September 2004

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Ex-Street Fighter producer announces title with new studio
Posted by White_Pointer at 21:51:24 CST
You might remember several months ago we reported that Noritaka Funamizu, one of Capcom's producers best known for producing the Street Fighter series left Capcom to form his own studio along with another ex-Capcom employee Katsuhiro Sudo called Craft and Meister which currently only has 8 employees.

Japanese web site Yomiuri Journal has recently interviewed Funamizu, and according to the interview they have announced that they are working on a game that will be revealed next summer.

"Back when video games were becoming trendy, we could try making different types of them," Funamizu told Yomiuri when explaining his departure from Capcom. "But nowadays, there are rules of success that companies need to follow in order to avoid risks. We have lost the freedom to make the games we want. I wanted to make my own games without having to follow the modern methods."

Nvidia to power future Namco arcade machines
Posted by White_Pointer at 22:26:49 CST
PC video card manufacturer Nvidia have announced that they have entered into a partnership with Namco to manufacture new arcade hardware. Namco's new arcade board, tentatively dubbed the "Nvidia System N2 Arcade Platform Solution", will sport more than a few similarities to current PC architecture. It'll have a motherboard based on Nvidia's nForce2 motherboard, sport a GeForce graphics chipset, an OpenGL graphics API and a Linux Operating System.

An Arcade version of Counter Strike, called Counter Strike Neo, will apparently be the first game to utilise this new technology. Nvidia have said that additional titles will be announced next year, so it's quite possible we'll see Namco's next fighting game on this new hardware. Namco are yet to comment though.
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KOF coming to the PSP
Posted by White_Pointer at 02:53:50 CST
SNK have announced that a version of their recent release King of Fighters: Maximum Impact is coming to the PSP. That's currently all we know though...nothing else has been revealed yet including a possible release date. The name hasn't even been finalised...just tentatively titled "KOF" at the moment. We'll bring you more news on it when we can.
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Dead or Alive Ultimate delayed...again
Posted by White_Pointer at 18:20:16 CST
Yep, you read that right, Dead or Alive Ultimate, Tecmo's upcoming XBox port of DOA 1 and 2 with online support has been delayed for the second time in as many months. The previous announced release date back in July was October 7th, it's now been pushed back to October 28th, with the US version scheduled to ship about a week earlier than that. Tecmo have said the reason for the delay is due to issues with the game's online mode.

It has also been confirmed that only Japan will be receiving the limited edition DOAU XBox pack, which includes a blue XBox, the game itself and the life-sized Kasumi cushion.
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SNK planning online play for all future fighting games
Posted by White_Pointer at 20:54:54 CST
SNK have announced that every fighting game they will be releasing from now on on the home consoles will be featuring online play.

"We believe that the real fun in fighting games is in playing against other people. But people that are most enthusiastic about fighting games are starting to enter the work force, so they're probably getting less chances to play them [at the arcades]," commented Ryoko Suzuki of SNK Playmore.

"So we're planning on adding online playability to all our titles after King of Fighters 94' Re-Bout. We want to provide an environment where the users can experience the thrill of playing against various other people at the arcades, but in their own homes.”

Fighting Games at the Tokyo Game Show
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:49:24 CST
The Tokyo Game Show starts today, and there's going to be plenty of games on display. So which of these are the fighting games? Here they are:

Atari
Godzilla: Save the Earth (PS2)

Capcom
Rockman Power Battle Fighters (PS2)
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (PSP)
Capcom Fighting Jam (Arcade)

Microsoft
Guilty Gear XX #Reload (XBox)
Street Fighter Anniversary Edition (XBox)

Namco
Tekken 5 (Arcade)

NTT DoCoMo
Street Fighter II (Mobile)

Sammy
Guilty Gear Isuka (PS2)
The Rumblefish (PS2)

Sega
Sega Ages 2500 Virtua Fighter 2 (PS2)

SNK Playmore
King of Fighters Maximum Impact (PS2)
King of Fighters 94 Re-bout (PS2)
King of Fighters 2003 (PS2)
SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos (XBox)
King of Fighters 2002 (XBox)
NeoGeo Battle Coliseum (Arcade)

Tecmo
Dead or Alive Ultimate (XBox)

That's quite a list, and these are just the fighting games (and only those that we know are definite fighting games, there's others in the list that may also be). If you're interested in seeing the complete list of games that will be on display, Gamespot has it, be aware though it's a very long list! We'll be bringing you more coverage of the Tokyo Game Show in the next few days.
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Capcom developing for all next generation platforms
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:25:20 CST
Capcom have come out and stated that they will be developing for all three of the next generation consoles...The Playstation 3, XBox Next (tentative name) and Nintendo Revolution (tentative name).

