July 2006

Monday, July 31, 2006

Tekken: DR launch attracts competitive gamers
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:43:11 CST
Last week Tekken: Dark Resurrection was officially launched in the US at Sony's Playstation store in San Francisco, and as part of the launch party festivities a casual 32-gamer tournament of the newly released PSP fighter was held.

Instead of the casual and younger gamers they were expecting for the tournament, even though the stakes were low (a copy of the game was up for grabs) the tournament attracted the most competitive Tekken tournament players in the area, who are currently in training to head off to Evolution next month. The game was displayed on a big widescreen so all of the spectators could see the action and instead of being hunched over a portable system, the tournament participants were using dual-shock controllers.

If you are interested in finding out more on how the launch party went, including what some of the competitive players said, 1UP editors attended the event and have written up an article on it.
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Fatal Fury coming to mobiles
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:34:44 CST
To coincide with the 15 year anniversary of the Fatal Fury series, Hudson, together with SNK, are bringing a version of the classic fighting game to mobile phones. The new version of the game is titled Fatal Fury Mobile, and is based on Fatal Fury 2.

“It is our distinct pleasure to bring this much loved SNK fighting game to cellphones.” said John Greiner, President and CEO of Hudson Entertainment. “It is quite impressive how all the action-packed essence of the classic title fits on a small device. It serves as a great compliment to our library of games.

By continuously providing customers with a wide array of licensed games like Fatal Fury Mobile as well as original IP to the mobile landscape, Hudson is establishing itself as a top provider of entertainment content for cellphones.”

• 8 Combatants: Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Big Bear, Jubei Yamada, Cheng Shizan, Kim, and Mai Shiranui
  
• Each character has unique special moves
  
• Controls and combos have been optimized for play on cellphones
  
• Numerous play modes, including Quick Play, Single Match, Training, Survival, and Tournament mode, which features an unraveling story
  
• 8 unique locations with beautiful parallax scrolling backgrounds
  

Violent games desensitise you
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:49:20 CST
A group of Iowa State University researchers have come to the conclusion that violent games desensitise people to real violence.

To come to this conclusion they tested 257 college students by showing them a 10 minute video of real-life violence after a 20 minute gaming session. The group was split into two parts...one played violent games (Carmageddon, Mortal Kombat, Duke Nukem and Future Cop) and one non-violent games (Glider Pro, 3D Pinball, Tetra Madness and 3D Munch Man - whatever those games are). After the 20 minutes of gaming the subjects were shown footage of shootings, prison fights and police confrontations. They measured the heart rate and Galvanic Skin Response of each of the participants and concluded that:

"The present experiment demonstrates that violent video game exposure can cause desensitization to real-life violence,"

Bleach: Blade Battlers announced
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:17:18 CST
A new fighting game seems to be in the works at Sony Computer Entertainment. Titled Bleach: Blade Battlers, the game is based on popular manga seen in Shonen Jump magazine (it does not, however, have any relation to the fighting game Jump Superstars that was released on the DS last year). An official website has been launched, though unfortunately you'll need to be able to read Japanese to understand it. It doesn't reveal too many details anyway, apart from the fact that it will showcase cel-shaded graphics that are obviously being inspired by manga, and will support up to four players on the screen at once. Unlike other manga-inspired games this one appears to be a 3D fighting game, or at least have basic 3D combat elements in it, with destructable battlegrounds. Five characters have also been confirmed so far: Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and Uryū Ishida, each one with some very eye-catching special moves and finishers. As the name suggests it also appears to be a weapons-based fighting game.

This definitely looks like one to keep an eye on.
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DOA4 demo releases on Xbox Live
Posted by White_Pointer at 16:47:01 CST
About seven months after Dead or Alive 4 was released for the Xbox 360, Tecmo and Team Ninja have decided to put out a demo on Xbox Live. The demo is apparently about 685 Megabytes, and will feature 6 playable characters: Kasumi, Ryu Hayabusa, Lisa, Tina, Brad Wong, and Eliot. The demo will have two play modes: Versus Mode and Time Attack mode (with Single and Tag Battle variants of each) and five different battlegrounds, so it's well worth the time it takes to download. One could wonder why Tecmo waited this long to put a demo out...but regardless of the reason, it's there now, so if you are a 360 owner and haven't had a chance to play DOA4 yet, now you have no excuses for not trying it out.
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New MK: Armageddon minigame revealed
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:26:53 CST
The July-August issue of the official Xbox magazine will be hitting news stands in less than 2 weeks, and this issue is of particular interest to MK fans, as they have an in-depth look at the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. This preview actually does reveal some things we didn't know before:

