December 2005

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Merry Christmas!
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:49:11 CST
We've come to the end of another year, and it's definately flown by. We'll be taking a break from daily news posting until January 3rd...and we'll return to the new year with our top 20 fighting games feature.

So, for anyone who hasn't put in their nominations/votes yet for what games they believe should make the cut in the top 20 fighting games of all time, you have until January 2nd to get your votes in so they count, and so you are also in the running to win that copy of Soul Calibur III. Head over to this page to enter. Don't forget to spread the word around as much as you can...the more votes we get, the more accurate our list will be.

We at Blood-Sports.net wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas. We'll see you all in the new year!
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MK: Deception removed from 360 Backwards compatible list
Posted by White_Pointer at 00:32:42 CST
About a week ago Microsoft released an update to the Xbox 360's backwards compatible emulator software. While several games were added to the list, there were a few that were actually removed, including Mortal Kombat: Deception. This comes as no surprise though really, considering the emulation has a lot of glitches and in some cases wasn't really playable at all.

In fact, looking at the official compatibility list, the only fighting game that's on there is DOA3. One will only hope that Microsoft will continue to update the emulation software to support more fighting games.
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Another delay for DOA4
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:17:41 CST
This shouldn't really surprise anyone that has been keeping up to date with the DOA4 news, but it seems Dead or Alive 4 has been delayed once again. Although Tecmo themselves are yet to announce a release date, retailers have changed their release information from December 21st to December 28th. Going by the track record, it seems likely that this date will continue to change week after week, as it has done for the past month.

Will we actually see this game before the end of the year? Guess we'll only need to wait another week to find out.
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Rag Doll Kung Fu creator leaves Lionhead
Posted by White_Pointer at 00:59:39 CST
Mark Healey, Designer and Artist at Lionhead and creator of Rag Doll Kung Fu has decided to call it quits at the company he has been a part of since it's inception and go solo, perhaps inspired by the success of Rag Doll Kung Fu. He made clear that there was no ill blood between himself and Lionhead on the official RDKF message board, saying:

"I would like to point out that I didn't leave Lionhead on bad terms or anything, it was just time for a change really (I was there from the very start!)"

Guilty Gear XX Slash coming to PS2
Posted by White_Pointer at 00:27:08 CST
Only three months after it's arcade debut, Guilty Gear XX Slash, the latest offering in the series, is on its way to the home through the PS2. The console version includes an arcade mode, so the game can be played exactly the way it is on the arcade, as well as several other console-exclusive modes like story and M.O.M (basically a mode where the players earns medals by completing certain objectives). There will also be unlockable art, music and game sounds.

It is due to be released in Japan on the PS2 sometime 2nd quarter 2006. No announcements have been made at this point whether it'll see the light of day outside Japan.

Thanks goes to MakubeX Dakkanya for bringing this to our attention! Don't forget to use the "Submit News" link in the menu if you also have some news to report.
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Another death from playing games
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:31:51 CST
Not fighting game news per se, but worth reporting on regardless. Another Korean gamer has played a game for so long that he has collapsed from exhaustion and died in an internet cafe in the South Korean city of Incheon. While it's not known what game he was playing, chances are it was probably an MMORPG. This guy was 38 years old and apparently played non-stop for 10 days straight. The news story, reported at ABC Asia Pacific, doesn't give any more details.

China has passed a law recently that prevents gamers from playing online games for more than three hours at a time. Is it about time for South Korea to do a similar thing?
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DBZ: Budokai 3 now a greatest hit
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:15:24 CST
Atari has announced that Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3, released last year for the PS2, has achieved greatest hits status. To be a "greatest hit" on the PS2, a game must be on the market for 9 months or more and have sold over 400,000 copies. It also means the game receives new packaging and retails at a budget price. DBZ: Budokai 3 is now available for only US$19.95.
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The story behind Spartan 458
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:01:49 CST
Ever wondered how Spartan 458, the bonus guest character created by Bungie to be included in Dead or Alive 4, actually managed to get into the game? Over at Bungie.net, there is a pretty lengthy article about the character's origins, where she fits into the Halo universe and how she ended up in DOA4. Here's a little excerpt:

Initially, team Ninja wanted, and asked very politely, for Master Chief. Well, we balked at that. Master Chief is busy, fictionally speaking. We left him at the end of Halo 2, involved in a very large scale galactic conflict with world-ending repercussions. Fictionally speaking, he just wasn't available for fisticuffs.

