June 2004

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Sega and Sammy merger going ahead
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:26:45 AEST
The merger between Sega and Sammy was confirmed quite some time ago now, but the two companies needed to wait for Sega's shareholders (since Sammy's had already approved) to give the merger a thumbs up before it could go on. They've done so now and now the merger will proceed as planned and will be complete on October 1st, the new company being named Sega Sammy Holdings. In preparation for the merger, Sega is merging its seven game studio subsidiaries--Sega Wow, Sega AM2, Hitmaker, Sonic Team, Smilebit, Amusement Vision, and Digitalrex--back into the company's main branch on July 1. It was also stated that the two companies will continue to operate as separate entities at first, but will eventually roll into the one. Time will tell what impact this has on the games (the fighting games in particular) that each company makes...will the change be for better or worse? Why not discuss this topic in our forums?
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Monday, June 28, 2004

SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos XBox Live details
Posted by White_Pointer @ 22:17:49 AEST
The XBox Live version of SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos is nearly upon us, and SNK have released some details relating to it, some we already know, some we didn't know until now. From SNK:

• An incredible clash of 36 characters from world famous SNK and Capcom franchises such as Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters and Street Fighter.
  
• Totally Xbox Live compatible
  
• Choose Shiki or Athena, famous characters exclusive to SVC CHAOS
  
• Sixteen boss characters and 4 hidden player characters
  
• Choose your difficulty level from 8 varying degrees
  
• Multiple modes of play including Arcade, Versus and Practice
  
• Utilize your special or super special moves unique to each character.
  
• Max out the 3 levels of the power gauge to increase effectiveness of your special moves
  
• Adjust your attack to the timing of your opponent by using the Forward Ground Step move
  
• Go beyond the Super Special move with the exclusive Exceed Move to inflict massive damage
  

Sunday, June 27, 2004

Possible MK: Deception PAL name change rumour
Posted by White_Pointer @ 22:01:09 AEST
A rumour has been floating around the Internet over the past few days that Midway could possibly be changing the name of Mortal Kombat: Deception to Mortal Kombat: Mystification in PAL territories (Europe and Australia). IGN decided to contact Midway and ask them about it, and Midway answered:

"It's true that there are some name issues in Europe regarding the title, but we're aiming to have it called Mortal Kombat: Deception in all territories. We haven't said anything at all about calling it Mystification."

Saturday, June 26, 2004

Street Fighter producer founds new company
Posted by White_Pointer @ 15:15:18 AEST
Noritaka Funamizu, one of the major brains and producer behind the Street Fighter series has recently left Capcom to form his own company, according to Japanese gaming website Gamersta. The new company is named Craft and Meister, and it was created with another ex-Capcom producer, Katsuhiro Sudo. They only have 6 employees so far though so obviously they are currently looking for recruits. It's not known yet what their first project will be.
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Friday, June 25, 2004

Wax On.... Wax Off
Posted by Pube @ 12:59:28 AEST
Yay! A new History of Fighters article has been added to our ever growing database. This time, its Karate Kid. Read all about it here.
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Thursday, June 24, 2004

Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors ships
Posted by White_Pointer @ 22:49:30 AEST
Oh yes, they never stop with the DBZ fighting games, and the latest incarnation, Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors has shipped for the GBA.

"The DBZ® franchise has established itself as one of the premier fighting franchises and we are proud to continue offering experiences that capture the essence of the property," said Nancy MacIntyre, vice president of Marketing for Atari's Beverly Studio. "With Supersonic Warriors, Atari goes a step further in the recreation of the animated series by adding aerial maneuvers and in-flight battles to an existing foundation of enticing gameplay, authentic characters and deep storylines."

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

New characters and weapon revealed for Iron Pheonix
Posted by White_Pointer @ 9:13:45 AEST
Two new characters and one new weapon have been revealed for Sammy's upcoming 16-player XBox-Live enabled fighting game Iron Pheonix. The two new characters are from the game’s mystical China premise; DeRais, a mysterious northern warrior known for his savage swordplay, and Onitsuka, a lethal but beautiful ninja warrior. The new weapon revealed is a massive broadsword called the Ash Blade.

