Kiki Kai World Boxart from UFO Interactive

There has been another twist in the never-ending saga of Starfish's attempt to resurrect the Kiki Kai Kai series. About a week ago I mentioned that Gamefly was listing a header for the game Kai Kai World published by UFO Interactive for the Nintendo Wii.

At that time I drew connections that this game was in reference to the cancelled PS2 title Kiki Kai Kai, and today, it seems we have our first validation of the rumors. To the left is the box art image for Kiki Kai World for the Nintendo Wii, taken from of all things a Playstation 2 listing for the game on Amazon. It does appear to be simply a mock-up piece at this time, but the fact that it is an officially submitted UFO Interactive mock-up means that good things should be in store for 2D gaming fans. The game is scheduled for release in December (subject to change) with a price of $29.99.

My thanks goes out to NeoGAF user HyperZone<3 for pointing out the box art on Amazon.

[UPDATE: Wired's Game Life got the inside scoop on Kiki Kai World from UFO Interactive. Due to licensing issues with Taito's parent company Square-Enix, Starfish and UFO Interactive have seperated themselves from the official "Kiki Kai Kai" and "Pocky & Rocky" names.

This makes sense due to the fact that Natsume in America owns partial rights to the Pocky and Rocky likenesses. Kiki Kai World is "very similar" to the cancelled title and should be seen as a "spiritual successor" to the original games. The new game is going to be released in Japan and the US on both the Playstation 2 and the Nintendo Wii.]

Operation C (Gameboy) Gameplay Video

Operation C was a bit of a shock for me.

It has been ages since I last picked up the game, and because of that, I was completely unsuspecting the quality of title that this game delivers. I'm truly amazed that Konami was able to create a Contra game specifically for the original monochromatic Gameboy that rivaled both of their offerings on the NES (and in some ways surpassed them). It is just a shame that this game often times is forgotten by those reminiscing about the Contra franchise.

As I stated in my post regarding the Super C Virtual Console playthrough I uploaded, this is just another small part in a larger picture I'm trying to paint of the franchise's history. For the next couple of weeks, I am intending on uploading videos of the different games in the series with no continue runs. They aren't perfect, and I will die, but that at least show off the games in action from start to finish.

Due to compression issues on Gametrailers, the series is going to be sporadically posted, but hopefully it will all be completed by the time Contra 4 rolls out for the Nintendo DS.

Konami Contra History (Gameplay Videos
Contra (Arcade)
Super Contra (Arcade)
Contra (Famicom/NES)
Super C (NES)
Operation C (Gameboy)
Contra Force (NES)
Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)
Contra: The Alien Wars (Gameboy)
Contra Hard Corps (Genesis)
Contra Legacy of War (Playstation 1)
C: The Contra Adventure (Playstation 1)
Contra Advance The Alien Wars EX (Gameboy Advance)
Contra Shattered Soldier (Playstation 2)
NEO Contra (Playstation 2)

First NEO GEO Games to hit the Virtual Console in September

I opened up my e-mail this morning to a rather interesting note. SNK Playmore Japan and Nintendo have announced the first series of NEO GEO titles to be released on the Virtual Console as well as the pricing for the games. Starting September 11th, Japanese Wii owners will be able to download faithfully emulated versions of NEO GEO classic arcade games starting at 900 Wii points.

The first game set to be available for the Virtual Console service is Fatal Fury. This is a bit of an odd choice in my opinion. With the release of a collection of Fatal Fury titles in Fatal Fury Battle Archives for a budget price (only a little more than this game) on the PS2 as well as an online-enabled Fatal Fury Special for 400 Marketplace points for Xbox Live Arcade, you would think that SNK Playmore Japan and Nintendo would be jumping to offer something new to their customers. Fatal Fury is hugely popular in Japan however, and it was also one of the NEO GEO's earliest hits, so I guess in a way it makes sense.

Currently of the three titles announced, Fatal Fury is the only one with a set release date (September 11th).

The second and third titles scheduled for release are World Heroes and the greatly under appreciated Magician Lord. World Heroes is fun for some, but I personally find it a bit tedious. Like Fatal Fury, World Heroes is also going to be available in a PS2 collection being released this year. The collection is scheduled for Japan only at this time. Magician Lord on the other hand is one of the better arcade action platformers and is played in a vein similar to the Shinobi series. Out of the three games currently announced, this one is clearly the best.

