Capcom just sent us a lovely little email detailing some of the contents in the new update to “Street Fighter IV”; “Street Fighter IV – Championship Edition.” The name size increase in the title is geared towards “serious players”. I am puzzled by that statement because many would agree that those trial and challenge mode challenges aren’t meant for scrubs. The new mode will expand the game by offering players the chance to compete in tournaments and to watch replays of the best tournament matches. That’s awesome, now we can see worldwide beat downs and share it with friends. No word on how the sharing of said beat downs may occur though but expect to see rampant video postings of “look I can do this combo” and such on the internet.

I know what you’re saying, “damn, another add-on!” Well fret not Wondering Warrior, it comes at no cost. The Championship Mode update will be available for both PS3 and Xbox 360 owners on Friday, April 24 (times TBD) for free. There will be 5 different grades of tournaments – “creating the right challenge for players of every skill level”. You will score points for tournament wins, and as your total points grow you’ll get the chance to enter into bigger tournaments.

This was something that should have been in the game but I’m guessing since this is all network harmony stuff, it takes time to be developed. The good thing is, as we’ve mentioned before, users with great connections can have a wonderful time online with SFIV when two users have a good connection. It will be interesting to see how Capcom maintains this trend. Winning tournaments will also net you Championship Points (CP). CP is like “prize money” up for grabs in the tournament. “The higher the GP skill of the players in a particular tournament, the bigger the CP prize” notes Capcom. Each network will have some unique features though (PSN and XBOX LIVE):

• On the PlayStation Network, you can rate matches while you watch according to characteristics such as “awesome” or “funny.” Replays are then ranked based on these vote ratings.
• On Xbox Live, instead of rating the matches, you can choose to download and save your favorite replays to study the players’ techniques. You’ll also be able to turn on the input commands from both players to be able to review their button and joystick motions in precise detail.

Add a few new characters while you’re at it, and also provide those costumes in a bundle pack with an overall discount and several users will be playing this title for some time. Perhaps what’s missing from the game are Custom Unranked Matches. I say custom because it would be interested if we could re-create those funky Time Trial and Survival Challenges for play online; no supers, no ultras, auto-charge, auto-heal, and invisibility. That only proves that there’s room for improvement for this still classic brawler.

The Resident Evil franchise has always been a cash cow for Capcom, and for a good reason – good games, especially ones about zombies, usually sell a lot of copies. The survival horror genre may have already existed in 1998, but the original “Resident Evil,” arguably, brought the genre into the limelight. While the “RE” franchise may be known mostly for its scare factor, and thrilling cutscenes, it’s also known for its longevity. In 2005, Capcom took a series in dire need of a transformation, and gave it a makeover that resulted in critical acclaim, the world over, with the release of “Resident Evil 4.” Thus, the bar has been set extremely high for “Resident Evil 5,” and while it’s a worthy addition to the storied franchise, it will ultimately fail to achieve what its predecessor did 4 years ago.

“Resident Evil 5” stars series veteran, Chris Redfield, and his partner/newcomer Sheva Alomar. Without giving away any of the game’s secrets, some other characters from the series’ past will make appearances as well. Hopefully, by the time you play “RE5” you’ll still in the dark about most of major plot points, event hough Capcom could’ve done a better job keeping certain things under wraps. If you are lucky enough to have avoided either leaks or hints about the game, the story will not disappoint you. A new company has overtaken the role of the Umbrella Corporation, and is manufacturing a new wave of horrific bio-organic weapons (B.O.W.’s). “RE5” also includes its fair share of mysterious, yet memorable characters, many of which are up to no good. The game does emerge a little on the short side, but its length never becomes a noticeable problem, as one can complete its six levels in roughly 10 hours, and still have a satisfying experience, since the action seldom lets up.

One impressive feature of the game is the amount of series history it offers. Not only will many dangling plot lines from previous games be answered, but there is a myriad of information uncovered about many of the characters and events from past games in the form of files and debriefings. While it wouldn’t hurt to have played a “Resident Evil” game prior to “RE5,” you’ll definitely have the chance to catch up on the franchise’s storied history, provided you have the willpower to read all the information presented. The game also comes with a complimentary coupon to get your head checked in case you haven’t played a “Resident Evil” game before.