The official site has opened up over at www.ironphoenix.com which has artwork on these new additions and other goodies as well. We'll have more information on Iron Pheonix as it becomes available.
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Tuesday, June 22, 2004

New Guilty Gear X2# Reload XBox info
Posted by White_Pointer @ 8:21:01 AEST
Sammy Studios have announced more details on their upcoming XBox Live enabled port of Guilty Gear X2# Reload. As promised it boasts quite a number of improvements over the Arcade original. The details are:

• Xbox Live enabled head-to-head play with real-time, global rankings
  
• Increase your rankings through winning percentage and number of matches
  
• Players ranked on weekly and overall basis
  
• Xbox Live Voice and Friend List support
  
• Nine awesome game modes including:
  - Medal of Millionaire Mode - a brutal one fall competition where medals are earned
  - Versus 2Player Mode- two player battles to settle scores including Xbox Live matches
  - Survival Mode - 1,000 levels of endurance
  - Story Mode - learn the truth of the Gears, with multiple endings
  - Mission Mode - defeat opponents using certain rules and meeting specific conditions
  - Training Mode - customizable training mode allows players to tune for optimal practice
  
• 20 characters plus hidden characters and EX characters
  
• Punishing moves and combos including Psych Bursts, Overdrive Attacks and Instant Kill Techniques
  
• Progressive Scan Video Support for 480p
  
• Intense metal and rock soundtrack
  

Monday, June 21, 2004

New Info on KOF 2002/2003 combo pack
Posted by White_Pointer @ 9:04:42 AEST
Some new information has been released by SNK/Playmore about the upcoming PS2 and XBox title King of Fighters 2002/2003 combo pack. As expected, it will be set up in much the same way as last year's KOF 2000/2001 combo pack, with two games in the one package. KOF 2002 will feature 39 characters and 6 bonus unlockable characters and an upgraded Max-On power system. KOF 2003 will feature 11 fighting teams comprising of 33 characters, 10 brand new 3D battle stages, the new "Multi-Shift" system, allowing the free substitution of teammates during battles, and the new Tactical Leader System that allows you to select your team leader. No release date has been set in stone yet but it is expected to be released sometime later this year. We'll have more information as it becomes available.
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Sunday, June 20, 2004

KOF: Maximum Impact release date set
Posted by White_Pointer @ 19:21:47 AEST
The first ever 3D game in the King of Fighters series, King of Fighters: Maximum Impact is coming to the PS2 in September this year. The release date has been set as the 14th of September. Nothing else new has been revealed about the game that we don't already know though, but KOF fans would be pleased to see that the street date has been set in stone and can now look forward to the game's release.
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Saturday, June 19, 2004

New Featured Game!
Posted by White_Pointer @ 22:53:04 AEST
We've been working hard behind the scenes for you recently, and now you can all benefit from it! We've added in another game to our ever-expanding collection of featured games here at Blood-Sports.net, and the newest addition is the Guilty Gear series! The section opens with 5 excellent FAQ's, almost 100 images spanning across 6 image galleries, 7 movies, including trailers and combo videos and 40 music tracks! Of course, this will always expand as new material is released as well. You have a pretty hard time trying to find this amount of GG content, readily accessible and free anywhere else, so enjoy the new section!
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Thursday, June 17, 2004

Forums back up
Posted by White_Pointer @ 6:59:11 AEST
We've fixed our temporary problem with our forums, it was a problem at our hosts's end that was totally out of our control. The forums are back up now though, nothing has been lost, so get back into the forums and start posting again!

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Forums temporarily down
Posted by White_Pointer @ 20:43:10 AEST
We are currently experiecing technical problems with our forums at the moment from our host's end. We are working with our host to get the problem sorted out as quickly as possible. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Former Vivendi CEO appointed Midway chairman
Posted by White_Pointer @ 13:10:35 AEST
Sumner Redstone (the guy who is drawing ever closer to buying out Midway and fully privatising the publisher) has decided to appoint some new members to the Midway board...Joseph Califano, a longtime Viacom board member, and Shari Redstone, his daughter. Most notably though, former Vivendi Universal CEO Kenneth Cron (VU Games is most well known for owning Blizzard) has been appointed the new Midway chairman, replacing Neil Nicastro who quit the job about 10 days ago. What this means about Midway's future is uncertain, stay tuned for more updates.
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Tuesday, June 15, 2004

Anniversary content on Tekken-Official
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:13:42 AEST
Namco have added some new content to Tekken-Official, which shows that it's not just a site for the upcoming Tekken 5 but also a site to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Tekken series. They have put up new content on the Japanese version of the site (with the English version soon to follow one would expect) which shows us some previously unreleased goodies like concept art from previous Tekken games. They've started with a couple of desktop wallpapers to download and a gallery of concept art from Tekken 3, check it all out on Tekken-Official.
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Monday, June 14, 2004

Even more new MK: Deception screenshots
Posted by White_Pointer @ 22:13:47 AEST
Mortal Kombat Online have acquired some exclusive screenshots of Mortal Kombat: Deception. They show Mileena and Sub-Zero battling it out and Hotaru and Mileena fighting on the tower stage. Check them out over at Mortal Kombat Online.
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Sunday, June 13, 2004