First of all, the most exciting news is the new secret mini-game is revealed: Motor Kombat. This is an up to 8 player kart racing game, and true to the style of Mario Kart, each character has their own special move they can use to hinder the progress of an opponent or give themselves some advantage. Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Johnny Cage, Kitana, Mileena, Cyrax, Jax, Baraka and Bo' Rai Cho are your character choices, and examples of special moves are Sub-zero being able to freeze opponent racers and Bo' Raio Cho laying down a puke puddle other racers can slip on. 8 players can play at once online, or 4 players can play via split screen, or if you don't have any friends there is a single player mode as well.

The other thing the article reveals is only a minor thing, and that is that the character select screen appears to have been changed so all of the characters are visible at once, rather than having the rotating grid that was shown at E3. Blaze is also a playable character.

Kudos to Nightbringer, who received his subscription copy of the magazine early and informed us of this news!
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New Poll
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:52:40 CST
One thing we definitely haven't had a lack of over the years are fighting games based on the popular anime Dragon Ball Z. Titles include Dragon Ball Z: Budokai plus its two direct sequels, Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi and its upcoming sequel, Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors plus its sequel, Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai, Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu, Dragon Ball Z: Sagas, Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22, and the list goes on and on. Overall, since the days of the NES (yes, they have been around that long), there have been about 30 of them released, though many of them were Japanese exclusives and never saw the light of day in English-speaking countries. A good number of these games have been mediocre at best (and some of them simply abysmal), though a few of them, like the recently released Super Dragon Ball Z actually are decent games.

Our new poll is fairly simple...are you actually a fan of these Dragon Ball Z fighting games, do you think they stink and have had enough of them, or are you indifferent? Vote now!
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Poll Results
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:33:05 CST
It's that time again for a new poll, but first we need to check out the results of the current one:

Would you want a new Powerstone game?

50.2% - Yes!
33.8% - No
11.9% - Undecided
3.9% - They should stay as classics

Well, there you have it. It seems half of our site visitors definitely want Capcom to make a new Powerstone game.
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Mech Fighting to hit the DS
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:07:03 CST
The guys behind the sleeper hit from a few years ago Robot Alchemic Drive (the anime-based giant robot fighting game for the PS2) are at it again, reports Japanese gaming magazine Impress Watch. This time they are developing for the Nintendo DS and is named Chousoujuu Mecha MG. This time around there will be over 100 varieties of robots (called "Mario Nation Gears") to choose from, including some that can transform into vehicles, some that carry a variety of weapons, and some that look like insects. The Bottom DS touch-screen will be used to control the mech as if you are looking at the controls inside the machine, while the top screen shows the battlefield in full 3D.

The game will release on the 2nd of September in Japan. There's no information yet on a release elsewhere.
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Super Dragon Ball Z releases
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:34:45 CST
Atari, the North American publishers of the newest entry in the DBZ fighting game series, Super Dragon Ball Z, have announced that the game has finally hit and is now available in stores.

This is the first game developed by Craft and Meister, the development studio founded by ex-Capcom producer Noritaka Funamizu, the guy behind Street Fighter II, so it should be worth checking out even if you aren't a huge DBZ fan.
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CCC vol. 2 not far away
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:00:42 CST
Gamers don't have much longer to wait for Capcom's second compilation of old school arcade titles. Capcom Classic Collection Vol. 2 is nearing completion, though Capcom are still to disclose an exact release date.

Amongst the "finished" titles in the collection is the fan favourite Street Fighter II Turbo, and we are pleased to report that apart from the different control scheme brought along by the game's port from the arcade to consoles, it's an exact replica of the arcade original. New to the collection though is the ability to save your game wherever you want (so no need to work your way through the entire game again if you get beaten by Bison), and progressive scan support as well. These two features will be common with every game in the compilation.