The gameplay for “RE5” is its greatest strength, and weakness. A “Resident Evil” game finally has co-op, and it works blissfully, feeling like a game that was made fore two people. Numerous amounts of enemies take cooperation and coordination to take down, and it’s completely satisfying to do so with a friend. However, purists may argue that this is a franchise made for one, and for those without online, or a buddy willing to put in the time, problems may arise. Every so often your partner Sheva’s AI starts acting like its missing a few screws, and while she rarely is the cause of death, she sometimes feels like deadweight. While the solo experience is fine, it simply doesn’t match that of playing with a friend.

Most of the game’s controls deviate very little from those seen in “RE4,” and the formula still works great. The tank controls have always been a slight pain in the ass, but that seems to be a “RE” staple, and it’s nothing you won’t be able to get past after the first ten minutes. Controlling Chris and Sheva soon becomes second nature, and the combat is as gritty and pleasurable as ever before. The weapons are a fairly standard “RE” affair, with your rocket launchers, magnums, and shotguns all thrown into the mix, but the game does offer some brutal weaponry if you’re willing put in the time to earn them. Boss battles, another “RE” cornerstone, are frantic and intense, and, for the most part, never disappoint. There were a few scenarios where strategies for toppling end-level foes weren’t abundantly clear, but with enough experimentation you’re likely to survive.

“RE5’”s biggest downfall comes in the final third of the game, where the infected suddenly wield guns, and force you to use cover. You may remember in “RE4” the machine gun Ganado, they’re also present here as well, but are accompanied by a throng of baddies that carry other weapons as well. During these segments, the game throws you into situations that are very similar to that of “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune,” and feel thrown in to appeal to the action gamer junkie. However, in reality, they destroy any cohesiveness between the beginning and end of the game. Since you don’t encounter these scenarios until the later half of the game, you’re forced to adapt to this new mechanic amidst some of the more demanding parts of battle. This truly is the game’s biggest letdown, because it results in a loss of that “Resident Evil” feel, and substitutes it for the feeling of playing a generic, bargain bin action game.

With all that said, “Resident Evil 5” is still damn fun to play. With a huge amount of unlockables, the return of Mercenaries mode, and the addition of co-op, you’d be a fool not to give it a try. Graphics, sound, and replay-wise; everything is all there, but if you’re looking for something as memorable and genre-defining as “RE4” you’re likely to walk away disappointed. Hopefully, Capcom will work out the kinks by the time “Resident Evil 6” rears its head, but if they keep straying away from what made the series popular, which was delivering unforgettable scares, and instead continue to cater to the action adventure crowd, the “Resident Evil” franchise has its darkest days ahead.

[Rating: 4/5]

“Resident Evil 5″ was released on March 13th, for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. This review is based on the PS3 version of the game.

#8 on TGH’z Top Black Video Game Characters list goes to Balrog from Street Fighter

What in Sam’s hell is a Balrog? That’s what I wanna know. Well he’s the Mike Tyson look a like from the WORLD FAMOUS Street Fighter 2 franchise. Initially making an appearance as an unplayable ‘boss’ character in Street Fighter ll, fans immediately recognized his likeness to a certain Iron Mike Tyson. The Japanese developer went so far as naming him M.Bison in their version of the game.

M.Bison in the U.S. is known as the final red beret wearing boss. I would get into the complicated name trickery used in both versions but that would just confuse the hell out of you. You can read it here wiki.

Over time this character has gone from unplayable boss to laying the smackdown on people with a huge punch. Be sure to check him out in the latest version of Street Fighter that dropped today. Street Fighter IV

So by now most of you know Capcom has dropped the grand daddy of all Street Fighters, Street Fighter 2 HD remix on Xbox Live and the PlayStation network. I don’t need to explain how hot game is and why you should cop it (just do it, you wont be disappointed).

