I made a terrible mistake this morning. My mom was trying to talk to me and I told her "Not now mom I'm watching the Sack!" Needless to say questions were asked
Fun fact: The SNES version of Justice League Task Force was developed by Blizzard Entertainment and the Genesis version was developed by Condor (later known as Blizzard North). These versions were developed completely independently of each other. Initially both teams didn't even know about each others' existance and actually got aquainted on some industry event (like ECTS or E3), when they saw that they were basically working on the same title just for different platforms. At the time Blizzard was also finishing working on Warcraft 2 and Condor was desperately trying to find a publisher, who would agree to finance the development of their rogue-like RPG project (it was Diablo, of course, but they hadn't come up with the name yet). The rest is, as they say, history. (Later Blizzard earned lots of cash on their Warcraft 2 and decided to invest in Condor's project and eventually bought the studio responsible for Diablo and Diablo 2).
Two things: 1.) In Marvel Superheroes, when Spider-Man says, "One for J.J.," he is referring to his boss at the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson. 2.) I believe that X-Men: Children of the Atom precedes Marvel Superheroes as the first Capcom-Marvel fighting game.
Guilty Gear, so damn happy to see you guys cover the series finally. My all time favorite fighting series and only gets better with each entry from there forward :D
Superman has long hair in that game since it came out a couple years after the Reign of Supermen story line where Superman was revived from his battle with Doomsday and DC decided to give him long hair for some strange reason.
Rival Schools. Oh, boy, that was fantastic. Capcom was on top of its game back then on the PlayStation (and Saturn, for a while). The home version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 is still my favorite, but Rival Schools provided a lot of enjoyment, too. I never really got into SNK fighters until ports came over for the PS2, and I'm finally starting to get the hang of King of Fighters now. Better late than never, right? Keep the great content coming, guys. I'm really enjoying it. Thanks for doing what you do.
This really is the best retro-review/history channel out there. Some of these console history videos should be put in the library of congress if they ever decide to treat video games in the same light as music and film.
fun fact, the japanese version of rival school's evolution disc had a dating sim style mode where you create a character and school to attend and then live your school year and interact with the characters of the game. If I remember correctly ,In the end you attend the school prom with your best buddy or boyfriend/girlfriend (depends on the sex of your character and the character you have the best relationship with). But the most interesting part is that at the end of the mode your created character will have a mixed bag of moves that you learn from the characters you befriended. The american version did not have this mode because it would've taken too much time and resource to translate it. So to try and make up for it the english verision gets 6 generic characters that could be made with the dating sim mode. I mention this because I put in alot of effort to track down the japanese version and then played it at my best friend's house where his japanese girlfriend translated for me as I played ^^. also one thing that some people don't realize (I don't know if dave did) is that rival schools got a sequel called project justice for the dreamcast. the japanese version of that also had a dating sim styled create a character mode. although this time it's a board game that's up to 4 players (all non humans are computer controlled). this time you attend a school festival and learn moves and stats depending on the spaces you land on. but your character only gets a good ending if you get max relationship with one of the game characters. In the end all the players fight in a computer controlled mini tournament to see who made the best character. I wish I got to play this with 3 other friends but never had the chance to. one last note JJ = jona jameson = peter parker's boss.
By the way, there's a new version of Dead or Alive 5 that came out recently that incorporates content from the PS Vita version along with some new characters, including guest characters from Virtua Fighter and Ninja Gaiden. If you get DOA5, get the Ultimate version.
Another great episode guys,Superman supposedly died and came back to life (in the comics) that's why his hair is so long,The music from the arcade game "Psycho Soldier" plays in "King of Fighters 94" and "Heavy Metal Geomatrix" by Capcom for the Dreamcast is a fighting game which plays more like "Virtual On" than anything else so it doesn't qualify.
So did Superman's hair grow when he was dead and he just didn't have a chance to cut it when he came back to life? Or I guess he grew it long after he came back to life for another reason.
Fighting games are the best. Also, I love how long the episodes are. You have time to really talk about the games and it feels more like something that I have to pay attention to. And it's noticeable the work you guys put into it. Keep it as it is!
About Justice League Task Force. interesting fact, it was developed by Blizzard. Also, superman has long hair because he had long hair in the comic books after he came back from being "dead" in the early 90s.
This episode was a lot better than the 16 bit fighter episode. I never knew about a JL fighting game, that's what I like about Game Sack they find those games that fell through the nicks and crannies of time.
This is one of my favorite episodes, and I'm not even good at fighting games. Great show, as always. Love your cinematic style, very nice colors and composition.
***** I foresee many future comments supplying the same information. Also, I thought that was Clark Kent's boss. Easy to get them confused. Sorry, not really into comics.
I want to add, i love sitting down to watch your youtube videos, they are the longest videos i watch on youtube, i watch them all the way to the end. Many thanks for doing these vids gamesack.
Dave is spot on with guilty gear. I remember getting my PlayStation underground with a demo of guilty gear. I bought day and actually the original remains me fav. As X and its further kin came out they got more chaotic for me and took away from the "strategy" of it. I am pumped for xrd but like dave said the original has just the best ost of almost any game and xrd changed up the songs which is a mixed blessing. They are great songs but gg1 ost is just near perfection...
Man, this is awesome. You guys should do more of these type of videos. Don't limit yourself to a particular generation and just run the gamut through the entire franchise. Of course, any Game Sack video is fucken awesome. Keep it up lads.
FYI Game Sack Dead or Alive's gag wasn't the panty shots. It was the weird yet hilarious boob "bonce" the programmers gave the characters. Also, how have you not played DoA5? It's free on PS3 as a Freemium version with 4 charaters and 4 random characters that change every week. Pretty fun IMO
Really? I know it's called DoA 5 Core Edition. . . . It was Free when I got it. (Didn't need Plus). Maybe check the Free to Play Column. If not, then I guess they must have removed it? Dang.
Found it: us.playstation.com/games/dead-or-alive-5-ultimate-core-fighters-ps3.html It only has the arcade and online no story. But you can get the flow of the whole game. Hope that helps.
I really enjoy the long episodes. I think anything between 25 to 35 minutes is fantastic! I also think your bits at the end of the video are getting a lot better than the first fifteen or so episodes. Great job guys, and I can't wait for the next!
With DOA you need to play Ultimate and 5 Ultimate. The reason the series didn't make it onto the PlayStation consoles up until 5 was because of a dispute with the PS2 port of 2. Also, if I remember reading this correctly, the head designer put in Aerosmith into 3 and Ultimate 2 because of how their songs got him out of his depression from how Sony treated the PS2 port.
