Daigo drawing a crowd at SVB-20x SFIV casuals

Daigo drawing a crowd at SVB-20x SFIV casuals (other hall)

And to Daigo's right on the next table is Ryan Hart, drawing his own crowd!

Madcatz Shop at SVB 20-x

The soon to be released Chun Li Stick, available on pre-order

SVB 20-X (Before the hordes descended)

SVB 20-x - THE HORDE

Friggin 10am and they’ve just started piling in. Marvel vs capcom 3 is here and anyone can play it! Shame I don’t care lol

Daigo is here, hiding behind the staff desk to avoid the papparrazi.

Madcatz are here too with the limited  edition chun Li stick..

Two new photos, Ryan on one table and Daigo next door!

2.30pm Daigo is getting tired from photos and autograph requests… poor guy.
Groups 20 just gone through, still got 30 odd groups to go!

While PS3 owners may feel sad about XBLA having SNK games such as MOTW and KOF 98UM (albeit with crappy netcode) there may be some solace in the fact the following are available on PSN… Japan.

• ATHENA -Awakening from the ordinary life-
• Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition
• Real Bout Fatal Fury
• Real Bout Fatal Fury Special: Dominated Mind
• Samurai Shodown Kenkaku Shinan Pack
• Samurai Shodown: Warrior’s Rage
• Samurai Shodown III: Blades of Blood
• Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge
• Metal Slug
• Metal Slug X
• The King of Fighters ’95
• The King of Fighters ’96
• The King of Fighters ’97
• The King of Fighters ’98
• The King of Fighters ’99
• The King of Fighters: Kyo
• The Last Blade

Now it is important to note that these are Japanese language games, so don’t go rushing off to get those RPGs if you can’t understand Nihongo.  Otherwise, you can download these games (and a ton others, plus Japanese demos etc) and they will work on your PS3, wherever you are in the world, whatever type of PS3 you have (don’t quote me on that).  The only thing you have to do is create a Japanese PSN account.

Another thing to note is that these are the PS1 versions, and so do not have any online features at all, which is why I am still not going to do this myself.  I’m not bothered by the idea of getting to play Japanese demos of upcoming games – I can wait for the western release.  Of course, if there was a KOF XIII demo, that’d be a different story…  Anyhoo, if you want, here’s a guide:

Nnnng Wild Ambition is a great game… but I don’t have the time for old games now… nnnng… must… resist….

Ok a little off topic, but not quite, as Terry Bogard fits into this, believe it or not.

So, in 2006, Paul Robertson released a short film that was based on a scrolling beat em up.  It makes several nods to the genre, anime and loads of things, with quite bizarre enemies and even more bizarre ways of destroying them.  It is, rather disturbing, and if I may say so, rather awesome.

*READ MORE*

I have this feeling I would actually find this fun.  And I would try to find out the actual storyline, even though it would be complete balls.

Aha, yes, small round things jiggling around… but this isn’t pachislot, it’s traditional one armed bandit gambling.  Is this part of SNKP’s plan to track down fans who tired of video games, sneaking off to gamble while the wife is doing the washing up?  There’s quite a few SNKP pachislot games, you could even buy the OST.  But back to Blue Mary – she must be livid.  Who the hell is that Miss Bogard character, who’s like half Mary’s size (inc. bra size too).  Since when did Terry go for Kate Moss types?  No no no, this just won’t do.  And now, the boss is coming, so I’m going back to work…

*cough*

And then maybe I’ll sneak back and post more filler.

Lucent Heart is an MMO, one of those sprawling online RPGs.  That’s all well and good but er… Kyo’s hair looks a bit off (see below).  And of course, it’s Japanese only.  But why is it that I get the feeling that all the KOF characters would fit into RPGs quite well?  Perhaps it’s because they already were!  But alas, never to be translated.  Oh well.  Speaking of crossovers and licences to use IPs, what about Korea’s KOF Online?  There was another game using KOF characters but the name suddenly escapes me… perhaps it was that mobile phone dating game – which actually did quite well in Japan… Anyperv, you can nip over to Gamania and pick up a nice wallpaper (click under special present) and on the 14th July they’ll be showing Iori and Leona.  Shucks, could be fun!

