Arcana Heart to receive a US release

This is a bit of a pleasant Thursday surprise... I heard rumors that someone was interested in bringing Arcana Heart to the US, but I doubted it would happen and passed it off as general internet forum bs. This is one of those times I'm glad to be wrong.

ATLUS ANNOUNCES IRRESISTIBLE 2D FIGHTER ARCANA HEART FOR PLAYSTATION(R)2 SYSTEM
Humanity's Last Hope is One Big Cat Fight

IRVINE, CA - JANUARY 31, 2008 - Atlus U.S.A., Inc., the publisher responsible for some of the best games you've never played, today announced Arcana Heart, a 2D fighter bursting with brawling anime-style beauties, for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. These gorgeous fighters will make your jaw drop with their looks (or their fists). This April 8th, beauty is in the black eye of the beholder!

For more on Arcana Heart, please visit the official website: http://www.atlus.com/arcanaheart/

About Arcana Heart

Beyond our world lies that of the Elemental beings, the Arcana. These mighty spirits offer their abilities to the Maidens, those rare humans who are able to communicate with them. Long ago, our worlds were connected. However, the two worlds unexpectedly split apart, and a dimensional boundary was formed between them, separating our world from the Arcana. Seeking to harness their energy, the mysterious Mildred Avalon is trying to form a rift in the boundary and merge the worlds once more. Should her plan succeed, life on our world will never be the same again. Only the Maidens, with the help of their Arcana, can prevent her from bringing an end to all humanity.

*** Download new screenshots, a new trailer, and information about Arcana Heart at www.odysseylabs.com/atlus/arcanaannouncement.zip (180 MB)

Key Features

- An all-girl fighting spectacular. Battles heat up with 11 beautiful female fighters to choose from.

- Customize your fighter's skills. Arcana add new attack and defense skills. Build your combat strategy by selecting from 11 different Arcana to pair with your fighter.

- Supreme vertical action. Take your fighting skyward! Huge battle maps let you rain down punishment on your opponent with air dashes and homing techniques to create devastating aerial combos.

- Exceptional replay value. Includes the original Arcana Heart and the remixed Arcana Heart FULL, and offers four different modes: arcade, story, versus, and training, as well as a gallery mode filled with unlockable extras.

Arcana Heart has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

About Atlus U.S.A., Inc.

Located in Irvine, California and founded in 1991, Atlus U.S.A., Inc. is a publisher of compelling video games for a variety of platforms, including the Nintendo DS, PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system, Wii, Xbox 360(R), and PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. The Atlus library of critically acclaimed video games includes Odin Sphere, Trauma Center series, and the award-winning Shin Megami Tensei series. For more information, visit http://www.atlus.com.

(C)2008 EXAMU Inc./AQI. Licensed to and published by ATLUS U.S.A., Inc. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.


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Redspotgames website finally updated - information on Dreamcast games on the way?

Way back in August, I mentioned that RedSpotGames was planning on releasing two independent CD-pressed Dreamcast games, Dalforce, a four player shooter, and Wind and Water Puzzle Battles, a classic arcade puzzle game (and an addictive one at that). I've been eagerly awaiting any new announcements in regards to the two releases since they were both scheduled for the first quarter of 2008, but outside of a Destructoid interview in November, there hasn't been much by the way of official action from RedSpotGames. In fact, even their website remained relatively untouched until the last couple of weeks.

The first signs of life however have been seen over at http://www.redspotgames.com/. A short post was put up on a blog format promising that the company would be keeping everyone up to date on developments, contests, and more through the new RedSpotGames blog. A little disappointing yes, but it is the first step in seeing the two promised releases a little closer to being available to gamers.

I'll keep the website bookmarked for a little while to see if anything worthwhile comes out of it. As much as I enjoy the prospect of new Dreamcast games (even if they are unofficial/independent releases), I'm not too sure if the blog is exactly the right step forward that RedSpotGames should be making if they are wanting to inspire confidence in their company. I know it provides a more "personal" connection with their community, but I would think that a personal connection should only be established after you are able to provide a more professional face.

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Konami's Otomedius Prize Collection updates

I have an odd relationship with Otomedius. I've only had a chance to play the game once, but ever since that one opportunity, I've had a desire to really sink some dedicated time into it. Unfortunately, I never bought the game (Death smiles demanded my money I made from selling off some of my NEO GEO AES collection), and for the last few months, I've been forced to only experience the game vicariously through updates on Sazanami.net.

