August 2004

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Gamespy Interviews Ed Boon
Posted by White_Pointer at 14:27:47 CST
Gamespy have released four video interviews with Midway personnel about upcoming games, and one of them is with none other than the co-creator of MK and the project lead for Mortal Kombat: Deception Ed Boon. The video is pretty big with even the low-res version coming in at 50 megs (the high res is a little over 100 megs) so you may want to consider the speed of your connection before you go ahead and download it. Check it out over at Gamespy.
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Exceeded bandwidth limit
Posted by White_Pointer at 20:29:07 CST
Yep, sorry about that everyone, but as you probably noticed the site wasn't accessible for several hours today because we exceeded our bandwidth limit.

This has been fixed in the short term but rest assured we are working on a solution to this problem for the long term. In the meantime, we are back up to almost full functionality (the multimedia won't be available again until next month). We apologise for the inconvenience.
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Guilty Gear X2 #Reload site online
Posted by White_Pointer at 05:56:40 CST
Sammy have put up the official site for the upcoming XBox version of Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, containing new screenshots, a couple of downloadable movies, wallpapers, characters profiles and art, information on the new XBox Live features and a community forum. We'll have a lot of this content available for you right here soon enough, but in the meantime, you can check out the official site at guiltygearx2reload.com.
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Fighting game characters to appear in Playboy
Posted by White_Pointer at 22:53:50 CST
If this isn't the weirdest thing you've ever heard, it's got to be damn close to it.

Playboy magazine has confirmed that several female video game characters will be featured in the October issue, including a couple from fighting games: Mileena from the Mortal Kombat games and Nina from the Tekken games. These characters however will be fully clothed because neither Midway nor Namco want to offend the audiences of their respective games. There will however be some less-than scantily clad female video game characters featured in the issue; BloodRayne and Luba Licious (from the new Leisure Suit Larry game).
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Intec announces new "Kombat" arcade sticks
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:14:57 CST
Intec has announced their new line of "Kombat" wireless arcade controllers for the PS2 and XBox. These new arcade sticks have been specifically designed for fighting games (not just MK, despite the name). Intec says they are ideal for games such as Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, Tekken 5, Dead or Alive 3 and Soul Calibur 2. The controllers are totally wireless, have an ergonomic design, an option to switch from digital to analogue control on the fly and a program function to program in your button combinations.

The PS2 stick carries a recommended price of US$29.99 and the XBox stick a recommended price of US$35.99.
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SNK announces Tokyo Game Show lineup
Posted by White_Pointer at 22:34:02 CST
SNK are planning on having quite a number of titles on show at this year's Tokyo Game Show, including a good amount of fighting games. The biggest news out of their lineup announcement is the official name of their KOF 94 remake for the PS2; it will be titled King of Fighters 94 Re-Bout. The other fighting titles they will have on show are as follows:

NeoGeo Coliseum (Arcade)
King of Fighters 2003 (PS2)
King of Fighters: Maximum Impact (PS2)
SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos (XBox)
King of Fighters 2002 (Xbox)
Samurai Spirits: Makai Rin-ne Ki (Mobile)
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XBox to get Guilty Gear Isuka
Posted by White_Pointer at 18:24:10 CST
Japanese video game website Softbank Games has reported that Guilty Gear Isuka, the newest addition to the GG series, is on its way to the XBox...complete with online support, the colour edit mode and the GG Boost mode (the side scrolling action mini-game ala Final Fight and Double Dragon). It's not known at this point however whether it will contain the PS2 bonus features such as the extra character A.B.A or the Robo-KYII customisation mode. It is scheduled to hit Japan just before Christmas. For the record, the PS2 version is scheduled to hit the US in November.
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New Fan Art
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:56:05 CST
Aaron Jaggan has sent us some great new fan art, and its our first ever computer modelled artwork submission! Aaron has submitted two 3D renders of Sektor from Mortal Kombat 3. To check them out, or if you would like to submit your own fan art, just visit our fan art page by clicking the link in the menu or by clicking here. The new art is in gallery 4.
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Viacom possibly taking over Midway
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:51:16 CST
Viacom CEO and the guy who now owns over 73% of Midway Sumner Redstone could possibly be buying Midway outright in the near future. Analysts however seemed pretty quick to brush away this possibility.

"We believe that Midway is unlikely to be acquired by Viacom, but we think that the company should be considered a candidate [for Viacom licensing deals] given Mr. Redstone's large holdings," said Michael Pachter, senior vice president of research at Wedbush Morgan Securities.

