Tekken 6 Intro Trailer

andyelmo over at Gametrailers has posted the full arcade intro to Tekken 6. After watching Heihachi Mishima die at the beginning of the Tekken 5 intro, I'm a bit disappointed. But then again, when I first heard the words "Heihachi Mishima is dead", I became an immediate Tekken 5 fanboy. Of course, it didn't stick (it never does), but at least Namco Bandai let us believe that there was going to be a Tekken world free of Heihachi's "Iron Fist" at least for a short while (until we got to the end of the game that is)...

Legend of Kage 2 Streaming Video

I haven't really talked at all about Legend of Kage 2 for the Nintendo DS and I really don't know why. The high flying ninja action series is going to be returning from the grave after a 20+ year hiatus, and though it won't be returning to its arcade roots, the developers promise a game for both a new generation of fans and fans of the original. Unfortunately, there hasn't been all that many details released about the title from Taito since it was announced a couple of months ago. However, for the first glimpse of the game in action, Dengeki Online has posted a short (30 second) streaming video introducing the characters of the series, the basic story, and a few quick gameplay clips. You can view the streaming video here. The game doesn't quite look like much to write home about yet, but I've been surprised before...

Legend of Kage 2 is going to be released in Japan in February 2008. No word yet on an American release.

King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match planned for arcade release

SNK Playmore Japan has recently announced that the planned PS2 "remake" of King of Fighters '98 (King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match) is also in the works for arcades in Japan. In a lot of competitive circles, King of Fighters '98 is widely regarded as the best of the King of Fighters games, and though my personal preference may lie with XI, I definitely understand the devotion to '98. According to Arcadia magazine, the PS2 version of the game is going to serve as the base for the arcade port.

The hardware is currently undetermined, but considering SNK Playmore's recent affection towards the Taito Type X family of systems, it wouldn't be a surprise to see it end up on Taito's hardware. If I'm not mistaken, SNK Playmore Japan does have a semi-exclusive agreement with Taito with their system, so the question should probably be which of Taito's hardware platforms will SNK be tapping. No word yet on the release date, but it should be in arcades soon after the PS2 version hits shelves in Japan (early 2008).

Wind And Water Puzzle Battles PC Bound

Last time I spoke about Wind and Water Puzzle Battles was when I learned that Yuan Works, the development team behind the GP2X game, had reached an agreement with Redspotgames to release the title on the Dreamcast sometime in 2008. Though I haven't heard too much about the project from Redspotgames, I did recently receive a quick e-mail from Yuan Works in regards to a PC port of their GP2X puzzler that was being planned for a release late December.

Curious, I checked out the PC portion of the website to see the details of this version of Wind and Water Puzzle Battles. For gamers who missed out on the great pre-order bonus for the GP2X version of the game, Yuan Works is once again offering the personalized sprites to those who pre-order the game. Like the GP2X offer, Yuan Works will custom make a sprite for use in the game based on an image you send them. They have a page up displaying their custom works for GP2X pre-orders here, so you can see how their previous custom efforts turned out.

Also, for gamers who are a bit reluctant on spending their hard earned cash on PC games without a demo, Yuan Works has also posted a small downloadable demo that shows off the game and its challenges in a few stages. I played through the demo a bit earlier, and the game is an addictive blend of classic brain teasers and building combo chains to score points in an arcade styled puzzler. There are a few hangovers from being a GP2X port (the lack of mouse control is a bit disappointing), but they are extremely easy to get over once you get into the meat of the game. The demo can be found here.

Finally (and most importantly), Yuan Works plans on including free multiplayer in the game just as soon as there are 1000 pre-orders/orders for the game. Online stats/leadeboards are already in the works (and are currently up and running for GP2X players), so the addition of online multiplayer is definitely a welcome one.

Currently, the game is set for release on December 24th and will run $20 for a pre-order with a custom sprite. I eagerly await this release and whatever other games Yuan Works has in store. Traditional sprite and pixel games are a rare trend now-a-days, so its always good to see a renewed interest in the medium and support from developers. Wind and Water Puzzle Battles has also been receiving some great reviews from the GP2X community (here's a good one from the GP32X.com forums), so its only fitting to open up the game to an expanded audience. Plus, a pre-order can come just in time for Christmas meaning that it would be a great gift for those puzzle fans on your Christmas list (especially with the custom sprite - keep in mind though that those are completed on a first come first serve basis).

