I got my Pelican Universal this week.

I was a little unsure about whether it was worth buying or not since I've heard mixed opinions about it but so far I'm satisfied with it, and in addition it only cost me $20 (what a lucky bastard I am, huh?). The stick is very responsive and so are the buttons; I've been able to pull off pretty much every move (even though I'm a lot more used to pads than sticks) and unlike other sticks I've tried, I can parry quite well with this one. Concave buttons feel weird, though.

I used to have Marvel vs Capcom 2 but I sold it. I didn't like the game because of balance issues. Today I got another copy of Marvel vs Capcom 2; I decided to give the game a second chance. I've watched a lot of videos as well as read a lot of material on MvC2 and considering that MvC2 is played at Evo2K every year, maybe the game is worth playing even with all of its glitches, overpowered characters and balance problems. I'll try to learn the game, combos, strategies, mix-ups, etc, and maybe after understanding the game's fighting system hopefully I might actually enjoy playing MvC2.

Last night I spent some time playing Guilty Gear X2 #Reload. I used to have Guilty Gear X2 for PS2 but I sold it after I got GGX2#R for Xbox. I hadn't spent much time playing GGX2#R but last night I found out some interesting differences between the Xbox and PS2 versions. The PS2 version has 50 missions while the Xbox version has 100 missions (all 50 missions contained in the PS2 version, which are pretty freaking hard, plus 50 extra missions, which are for the most part easier than the missions from the PS2 version) last night I played Mission mode for he first time in the Xbox version and I finished 20+ missions. In survival mode, in the PS2 version daredevils show up every 10 levels while in the Xbox version daredevils show up every 20 levels. BTW, last night I played survival mode for the first time in the Xbox version and I got to level 360 (Sol Badguy kicks ass, yeah!), thus unlocking the EX versions for most characters. GGX2#R is an awesome game, the only complain I have is regarding the Xbox controller-s***. That's the worst controller ever for fighting games. Once I get a decent controller I'm planning on going online.

Yesterday I got my Pelican Universal Arcade Stick

It seems to be a good stick overall. I'm used to play fighting games using d-pads (PS2 d-pad to be more specific) so I'll need some time to get used to the stick. The fact that it's a universal stick (PS2, Xbox, GC) makes it very convenient. There is even a slot for Xbox memory card/headset. The button layout is just perfect, works great for 4-button games like KOF and GG as well as for 6-button games like SF. The stick feels a little weird, like you have to move it firmly in order for it to respond. I can pull of any move on the PS2 d-pad but sometimes I had trouble pulling of some moves on the stick; maybe it's because I'm not used to the stick. I'll have to play it for a few more days and see how things go. Aside the fact that I'm not used to the stick, it works very well on both PS2 and Xbox (I don't have a GC so I can't say anything about it). I'll give it a few more days until I get used to the used before going online, I don't want to get my butt kicked online because of control issues.

I got Capcom vs SNK 2 EO for Xbox yesterday and I spent a good few hours last night with it. First of all, Xbox controller sucks for fighting games; the d-pad feels weird and the button layout is just plain horrible. Gameplay wise, the Xbox version isn't much different from the PS2 version except that they took out roll cancel and added super cancels in P-groove. Graphics are exactly the same as the PS2 version. As for sound, almost every match either the music or the sound effects would cut off for no reason, I don't know if that has anything to do with the fact that my TV is monoaural; I've never had that type of problem with the PS2 version. I haven't played it online yet, I'll wait for my arcade stick to arrive, I don't want to get my ass kicked online because of a bad controller. Overall, I'd say the only good thing about the Xbox version is online play, other than that the PS2 version is better. However, I'll have to spend more time with the game before getting to final conclusions about the game.

I ordered Capcom vs SNK 2 EO (Xbox) and Guilty Gear X2 #Reload (Xbox). I already both games on PS2 but I decided to get the Xbox version because of online play. They should be in my mailbox sometime this week.

Games I'm planning to buy next: Rallisport Challenge 2, Crimson Skies, Street Fighter AC, Dead or Alive Ultimate (all for Xbox).

So, E3 is over.

E3 2005 was probably the most exciting E3 ever; 3 new consoles revealed in addition to many awesome games. As a fighting game fanatic I was expecting good fighting games to be shown at E3, of course.

The company that really got my attention was SNK. They had KOF94 Rebout, KOF2002/2003, KOF: Maximum Impact, KOF: Neowave, & Samurai Shodown V, all for Xbox, and they all will be online enabled. I really like 2D fighting even more than 3D and considering that game publishers aren't too excited with 2D gaming these days I was really pleased to see that I have what to look for in the future. KOF2002/2003 & KOF: Maximum Impact have been released for the PS2 in USA but they don't have online play; KOF94 Rebout & Samurai Shodown V have been out in Japan for PS2 for a while but it looks like they'll be released only on Xbox in USA. I was watching the stage demo for SSV with the SNK guys and they said that SNK has plans of releasing more games only on Xbox and they want all of them to have online play. When I heard that I was really excited; finally somebody is bring the dreams of many fighting gamers to reality. I'm glad I got a Xbox and I'm really looking forward to play those games.