MK: Deception controllers go on pre-sale
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:18:04 CST
Gamestop have begun taking preorders for the Mortal Kombat: Deception controller, which are the new controllers that are being made by Nuby Tech who have made similar controllers in the past for games like Soul Calibur II and the Street Fighter series. There is one for Baraka, Mileena, Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Raiden. The only thing is, unfortunately for XBox and GC owners, these controllers seem to be PS2 exclusive. You can preorder one yourself by following this link and scrolling towards the bottom of the list.
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Sammy reveals new fighting game
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:13:29 CST
Sammy have revealed a new fighting game is under development by SNK, which will be SNK's second fighting game to be released on Sammy's Atomiswave arcade hardware. Tentatively titled NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, it will be a tag-battle fighting game, and judging by its title, will most likely feature characters from games that have previously appeared on the NeoGeo arcade platform. The game will have its official unveiling (along with King of Fighters NeoWave, SNK's first Atomiswave fighting game) at Sega and Sammy's booth at this year's Amusement Machine Show in Japan from 2-4 of September. We'll bring you more news on this as it becomes available.
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Mortal Kombat: Deception confirmed for the Gamecube
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:09:07 CST
Just when Gamecube owners thought that Midway had abandoned them and were not going to release Mortal Kombat: Deception on their console, Midway have turned around and announced that yes, MK: Deception will indeed be coming to Nintendo's console! Midway have revealed that the GC version has actually been planned for several months now, but they didn't announce anything about it because they wanted to focus on getting the online play absolutely perfect for the PS2 and XBox. The Gamecube version will be identical to the PS2 and XBox versions, minus the online play. In place of the online play however, Midway are planning 1 or 2 Gamecube exclusive features. While the PS2 and XBox versions are due out in October (NTSC) and November (PAL) this year, the Gamecube version won't be ready until early next year.

You can read the announcement made over at IGN Cube here, plus you can also read IGN's exclusive interview with Midway marketing executive Steve Allision for the reasons why Midway have decided to put the latest incarnation of MK onto the Gamecube here.

A big Kudos goes to forum member Shinomune for letting us know about it! Discuss it in our forums!

We would like to take this opportunity for those of you who supported our petition to put MK: Deception on the Gamecube, it most certainly helped!
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SNK announces new licensing deal
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:17:07 CST
SNK have announced that they have retained Most Management LLC as their North American licensing partners for their video game characters. This means that SNK's characters will be licensed to various consumer product companies in the US to extend their most popular franchises, including King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown and Fatal Fury. It all should kick off later this year as SNK begins it's 10th anniversary promotion of the KOF series where SNK are planning big promotional activities with key retailers and partners.

“I am excited to be working with SNK,” stated Marc Mostman, President of MOST MANAGEMENT. “SNK is synonymous with classic arcade gaming, and has a strong library of video game properties and characters. Their ability to keep classic titles like THE KING OF FIGHTERS and METAL SLUG fresh is a tribute to their ability to understand the consumers who make up the billion dollar interactive entertainment environment.”

“We look forward to offering fans, new and old, the opportunity to add additional items from their favorite games or characters,” commented Ben Herman, SNK NEOGEO USA CONSUMER CORPORATION president. “MOST MANAGEMENT understands the draw of interactive entertainment and the limitless potential for expanding great game franchises into broad consumer products programs."

MK: Deception to be shown at Game Stars Live
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:56:36 CST
Live in the UK? Want to get your first taste of Mortal Kombat: Deception? Then be at Game Stars Live 2004 from September 1st to September 5th at London's impressive ExCeL exhibition facility in Docklands. There Midway will be showing off MK: Deception for the first time in any PAL territory, exclusively to the UK, along with a couple of their other upcoming games NBA Ballers and PSI-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy.

"Game Stars Live is shaping up to be THE consumer show for gamers," commented Matt Broughton, European Marketing Director, Midway Games. "We're very excited to showcase our titles in front of such a keen audience, especially Mortal Kombat Deception – on-site and available to play a full two months before release. Coupled with 10/10-scoring Psi-Ops, we're sure these titles will draw crowds to the Over-18 zone."

New Godzilla: Save the Earth details and screenshots
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:10:55 CST
Information on Atari's upcoming game Godzilla: Save the Earth has been pretty scarce since E3 this year...until now, that is. We've managed to dig up some more information for you, so here it is! We already know that despite Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee being primarily a GC title, the sequel will only be on the PS2 and XBox, mostly due to the fact that the game will focus quite a bit on online play. Despite GC gamers voicing their disappointment, this is going to stay the case.