King of Fighters '94 and Baseball Stars 2 on the way to the US Virutal Console

Despite being available for the past week or two over on the other side of the Pacific (and Atlantic), we finally have word that King of Fighters '94 is currently being planned for release on the US Virtual Console as well. King of Fighters '94 was the first King of Fighters game in SNK's popular "cross over" series. It isn't necessarily considered the best ('98 is often cited as the most critically acclaimed), and it hasn't aged that well either, but for fans of SNK or the NEO GEO this is a great addition to the Virtual Console. Plus it has Rugal and any game with Rugal can't be bad... Right?

The second game that is currently in the works for the Virtual Console from the NEO GEO archives is Baseball Stars 2. The arcade sports title was the first game that I ever owned for my NEO GEO 4 slot system and for good reason... Baseball Stars 2 is easily one of the greatest baseball games ever made (period). Sure some people will chastise its simplistic gameplay, small number of options, and timed games (which requires you to play multiple credits just to get through one match), but despite these flaws Baseball Stars 2 is just a downright blast to play and well worth it for any arcade sports fan.

Both of these games recently appeared on the ESRB website, so hopefully we should see them grace the Virtual Console in the next couple of weeks.

Tekken 6 Official Released (Spoilers ahoy on the final boss)

Early yesterday, Namco Bandai released a PDF press release announcing the official start of availability for Tekken 6 across arcades in Japan. In a lot of ways, this is an extremely ambitious release for the company due to the nature of the high definition cabinets as well as the new Cell-based hardware that the game is showcasing. It will be interesting to see how this performs, especially in the US where the game is not receiving a mass distribution like the previous Tekken titles received.

In addition to this news, a lot of new YouTube! videos have started to pop up on the internet featuring Tekken 6. In a handful of them, the new final boss of the series has been revealed. Don't scroll down or read below (or view the videos) if you want to be surprised.





SPOILER
The final boss in Tekken 6 is Azazel, a demon traditionally associated with goats of all things. He is a massive opponent in Tekken 6, easily the largest in the series history. For those who thought that Jin Pachi was evily delicious, you haven't seen anything yet...

The videos below are a couple shaky cam shots of the final boss in action...

Eddie vs. Azazel


Zafina vs. Azazel

Gametrailers' Street Fighter IV Trailer Breakdown

A couple of days after the Street Fighter IV trailer was unleashed on the internet, Gametrailers posted an exclusive interview with Christian Svensson where the primary "answer" to most of the questions was a really vague "look at the trailer". About a month later, Gametrailers has done just that. Using what they know about the previous entries into the series history, Gametrailers has created a trailer breakdown video that showcases the little clues that are seemingly left in the Street Fighter IV trailer as hints about the future of the series. Though I don't necessarily agree with all their ascertations about the trailer's style, speculation is never, ever a bad thing...

Check out their trailer breakdown below.

Lord of Vermilion First Details from Game Watch

With positive recent reports from Square Enix's financial reporting about the amusement sector, it is no mystery why the company seems eager to support the industry again with a new multi-million dollar investment.

According to Game Watch, Square Enix's Lord of Vermilion is a card based RPG for release in arcades that features creatures and items redesigned from the traditional Square Enix RPGs. The cast of characters revealed already include creatures from Final Fantasy through Final Fantasy XII. Each creature and item has its own unique characteristics that are altered based on how they are played and the strength of the character using them.

Game Watch reports that the cost per play will be about 300 yen and that each play will actually provide a new card for you to use in the development of your character. The game will feature a story mode (which will be able to track and save your progress for future endeavors) and a slew of multiplayer "events" that will match you up against gamers from across Japan through a network system. The game itself is centered around summoning creatures to do battle against an opponent. In this regards, it is similar in theory to the Magic The Gathering Armaggedon arcade game if it was fought via cards.