With that said, Konami has been slowly revealing portions of their AOU line-up through their official AOU website. Aside from their displays of Bemani, Konami is also planning on showing off the second set of their Otomedius Prize Collection pieces. The first release consisted of a set of two blow up pillows and two figures featuring the starting characters for the game, but Konami is now expanding the line-up to include two new figures based on unlockable characters and a set of key chains with the full roster of "pilots" (shown above).

As part of their Prize Collection, these pieces will be available through Konami's Prize games in Japan. I think I'm going to have to try to convince a friend to dedicate some effort into winning or purchasing a full set of the key chains for me...

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Seth Killian responds to Marvel/EA break-up (or now I know who to hassle about Marvel vs. Capcom 3)

Gamercafe was kind enough to point out a small post on the Capcom BBS forum from Seth Killian (of Capcom affiliation) in regards to the EA/Marvel break-up. After I let my wave of fanboy like enthusiasm wash over me, I sat back and tried to think about the situation a little more reasonably. No offense to EA and their efforts with the license, but after one less than satisfactory experience, I'm sure they will understand why the news of Marvel and EA parting ways is being eagerly eaten up by fighting game fans all over the internet.

With that said, Seth Killian decided to go ahead and cool some speculation while actively encouraging even more (perhaps unintentionally).

People, people---calm yourselves. This isn't a question of "we have to convince Capcom this is a good idea!" Capcom <3s our Marvel games. A new title would be cool. A rerelease of an old title would be cool. We all agree. It's now just a question of making the business plans all line up, which can sometimes be a lot more complicated than anyone just excited about an awesome game usually wants to think about.

Of course we'll let you know if we have anything to announce, but even if something like this were to happen, it would take time. This is very fresh news, so let's give it a while to shake out and keep our fingers crossed for more of that zany Marvel vs Capcom goodness.

Let's just get all of the formalities out of the way now. Marvel thinks its a good idea. Capcom thinks its a good idea. If no one needs convincing about the strength of the Marvel vs. Capcom product, can't we just get along to dotting I's and crossings T's?

I believe its self evident by Seth Killian's post that Capcom is, has been, or is planning to try to work with Marvel in regards to the license again. As much as I would love a new game, if the best that comes out of this whole situation is a re-release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on a digital download service (with a competent online component), I think I would be more than happy with the results.

Despite the business side of things needing to be negotiated, perhaps both companies can set aside their "business" senses and follow the grunts and demands of the internet mobs. Wouldn't everything be better if we all did?

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Lord of Vermilion to be showcased at AOU 2008 with special event cards

Square Enix's latest foray into the arcade card game market, Lord of Vermilion, will be showcased heavily by the company at AOU 2008 on February 15th and 16th.

Along with the latest build being on hand to test out at the event, over at Famitsu, its being reported that attendees of AOU 2008 who visit the Square Enix/Taito booth will also be able to receive a special selection of cards that will be available at the event and will be compatible with the official release of Lord of Vermilion later this year. Considering the "collectible" nature of the game, I'm sure that these cards should attract some attention especially if they offer any unique benefits or strengths that may not be received from some of the normal selection of cards designed for the game.

Famitsu also mentioned that 6 new artists have also been signed onto the project. Yusuke Kozaki, Hiroaki Samura, Jun Suemi, Shinobu Tanno, Katsuya Terada and Sho-u Tajim, will all create original works for cards for Lord of Vermilion.

Considering the already all-star line-up that includes Yoshitako Amano and Tetsuya Nomura, these are just icing on the cake for fans of the company eagerly watching the progress of Lord of Vermilion. It is interesting to note that the company is now expanding their artist line up to include some artists that have not previously completed work with Square Enix or with Final Fantasy in the past.

For more AOU 2008 coverage I recommend the show reports and link lists that I've already started. As more information comes in regarding AOU and Lord of Vermilion, I'll be updating it as often as I can.

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New gen fighting game preview from Akihabara Channel

Akihabara Channel has taken some time to post some scans and small write ups from the latest issue of Tougeki Damashii magazine. Most of the screens and details that were shown off are a combination of a lot of material we have seen already for some upcoming fighting games, but there were a few great nuggets of information included that make it well worth a read over.

Probably the thing that I find most interesting myself is the sprite resolution comparison for the new BlazBlue (set across from Sol from Guilty Gear Accent Core). Any feelings about whether or not the sprites would be "Guilty Gear" quality should be alleviated a bit when you see just how much of a difference the two games have in their sprite size.

