Subculture Times Xbox One Unboxing - quick impressions

Subculture Times Vs. Long Beach Comic Con 2014

Ultra Street Fighter IV (PS3/Xbox 360/PC)

Ultra Street Fighter 4 has finally landed on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360, although it is only available through digital download for now. The fifth installment of the Street Fighter 4 series, Ultra Street Fighter 4 comes to homes full of balance changes, five new fighters, and some modes previously unavailable. 

The new updated roster and balance changes bring in a fresh breath to both the casual, and competitive scenes. Imported from Street Fighter X Tekken, Elena, Rolento, Poison, and Hugo join the fray. These fighters have had their movesets and play style adjusted for the Street Fighter 4 engine, and have translated very well into the overall metagame. Elena comes in with her high/low mix-ups, Rolento has his control game, Poison arrives with some interesting offensive capabilities, and Hugo, the Hammer Mountain himself, comes to body slam his opponents into the dirt. 

The fifth character, Decapre, is a completely new character and has never been in any Street Fighter game. At first glance, Decapre just looks like Cammy with a mask, but that is where the similarities end. Sporting a charge moveset, this character has the makings of a great choice for both veteran and beginner players alike. Her normal moves provide great block strings and moves like her teleport move, which has different angles and ending moves depending on which input is used, is great for putting on the pressure. 

Along with the new fighters, USF4 also brings some nice additions to the overall game. Apart from the expected balance changes, the Ultra Combo Double was added to the game. One can now choose between Ultra Combo 1, 2, or the brand new Ultra Combo Double. This Ultra Combo Double gives the player access to both of their fighter's Ultra Combos during a match, bringing the utility of both Ultra Combo moves at the cost of reduced damage. 

Another addition, one can now use a red Focus Attack in this iteration of Street Fighter 4. The red Focus Attack costs special meter to use, and is a buffed version of the regular Focus Attack that can also be used to focus cancel, at the cost of 3 of the special meter bars. The red focus attack dash cancel, or red FADC, can add to combos, making some approaches much safer, as well as making setups for Ultra Combos easier on certain if not most of the cast. The final, and most useful addition, delayed standing, is where many will not see the results at first. By simply holding down and both the light punch and kick buttons, your character will be on the ground for a few extra seconds. This is a godsend to many players that dabble in multiplayer, as the mind games are not just being played on the surface, but extends to the wake up game as well. 

Capcom did not stop with just adding characters and some new techniques, but also added features that many fans were asking for. Now you can enter training mode while searching for ranked and player matches, as well as making a training mode lobby with another player online. Endless and Team Battle lobbies have been given a major rework, and now function much smoother than before. One addition no one saw coming, one can now select which edition of a character they would wish to play, offline of course. Ever wanted to see if Vanilla Street Fighter 4 Sagat was better than Arcade Edition Yun? Well now you can with edition select.

Overall, this game pulled out all the stops to satisfy its player base's multiplayer hunger. Better online play, new mechanics, more characters, additional stages, and edition select sound good. but where this update falls short is in bringing in new players. Veterans and even players that casually played the previous versions will definitely enjoy and appreciate all the new details, but all of these improvements will not be bringing in anyone that has never played these games. Putting the obvious aside, this version is a must have for any fan of the game, hardcore or not. All of the reworks and additions will keep even the most casual player wanting more, and will make improving much easier thanks to online training. Hardcore fans can enjoy all the new balance changes, and the new match-up possibilities will have you playing all night long, for a well deserved 9/10.

Stay tuned for Subculture! 

Killer is Dead - Nightmare Edition (PC)

Killer is Dead - Nightmare Edition is the PC release with Enhanced Graphics, new Nightmare Difficulty Mode, Theater Mode, allowing players the pleasure of viewing cutscenes and extended background information on characters, included Japanese subtitles and voice track, as well as the Smooth Operator DLC that are availabe for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. If you haven't already played one of the many Grasshopper Manufacture (GHM) games such as Killer 7, No more Heroes or Shadow of the Damned,  Killer is Dead will seem very bizare, and that's because it is. I mean, have you ever had to assassinate a train?!

Just one of the many Bizare Assassinations you'll have to carry out.

    Dark Side of the Moon

Killer is Dead protagonist is Mondo Zappa, an assassin working for the state, no job is too big, or too absurd to pass down. The main story arc follows Mondo as he recovers his past memories in order to understand how he received his cybernetic arm and to put a stop to the nightmares that haunt him. Throughout the game, Mondo is tasked with killing other killers, hence the name Killer is Dead. The designated targets, influenced by the powers residing from the dark side of the moon, are corrupted, often times unwillingly or even without their knowledge, leaving a merciful kill  as the only course of action for players, giving players a greater sense to seek justice on this dark influence.

Upgrade menu available during and off missions.

Execution styles lets player choose between Health, Money,

Blood, and Health limit xp to increase your life bar.