World Heroes and Magician Lord both have a scheduled September release date with no further details provided.

I've e-mailed SNK Playmore USA to try to receive some more information about releases for the American Virtual Console. I haven't received word back from the company yet, but I'm hoping that sometime this afternoon I should have something to report. It should be noted that the press release provided mentioned nothing about online play with these games, so it seems that the Virtual Console will remain offline at this time.

More information as I get it.

Basara X Video

Famitsu WaveTV has a new commercial for Basara X by Capcom and Arc System Works.

Unfortunately they don't offer any way to embed the movie, so to view the promotional piece head over to Famitsu WaveTV. Most of the footage seems to be from the screenshots previously revealed, but it does provide some video of the game in action from a direct video feed and not from an off screen camera.

The animation is smooth and the spritework nice, but there are a few things that do appear to need to be shored up a bit before the game is released later this year. There's plenty of time between now and then though, so we'll see what happens when the game is shown off at the 45th Amusement show in September.

Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection Update Now Available

The long awaited updated to Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection for the Playstation Network is now available for download for $9.99. Though most players will immediately download it for its inclusion of online play (which makes the download worth the price for that alone), the game also now will feature the much needed Practice mode and a Survival mode. I probably will download it this weekend to check it out. Hopefully the series' presence on the PSN will increase the demand stateside for the Tekken 6 cabinets once they become available.

Soldner-X Media Updates

SideQuest Studios and eastasiasoft posted a small media update over at Soldner-X's official website. Not only are there previously unrevealed stages shown off for the first time, but with these images we get our first taste of the multiplayer co-op mode available for the game. Currently this is supported by the PC version only in an offline setting. The decision on whether or not to feature online multiplayer for the PS3 version has yet to be determined.

I-No (Guilty Gear) Figure

This December, Max Factory is planning on releasing an I-No figure in Japan. The Guilty Gear seductress is modeled incredibly well and would definitely fit in with other quality sculpts. It is a bit revealing though, so it isn't really a piece that would fit on my desk or my mantel, but I'm sure others will love it...

For more information about the model check out the Hobby Stock website.

Mamonoro G.Rev Website Launched

The official website for G.Rev's recently announced vertical shooter, Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta!, went live yesterday for the company. Visual appearances of the characters aside (has Konami, Cave, and G.Rev been borrowing from each other's inspiration?), the game has had some promising new developments since yesterday. First off, the game is being co-developed by a new company named Gulti. I haven't been able to pull up much about this company, but the G.Rev online magazine specifically mentions that part of the team are former employees of Seibu Kaihatsu. I'm a sucker for Raiden (as I've spoke about at ends before), so this makes me giddy like a school girl.

It was also noted that the game will be playable at the Sega booth at the Jamma show (I really need to start calling it by its new name - old habits die hard I guess).

Super C (Virtual Console) Gameplay Video

Contra holds an odd place in the history of console vs. arcade gaming. Though the series has its roots firmly in the difficult action and game play found in arcades in the late 80's, the series itself rose to greater esteem once it was finally ported to the NES. However, changes in the look, feel, and sound due to the NES's insufficient power as well as a conscious decision to "tame" the violence found in the arcade version created an experience that, while Contra in name, was only superficially related.

With Contra 4 for the Nintendo DS coming out this fall/winter, I've been finding myself wanting to play through the old Contra series to revisit one of my personal gaming roots. Contra at the arcades was one of the very first arcade games I ever played as a child, and thusly so, my opinions of the series was always based primarily on the experiences first delivered at the arcades rather than the home console versions.

Super C (the sequel to Contra and based roughly on the arcade game Super Contra) was released to little fanfare on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo Wii this past Monday. Its a bit of a shame that a game that is every bit the superior to the original Contra for the NES (and much more in line with the arcade themes) is also grossly under-appreciated by gamers of that generation. Everyone talks about Contra... Super C is like the oft mentioned little brother.

I went ahead and downloaded Super C as one of the very few Virtual Console purchases I've made. Though I actually own the arcade PCB that I picked up at a garage sale a couple of years back, I was motivated enough to see just how well the game held up after all these years.

I can say enthusiastically that it still delivers all the thrills.