DiscordedHaru I don't think that the exclusivity made a difference in terms of design, especially when DOA4 was released a long time before the PS3 launched. DOA5 was the first Dead or Alive game after Itagaki left Team Ninja, which explains the fresh take on the series.
Edge of Sanity Itagaki was dead set on keeping DOA a certain way for a long while though so, I have to disagree about your comment. That being said, DOA is better now than it was before.
i loved DOA2, especially hardcore on the ps2, i don't know whats the deal of Itagaki's hate to Sony's platforms, i used to love Itagaki's works on Sony's consoles DOA 1 ( ps1 ) and Especially DOA 2 hardcore ( ps2 ) until i learn about him not wanted the series to touch the playstation ever again. one of the reason is " the ps3 is not a software friendly " it made me sad and angry back then, i played the free to play DOA 5 ( not made by Itagaki ) on the ps3 and i really loves it, it felt like a step forward but off course the retail version of 5 that i wanted, the F2P ones is so stupid, it's a trial version more than been a F2P. and it's not stopping there. he never wanted to port any Ninja Gaiden to the ps3 at the time he was at Tecmo, i have the Sigma Version.." it's an updated version of black on Xbox 360 " and i played the Shit out of it, one of my best ps3 games to date!! and even then after Itagaki left Tecmo he bashed the ps3's NGS as it's not a ninja gaiden game, but he said at least ps3 owner can finally experience the feel of NG?!?! i don't know.. i finally play it and i don't care anymore, i bet he bashes DOA5 too as it not a DOA game too, and even if it's true or not i don't care i played it and i loves it, though DOA 2 hardcore is still my favorite.
Game Sack i was looking for that fighting game name for years - "Gangan", saw it in the arcade many years ago and was pretty impressed, only detail i remembered about it was that orange Russian truck on the background. And believe me, recently i made some very heavy search through the Internet, and no one could name the game!
not gonna lie, when you said 3D, i was hoping for Power Stone. you shoudl do an episode on unique fighting games like Smash bros, Playstation allstars, Powerstone, and Ehrgeiz
Besides SFA3 for dreamcast, Pstones 2 is one of the best fighting games ever. It simplified the combat a bit but added better maps and 4 player support. Total chaotic gaming bliss.
If you want a list about unique fighting games, please don't leave Touhou 10.5 out =D I'm not saying this becouse I'm a big Touhou fan (which I am) but becouse the game has quite unique mechanics, like instead of a timer for each round, you have weather, which changes some rules on the match for as long it is active (like move faster, super armor, etc) and it has a "card system" to make your attacks stronger, use Spellcards (aka. supers), etc. And, probably you'd have to add 12.3 if you talk about 10.5, becouse 12.3 is actually an expansion, even if it _can_ be played on its own =P
Mattydigs Never got to try Power Stone or Dead or Alive (... as in the series in general), but I did play SFA3, and yeah, not gonna lie, it's great =) Though I'm still a bigger fan of the KoF series... dunno why, I just like it better (shrug) ... Also, I said Touhou 10.5/12.3 was an "unique" fighting game =P
I personally love those old blocky graphics, I can just remember watching old fighting games in the arcade and being mesmerised by them. I don't know why but they hold such a charm for me.
Overall, a good video to watch. However, I was let down a bit near the end, as the Dead or Alive series is my favorite 3D fighting game series. You failed to mention the counters, which will get people in trouble if they use the same button mashing over and over again. I guess that's even more noticeable in 2-player mode, but dang, if something is too easy, just raise the difficulty level. At the higher levels, opponents will counter you a lot. I'd say that a game with a good range of difficulty levels (like the DOA series games) are in fact better because a wider range of players can enjoy them.
Like he mention-- More panties for those perves out there.--- I think he might've been reffering to his down time. lol.. I do agree though. Dead or Alive is infact a great game! I honestly think it beats Tekken and Street Fighter. But, hey. That's what I think.
3:12 I think Spider-man's talking about John Jonah Jameson, his boss who he takes pictures of Spider-man (himself) for the newspaper, and who hates Spider-man.
You guys talked a good deal about DOA2 on Dreamcast, but there are other console versions that came out later that are superior. Dead or Alive 2 Hardcore on PS2 has better shading and new costumes, and towards the end of the original Xbox's life, the PlayStation version of Dead or Alive 1 was included in a brand new from the ground remake of Dead or Alive 2 for Xbox in Dead or Alive Ultimate. Dead or Alive Ultimate (Xbox) can be picked up extremely cheaply these days and is by far the definitive version of Dead or Alive 2. I'd even go as far as to say it's the best fighter on Xbox, and one of the best of all time. So many tweaks makes it something you guys _must_ cover in a future episode of this. Dead or Alive Ultimate is a must.
But you could play the Dreamcast version in 480p, in the PS2 version you could only play in 480i. I agree Dead or Alive Ultimate is by far the best version.
No, Itagaki himself stated that the PS2 was a complete piece of crap, and therefore Dave and Joe did the right thing by adhering to the man's wishes. Bouncing Breasts as an option? THE MAN IS A FUCKEN GENIUS!!!
I didn't say the PS2 DOA2 Hardcore was better, just that it has better textures and new costumes. The vastly superior version of DOA2 is as mentioned Dead or Alive Ultimate on original Xbox, which _still_ is stunning in more ways than one. Also, about the bouncing breasts, the first DOA games have got nothing on DoA5, especially on PS3, where Tecmo added sixaxis motion controls to manipulate um, certain female anatomy both during bouts and in post victory poses. And if that weren't enough, in DoA5 Ultimate, you can configure the breast motion to: -off -natural (jiggles only as much as real women) -DOA (this is the DOA standard) -OMG (this is....double the DOA standard)
Not to mention, Dead or Alive 5 [and especially Ultimate] is a really, _really_ good fighting game. Dead or Alive has always been better than other series such as Tekken when it comes to core gameplay mechanics, and DOA5 is the best DOA has ever been, with tweaks and rebalances to make the game really top tier stuff. Even without the sexy women [and sexy men, if you're into that] and motion controlled boob bounces, DOA5 would still be a game to recommend.