New Mortal Kombat: Deception screenshots
Posted by White_Pointer @ 15:09:31 AEST
We've added in eight new Mortal Kombat: Deception screenshots, thanks to staff member Pube. These show Baraka, Hotaru, Nightwolf, Ermac and Scorpion in action, check them all out in our MK: Deception image gallery!
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New Fan Art
Posted by White_Pointer @ 15:06:43 AEST
We've got some new fan art for you, this has been submitted by Jordan and he's created his own fighting game characters and put them into a hand drawn picture. Check it out, along with all the rest of our fan art in our Fan Art section. A talented artist yourself? Would you like to see your fighting game fan art published here for the world to see? Just follow the above link for the easy submission instructions!
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Saturday, June 12, 2004

New History of Fighters Addition
Posted by Pube @ 12:28:18 AEST
Yay! Finally another addition to our prestigeous History of Fighters feature. This time we look at Barbarian for the Commodore 64. Love it? Hate it? Find out what we think here. Moo.
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Friday, June 11, 2004

New Review
Posted by White_Pointer @ 22:29:13 AEST
It's been a while, but we've gone and written up a new review for your reading pleasure. This time we've taken a bit of a sideways step to our usual fighting game reviews and taken a look at Konami's new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game. Still undecided about whether you want to get the game or not? Just read our expert review right here to get our expert opinion on it! Remember you can read all of our other reviews by clicking the Reviews link under the "Features" section of the left menu.
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Thursday, June 10, 2004

Game Tactics posts MK: Deception interview video
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:30:30 AEST
Game Tactics interviewed Steven Beran, a member of the MK: Deception development team at this year's E3 and have posted the interview up for download. In the interview we learn a few new things about the game, including some extra teasers about Puzzle and Chess Kombat as well as the Konquest mode. The interview also reveals a few little tidbits about the game itself that we didn't know before. I don't want to spoil anything for you so just head over to Game Tactic's E3 coverage and download the movie at the bottom of the page!
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Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Midway takeover looking likely
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:16:46 AEST
We know that Midway Games are in a bit of financial trouble at the moment, and this is making the possibility of takeover by Viacom CEO and Chairman Sumner Redstone much more likely. He is already the company's biggest shareholder, already owning 72.4% of Midway, and despite the fact that Midway have had a quarterly loss 17 consecutive times, he's looking at upping that to 80% very soon. Analysts predict that he could take it even further and fully take over the company in the near future. What this means about Midway's future is anyone's guess, but it could possibly mean Viacom will enter into the games market as a major publisher. We'll have more information on this as it becomes available.
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Tuesday, June 8, 2004

Sammy moving into the movies
Posted by White_Pointer @ 18:47:30 AEST
Sammy Studios (who have recently aquired Sega) have entered into a new partnership with Toei, one of Japan's oldest and most respected film companies. The two companies are combining together and are planning on opening 10 movie complexes in Japan over the next five years. These cinema complexes will be built next to Sammy arcade game complexes, and Sammy is hoping this will attract more people to both than if they were standalone. The first complex will be opening in the Chiba prefecture and will consist of a 12-screen complex with 2,200 seats. The name of the new venture is yet to be announced.
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Monday, June 7, 2004

Third MK movie looking more likely
Posted by White_Pointer @ 20:59:45 AEST
With all of the rumours circulating around about the existence of a third Mortal Kombat movie, this one seems one of the more solid. According to Total Film Magazine, a UK publication, Roger Christian (best known for being second-unit director for all of the Star Wars movies) has been signed as the director of MK3. Note however that this is still only a rumour and nothing solid has been confirmed yet, but the longer this drags on like this, the more likely the third MK movie seems to become. We'll have more information (but won't be concentrating on it) as it becomes available.
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Sunday, June 6, 2004

More new Tekken 5 info
Posted by White_Pointer @ 20:02:18 AEST
We've got some more news on Namco's upcoming Tekken 5, thanks to forum member king kazuya.

There's been a few enhancements to the actual game engine, one of the most notable is move prioritisation. Jumping attacks actually have their own properties now and take priority over certain attacks that could beat them out before in previous games in the series. Other attacks will now have pure anti-high or anti-low properties - these moves will be used in exactly that way, to break or 'crush' an opponent's high or low attack.