Like the original, the sequel will have support for up to four players as each of you choose your favourite monster to do battle with. The game supports any combination of players, you can have four around the one console, 2 on one console and 2 online on another, or whatever you want...anything goes. There are more than twice the number of monsters to choose from in the sequel (18 in total), and the cities you'll be fighting in will be much more recognisable this time around. Each monster will now be distinctly different from the rest, not only with their own movesets but with differing levels of strength, speed and defense. New monsters include Baragon, Space Godzilla, Megaguirus, Moguera and Mothra - who actually begins the match in her larvae form and then transforms into her "moth" form. You can also change your monster's aforementioned attributes before taking them online so there's much less chance you'll come across an opponent exactly the same even if you have the same monster.

On top of this the game will also feature a number of non-fighting mini-games such as a space shooter simulation and a game where Godzilla needs to throw buildings at attacking UFO's.

The game is currently due in November, and we have some brand new screenshots of it you can check out right here, or by following the Godzilla: DAMM link in the Images menu.
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More MK: Deception bios revealed
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:03:36 CST
A little late with this news, but better late than never. IGN have published the next bio videos in their series for Mortal Kombat: Deception. The new additions are Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Jade. This confirms that Jade will indeed be in the game and the green-clad female ninja shown in earlier screenshots wasn't simply Tanya in her alternate outfit. You can check out the videos over at PS2 IGN.
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G4 Tech TV show on history of SNK
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:43:34 CST
Airing August 19th, G4 Tech TV will be airing a special on the history of SNK. It will cover everything on the company from where it all began in the late 70's to their bankruptcy a few years ago and its recent re-emergence as again a prominent player in the fighting game market. Among the SNK games that will be featured in the special will be Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves, Samurai Shodown and King of Fighters 2000/2001. This is a show that no SNK fan, and indeed now fighting game fan should miss. The episode will air on Thursday, August 19th, 2004, 10:30ET/7:30PT. You can find out a little more about the upcoming show on the G4 Tech TV website.
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Gamespot releases History of MK video
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:21:51 CST
The "History of Mortal Kombat" video that was shown at the pre-E3 Mortal Kombat: Deception party is now finally available to view and download from Gamespot. It's a comprehensive look at MK's history with commentary from Ed Boon himself. You'll need to be at least a Gamespot basic member to download it (and you'll want a pretty fast connection with the lo-res version weighing in at 62MB and the hi-res version 140MB) but even if you aren't you can stream it for free. To view the movie, just click this link.
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KOF 94 remake coming and figurine giveaway
Posted by White_Pointer at 16:46:56 CST
Up until now, The King of Fighters 94 was the only game in the long running series that hadn't been ported to a mainstream home console. That's all about to change as SNK have announced that a remake of KOF 94 will be hitting one of the home consoles in December this year. SNK have not announced which console it will appear on but it's most likely going to be the PS2. This is the third KOF title that will be appearing on the home consoles this year, the other two being The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact and the PS2 version of The King of Fighters 2003.

In related news, SNK are giving away figurines of popular KOF characters Mai Shiranui and Athena Asamiya to fans who buy all three KOF games being released this year. From February 1st to March 31st next year you just need to send in a proof of purchase for all three games to SNK Playmore and they'll send you back one of the two figurines in May.

You can find more information on both of these things on the official website.
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New History of Fighters Addition!
Posted by Pube at 16:05:28 CST
Yeah, I know they've been few and far between of late, but at least I got this one done for you. This time we look at "Bad Dudes". Remember it? Need some refreshing? Click here to read!
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Game Daily previews Tekken 5
Posted by White_Pointer at 21:13:33 CST
Game Daily, after playing the work in progress Tekken 5 at Evolution 2004 a couple of weekends ago, have written up two preview articles based on what they saw in the game and what they managed to squeeze out of the Namco representatives at the event.

The first article goes into detail on how the card system will work in the arcade cabinets and gives us new details on an awesome new addition - the arcade cabinets will have PS2 controller ports so you can play T5 on the arcade with your Dual Shock Controller! It also gives us a rough release date in the arcades of late September/early October. You can read the article here.

The second article goes more into the gameplay side of things and doesn't really reveal anything we don't already know apart from naming all of the playable characters and going in depth a little more into the battle arenas. You can read the article here.
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MK7 confirmed for next-gen consoles
Posted by White_Pointer at 20:54:08 CST
Just a couple of days after some MK team members suggested the possibility of another MK game after MK: Deception, we get the official confirmation from the Midway games CEO himself David Zucker. He made the announcement at the RBC Capital Markets North American Technology Conference last week.