Yoshitaka Amano has been tapped for several pieces of art for the game as well as some "new character design". Amano quickly has become a household name in Japan due to his work on the early Final Fantasy games as well as my personal favorite Vampire Hunter D.

The game is set for a location test starting December 7th in several different locations (presumably to allow for testing the network system). With the popularity of the Square Enix name, we should receive quite a few details about the game (and more than likely card scans) just as soon as the test ends. I'm hoping that Square Enix (as a parent company to Taito) will loosen the reigns on Taito a bit considering the successes they have been having in the amusement sector. I would love to see Taito given a bit more free reign in the arcade industry without having to worry about the Square Enix corporate investors...

For more information about Lord of Vermilion including all of the screens released of the game so far, check out Game Watch's write up article on the game.

Success opens Raiden Fighters Aces website with new images

Success and Gulti have opened the official Raiden Fighters Aces website this past weekend following the reveal of the ported collection of the game. Though the website is relatively bare right now, they did go ahead and post a gallery of the three games in the collection (Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2, and Raiden Fighters Jet) which I've uploaded below for easy viewing. I'm crossing my fingers that UFO Interactive decides to ship this one stateside (as they have already said they are doing with Raiden IV), but until that's announced, everyone should hope for a HK/Asian release since usually the HK/Asian releases of Xbox 360 titles are region free...

Kiki Kai World Name Change

I've been following Kiki Kai World for a while since its reported cancellation earlier this year.

Since then, the game has been through a number of changes (mostly superficial), so its not a surprise that there is another one to add to the list. The US publisher of the Starfish developed title, UFO Interactive, has changed the name for the North America release of Kiki Kai World to Heavenly Guardian. I'm not quite sure for the reasoning behind that decision, but more than likely it was due to trying to make the game more "accessible" to the NA audience. The official website for the game has opened and reflects the new change to the title of the game. No word yet on a solid release date, but the MSRP has been announced at $29.99.

I'm not sure if I have much confidence in this release after the disappointing Shin Chuka Taisen. As I said in my review of Shin Chuka Taisen, hopefully Starfish will be able to succeed with Kiki Kai World (now Heavenly Guardian) where they failed with their previous "remake" of a classic arcade game. I have my fingers crossed, but I'm not holding my breath.

House of the Dead 2&3 Return Box art for the Wii

Go Nintendo got their hands on the official box art for the upcoming 2008 release of House of the Dead 2&3 Return on the Nintendo Wii.

I already have my itchy trigger finger practicing for when this game is released early next year - you can never have enough zombie shooting action. It's not clear where the box art was originally found in the post, but one of the users in the comments of Go Nintendo mentioned Amazon was its original source. If that were the case however it isn't available anymore as Amazon has pulled the listing for the game since a search for it on its website comes up with no results.

I'll keep my eye open for any additional details posted about the game since I'm mildly curious what sort of price point Sega is shooting for with this project.

Virtua Fighter 5 ver. D Trailer and Details

Sega has finally let loose on the first details on the planned Virtua Fighter 5 ver. D changes, and it isn't quite the "Evolution" of the series as was first rumored.

According to Sega's official Virtua Fighter 5 website, ver. D of the game will not be featuring any new core gameplay changes, but will rather focus itself on updating new costumes, items, and two new game modes in arcades. A bit disappointing for those wanting some fixes, but the two modes should provide some new entertainment value while we wait for the next release. The Knockdown Trial 2 is a single player mode while the Open Battle mode will allow gamers to hold impromptu tournament style games in a fight for points.

Virtua Fighter 5 ver. D should be out in arcades in early 2008. As a side note, Virtua Fighter 5 Evolution is still heavily rumored for a 2008 release as well. Personally, I'm a bit concerned about that update schedule, but so long as Sega wants Virtua Fighter 5 to stay relevant in the face of Tekken 6 and other competitors, it makes sense. The game is already widely regarded as the best 3D fighting game available today, so making plans to ensure that future crown is perfectly understandable.

Below is a Virtua Fighter 5 ver. D trailer that was taken from the game's official website and ripped to YouTube! from another user. It highlights a few of the new items and costumes you can expect to see in the game.

