This blog will hold profiles and comments about my favorite fictional characters. This will include the work of others that I like and some of my own work.
Now, here is a rivalry that really started at the beginning of the Marvel Universe as we know it. Thor and Hulk have traded smackdowns for years. Everyone has an opinion about who would win. It is always fun to watch Hulk fight Thor. It never seems to get old to me. In honor of the new Hulk Vs DVD, I thought I'd stage a fight in mugen. The is Loganir's and BlackDragon's Thor against Mgmurrow's Hulk. Both characters are AI controlled at a setting of "4". As to my opinion, I think that the Hulk could really ultimately beat Thor under most circumstances. Of course, it would be a long protracted battle and not something either would be able to walk away from unscathed.
In honor of the Hulk Vs DVD, I decided to do a Grudge Match version pitting Hulk against Wolverine in mugen. The Hulk and Wolverine have thrown down on many, many occasions. It's always an entertaining battle. And in Marvel Universe proper, I don't think that there has ever been a clear winner, but I think we can safely say that in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the Hulk had a decisive win because he ripped Wolverine apart with his bare hands. As for my mugen Fights. I did two because there are so many good versions of Wolverine. The first is Mgmurrow's Hulk versus Infinity Mugen Team's Wolverine. The second is Mgmurrow's Hulk versus Sanders31117's Wolverine. The same rules as all the otherGrudge Matches I post. Both combatants are computer controlled with the AI set to 4. Here are the fights:
I have found an article on Marvel.com that lists the best battles between the Hulk and Wolverine.
Volzzilla has managed to talk to a member of Team Omega Pwnage Supreme who agreed to a short interview. A lot of insight was provided and it is greatly appreciated. Volzzilla's questions are in bold, the answers are un-bolded. Volzzilla wrote it up and passed it to me.
1) Tell me about the members of Team Omega Pwnage Supreme (aka T.O.P.S.) and who focuses on what with the team.
I guess you can call me Mugen master one and I take care of most of the coding with the characters. I also upload videos to YouTube and I build and maintain our website. (Team Omega PwnageSupreme's Website) My best friend, we'll call him Mugen master two, does most of the spriting and animations and always helps me in making the videos for YouTube. Rarely do these roles change but every now and then I'll do some spriting, while he does the coding. We both know how to do either/or, it is just that we normally stick with what we are best at.
2) How did you all learn about Mugen and how long ago was that?
It was actually my friend that introduced it me some 31/2 years ago after he learned about it in animation school.
3) When did you decide to get into the character creation side and why?
After about 4 – 6 months of just playing with it, we wanted to do more, as in making the characters to actually play with. We liked the idea of being able to make your own characters…it was cool and fun. Mugen allows you to be a part of your favorite game character, and that just wasn't possible before.
4) What tools do you all prefer to use in your creation process?
Two, very simple: Fighter Factory and Photoshop.
5) Any tips you would like to share on how you all work that may help other creators?
Well, I don't know exactly what to say so I guess I’ll just share what's worked for us. First: find a partner, and one that you can easily get along with because if you don't, there will be lots of arguments and that slows progress or might even break up your team. Second: immerse yourself in the wonderful world of coding and/or spriting. As for us specifically, it helps for me that I have a background in Java script coding and my friend the same with animation and graphic design. Third: practice, practice, practice.
6) When you are just focusing on having fun and playing, what characters do you tend to use the most and why?
Any characters that are well made and have a lot of moves. We tend to like the over the top characters as they are just fun!
7) What comic character not already made or being created do you wish was made into Mugen?
Well, I really wish someone would make Adam Warlock or Doctor Strange. I think one of my wishes might be coming true, as someone has started making sprites for Doctor Strange (find the link to that process here: (Dr Strange by SPOOKY77) but still nothing for Warlock. I guess time will tell.
8) Please tell us about the Marvel/DC related characters you are working on.