"We’re making Mortal Kombat 7. We’ll have a PS3 SKU and an Xbox 2 SKU and we’ll have a wireless SKU."

Atari planning DBZ: Budokai 3 unveiling
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:15:57 CST
Atari has announced that it will be holding a special event to reveal a special preview of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3. It will be held at the San Francisco Metreon on August 18 at 3:00pm at the Playstation store. Daisuke Uchiyama, the series creator, will be there to demo the game to just 2 groups of 50 people. If you show up in DBZ cosplay you will be given preferential treatment in line and be given the chance to test your skills in a 1-on-1 with Uchiyama himself.

The game is currently scheduled for a release in November.
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MK: Deception developer interview at PhantUm
Posted by White_Pointer at 15:24:58 CST
Gaming website PhantUm have posted an exclusive interview with two of the team members currently working on Mortal Kombat: Deception, John Podlasek, the Producer, and Nick Shin, one of the main programmers. It doesn't really reveal anything we don't alreay know about the game, but this little hint was dropped about what will be happening after Deception:

"I can say that it’s probably a safe bet that there will be another MK title in the works sooner than later :-)

... What, when, where, etc are obviously still up in the air at the moment.

Our energies right now are focused towards the completion of Deception and we’re really excited to see what you guys think!"

Game Designer position available at Capcom
Posted by White_Pointer at 18:57:51 CST
Capcom USA have posted up that they have a Game Designer position available at Studio 8. It also notes that this is probably going to be for a new fighting game...perhaps Capcom Fighting Jam? We'll see.

Capcom Studio 8 is looking for a talented and experienced game designer to join our studio in making top-quality entertainment video games. Duties will include generating overall and specific game design, rules, systems, play balance, interface design,story. Participate in team design meetings. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in game design, outstanding interpersonal skills, and a long-standing passion for playing games of multiple genres and platforms.

Sega profits down, Sammy profits up
Posted by White_Pointer at 16:31:30 CST
About a month and a half from the scheduled merger between the two companies on October 1st, Sega and Sammy have both posted their earnings for the quarter. Despite Sega selling more console games than expected and its arcade game sales being very smooth their profits were still down, falling 50.6% from last year. Seha apoparently expected this though, because it is largely due to two new arcade venues that Sega have opened up. Sammy however reported a profit rise, rising 629% from last year.

When the two companies finally merge under the name Sega Sammy holdings next month they will be one of the biggest game companies in Japan. We'll bring you more information on this as it becomes available.
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DOA Ultimate XBox bundle toned down
Posted by White_Pointer at 05:39:10 CST
We originally reported a couple of weeks ago that Tecmo were releasing a limited edition Dead or Alive Ultimate XBox bundle in Japan, which included a blue XBox, blue controller, a DVD playback kit, an XBox Live starter kit with one year free membership and of course the game itself. It also included a life-sized bonus cushion with an image of Kasumi, one of the game's female characters, in a revealing swimsuit. Well, Tecmo have thought the better of this and have toned down the image on the cushion to instead show Kasumi in her default blue-ninja costume from the game. The DOA Ultimate XBox bundle will be released in a limited run of 6,000 units and will retail for 23,940 yen (US $215) when it ships the same day as DOA Ultimate hits Japan on October 7th.

Unfortunately, the special XBox bundle will probably not be released outside of Japan. Tecmo have also not confirmed a release date for the DOA Ultimate game outside of Japan yet.
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No Iron Phoenix until 2005
Posted by White_Pointer at 17:41:30 CST
Sammy have announced that it's XBox exclusive multiplayer online fighting game Iron Phoenix will not be seeing the light of day this year and has been delayed until early 2005 after originally announcing the game will ship late this year. The reasoning is apparently to make it fully compatible with XBox Live 3.0.

"We wanted to take advantage of the latest features that Xbox Live 3.0 offers," said Tim Hess, the game's producer, "We've announced our various game modes: Death Match, Team Death Match, Giant Kill (a team of 15 players against 1 Giant), VIP (multiple teams with one VIP) and Ring Challenge (16 player 'one on one' ladder matches). When you dissect those modes of play you see we are very team-based. Live 3.0 will allow the players to form clans, as well as schedule and track tournaments with other Clans or players via the Iron Phoenix website."