Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Last but certainly not least Free Swim ends our celebration of Black Characters in Video Games with a character from one of the greatest video games of all time Final Fantasy VII's Barret Wallace is one of the main characters in Final Fantasy VII, one of the most popular titles from the PlayStation 1. In Final Fantasy VII, Barret is introduced as the leader of the paramilitary organization known as AVALANCHE. He is opposed to the use of Shinra’s mako technology, which he believes to be killing the planet. Barret is also the adoptive father of Marlene, the child of his past friend, Dyne. Barret's primary weapon is a gun grafted to his arm. After AVALANCHE disbands, Barret chooses to continue his mission to save the planet by joining Cloud in the battle against Sephiroth. As the game proceeds, Barret maintains his hate for Shinra and its affect on the planet, but he also begins to regret his actions as the leader of AVALANCHE and mourns the loss of its members in Midgar. Originally, Barret advocates cooperating with Shinra to build a mako reactor in his hometown of Corel before the events of the series. After AVALANCHE attacks the reactor, Shinra eradicates the town and its villagers, including Barret's wife, Myrna. Barret, his best friend, Dyne, and Dyne's daughter, Marlene, are some of the only survivors. Soon after, Barret and Dyne are attacked by Shinra troops led by Scarlet. Though Barret survives, his right forearm is hit by gunfire and rendered useless when he tries to prevent Dyne from falling off a cliff. Assuming Dyne to have been killed, he adopts Marlene, and then travels to Midgar. He also has a gun prosthetic grafted to his arm and begins seeking revenge on Shinra, eventually becoming the leader of the second incarnation of AVALANCHE, while remaining ignorant of the first group's involvement in Corel.

Barret Wallace from Final Fantasy Advent Children Anime!

Street Fighter IV Best Buy Tournament

Location: 300 State Route 18 Suite 4
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
732-257-5293
Date: March 7th, 2009
Ages: Open to all ages.
Cost: FREE!
Time: Starting at 3pm with warm up matches!
Games: Street Fighter 4 on the Playstation 3
Tournament Structure:Match specifics: Each match will be played best of 5 rounds, 99 seconds, default controller setups only, no pausing during match (pausing will result in loss of round), no unlock able characters, PS3 controllers only, controllers will be provided by Best Buy only.1st round- Will be played as a round robin. (In a round robin each player will play every other player in one match and will continue to play everyone once, win or lose.) Top 8 advance to round 2.2nd round- We will begin elimination matches. (Match specifics still apply.) Winner moves on to next round.3rd round Semi finals- Same as round two, winners advance to final. Losers play for 3rd place.4th round 3rd place match- Losers of round 3 play for 3rd place spot.5th round final- Winners of round 3 play for champion title.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Sazh Kalzroy is the latest character announced for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII. So what can I tell ya about Sazh; well first off he appears to be the Lando Calrisian of Final Fantasy, and he loves chicks....Chocobo chicks that is!

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Carl "CJ" Johnson is the protagonist, hero and player-controlled character in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.The game's storyline revolves around Carl's return to San Andreas after five years in Liberty City because his mother was killed in a drive-by shooting. CJ decides early on that he intends to remain on the west coast rather than return after his mother's funeral, and the game's storyline focuses on his attempts to rebuild the life he left behind five years before. Carl helps restore his old gang, the Grove Street Families, to prominence. He also works on several independent business ventures and gains new friends and associates. As the protagonist, Carl is forced to deal with the major dramatic events of the plot, including his brother Sweet's arrest and incarceration, the betrayal of his childhood friends Big Smoke and Ryder, and the destruction wrought on his neighborhood and gang by drugs

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Remember Killer Instinct? At the time that game was all the rage with it's over the top violence....I remember all the petitions and anti video game activists then...they had no idea what was instore fo them a few years later with games like Grand Theft Auto.

Anyway back on track, Killer Instinct had the stereotypical boxer character that was made famous by Street Fighters' Balrog.

T.J Combo comes from a poor but hard working family, he dreams of becoming a boxer and making lots of money and fame, he dreams are crushed when both his arm arms are mangled in a bad bout.

Lucky for T.J his sister went to college and got a job at Ultratech, where he gets his new "magic arms". He convinces his sister to get him cybernetic arms to help him realize his dreams and help his poor momma out. T.J, with the help of his bionic arms becomes the champ but after pushing his luck T.J's secret is discovered and just like Balrog he's stripped of his title and banned from boxing.

Luckily T.J gets another chance in the Killer Instinct tournament held by...

wait for it...