But we loved the idea of seeing a Spartan fight, unarmed. You have to figure they'd be pretty serious pugilistic contenders right? Half ton of bio-mechanically enhanced armor-clad uber-trained soldiering nightmare? Has to have at least a decent right hook.

So we created Spartan 458 – Nicole. And she's quite a lady. If you define "lady" as ferociously violent killing machine.

Midway releases Arcade Treasures for PSP
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:17:35 CST
The portable market was pretty much the only format that Midway hadn't tapped into with their Arcade Treasures series up to this point, but they have rectified that with the release of Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play for the PSP. The only fighting games to make an appearance on this version are the first three original Mortal Kombat games, including the first one which was ommitted from the console versions of MAT 2. Perhaps the best part about it is that all of the MK games (and the majority of the others) are all playable using the PSP's wireless functionality (we don't know whether that also means they are online capable however).

The compilation is now out and is retailing at the budget price of US$29.99.
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Introducing: Brady Bunch Kung Fu
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:46:27 CST
Yes, you read that title correctly. Someone has taken the Brady Bunch license and turned it into a Kung Fu fighting game. In this case, the "Someone" is Mobliss, and they have put the game on the mobile phone platform. Available to download since last week, details on the game are a bit sketchy, but some sources are claiming that it has Brady Bunch characters dressed up in strange costumes, doing the fighting game thing. Apparently it has Marcia throwing footballs, Sam the Butcher equipped with a large piece of ham, and Peter Brady in a yellow body suit.

Obviously the whole game isn't meant to be taken very seriously, but it's still a bizarre concept, to say the least.
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Guess what? DOA 4 delayed again...in US
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:00:53 CST
Well, after yesterday's news post, this news should be hardly surprising. Although this has not been confirmed by Tecmo yet, retailers in the US are no longer listing Dead or Alive 4's release date as December 14. It now seems to have slipped back to December 22nd. With the Japanese version of the game definately being delayed, it would also make sense for the US version to be delayed.

Keep in mind that these are all retailer dates, Tecmo has not given an official release date for the game yet. Which doesn't really fill one with any confidence that we'll see it before Christmas, or even this year.
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DOA 4 delayed again
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:39:44 CST
No, this isn't a repeat of the news post from last week, or the one before that, or the one before that. Believe it or not, but Dead or Alive 4 has been delayed yet again, this time in Japan. It's now slipped out of the Christmas window and won't be arriving until a scheduled date of the 29th of December.

While Tecmo hasn't said anything about the US release (or the European release, for that matter), it's probably a safe bet that Japan won't be the only region to experience this latest delay, considering there are still changes happening with the game's online component, according to Tecmo. Don't get your hopes up for a December 14th release.
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SCIII and Tekken 5 action figures coming
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:59:01 CST
Not to be outdone by the new and upcoming Mortal Kombat action figures, Namco are releasing their own new action figures based on Soul Calibur III and Tekken 5, although unfortunately they are only due for a Japanese release at the moment (why do the Japanese always get the cool stuff?)

The Tekken 5 figures will be released in January and will be the first ones to hit shelves, with the set consisting of Heihachi, Nina, Raven, Yoshimitsu, Ling and Jin.

Tecmo defends DOA4 delays
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:18:21 CST
We reported last week that Dead or Alive 4 had seemingly been delayed again, and that Tecmo would make a statement about it sometime this week. Well, that statement has come, and has indeed confirmed the game has slipped further. Tecmo haven't given an official release date yet, but many retailers are listing it as now coming on the 14th of December.