For the full write up, head over to Akihabara Channel. It covers everything from Street Fighter IV (don't get your hopes up - nothing new on the Street Fighter IV front) to Akatsuki to Actress Again.

I think I'm willing to agree with the last comment on the page. 2008 seems like it may be turning out to be the year of the arcade fighting game.

[Update] - On the subject of scans - Neo-Arcadia has also posted a few scans of Arcana Heart 2 from the latest Arcadia magazine that are worth checking out as well since Akihabara Channel has not posted the AH2 scans from the Tougeki Damashii magazine as of yet. The demon nun is a bit intriguing in an odd sort of way... Just off face value she reminds me a bit of Dizzy in Guilty Gear.

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Marvel/EA split ways - Marvel vs. Capcom 3 please?

IGN is reporting that the deal between EA and Marvel that would've seen EA developing a next gen fighter based on Marvel properties has been terminated.

Considering EA Chicago's closure in November, this is probably just the logical next step in deductive reasoning, but it does come with a bit of an additional "hurrah" for fans. According to Justin Lombros (VP of Marvel Interactive), despite the deal between EA and Marvel falling through the cracks, this setback is "not affect Marvel's ongoing plans to release fighting games based on the Marvel properties in the future."

IGN is quick to point out that it seems that Marvel is intent on pursuing a character based fighting game, but it hasn't revealed what developers or publishers may be involved.

Now I know this is wishful thinking, but with Street Fighter IV coming out, is it too soon to go ahead and start requesting Marvel vs. Capcom 3?

Perhaps... But one thing is for sure - Justin Lombros is a fan and recognizes the value of the Marvel vs. Capcom brand. Check out this Gamasutra interview from September. I'll point out my favorite passage (answered as a response to possibly putting Marvel vs. Capcom or Marvel Superheroes on Xbox Live Arcade):

Yeah, the Marvel Vs. Capcom stuff has a definite close place in my heart, so we definitely wanna see that stuff live on.

The writings all on the wall here... I'm just curious if Marvel/Capcom are going to jump at the opportunity to re-enter business together. Justin Lombros seems to be a believer. Who do we need to hassle at Capcom to make this happen?

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BlazBlue scans

I've been meaning to put these up for a couple of days now, but since there was one new scan to add to the mix (courtesy of Kobayan from the latest Arcadia Magazine), I've went ahead and decided to finally post all of the BlazBlue scans that are currently circulating (that I know of). An interesting PDF file also came up earlier this week that seems to imply that BlazBlue may be coming to the PS3 after its arcade release. Its from 2005 mind you, so I know plans change, but it is note-worthy none-the-less. The PDF from SCEJ can be found here.

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(Click the image for a larger image)

Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu announced for AOU 2008

Cave has just announced that the latest game in the popular Dondopachi series, Dondopachi Daifukkatsu, will be appearing at the AOU show in February. Information on the game is a bit limited, but from Cave's official AOU website we can gather that Daifukkatsu (which roughly translates to "revival") is a direct sequel to Daioujou. The website also has a simple splash screen as well, but nothing to get too excited over. Manabu Namiki will once again be penning an original score for Cave for the game (his last work with the company was with Deathsmiles, though he previously worked on the Ibara and Daioujou soundtracks). Keep an eye on Cave's website for new information - they tend to update quite a bit leading up to and during the specific trade shows.

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ATEI 2008 Coverage

It's been about a week since the event, but I realized I haven't had a chance to break down some of the outside coverage that occured from the ATEI 2008 show in London. Of course, the guys over at Arcade Heroes really took it upon themselves to get a lot of good videos (and write ups) from the event, so I'll start from there and work my way elsewhere as I find the sources on the internet.

From what I've read over at Play Meter, attendance at ATEI was down in a year-to-year comparison by about 6%. Peter Rusbridge from Clarion Gaming states that part of the reason for the decline was consolidation and uncertainty in the coin-op industry. However he was also quick to note that, "figures in isolation are relatively meaningless and as always the response of our stakeholders-visitors and exhibitors-will provide the litmus test."

