Just Thinkin - Street Fighter 6 Demo Thoughts

 Available on PS5 and PS4; Later on XBox Series S & X

Demo Thoughts

At the Capcom Showcase last week, the developers showed off the single-player campaign of Street Fighter 6 and some of what fans could look forward to when the game releases in June. Personally, I have been on the fence about picking up this game. I bought Street Fighter 5 on day one, which was a big mistake. By now I think most gamers realize that when it comes to the Street Fighter series Capcom will always release an Ultra...Championship Edition at some point. It has happened way too many times in the past. Although 5 is a pretty fun game now that first year and a half was pretty brutal, to say the least.  However, the demo for 6 actually had me hyped a little. They made the game easy to pick up for the casual crowd, like myself, and still fun for the competitive scene. 

The game uses the RE Engine and if you have played a game like Monster Hunter you can see why they used it especially when it comes to the create a character settings. As a matter of fact, with the exception of a few tweaks you could say that, that part was copied straight from Monster Hunter Rise. That being said there are a lot of customization options for your character. Now the demo itself as far as the single-player goes only takes you through the tutorial portion of the single-player mode. I will say that it is enough to give you a good idea of what is to come in that mode. I do like how they are using the Final Fight series in this mode with the introduction of the Made Gear gang. We couldn't get online but you were allowed to play with either Ryu or Luke in what amounts to a regular match. I found it fun and challenging especially as the character that you were playing against level is raised. The timing is a little different from 5 but it's not hard to get done after a few rounds. 

Overall

I had fun with the demo. I won't be buying this day one as there are just to many games out now and my backlog needs to be trimmed down a bit. With Tears of the Kingdom releasing in a couple of weeks I will be way too busy with that to really be concerned with another game. Check out my gameplay video from this weekend and let me know what you think. The Xbox demo is supposed to be out sometime this week (04-24-2023). I will probably download it there just to see how it feels. Let me know what you think. Did you try out the demo? What do you think? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. As always thanks for your support.

Gameplay

Images via PlayStation 4

Just Thinkin - Xenoblade Chronicles Future Redeemed Thoughts

Releases April 25 2023 on Nintendo Switch

 Trailer Drops

This trailer dropped out of nowhere. Honestly, I thought this was coming in the summer but hey I'm not going to pretend as if I'm not excited for this expansion to hit. The trailer is relatively short and shows a look at the new characters and older versions of Shulk and Rex, who are also playable in the game. The gameplay from the trailer looks pretty much unchanged from Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but I am expecting some tweaks like what was done with Torna the Golden Country. 

Things I Noticed

Riku, why is Riku there? It's only for a short while but that was the biggest thing that caught my eye. The Nopons have always been interesting creatures in the Xenoblade series as they always seem to be aware of other things that happened in previous games. They also have a few characters that will break the fourth wall as well. Shulk losing an arm and Rex losing an eye. I am hoping that we get to see what happened to these two characters that should not have met. Z and N being there also raise some questions and thankfully we will be getting those answers soon.

I am really looking forward to diving into this expansion. The Xenoblade games have been very well made and the third installment was amazing. Looking forward to seeing the story for this game and where the series goes from here. The new characters: Matthew, A, Nikol, and Glimmer look interesting and their movesets look to be interesting as well. What did you think of the trailer? Did you purchase the expansion or are you waiting? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. As always thanks for supporting the blog. If you like what you have read please feel free to share with everyone.

Trailer

Images from the Trailer

Just Thinkin - Tears of the Kingdom Trailer 3 Thoughts

 Available May 12th on Nintendo Switch

I know it's been a couple days. I was trying to think of how I wanted to give my thoughts on one of my favorite game franchises of all time and their latest game due out very soon. At first, I thought maybe I should do a breakdown, but that isn't like me and I would probably miss some stuff. Then it hit me, just do a post highlighting the things you are looking forward to. That is exactly what I aim to do with today's post. Let's take a look at some of the things I found interesting with the final Tears of the Kingdom trailer.

The Atmosphere

The first thing that I noticed was the atmosphere. Yes, they are using the same assets. Yes, it's the same art style. But there is just something about the way the game looks and the way that music is used in the trailer that makes it feel like the next chapter and not the same exact experience that came before. The scenes with Hylians trying to restore Hyrule to its former glory as Link walks or runs through the locations were a nice touch. It was also nice seeing Prince Sidon, Gerudo Chief Riju, and Tulin in the trailer. Here's hoping we do get to play with them or at the very least they accompany Link during the game at different points. 