+Prehistorik Kryptonian Great list. In regards to modern fighting games, try Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. That's not dumbed down at all. In fact, it's one of the most hardcore fighting games of all time :)
+Prehistorik Kryptonian Yes, I still own my original copy of Project Justice. Gotta admit, I suck at that one lol (sole exception being Hayato Nekketsu), though I still love it. I owned Capcom Fighting Jam for a period but it never really held me, admittedly. I haven't played the others unfortunately, although I know of Warzard cos of CFJ. Hey, what's your opinion on the Darkstalkers series? I can see the appeal and its objective quality, but I could never really get into that series. For some reason, the "feel" just didn't captivate me - it wasn't intuitive to me. Also, what do you think of the Sould Calibur series? I ADORED the original on the Dreamcast (never had a chance to get round to Soul Blade on PS though), although every one of the sequels I tried left me wanting (2 and 3 essentially, not played much beyond them), I felt the series didn't evolve much really. The original had so much content though, and it was so unique for the time. I'm also curious as to your opinion on other Sega fighters, such as Last Bronx and Fighting Vipers. God, I love the original FVs, one of my all time favourites :D The sequel sucked arse though, unfortunately (still not sure what exactly went wrong there...). Last Bronx was solid for its time, and would have built a great foundation had it continued in to a series, but it hasn't aged aswell I don't think. Still have a soft-spot for it though, that's for sure! Also, Fighters Megamix was epic; unbalanced as shit, but hey, it's meant much more as a 'fun' game by design, and it surely is - through and through :D Also, have you ever played Super Dragon Ball Z on the PS2? That game is so readily dismissed but I loved it! The producer behind SFII was involved for one thing! The "career" mode was awesome, what with all the customisation etc. My main was Trunks. I think it's safe to say my all-time fav Capcom fighters are CvsSNK2 and SFA3 - so many hours pumped into them! The singelplayer content alone is enough to tide one over :D Oh btw, I have the Jap Saturn version of SFA3 - and it's fucking glorious my friend !
+Sub Dork Zelkin! Loved that guy, I still use his profile pic for my profile on websites, accounts etc occasionally - one of the coolest designs ever imo :D I also loved playing all versions of Bilstein alot haha, so OP! almost forgot about Byakko and Rai-on too! Check out my shiny new avatar haha ^_^
Hey guys! Bit of trivia on Star Gladiator for those who don't know: It's life begun as a licensed Star Wars fighting game, but when the license-plug was pulled relatively early in development of the game, Capcom decided to complete the game but in their own redesigned image! How cool is that! A bit like how Mortal Kombat was originally going to star Jean-Claude van Damme, and be based upon Bloodsport.
How did you determine that Dead or Alive uses the VF2 engine? It seems weird that Sega and Yu Suzuki would give their fighter engine to Tecmo for use in a fighter that came out on the Playstation too.
It doesn't use the same engine on the PS since no VF2 engine was ever created on the PS. The Saturn version uses the Saturn VF engine. Not sure about the arcade but they're both Model 2 games. The backgrounds graphics and polygon graphics behave EXACTLY the same way in each game on the Saturn version. The backgrounds are 2D and low res. The polygons are in high res. The ring is the ONLY element of the background in 3D. I'm sure Sega let them have it. Sega was normally in the habit of keeping all of the good codes, tricks and stuff like that to themselves, but this was towards the end of the Saturn's life. They wanted to make sure the game looked good on the system and they had nothing to lose by letting Tecmo use the engine. The PS version had to be built from scratch. If they didn't use the VF2 engine, then Tecmo sure copied it down to the very last detail.
Truth be told. Dead or Alive DID use the same graphics engine as Virtua Fighter 2, it didn't stem from the SEGA Saturn version, it all started from the original Arcade version. Yu Suzuki (Sega) gave the code to Tecmo out of friendship and desire to see their game to fruition. Of course, there were some other aspects/deal but no one knows about them. This was also the reason why Dead or Alive was created on the Sega Model 2 arcade board. Also, the reason why the SEGA Saturn version was the definitive version was due to the gameplay tweak the made the game flow and connect so much better compared to the arcade. Yes, the SEGA Saturn version didn't match the original arcade version graphically (of course it won't), but when it comes to the gameplay it was the SEGA Saturn version that took the lead and not the Playstation version (I know no one argued against that but I just wanted to highlight). Regarding how the PS version was done, yes, it wouldn't surprise me if that had to be done from scratch like Game Sack said, but everything of the life of Dead or Alive started from the core of Virtua FIghter 2.
Game Sack Oh btw - Dead or Alive on the SEGA Saturn is absolutely awesome, and it's a pity that you didn't see it that way, Game Sack. Once you know how to play the game you'll see the depth and reason why people said that the original Dead or Alive was the best Dead or Alive game. Plus, the way the HOLD button was utilized made Dead or Alive unique from all other 3D fighting games as its "counter the counter" system made the game become the closest 3D fighting game to a real Kung Fu flick. If that part was worked on further in the future versions of Dead or Alive, I guarantee that the landscape for the best 3D fighter would have been completely different. In fact, it would have been a benchmark of 3D fighting games let alone give the VF series a real run for it's money. However, Tecmo, didn't evolve it. In fact, Tecmo completely missed it; they didn't realise the true unique selling point of the game that gave it so much depth which made it a joy to play and that is a massive pity. I guess that leaves Tekken 3, Virtua Fighter 3, and Virtua Fighter 2 as the best 3D fighting games of all time.
I like when you guys do Random Episodes. I feel your random episodes eliminate the "why was (random title name here) not mentioned", plus you guys always seem to talk about a game I forgot about, during these random episodes.
WTF. No Tekken series? You talk about various 3d fighting games without mentioning the series that defined 3D-fighters on it's generation? WHAZZUPWITDAT
One thing I thought that was kinda neat about KOF '97 was how it was one of the first, to start recognizing the relationships between characters. I believe if you hit a certain button during the character select screen after choosing your first team member, you could see a smiley face that showed how other characters related to that one. It made a difference in gameplay. As I recall, it affected how much energy your power bar had after the second or third member of the team take over. Friendly characters could also jump in and save you when you were dizzy too. I think this is where characters started having different pre fight animations depending on how they related to their opponent.
So glad you mentioned Soul Blade. Its classic and still fun to this day, love playing it on my Xperia Play while on the bus,train, break time or when you have a few mins spare.
Excellent video as always guys. One thing you guys didn't point out (and I know there is a lot of games in the series so I can understand) is Soul Calibur III's Chronicles of the sword mode. It is basically a fighting RPG with some RTS elements. Complete with job classes, level ups and weapons. It is so deep for an additional game mode that it almost feels like it's own game. Definitely worth a play at the very least.