Links(Updated as of 1/28/2008 at 12:30 PM)

Arcade Heroes provides Global VR (ATEI) impressions - Coverage of Alien's Extermination, America's Army, Paradise Lost, Blazing Angels, and Nascar Racing

Arcade Heroes provides Sega (ATEI) impressions - Coverage of Sega Race TV, Primeval Hunt, Let's go Jungle, Sea Wolf, Shoot This Win This, UFO Catcher, UFO Stomper, Virtua Fighter 5, and more

Arcade Heroes provides Namco Brent (ATEI) Impressions

Eurogamer ATEI 2008 Show Report - Coverage and impressions from the show floor from Eurogamer

Game Over.net coverage by Big Panic - Lots of great images from the event (found courtesy of Neo-Arcadia

Spong coverage of the ATEI show by Kevin Williams

ATEI Interim Numbers - Report by Coin-Op Today, includes a breakdown of the attendance numbers for all portions of the exhibition including the ATEI, ICE, and ICEi events

UK Resistance Part 1 - Photos and videos from ATEI 2008

UK Resistance Part 2 - Photos and videos from ATEI 2008

Namco Bandai Games reports ATEI 2008 line-up a success - Courtesy of Highway games, ""We are grateful to all the operators and retailers who continue to show faith in our games; thanks to them Namco Bandai Games can expect a busy year ahead. In return we will be working more closely with our customers to seek out further opportunities in and around the coin-op sector with games that are carefully selected and tailored to meet an ever more discerning player."





Videos
Tekken 6 (Arcade Heroes)

Tekken 6 Sega-Naomi


Wacky Races

Sega Race TV (1)
Sega Race TV (2)

Primeval Hunt (1)
Primeval Hunt (2)

UFO Stomper (1)
UFO Stomper (2)

Big Buck Safari

Nascar Racing

America's Army

Silent Hill (1)
Silent Hill (2)

Galaxy Rider

Box Club

Football Fever

Ghost Squad

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NEO GEO Stick 2 for the Nintendo Wii

Popular Japanese retailer Rakuten has posted a new online page for the NEO GEO Stick 2 for the Nintendo Wii. According to the listing, the new arcade stick will be available on April 10th for a price of around 5,040 yen (or about $50). There weren't any images of the stick provided by Rakuten, but the item description states that it will be similar in size and shape to the currently available (but a bit hard to find) PS2 NEO GEO Stick 2 (shown in the picture to the left).

The Wii's NEO GEO arcade stick will be fully compatible with all Virtual Console NEO GEO releases (and any games supporting the classic controller), so for people wanting a more authentic arcade experience this may be your best solution on Nintendo's console (since it matches the original layout of the MVS units a bit better than the previously released Hori Fighting Stick).

With SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 rumored to be around the corner for the Nintendo Wii (the PS2's speculative release date is in March), the NEO GEO Stick 2 for the Wii seems to be coming at a perfect time...

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Fate Unlimited Codes location test videos

tsukache on YouTube has posted a handful of new videos from the latest Fate Unlimited Codes location test from last weekend. In the first video, we get a good look at the character select screen with what appears to be the final roster for the game. For fans of the Fate Stay/Night series, you can look forward to playing as Saber, Shiro, Lancer, Rider, Berserker, Gilgamesh, Assassin, Caster, Rin, Archer, Kirei, and Sakura.

The second video is just some general game footage. Nothing too exciting, but it does give you a good feel for the game in its current build.

As a bit of an additional "surprise" for everyone, Kobayan uploaded a scan of the moves list flyer from the location test. It shows off the button layout and the special moves for each of the characters in the game. It also has a bit of system information in regards to the specific fighting engine being developed by 8ing for Fate: Unlimited Codes. If you are interested in the game, I recommend checking it out here.

Though this location test is about a week old, more information will be available at AOU since Fate Unlimited Codes is on Capcom's official list for the event. As soon as any new information comes out about the game, I'll be updating it in the AOU 2008 News and Rumors section as soon as I get the opportunity.





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Trouble Witches to receive an arcade release in 2008

Studio Siesta's side scrolling PC shooter Trouble Witches is being planned for an upcoming release in arcades in 2008 according to the game's official website. No further details have been released yet, but hopefully we should have a bit more information about it soon.

The last time I spoke about Trouble Witches here on my blog was back in July when the PC demo of the game was first released. I did finally get a chance to play the demo, and for the most part it was a highly enjoyable PC shooter with some really nice, bright colored 2D artwork and a rather fun system. I will admit though that I had a bit of difficulty getting it up and running at first, but after I got past those hiccups it was pretty smooth sailing. The demo is still posted at the game's website for those who want to try it out, so I do recommend giving it a whirl if your in the mood for a Cotton-esque shooter.