Mushihime-sama Futari Black Label Announced

Following the same tradition as Ibara and Dodonpachi Daioujou, Cave has recently announced plans to release a limited edition Black Label version of Mushihime-sama Futari. Included in the new release is a "God Mode", new "Final boss", some slight gameplay tweaks, and more. Unfortunately, Cave only intends to press 150 of these kits, so pricing and availability will be a bit rare. Considering the popularity of Futari, these will more than likely sell out rather quickly. Over at Try Inc, the pricing on the kit is about $2,400. More information on the changes in this release can be found over at Alpha Station.

Akutsuki Blitzkampf (Arcade) location test announcement

Subtle Style has announced a new location test for the arcade version of their PC doujin fighting game Akatsuki Blitzkampf for this upcoming weekend. The testing period is scheduled from November 23rd through November 25th at the Sega AViON in Osaka. For more information about the testing as well as for details on the arcade, head over to Subtle Style's announcement page. From the preview flyer, it appears that we can expect at least one new character in the arcade version of the game...

Fate Unlimited Codes Location Test Announcement

In a series of updates from Capcom on the Fate Unlimited Codes official website, the first location test for the vs fighting game was announced for Taito's Hey Akihabara arcade. The location test will open on December 7th and will run through December 9th. I know someone who is going to be in the area around that time, so I'm hoping to try to get a few details and images from the test so long as everything goes to plan. For more information about the test (including the website address for Taito's Game Center), check out the Fate Unlimited Codes website. A few of the media sections have been updated as well, but most of the images and the videos are the ones that have been floating around the net for the past couple of days.

New Fate Unlimited Codes Images

Dengeki Online has posted a slew of new images from Capcom/8ing's upcoming arcade vs game Fate Unlimited Codes. The more I see of the game, the more I'm convinced that we are looking at essentially a Naruto ver. 2.0. Not a bad thing by any means, but not necessarily the deep fighter that competitive fans would desire. I'm sure it's going to be fun for a few kicks though...

Space Invaders Extreme on the way for the PSP

The official Space Invaders Extreme website has a small post in its news section that has revealed that a version of the DS 30th anniversary release of the game will be coming to the PSP. No word yet on whether or not the PSP will be getting any nifty peripherals to go with the game (chances are probably not considering it lacks an expansion slot like the DS has), but I'll keep my eyes open for any additional information that is posted for the game. I currently have the paddle controller and game on pre-order from my import outlet, so once its released in February (for the DS) I'll be sure to post a few more impressions about the surrealistic Rez-like experience. I'm glad to see the game evolving, even if it means that the "classic" Space Invaders is only a skeleton of its former self.

Ultimarc unveils new Wii arcade adapters

One of the things that I've been seeing pop on up on the internet lately has been an influx of arcade cabinets housing consoles featuring real arcade controls and a connection to a JAMMA compatible monitor/speaker set.

It is a great little side hobby for any gamer wanting to get an authentic arcade experience at home with their current consoles (such as the PS2 and Wii) as well as make use any arcade hardware they may have lying around. I know personally I have a JAMMA standard arcade control panel (for use with a supergun) that I've built that I would love to be able to use for some of my home consoles due to the "blood, sweat, and tears" that I put into its construction. Unfortunately, for the most part, setting this up normally would require a bit more effort and a chance of damage to my "expensive side project" so I haven't attempted to delve into yet.

Ultimarc has come to the rescue in this case and has provided gamers a new choice in hardware adaptability for home consoles. With the new range of console-to-JAMMA adapters, Ultimarc has tapped into the current market forerunner (the Nintendo Wii) and has provided a way to connect Nintendo's run-a-way console success with JAMMA standard arcade hardware (including monitors/speakers and control panels). This is a new update to a previous line of adapters that Ultimarc has designed for home hobbyists and other vendors that also includes adapters available for the Xbox, PS1/PS2, and Dreamcast. In regards to the Nintendo Wii, due to the unique nature of Nintendo's hardware, only games that are supported by the Classic Controller will be able to utilize the Ultimarc adapter for arcade control panels.