As you know, we released our Silver Surfer 1.0 last April. We are also working on Agony, a female symbiote spawn of Venom, but there is not much to really share there. As of yet, she is still in the early stages, since we just recently did her sprites. We're making her, because we think that symbiote characters in general are cool and that simple re-color/re-edit version of Carnage that is named after her doesn't do her justice.
9) Do you have any plans for other Marvel/DC characters after Agony?
We might make more, but we also work on other genres too that keep us busy. So don't expect any other new Marvel/DC specific characters to come out very soon after her. But again, only time will tell. Though we do have a commitment to updates for all of our characters.
10) Favorite Fiction blog is really impressed with your Silver Surfer. Can you tell us why he was chosen to be created by T.O.P.S.
Silver surfer has always been one of my all time favorite superheroes and at the time we started making him, there were no others, so we also wanted to bring out a character that hadn't been done before. Of course that second point doesn't hold true now, because to our dismay, one came out about 2 months before ours did and then another 3 weeks after our release. It was crazy that so many people jumped on it at the same time. I'm still confident that we started ours first though!
11) Your Silver Surfer has quite a number of powers that you implemented; was that difficult to create and what was the inspiration for some of them?
Hahaha, I hoped someone would notice that. Yes he has a ton of powers and abilities. It was somewhat difficult to implement them all, but in the end I think we streamlined it pretty well and even managed to keep a mostly MvC style button layout. When it comes to inspiration, it was him, as in the Silver Surfer! The character has so many abilities and powers it's crazy. Sometimes even official games fail to get all of them in! Just read the comics and you'll see that he can fly, has super strength, can manipulate and transmute matter, move in excess of light speed, put up force fields, trap people in force fields, telekinesis, shoot cosmic beams of varying destructive force, absorb massive amounts of cosmic energy and release it for massive explosions! The list goes on and on and on. He is the Silver Surfer and he has the power cosmic! Because of our love for the character and how well he was received after his release, we are updating him to version 2.0 very soon.
12) That is good to know, can you please share anything you would like to tease our audience about in regards to these Silver Surfer 2.0 updates you speak of?
First of all, we have totally revamped the original sprites, and cleaned them up to where they are more shiny and metallic looking. Silver Surfer 2.0 will also have a totally new and different second mode that will come with its own unique abilities and special moves. If your wondering about expectations for this additional mode, let me remind you of the comment we made saying how much we love playing with Mugen characters that have a lot of moves and has an over the top gameplay style…this second mode will be no different from that. Couple that with our love for the character in general, and just expect to have more fun! There is more, but we will keep that as a surprise to the players. And this update is coming soon. Expect Silver Surfer 2.0 to be released in the next few days to a week. We will mark the release with a promotional YouTube video similar to our first.
13) As most know, Mugen creation is very detailed oriented and time consuming. What keeps you motivated to continue your work?
Well, the fact that we find it really fun helps. Sitting around and making sprites or punching in a lot of code all day on the key board isn't for everyone but when that end result comes out, you can not help but be proud! Also the fans help too. In fact if it wasn't for the fans wanting more, Silver Surfer might not have been revamped with all these new changes the way we did for version 2.0. So every fan should know, that your voice is heard and we really like your praise. T.O.P.S Thanks you!
And we thank you for your time. To see version 1.0’s promotional release video:
I've gotten a couple of requests on my YouTube channel for information on how to get started in Mugen. I have been studying Mugen for the past 19 months. I've learned a lot. Everything you need is on the Internet even tutorials. In my research I have found some rumors that Mugen is dead and no one is doing anything new with it. This is not true in the slightest. One of the things that I like the most about Mugen is that it's truly international. You have development of characters, stages, and tools going on all over the planet: United States, France, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Philippines, and many other countries. And the work being done is truely exceptional! So here are some sites that I would suggest newbies would visit to learn how to put mugen games together, pre-made games to downloads, and great places to find characters.
Resources http://mugen.en.softonic.com/ - is where you need to go to find the mugen game engine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.U.G.E.N - is where you need to go for general information. Fighter Factory - is where you need to download a great program for designing your own mugen characters, very visual, and more like an Integrated Development Environment Mugen Editing Ensemble - is another software suite for making mugen characters Mugen.cfg File Editor for Windows - cfg files are configuration files for mugen games, this tool allows easy editing of that file. Open Mugen 1.1 - Another version of the Mugen version with open source code.