Throws have changed too. They now cover a much longer distance, thanks to the fact that characters now take an extra step before executing the throw. Breaking throws also has an added advantage of possibly putting the opponent into a vulnerable position with their back turned to you.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Saturday, June 5, 2004

New Poll
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:34:20 AEST
Recently we have seen the emergence of a new trend in fighting games - online play. In many game genres, online play works perfectly, but in fighting games, you can't afford even the slightest bit of latency. You need quick reflexes and if it takes even a split second longer for your character to react after you press the button, it could be the deciding factor whether you win or lose. Capcom vs SNK 2 and One Must Fall: Battlegrounds are two examples of games that have done it already, and upcoming games Mortal Kombat: Deception, Dead or Alive Ultimate, Rocky Legends, Godzilla: Save the Earth and Iron Pheonix, among others, are all promising online play.

Many would argue that online play is a great idea to play more people when you consider the arcade scene is not as popular as it used to be. Others believe it may have a place eventually, but technology at the moment just isn't right and latency and lag is just too much of an issue at the moment. Some hate the idea altogether, and others acknowledge that it's a good idea for some but they would personally not use it. So what is your opinion on online play in fighting games? Vote now!
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Poll Results
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:21:00 AEST
Time to put up a new poll again, but as always, let's see the results of the previous poll:

Which of these recently announced games are you most looking forward to?

37.3% - Mortal Kombat: Deception
25.4% - Tekken 5
10.6% - Dead or Alive Ultimate
9.3% - King of Fighters: Maximum Impact
7.8% - Guilty Gear Isuka
4.4% - Samurai Spirits Zero Special
3.6% - Godzilla: Save the Earth
0.8% - Rocky Legends

The majority of the site visitors have spoken that they are most looking forward to MK: Deception, although the newest Tekken game isn't far behind.
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Friday, June 4, 2004

Midway chairman resigns
Posted by White_Pointer @ 20:33:23 AEST
Immediately following their annual stockholder meeting on June 10, Midway chairman Neil Nicastro has announced he will be resigning from his position. He said this:

"I believe that Midway is a tremendous company with a bright future, but for personal and professional reasons the time has come for me to move on."

Thursday, June 3, 2004

Evolution 2004 signups begin
Posted by White_Pointer @ 22:14:24 AEST
Signups for this year's Evolution fighting game tournament have begun. This year they will be playing their games on XBox, PS2, Gamecube and Dreamcast, for the first time the Arcade will not be a featured platform at the tourney. The games featured this year are Soul Calibur II, Tekken 4, Tekken Tag Tournament, Marvel vs Capcom 2, Capcom vs SNK 2, Guilty Gear XX, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution. If you want to sign up for this year's tournament or you want some more info, just check out the official site.
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Wednesday, June 2, 2004

Killer Instinct 3 a possibility?
Posted by White_Pointer @ 13:57:22 AEST
Fans of the Killer Instinct series, this may be the best piece of news you have heard in a long time. Gametab, after analysing a recent edition of Rare scribes, have come to the conclusion that we could POSSIBLY see a KI3 make an appearance as a 3D fighting game on Microsoft's next console. An extract from the article:

When asked about the development of a new Killer Instinct title, the good people at Rare had this to say:

"We've said we may well do it when the time's right, we feel we can produce something truly worthy of the name, and it's got any chance at all of selling. The market for 2D fighters hasn't exactly blossomed since KI2/Gold (almost a decade ago now, lest we forget), whereas the bar is arguably much higher for 3D fighters, so even that's a decision we couldn't make lightly. But as ever, we're not ruling it out. Just don't expect to see it at E3."

Rare has said on many occasions that they wouldn't rule out another Killer Instinct title. However, this is the first time they've compared the 2D and 3D fighting game markets. The fact that they mention the 2D market is somewhat lacking indicates that the next Killer Instinct could be making the jump to 3D when and if it releases.

Tuesday, June 1, 2004

New Rocky: Legends info
Posted by White_Pointer @ 20:35:28 AEST
Some new information has been revealed about the follow up game to last year's game based on Sylvestor Stallone's fictional boxer, titled Rocky: Legends. As we know, this is a prequel to the original game, but here's the new info.

The single player mode has been altered, and looks like for the better, no longer do you play through the game just as Rocky, now you can also play as Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago, and of course the story changes depending on the character you choose. Training modes have also been extended to include a two player vs training mode, how this will work exactly is yet to be revealed. The character roster is now much larger as well, more than 40 characters will be appearing in the new game, 26 of which are new. There will be 20 different venues to fight in, 13 of which are new. The XBox version will also allow head to head multiplayer over XBox Live. The game is also scheduled for release on the PS2. Both versions are expected to hit the stores late this year.

We'll have more information as it becomes available.
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