No one ever mentions Battle Arena Toshinden, but Battle Arena Toshinden 3 was fun as a multiplayer... and the overkills were simply awesome at the time.
I remember when I went into a store to buy a new TV over here in the UK and took in my US GameCube and a copy of Soul Calibur II. I was playing it for 30 minutes before I brought the TV. I still have the TV to play my old systems on.
Soul Calibur was one of the very rare perfect 10 games. I still agree with that score today. When SC2 came out, I brought 1 for each system I had, XBOX and GCube.
I am sure there will be another series of this because there are some other games I know they haven't mentioned such as astra superstars, groove on fight 3, touryuu densetsu, flash hyders, sailor moon fighter on sfc and the such. This was really done and saw your ep 2 as well. Good job guys
Really great episode guys, great touch with how you handled all the games. Felt you stopped the King of Fighters games at the right spot as well, just enough overview which allows you to continue in a future episode. Actually got the original Guilty Gear just a few days ago so this was a nice surprise to get your impressions on it.
Rival Schools and Guilty Gear ? You guys rock ! I was hoping to see Darkstalkers, Bloody Roar or at least Tekken but I guess you can't talk about everything in a single episode. Keep up the good work, greetings from France !
Since it's Game Sack, I'm not sure if the question was serious - but the 'One for J.J.' line is a reference to Peter Parker's boss. Basically he's taking a picture of himself having just beaten a bad guy for his boss to use in the paper.
So... here's a bit of info on TKoF: There's also another difference between Extra and Advanced mode, besides the power meters: The evasion move (Which, if I remember correctly, is done by pressing both weak attacks). On Extra, you do a side-dodge and stay in place, and on Extra, you do a roll, which _can_ make you switch sides with your oponent. Also, on '97, I think the team's music starts when the "leader" character of a team enters the battle. Those are specific characters, not "whoever you picked up first", I think. Like Kyo is the leader of Japan team, or Terry the leader of the Garou team. ... And '98 is a "dream match" game. It has no story, and it's there just so you can play with pretty much any characters from all previous games, even if they are officially dead. (The next "dream match" was 2002)
"It's an all female Street Fighter and that makes me happy." - Dave, 2014
"Who the hell is JJ?" His last name is Jameson!
Jenna Jameson, Peter Parker was into porn.
I made a terrible mistake this morning. My mom was trying to talk to me and I told her "Not now mom I'm watching the Sack!" Needless to say questions were asked
Yep. Gotta listen to Mom she's still the boss.
Sunday morning on the toilet watching Gamesack! Life is awesome!
Stay regular.
Everything flows when I'm watching Gamesack.
Fun fact: The SNES version of Justice League Task Force was developed by Blizzard Entertainment and the Genesis version was developed by Condor (later known as Blizzard North). These versions were developed completely independently of each other. Initially both teams didn't even know about each others' existance and actually got aquainted on some industry event (like ECTS or E3), when they saw that they were basically working on the same title just for different platforms. At the time Blizzard was also finishing working on Warcraft 2 and Condor was desperately trying to find a publisher, who would agree to finance the development of their rogue-like RPG project (it was Diablo, of course, but they hadn't come up with the name yet). The rest is, as they say, history. (Later Blizzard earned lots of cash on their Warcraft 2 and decided to invest in Condor's project and eventually bought the studio responsible for Diablo and Diablo 2).
I really appreciate the fighting game talk. Especially covering the beginnings of the Soul and KOF games.
Oh boy! Rival Schools and Guilty Gear!? Dave, you're a man after my own heart.
I try.
I'm a little disappointed Project Justice wasn't mentioned... :(
David White do you guys own any fight sticks?
Same, King of Fighters and Dead or Alive 2 too
Both those games were really awesome for the day
I'm sure one of you already has it but Project Justice is a great follow up to Rival Schools - though actually kinda rare and pricey now.
And hast a awesome Dreamcast Version with a sharper Image.
Hell yeah Game Sack, you're one hell of a show.
Thanks.
I literally can't fathom producing videos this intricate and well-made this fast...
Two things:
1.) In Marvel Superheroes, when Spider-Man says, "One for J.J.," he is referring to his boss at the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson.
2.) I believe that X-Men: Children of the Atom precedes Marvel Superheroes as the first Capcom-Marvel fighting game.
+Michael Adams (ARCWuLF)You're right, Children of the atom was the first of the series. This guys needs a lot to learn yet.
Pablo Pragana He said Marvel Super Heroes was on of their earliest Marvel fighting games, not the first
Guilty Gear, so damn happy to see you guys cover the series finally. My all time favorite fighting series and only gets better with each entry from there forward :D
lol, that end segment was funny!
Great episode guys. I always look forward to seeing a new game Sack.
my day is always better with a new game sack video
Superman has long hair because when he returned to life after its battle with Doomsday he had it long and he keep it tha way for some years.
Superman has long hair in that game since it came out a couple years after the Reign of Supermen story line where Superman was revived from his battle with Doomsday and DC decided to give him long hair for some strange reason.
It was a common enough style in the early 90's - long hair but no facial hair. Reminds me of a quote - 'common sense isn't so common.'
Rival Schools. Oh, boy, that was fantastic. Capcom was on top of its game back then on the PlayStation (and Saturn, for a while). The home version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 is still my favorite, but Rival Schools provided a lot of enjoyment, too.
I never really got into SNK fighters until ports came over for the PS2, and I'm finally starting to get the hang of King of Fighters now. Better late than never, right?
Keep the great content coming, guys. I'm really enjoying it. Thanks for doing what you do.
This really is the best retro-review/history channel out there. Some of these console history videos should be put in the library of congress if they ever decide to treat video games in the same light as music and film.
I love Game Sack. Always keeping an eye out for new episodes.
fun fact, the japanese version of rival school's evolution disc had a dating sim style mode where you create a character and school to attend and then live your school year and interact with the characters of the game. If I remember correctly ,In the end you attend the school prom with your best buddy or boyfriend/girlfriend (depends on the sex of your character and the character you have the best relationship with). But the most interesting part is that at the end of the mode your created character will have a mixed bag of moves that you learn from the characters you befriended.
