Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Overview and Review: Dead or Alive 5 Collector’s Edition (w/pics)


            
Controller shown for scale

            Quite a few years ago, I remember hearing about a fighting game that had breast physics. Honest to goodness breast physics. By today’s standards, such a claim is not a unique thing. Many games now have weight and bounce added to the female characters’ breasts, but back when the original Dead or Alive implemented such effects, breasts in video games were mostly known for their hard-edged polygonal appearance and their rock solid immobility. As amused and as curious as I was, I did not purchase DOA. There were many other fighting games on the market and the new presumably gimmicky breast game was not enticing enough to warrant a purchase.
             That all changed when I saw DOA 2 Hardcore for sale at a ridiculously low used price at Gamestop. The gimmick had finally hit the right price point. I can honestly say that I was VERY pleasantly surprised that the breast physics were merely the hook to get me to start playing the very excellent and fun Dead or Alive.
            Many years later, DOA 5 is using the same exact hook to try and ensnare a market share in a very crowded genre. Let’s see how well the hook part of DOA 5’s Collector’s Edition release holds up.

Contents of Collector’s Edition (Gamestop Exclusive):
1) DOA 5
2) Premium Embossed Steel Case Packaging
3) Exclusive Hardcover Art Book
4) Premium Swimsuit Costumes
5) Official Soundtrack
6) DOA 5 Poster
7) Bunny/Angel Swimsuits (Gamestop Exclusive Pre-Order Bonus)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Exhaustive Overview and Review: Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set (w/pics)





Forward:

            First things first. I have heard many people wondering just who exactly this Collector’s Set is really for. The general consensus seems to be that any Street Fighter fan willing to spend 150 dollars on this Collector’s Set is very likely a big enough fan to already own all of the contents that are included. In other words, only a big fan would want this set, but a big fan is the only one who wouldn’t need it. If one were to only look at the relatively light offering of included games, this general consensus would be 100% accurate. Thankfully, the number of inclusions to this Collector’s Set is vast enough to make it a worthwhile purchase for even the biggest of fans. This is not to say that the absolute biggest of fans will find value within the 25th Anniversary’s pretty boxed set. In fact, there is very little in the way of exclusive content. Much of what is included can be purchased from various digital sources, online or brick and mortar retailers, importers, and second hand markets. The chances, though, of someone actually being enough of a super fan to spend that much time and money on acquiring those items are highly unlikely. And yet, should such a super fan come across this set, it’s easy to assume that he/she would need to own this piece of Street Fighter memorabilia regardless of potential redundancies.
            When it comes to the question of for whom this set is, the answer is simple. It is for fans with 150 dollars to spend. I can assure you that most fans, regardless of how big or small, will find lots of value in Capcom’s Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set. The only question left, then, is whether or not it’s worth the150 dollar asking price. This is a question that can only be answered on an individual level. Hopefully, through this review/overview, I can help potential buyers with that question.
            To start things out, continue on for a ridiculously massive list of this set’s contents.

I Am Street Fighter: A Documentary – Review, Thoughts, and Recollections





I Am Street Fighter is a new documentary from Capcom. For the time being, it is only available as part of a large150 dollar Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set. Said set was released for both the 360 and the PS3; both versions include the documentary on a Bluray disc. The use of Bluray will be something that 360 users will need to consider, as the 360 cannot play Bluray Discs. Thankfully, standalone Bluray players have gone down in price and are now fairly affordable.