increased with the reveal that Kratos is in the game. I actually fired up Soul Calibur IV on the 360 the other night and totally forgot about all those “guest” characters that were included. Will they also be in the PSP version? Yoda and Darth Vader are almost certainly out.

Convince me PSP

2009-05-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

The rumored PSP revision to be unveiled at E3 has me curious, but it would take a lot to get me to bite. The screens for Soul Calibur and Tekken 6 for PSP are a step in the right direction. The character models look great although it’s easy to see the difference from the console versions.

I could opt for Tekken 6 portable instead of getting it on a console since I might have more time to play fighters on the road than at home. Or I could be talked into getting both versions if you could use the same save file between the PS3 and PSP. Especially if there was some unlocking bonus for using both versions.

360 is back - UPDATED

2009-05-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

So the drama is all over and the repaired Xbox 360 is back home. All told it took a little under 2 ½ weeks from the day I mailed the system to the day I got it back. Finding my own packaging instead of waiting for a coffin definitely sped the process up.

Now that it’s back, most of the anger has subsided although I’ll still have to think hard about multi-format versions of games. Gonna tackle the last two Fallout DLC, the Pitt and Broken Steel. I’ve actually got the itch to pop in Rockband 2 which I haven’t played a whole lot of. I have to remember to take some pics of my custom character and the various outfits I earned/purchased. I wonder if the Beatles game will have any of that or if I can import my character into that game? Doubt it.

UPDATE
Some of the anger returned when I remembered that any games installed to the hard drive would have to get re-installed since the model # of system they send you back is different (meaning they send you back the first available repaired 360 and not your own 360). There were only like 3 or so fully installed games, but man it does take a while for each. I also need to re-download any Live arcade titles so I can play them offline. Boo!

Losing costumes from damaged save files and red rings

2009-04-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

During a speed run on RE5 to unlock the rocket launcher, my 360 froze during a save point rendering the file corrupt and wiping out all data. I had wanted to move on to another game so there wasn’t as much anger as there should have been. A few days later, the 360 red ringed. I checked what type and it’s the dreaded internal hardware variety that has to get fixed by MS. My console was still covered since this is my second red ring.

Then I remembered I wanted to snap some shots of the costumes for this blog and the anger returned. Getting all the emblems to unlock Tribal Sheva was a huge pain in the ass and so was unlocking everything in Mercenaries mode. It’s good that the Street Fighter IV DLC was purchased on the PS3 and not 360. I’m trying to see if it’s possible to shift all my gaming to the PS3. The only drawback is that I’m hugely addicted to Fallout 3 and all the DLC is 360 exclusive. I was also in the process of downloading Outrun arcade. Seems MS was wise to shell out the money for exclusive 360 DLC after all.

DLC video and Sheva update

2009-04-07T06:16:00.000-07:00

This link goes to a very good video that shows off all the items you get from the Onechanbara DLC for the Xbox 360. I would embed it here, but that feature was disabled by the uploader. The total package is 1600 MS points ($20) which is way too much for what you get. Half that price and I’m interested again.

I’ve had to do a lot of work related things for Resident Evil 5 which gave me the chance to unlock all the outfits for Chris and Sheva in the main game. I’ll get to the Mercenaries mode eventually because I’d like to unlock the Jill outfits as well. Too bad you can’t play as Jill in the main game. Now that would be a DLC worth purchasing (as long as it featured new cut scenes as well) instead of the versus mode that was just released.

Sheva!

2009-03-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Shots of Sheva's secret costume were posted by Kotaku to add even more anticipation to the release of Resident Evil 5 tomorrow.

It looks like Sheva has two alternate outfits, the one above and another called "Clubbin". Chris also has two outfits as does the other Mercenaries in the game. This short video clip gives a nice glimpse of what's available in the game. There are other videos floating around showing the costumes, but they are filled with spoilers so watch out!

Onechanbara DLC (UPDATED)

2009-03-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

I was checking around to see if anyone had posted a video of the various unlockable Onechanbara costumes since I only want to focus on the ones that look good and came up empty. I did happen upon this DLC listing on the XBL site.

According to some other posts, there are other DLC out there as well. The only catch is they all cost money. Only this Aya "Legacy" costume is free. I'll look into the next time I log in from my console.

Update:
Quick pick from the official site. Also pictured are three characters you can purchase and play as.

Tomb Raider costumes multiplying

2009-03-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

Lara’s Shadow, the second DLC for Tomb Raider Underworld just came out along with the free Designer Costume Pack. That’s a pretty good amount of alternate gear when you count the outfits from the Beneath the Ashes DLC and the two previous free costume packs.

That prompted me to look up how much Underworld is selling for these days. The official price seems to still be around $49, but you can find brand new copies for around $25 on eBay. I would want to get both DLC (800 microsoft points each) so there’s another $20 right there for a total of $45. Not too shabby.

I’m in no hurry though. Street Fighter IV has been keeping me busy. I ended up purchasing the ladies costume pack for that one. Fallout 3 has also been getting some play time as I’m going through the Operation Alaska DLC again, this time with a secondary character. My original level 20 is a guy, but there is an awesome ninja outfit that would look a whole lot better on my level 9 female character.

Then after that, there’s more Onechanbara yet to play. If I’m lucky, there’s maybe a ½ hour of gaming I can squeeze in per night, so Lara might have to wait a while.

Street Fighter IV ladies costume video

2009-02-24T06:21:00.000-08:00

Got forwarded this insane video that documents all the alternate outfits for the SFIV ladies AND how they look with all the colors! Fantastic work.