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Amusement Journal top 5 arcade games for November/December

Amusement Journal has released their top 5 performing arcade games for late November to late December. Though most of the spots have been occupied by the "reigning" heavyweights of the Japanese arcade scene in 2007, Tekken 6 was able to slip surprisingly onto the list despite its release being fairly limited even into late December.

I fully expect that this is the last time that Dark Resurrection will be appearing on the top five from the Amusement Journal, but it may stick around on the Arcadia lists for a little while longer...

Top Games on non-Dedicated Cabinets
1. Mobile Suit Gundam: Seed Destiny vs. Z.A.F.T II (Banpresto/Capcom, System 246)
2. Virtua Fighter 5 (Sega, Lindbergh)
3. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (Arc System Works, NAOMI)
4. Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection (Namco Bandai, System 256)
5. Tekken 6 (Namco Bandai, PS3 Board)

Top Games on Dedicated Cabinets
1. Mahjongg Fight Club 6 (Konami)
2. Drummania V4 (Konami)
3. Initia D Stage 4 (Sega)
4. Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of War (Banpresto)
5. Sangokushi Taisen 2 (Sega)

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AOU 2008 Show Links and News

Official AOU 2008 expo website

All of the AOU 2008 coverage that I've posted so far for the event can be found here.

Links updated as of 10:53 am Central time 2/17

General AOU 2008 InformationAM-net news post and updates on AOU 2008 - includes a speculative list on what may or may not be at the show as well as a good floor layout provided by AOU.

Amusement Journal's short preview of the AOU show

Dengeki online show opening overview

Kobayan AOU 2008 show report - includes several flyer images and more.

Dengeki online images from the show foor #1 - Featuring Konami, Atlus, Square Enix, and a part of Bandai Namco's display area.

Dengeki online images from the show floor #2 - Featuring Capcom, Taito/SNK Playmore, and Examu

Dengeki online show report #3 - Centered around the UFO catcher

MP I-revo show report

Kotaku commenter gallery

Gemgemmania AOU 2008 Show report - lots of videos.

Famitsu - Street fighter IV and Taito/SNK Playmore preview

Famitsu - Lord of Vermilion (Square Enix) and Konami preview (covers the new innovations in the arcade industry, mentioning specifically the work Konami and Square Enix are doing with some of their latest releases.)

Famitsu - AMI, Gundam vs. Gundam, and Examu show coverage

Saznami.net AOU 2008 link and show information run down

Arcade Heroes AOU 2008 show coverage

Neo-arcadia AOU 2008 show coverage - be forewarned, new news drops the old news off the front page...

Full Amusement Journal AOU 2008 report

Mainichi AOU 2008 gallery

Mihara (Arika) AOU 2008 report

Game Watch - Coverage of AMI and Examu's games. Also is the first reveal of Examu's new EX-board, a PC-based hardware running Arcana Heart 2 and the new Monster AC.

GPara AOU 2008 show report

Itmedia AOU 2008 sow report

AMI NewsCave AOU 2008 teaser site - Includes a special interview with IKD which can be found translated here. Cave's AOU teaser site has also been updated with pre-show images taken Thursday evening prior to the opening Friday morning.

Dengeki online - public day AMI/BlazBlue Q&A session

Gigazine.net - Dodonpachi write-up (includes a lot of great images from the flyers and booth)

Famitsu Blaz Blue preview. Includes several new screens and a link to the first game trailer.

Arc System Works BlazBlue AOU 2008 preview page - includes a handful of new images and system details for the game

Japan Gamespot BlazBlue preview. Contains several HQ shots.

Gamengai Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu and AOU 2008 show report - probably the most detailed article I've seen on Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu...

Game Watch AMI preview - Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu and BlazBlue

Atlus NewsAtlus opens AOU 2008 preview site

Capcom NewsCapcom AOU 2008 teaser site

Famitsu reveals Capcom's AOU show line-up - Capcom's showcase will be headlined with three new fighting games from the company, Street Fighter IV, Sengoku Basara X, and Fate Unlimited Codes. The company will also showcase Bell Circle Sparkling Blue, Wantame Music Channel, and Wantame Hyper Channel.

Game Watch Capcom report - More Street Fighter IV? Anyone getting tired of it yet?

