Cool Characters: Jane Turner, Wendy Cheslock, Aika Thompson, and Catherine O'Hara

Here we go.  A quartet of gun-totting ladies from a darned good game.  Bloodthirsty Jane Turner, crazy Wendy Cheslock, wacky Aika Thompson, and zany Catherine O'Hara are some of my favorites from Valkyria Chronicles.  So, out of all the characters, what makes these four gals stand out?

In the case of Jane Turner, what she lacks in beauty, she makes up for with being a badass.  She's worthy of the last name Turner, as she "turns" Imperial soldiers into Imperial corpses.  They had it coming, coming between her and her flowers.  Her hitpoints are fairly low for a shocktrooper, but her potentials are strong.  She also has funny lines that show her bloodlust, especially when her Sadist potential activates.  "Umm...scream for me."

Just a small tip; don't be an "Imp" around her.

She's not the best looking woman...

...but even tanks can't stand up to her toughness.

When Sadist activates, it's one of the single funniest moments in the game.

Jane attempts to smile after putting holes in Imps.

Wendy Cheslock is just a nutcase.  She's obsessed with a bombs (too bad it's not reflected in her fighting style) and wears facepaint like she's trying out for the NFL.  She's has some pretty funny dialogue when attacking.  "You're gonna get shot!"

Wendy has an "explosive" personality.

She may not carry more grenades than anyone else, but she still has more than enough firepower.

Wendy's not afraid to crawl in grass and dirt to get the kill.

Yeah!

Catherine O'Hara is my personal favorite as far as snipers go.  She's a grizzled veteran (though she doesn't look it) like Largo and Captain Varrot.  She's got some funny dialogue, which is bolstered by her accent (Irish, perhaps).  Her potentials are hit and miss, as is her accuracy.  Honestly, she plays well enough and her accent puts her above the rest.  "I'm not done yet."

Just because it's a warzone doesn't mean you can have a stylish haircut.

Like any good sniper, Catherine relaxes while waiting for the kill. 

Catherine will always let you know that she's not done yet.

Aika Thompson has a different kind of coolness.  She doesn't have overpowered potentials, witty dialogue, or a nice accent.  Her appeal come from being from a different game.  She (as well as Vyse and the Medic) comes from the legendary RPG, Skies Of Arcadia.  There's a certain novelty that come from seeing her trade in her boomerang for a rifle.  It's not really her, but yet it's still her.  "Bang, bang, baby!"

Here look may be a little off, but this IS Aika.

Aika's ready to blast heads with a big gun and her trademark twin tails.

After chasing Vyse around the world, naturally she's become a good runner.

Aika celebrates her contribution to Gallia's cause.

There you go.  Four cool women from one awesome game.  Look for them in Valkyria Chronicles.

Cool Characters: Jahn Lee

Every good fighting game has a Bruce Lee wannabe.  Street Fighter has Fei Long.  Tekken has Marshall Law.  Not to be outdone, Dead Or Alive has Jahn Lee.

Jahn Lee is a unique Bruce Lee wannabe, simply because of the fact that he does not look like the martial arts legend at all.  So, what makes him a wannabe?  He's a male jeet kun do practitioner.  That's usual all it takes to be a wannabe.  To be fair, though, he does howl out Bruce Lee's trademark "Watah!" while performing a powerful strike.

Jahn rings Eliot's bell while using Eliot to ring a bell, all while screaming "Watah!"

As a character who uses jeet kun do, he's obviously going to share some moves.  He a lot of the ones fans will recognize, such as the multiple palm strikes into a vicious kick and the legendary flying kick.

Palm strikes, soon to be followed with a vicious kick.

Any good Jahn Lee player must learn how to successfully the backfist.

Eliot takes up residence on the floor, like most of Jahn Lee's opponents.

Jahn shows amazing flexibility with this downward kick.

Also, as proof the that the girls of DOA aren't the only ones with expansive wardrobes.  Jahn styles can vary.  In one fight, he's be a bare-chested warrior.  In the next, he might trot out there looking like a member of the Yakuza.  And being a Bruce Lee wannabe, he has some outfits inspired by the legend.

That table and chair set is no match for Jahn in this outfit.

Jahn, looking very much like a Dynasty Warriors character here.

Jahn looks like he'd be at home in the Yakuza series in this outfit.

While not an exact replica, hardcore Bruce Lee fans know where the inspiration for this outfit came from.

And that's Jahn Lee.  He may not look the part of a Bruce Lee clone, but he has the moves, the sounds, and even some of the outfits.  And of course, he's cool in his own right.  Check him out in the Dead Or Alive series.

