Virtua Fighter Fever

The original Virtua Fighter was not only the first polygonal brawler, it was also the first 3D fighter to offer alternate outfits. Over the course of the series, the 2nd player costume kept evolving and sometimes featured a radically different look for the character. My favorite (and least favorite) example is Sarah’s hip hop groupie outfit complete with corn rows.

As a costume hound, it’s been frustrating that there hasn’t been a larger selection of looks. On the other hand, each installment of the game pushes the visuals so far past the previous game that you need the main outfits to stay the same to more easily recognize each character.


The screens of Virtua Fighter 5 that have surfaced thus far look quite hot, but it’s still too early to render any verdicts. I’ll be keeping a close eye on costume developments.

Real-time bikini wrinkling?

The pic above doesn’t look so sharp since it’s from a scan from a Japanese mag. Aside from the jerseys in the Xbox 360 NBA 2K6, most clothes that sit on top of skin seem glued on. They rarely give the illusion that the characters are actually wearing the costumes.

For a good example of what sort of look I want to see in games, check out how the clothes sit on the characters in the movie The Incredibles. Most striking is the scene where Mrs. Incredible is convincingly wearing a cotton bath robe.

In real life, bikinis tend to shift and move around. That’s why ladies are always adjusting them. It’s probably just the way the bikini is textured, but the RR pic almost looks like the bikini bottom is wrinkling in reaction to Reiko’s body movement. She’s almost in danger of eventually getting a wedgie.

Still, I seriously doubt RR actually has sliding/wrinkling bikinis. Such a feature will be hard to control, sort of like encountering problems with physics in Half-Life 2 without a gravity gun to bail you out.

Chapter 42.9: Super Bowl Sunday

I can't believe how quickly the past month has flown by, and I've not touched this blog in way too long. Frankly, I don't have much to talk about at the moment, so no one has really missed much as far as my contributions to the world are concerned.

But to add my prediction on the big game, (Aaron Neville and Aretha Franklin are singing as I type), I'll preface by saying I don't care which team wins. I'm more of an NFC fan; the Giants have been preparing themselves for next year for a few weeks now. I've got friends in Pittsburgh, so perhaps I'm a bit partial to the Steelers. I think the Steelers and Seahawks match up pretty well, and the game should be tight.

My prediction: Steelers 24, Seahawks 21.