Check out the Lucent Heart site here

Thx to Yuki Yagami for the heads up.

In other news, it’s quite important really, you’ve voted for me not to finish off the 98 guide.  This is important because you must have realised how little time I have, and it’s quite smart to get me to focus on XIII.  I’m hiding the 98 pages and er… will put on a new poll with something stupid.

It was advertised a little while ago, and here it is now.  Podsumaki is a fighting game podcast that I (Wry Guy, the guy who writes the King of Fighters Love Letter) do on the side with other members of the Destructoid community.  Lots of random banter and smack talk is to be expected, and be sure to not take any of the SNK bashing seriously.  It’s just a friendly hazing type of thing we all do. Please listen and give us your thoughts on the show.

The show doesn’t have the same kind of freedom when posting on Orochinagi compared to Destructoid, so if anyone interested would like to see a much more detailed page featuring contests, prizes, and notes you can follow the episode to its original source.

NGBC was released for xbox live a few days ago, and it has reports of decent netcode.  This is good news if it means that SNK has been working to please the western fans, as I speculated they had to!

Having a quick flick across the mainstream sites, while reviews are not exactly favourable (with IGN making reference to the dire 360 pad as an actual reason not to play the game) they seem to confirm that online play is good.

This can only light a torch at the end of the tunnel for those on the XIII ride… it’s an uncertain journey for us western fans… but as long as the same netcode gets used for XIII, there’s just a little glimmer of hope!

While I was in Hey Akiba and Taito in Asakusa, I threw a few hundred yen into this game.  It’s quite fun, but the difficulty curve is steep!

The controls were fairly straightforward, apart from the Japanese instructions telling you that there are two systems to choose from.  One seemed to be the standard shoot+bomb controls, the bomb giving you invincibility to get you out of those bullet filled corners.  You could also charge up your bomb, at the expense of not being able to shoot.  It was all very KOF like, with SDM type bombs, and lots of speech quotes from the characters.

I remember being able to pick from Kula, Terry, Kyo and Iori, each character having a different spread of fire and bombs, like most shooters.

Flying over the screen with Kula and chucking ice everywhere was quite a blast but I was a little baffled at the generic humanoid fighters that would appear every so often but I suppose in a world of clones and the need to shoot down fighters (not planes) I shouldn’t complain.  I saw a few bonus icons to shoot including Geese and Ryo, which was a nice touch.

Coming up against the bosses you get the cut scene dialogues that you all must have seen by now and don’t understand like the rest of us.  Still, it piqued my curiousity, it seems Athena and various characters get cloned or something.  Getting to fight her, and the other stage boss KOF characters certainly hits you with excitement, if you’re that kind of KOF fan.  Their attacks and specials all pay homage to their character and don’t seem to offend.

After reducing Athena to a wailing poof of smoke, the bullets increased in velocity to a point where gameplay seemed more like tetris at high speed: tap left, a bit to the right, up a bit, lure the bullets this way, down, left, right, BOMB.  It is at this point where I would probably throw my PSP at the wall. It’s really bloody hard.  You can continue, but I felt quite ashamed in an atmosphere where most players were only playing one coin at a time.  Arguably you get more out of the game this way… uhhh….

I’m still wondering how this is going to look on a widescreen hdtv.  It’s got to go horizontal, otherwise there’s going to be one hell of a border on each side of the playing area…

The jury is out on this one, to be honest.  I’m a fighter, drawn to a shooter because of the content, not the gameplay.  I did like Gigawing… but this is… a tad too much for me.  I might well pick it up, but really just for the collection.