Cool Hotties: Mila

The Dead Or Alive series is known for its hot women.  At first there were only a few, but as of Dead Or Alive 5 Last Round, if you include DLC and guest characters, there are over twenty ravishing and not so ravishing beauties to choose from.  While most are hot, a lot fewer of them are cool.  Mila, the MMA-fighting waitress, happens to be one of the select few in that elite group.

Mila is a little different from the other women in the cast.  As mentioned earlier, she's a waitress, which means she's the only woman with a "real job".  Whereas the others are happy being ninjas, college students, and pro-wrestlers, Mila is blue-collar, waiting tables and serving customers (quite poorly, I might add).

After hours, though, she likes to go to the gym and bust some heads.

The punch hasn't landed yet, but Kokoro knows nothing but pain is coming.

Heck, sometimes she doesn't even wait to get to the gym.  She'll walk right outside and fight in her work clothes.

Unable to resist a good fight, Mila will fight with her hat and apron still on.

She uses a few moves ripped straight out of a mixed martial arts fight like knee strikes and arm-breaking holds.  There are some simple punches and kicks, as well as other moves, mixed in there.

One punch can send an opponent flying.

Mila uses an uppercut to knock Kokoro retarded.

Mila uses vicious knee strikes...

...and bludgeons opponent with her ground-and-pound game.

Depending on your perspective, Kokoro is either very unlucky or very lucky.

Is this the end of Kokoro?  Look how far Mila turns poor Kokoro's head.

Of course, every DOA girl has to have an expansive wardrobe.  She has outfits that are both sexy and functional.

Mila can be sexy and practical...

...or up the sexiness without losing the practicality...

...or turn up comfort without losing the sexiness.

This is DOA, though, so the are some outfits that are just there for the sake of being sexy.

No female on DOA is immune to this.  Mila is no exception.

She also happens to be a big fan of Bass Armstrong.  Such a big fan, she wants to enter the DOA tournament and beat the crap out of him.

Mila takes in the feel of victory on the biggest stage of all.

And that's Mila.  She's sexy, yet practical.  She's fun, yet vicious.  But most importantly, she's cool and hot at the same time.  Check her out in Dead Or Alive 5 (and hopefully future games in the series).

Dead Or Alive 5's Sexiest Conservative Outfits

Anyone who knows anything about the Dead Or Alive series knows it's three biggest features; Fast gameplay, brutal counters, and hot women.  It's a formula that has served the series well for 22 years.

Much fuss has been made about some of the outfits the women have access to, particularly the skimpy ones.  It's almost enough to make you forget you're just looking at a bunch of strategically structured polygons.  The swimsuits Lisa, Christie, and Tina have are especially sexy beyond any shadow of a doubt.

However, there are tamer options available as well for those who must play as a female avatar (no, not Korra).  The women don't always have to show all their assets to be hot.  These are just ten outfits (in no particular order) that show minimal or no skin and are still sexy.

Mila's Sweatsuit

Whoever said sweats can't be sexy has never seen Mila wearing them.

Ayane's Purple Ninja Outfit

Yes, there is some sideboob, but otherwise she's adequately covered for a life and death fight.

Kasumi's Third Outfit

What's black, leather, and sexy?  A female ninja outfit.

Momiji's White Ninja Outfit

It's can't just be me.  Right, guys?

Hitomi's Demin Jacket Outfit

Unless you can't handle a little midriff or hate denim, this outfit is fine.

Lisa's Fur Coat Outfit

Wearing an interesting pair of pants and a coat that will piss off PETA, Lisa is ready to brawl in style or strut down a catwalk in Paris.

Phase 4's Sixth Outfit

She may just be a clone of Kasumi, but Phase 4 seems sexier somehow.  And all that covered flesh...
.
Christie's Default Outfit

A little bra never hurt anyone.  Right?

Kokoro's Second Outfit

Not sure how it's possible to be sexy when you're barely showing your figure, but somehow Kokoro pulls it off in this little number.

Helena's Second Outfit

A sleeveless catsuit similar to what the female ninjas wear with long gloves to cover her arms.  Hopefully, you don't have anything against exposed shoulders.

And those are the ten sexiest conservative outfits, as chosen by me.  Agree?  Disagree?  Have something to add?  Comment and make your voice heard.

Videogame Hotties: Lisa Hamilton

The Dead Or Alive series has a number of hot women under it's umbrella.  Ayane, Tina, Lei Fang, etc.  One female who never seemed to get a lot of love is Lisa Hamilton aka La Mariposa.  Well, now is her time to be acknowledged.