For more information on Ultimarc I would recommend heading over to the companies homepage at www.ultimarc.com. For more information on the new Wii arcade adapters (for both monitors/speakers and control panels), head over to their information page on the Console Adapters. The price for the Wii Arcade Control Panel Adapter runs about $39. To connect a JAMMA monitor/speaker, you have a choice to use a Screw Connect or J-PAC with the price ranging from $35 to $29 based on the needs of your current arcade hardware. Press release is below.

Ultimarc launches Wii Adaptors for Arcade Controls and cabinets.
Ultimarc has added to its range of games console adaptors to include the Wii. The Ultimarc adaptors allow the Wii to be connected to self-build arcade control panels or ready-made JAMMA cabinets to provide the ultimate arcade experience.

The adaptors include a control adaptor which allows Wii games to be played using real arcade controls and also Audio-Video adaptors to connect the Wii to an arcade cabinet monitor and speakers.

Ultimarc have been world-leaders in parts for self-build arcade control panels and cabinet conversions since 2001. Its parts are used by the top vendors of custom-made cabinets and panels in addition to hobbyist builders. Ultimarc parts provide connectivity for games consoles or PCs to be used with genuine arcade controls, and also provide the control parts for self-build.

Full details of the Wii adaptors can be found on http://www.ultimarc.com/wii.html

Street Fighter HD FAQs

Dave Sirlin has posted a small set of Frequently Asked Questions over on the Capcom Unity Blog. The FAQs handle several issues people have been having after hearing about the recent "rebalanced" mode as well as the use of the Dreamcast port as the core base for the new port of Super Turbo. You can read the full selection of questions over on the Capcom Unity Blog or copy and pasted below.

SSF2T HD Remix FAQ

Is the gameplay the same as Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo?
You actually get two games in one in this package:
1) SSF2T HD Remix
2) SSF2T HD Classic Arcade

SSF2T HD Remix is a brand new game. It’s a sequel to SSF2T, with over 100 changes to improve the balance and playability.


SSF2T HD Classic Arcade has the same gameplay as the original Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo. It does NOT have any of the easier joystick motions, command changes, bug fixes, or gameplay tweaks that you might have heard about in SSF2T HD Remix. Our goal is to make SSF2T HD Classic Arcade as close as possible to the gameplay of the original arcade ST in every way.

You don’t have to worry about which game you might like, because you get both of them together!

Is the rebalanced game (SSF2THDR) intended only for beginners? I heard someone say it’s “dumbed down.”
Although easier special move timings will help beginners, the rebalanced game is intended to be the tournament standard played by pros. The pros can already perform almost any move with staggering precision, so changes to move commands won’t affect them very much. The balance changes of hitboxes, recoveries, and other move properties will definitely affect the gameplay at the pro level though. Most of the balance changes are specifically aimed at the very highest level of tournament play in the world. (Plus several additions for the sake of fun that don’t ruin the balance.)

We hope that players will find the rebalanced game “smartened up,” rather than dumbed down. Making various special moves a bit easier to perform puts more emphasis on strategy and reading the mind of your opponent. Likewise, strengthening the low tier characters will put more emphasis on player skill and less on disparities between characters. While we hope beginners will find the game more accessible, make no mistake that we intend the game to be more strategically interesting at the tournament level than ever before.

Will each game have separate rankings?
Yes. Similar to X and X’ modes in Puzzle Fighter, there will be separate leaderboards for SSF2T HD Remix and SSF2T HD Classic Arcade.

Do both games have new art?
Yes. All the character sprites, backgrounds, projectiles, effects, UI, and menus are redone in HD. Every piece of art is new whether you play the classic game or the new game.

Is the game widescreen 16:9 or is it 4:3?
It’s both. If you have a widescreen tv, the menu screens and character select screen will always be widescreen. You can choose whether to view the gameplay itself in either the original 4:3 or the new 16:9. The 16:9 mode zooms in to fill your screen, and also adjusts the camera movement to pan up when necessary. The 16:9 mode does not alter gameplay at all. In fact, you can play in the 4:3 mode while your networked opponent plays in the 16:9 mode, and neither of you will even know how the other is viewing the game.