The full list of games that will be in the pack are as follows:

• 1941
  
• Avengers
  
• Black Tiger
  
• Block Block
  
• Captain Commando
  
• Eco Fighters
  
• Knights of the Round
  
• King of Dragons
  
• Last Duel
  
• Mega Twins
  
• Magic Sword
  
• Quiz and Dragons
  
• Side Arms
  
• The Speed Rambler
  
• Street Fighter
  
• Street Fighter II Turbo
  
• Strider
  
• Three Wonders
  
• Tiger Road
  
• Varth
  

Tekken: DR does well in Japan
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:32:54 CST
Last week we reported that Tekken: Dark Resurrection released in Japan, and now a week later we can see the sales figures for the anticipated fighter show how much gamers were looking forward to the game over there. In its first week alone Namco Bandai have sold 33,652 copies. Unfortunately this was only good enough to land it in 4th place overall, with Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros retaining the number 1 position with 134,568 copies sold in that week. Super Dragon Ball Z, another Namco Bandai fighting game, rounded off the top 10 for the week with 21,355 copies sold over the past seven days.
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Tekken: DR for PSP goes gold
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:09:13 CST
Just a couple of days after we reported that Namco have shipped Tekken: Dark Resurrection for the PSP in Japan, we receive news that the US version has gone gold and will ship out in less than 2 weeks on July 25th. It's by and large identical to the Japanese version that we reported on at the start of the week, all of the features are the same. A couple of things we didn't mention the other day though is the addition of two new characters: Lili and Dragunov, and wireless multiplayer capability that can work with just one copy of the game. Unfortunately there is no online mode.

This is only the second entry in the Tekken series to appear on a portable system...the other being Tekken Advance for the GBA which was released in 2002.
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VF5 releases in Japan
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:35:10 CST
After going through a lengthy beta period, the arcade version of Sega's Virtua Fighter 5 has finally been released to the masses in Japan, according to the game's official website.

In addition to the game itself, two new machines have been launched alongside it, VF Terminal and VF.TV. VF Terminal is essentially a service that allows you to change your IC card data that is used in the game to customise your characters and write profiles. VF.TV, as the name implies, is basically a big screen that broadcasts high-profile VF5 matches, complete with commentary, and will be topped off by having VF news and game hints and tips.

And for those of you who want to relive the action of intense battles, for a small fee of 100 yen (about US $1), players can save replays of their favourite fights and later download them to their PC as digital video.

There's no word yet on when we might expect to see VF5 released on arcade outside of Japan.
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SFII: Hyper Fighting set for an August 2 release
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:30:24 CST
Hot on the heels of yesterday's news about Capcom showing off the as-of-yet unreleased Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting on Xbox Live Arcade at this year's comic con, Capcom have now confirmed to Gamespot through a spokesperson that the anticipated fighter will be released on August 2nd:

"Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting will be released on August 2. No price point has been finalized yet, but we will let you know as soon as that's determined."

Capcom appearing at Comic-Con
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:36:16 CST
The annual Comic-Con will be run in San Diego from from the 20th to the 23rd of July, and yesterday Capcom made it known that they will be attending the event, and not just as a visitor. They will reportedly have a number of unreleased titles on display, some of them even playable. Capcom will also be hosting tournaments for Street Fighter Alpha 3 on the PS2 and oddly enough also Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting for the Xbox 360, which isn't even out on Xbox Live arcade yet. Could this finally be the time Capcom officially releases the game? We won't need to wait long to find out.
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Tekken: Dark Resurrection releases in Japan
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:19:22 CST
Finally, the updated version of Tekken 5 is hitting a home platform, as Tekken: Dark Resurrection has released on the PSP in Japan. The US release is only a few weeks away as well, but here are some of the features of the first real PSP fighting title from Namco that you'll expect to find:

• Every character selectable right from the start, no need to unlock anyone
  
• Impressive visuals
  
• All items to customise characters faithfully brought from the arcade
  
• A brand new adventure mode called "Tekken Dojo"
  
• Other new modes such as Tekken Bowling, Gold Rush and Command Attack
  
• Wireless multiplayer
  
• Downloadable content, including the new "ghost packs" which allow you to play against CPU-controlled character based on real player's behaviours
  
• The game comes with a special attachment for your PSP that makes the directional pad much easier to use when playing the game
  

Samsung sponsoring WCG again
Posted by White_Pointer at 16:49:23 CST
For the fifth year in a row, Samsung have stepped forward to sponsor the US qualifiers for the World Cyber Games, which are currently underway. They have also put their hand up to be the major sponsor of the world finals as well which are going to be held in Monza, Italy later this year. With over 700 players expected to attend this year's finals in Italy, Samsung will be giving away more than $76,000 in prizes.