The american version did not have this mode because it would've taken too much time and resource to translate it. So to try and make up for it the english verision gets 6 generic characters that could be made with the dating sim mode. I mention this because I put in alot of effort to track down the japanese version and then played it at my best friend's house where his japanese girlfriend translated for me as I played ^^.
also one thing that some people don't realize (I don't know if dave did) is that rival schools got a sequel called project justice for the dreamcast. the japanese version of that also had a dating sim styled create a character mode. although this time it's a board game that's up to 4 players (all non humans are computer controlled). this time you attend a school festival and learn moves and stats depending on the spaces you land on. but your character only gets a good ending if you get max relationship with one of the game characters. In the end all the players fight in a computer controlled mini tournament to see who made the best character. I wish I got to play this with 3 other friends but never had the chance to.
one last note JJ = jona jameson = peter parker's boss.
Cool story, thanks for sharing. I am aware of Project Justice. I own it but have misplaced it. I am sad.
David White aaaw I hope you find it. It's an amazing sequel
***** Project Justice is a Dreamcast game i really, really want to get when i have the funds to get it. I loved playing Rival School in the arcade.
I know, we missed out on such a great feature
Just when I had exhausted all of the playlists, a new gamesack appears!
By the way, there's a new version of Dead or Alive 5 that came out recently that incorporates content from the PS Vita version along with some new characters, including guest characters from Virtua Fighter and Ninja Gaiden. If you get DOA5, get the Ultimate version.
I support this notion/post!
DiscordedHaru
Cool guys that like she-boys.
Keep'em comin' Game Sack, i'll keep watchin' them
Another great episode guys,Superman supposedly died and came back to life (in the comics) that's why his hair is so long,The music from the arcade game "Psycho Soldier" plays in "King of Fighters 94" and "Heavy Metal Geomatrix" by Capcom for the Dreamcast is a fighting game which plays more like "Virtual On" than anything else so it doesn't qualify.
So did Superman's hair grow when he was dead and he just didn't have a chance to cut it when he came back to life? Or I guess he grew it long after he came back to life for another reason.
It grew long as he was being regenerated back to life after dying to Doomsday which took some time.
Ahmadu Wachuku
...and he didn't have time to cut it or it couldn't be cut?
Maybe,your guess is as good as mine,but
they say he kept it long until he married Lois Lane.
Ahmadu is correct, Superman actually rocked a mullet in the comics for quite a while after his "death"...
I'd gladly take a forty minute Game Sack. I usually watch several Game Sacks in a single sitting, so don't think we're exhausted by the current length
Link was seriously wounded... But the soul still burns!
Fighting games are the best. Also, I love how long the episodes are. You have time to really talk about the games and it feels more like something that I have to pay attention to. And it's noticeable the work you guys put into it. Keep it as it is!
About Justice League Task Force. interesting fact, it was developed by Blizzard. Also, superman has long hair because he had long hair in the comic books after he came back from being "dead" in the early 90s.
This episode was a lot better than the 16 bit fighter episode. I never knew about a JL fighting game, that's what I like about Game Sack they find those games that fell through the nicks and crannies of time.
The end skit is flipping genius.
Oooh man was that hilarious
This is one of my favorite episodes, and I'm not even good at fighting games. Great show, as always. Love your cinematic style, very nice colors and composition.
good shit. love me some game sackkkkk
Are you home or just riding in the car?
Im home babe
The resolution on this bad boy is SAAACK
Love me some Ball sack
JJ is J.Jonah Jameson . Btw I love your videos !!! More Fighting games and rare games would be great.
Thanks I was bored and now I have something to watch
Game Sack
We will let you know when you've talked enough about fighting games. Until then, please keep these coming. ;)
Opening with Rival Schools? GOOOOOOOD taste man, one of my childhood fighters!
You seriously don't know who JJ (the person Spidey mentions) is?!
It's his boss, BTW. Technically Peter Parker's, J Jonah Jamison, FYI.
*****
I foresee many future comments supplying the same information. Also, I thought that was Clark Kent's boss. Easy to get them confused. Sorry, not really into comics.
Game Sack JJ is a transdimensional lord and is both Spidey and Supe's boss.
xnamkcor X Perry White is Clark's boss.
Didn't Scorpio attack JJ in the Spiderman game on the Playstation?
I love how you guys made the power light flash extra bright on the PS1 when you turn it on! It's the little touches that make videos fun to watch.
"Who the hell is J.J.?"
(ahem) James Jonah Jameson.... Peter Parker's boss, the bigwig at the Daily Bugle.
This is what I call a pleasant surprise! Three episodes of my favourite youtube show in a row!!! You guys are the best!
Thanks! Wish it could always be like this so enjoy it while you can.
My favourite beat em up's fighters,YES WIN.
Love this!
I want to add, i love sitting down to watch your youtube videos, they are the longest videos i watch on youtube, i watch them all the way to the end. Many thanks for doing these vids gamesack.
Thanks!
Dave is spot on with guilty gear. I remember getting my PlayStation underground with a demo of guilty gear. I bought day and actually the original remains me fav. As X and its further kin came out they got more chaotic for me and took away from the "strategy" of it. I am pumped for xrd but like dave said the original has just the best ost of almost any game and xrd changed up the songs which is a mixed blessing. They are great songs but gg1 ost is just near perfection...
Man, this is awesome. You guys should do more of these type of videos. Don't limit yourself to a particular generation and just run the gamut through the entire franchise.
Of course, any Game Sack video is fucken awesome. Keep it up lads.
FYI Game Sack Dead or Alive's gag wasn't the panty shots. It was the weird yet hilarious boob "bonce" the programmers gave the characters.
Also, how have you not played DoA5? It's free on PS3 as a Freemium version with 4 charaters and 4 random characters that change every week. Pretty fun IMO
Wasn't free when I checked. Maybe you have to be a Plus member which I will certainly never be.
Really? I know it's called DoA 5 Core Edition. . . . It was Free when I got it. (Didn't need Plus).
Maybe check the Free to Play Column. If not, then I guess they must have removed it? Dang.
Melvin Viruet
I just searched Dead or Alive hoping for at least a demo. :)
Found it:
us.playstation.com/games/dead-or-alive-5-ultimate-core-fighters-ps3.html
It only has the arcade and online no story. But you can get the flow of the whole game. Hope that helps.
+Melvin Viruet I know this one was fighting centric but what about the other dead or alive games lol
I really enjoy the long episodes. I think anything between 25 to 35 minutes is fantastic! I also think your bits at the end of the video are getting a lot better than the first fifteen or so episodes. Great job guys, and I can't wait for the next!
With DOA you need to play Ultimate and 5 Ultimate. The reason the series didn't make it onto the PlayStation consoles up until 5 was because of a dispute with the PS2 port of 2.