Is the game 1080p?
Like most 1080p games, SSF2T HD Remix does render in full 1080p with no hardware scaling. Our goal is actually a higher standard for 1080p where every pixel on screen maps 1:1 with a pixel from the source texture. There are very few games that meet this standard, and it would be nearly impossible for a 3D game to do so with today’s hardware. Every piece of art in our entire game—from menus to life bars to backgrounds to character sprites—is being created at 1080p resolution.

Because of download size limits, we are not yet sure if we can meet our goal of 1:1 pixels. Maybe we will be able to do further optimizations to meet it, or maybe the download size limits will change. In the absolute worst case though, the game will still output a 1080p signal and will still have 1:1 1080p source resolution for all text, all UI elements such as life bars and super meters, and even the foreground elements on all the stages. Only the characters and far backgrounds might have to use 720p source art scaled to 1080p.

Even though this worst case still leaves the game a 1080p game, we are still working toward our goal of a 1080p signal with 100% 1080p source art as well.

Is there new music?
Yes, all the stages will have new remixed music.


Is this game based on the Dreamcast version of SSF2T? I thought people wanted the arcade version.
Yes it is based on the Dreamcast version. The Dreamcast version has many fixes and features over the arcade version. It has random character select, a training mode, a versus mode, and lots of bug fixes such the ability to do reversal supers with Ken/Sagat/Dhalsim, the correct sound effects for hitting with certain normal moves, the correct point values for hitting with certain normal moves, etc. The new gamely in SSF2T HD Remix uses the Dreamcast version as a starting point because we wanted these small bugs fixed.

We also know that everyone wants the arcade version for SSF2T HD Classic Arcade. Luckily, the Dreamcast version contains the source code of the arcade game with internal dipswitches to set gameplay back to the arcade version. We’ve set everything to the 02/23/1994 settings, which should be the same as the arcade version. This allows to have the gameplay of the arcade version with the versus mode, training mode, random select, and damage handicap options of the Dreamcast version.

There are claims that the character sizes are different in the Dreamcast version than arcade. After capturing screens from both versions and comparing, I found that they line up exactly, pixel for pixel. The only difference is that the Dreamcast version introduced a black border around the edges of the video signal that might make the entire game appear to be slightly smaller, depending on your tv. This will not be an issue in our version though, so the character sizes should be exactly like the arcade.

We also noticed that damage dealt appears to be different in the Dreamcast’s versus mode compared with the arcade version. Yes, this is true and it’s due to the way the game handles handicap settings. We changed the handicap formulas so that if you play on the default handicap, the damage dealt will be exactly the same as the arcade version, but now you have the option of having a little more or less life if you want. (Handicap is of course disabled in ranked play and it defaults to off in unranked play, but you can turn it on if you like.)

The game speed is also slightly different depending on which hardware the game runs on. We are still working towards making our speeds match the arcade speeds. They’re close, but we will do more tuning.

Are the “old characters” still in the game?
The original ST game has 16 characters (including Ken, for example), 16 alternate versions (including Old Ken, for example), and Akuma. SSF2T HD Classic Arcade has all these same characters.

SSF2T HD Remix no longer has the 16 “old characters” though. Instead, the highlights of those characters have been incorporated into their mainline counterparts. SSF2T HD Remix has 17 selectable characters.

Is Akuma selectable?
In the original SSF2T, Akuma was a powerful boss character, not intended to be balanced against the rest of the characters. For this reason, he is NOT selectable in online ranked matches in SSF2T HD Classic Arcade. In unranked matches, he will either also be unselectable, or there will be an option to allow/disallow him with the default set to disallow.

In the new SSF2T HD Remix gameplay, Akuma is rebalanced to compete fairly against the other characters. He is allowed and he no longer even requires a secret code to pick him.

Raiden Fighters Aces Details

duckroll on Neogaf has been kind enough to translate a bit of the information on the Raiden Fighters (Xbox 360) article that I referenced earlier. It's important to note that I don't have the article first hand so I can't verify all of the details, but it comes from an extremely reliable source who has been working off scans of the magazine.