Time is running out of you want to compete in the US national qualifiers for Dead or Alive 4 or any of the other games at this year's tournament, so you better head to the official site if you are interested. Most other countries are also beginning their national qualifiers, so if you hail from anywhere else, you better check the site out too.
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Venue chosen for Evolution 2006 finals
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:51:40 CST
Evolution, the world's biggest fighting game tournament, is well and truly on it's way here, with the US national qualifiers already starting. The organisers have now set an exact date and place for the world finals...they will be held from August 18th-20th at the Red Rock Casino, Resort, and Spa in Las Vegas.

Registrations are still happening and you still have until the end of this month to take advantage of the early bird rates, so if you are interested in attending, you better go and sign up.
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SFII: The Animated Movie (Uncut, Uncensored, Unleashed) releases on DVD
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:51:44 CST
You're going to read the title of this news post and probably think "What are they talking about? SFII: The Animated movie has been out for years!" This is different though, because for the first time, the original, full-length, uncut movie is now available on DVD. That's correct, this is the original Japanese uncut version, not the edited version that has been released in the US (and the rest fo the world) previously. It includes more blood and gore, some more lengthy fight sequences, and of course the infamous Chun-Li shower scene, amongst other things. The DVD offers the movie in both English and Japanese with English subtitles, as well as different musical scores, though apart from that no other real DVD-esque extras.

The new DVD release is titled Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (Uncut, Uncensored, Unleashed). If you are at all interested in Street Fighter (or manga/anime in general, as it's still regarded as one of the best Japanese animated films ever made) you'll do well to pick it up, even if you already own the previously released edited version.

Mortal Kombat 8 confirmed
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:14:09 CST
Gamedaily, a regular source of interesting gaming information, has come through again, this time in regards to what is in store for the future of the MK franchise. In a short interview with Ed Boon about the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, which can be read here, Gamedaily asks Boon what was happening after Armageddon was released.

"At this time I figured I should ask the one thing I've wanted to know since Armageddon was announced. I asked Boon when Mortal Kombat would be making its way to next generation consoles. With a smile Boon told me that the next Mortal Kombat (MK8 for now) will be on next generation consoles and they've already started work on it. It almost certainly won't be hitting next year, but it should be arriving sometime in 2008. In addition, the game will not use the same engine as Armageddon and the past few MK titles, so we'll be getting an all new Mortal Kombat."

Ge-Maga Virtua Fighter 5 interview
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:04:10 CST
On Friday we posted some new screenshots of the currently-in-development Virtua Fighter 5, and today we have some further information on the game, thanks to Japanese gaming magazine Ge-Maga and their interview with SEGA-AM2 president Hiroshi Kataoka and Producer of the PS3 version Noriyuki Shimoda.

Sega showed off VF5 at this year's E3, though the version they had running was the arcade version. Kataoka has revealed that they really wanted to show off the PS3 version as well, but were unable to do so due to schedule problems. As for the PS3 version, it is apparently at a state where it is playable, and PS3-specific features will be added to the game from here on, though we probably won't know what these new features are until the Tokyo Game Show rolls around this year.

As far as the problem of widescreen is concerned, PS3 users playing the game on standard TV's have nothing to worry about, because the arcade version was originally created to run on both formats.

Ge-Maga also asked the question as to why Sega had decided to make VF5 PS3 exclusive. The answer was fairly simple, it's because the PS3's hardware closely matches the hardware the arcade version is running on, so there are less compatibility issues. That's not to say the Xbox 360 couldn't handle the game, as Kataoka made the point that it most definitly could if development was started with cross-platform capability in mind. The decision was made purely because of compatibility reasons.

When asked specifically about the PS3 and the console's price point, Kataoka had this to say:

"My feeling is that, when considering its capabilities, it's not expensive. If that hardware was released not as PlayStation, but under the Vaio brand, and you got a Blu-Ray drive, a Cell chip and the latest NVIDIA GPU for under 100,000 yen, you'd definitely call it cheap. However, there are surely many people who buy it with the image of a game machine, and that price is pretty daring."

"No, I'm very thankful that it has a hard disk. It's not the case that Blu-ray's transfer speed is fast compared to DVD, and with the increase in the data amount, we were worried about just how long load times would take. If we cache data to the hard disk, the loading time drops dramatically."