Kotaku Street Fighter IV gallery

Kotaku Street Fighter IV impressions from commentator

Gigazine.net - Street Fighter IV write-up (includes a lot of great images from the flyers and booth)

Dengeki Online posts a small Street Fighter IV pre-show preview of the AOU 2008 build

Famitsu - Street Fighter IV queue on the public day

Konami NewsKonami launches full AOU 2008 site

Action Cop (Konami) to be featured at AOU 2008

Konami is set to showcase Guitar Freaks V5 Rock to Infinity and Drum Mania V5 Rock to Infinity at AOU 2008

Quiz Magic Academy V (Konami) to be featured at AOU 2008

Game Watch Konami previews - Horse Riders, Jubeat, QMA V, and more...

Quiz Magic Academy V - stage presentation and grand unveiling of Quiz Magic Academy DS. Dengeki Online also has a small write up in regards to the game.

Namco Bandai NewsMaximum Tune 3 tournament to be held at AOU 2008 - Bandai Namco announces the first details for a tournament to be held at AOU.

Bandai Namco launches their pre-AOU 2008 show website

Game Watch Bandai Namco preview - Gundam vs. Gundam, Taiko, and more...

Sega News
Sega launches their AOU 2008 preview site - Features Virtua Fighter 5 ver D, Answer X Answer, SNC ver. 2, Galileo Factory, Club Majesty, Mamonoro, and Illvelo

Sega Game Watch full show preview

Dengeki Online Answer X Answer preview

Sega post-AOU 2008 website - includes a few movies of a Virtua Fighter 5 tournament that was held at the event on Saturday

Square Enix NewsSquare Enix AOU 2008 teaser site

GPara confirms Lord of Vermilion will be shown off in its latest build at AOU - also includes some new screenshots and card art

Game Watch Square Enix/Taito preview - Lord of Vermilion, Type X2, and D1GP Racing

Taito NewsTaito teaser site opens for AOU 2008 - Space Invaders 30th Anniversary, D1GP, King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match, Samurai Spirits Sen, Half Life 2 Gun Survivor

Taito's official AOU 2008 website is now open - Confirms that King of Fighters XII will be showcased at the event

Gamespot Japan report on SNK Playmore/Taito King of Fighters/Samurai Spirits Sen showcase (according to the report, we should be seeing a playable version of King of Fighters XII by the end of the year... Release date seems to imply 2009 then.)

Game Watch report on SNK Playmore showcase - confirms Nona is the art director on King of Fighters XII

Famitsu - King of Fighters '98 and Samurai Spirits Sen AOU 2008 hands on report

Gamespot Japan - King of Fighters '98 and Samurai Spirits sen AOU 2008 hands on report

Other (Software)Examu announces Arcana Heart 2 will be playable at AOU 2008 - Special thanks to lech on the forums for bringing the link to my attention. Game Watch also reports on Arcana Heart 2 at AOU.

New Arcana Heart 2 preview from Dengeki Online. Every game is made better with a queen Penguin... The second part of the preview can be found here.

G.Rev blog updates on what to look out for at AOU 2008 - Company states Senko No Ronde 2 will be shown off at the event

Other (Hardware)RS reveals line-up of new hardware for AOU2008




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No Country for Old Arcades: Sunnyvale Golfland

Probably one of my biggest criticisms of the arcade industry in the United States is the fact that there doesn't appear to be much effort being made to dissuade or change the popular opinion that the "arcade is dead".

I know it's difficult to create and establish the relationships to get coverage of games for websites, magazines, and blogs. However, in my short time in talking to people within the industry itself, I've always come away from the experience with the opinion that for every step that's being made in a positive direction, it's still very closed off from those on the outside compared to the much more open nature of the console market. I'm not sure if this has been a result of the negative coverage of the industry from the "major sources" or if the closed community is part of the issue in why the "major sources" are so quick to declare the industry obsolete to begin with, but either way it seems to be a cyclical argument that just returns the same poor results.

Every once in a while though a website comes along and does an arcade feature that really hits home with me. Today I received an email from Jared Rea from Gametap, in which he spoke briefly about a new series that they are launching called "No Country for Old Arcades". In the series, Jared is planning on travelling to some of the locations that are considered the last great arcades in America and telling the story of both the industry as a whole and the possible future changes that may be in store for the traditional arcade.