First and foremost, the game is not an Xbox Live Arcade title as I initially assumed. When you just see a heading for "Raiden Fighters" on the Xbox 360, you can't help but think that we're getting a straight emulated release on the XBLA. What we are getting is something much better.

Raiden Fighters is going to be a collected release under the name Raiden Fighters Aces. Included on the disks will be Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2, and Raiden Fighters Jet. The package will also include a superplay DVD of the games. Not many additional details were revealed from the original source article, but it is known that the game will be featuring a TATE mode as well as support for Xbox Live replays and score rankings. The team handling the development of the game is still unclear at this time.

I'll try to get a scan up once I find a clean scan to post.

[UPDATE] - No scans yet but a little bit more information from the guys over at Insert Credit. The game is currently being developed by Gulti (a team made up of ex-Seibu employees - they are currently working on Mamonoro) and will be published by Success.

[UPDATE 2] - Finally... Scans! (Courtesy of Ruliweb)

Raiden Fighters Coming to the Xbox 360

Over at NeoGaf Johnnyram has started the rather informative "this week in Japanese magazine news" thread and it has opened up a huge surprise for me. According to the original post, Raiden Fighters has been announced for the Xbox 360 in what I'm presuming is an Xbox Live arcade release of the original Seibu Kaihatsu classic.

I'm currently waiting on a few more details about the game (as well as the inevitable magazine scans), so once I get a little bit more information I'll be sure to post it as well. With an upcoming release list consisting of a slew of classic arcade games, Shikigami No Shiro III, Ikaruga, and now Raiden Fighters (I'm already crossing my fingers for the sequels to Raiden Fighters as well...), is there any question now that the Xbox 360 is quickly becoming the defacto "classic arcade" console of choice?

In 2003 an Xbox port of Raiden Fighters was being developed by New Worlds Systems. Unfortunately the game was canceled before it was able to be released to fans of the series. It is surprising that with all of the releases and ports of the original Raiden series, the Raiden Fighters series has been relatively untouched by companies wishing to bring the games to a console market. It will be interesting to see who ends up being the primary developers of this release and what sort of relationship it shares to the canceled release of Raiden Fighters Evolution.

Fate: Unlimited Codes Website Open

Capcom has opened up the official website for Fate: Unlimited Codes. No media yet, but it does provide the clarification on the developer for the game. Despite being listed in the credits of the movie that was posted ealier, Cavia is not handling any development on the new Fate game. Cavia is listed in the credits of both the website and in the video for licensing issues only due to their previous work in the series. 8ing has the credits for the game design, game engine, and game system for the title. I recommend bookmarking the site for those interested in the game - I'm sure that in the next couple of months we should be getting more images and videos of the game courtesy of Capcom and 8ing.

Fate: Unlimited Codes

SDTekken's IAAPA Tekken 6 Report

After months of having to rely on second hand reports out of Japan as the basis of about 75% of all Tekken 6 information, attendees at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando have had the opportunity to go hands on with the game for the first time in North America. For more information on the testing, including a great breakdown of the game from the High Score Online and SDTekken team, head over to High Score Online's official write up of the event. There are also a ton of great pictures of the promotional material and the cabinets on the article as well, so I highly recommend checking it out.

Most of the impressions of the game is information that we've already had for months now based on Japanese gamers' accounts, but there is a couple of bit of great "nuggets" about Tekken 6 revealed in the article. Jason Arney (of Namco Bandai Games America) has revealed to the High Score Online/SDTekken teams that Namco Bandai Games America will not be mass producing this cabinet as they have done with previous Tekken titles. Tekken 6 will also only be sold in North America as a dedicated cabinet; there will be no kit version of Tekken 6 due to the unique USB based hardware and necessary HD output.

This does mean that Tekken 6 may be a bit hard to find unless dedicated arcade owners make it a point to order the game. If you have a local arcade near you, it may be in your best interest to go ahead and plant the bug in the owner's ear that you feel Tekken 6 may be a good investment for his business should you want to see it.