Brainiac is a villain that has taken center stage during the past few incarnation of Superman on TV. Current, outside comic book continuity holds that he is from Krypton also and only interested in collecting all the information, technology, and data from each and every civilization he encounters, and then destroy it, then move on to the next one. Except on Smallville. There Brainiac wants to kill Clark and free General Zodd from the Phantom Zone. Brainiac has looked very different over the years. I have found one single version for mugen for Brainiac. It's not complete but it does give you an idea where Ledernieraztlan (the creator is doing). I like it so far. I'm highly impressed.
Mongul, isn't a character that I followed in the Comic Books but he did appear twice in Justic League. Just a few minutes of research yielded much information. Wikipedia has a couple of great entries: Mongul and "For the Man Who Has Everything", which was a story by Alan Moore from the mid-1980's and was adapted into a great episode in Justice League Unlimited. It was one of my favorite episodes and followed the comic book very closely. It was an awesome adaption and extremely well-done. The other episode that showcased Mongul (his first appearance in the series) was also adapted from the first time Superman met up with him after DC rebooted their continuity in 1980's. I have seen only one version of Mongul for mugen. And it is awesome. Jeff and Magus did an awesome job. Good use of his powers, great appearance, and generally fun is built into the character. It's a kick to use his special moves; they are brutal just like his personality.
It's a rivalry that goes back for years! Back when Rogue was a super villain working for her foster mother, Mystique (yeah, long story, I'll save it for another time) as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Rogue, under orders, held on to Ms Marvel and permanently absorbed her powers and memories, putting Marvel into a coma that lasted for years! Since then Ms Marvel has awakened, regained her powers and added more. Just like in the animated adaption of the 1990's, Ms Marvel is not too fond of Rogue although she has reformed and is a hero in the X-Men. I'm not too familiar where there their relationship stand now that Ms Marvel has undergone many changes and is a member of the Avengers, but I thought that it might be fun to stage a battle in Mugen. For this fight I used ZVitor's and UltraRobotNinja's Ms Marvel and pitt her against Slode's Rogue. Both characters were AI controlled and the AI was set to 4. Although Rogue won, it's not the best case because I don't think the AI utilized Ms Marvel very well at, but it was an entertaining fight. I think that if the real characters fought, Ms Marvel wipe the floor with Rogue, unless Ms Marvel is drunk or something.
Wolverine is without question the most popular member of the X-men. One might even say that he is one of the most popular fictional characters ever. He is the first character of his kind. But there are a lot of characters like him since....trying to copy his popularity. Why is he so popular? Characters that thumb their nose at authority and follow their own rules are attractive today. Wolverine has no problem with killing his opponents. He is a hero because he fights to protect those weaker than himself and he has his own code of honor. He also walks a razor's edge in terms of self control. His animalistic side of his personality is constantly at odds with his sense of his own humanity. When he's fighting, especially multiple opponents, or when he's angry he has to choose if he's going to respond with a berserker rage inside of him, or as a man....thinking before he acts. To me, he symbolizes the conflict inherent in everyone. He is also capable of much compassion. I like to watch that struggle. Which is why I enjoy the comic books. And it's been done in animation well too. I have found several versions of Wolverine for Mugen.
Most of all the characters differ slightly. Some of their special moves are more easier to pull of than others. The Unmasked Wolverine version, aka Logan, has the unique ability that he auto heals, regains vitality, if he can keep from being hit. It's not a complete character yet, but it does have that "healing factor" feature in place. I read at the Infinity Forums that the plan is to make final character be able to put on and take off his mask. Two of the character in my chart above are rumored to either be works in progress or already exist. I have not been able to find them yet. Here is the playlist for my tests of Wolverine in mugen.
I've been alerted by volzzilla about other videos on YouTube that show other versions of Rogue. Rogue By XCB is shown in the following table and is a private character and I don't have access to that version.