Ultratech...Dun dun duuuuh!

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Another throw away character in the SNK fighting game franchise King of Fighters, Lucky, a friendly and carefree basketball player, Lucky also dabbled in karate. One day his friend Heavy D! invited him to the King of Fighters 98 tournament. Even though they performed miserably, Lucky isn't one to mourn. He keeps enjoying his life far from the fighting arena.

LAME!

Memorable Black Characers in Video Games

Heavy D! from SNK's King of Fighters 98 roster...kinda lame character that was whipped up on the fly IMO.
A failed professional boxer, Heavy D! kept his form fighting on the streets. One day he received an invitation to the '94 KoF tournament. He teamed up with his friends Lucky and Brian and entered. Even though they failed, Heavy D! wanted to try again the next year. Unfortunately Brian's team went to the Superbowl so they couldn't participate in KoF.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Afro is an Afro-headed samurai and the main character of the series. In the story, when Afro was just a child, he watched his father die at the hands of Justice for the number one headband and from that day on, Afro swore vengeance on the man with Rokutaro's sword. Sometime after the death of his father, Afro was found by a Sword Master who taught him the art of kenjutsu and hand-to-hand combat, becoming a master swordsman, along with having almost superhuman strength. The Sword Master revealed himself to be the carrier of the number two headband that Afro had been searching for many years. Afro killed his mentor to gain the Number Two headband, giving him clearance to hunt down Justice, while turning his back on everyone he knew to continue his path of revenge, the game follows the same story arc as the manga and is voiced by the same actors. Samuel L. Jackson does the VO work for Afro.

For more info on the Afro Samurai game by Namco Bandai head over to http://www.bloodisbeautiful.com/

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

When EA Sports signed Tiger Woods to work with their golf teams on golf games in 1998, they planned a transition so that the PGA Tour Golf series would take on the "Tiger Woods" name. The evolution of the series has been continual since 1990, so the gaming roots of the franchise are 18 years old. The first version of the game to bear Tiger's name was Tiger Woods '99, released in 1998. The title of the game was subsequently changed in 1999 to Tiger Woods PGA Tour X, with X being the year of the season the game corresponds to. Currently eleven games have been released under the Woods license.Very Impressive Tiger...just like your golfing skills!

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Seth is a character in SNK's King of Fighters series. Originally introduced in KoF 2000. A huge fighter, Seth grew up in the slums and soon learned to fight. He became a professional bodyguard. He was hired by a mercenary group.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Stretch is a fictional character from the NBA Street franchise. He is the final Street Legend you face in the game and his home court is Rucker Park in Harlem, NY. Stretch may have serious air but ya gotta wonder how aero dynamic that afro is. Stretch's dunking stats are maxed out, making him one of the better dunkers in the game, and it leads him to play closer to the hoop instead of shooting from the paint. Stretch is also the teacher of "Street School."

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Jax was the first African-American character in the Mortal Kombat series and made his debut in the second game. He is portrayed as an archetypical American hero. In the chain of command of the Special Forces, he is Sonya Blade's direct superior, and clearly the catalyzing force of Sonya's impulsiveness. Jax is clear-headed, careful and always keeping a watch on what his men are doing, but when the need arises, he is a beast on the battlefield with the attitude and ferocity of a lion. He unscrupulously makes use of the most advanced technology to improve both himself and his unit.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Tiger Jackson is one bad mutha Fu..

*Whatcho sayin'

I'm just talkin bout Tiger Jackson!

Tiger is introduced in Tekken 3, he's actually a pallet swap of Eddy Gordo. Tiger fights using capoeira style just like eddy Gordo but I think Tiger's moves gots more soul.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Raised in the rough and tough streets of Brixton, England, Moby used a BMX bike to get him on the path to international recognition of his extreme athlete prowess. He became recognized as fearless and aggressive, and no one went bigger or better. This time around Moby has raised his confidence level and balanced it with a newfound chill. The opportunity to be challenged in every event, every ride, has left him with a mindset that is cool, calculating, and strategic. He knows there are young riders lined up to knock him off his perch and calmly rejects there ambition. He is often described as a machine, able to win and ride with an almost superhuman proficiency.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Mike Tyson, he impressed the president of Nintendo so much during a fight back when he was the heavyweight champion of the world, Minoru Arakawa made him the final boss in one of the NES's most popular ever, Mike Tysons's Punch Out. Regrettibly, much like Iron Mike's career he was removed from the boxing game, later replaced by Mr. Dream.
Even with all my training from "Doc" I still was never able to beat you Mike...I came close a few times...you'll always be the champ of 8 bit boxing games.

