reviewing a bunch of crap on my day off.. (like i have nothing better to do..)

k, first thing's first.

video games are ruining my life.. why? besides important stuff that i will eventually buy, i always end up buying something(s) video game related.

i haven't posted on this spot in a while so i've been compulsively spending on crap that i don't need.

in my long absence i managed to pick up the following things:

hori fighting stick ex 2
street fighter iv
resident evil 5
mad world
dead rising : chop til' you drop
hori fighting stick wii
and a x-box live points card for 1600 points (for watchmen : the end is nigh)

first off the fighting stick ex 2,

it's a solid stick all around, i got it around january. the build is hefty, but not overkill. and the buttons are responsive along with the joystick (which clicks, indicating what directions you're moving the stick.)

the layout of the buttons are perfect, japanese style, and easy for me to curve my fingers without hitting the case (damn US style button layouts..)

i mean, it's not a high end stick, but it's a pretty damn good stick, and still the best "standard" stick out there. for a second i was thinking that maybe the madcatz standard fight sticks would actually best the hori, but we eventually found out that it was too good to be true and that madcatz are addicted to bad ideas.

overall i love this stick, and it's a huge step up when you've been playing with a 360 pad for fighting games. 9/10

street fighter iv's review will be short. it's capcoms best first try since street fighter 2. the controls are fluid and responsive, the visuals are gorgeous and hilariously over exaggerated, the new systems are great, especially the addition of focus attacks. the online aspect could've been so much better, especailly in ranked matches. player matches seem to remedy this..

it's the 2-d fighter we've been waiting for on the 360. it gets a 9. it would score higher if there were to be a patch fixing online components in the game. it would be a perfect game if it gets those minor tweaks.

resident evil 5 looks amazing, the controls from re 4 are there and they're a bit more refined. i hate having to watch over a computer generated partner, and why the f@$K are chainsaw weilding maniacs unable to die? like this is ridiculous, this chainsaw dude is as thin as a rail and all of a sudden the $h!#head thinks he's superman!? stupid. it's still a fun game, i'm not an RE fan though. 8.5

madworld is what manhunt would have been if it were good. it's hilarious, campy, cheesy, incredibly violent, and vulgar; the visuals are stylish, a pimp introducing a new deathwatch challenge and getting killed after his monologues is gold. the controls are fluid, making every impossible situation that comes at you, seem like second nature. carnage is bliss.
9.0

dead rising : chop til you drop is wii's version of 360's dead rising, which was released in 06. it uses resident evil 4's engine and it turns out to be a little more forgiving that the 360 version. the visuals are ok, but the character models are pretty damn detailed. the controls are fluid (though i question the swinging aspect of the motion controls...), every weapon is at your disposal, and it's a linear game, meaning you're kinda forced to help civilians, whereas, in the original game, you can choose not to, but you will be rewarded one of many endings (in this case a bad one.)

it's a fun little zombie torture game. for 40 bucks you get the best dawn of the dead game on wii ever.

7.5

hori fighting stick wii:

i bought this for tatsunoko vs. capcom. this stick feels better than the 360 hori stick, and it's 40 bucks. the buttons feel snappy, the stick is the same as the 360 version, it's got some bells and whistles like turbo functions and all that, its kinda wireless (kinda since you still have to plug it to your wii-mote.) it's probably the best stick i have right now. playing TvC on this thing was challanging at first but i got used to it in a few minutes. very responsive in every aspect. it's a great stick, and anyone who needs a great stick for your wii fighting games...all 5 of them.

9.5 (turbo functions are pointless to me...and the eight button layout is ridiculosly uncessary, hori should've opted for a simple 6 button scheme, without turbo functions.)

watchmen : the end is nigh

capitalizing on my current watchmen addiction, i opted to unlock the full game on x-box live. it's not to be taken as a SERIOUS, deep game, more or less a simple arcade beat-em up. for what it does, it does well, it's certainly the best looking downloadable 360 game right now.

the story takes place in the 70's before watchmen were together, specifically, during the crimebusters era. the game is told in a moving graphic novel, narrated by rorschach and nite owl.

i give it a 7, because i personally like beating the living crap out of random thugs in alley ways with rorschach. especially rorschach.

this is only part one of a 6 part game, hopefully they progressively get better.

k, that's it i'm done.