A video of my playthrough is posted above. It is a 1 credit clear of the game (no continues), however it is nowhere near the level of play I was able to accomplish "back in the day". I make some dumb, stupid mistakes, and lose some lives I shouldn't have lost. It does however show just what you can expect from Super C and how well the Virtual Console performs.

In honor of Contra 4 for the Nintendo DS coming out, I'm planning on posting up 1 credit clears of all the Contra games through Neo Contra as I complete them the next couple of months. This is going to include even the much maligned Playstation Contras. Though there is one title out of the list that I haven't successfully 1cc'd yet (Contra Hard Corps), I'm intending on making sure that I can hopefully post a respectable run through of the game without making too much of a fool of myself.

I hope some people get a kick out of the video. Next one posted will more than likely be Contra or Super Contra from the arcades.


Konami Contra History (Gameplay Videos)
Contra (Arcade)
Super Contra (Arcade)
Contra (Famicom/NES)
Super C (NES)
Operation C (Gameboy)
Contra Force (NES)
Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)
Contra: The Alien Wars (Gameboy)
Contra Hard Corps (Genesis)
Contra Legacy of War (Playstation 1)
C: The Contra Adventure (Playstation 1)
Contra Advance The Alien Wars EX (Gameboy Advance)
Contra Shattered Soldier (Playstation 2)
NEO Contra (Playstation 2)

BeatmaniaIIDX 15 DJ Troopers Dated

Currently making the rounds with location tests across Japan and Europe, BeatmaniaIIDX15 DJ Troopers has finally been given a scheduled sale date by Konami. The latest game in the BeatmaniaIIDX series is set to be available at arcades starting in December. Konami intends on showing the game off again at the JAMMA Amusement Show based on initial reports, so we should be able to get another look at the rhythm title then. A series of YouTube! videos of the most recent location test was posted by user landolakes. One of them is posted below for convenience. Be sure to check out YouTube! if you are interested in viewing any of the others.

New Tekken 6 Character Revealed

Arcadia Magazine revealed the latest "new" Tekken 6 character with a brief article on the game released in its latest issue. I'm not quite sure what Bandai Namco is going for with this new character, but I can pretty much guarantee at this point that "Bob" is an American (it seems that American materialism and gluttony has now reached the King of the Iron Fist...).

The scans are courtesy of Kobayan, which has been the source of all the Arcadia scans today. More information on Bob (and Tekken 6) as I get it.

Trigger Heart Exelica Coming to XBLA - Plus Arcadia Scans

This month's Arcadia Magazine has just been heavenly for shooting game fans. Not only was there the G.Rev game reveal I mentioned earlier and the Death Smiles information, but on the tails of both of these articles is one that was tucked just a bit deeper inside the pages. It seems that Warashi has plans to bring their arcade/Dreamcast shooter Trigger Heart Exelica to the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade later this year. Though the game has seen mixed reviews, I personally enjoyed its grabbing and throwing mechanics. It isn't a perfect game, but its definitely enjoyable and a worthy addition to the ever expanding XBLA library.

[Update - scans of Arcadia courtesy of Kobayan.]

New G.Rev Game Revealed

The latest G.Rev game has been revealed in the pages of this month's Arcadia. Though details are scarce (and are being sent to me at second hand at this point), the game is a vertically scrolling shooter set for release in arcades on the NAOMI arcade hardware.

After "announcing" the game earlier this month (see my write up here), I was eagerly awaiting the first news from the company about the game. It's interesting to see how much of a reliance some companies still have on the NAOMI system in order to create affordable arcade titles. With the amount of support it is still getting, I wonder if Sega can be convinced not to cease production on GD-ROMs... I would love to get a Dreamcast port on a few of these games. [Update - The title of the game is Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta! (roughly translated Momoru-kon has been Cursed).]

In other news from Arcadia, it also seems that some more details about Death Smiles has been revealed (including character names and a series of screenshots - it's a horizontal shooter... sorry vertical fans). I'm working on getting a clean scan of both of these articles so I can post them - which I'm hoping to do in the next day or two.

If anyone has a link to where someone has already posted a series of scans about the two games, feel free to post the link in the comments below.

[Update - scans of Arcadia courtesy of Kobayan.]

Joust set to take over Hollywood

File this one under I have no idea what in the world these people are thinking. GameDaily Biz has the inside scoop on a start up Hollywood company (CP Productions) which have unveiled plans to bring a "re-imagined" version of the classic Williams Electronics arcade game, Joust, to movie theaters in 2008.