"We will be supplying games for the next-generation video game consoles that should be released around the end of 2005 by Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo," said Capcom board executive Kazuhiro Abe.

New Fan Art
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:41:43 CST
We've been sent some new fan art to add to our ever growing database of fantastic site visitor contributions. The newest addition is from Dipesh Thakrar who has sent us a great hand drawn sketch of Trunks from Dragon Ball Z. View it, along with the rest of our fan art in our Fan Art section. The new art is in gallery 4. Follow that link if you are a talented artist yourself and you're interested in submitting your work here for the world to see!
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Mortal Kombat: Deception goes Gold, plus PAL release date
Posted by White_Pointer at 14:32:21 CST
Midway has just put out a press release to announce that Mortal Kombat: Deception has gone gold! As we reported yesterday the game is scheduled for a release in the US on October 4th and Europe on November 5th. We now also have a confirmed release date for Australia of November 19th, and we can assume this would be the same date it hits other PAL territories as well. The countdown to release day begins!
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Mortal Kombat: Deception box art revealed
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:06:29 CST
The final box art for Mortal Kombat: Deception has been revealed! Check it out:

Sega and Sammy predict growth
Posted by White_Pointer at 23:33:30 CST
The two developers who are currently finalising their merger to be overseen by Sega Sammy Holdings are predicting big growth in the coming years. In fact they are aiming to raise their profits by 40 percent over the next three years. By March 2007 they expect their profits to have jumped to 68 billion yen.

Sega Sammy Holdings will consist of 50 employees, 30 from Sammy and 20 from Sega. And the good news is that none of Sega's game developers are going to be departing anytime soon, meaning their future games shouldn't be affected. In fact, to meet the targeted growth they are actually aiming at expanding their developer base, particularly through mergers and aquisitions in Europe.
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Vigilante added to History of Fighters
Posted by Pube at 16:34:26 CST
... and so without further ado, here it is. Enjoy.
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Midway Arcade Treasures 2 goes gold
Posted by White_Pointer at 01:31:39 CST
Midway has announced that their second compilation of their classic games, titled Midway Arcade Treasures 2, has gone gold and will be hitting store shelves on October 11th for the Gamecube, PS2 and XBox. The compilation contains several of Midway's classic fighting games, including Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 3, Primal Rage and Pit Fighter.
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Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 coming to Gamecube
Posted by White_Pointer at 16:13:55 CST
Despite the fact that the PS2 version of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 received less than flattering reviews, it was still very popular amongst the DBZ fans and as a result Atari are bringing the game to the Gamecube. Although not confirmed by Atari, retailers are saying it will hit US stores in December and carry the recommended price of $19.99. It will reportedly be exactly the same as the PS2 version, including the new single player "dragon mode".
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Guilty Gear XX #Reload hits XBox Live
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:29:23 CST
Originally slated for a release on September 7th, Sammy has announced that Guilty Gear XX #Reload has been released in the US on the XBox, complete with XBox Live support. Better late than never! This will mark the first GG title on the XBox, and GG Isuka is due out later this year.

"Guilty Gear X2 #Reload takes the classic fighting-game franchise to an exciting new level with enhanced anime-style visuals and compelling multiplayer support via Xbox Live," said Ken Gold, vice president of marketing for the game's publisher, Majesco. "This offering of a highly entertaining product at an attractive price point appeals to both hard-core fighting fans, as well as the casual, mass-market audience."

KOF 2000/2001 to stay uncensored for European release
Posted by White_Pointer at 23:12:38 CST
Great news for European KOF fans here...SNK have announced that when The King of Fighters 2000/2001 combo pack hits shelves for the PS2 and XBox, it will remain true to the arcade original and uncensored. Up until now only Japan had the uncensored version. Basically, the uncensored version contains blood and gore, plus, what you might call "bounce" from a certain part of the female characters. In fact, all future SNK titles released in Europe will remain uncensored.