God of War III Full trailer

I'm sure this is the trailer David Jaffe was refering to after the VGA 08 trailer that left a few Spartan warriors scratching their heads. Now this trailer looks epic!

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Today we're gonna go way back, back in time...
Twenty two years ago a little fella named Mac had a dream, a dream to be the best around. Only problem no one wanted to be his trainer, that is until he met

Jerome "Doc" Lewis! Together Little Mac and Doc Lewis taught the world about hope and change and with a little heart fought his way to win the heavy weight champion of the world.

Doc Lewis is a good role model as he teaches younger gamers about perseverance and the benefits of exercise.

PlayStation Home EA Sports Complex

Haven't been home in awhile? Getting bored of Bowling and Billiards? Well EA is coming to the rescue this March with a much needed update to PS Home, a virtual Sports Complex! The first areas that PS Homey's will get to experience is the casino section, with FREE poker tables, racing games and mini golf sections, EA states that there will be enough tables for over 50 people in the zone, poker games will begin when 4 or more people sit at a table. EA has ambitious plans for their virtual sports complex with a Football stadium, and other major sports stadiums planned to break virtual ground soon!

SSFIITHDR:SITHappens Vs Krogenar

Welcome back my friends to the fight that never ends,

I'm so glad you could attend, come inside come inside...

I had the opportunity to meet up with my long time friend and rival in Street Fighter, Krogenar. He and I used to play Street Fighter ALOT, I was able to record most of our fights for posterities sake...lets take a look, shall we.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

One of the most prolific characters in the Twisted Metal franchise, Axel, is literally a human axel between two enormous wheels! Axel is introduced in Twisted Metal 2, considered by fans of the series to be the best. TM2 takes place a year after the first TM contest from the first game, the host, Calypso makes the world his playground as road warriors from around the world compete to have one wish granted...anything he or she desires. But as you learn that is a double edged blade.

In TM2 Axel's story is that his father imprisoned him in the device and if he wins he wants the strength to face his father. By TM4 the series had trully fallen apart by the hands of 989 studious who took over after Single Trac, but Axel had become a boss character by this time... fate is cruel Axel.

When the PS2 launched Incog Inc. formerly Single Trac took the franchise back, overhauled it and gave it a fresh coat of paint...black paint. TMB was a far darker game from TM2 and was also a far superior game than either TMIII or TM4, Axel returns and in TMB his back story has him blaming himself for his wife's death, he drives a 2-wheeled torture device as punishment. He agrees to enter Calypso's contest to find her murderer.

Transformers: RotF Devastator & The Fallen Images

After the super bowl teaser trailer that left me less than excited, it seems Michael Bay has left the cat (as in catapillar equipment) out of the bag along with an image of The Fallen (I'm still calling Bravo Sierra on this).
I may be in the minority here but I think Devastator looks awful, What the hell is that thing for a head!?
As far as The Fallen, it looks totally out of place with what we've seen in the movies so far, the Fallen looks like an H.R. Giger creation....which would make it the coolest transformer of the whole lot! And what does the Fallen transform into an oral B toothbrush?!
Terminator 2
Transformers 0

Images courtesy of http://www.actoys.net/

The REAL Devastator!

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Sheva Alomar teams up with Chris Redfield in the upcoming sequel to the popular Resident Evil series by Capcom.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Dee Jay is one of the four new fighters that were introduced in Super Street Fighter II. He comes from Jamaica and loves musicand with those pearly whites is the Lando Carissian of Street Fighter.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

A thug who left the world of wrestling to find greater opponents. After being beaten, he decided to join Shadaloo. He impressed Bison enough to be accepted, but soon became bored. He then discovered the Psycho Drive and, together with Balrog, tried to steal it. However, before they could succeed the base was destroyed. What happened to Birdie is unknown, but he probably stayed with Shadaloo until the end. In SF1, he was white, but Capcom explained that he was "ill" back then. LOL!

Having a name like Birdie makes you a badass by default... Of course his Street Fighter 1 appearance wasn't anything special, but when Capcom re-invented him in the SFA series; he was undeniably a memorable character and definitely "stood out" among the others. His unrealistic proportions also have a lot to do with his overall design, and are as effective as they are hilarious...