What some of  you may not know, is  the sweet treat that PlayStation owners can get once the download the game (which is $14.99). Capcom has managed to gather some top underground hip hop talent to produce some free original tracks inspired by the classic Street Fighter games. Providing some of the sick tracks are artist like Redman, the Hieroglyphics crew, Zion I, Dj Qbert, Dj Toure and others. This is the stuff i love to see , a hot mix of hip hop music and gaming. If you want to get a sampling of the tracks head over to there myspace page and check’em out! Props to Capcom for doing this…now what about those Xbox360 owners?

The first official next-gen success, Dead Rising is making it’s way onto the Wii as revealed in the latest issue of Famitsu magazine. So far the games looks to be a port of the 360 version with the addition of wii-mote and nunchuk enabled controls.

From the screen shots, the controls look to be identical to what was created for Resident Evil 4 Wii edition. And seeing how that title easily broke the coveted million benchmark on the Wii faster than it did when released on the Game Cube, Capcom obviously took note and decided to bring it’s next zombie success over to the Wii.

I for one thought the game was pretty good for an Xbox 360 launch title and a new zombie game from Capcom. But the one thing that turned me off was it’s broken save system. It made the game un playable at times and kept me from going back. Hopefully Capcom took note of that as the community flooded them with complaints of the save system. There is a screen of the save menu located in the scan and hopefully that means they are addressing that previous issue. Also from the looks,it does a fine job of keeping up with it’s next-gen brother even though the game is about 2 years old.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Dead Rising, you play as a freelance photographer sent to a town in nowhere middle America and end up being trapped inside a mall surrounded by zombies ala John Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. The game included a pretty good level up system in which you read magazine to acquire different skills and improve your stats. Also a big mechanic in the game was the fact that you could use literally anything as a weapon. From flower pots to frisbees. If you saw it, you could use it.

Anyone that’s a fan of the survival horror genre or zombies in general would have a blast with this game and it makes a welcomed edition to the Wii’s mature library. As always, we’ll have more info on the game as it is released here in the states.

Check the the bullet points straight from Capcom plus some images from the game below.

 Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop includes the following features:
• Utilizes the same engine as Resident Evil 4 Wii edition.
• New level of interaction – aim and fire guns, swing and throw weapons and shake off zombie attacks with added Wii Remote functionality
• Huge environment – expansive indoor and outdoor areas of the mall provide a variety of different locations to explore
• Improved save functionality allows for more seamless gameplay
• Hoards of enemies on screen at once resulting in non-stop, pulse-pounding action
• Anything in the mall is at Frank’s disposal
• Grab environmental objects like umbrellas and benches to use as improvised weapons
• Snatch items from different stores to use as weapons including golf clubs, lawnmowers, frying pans and more
• Consume food and drink to revive health 

I think I’m not alone when i say HELLZ YES! about friggin’ time! When the original Res Evil movies were announced way back, I and a lot of fans were excited as hell.  When they finally made it to the big screen the excitement didn’t exactly follow.

But before I go on, I should give some props to the first flick as it stayed pretty much to the plot of the first game while introducing some new elements. As for the second and third film, not so much. So in comes Capcom with an all new fully CG film starring some familiar faces, Res Evil 2’s Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Entitled Resident Evil: Degeneration, the story takes up some 7 years after the famous zombie outbreak incident in the now destroyed Raccon City.We find our two main hero’s trapped in an airport where terrorists have released the deadly T-virus upon unsuspecting civilians.

And as you could imagine all hell breaks loose. From the what’s shown from the trailer below this looks to right all the wrongs the live action movies has done to the franchise. I’m excited and can’t wait! The film will be hitting theaters in japan (they get all the fun) in 2009 and onto dvd and blu-ray here in the states. So who’s excited once again?!

Unit out…

Fast forward to today the fight continues but this time in Africa and with a different organization cooking up some evil stuff. The Res Evil series has defined the horror genre on consoles and looks to up the ante in its 5th installment. With sick graphics and some intense gameplay you guys have got to put this on your list of games to get! Unfortunately we’ll have to wait till next year for some zombie blasting fun, but in the meantime peep the new vids below.

Unit out…