And this version in the following video I think is Splode's version which I did blog about on my Rogue Mugen post
The following video is of another version of Rogue that I did not know existed. Big Eli King's Rogue seems really cool but I don't know how to get this one.
If anyone knows how to get these versions of Rogue, please let me know. Thanks.
The Silver Surfer is one of those characters where you might be tempted to laugh when you hear the name. I mean a superhero riding a surf board? On top of that, riding a surf board through space?! But that was before I learned more about who the Silver Surfer is. He is noble, compassionate, and extremely powerful. He wields the Power of Cosmic. I found this on the Marvel website. I'm pasting it here because Surfer's powers are so varied I want to cover them all.
Powers The Silver Surfer wields "the power cosmic", absorbing and manipulating the universe's ambient cosmic energies. He can augment his strength to incalculable levels, and is almost totally indestructible. He can navigate space, hyperspace and dimensional barriers, and can fly at near-limitless speeds on his board, entering hyperspace when he exceeds light speed. He has even proven capable of time travel on occasion. The Surfer does not require food, drink, air or sleep, sustained entirely by converting matter into energy. He is immune to temperature extremes and most radiation, and can survive in vacuum environments such as outer space and hyperspace. He can analyze and manipulate matter and energy, and restructure or animate matter at will, even transmuting elements. He can heal living beings (though he cannot raise the dead), and has proven capable of revitalizing or evolving organic life on a planet wide scale. He can alter the size of himself or of other matter, cast illusions, fire energy blasts, form and manipulate energy constructs, manipulate gravity, absorb and discharge most forms of energy, and phase through solid matter. His senses enable him to detect objects and energies light years away, and to perceive matter and energy in subatomic detail; he can even see through time, and with concentration can achieve limited perception of past and future events in his general vicinity. The Surfer has demonstrated limited telepathic ability on occasion, and has proven able to influence human emotion and sensation.
Paraphernalia The Surfer's board is composed of the same impervious, cosmic-powered silvery material as its master's skin, and is mentally linked to the Surfer; it moves in response to his thoughts, even when he is not in physical contact with it. The board is almost totally indestructible, but on those rare occasions where it has been damaged or destroyed, the Surfer has been able to repair or even re-create it. The Surfer can attack opponents remotely by directing the board against them, and the board is capable of absorbing and imprisoning other beings, at least temporarily.
As you can see, his abilities make him very formidable. The basic goal in mugen is to put the player in Surfer's shoes. I'm planning to use this as criteria to see how to measure the versions of Silver Surfer for mugen. I have found 4 versions of Silver Surfer for mugen.
The Infinity Mugen Team, Scruffy Dragon, and Team Omega Pwnage Supreme versions of Silver Surfer are all awesome and much better than the Symbiote version. Therefore, let's concentrate on the three best versions. The Infinity Mugen Team and Team Omega Pwnage Supreme versions are similar to each other because you can fight while riding your board or without it. Both let you call it or dismiss it. The Scruffy Dragon version is always riding the board unless you do the special move that sends the board to ram your opponent. I like these three versions very much. None of them are exactly the same in special moves, intros, outros, voices, or animations. I think that most folk would want to play with all three from time-to-time. I found that the Scruffy Dragon version is a little easiergot me to use, but it'll take me some practive to be good at using all three. All three teams did excellent work on the Silver Surfer!
I usually put this kind of thing on my main blog, but I think it deserves to be here on the blog concerning my favorite fiction. Marvel comics has placed on it's website a video counting down the most important villains in the stories they published in the past year!!! Take a look. I'd like to make sure to get a mugen post for each of these.
Rogue is one of the most tragic members of the X-Men, but also one of the most powerful. She can absorb the powers, memories, and life force of anyone she touches. This means that she lives without human physical contact. If she holds on too long the transfer is permanent. This is her mutant power. Because she came into contact with Ms Marvel for too long at one point, she has all her powers in addition: flight, super strenghth, and invulnerability. The mugen versions of Rogue puts these abilities in your hands. She kisses her opponent to draw away their health bar. Here is the version chart for the 3 versions I have found.
