April 2006

Friday, April 28, 2006

American Dad vs. Family Guy Kung Fu Announced
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:53:20 CST
The unthinkable is becoming not so unthinkable.

To promote the release of Fox Home Entertainment’s American Dad Volume One DVD Collection on April 25, Fuel Industries has partnered with Capcom Entertainment to create American Dad vs. Family Guy Kung Fu, a Street Fighter-style game that pits the characters of both shows against each other in no-holds barred battles. In order to win, you must prove you’re kung fu worthy by facing off against the ultimate boss – Ryu.

The game will allow players to play as six characters from either of the TV shows, plus two mystery characters that will be revealed sometime next week. The arcade mode of the game will also have Ryu himself as a secret unlockable.

“When we first started conceptualizing this, we started from an idea that we all loved, and basically tried to push it as far as we could,” says Mike Burns, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Fuel Industries. “When the idea of making Ryu the big boss came up, we were on the phone with Capcom within about five minutes.”

“From the beginning we knew that there were going to be hardcore American Dad and Family Guy fans playing this and that if we didn’t make the game live up to their expectations, that they would tear it apart,” says Burns. “There’s a lot of detail in the game that I think real fans will appreciate.”

“The game is a lot of fun, and we want people to keep coming back to it,” says Burns. “It’s exactly what an advergame campaign should be – fun, addictive, and what the fans want to see.”

Next Tekken confirmed as PS3 launch title?
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:13:55 CST
Gaming website British Gaming Blog has posted up a listed of Playstation 3 launch titles that Sony has apparently officially confirmed. Among them is the next title in the Tekken series (which still seems to be under its working title of "Tekken"). Although this has been confirmed by Sony to be released alongside the PS3's launch in November this year, it is still subject to change (along with the rest of the games on the list). Out of interest, the rest of the games on the PS3 launch list are John Woo’s Strangehold, Sonic the Hedgehog, Resistance: Fall of Man, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Lair, Motorstorm and Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom. Keep in mind that this may not be (and probably isn't) the complete PS3 launch list either.
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Full lineup of KOF: MI2 unveiled
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:01:04 CST
It seems there is going to be quite a character selection when King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2 (which is going under the name King of Fighters 2006 for the North American release) comes out later this year. The latest issue of Famitsu magazine has spilt the beans and has revealed all of the characters, including all of the hidden ones that will be available in the new game.

The full lineup, including the hidden fighters, totals 36 characters and looks like this:

Kyo Kusanagi
Iori Yorigami
Terry Bogard
Seth
Mai Shiranui
Lien Neville
Luise Meyrink
Yuri Sakazaki
Ryo Sakazaki
Billy Kane
Alba Meira
Athena Asamiya
Mignon Beart
Soiree Meira
Nagase
Ralf Jones
Clark Still
Kula Diamond
Chae Lim
Leona
Rock Howard
Duke
Kim Kap Hwan
Ninon Beart
B. Jenet
"Wild Wolf" Terry Bogard
"Nightmare" Geese Howard
Richard Meyer
Hyena
"Classic" Kyo Kusanagi
"Armor" Ralf Jones
Fio
Hanzo Hattori
"Mr. Karate" Takuma Sakazaki
Lilly Kane
Jivitama (boss)

Thanks to forum member Vinsfield for this information!
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Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 announced
Posted by White_Pointer at 18:23:47 CST
Atari have announced that a follow up to last year's DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi is on it's way. However it's not being released on the PS2 (or even the PS3 for that matter) like it's predecessor...instead Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (which is actually the fifth title in the Budokai series) will be releasing on Nintendo's next gen console, the Revolution. Atari says that there will be over 100 playable characters in this new edition, with 15 destructable battlegrounds, nine different game modes and in-game transformations that players will be able to trigger in real time.

So why the Revolution? Matt Collins, Director of Marketing, Atari, Inc., said:

"The innovative controller featured with Nintendo Revolution is perfectly suited for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, which engages players with fast-paced fighting moves. Gamers will be able to play in a very physical way, mimicking several of the show's most popular character moves and pull off awesome combos and attacks."

New Poll
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:25:45 CST
Fighting games is a genre of games where the player gets to see a lot of different characters all in roughly equal amounts of time, and the amount of detail that goes into the artwork in them in this day and age is nothing short of superb. Not surprisingly, fighting game characters are popular source material for action figures. Our new poll asks you, do you actually own any action figures based on characters from video games? Note this isn't just fighting games we are talking about, but video games in general.

Vote now!
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Poll Results
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:19:22 CST
Time to close down the poll yet again and put a new one up, so here's the results of the last one:

Do you play fighting games competitively?