According to the article (posted here), Michael Cerenzie (one half of the producer team leading CP Productions) has called the script for the game-based film as Gladiator meets Mad Max. I only have one question for the team: does the main character ride an ostrich?

It seems that the Joust movie is just one part of a larger visionary plan that includes a series of graphic novels and a new game based on the movie. I'm not quite sure what to make up all this. To be honest there are just so many other arcade franchises that would make a bit more sense than Joust with its crazy lava troll filled, ostrich-knights, and pteradactyls. I guess if anything, so long as the movie keeps even a fraction of Joust's gaming history it will most definitely be incredibly unique.

Cave to show off Death Smiles at the JAMMA Show

With the JAMMA Amusement show only a couple of weeks away, developer created internet sites have been popping up as a way to create hype for games that the amusement companies are planning on showcasing in September.

Cave is just one of the latest companies to follow this trend as they have provided a website (which can be found here) that outlines their plans for the show. Though the only game planned by the company is no surprise, it does have a new name and some additional information for shooter fans.

The rumored Death Lolita, which was revealed a bit ago when it was included on a flyer with the Mushihimesama Futari soundtrack, has now been officially named "Death Smiles". Cave will be featuring a playable version of the game for attendees at the amusement show September 13th - 15th at the AMI booth.

Character designer Junya Inoue (Joker Jun) known for his works on ESP Ra.De. and Guwange is once again working with Cave to deliver the basic character designs for the new game. Also noted on Cave's amusement show blog, Manabu Namiki has also been hired to work as the main composer for the game. Cave fans will recognize his works from Ibara and Dondonpachi Dai-ou-jou.

More information is sure to come in a couple of weeks.

Soldner-X Pre-Orders and System Specs Revealed

Pre-orders for Soldner-X have started on Play-Asia.com for $49.90. Play-Asia will be the exclusive source for the game for the PC when it is released later this year. There is no word yet on what price the Playstation Network downloadable version of the game will be released at, however I would assume it would fall in line with the typical $5 - $15 range that most downloadable games have been released for on the console networks.

Also mentioned on the Play-Asia pre-order page are the first system specs for the game. Fortunately for gamers with slightly outdated technology, Soldner-X looks like it should be able to perform well even on typical low level machines. The system requirements (both required and recommended) are listed below.

Required (Recommended)

CPU - Pentium compatible 1GHz (Pentium compatible 2GHz)

RAM - 256MB RAM/Vista 512MB RAM (512MB RAM/Vista 1GB RAM)

Video card - DirectX 8.1 compatible 3D video card with at least 64MB Video RAM and texture compression (DirectX 8.1 compatible 3D video card with at least 256MB Video RAM)

OS - Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista

DirectX - Version 8.1 or better and up-to-date video card driver

Sound - DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card

More information can be found at http://www.Soldner-X.com.

Otomedius Video Updates

Konami has updated their Otomedius website with new gameplay videos of their latest side scrolling shooter. Currently there are 6 available to be viewed with the promise of three more to come as the website rounds out its character profiles. Check out the videos here. Konami is still promising a 2007 release for the game, so I'm crossing my fingers they hold to it. It may not be Gradius, but it looks like it may very well be the next best thing...

Balrog's Stage Revealed for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

It's been a while since we have had an actual art update on the Capcom Digital Blog. Fortunately Brian Dunn and Rey Jimenez seem to have realized this and provided gamers the first look at one of the newly redone stages for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. Though the background looks clean and is over all decent, I'm not too impressed with this latest update. Something about it isn't seeming right with me, but I'm sure that once we get the character sprites in the stages, have the background music pumping, and hear the words "Fight", it will all fall into place.

The image of the stage is below so you can judge for yourself how you feel about it...


As always with this updated post there was another series of questions answered by Rey Jimenez in regards to the project. To check out the new details head over to Capcom's Digital Blog.

EVO Worlds 2007 Opens

Tomorrow, August 24th, EVO Worlds opens its events in Las Vegas, NV. The competitive fighting game series is the closest the US has to an answer to the Tokyo Super Battle Opera *which was held earlier this month). This year's tournament is going to be held at the Green Valley Ranch and Resort and will be host to players from all over the world.