"The decision to revert to the original code was a fairly straightforward one," says Peter Rollinson, Product Manager, Ignition Entertainment. "To keep the game as it was intended is something that we, and more importantly the fans wanted."

New Poll
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:46:51 CST
Recently we've seen the emergence of fighting games that have been moving out of the traditional 1-on-1 arena and beginning to support more players. Games like Super Smash Bros Melee, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, One Must Fall: Battlegrounds and the upcoming Iron Pheonix and Guilty Gear Isuka are all examples of fighting games that support more than 2 players. Our new poll asks you how many players you prefer a fighting game to have. Are you moving into this new trend of supporting more than 2 players, or do you steer right away from those games and stick to the traditional 1 vs 1? Vote your answer in the poll!
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Poll Results
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:38:17 CST
Well, time to shut down the current poll, but before we do, here's the results:

Which of these games are you most looking forward to?

28.9% - Mortal Kombat: Deception
20.4% - Tekken 5
11.7% - Guilty Gear Isuka
11.7% - Capcom Fighting Jam
9.1% - King of Fighters: Maximum Impact
8% - Dead or Alive Ultimate
7.3% - Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3
1.4% - Godzilla: Save the Earth
0.7% - Fight Club
0.4% - Iron Phoenix

Well, from these results we can clearly see that most site visitors are looking forward to MK: Deception, with T5 right on it's tail. Not all that surprising really when you consider that these two games have had the most publicity lately.
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SNK vs Capcom delayed for Japanese XBox release
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:15:38 CST
SNK Playmore have confirmed the rumours that the Japanese XBox release of SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos has been pushed back from its originally announced released date of September 9 to a new announced released on October 7. SNK Playmore did not provide any further information on the reasons.
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Capcom to show Darkstalkers Chronicle at TGS
Posted by White_Pointer at 20:05:27 CST
Capcom have announced that they will be showcasing several of their work in progress PSP games at this year's Tokyo Game Show. One of these games is the game that was previously announced at this year's E3 Darkstalkers Chronicle (also known as Vampire Chronicle), the long awaited next installment of the Darkstalkers series. This is set to be a good show for Capcom fans...as we reported a few days ago Capcom will also be holding a tournament for their upcoming game Capcom Fighting Jam. We'll have more news on this as it becomes available.
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NeoGeo Battle Coliseum Screens and Video
Posted by White_Pointer at 22:01:09 CST
SNK-Capcom.com have some new exclusive screenshots and a video of SNK's upcoming NeoGeo Battle Coliseum from the Japanese Amusement machine show. The game looks to be coming along pretty well and SNK seems to be listening to it's fanbase and really trying to take advantage of this new arcade hardware. You can check out the screenshots here and the video off their main page here.
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Three new MK: Deception video bios
Posted by White_Pointer at 18:57:12 CST
IGN have updated with three new video bios for Mortal Kombat: Deception, this time looking at Bo' Rai Cho, and two new characters Ashrah and Kira. As usual each one has a bit of background info on the character, a look at their playstyle and a sneak peak at one or two of their fatalities. You can view the videos over at IGN by streaming them for free on Windows Media Player, or if you are an IGN insider you can download a better quality Quicktime version.
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KOF: MI Limited Edition coming to the US
Posted by White_Pointer at 18:45:23 CST
SNK President Ben Herman has confirmed the rumours about a King of Fighters: Maximum Impact "limited edition" are indeed true, and it will be making it's way to the US.

"True. It will be offered at many retail locations. We will update ship date soon."

