Street Fighter 2 - SNES

In an effort to go along with the times, I picked April to be the month to talk about fighting games. With the release of the much talked about Street Fighter 4, I find myself thinking of all the hours I spent playing fighting games with my Junior High friends. 

Street Fighter 2 was not just a game, it was a phenomenon. It was at every arcade center and every home (when the SNES version came out). I lived on top of a small convenience store and day and night I could hear the haduken's and shouryuken's being punched out on the arcade sticks. It was part of the 90's. If you grew up at that era, you or someone you know were hooked on that game. It literally created the genre of fighting games. For the longest time before that, games like Final Fight and Double Dragon were labeled as fighting games, for they were side-scrolling games that you fought in. But Street Fighter changed that, it was a 1-on-1 fight to the end ~ with NO JUMP BUTTON. The idea of using UP for jump was so new. Of course it's natural to us now. But those guys at Capcom really were on to something. And six buttons? That was probably the only game that had that at the time. 

Now the part that I loved about Street Fighter 2 was that there was an incredible balance in the characters of the game. We all know and love Ken, Ryu, and Guile, but if one put effort into learning the other five: Chun Li,  Zangief, Dhalsim, Blanka, and E.Honda, they could be formidable too. Each had their strengths and weaknesses. I've seen Zangief players crush Ryu types, and I've seen Chun Li players lay waste to Guilde players. It was a wonderful game. 

The game went into some craze about sequels, spawning titles such as Champions Edition, Turbo, Turbo 2, Super Street Fighter, etc. But every one of them have their intricacies. Kind of reminds me of the many editions of Windows. 

I spent a lot of time playing the game. Learning combos, block patterns, offensive strategies, etc. Eventually I learned how to use a bit of every character. I think I ended up liking Guile the most, but I'll probably be able to play Ken and Ryu too; like everyone else. I even remember the stupid tricks, like the "handcuffs" freeze from Guile, and the "invisible throw" glitch. Those who know, know what I mean. I met a lot of friends at the arcades, and had my share of beat-downs by kids younger than me.  I still want to play it once in awhile, and I had the chance to re-use those skills three years ago when I started playing it in Japan with my friend Tim. It's odd how playing Street Fighter is like riding a bike. Nostalgia ensues even as I'm writing this. 

Now I if I wanted to put an hour-count on the hours (or days) I spent idling away on Street Fighter 2 and all it's sub-series, it would be close to the 1000's I think. But just for the blog's sake, I'll just say 200 plus. 

Completion: Yes, at all difficulties.

Hours Spent: 200+ hours. 

So when I learned of Street Fighter 4, I was more than happy to welcome it's return. Too bad I don't have a PS3 or Xbox 360. Nevertheless, the heart still hungers for some thumb crunching ass-whooping. Enjoy this trailer from 1up.com. Doesn't the Ryu theme remind you of all the battles of the past?

Street Fighter 4 'Ink Bleed' HD trailer

Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen - SNES

When I first played this game, it was the only game of it's type in 1997, and well, twelve years later, I still feel like it's the only game of it's type. Ogre Battle is a RPG game that acts more like a strategy game. You control parties instead of individual characters and you send them all out from your base to defeat the enemy parties. Your characters have HP, MP, levels, and character class. Naturally there are special characters that have unique abilities. The "new" concept of the game is that you don't actually control your parties in battle, you have to learn their tendencies and just hope that the outcome goes in your favor. It was truly novelle at the time; I consider it like Final Fantasy 12 of today. It also has a great soundtrack with memorable tunes perfect for battle. The way the game is set up and the rich story of how you're the last bastion of light rebelling a giant empire (cliche nowadays?) made it an awesome game for 1997. 

I spent that summer in the 11th grade playing it for the first time. I got through it begrudgingly at snails pace and missed out a LOT of characters. It was also the first game that had good, evil, and neutral meters that reflected your actions in battle. Using your sense of morality, you can dominate over the weak or using weak characters to overcome adversity; creating a good alignment for your campaign. It had like 13 endings and I played it four times. The fourth time, with the help of a FAQ, I finally got it right, the uber ending.

Why did I bring this back up? Because I read this morning from 1up.com that this game is coming back, yes to the Wii as a Wiiware for like $8.00. Great deal for a game that is limited to 25,000 copies in North America. Ebay was selling this for at least $50.00, thankfully most of these games belonged to RPG lovers in the first place so they were kept in good condition. Ogre Battle, celebrated as an "A+" game, has finally made it's way back to our homes. 

I've included a video I found on youtube that shows how some of the battles go. I say don't go watch the ending videos, it spoils the game... even though it's 12 years old. 

Completion: Collected all characters and received rarest ending.

First Run: 35 hrs

2nd Run: 30 hrs

3rd Run: 60 hrs

4th Run: 80 hrs 

Hours Spent: approx. 205 hrs

Romance of the Three Kingdoms III - SNES

A couple of retro-posts from here on. I want to say something about Romance of the Three Kingdoms 3. Not only is it the first RTK game I've ever played, but it's the one that I played the most. I played it so much that I remember the songs, the menus, and most of the character's images. Heck, me and my buddies remembered a lot of the key characters' traits. It was sickening, yet it was a game that we loved. 

The game is simple, build a city, raise an army and reunify ancient China. How hard can that be? Well, according to Koei Games, that structure has led to the publishing of eleven games and counting. I never played the first two, but the this third one really introduced me to simulation gaming. 

The reason why I like this one is because the stuff you did in the "non-crucial" months actually work. Yes, sometimes spreading rumors did decrease your opponents' vassal's loyalty. Yes, you can recruit people from other towns, and if they are the only person in that town, you can take it! Yes, sometimes you can set arson to the enemies' cities, and this does help in a long drawn out war. 

I even remember the slew of fictional characters I put into the game. Insane how the simplest games are the ones you remember. Maybe it's also because I'm Chinese-American that I feel especially connected to this one. 

Completion: Beat the game multiple times in multiple settings
Hours Spent: approx. 150 hrs