Lisa is an intelligent beauty with ambiguous origins.  She uses the lucha libre fighting style to defeat opponent using a number of flashy, fun-looking moves.  When she's La Mariposa, her outfits reflect her lucha libre nature.

Lisa can always find time to horse around in a fight.

Lisa plays the world's most painful game of peek-a-boo with Pai.

Lisa uses a vicious uppercut to knock Pai retarded.

Her outfits as Lisa are more numerous, diverse, and sexier.  She her outfit range from a lab outfit to a fur coat and leather pants.

Nothing like a beatdown at the beach after a hard day at the lab.

Ready for a night out or a fight out.

La Mariposa sheds her mask to reveal herself as Lisa.

And of course she has the legendary Mach swimsuit, in three colors no less.

Double the pleasure for Lisa fans.  Also available in green.

You might have noticed that she's a little darker than the other girls.  This makes her stand out from the other women.  You won't confuse her with any of the other girls, which is a good thing.  I always confuse Helena with Tina and Lei Fang with Kokoro.  This problem simply doesn't exist with Lisa.  She's not as dark as she used to be, but she still is unique in her appearance.

In this head-to-head with Hitomi, it's easy to see what separates Lisa from the other women in the series.

And that's Lisa.  She's doesn't get the love the others in the series get, but she's still hot.  She has a fighting style that's fun to watch and dat Mach swimsuit...(drools).  Check her out in the Dead Or Alive series.

Megaman X Collection Review (Gamecube)

Without a doubt, the Megaman series has to be one of my favorite series' in the history of videogames.  I mean, what's not to like?  You play as a robot with a gun-arm and gun down any other robot that dares to call itself your enemy.  It's 2D platforming and shooting at it's finest.  Its spinoff/sequel/cousin series Megaman X is no exception to this.

The Megaman X series is a darker take on the Megaman series.  It has a less cartoony feel than the original series.  The story is gritter as X (as Megaman is called in this series) has to deal with things that would give Megaman a nervous breakdown.  Things like losing, betrayal, pandemics, death (or robot death), and a severe Napoleon complex (being so much smaller than the bosses) are all things X has to deal with.  And he deals with them all the same way; by shooting the crap out of them.

Assholes like this guy and others are waiting to be blown into oblivion by X.

The Megaman X Collection allow you to relive the first six games in the series in all their glory.  You'll get to play the Super Nintendo classics (Megaman X 1-3), 32-bit classics (Megaman X4&5, and the 32-bit not so classic Megaman X6 (though it's still good in its own right).  All the music and frustrating moment (like the beginning of Squid Adler's level in X5) return.

The gameplay in is largely the same in all the games.  You'd think that would make things boring, but it doesn't.  You simply blast some robots, kill bosses and steal their weapons, then beat someone else's ass with that weapon.  There are way to power X up in every game, such as armor and health extensions, but you can opt to pass on these items if you're super hardcore.

Choosing the first ass to kick is a part of the fun of these games.

The Megaman X series has a lot of secrets in each game.  There is the aforementioned health and armor power ups.  Some are out in plain sight, but figuring out how to get them is the real secret.  Others require some Sherlock-style searching to find.  There are also hidden bosses in some games who are hard as heck, but make things easier down the road if you beat them (if you've ever played X2, you know what I'm talking about).  Secrets like these add some depth to the games.

Another VERY obvious thing that shakes up the gameplay is the ability to play as Zero.  While his presence is somewhat negligible in X3 (where makes his playable debut), in X4, X5, and X6 (if you can find him) it makes a huge difference.  Zero opts not to use a gun-arm like X (though he does have the Z buster), he uses a light saber to slice up enemies like an angry Jedi.  He also uses the boss weapons differently.  It's not all good, though, and can lead to unbalanced character, which can bite you in the ass if you're unlucky (if you've ever played X5, you know what I mean).

Zero is fully playable starting in X4 and is a game-changer.

As for the other stuff, the graphics are still good, if not a little pixelated on current TVs.  Beyond the six games, there is a gallery with some stuff to be unlocked.  There is also Megaman Battle & Chase, waiting to be unlocked.  Yep, that's all there is for extra context, but you won't feel ripped off.

The Megaman X Collection is a solid package for those who can't get enough of Megaman's darker cousin/descendant.  There's lots of shooting and platforming, Zero mixes things up nicely, and the graphics are pretty good if you have the right kind of TV.  X6 is the low point of these six games, but it's still a decent game and certainly isn't a deal-breaker.  Don't miss it.