Mech Battles?

So if you watched the 13-minute presentation from a couple weeks ago, you already know that fusing will be important in this game. In the trailer, there is a short snippet of a Link fused "mech" vs a Stone Talus fused with a Bokoblin Stand. It looked weird but also like it could be a lot of fun depending on how the Ultrahand ability is used and what could be created. I am sure I am not the only one looking forward to having something like that happen in the game. 

Who Is That

There was also a look at a couple new characters. One looks strangely like Vaati and another character who I am sure will probably wind up being the most cosplayed Zelda character of all time. Granted we don't get to see them long in the trailer maybe a couple seconds at most but it was long enough for people to get a good enough look at them.  Also, like in Breath of the Wild with the return of Lynels, it looks like we have the return of the three-headed dragon Gleeok. This is going to be fun, to say the least. 

The Return of Ganondorf Dragmire and .........

Yes, Demise is confirmed. Ganondorf is also back and is fully voiced. Ever since Wind Waker I have liked what they did with Ganondorf. Now that Demise is back I am wondering if Ganondorf is the red herring and if Demise will be the villain going forward in the Zelda games. I am hoping that it takes Ganondorf, Zelda, and Link to take down Demise as they are each a representative of the Triforce. Demise is an interesting character that I think should be the main villain going forward as that makes the most sense to me. This was my favorite part of the trailer, in all honesty. 

Overall

I don't see how anyone isn't hyped for this game after that trailer. Almost four whole minutes of Zelda greatness. The game launches on May 12, 2023. I have mine preordered as well as the Link amiibo too. Are you looking forward to Tears of the Kingdom? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Also, let me know what your favorite part of the trailer was, looking forward to talk to you. Don't forget the Wingin IT Podcast on Sundays at 7pm EST on both YouTube and Twitch. Thanks for reading.

Trailer

Images via Trailer

Fresh Take - The Super Mario Bros Movie (Spoiler Free Thoughts)

 In Theatres

Synopsis (from IMDB): A Brooklyn plumber named Mario travels through the Mushroom Kingdom with a princess named Peach and an anthropomorphic mushroom named Toad to find Mario's brother, Luigi, and to save the world from a ruthless fire-breathing Koopa named Bowser.

Just to be fair this movie is for the fans. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily, but the movie does expect you to know the characters, and to be fair most people know who Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach are. There are also a lot of easter eggs in this movie and I liked all of them. There are homages to a majority of Nintendo games in this movie. I laughed from start to finish. The cast did a great job on this movie. Illumination did a great job on the visual representation of the Mushroom, Jungle, and Badlands Kingdoms. I didn't mind the plot of Mario trying to find and save Luigi as the movie made sense and the stuff with Bowser was just hilarious. The soundtrack is a mix of Mario tunes and licensed music. It didn't bother me as much but I can see how that may make people feel like it doesn't exactly fit. This movie is a full-on nostalgia trip that I think fans as well as the movie-going public at large will enjoy.

If there is one thing that I thought was wrong was that I think it needed to be a little longer. There is a subplot wherein Donkey Kong and Mario talk about how their fathers see them and I think if they were going to go for some emotional beat they probably should have used that plot point. It also feels like there are some things that were missing that may have ended up on the cutting room floor that possibly should have been in the movie. I don't want to say what it is because that is going into spoiler territory. 

For Parents

It's a Nintendo movie so this is perfect for kids and adults alike. There are homages and the jokes land and to me, there is a little something for everyone here. The movie is rated PG with a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes. It's paced well and doesn't drag in any areas. There is a mid-credit scene (which is funny because it involves Bowser and let's just say Jack Black is a fool) and an after-credits scene. 

Overall

I enjoyed this movie so much. It was a fun time throughout gotta give this one a FULL PRICE. It is so worth it, also if you have a theatre that has IMAX do yourself a favor and watch it in IMAX for no other reason than the Rainbow Road sequence. I am looking forward to what Nintendo does next as I feel this movie should do well in theatres. Have you seen The Super Mario Bros movie? What did you think? What Nintendo IP do you think should be next from Nintendo? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. As always thanks for reading and supporting the blog. Check out Fresh Take on the YouTube and Twitch channels where there will be a spoiler-filled review with a couple of guests.

Trailer