Also, if I remember reading this correctly, the head designer put in Aerosmith into 3 and Ultimate 2 because of how their songs got him out of his depression from how Sony treated the PS2 port.
Also he kept DOA exclusive to the Xbox for too long, which is why 3 and 4 feel so stagnant.
DiscordedHaru
I don't think that the exclusivity made a difference in terms of design, especially when DOA4 was released a long time before the PS3 launched. DOA5 was the first Dead or Alive game after Itagaki left Team Ninja, which explains the fresh take on the series.
OMFG I GOT A +1 FROM DAVE!!!
Edge of Sanity Itagaki was dead set on keeping DOA a certain way for a long while though so, I have to disagree about your comment.
That being said, DOA is better now than it was before.
i loved DOA2, especially hardcore on the ps2, i don't know whats the deal of Itagaki's hate to Sony's platforms, i used to love Itagaki's works on Sony's consoles DOA 1 ( ps1 ) and Especially DOA 2 hardcore ( ps2 ) until i learn about him not wanted the series to touch the playstation ever again. one of the reason is " the ps3 is not a software friendly " it made me sad and angry back then, i played the free to play DOA 5 ( not made by Itagaki ) on the ps3 and i really loves it, it felt like a step forward but off course the retail version of 5 that i wanted, the F2P ones is so stupid, it's a trial version more than been a F2P. and it's not stopping there. he never wanted to port any Ninja Gaiden to the ps3 at the time he was at Tecmo, i have the Sigma Version.." it's an updated version of black on Xbox 360 " and i played the Shit out of it, one of my best ps3 games to date!! and even then after Itagaki left Tecmo he bashed the ps3's NGS as it's not a ninja gaiden game, but he said at least ps3 owner can finally experience the feel of NG?!?! i don't know.. i finally play it and i don't care anymore, i bet he bashes DOA5 too as it not a DOA game too, and even if it's true or not i don't care i played it and i loves it, though DOA 2 hardcore is still my favorite.
Game Sack i was looking for that fighting game name for years - "Gangan", saw it in the arcade many years ago and was pretty impressed, only detail i remembered about it was that orange Russian truck on the background. And believe me, recently i made some very heavy search through the Internet, and no one could name the game!
You guys really like Mai, no? In every video with Fatal Fury or King of Fighters gameplay you guys are playing with her.
Who doesn't love ninjas with bouncy tits?
I love the fact that you guys listen to vid-game music even when not playing the games...good stuff.
not gonna lie, when you said 3D, i was hoping for Power Stone. you shoudl do an episode on unique fighting games like Smash bros, Playstation allstars, Powerstone, and Ehrgeiz
I like Power Stone. It almost made it in this episode. Next one for sure.
Besides SFA3 for dreamcast, Pstones 2 is one of the best fighting games ever. It simplified the combat a bit but added better maps and 4 player support. Total chaotic gaming bliss.
If you want a list about unique fighting games, please don't leave Touhou 10.5 out =D I'm not saying this becouse I'm a big Touhou fan (which I am) but becouse the game has quite unique mechanics, like instead of a timer for each round, you have weather, which changes some rules on the match for as long it is active (like move faster, super armor, etc) and it has a "card system" to make your attacks stronger, use Spellcards (aka. supers), etc.
And, probably you'd have to add 12.3 if you talk about 10.5, becouse 12.3 is actually an expansion, even if it _can_ be played on its own =P
FlamerXMagofire01
Street Fighter Alpha 3 for dreamcast , Power Stone 2, and Dead or Alive 3. Ultimate Fighting Game Trifecta.
Mattydigs Never got to try Power Stone or Dead or Alive (... as in the series in general), but I did play SFA3, and yeah, not gonna lie, it's great =) Though I'm still a bigger fan of the KoF series... dunno why, I just like it better (shrug)
... Also, I said Touhou 10.5/12.3 was an "unique" fighting game =P
I personally love those old blocky graphics, I can just remember watching old fighting games in the arcade and being mesmerised by them. I don't know why but they hold such a charm for me.
Overall, a good video to watch. However, I was let down a bit near the end, as the Dead or Alive series is my favorite 3D fighting game series. You failed to mention the counters, which will get people in trouble if they use the same button mashing over and over again. I guess that's even more noticeable in 2-player mode, but dang, if something is too easy, just raise the difficulty level. At the higher levels, opponents will counter you a lot. I'd say that a game with a good range of difficulty levels (like the DOA series games) are in fact better because a wider range of players can enjoy them.
Like he mention-- More panties for those perves out there.--- I think he might've been reffering to his down time. lol.. I do agree though. Dead or Alive is infact a great game! I honestly think it beats Tekken and Street Fighter. But, hey. That's what I think.
I'm smoking what I like and the 'shit' I'm talking about is DoA. ^.^ You hate amused me.
Another great series, is Tobal, Bushido Blade, and Kengo. Also, that ending was awesome (I still smell my manuals, lol).
I would like to see them include the square fighting games in the next episode. What about Eirgheitz?
dox1842 I also love Ehrgeiz, especially the Quest mode (I'm a huge fan of dungeon crawlers).
The talked about Tobal, I am pretty sure it was in the Playstation episode.
Who the hell is j.j??he,'s Peter Parker's irate boss
Eventually we will yes.
Jonah Jameson!
3:12 I think Spider-man's talking about John Jonah Jameson, his boss who he takes pictures of Spider-man (himself) for the newspaper, and who hates Spider-man.
You guys talked a good deal about DOA2 on Dreamcast, but there are other console versions that came out later that are superior. Dead or Alive 2 Hardcore on PS2 has better shading and new costumes, and towards the end of the original Xbox's life, the PlayStation version of Dead or Alive 1 was included in a brand new from the ground remake of Dead or Alive 2 for Xbox in Dead or Alive Ultimate.
Dead or Alive Ultimate (Xbox) can be picked up extremely cheaply these days and is by far the definitive version of Dead or Alive 2. I'd even go as far as to say it's the best fighter on Xbox, and one of the best of all time. So many tweaks makes it something you guys _must_ cover in a future episode of this.
Dead or Alive Ultimate is a must.
But you could play the Dreamcast version in 480p, in the PS2 version you could only play in 480i.
I agree Dead or Alive Ultimate is by far the best version.
No, Itagaki himself stated that the PS2 was a complete piece of crap, and therefore Dave and Joe did the right thing by adhering to the man's wishes.
Bouncing Breasts as an option? THE MAN IS A FUCKEN GENIUS!!!