30.7% - Yes, whenever I get the chance
24.4% - Yes, all of the time
16.3% - Sometimes
13.7% - No, never
7.3% - Rarely
6.3% - Once or twice

It seems the vast majority of our site visitors play fighting games competitively on at least a semi regular basis. It's great to see the competition scene is still very strong!
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Capcom's E3 lineup
Posted by White_Pointer at 20:15:26 CST
This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo is only a few short weeks away now, and it's about this time that publishers start revealing what they will have on show. Capcom's one of the first to do so this year, and here's what they will have as playable demos at the show:

PlayStation 2
Okami
God Hand
Street Fighter Alpha Anthology

Xbox 360
Lost Planet
Dead Rising

PSP
Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins
Monster Hunter Freedom

Nintendo DS
Mega Man ZX

Gameboy Advance
Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Gregar, Cybeast Falzar

The only fighting game they will have on show, as you can see, is Street Fighter Alpha Anthology on the PS2. However, Capcom are also planning on unveiling several new titles during the expo as well, so we may see a few surprises yet.
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SC movie moving forward?
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:10:07 CST
It seems like an age since the possibility of a Soul Calibur movie was first announced. In fact since Anthem Pictures picked up the rights to make the movie, we've had over 2 years of silence and no-one has known whether it had been scrapped.

Apparently it hasn't. Video game journalism site NeoGaf has found a link to a Soul Calibur movie teaser site at www.soulcaliburthemovie.com, which seems to suggest that a Soul Calibur movie is indeed moving foward and is due to be released sometime in 2007 from 2nd Degree Media and Anthem Pictures.

Don't go thinking this is concrete proof of the movie's existence however...it's quite possible the entire idea was scrapped a long time ago and no-one has bothered to take the site down yet. However, the site itself looks fairly new and even has a 2006 copyright. One would also assume that someone would have found this domain already if it had been online for a couple of years. This could very well mean we may see a SC movie sometime next year.
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Fighting Game developers named in Hot 100
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:09:20 CST
Next Generation, a very popular interactive entertainment website has recently published an article titled "The Hot 100 Game Developers". In it they honour 100 personalities that have made games what they are today and are looking to the future to further enhance the industry.

In the list are several developers best known for fighting game franchises: Ed Boon (Mortal Kombat), Tomonobu Itagaki (Dead or Alive) and Yoshiki Okamoto (Street Fighter).

If you want to check out the entire article, visit Next Generation.
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Marvel: Ultimate Alliance announced
Posted by White_Pointer at 18:36:52 CST
The latest issue of Game Informer magazine has revealed that Marvel are planning on releasing a new title that combines many of their famous franchises. Titled Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, the game will feature over 20 playable characters from across the various Marvel universes, and is planned to be released on the PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360 and the Revolution. The story is being written by C.B. Cebulski, who is no stranger to writing stories based on Marvel super heroes with various X-Men and Spiderman books on his resume`.

The only thing we don't really know for sure at this point is if the game is actually a fighting game. We can assume at this point that it is, or it is at least some kind of brawler. Hopefully there will be more information on this title at E3 next month.
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Happy Easter!
Posted by White_Pointer at 18:35:06 CST
Have a happy and safe Easter everyone. We'll return to regular news reporting on Tuesday the 18th of April.

See you all then!
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Namco Bandai releasing titles under 2 labels?
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:48:58 CST
A couple of weeks ago Namco Bandai Games vice president Shin Unozawa announced that new games being released by the recently merged company may not have the Namco Bandai logo on them. Instead they will likely have either one or the other. IP's Namco are known for, such as Tekken and Soul Calibur, will likely continue to be released under the Namco label, while IP's Bandai are known for, such as Gundam, will likely remain under the Bandai label.

"Our new company, Namco Bandai Games, is a single business establishment. But we are thinking about taking a 'label strategy', and splitting [game releases] under different labels: the Bandai label, and the Namco Label," Unozawa said.

"Under the Namco label, we will release Love Football. And after that, under the Bandai label, we will release Zegapain, Gundam, and one more title, Culdcept Saga, which will be exclusive to the Xbox 360."

KOF Neowave releases for Xbox
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:15:26 CST
After SNK announced that the planned release of KOF '94 Re-bout had been cancelled, there was some conjecture on whether the Xbox port of King of Fighters Neowave had also been given the boot. Well SNK fans, you can rest easy because KOF Neowave has made it and has been released for the Xbox, complete with Xbox Live support.

"Gamers will immediately be impressed when firing up NEOWAVE by the bright, clean visuals and the fluidity with which they animate," said Charles of Onyett of IGN.com.

"From controller configurations, to character alterations, to gameplay tweaks - NEOWAVE has got 'em all," said Rob Semsey of Teamxbox.com. "Fighting fans with even the most specific needs should find something to like here."

Martial Arts MMOG coming across the pond
Posted by White_Pointer at 18:30:01 CST
The recently resurrected Acclaim Entertainment have announced that they are bringing a popular Korean MMOG to the US and Europe. Why are we reporting this news on a fighting game website, you ask? Because this is actually a Martial Arts based MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game for those confused by that acronym). Titled 9Dragons, the game is set during the Ming Dynasty in China, although there will be some fantasy and supernatural elements thrown in, as you would expect from an MMOG. Several Martial Arts styles will be represented and this will form the backbone of the gameplay.