GAMEPLAY - Killer is Dead gameplay mechanics are actually a great improvement from some of GHM previous games such as Killer 7 and No More Heroes. Gameplay is solid with responsive controls and a variety of tough and engaging enemies. One thing that really suprised me was the fact that the KB+M controlsworked so well. The controls are just as fluid and responsive with the KB+M setup as they are with a controller. Although the gameplay itself may not be as deep as other games such as Devil May Cry or Bayonneta, more of a hack and slash, the game does feel responsive and challenging enough that players will find the gameplay rewarding without blaming the game for their own mistakes. Killer is Dead has many upgrades, allowing  players to prioritize speed, range, or attack strength to their liking. Upgrades are available to purchase in game at anytime, very helpful when you find you need a little extra speed or attack power during a mission. Sub weapons for Mondo's left arm are only unlockable during the Gigolo Missions.That is, you have to romance a beauty in order to receive additional weapons. These missions, although very much a spectacle at first, quickly become repetitive and dull. With the same two or three responses repeating for each beauty, the gameplay during these missions becomes more of a chore than enjoyment. You'll find yourself playing these once or twice for each beauty to acquire your new weapon and forgetting about them for the rest of the game. The gameplay is simple, ogle the beauties while they're not looking to work up the guts to give them presents, in the hopes that they give you a little something in return. Although staring too much at your beauties will just leave you with a face full of wine. 

Mondo should have listened to Seinfield's advice.

Graphics and Performance - Both aesthetically beautiful, and amazing in performance. The graphics in Killer is Dead are stunning, even using fraps to record, the game still runs at a smooth 60fps. Although the option to enable 60fps is not available ingame, there is a simple solution that makes it an easy affair. This review copy was played on an Intel core i7 950, 8gb of ram, and a GTX 570, a very midrange PC, at 60fps, even with fraps recording, it's a smooth operator indeed. With no crashes or freezes during my entire gameplay, I must say I was impressed with the fact that this game did not need a day one patch as we're seeing with so many games now. Although it would be nice to have an update with an option to set the framerate unlocked from ingame, great job so far GHM.

Killer is Dead, and as GHM games go, emphasizes style over substance, both in narrative and gameplay sadly.Although  many fans of GHM will have already realize long before starting the game what to expect, new players will have to get used to the type of game that puts style and experiences over deep fighting mechanics and a coherent narrative, and may not find the hilarious and absurd story enough to outweigh the lack of development and simple gameplay mechanics. As a fan I feel this is their best game yet, in terms of presentation, gameplay, graphics and performance. Fans of GHM will enjoy this game, undoubtedly the best game yet, if you've already tried other GHM games and did not enjoy them, I feel you will get the same reaction from this game. With a captivating  playthrough of 13hrs 58mins, the ability to replay the game with all your upgrades intact, Killer is Dead's simple yet solid gameplay and absurdly entertaining storyline help put this game at a solid 8/10.

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POOPLUIS

Khans of Tarkir Announced for Magic: The Gathering

Wizards of the Coast and Magic: The Gathering Lead Designer, Mark Rosewater, announced today the newest set, Khans of Tarkir. 

In an interview with MTG commentator Rich Hagon, Rosewater revealed Khans of Tarkir surrounds the Planeswalker Sarkhan Vol. "(Sarkhan Vol) came from a war-torn world ruled by warlords," Rosewater said in the interview. "And once upon a time there were mighty dragons, but they were killed off . . . He came to worship the dragons, but on his world they were all dead. Which is why when he became a planeswalker and got to go to other worlds and for the first time see dragons, he got so excited." 

Rosewater added the same team who worked on the current set will handle Khans of Tarkir. "The lead designer for the set is myself. The lead developer is Erik Lauer. So, if you enjoyed Innistrad or Theros it's the same team who brought you those two sets." 

The Khans of Tarkir block is also said to consist of a large Fall set, a smaller middle set and will be rounded out with another large set. 

Rosewater promises this newest block will integrate brand new, never before seen nuances along with fan-requested elements. However, the lead designer would not say anymore save a sly smile to end the announcement.

Be ready, Planeswalkers, Khans of Tarkir is set for September 26! 

For more news and views, Stay tuned for Subculture! 

Subculture Times Youtube Poopoo Debut

Subculture Times vs. Free Comic Book Day 2014

Subculture Times hits Amazing Comics and and then Metropolis Comics in Bellflower for this years Free Comic Book Day! 

Support your local comic shoppe!

Amazing Comics: 5555 E Stearns St, Long Beach, CA 90815
Phone:(562) 493-4427

Metropolis Comics: 16509 Bellflower Blvd, Bellflower, CA 90706
Phone: (562) 263-0277

Star Wars: Episode VII Reveal of the Cast

The cast list for Star Wars Episode VII is up! 

The official Star Wars website marks the return of Episode IV through VI veterans Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker in the new trilogy. 

Episode VII: Revenge of the Chewie

Domhall Gleeson, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Max von Sydow, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Lord of the Rings' own Gollum, Andy Serkis will appear along side the original pantheon. 

StarWars.com reported director J.J. Abrams said, "We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. 

"We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."

Star Wars: Episode VII is set for a worldwide release on December 18, 2015.

The Old Guard and the New.

Until then, visit www.StarWars.com for all things Star Wars 

and Stay Tuned for Subculture!

To Catch a Developer - Outtakes!

As seamless as our skits and videos seem to be, we do have the occasional blunder! Here's some outtakes from our "To Catch a Developer" episode!

Stay tuned for Subculture!