I also like racing games and shooters so I was watching for those games too. As for racing games, NFS: Most Wanted and Burnout Revenge were the games I was interested the most. Developers have finally heard the cry of many gamers (including myself ) and they've brought cops back to NFS. NFSMW looks pretty amazing from the videos I've seen (I felt my adrenaline level going just by watching all of those cop cars after the racers, I'm imagining how is going to be like when I get to play that game). I haven't seen any exotic cars in the videos or screenshots so I'm wondering if they'll include cars like Ferraris and Porches (EA please include exotics in this game!) or only crappy cars like in the NFSU games. After watching the stage demo of Burnout Revenge, I think there is a very good it will be even better than Burnout 3. The new Revenge mode seems to be pretty good (being able to takedown traffic cars will certainly add something new to the game).

In the shooter section, the ones that got my attention were Killzone 2 and Unreal Tournament 2007. Some people said that the reason that Killzone isn't a good game is because the PS2 hardware isn't powerful enough to handle it. Well, if that is true developers will have the chance to prove that with Killzone 2 for PS3. I don't expect Killzone 2 to be Halo killer but I have high hopes for this one. UT2007 also looks promising. The PS3 demo was fantastic, a great display of what the PS3 can do. UT2007 will probably be one of the best launch titles for PS3.

Of course, we cannot forget about the next-gen consoles. I watched both the Sony and Microsoft press conferences and WOW... those aren't just game systems, those are super machines! I was really impressed with all that the Xbox360 and the PS3 can do. Bsically you have a game system, a CD/DVD player, a MP3 player, photo viewer and so forth, all in one box. This all is really awesome but the big question in my head as well as in many other players heads is "how much are next-gen systems going to cost?" I mean, yes, they can do a lot of stuff but if they cost US$500+ many people would rather get a new PC, since a PC can be upgraded. I don't think PS3 or Xbox360 will launch at US$300 like their predecessors considering all the things they can do but hopefully Microsft and Sony will launch their systems at a reasonable price.
Another question is about backward compatibility. Sony announced that PS3 will be backwards compatible with PS1 &PS2 games. That sounds really awesome however, in all the PS3 pics I've seen around, I didn' seem memory card slots in any of them which brings the question to my mind: "how do we load PS1 & PS2 game saves to the PS3?" I mean, there's no point in playing PS1 or PS2 games on the PS3 if we can't load our saves on it. There were some threads about that subject in the GS PS3 forums but so far Sony hasn't said anything about it.
Microsoft announced that Xbox360 will be backwards compatible with "selected Xbox titles." "Which titles?" we wonder. There were some rumors that Microsoft would release Xbox360 compatible versions of certain Xbox titles but everything else wouldn't be playable on Xbox360, and that once again makes the backwards compatibility feature kind of pointless.

Even tough there are unanswered questions about next-gen systems I'm really looking forward to get my hands on them. I'm also looking forward for several games that were shown at E3. E3 2005 was just 3 days long but those were great 3 days, at least for a game freak like me :D .

My Xbox arrived today. I played PGR2 and UC2 for a while and they seem to be pretty good. I got get one more controller and some more games.

Yesterday I played Time Splitters: Future Perfect online for the first time (finally I had time to play online). First of all, I knew I suck at shooters but I didn't know I was THAT bad!!! I was dying every 10 seconds or so. I was barely hitting the other players. I need a lot of practice. There were very few games going on which was very disapointing (that was around 6:00PM eastern time). There are lot of maps available for download online but I haven't downloaded any yet. I'll probably download some maps soon as well as share mine (I'll have to make some maps first).

I've been willing to buy a Xbox in a long time but I never did so because of financial reasons. These past Tuesday I ordered a Xbox controller and Project Gotham Racing 2, both items arrived yesterday in excellent condition. I also ordered Unreal Championship but it hasn't arrived yet. This morning I finally found a Xbox for a decent price at Ebay, I bid 30 seconds before the auction ended and I won, Xbox with 2 controllers, all hook ups and IHRA Drag Racing 2004 (looks to be a pretty crappy game so I'll probably sell it), everything for $138 shipping included, nice deal wasn't it?

Hopefully it will be at my mailbox sometime next week, I can't wait to play it. I want to get Xbox Live but I don't know if or when I'll get it (paying for online play isn't worth it unless I play online regularly). Next on my buying list, I'm planning to get a fourth controller and Crimson Skies. Other Xbox games in my wish list: Dead or Alive: Ultimate, Rallisport Challenge 2, King of Fighters: Maximum Impact Maniax.

Having both PS2 and Xbox will give me more options as now I'll be able to play exclusives from both systems and I also will have the choice for which version to get for multi plataform games.

Next step: start saving money for PS3 & Xbox 360 :P