The game is currently set for a release later this year. For more information you can check out the game's official US website or official European website.
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Capcom bringing more classics to PSP
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:53:22 CST
Only a couple of weeks ago, Capcom released Capcom Classics Collection Remixed on the PSP, showcasing 20 of their classic arcade titles including the original Street Fighter. Noticeably absent from the collection however was the fighting game that started it all, Street Fighter II, and this is being rectified with another classic collection that is heading to the PSP later this year titled Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded. SFII will be joined by at least 14 other classic Capcom arcade games including Ghouls 'N Ghosts, Commando and King of Dragons.

Like the original collection, there will be a bunch of goodies like original artwork and secret codes to unlock, and all of the multiplayer games will feature wireless multiplayer capabilities and even be able to do this when only one player has a copy of the game.

Look out for Reloaded to release around the Christmas holiday period this year.
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MAT: Deluxe Edition patched again
Posted by White_Pointer at 19:29:37 CST
Following up on the recent patch for Midway Arcade Treasures: Deluxe Edition that fixed a few sound glitch issues, Midway have released another patch for the PC version of the MAT series. This patch is specifically for Mortal Kombat II and fixes a problem found in the console versions of MAT 2 and the version of MKII hidden in MK: Shaolin Monks. The actual problem was that players were unable to fight the hidden character Smoke, due to the fact that the start button invoked the in-game menu.

The PC version has however been patched and fixed, and now players can fight Smoke again. The patch also fixes the problem of not being able to use random select on the character select screen due to the same in-game menu problem.

For more information on the patch and to download it, visit Midway's official site. Thanks goes out to Sp1nal and [Kuif3r] for the heads up on this!
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Capcom going iTunes
Posted by White_Pointer at 20:34:41 CST
Capcom have decided to use Apple's music download service and make some of their game music available to download via iTunes. Previously, the only way you could legitimately get music from Capcom's various games was in CD format, but now Capcom are making their tunes available to buy and download. They even have plans to eventually provide podcasts and video downloads.

"We see iTunes as a music marketplace with a lot of potential and a direct connection to the market-leading iPod," said a Capcom representative, "Capcom has a wealth of game content, and we're eager to engage with this effective music distribution system."

DOA4 WCG National Championship game rules decided
Posted by White_Pointer at 20:13:41 CST
The final rules for the National Championship phase of the World Cyber Games have been decided for all games chosen for this year's event. These won't necessarily be the rules for the WCG finals themselves, but will be used for the National Championship qualifiers.

The rules for Dead or Alive 4 (the only fighting game in this year's competition) are as follows:

Game Version : Dead or Alive 4 (With the latest update applied)

General

- Competition Method: 1 vs. 1
- Match Length: Until the winner is determined
- Age Restriction: Players born after Oct 18th, 1989 (based on the date of 2006 Grand Final) must submit parental consent form signed by a parent or legal guardian to the tournament staff.(Only for LAN Tournament)

Game Setting

- Game Type: Versus Mode - Single Battle
- Match Point: 5 (best 5 out of 9 matches)
- Life Gauge: Normal
- Round Time Limit: 60 Seconds
- Levels: Random (No Danger Zone)
- Display: Screen Format - Normal (XBOX 360 Dashboard Console Setting)

Character Selection

- The player must notify the referee of the characters that he/she will use before the match starts.
- The player may not change character after the match is started.
- The use of Tengu and Spartan are NOT allowed. If the player wants to use a locked character, it is his/her responsibility to unlock the character.
- Default costume must be used.
- Player edited costumes that are not originally included in the game may not be used.
- Overly suggestive costumes may not be used. Players must change to another costume at the referee¡¯s request.

Controller

- Joystick allowed
- Pad or Joystick supporting macros are NOT allowed.

For more information, including the rules to all of the other games, visit the official WCG website.
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Capcom changes profit prediction
Posted by White_Pointer at 20:34:15 CST
Capcom have made a last-minute change to their fiscal year profit forecasts, and unfortunately it isn't for the better. Originally predicting to make a profit of 7.4 billion yen (US $63 million), the new estimation is now 6.4 billion yen (US $51 million). Their net income has therefore dropped 2.4 billion yen (US $20 million). Capcom explains that although a large portion of this is due to tax problems, they also claim poor game sales in North America and Europe are also to blame.
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DOA: XBV 2 in development
Posted by White_Pointer at 20:35:04 CST
Even though the original spin-off game wasn't that great, you could see this coming a mile away. In the latest issue of Famitsu magazine, Tecmo producer Tomonobu Itagaki has revealed that Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball 2 is in development for the Xbox 360, and he expects to be able to show off a trailer for the game as soon as this year's E3. Interestingly, he also made the vague comment that the game will feature more than just volleyball, and that they plan on revealing some of this mystery content during E3 as well.

Will this actually be a decent game this time around, or will it just be another virtual swimsuit-fest? Looks like we only need to wait until next month to find out.
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