The cabinets themselves are set to begin shipping sometime in January and will retail at around the $10,000 mark.

First Gameplay Video of Fate: Unlimited Codes

Arcade Heroes spotted an update on Fate: Unlimited Codes over on AM-net. It seems that the first video of the game in action was posted over on Famitsu.

The video is relatively short (only about 20 seconds), but it does give you a good chance to see what Capcom and 8ing have in store for fans of the series. An interesting note is the fact that Cavia (they developed the PSP Fate/Tiger Colisseum game - another 3D fighter in the Fate Stay/Night series) is also listed in the credits of the video. I'm not quite sure who is handling the primary development of the game since the original reports listed 8ing as its developer, so I'll try to keep an eye out on that as we receive more information in the next couple of months.

The game is a 2.5D fighter (3D characters on a 2D plane). The characters aren't quite up to snuff with other recent fighting games and look more akin to the PS2-level Anime fighters that were the norm a couple of years back. Not much depth to the engine yet from a simple casual viewing of the video, so that falls right along in line with the idea that Capcom and the developers of the game were striving for something a bit more accessible to fans of the source material.

Hopefully Capcom's recent revelation of wanting to reshuffle and strengthen their support in the amusement sector should be a sign that Fate: Unlimited Codes, Sengoku Basara X, and their Aliens themed prize game are only the first steps of something more.

Namco Bandai announces a lawsuit against Eagle Distributing

According to case information found over at Justia.com, Namco Bandai Games and Namco Bandai Games America have filed suit against Eagle Distributing of Frankfort, Illinois for alleged copyright infringement and intellectual property violations.

The suit claims that Eagle Distributing is currently in violation of Namco Bandai's properties through the sale of unauthorized and counterfeit products without authorization from the company. These products include their GameboX Multi-arcade systems and Ms. Pac-Man and More Cocktail and Upright cabinets. The lawsuit seeks damages, right of seizure, and a stop to any further violations from Eagle Distributing.

It will be interesting to see what sort of response this lawsuit has. Namco Bandai has notoriously fought to protect its copyrights on arcade properties in the past (including a famous lawsuit against Midway over Ms. Pac-Man), so this is no surprise if Eagle Distributing is indeed in violation of Namco Bandai's copyright protections. It also poses the question of just how many of these companies that feature multi-game units such as the one's from Eagle Distributing are actually doing so without the appropriate authorization from the holder of the intellectual property. It seems in light of this lawsuit, it may be an important question to ask (so long as financially supporting an IP holder is important to you that is).

I'm in the process of getting a copy of the actual lawsuit so I can go over it in a bit more detail. Once that's made available to me, I'll post a few more details from the case filing.

Eagle Distributing's website can be found at http://www.eagled.com/index.htm.

High Quality DivX Otomedius Video

[Video removed]

Otomedius has sort of flown under the radar the last couple of months for me. Though I knew about the game's impending release last month, in the insanity of work and school I just sort of lost track of it. Shame on me. Fortunately, others have picked up where I slacked off and have posted several videos (including the above one played on expert mode), pictures, and write ups of the game. If you want to find out a bit more about Otomedius, I recommend heading over to Sazanami.net, where they have posted up pretty much the best of all of the above.

Is it a worthy successor to the -ius series? Early reports are pretty enthusiastic about it, but personally I haven't had a chance to see it in action yet. There is already talk about a potential console port, but that's going to be a ways off still if it even happens.

New Space Invaders Extreme Images

Dengeki Online has posted a new set of images from Taito's upcoming Space Invaders Extreme for the Nintendo DS. I still have a hard time believing that it's been 30 years since the original Space Invaders first started the craze that ended up causing a Yen shortage in Japan.

Unlike some recent "updates" to the Space Invaders formula, Taito has decided to turn all convention on its head with Space Invaders Extreme. The game is essentially going to be one part Space Invaders and one part Rez mixed to satisfaction. Unfortunately, it hasn't been announced for a US release (to my knowledge) yet, but I'm sure we'll be seeing it on a retail radar sometime after its Japanese release. If not, this may be one of the top import games to get from Japan in 2008.