The first feature was posted earlier and covers Sunnyvale Golfland in Sunnyvale, California. It's a great read that I feel hits to the heart of the strengths of the industry, the weaknesses of the industry, and how a traditional arcade can be poised to remain strong even in what has been called a depleting market. Jared also has a blog where he plans to outline his trips to the arcades on a more personal level. Both the featured articles and the blog should be a great source of interspection from arcade owners and arcade gamers from around the country's more popular hot spots for the industry.

After reading the article and the blog, I really got inspired to issue a challenge of sorts for 2008 to arcade owners, arcade developers, and arcade distributors. I truly believe that the arcade industry can be a strong force in the US. I also believe that despite the common conception that arcades are on life support here, there are steps that can be taken in order to ensure its future survival and relevance. All of this however doesn't come without an effort.

My challenge to those in the arcade industry in the US is simple - put yourselves out there more in 2008. Give us the reasons why you believe the industry is strong or accept your weaknesses and tell us how you plan to fix those for 2008. Show us your upcoming releases with better media quality images and videos through as many sources as you can (YouTube for example would be just ripe for distributing movies for little cost on the part of developers). Update your websites and press contacts. Provide the details on the technology that will be making your games unique and different.

I just want to see the effort from those who are part of the industry to vie for their spot in video game coverage, because I don't feel that there has been much of a real dedicated effort over the last few years. It's almost as though they have given up on positive mainstream gaming press coverage that is outside of the usual sources of insider information.

This may have come off as a little bit of rant, and I apologize for that. I just truly feel that the future of the industry is in the hands of those owners, developers, and distributors, and it is up to them to get their message out. It seems that for far too long we've been only addressing the negative comments when they are presented and not necessarily pushing for real change in how arcades are viewed as a whole.

There's an audience out there for us, we just have to fight for them.

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New Arc System Works Fighter coming - Blazblue!

Over at Ruliweb (courtesy of Recap on the Postback forums) the first scans of Arc System Works new arcade fighter (and what's being called the "successor" to the Guilty Gear series) Blazblue were posted after being pulled from 2chan. Not much is known so far about the game, but according to AM-net the game is being developed on the Type X2 platform and is expected to make some sort of appearance at the AOU Show in February.

Neo-Arcadia is reporting that Blazblue will be set in the same universe as Guilty Gear ten years after the events of Guilty Gear XX. I'm looking for confirmation of these reports, but if it ends up true, Accent Core Plus may end up being the last hurrah for the "traditional" Guilty Gear series after the shift it has taken with Overture.

[Update] - After having a chance to roughly go over the scans, I'm not convinced of the BlazBlue and Guilty Gear connection. In the story portion of the article, there are not any definitive links between the two games that I can see. I may be missing something here, and I would gladly love for someone who has a better handle on the language to let me know, but if the games are set in the same universe, there doesn't appear to be any other relationships outside of "rough setting". Could this end up being a Fatal Fury/Art of Fighting-type set up for Arc System Works?

The game looks incredible so far. The detail in some of the shots is amazing. I'm crossing my fingers that we will get to see the game in action at AOU.

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Arcade Heroes ATEI Global VR coverage

Both Arcade Heroes and The Stinger Report had some team on hand for the ATEI show in London this past weekend. Through their coverage, a few videos of Global VR's latest offerings (Blazing Angels, Nascar Racing, and America's Army) were posted to YouTube!. I've embedded the Blazing Angels video below, but the rest can be found over at Arcade Heroes.

I've been a bit curious about Blazing Angels since I first began reading about it earlier this year. Like Global VR's other offerings, the company has been trying to tie into a "lower cost" model for their arcade releases that can compete with the higher brands coming out of Sega and Namco Bandai. Blazing Angels for example seems to be a budget conscious minded alternative to Afterburner Climax.

The official website for Blazing Angels (arcade) has been updated by Global VR with a handful of images, but its kind of hard to get a feel for how they graphically compare to the Xbox 360 (and subsequet PS2/Wii releases) of the console game.

I'm looking forward to reading Arcade Heroes write up on the game and whether or not Sega should fear any competition to Afterburner Climax (which I'm sure they'll get based on entry price alone), so I'll be sure to let everyone know if (and when) Arcade Heroes posts their impression of the game and cabinet.


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NAOMI emulator finally coming?

Frankie over at Hobby Blog linked to a YouTube video by drkIIRaziel that shows off the NAOMI Bios booting up on a special build of the ever popular NullDC emulator. Though actual workable emulation is still a ways off, this is definitely a start for the emulation community. Considering the number of releases still being developed on the NAOMI, this also has some implications for the hradware (at least in Japan).