There are 8 main events to compete in - including Street Fighter III Third Strike, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, Virtua Fighter 5, Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection, and series newcomer Smash Brothers Melee. Emergency registration begins at 8:00 AM, so the opportunities are still open for gamers wanting to make the trip. Otherwise, the series of events will start with Virtua Fighter 5 at 9:00 AM Friday.

For more information about the EVO Championship series, check out its home on the web at http://evok2k.com. Similar to how I handled the Super Battle Opera coverage, I'll try to keep everyone posted on tournament results on this blog entry. It will also be possible to follow the tournament on the Shoryuken Forums.

[Update] It seems that the entrepreneurial crew at EVO has posted a live feed of today's qualifiers. If you are wanting to watch the action as it unfolds, check it out here.

[Update] Results via SRK.

Marvel vs Capcom 2
1st: Mike ‘IFCYipes’ (perfect)
2nd: JWong (loses to Yipes and Yipes)
3rd: Erik ‘Smoothviper’ (loses to JWong and Jwong)
4th: Chris Schmidt (loses to JWong and Smoothviper)
5th: Brandon ‘Demon Hyo’ (loses to Showstopper and Smoothviper)
5th: Loren ‘Fanatiq’ (loses to Yipes and Chris Schmidt)
7th: Sanford Kelly (loses to JWong and Brandon)
7th: Harold Jay ‘Potter’ (loses to Smoothviper and Chris Schmidt)

Tekken 5
1st: Arario (Jack)
2nd: Spero Gin (Eddy, Paul)
3rd: Bronson (Ganryu, Julia)
4th: Kane (Devil Jin)
5th: Filthyrich (Heihachi)
5th: Slips (Eddie)
7th: Mr Naps (Devil Jin)
7th: 725 (Steve)

Street Fighter III: Third Strike
1st: Nuki (Chun-Li, never lost)
2nd: Tokido (Chun-Li, Urien, loses to Nuki and Nuki)
3rd: Alex Valle (Ken, Ryu, lost to Nuki and Tokido)
4th: Mike Wakefield (Makoto, lost to Valle and Tokido)
5th: Fubarduck (Chun-Li, loses to Tokido and Tokido)
5th: AznHitler (Necro, Ken, loses to Mike Wakefield and Mike Wakefield)
7th: Ricky Ortiz (Chun-Li, Ken, loses to Nuki and Fubarduck)
7th: Ed Ma (Ken, loses to Amir and AznHitler)

Super Smash Brothers Melee
1st: Ken (Marth)
2nd: Hugs (Samus)
3rd: Mango (Jigglypuff)
4th: PC Chris (Falco/Fox)
5th: Chu Dat (IceClimbers)
5th: Eddie (Ganon)
7th: Chillindude (Fox)
7th: DieSuperFly (Shiek)

Capcom vs SNK 2
1st: D44 BAS A Vega/Bison/Blanka 2
2nd: Ricky Ortiz - A Vega/Sakura/Blanka 2
3rd: Justin Wong C Vega/Chun-Li/Sagat 2
4th: Kindebu - A Sakura/Bison/Blanka 2
5th: Tokido - A Sakura/Bison/Blanka 2 (lost to Gene Wong and Justin Wong)
5th: Buktooth - N Iori, Chun-li, Hibiki 2
7th: Combofiend K Ken/Sagat/Cammy 2
7th: John Choi - C Guile, Sak/Ken/Sagat 2

Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
1st: Tokido (Vega)
2nd: John Choi (Ryu, Sagat)
3rd: Graham Wolfe (Balrog, Vega)
4th: Afrolegends (Dee Jay, Balrog)
5th: David Sirlin (Honda, Bison)
5th: NKI (Chun)
7th: Alex Valle (Ryu)
7th: Nuki (Chun)

Guilty Gear Accent Core
1st: Team Yossan
2nd: Team Shittalk
3rd: Team Kabuki
4th: Team Matlockdown

Virtua Fighter 5
1st: Itazan (Shun Di)
2nd: Nuki (Aoi, Pai)
3rd: Otome (Jacky)
4th: Tokido (Pai)
5th: Ino (Kage)
5th: Myke (Kage)
7th: Renzo (Brad)
7th: Sean Howard (Brad)

CPS-3 Emulator Released for the Xbox

Its only been a short time since I posted the news that the CPS-3 encryption was cracked. Not surprisingly, the strives programmers have made since that time to create a stable CPS-3 emulator have come a long way. Though its still not perfect, the games that are being emulated are finally to the point where they are playable with only minor imperfections. Not content with only a PC release however, it seems that everyone's favorite moddable console, the Xbox, has now been signed up as being part of the CPS-3 emulation projects.

