Before I begin, yes I do see a bit of silliness and futility in writing such an extensive post about vidya gaems when there's so much many other serious things going on in the world right now, but I'm really not the best person to write about those sorts of things.  You want reflections on the mortgage crisis and beyond?  Go read James' blog.  You want elitist entertainment commentary?  Stay tuned rightchere….

Without further ado, let's jump right into it:

STREET FIGHTER IV:

Since I last posted about this beast, SFIV has found its way into a few arcades in the US (though none around here that I'm aware of), and it looks like we have a fairly impressive roster.  Apart from the original 12 "World Warriors" from SFII and the brandy new quartet of fighters (lightning-wielding vixen Crimson Viper, the Rey Mysterio-inspired El Fuerte, French MMA dude Abel and the… uh… horizontally superior Rufus), we also have Akuma (no big surprise there), a new boss in Seth (who looks a lot like Urien from SFIII) and the premiere of Gouken (the guy who trained both Ryu and Ken).  What's more, the home version, slated for February, has some sweet exclusive characters: Cammy, Fei Long, Dan and Sakura!  The biggest complaint thus far is that that there are too many Ryu-type characters, which I can sympathize with, even though those are the characters I seem to be best with.  Hopefully the new characters, along with the new spins on the old ones, will bring a fresh enough experience that offers something for everybody.  As far as replay value, Capcom is following the example of Tekken and Virtua Fighter with the addition of unlockable costumes and accessories.  Sounds like fun… I've already seen a version Balrog all decked out like Apollo Creed… lulz.

Never been the biggest Balrog fan, but in all the footage I've seen thus far he looks like a complete and total badass!

BATTLE FANTASIA

I picked this one up for the Xbox 360 a few weeks ago.  Here's the rundown.  Draws: Made by Arc System Works, creators of the Guilty Gear franchise; 2D gameplay with 3D characters and graphics; charming storybook art style with a JRPG spin.  Setbacks: Each character has a unique set HP count, making the game imbalanced; none of the dialogue in the story mode was translated, so unless you really like subtitles over high-pitched Japanese dialogue you're bound to get a little irritated; and overall there's not much variety in the characters and fighting isn't all that in-depth.  While it is a fun game and I'm not sorry I bought it, there is definitely room for improvement.

TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM

Here's an interesting one, and one we'll probably never see in the States.  Don't feel bad if you've never heard of Tatsunoko, but they have made a bunch of animes since the 60s, such as Speed Racer, Robotech and Neon Genesis Evangelion to name a few.  This one's been called "the spiritual successor to the 'Marvel vs. Capcom' series," and like SFIV, it's got a "2½D" art style.  That means we can expect huge screen-filling moves and 100-hit combos, only this time it's with next-gen HD graphics.  The messed up thing is that, while it is confirmed for home consoles in Japan, it's gonna be exclusive to… the Wii?  I don't get it either.

That is what a hadouken oughtta look like!

BLAZBLUE: CALAMITY TRIGGER

I'm salivating over this game.  Yet another Arc System Works game, this one has the look and feel of Guilty Gear written all over it, but with a few new spins: One, this seems like more of a "normal" game with traditional anime-style characters that aren't quite as over-the-top; and two, they're really revolutionizing the 2D art style!  The game boasts the highest res 2D sprites ever in a game set behind some wicked sweet looking 2D-3D backgrounds.  Simply put, the game looks effing gorgeous!  No clue when BlazBlue will be available for home consoles (it's not even out in the arcades in Japan yet!), but thus far it's a PS3 exclusive.  Well, I've got that covered.  My sister made me an offer I couldn't refuse ($250 for a 40 gig system, four games and two controllers), so I'll be able to beat some asses once I can manage to break myself from Little Big Planet (a blog on that one to come!).

Resist the temptation to lick your computer monitor.

KING OF FIGHTERS XII

Speaking of "no clue when it's coming out," it looks like SNK has finally decided to get with the times a little bit.  While not nearly as jaw-dropping as BlazBlue, KOFXII still has some pretty sweet HD graphics.  Not much word on the game's roster or of any new characters (no KOF roster update is ever that earth-shattering), but the word is that it'll be a smaller, more refined group of fighters.  Fine by me, because I rarely use half of the characters I'm given in those games!  This is a 360 exclusive, so expect me to make fools hum-bell with Iori over Xbox Live!

A decent handful of distractions to look forward to, I'd say.  There may be a few more to add to the list from Arc System Works, such as Sengoku Basara X (a ASW/Capcom split effort… interesting…) and Hokuto No Ken (aka Fist of the North Star), but chances of those reaching American shores and pretty slim.  Anyone who wants to find out more about these and other upcoming fightan gaems should go to http://www.fightersgeneration.com/.

Expect a new blog (a Little Big one) in a few weeks.  In the meantime, I have new interviews on Peacedogman with HORNA and BIRDS OF AVALON.  Check 'em out!