• KOF:MI videogame for PlayStation 2
  
• KOF:MI book
  
• KOF:MI DVD
  
• Collectors case
  
• Terry Bogard baseball cap
  

Sammy And Sega announce more titles for Tokyo Game Show
Posted by White_Pointer at 15:13:58 CST
Sammy and Sega have announced they will be showcasing more titles at this year's Tokyo Game Show (and they are still to announce a bunch more on September 14th, too). They now have 2 "real" fighting games that will be on display, The Rumblefish and Guilty Gear Isuka (both for PS2) plus a number of "pseudo" fighting games, including Altered Beast and Berserk. We'll have more information as it becomes available, stay tuned!
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Capcom Fighting Jam to be shown at Tokyo Game Show
Posted by White_Pointer at 14:57:39 CST
Capcom have announced their lineup of games that will be on display at this year's Tokyo Game Show, and Capcom Fighting Jam is one of them. They will also be hosting a CFJ tournament on the third day on the event. They have announced the titles of two other games that could possibly be fighters as well, but we'll have more concrete information on these after the show has wrapped up.
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Midway to expand into Texas
Posted by White_Pointer at 04:36:40 CST
Midway announced last week that they will be opening up a brand new internal development studio in Austin, Texas. Nothing was said about an exact opening date, only "in the near future". This news has a two-fold effect, we now know that Midway's financial situation must not be as bad as thought. It looks like the publisher has a good future ahead. Midway will be at this week's Austin Game Conference, presumably to give some further details on the planned opening and possibly talking to people who are interested in employment.
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Tekken 5 coming to US arcades in October
Posted by White_Pointer at 16:05:56 CST
Namco have announced that their anticipated fighter Tekken 5 will be hitting US arcades next month! To complement the release, Namco are also holding local and national tournaments. The local tournaments start from the game's release and will run until January while the national tournament is set to start in February 2005. Arcade owners who buy the Tekken game are encouraged to register their location with Namco to get in on the action.

The home version on the PS2 is currently scheduled for a release sometime early 2005.
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New NeoGeo Battle Coliseum details
Posted by White_Pointer at 18:10:22 CST
At the recent Amusement Machine Show in Tokyo, SNK/Playmore revealed some more details about its upcoming arcade fighter NeoGeo Battle Coliseum. The game will have a tag-team battle system and feature characters from past NeoGeo arcade titles, and not just the fighting games like KOF or Samurai Shodown. Characters from games such as Metal Slug and World Heroes are also in the list, which indicates that the featured characters won't just be from SNK games but from a number of non-SNK NeoGeo games as well...plus there will be several brand new characters.

"NeoGeo Battle Coliseum seemed to be most appropriate for a 2D title that has new and old characters all brawling in one game," commented SNK Playmore producer Chikara Yamasaki. "All the characters have some kind of change made to them, which should be interesting for fans to look out for."

"There have been tag format fighting games in the past, but we're planning to give NeoGeo Battle Coliseum a number of new systems that haven't been seen elsewhere," commented director Tadachi Adahiro. "Of course, there will be unified attacks and other [usually] expected systems in the game as well."

"The characters announced today are the least surprising ones," said a Sammy representative at the end of the presentation. "We want to go beyond the predictions of our fans when it comes to the game's roster. The characters that we'll announce in the future will be a lot more astonishing than today's."

Tekken 5 screenshot frenzy
Posted by White_Pointer at 14:50:37 CST
We've been sent heaps of new screenshots of Namco's upcoming Tekken 5, so much in fact we've needed to open up 2 new T5 galleries! We've now got about 70 screenshots of the game in action so make sure you check them all out. Of particular interest is the very last one you'll see in gallery 3. Does he look familiar? He should! Did you honestly think Namco would kill off the main protagonist of the series? I think not! Heihachi is back, most likely as the final boss.

Check out all of our new screenshots in our Tekken Images section by clicking the link in the menu or by clicking here.
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Namco opens new office in Korea
Posted by White_Pointer at 23:18:32 CST
Yesterday, Namco expanded its world coverage even further by opening an office in Korea. Namco said that "the office will be the company's beachhead in a market where it plans significant expansion." Its main role won't be to make games specifically, but to gather data on the demographic that Korea brings into the market and to keep an eye on the industry so Namco can plan future business strategies. This is the third Asian office Namco have established outside of Japan, with the other two being Hong Kong (1977) and Shanghai (1993).
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Street Fighter Anniversary Collection ships for PS2
Posted by White_Pointer at 03:13:35 CST
Good news to SF fans to kick off the new month. Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, the compilation by Capcom that contains Hyper Street Fighter II (which in itself is a compilation of all of the SFII games) and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike has shipped for the PS2 to NTSC territories. Capcom fans have no doubt been waiting for this to be released outside of Japan, and to top it off it also ships with a DVD of the full feature film of Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. So what are you waiting for? Look for it on store shelves!
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