Earlier today a downloadable version of the CPX3, a CPS-3 emulator, was posted online. I am not going to link to the site where it is available since the emulator itself was built from the official SDK without an official license (meaning its legality is questionable), but for those interested a simple Google search will bring up all of the information necessary to get the emulator running.

The first public build isn't perfect, but it does go a long way in showing just what can be done with the Xbox, despite its apparent age. The video posted above was a working build of the emulator shown off earlier last week.

Virtua Fighter 5 Online Screens and Video

Gamersyde has posted a video and a series of screenshots from Sega's Leipzig booth showcasing Virtua Fighter 5 in action online for the Xbox 360. The video is below for those interested in seeing how the transition to online play has worked for the series. Though the game being played has the added benefit of being played with players in extremely close proximity, it does show that good things are in store for Virtua Fighter fans.

I recommend checking out the gallery linked above as well for some non-streamed images... Virtua Fighter 5 should be available for the Xbox 360 at the end of October.

Shikigami No Shiro III Announced for Release on the Wii and Xbox 360

According to Postback (via Gamercafe), Shikigami No Shiro III - the third installment of Alfa Systems top shooting franchise - has been announced for release on the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. No further information is available at this time, other than the fact that the game appeared on the Souta House listings for upcoming releases from Famitsu Weekly.

Shikigami No Shiro III was originally released for arcades in 2005 and was ported later to PCs in 2006. The previous games in the series were ported to the PS2 and Gamecube in Japan, and on a budget label in America under the names Mobile Light Force 2 and Castle Shikigami.

Downtime Issues

I apologize for the downtime earlier. Blogger's server decided it was going to stop responding and take every Blogger hosted site with it... Just additional motivation for me to finally put up a self-hosted/built website and to stop relying on Blogger. It seems I am back up and running now though, so it should *crosses fingers* be fixed.

Soldner-X Platform Announced

Hong Kong - August 22, 2007 - eastasiasoft, Hong Kong based publisher of interactive entertainment, today announced platforms for their upcoming video game Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer (URL: http://www.soldner-x.com). The title is targeted for release on PlayStation®3 (via PS Network) and PC in Winter 07/08. Further PlayStation®3 release details, such as available territories will be unveiled in the near future.

About Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer:

Set in the distant future, the game is a fast and furious shoot 'em up with state-of-the-art graphics, driving soundtrack and classic fun gameplay sprinkled with fresh innovations. In the storyline, planet Earth's resistance aims to stop a deadly infection consuming both life forms and technology alike, oddly having to rely on an anti-hero mercenary and bounty hunter to pilot a mighty prototype star fighter. His goal: To fight his way to the virus' origin, save civilisation and earn cash to boot!

Key features:

12 stages of beautiful parallax graphics and animations, staged across 4 fantastic world/space settings

High definition graphics in 720p (16:9)

Beautiful weather effects (such as rain, fog and lightning)

Classic design, yet state-of-the-art shooter technology

Unique upgrade weapon system with five standard weapon types

Never before seen tactical elements such as chaining, effectiveness system, 'berserker' mode and much more

Plenty of hidden bonus features

More than 20 extras (with both positive and negative effects!)

Addictive collection quests

Over-the-top boss fights

Features a superb soundtrack and sound effects

Bi-lingual story mode (English/Japanese)

Six modes of difficulty: very easy, easy, normal, hard, impossible, nightmare

Easy to learn, yet tough to master

Online high score ranking

Constant frame rate (60fps)

For more information, including work in progress screenshots, visit http://www.soldner-x.com.

About eastasiasoft and SideQuest Studios:

eastasiasoft (URL: http://www.eastasiasoft.com) is a publisher specialising in computer and video games.

SideQuest Studios is a video games developer comprising of industry veterans and talented programmers, artists and musicians. "Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer" is the premiere game by the development studio, who are destined to rock the boat with their first title.