I didn't say the PS2 DOA2 Hardcore was better, just that it has better textures and new costumes.
The vastly superior version of DOA2 is as mentioned Dead or Alive Ultimate on original Xbox, which _still_ is stunning in more ways than one.
Also, about the bouncing breasts, the first DOA games have got nothing on DoA5, especially on PS3, where Tecmo added sixaxis motion controls to manipulate um, certain female anatomy both during bouts and in post victory poses.
And if that weren't enough, in DoA5 Ultimate, you can configure the breast motion to:
-off
-natural (jiggles only as much as real women)
-DOA (this is the DOA standard)
-OMG (this is....double the DOA standard)
Satoshi Matrix
Damn, now that's dedication. I say they finally found a good use for the motion controls and all that horsepower underneath the hood.
Not to mention, Dead or Alive 5 [and especially Ultimate] is a really, _really_ good fighting game. Dead or Alive has always been better than other series such as Tekken when it comes to core gameplay mechanics, and DOA5 is the best DOA has ever been, with tweaks and rebalances to make the game really top tier stuff.
Even without the sexy women [and sexy men, if you're into that] and motion controlled boob bounces, DOA5 would still be a game to recommend.
A topic right after my own heart, good job guys!
No-one knows or cares about the Star Gladiator series. This makes me sad :(
*****
Aye, he was. My favourite was Blood. Legend.
+Prehistorik Kryptonian Great list.
In regards to modern fighting games, try Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. That's not dumbed down at all. In fact, it's one of the most hardcore fighting games of all time :)
+Prehistorik Kryptonian Yes, I still own my original copy of Project Justice. Gotta admit, I suck at that one lol (sole exception being Hayato Nekketsu), though I still love it.
I owned Capcom Fighting Jam for a period but it never really held me, admittedly.
I haven't played the others unfortunately, although I know of Warzard cos of CFJ.
Hey, what's your opinion on the Darkstalkers series? I can see the appeal and its objective quality, but I could never really get into that series. For some reason, the "feel" just didn't captivate me - it wasn't intuitive to me.
Also, what do you think of the Sould Calibur series? I ADORED the original on the Dreamcast (never had a chance to get round to Soul Blade on PS though), although every one of the sequels I tried left me wanting (2 and 3 essentially, not played much beyond them), I felt the series didn't evolve much really. The original had so much content though, and it was so unique for the time.
I'm also curious as to your opinion on other Sega fighters, such as Last Bronx and Fighting Vipers. God, I love the original FVs, one of my all time favourites :D The sequel sucked arse though, unfortunately (still not sure what exactly went wrong there...). Last Bronx was solid for its time, and would have built a great foundation had it continued in to a series, but it hasn't aged aswell I don't think. Still have a soft-spot for it though, that's for sure!
Also, Fighters Megamix was epic; unbalanced as shit, but hey, it's meant much more as a 'fun' game by design, and it surely is - through and through :D
Also, have you ever played Super Dragon Ball Z on the PS2? That game is so readily dismissed but I loved it! The producer behind SFII was involved for one thing! The "career" mode was awesome, what with all the customisation etc. My main was Trunks.
I think it's safe to say my all-time fav Capcom fighters are CvsSNK2 and SFA3 - so many hours pumped into them! The singelplayer content alone is enough to tide one over :D
Oh btw, I have the Jap Saturn version of SFA3 - and it's fucking glorious my friend !
+Sub Dork Zelkin! Loved that guy, I still use his profile pic for my profile on websites, accounts etc occasionally - one of the coolest designs ever imo :D
I also loved playing all versions of Bilstein alot haha, so OP!
almost forgot about Byakko and Rai-on too! Check out my shiny new avatar haha ^_^
Hey guys! Bit of trivia on Star Gladiator for those who don't know:
It's life begun as a licensed Star Wars fighting game, but when the license-plug was pulled relatively early in development of the game, Capcom decided to complete the game but in their own redesigned image! How cool is that! A bit like how Mortal Kombat was originally going to star Jean-Claude van Damme, and be based upon Bloodsport.
i love how long your episodes are i hate 5-10min videos.. also great production again love you guys..
How did you determine that Dead or Alive uses the VF2 engine? It seems weird that Sega and Yu Suzuki would give their fighter engine to Tecmo for use in a fighter that came out on the Playstation too.
It doesn't use the same engine on the PS since no VF2 engine was ever created on the PS. The Saturn version uses the Saturn VF engine. Not sure about the arcade but they're both Model 2 games. The backgrounds graphics and polygon graphics behave EXACTLY the same way in each game on the Saturn version. The backgrounds are 2D and low res. The polygons are in high res. The ring is the ONLY element of the background in 3D. I'm sure Sega let them have it. Sega was normally in the habit of keeping all of the good codes, tricks and stuff like that to themselves, but this was towards the end of the Saturn's life. They wanted to make sure the game looked good on the system and they had nothing to lose by letting Tecmo use the engine. The PS version had to be built from scratch. If they didn't use the VF2 engine, then Tecmo sure copied it down to the very last detail.
Game Sack The internet seems to agree with you but I cannot find any hard proof of it. Too bad it would be nice to know for certain.
The Dead or Alive for Saturn is different from the one for PSOne,it's not a mere port.
Truth be told. Dead or Alive DID use the same graphics engine as Virtua Fighter 2, it didn't stem from the SEGA Saturn version, it all started from the original Arcade version. Yu Suzuki (Sega) gave the code to Tecmo out of friendship and desire to see their game to fruition. Of course, there were some other aspects/deal but no one knows about them. This was also the reason why Dead or Alive was created on the Sega Model 2 arcade board. Also, the reason why the SEGA Saturn version was the definitive version was due to the gameplay tweak the made the game flow and connect so much better compared to the arcade. Yes, the SEGA Saturn version didn't match the original arcade version graphically (of course it won't), but when it comes to the gameplay it was the SEGA Saturn version that took the lead and not the Playstation version (I know no one argued against that but I just wanted to highlight). Regarding how the PS version was done, yes, it wouldn't surprise me if that had to be done from scratch like Game Sack said, but everything of the life of Dead or Alive started from the core of Virtua FIghter 2.