Street Fighter 1

Street Fighter Alpha

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Another new character in Street Fighter III was Elena, the fighter from Nairobi, she was a very unique fighter in the Street Fighter franchise as one of her super arts was regeneration of health. Her fighing style was reminiscent of capoeira, a fighting style that looks like dance.

Street Fighter IV Intro

Who knew Street Fighter and J pop went so well together!? Check out the japanese game intro get like Seth Killian says GET HYPE!!
Only 7 days to go....

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

In 1997 Capcom launched Street Fighter III, the only returning cast members were Ryu and Ken, everyone else was brand new. The designers created a new boxer for Street Fighter III, and broke away from the steriotypical down on his luck, boxer, with a penchant for violence. Instead Capcom gave us a British boxer who was the polar opposite of Balrog. Dudley is a refined gentleman who was trying to retrieve his antique car that was stolen. When Capcom announced Street Fighter IV many fans petitioned to have Dudley added to the roster so the two boxers could finally face off. Regrettibly no characters from Street Fighter III made it into IV.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

In 1992 Capcom released the sequel to 1987's Street Fighter, Street Fighter II The World Warriors was an instant smash hit, and reinvigorated the arcade scene. Street Fighter II let player choose from 8 unique warriors and travel the world fighting against other contenders in the second World Warrior Tournament. Street Fighter two had 4 final bosses the first is Balrog, aka as M. Bison in Japan. The name was swapped with another boss as to avoid the obvious law suit. Many believe Balrog is same character as Mike from the original Street Fighter. In February 2009 Balrog will return to the streets in Street Fighter IV!

For That Not So Special Someone

For most, there is no crueler day of the calendar year than that of Valentine's Day. While a tiny fraction of the population can look forward to a holiday of wine and roses, poetry and song, the vast majority of us can anticipate a day of nausea and grimacing, trauma and grief. A day in which minutes seem like hours, and hours like days, as we reflect sorrowfully on yesteryear's romantic indignities, today's loneliness, and the unknowable but certain heartbreak that will be visited upon us repeatedly in the years to come.When cruelty and holidays collide, the weak-willed find solace in self-pity and comfort foods. Thanks to Despair Inc. they've combined BOTH into a radical new offering.

Now available in THREE unique collections- "Dejected", "Dysfunctional", and "Dumped"

Available in six different flavors, including: Banana Chalk, Grape Dust, Nappy-Citric, You-Call-This-Lime?, Pink Sand and Fossilized Antacid.

Order yours today! Then go see He's Just Not That Into You to complete your Valentine's Day Celebration.

http://www.despair.com/bittersweets.html

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Time to move on to another popular franchise, Street Fighter. In 1987 Capcom launched what would become one of the most influential fighting games in video game history, the original Street Fighter let the player choose from one of two characters, Ryu or Ken and you traveled the world to challenge other fighters "like you all over the world". You'd fight two characters from Japan, China, England, Thailand and the good ol USA where you fight Mike at Mount Rushmore South Dakota. Mike fights like a boxer and is rumored to be the same character as Balrog (M. Bison in Japan) from Street Fighter II.

Memorable Black Characters in Video Games

Keeping with the Metal Gear Solid saga, Drebin is the latest African American cast member who assists Snake in his mission. Drebin is a mysterious individual who never seems to be fully aligned with any faction in the series, his services are rather shady but do come in extremely helpful thru MGS4, as he unlocks ID tagged weapons and equipment useable for Snake.

If they ever do make a Metal Gear Solid movie Wesley Snipes is a no brainer to play Simon Pheonix...oops I mean Drebin!

Dragonball Evolution Trailer

As bad as Street Fighter the Legend of Chun Li looks, this looks sooo much worse! If you pay real money to see this punch yourself in the groin for me.
Ladies and Gentlemen I think this movie could give Dragon Wars a run for the worst movie of all time award!

Dragonball Evolution Trailer (Leaked)

Meet the T600

Revenge is something that those who have been beaten seek...

The T600 isn't looking for revenge, it's looking to terminate anything that get's in it's way! We've all met Cyberdyne systems model 101 T800...the Ahnold model, he was a big fella that was bad to the bone. In the original Terminator Kyle Reese told Sarah all about the T600 and how they were easy to spot with their rubber skin...he failed to mention that they also made the T800 model look like cybernetic hobbits!!!

No wonder these suckers were easy to spot, take a look at the size of these monsters! Check out the chart below...the Ahnold unit T-800 is the one all the way on the right...and we all know that's a big dude, the T600 is frigging crazy BIG, if that sucka gets his hands on you...it's game over!