Contact eastasiasoft press relation:
press (at) eastasiasoft.com

King of Fighters Maximum Impact Regulation A and Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 Soundtracks

Both Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 and King of Fighters Maximum Impact Regulation A will be releasing their official soundtracks later this month. I'm not too impressed with the King of Fighters soundtrack (which seems to be a step down from the regular Maximum Impact series), but Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 has a great mix of adrenaline pumping music that is a perfect fit for its racing themes. Both soundtracks will be available in Japan (or through your favorite import dealers) with a suggested retail price of 2,940 yen.

Shin Chuka Taisen Confirmed for US Release

As I wrote earlier, Shin Chuka Taisen was rumored to be coming to the US based on a Gamefly listing for the game. I can now state unequivocally Shin Chuka Taisen is indeed coming to the United States by UFO Interactive based on confirmation from the company.

The game, when it hits store shelves in October, will be released under the name The Monkey King: The Legend Begins.

The legend begins! Go on a fantastic journey through Ancient China as the legendary Monkey King. Deadly forces have invaded the Heavenly Kingdom and it's up to you to protect this land as you fight your way to becoming a god! Fly on your magical cloud and defeat the hordes of enemies that come your way on your quest to fulfill your destiny as the Chuka Taisen!

An arcade classic reinvented for the Nintendo Wii system, players can utilize the controls of the Wiimote to literally dodge your attackers and take control of the action! With rich graphics that depicts the beauty of ancient China from which this story came, users will be able to fly in the shoes of the legendary Monkey King and relive the tale for which he becomes famous.

No further information is available on Kai Kai World however, but we'll be keeping an eye on that one as well. The US box art for Shin Chuka Taisen (The Monkey King) is shown above.

Atlus Arm Spirit Machine Recalled

From Newsday - Lose a game of chess to a computer, and you could bruise your ego. Lose an arm-wrestling match to a Japanese arcade machine, and you could break your arm.

Atlus announced today their intentions to recall all copies of its Arm Spirit arm wrestling game from Japanese arcades after three players reported broken arms caused from wrestling with the game's mechanical appendage. Though Atlus has stated that this is simply a precautionary measure and it is their belief that players may have simply been overexcited and twisted their arms in unnatural ways, the company will also be checking into the accidents and determining if there were any signs of malfunction. Atlus claims that the machine simply "isn't that strong" and that "even women should be able to beat it." The opponents in the game range from a french maid to a chihuahua to a professional wrestler.

Shin Chuka Taisen Coming Stateside? (Gamefly Watch)

UFO Interactive has published a handful of relatively quirky titles in the United States over the last year. Though the games have been hit and miss in quality, their lower priced label has been successful enough for the company to warrant in investing in procuring the publishing rights to more Japanese titles.

If a rash of updates are to be believed on the Gamefly website, it seems that the horizontal arcade shooter Shin Chuka Taisen may be coming stateside from the company under the name Monkey King: The Legend Begins. With no information provided from the game's link yet and with UFO Interactive not responding to a request for inquiry into the title, I'm unable to confirm for certain whether or not this title is the Starfish developed shooter. However, the name of the game, release date, and history of UFO Interactive all seems to work in the favor that we may be playing Shin Chuka Taisen on American systems by the time the year is up.

The second game that is of interest for those watching for new Wii games on the horizon was a listing for Kai Kai World. I posted the unfortunate news that Kiki Kai Kai for the Playstation 2 was cancelled by Starfish earlier this year, however as I stated previously, the rumor mill was already running then that we would be seeing the game resurrected for the Nintendo Wii. Though there have been no official announcements on the part of Starfish that the game is now in development for Nintendo's console, it is interesting to note that the Gamefly listing for Kai Kai World gives a bit more validation to the rumors previously mentioned. To add further fuel to the fire, under the Playstation 2 upcoming games there is still a listing for Kiki Kai Kai for the Playstation 2 with the name "Kiki Kai World". The publisher for that game in the United States? UFO Interactive.

Take these as rumors for the time being. The Tokyo Game Show should bring an announcement of Kiki Kai Kai for the Nintendo Wii if the game exists. Otherwise, I'll be trying to touch base with UFO Interactive to shed some light on these upcoming releases. For those curious about how legitimate the Gamefly listings are, I should note here that Gamefly has a history of breaking releases before games are officially announced. Guilty Gear Accent Core for the Wii is a prime example of this occuring just recently this year.

Credits go to Siliconera for posting the original links to Gamefly's page.