Game Sack Oh btw - Dead or Alive on the SEGA Saturn is absolutely awesome, and it's a pity that you didn't see it that way, Game Sack. Once you know how to play the game you'll see the depth and reason why people said that the original Dead or Alive was the best Dead or Alive game. Plus, the way the HOLD button was utilized made Dead or Alive unique from all other 3D fighting games as its "counter the counter" system made the game become the closest 3D fighting game to a real Kung Fu flick. If that part was worked on further in the future versions of Dead or Alive, I guarantee that the landscape for the best 3D fighter would have been completely different. In fact, it would have been a benchmark of 3D fighting games let alone give the VF series a real run for it's money. However, Tecmo, didn't evolve it. In fact, Tecmo completely missed it; they didn't realise the true unique selling point of the game that gave it so much depth which made it a joy to play and that is a massive pity. I guess that leaves Tekken 3, Virtua Fighter 3, and Virtua Fighter 2 as the best 3D fighting games of all time.
I love the longer videos you guys do. It feels like NEVER ENDING GAME SACK! Until its over...:(
Hey Joe, where'd you score that sick Treasure shirt?
I'm totally jelly!
Seriously though, where can I find one?
I was wondering the same thing
I like when you guys do Random Episodes. I feel your random episodes eliminate the "why was (random title name here) not mentioned", plus you guys always seem to talk about a game I forgot about, during these random episodes.
Three weeks in a row?! This feels like Christmas!
WTF. No Tekken series? You talk about various 3d fighting games without mentioning the series that defined 3D-fighters on it's generation? WHAZZUPWITDAT
"You used a continue!" lol Out of all of your ending skits (that I've seen so far), this is my favorite one. :)
Make a dvd
Is Blu-ray OK?
Game Sack Will Sega CD Video be available to buy? :D
Game Sack Can GDV be a thing?
Game Sack
I guess, but would rather you guys come over and do the show live. But blu ray will do.
Game Sack Nah, you guys would have to release it in CD-i format.
I love you guys. Probably the most I've watched of a single series on UA-cam, especially in recent times.
fuck yeah bro
Great episode. Dave we love the long episodes!
Good. We will keep at it then.
Consecutive weeks of Game Sack to end my Sundays? Heck yeah =D!
"Superman's long hair was the style at the time."- Abraham Simpson
Holy crap, another episode!?!?! You just made my day!
One thing I thought that was kinda neat about KOF '97 was how it was one of the first, to start recognizing the relationships between characters. I believe if you hit a certain button during the character select screen after choosing your first team member, you could see a smiley face that showed how other characters related to that one. It made a difference in gameplay. As I recall, it affected how much energy your power bar had after the second or third member of the team take over. Friendly characters could also jump in and save you when you were dizzy too. I think this is where characters started having different pre fight animations depending on how they related to their opponent.
So glad you mentioned Soul Blade.
Its classic and still fun to this day, love playing it on my Xperia Play while on the bus,train, break time or when you have a few mins spare.
Awesome videos! Am very much looking forward to the next episode guys.
The longer the better. (That's what she said.)
Also weekly episodes would be awesome as well.
Keep up the good work guys.
Just so you know, You guys post your videos in Australian prime time sunday night viewing.time. Keep it up! love you guys!
Good work guys, really entertaining!
I just love you guys. Keep doing what you're doing, because it's great!
Flawless episode again!
Thank you.
Thanks for including Justice League Task Force.
Excellent video as always guys. One thing you guys didn't point out (and I know there is a lot of games in the series so I can understand) is Soul Calibur III's Chronicles of the sword mode. It is basically a fighting RPG with some RTS elements. Complete with job classes, level ups and weapons. It is so deep for an additional game mode that it almost feels like it's own game. Definitely worth a play at the very least.
No one ever mentions Battle Arena Toshinden, but Battle Arena Toshinden 3 was fun as a multiplayer... and the overkills were simply awesome at the time.
Dave is my hero. Not just because he loves the Super Nintendo, but we also have the same hair line!
You must be very handsome!
David White Obviously! I stated how much I loved Game Sack in our first video. I'm the bearded guy.
I remember when I went into a store to buy a new TV over here in the UK and took in my US GameCube and a copy of Soul Calibur II. I was playing it for 30 minutes before I brought the TV. I still have the TV to play my old systems on.
Soul Calibur was one of the very rare perfect 10 games. I still agree with that score today. When SC2 came out, I brought 1 for each system I had, XBOX and GCube.
I can't stop watching this show .. lt brings nice memories .. I love it
I am sure there will be another series of this because there are some other games I know they haven't mentioned such as astra superstars, groove on fight 3, touryuu densetsu, flash hyders, sailor moon fighter on sfc and the such. This was really done and saw your ep 2 as well. Good job guys
Really great episode guys, great touch with how you handled all the games. Felt you stopped the King of Fighters games at the right spot as well, just enough overview which allows you to continue in a future episode.
Actually got the original Guilty Gear just a few days ago so this was a nice surprise to get your impressions on it.
Thanks!
i miss Soul Edge's weapon break, i somehow like it, since being a turtle is bad for you
Thanks for going through all the King Of Fighters games and the differences. Mai is my fave too
Game Sack is the best. No contest.
Excellent episode! So many great games and series I'm interested in reviewed! I liked the format, too.
I did t hear a word you guys said when Mai or Kasumi was on screen. This is why I cant play games like this.
Thank you, for making Game Sack.
Heck yeah Soul Calibur II on the Game Cube was awesome, and I loved the story mode, unlocking all the different weapons for each fighter.
Rival Schools and Guilty Gear ? You guys rock ! I was hoping to see Darkstalkers, Bloody Roar or at least Tekken but I guess you can't talk about everything in a single episode. Keep up the good work, greetings from France !
In my opinion, none of the other games in the series can even compare with Soul Calibur III. That game just rocked in every conceivable way.
Since it's Game Sack, I'm not sure if the question was serious - but the 'One for J.J.' line is a reference to Peter Parker's boss. Basically he's taking a picture of himself having just beaten a bad guy for his boss to use in the paper.
So... here's a bit of info on TKoF:
There's also another difference between Extra and Advanced mode, besides the power meters: The evasion move (Which, if I remember correctly, is done by pressing both weak attacks). On Extra, you do a side-dodge and stay in place, and on Extra, you do a roll, which _can_ make you switch sides with your oponent.
Also, on '97, I think the team's music starts when the "leader" character of a team enters the battle. Those are specific characters, not "whoever you picked up first", I think. Like Kyo is the leader of Japan team, or Terry the leader of the Garou team.
... And '98 is a "dream match" game. It has no story, and it's there just so you can play with pretty much any characters from all previous games, even if they are officially dead. (The next "dream match" was 2002)