Tomonobu Itagaki, the game's producer, has conducted two interviews in Japan, one with the famous Famitsu magazine and another with Dorimaga. In them he basically says that the game is 95% complete, and the team is working around the clock to finish the game to a perfect condition. Since there will be a strong emphasis on online play in this instalment, he wants to make sure the game is perfectly balanced before being shipped.

"the last five percent is the most crucial point in development,"

Next Smash Bros really ramping up
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:20:03 CST
Nintendo fans have been given something to smile about today with the news that Masahiro Sakurai, the original creator of the Super Smash Bros series, has returned to the helm after a 2-year hiatus to take charge of the Revolution's instalment in the series. Even better news is that Nintendo are so dedicated to bringing the game out and making it the best they possibly can that they have opened up a brand new development studio, housing around 50 developers in Japan solely intended for the creation of the game (and probably other titles once this one is out of the way).

The news comes courtesy of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, which also has a short interview with Masahiro Sakurai about how he was pursuaded by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata to return to the company to work on the game.
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New details on VF5
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:05:32 CST
Those of you eagerly anticipating Sega's next instalment in their Virtua Fighters series should enjoy these new details that have been revealed about the game, hot off the press after Sega's recent location testing session in Shinjuku, Japan.

Running off their brand new Lindbergh arcade hardware, Virtua Fighter 5 looks absolutely amazing, and we aren't just talking about the characters, either. The battlegrounds all have a sense of realism to them, right down to puddles of water reacting and reflecting in the sun. The characters themselves look amazing and pretty much resemble their actual high-res renders (which you can check out in our VF5 gallery).

But what about the important part...the gameplay? Breathe easy VF fans, because the same formula that made the series so great has not been touched. All of the returning characters seem to play pretty much the way you would expect them to, and the new character, wrestler El Blaze, fits into the VF universe remarkably well (there's also a second new character still to be revealed). A big change however is a new dodge move, which all charaters have, that allows you to quickly move around your opponents rather than relying on the slower sidestepping method. This opens up dodge and counter opportunities as well as upping the speed just that little bit. Another big change that will make this first change particularly interesting is that the characters no longer auto-face each other, so you can literally be hitting your opponent in the back or side before they get a chance to turn around.

Sega still hasn't set a release date for the game yet, but judging from the location test they probably aren't too far away from completing the arcade version. However there's no word at all about the console versions which have been promised yet, but at least now we have got a good taste of what the game will have to offer. We'll have more information on this when we get it!
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DOA4 delayed...again?
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:15:14 CST
Only days after Tecmo announced that DOA4 wouldn't be making the Japanese launch of the Xbox 360, it seems that for the third time now, the game has again been delayed in the US. Both Gamestop and EB Games are listing the game as now coming out on December 14, a full 3 weeks later than originally planned. Tecmo however have not actually set an official release date for the game, however we expect to hear an announcement about the game's status sometime next week. Of course, with an announcement coming next week, it's almost a certainty that DOA4 has again been pushed back. Those of you with a 360 are probably going to need to wait a little longer to get your hands on it.
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SC3 script set up for grabs
Posted by White_Pointer at 00:07:40 CST
1UP is giving away a very rare prize that any die-hard Soul Calibur fan would want to get their hands on. Up for grabs are the actual manuscripts the voice actors and developers used when making Soul Calibur III. The scripts come in three thick volumes, each of which is personally signed by members of the development team. The only drawback is that it's all in Japanese, but if you can read Japanese (or are willing to learn) then this is the ultimate collector's item. Unfortunately 1UP have decided that you need to go through some complicatd process of joining their forums and their SC3 club to enter, though the basic idea is that you create your own character and show it off, and the best character wins. If you're interested, head on over to 1UP for all the entry details.
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