I would have liked being able to punch anything that came too close, didn’t some shooter have that kind of feature?

After the Senkaiden Hoshin Engi-esque battle between the two of the most powerful Heavenly Kings of Orochi, Yashiro of the Parched Earth and Goenitz of the Wildly Blowing Wind, at the Mount Kunlun. You fly back to Japan and confront the Big Bad.

However, the Big Bad is found in…

The Strange Space

Wait, what? This is not “The Twilight Zone” is it?

We then fly to the Kagura Coliseum Ruins, the one destroyed by Goenitz in KOF ’96. There, as we fly around the stadium we are already greeted by our dear enemies.

Namely…
Blue varieties of the Nukakayoi, red varieties of the Nukautata, regular and purple varieties of the Nukamukai, green varieties of the Nukaukabu, red varieties of the Nukamodori, Burning People (a.k.a. The Kakatama), which come in four flavors, Grape, Strawberry, Pineapple and Apple, Hahakibas, Hahadokus, Habahones, Habakawas, Kagachiguchi and Kagakoube

While you (and your buddy) are too busy shooting down enemies. Or you and your buddy kill each other in Competitive Mode at this stage. the Stadium slowly changes into a strange dimension. You are slowly sucked into the Strange Space.

As you you are going in to this dimension, there are more and more enemies trying to ambush you along the way. If you are playing the Competitive Mode in this game, this is a golden opportunity to pawn your rival. More enemies, more punishment for your rival.

Finally, you reach to the Strange Space, you are greeted to a familiar place. (Unless you are Kula Diamond… Since, well, she does not appear in this saga in KOF)

A stadium with a seal in the center and is surrounded with eight pillars. That’s Right, this is where you fought the Awakened Orochi Team in KOF ’97.

Then you are confronted by the remaining Heavenly King of Orochi…

Orochi Chris (or Chris of the Flame of Destiny)

The battle starts with him spamming his purple flames against you. He will just do his Daichi wo Haraugouka. When his MAX gauge is full. You must be careful at all costs, unless you are Athena, you can counter with a Psycho Teleport.

After the battle, before you can even celebrate your victory. Orochi Chris gloats about something. Assuming his “Other Self” is just warming up. Then he… changes… into… A One-winged Angel? *smacks someone with a giant paper fan*

This guy! Orochi itself

The real final battle begins…
He’ll just spam his Harae, his Honosusori and his Oomiwa, so be careful. Same can be said with his MAX Attack (Marukare). Good luck with this ultimate battle.

Once you beat Orochi…

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
You have cleared KOF SkyStage. Now enjoy your ending (depending on your character or your partners, if you are in Cooperative Mode) and watch the credits roll.

You’ll just realize that Mai is now voiced by Kallen Stadtfeld’s seiyuu (now all we need now is a picture of Mai and Kallen doing a symmetrical docking while shouting “NIPPON ICHI!”).

But, But, BUT!!!
If you fought like a true danmaku Master (to a degree that you cleared Mushihime-Sama Futari in Megalomaniac Difficulty). I like to quote the Real Bout Special Announcer…

“Well Done! You’ve Come a long way. But don’t rest on your laurels yet, the World of Roughness awaits…”

See you in the Epilogue…

Unintentional Plugging… Coming Soon at your PSPs near you…
An “Expansion” of KOF SkyStage…

NeoGeo Heroes Ultimate Shooting…

Join the SkyStage Regulars, along with Marco Rossi (Metal Slug), Akari Ichijo (Last Blade), Iroha (Samurai Shodown) and the female A.S.O. pilot. to travel in various times to retrieve Dr. Brown’s (World Heroes) time machine and stop DAMD (the organization behind NEO DIO) from altering time.

This game features the NeoGeo Heroes game, Challenge Mode (featuring Survival and Subject Modes), SkyStage Mode (PSP port of the game I’m writing, this has game options this time) and a Museum Mode (image and music gallery).