I like the Infinity Mugen Team version of Rogue...it is a great port over from the Capcom games and I like her costume. She is just a kick to play. In my opinion, the Splode version is great because you have 2 ways to play with her. You can allow her to just power drain her opponents, or you can hold down the start button when you select this version of Rogue and another character starts out the match, Rogue takes his/her power and fights. Here is list of the characters you can steal from (please note that you don't have to have these characters installed to use their powers:
The characters and moves available are as follows: * Cammy SPECIAL: Cannon Drill SUPER: Spin Drive Smasher * Cyclops SPECIAL: Optic Blast SUPER: Mega Optic Blast * Dhalsim SPECIAL: Yoga Flame SUPER: Yoga Inferno * Juggernaut SPECIAL: Earthquake SUPER: Headcrush * Ken SPECIAL: Shoryuken SUPER: Shoryureppa * Magneto SPECIAL: Hyper Grav SUPER: Magnetic Shockwave * Ryu SPECIAL: Hadoken SUPER: Shinkuu Hadoken * Zangief SPECIAL: Spinning Piledriver SUPER: Final Atomic Buster * Gouki/Akuma SPECIAL: Zanko Hadoken (air fireball) SUPER: Tenma Zankuu Hadou EXTRA SUPER: Shun Goku Satsu (aka Raging Demon - Level 3 only)
More info is available in Splode's Rogue's ReadME.txt file.
Lex Luthor is one of Superman's greatest enemies and of all the different depictions of Superman, the one constant villain who has appeared in every single incarnation is Lex Luthor. He's really intelligent, devious, and evil. He cares about nothing except empowering himself. The interesting thing about the TV series Smallville is that we get to see him become evil even as we see Clark Kent learn what it means to be a hero. We see both characters making decisions that mold them into what we know they will become. I have always thought that Luther was terrible, but after Smallville I feel sorry for him. Fortunately, Buyog and his team have seen fit to put him in Mugen. And they did a great job. He is wearing a rendition of his battle suit that he uses to fight Superman and the character is very formidable. Unfortunately, it's hard to see it in my tests because i kept getting but butt kicked. Here is a video of the tests I made
Lex Luthor Mugen Versions
Image
Creator
Fun
Factor
AI
Look
Downloads
Enzo (Sprites), Smogon, Kal-Elvis, & McCready (Assistance) Buyog (Programming) Magus's Batman (for the Kryptonite effect against Supes)
Storm is one of the best female characters in comics. She is regal, honorable, and controlling the weather means you can probably beat anyone. I also like how she is nearly always depicted as a strong black woman with good and moral character. She genuinely cares about other people and all living things. And fights passionately. She is also a great leader. I don't think that came out well in the movies. Here are 2 links with more information:
I think the best versions of Storm were done by Alucard/WhiteMagic2002 and the Infinity Mugen Team. They are fun to use and amazing to watch. Here is the playlist of the tests
Ok here is my first "Grudge Match" post: Wonder Woman Vs Storm. In my opinion, all things being equal, Wonder Woman would win. In 1996, Marvel and DC jointly published a series that pitted their characters against one another. They allowed fans to vote as to who would win. Wonder Woman and Storm was one of the matches we could vote for (yes, I was there and I voted. I may still have a copy of the entry form). I voted for Storm at the time...so did a lot of people. Storm won in the story. I found a couple of cool blogs that focus on match-ups like this. If you like this kind of thing, I'd suggest checking out: Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: The Comic Book Fight Club. This one has great article on the 1996 crossover story. It really was a popularity contest in 1996. so, I ran a test in Mugen. I pitted the version of Storm found at: with the latest version of Wonder Woman (Reloaded). They were both computer controlled. Here is the result of that test
To be fair, I found another video on YouTube where someone set up a similar test. I don't know if both were computer controlled, and I don't know which version of Storm was used, but I'm certain that they used the same version of Wonder Woman I did.
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