I've embedded the video below for easy viewing. I'll try to keep an eye on the project as it develops.



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UFS Street Fighter and King of Fighters card previews

I have a little bit of a history playing collectible card games. Back in the day, I was a bit of a Magic fiend, and it was only through strength of will (and little disposable income) that I ended up breaking that habit. Then came Upper Deck's VS System which I played for a couple of years until mismanagement drove me away from the game. With that said, a couple of weeks ago I received two free starter decks from Sabretooth Games for their King of Fighters release for their Universal Fighting System.

I'm not quite sure where they got my information (I'm assuming somewhere down the line it was from SNK Playmore USA since the first line started with "So we heard you were a King of Fighters fan), but I was interested enough to play a few rounds with the demo decks. The mechanics were pretty good, and if I wasn't passed my collectible card game part of my life, I'm pretty sure I would be willing to sink a few more dollars into it. However, since I'm not in "that place" anymore, I'm going to have to be content with sitting back and enjoying the art (though it is a bit hit and miss in some places).

After doing a bit of research into the game (and taken aback the fact that they somehow have the Street Fighter, King of Fighters, and Soul Calibur license among others), I noticed that both the SNK Playmore brand and Street Fighter brand will be receiving new sets this February. I'm sure everyone who's already a player probably has seen all the previews over at the Sabretooth Games forums, but for those like me who haven't paid much attention to the card game, now's your chance to take a look at some of the art being done for the new release.

The SNK Playmore release will be called "Cutting Edge" and the Street Fighter release will be called "Domination". Links to the previews are below.

Street Fighter Domination
Akuma's Shoryureppa
Yoga Adept
Kung Fu Training
Siberian Training
Bitter Rivals
Blinding Rage

SNK Playmore Cutting Edge
The Gorgeous Team
Stardust Drop
Addes Syndicate
Offer A Duel

So does anyone have any feedback on the game? It seems to have at least a devoted (but small) following...

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SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 Trailer

I've embedded the Gametrailers trailer for SNK Playmore USA's upcoming Arcade Classics Volume 1. Anyone else get reminded of GameTap ads on television?



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AM-Net's most anticipated arcade games of 2008 (final results)

A couple of weeks ago, I first mentioned Am-net's poll that was asking the public what was the game they were most eager to play in 2008. Early this past week, the polls closed and the final results were tallied. Out of the 998 votes cast, Derby Owner's Club 2008 Feel the Rush took the top spot away from Tekken 6 with a slim margin (7 votes) separating the two. The final results are below with their genres so you can see the breakdown.






1. Derby Owner's Club 2008 (Horse-sim)
2. Tekken 6 (Fighting)
3. The Eternal Wheel (Card RPG)
4. Lord of Vermilion (Card RPG)
5. Street Fighter IV (Fighting)
6. Arcana Heart 2 (Fighting)
7. Quiz Magic Academy 5 (Quiz)
8. Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam (Fighting)
9. D1GP Arcade (Racing)
10. Akatsuki Denkou Senki (Fighting)

11. WCCF International Clubs 2006-2007 (Sports/Card)
12. Initial D4 (Racing)
13. Beatmania IIDX DJ Troopers (Rhythm)
14. Melty Blood Actress Again (Fighting)
15. Taiko Drum Master 11 (Rhythm)
16. Virtua Fighter 5 ver. D (Fighting)
17. Fate Unlimited Codes (Fighting)
18. Pop n' Music 16 (Rhythm)
19. Sangokushi taisen 3 (Card/Strategy)
20. Sengoku Basara X (Fighting)

21. Mamonoro (Shooting)
22. King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (Fighting)
23. Sega Race TV (Racing)
24. Baseball Heroes 3 (Card/Sports)
25. Winning Eleven 2008 (Card/Sports)
26. Senko no Ronde 2 (Fighting/Shooting)
27. MJ4 (Mah-jongg)
28. Jubeat (Rhythm)
29. Oriental Legend 2 (Beat-'em up/Action)
30. Criminal Action (Action)

31. Dino King 3 (Card)
32. Illmatic Envelope/Illvelo (Shooting)

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SNK Playmore Arcade Classics Volume 1 Line-up revealed

I don't know how this got dumped into my junk folder, but a couple of days late is still better than never, right?

SNK Playmore USA has announced that SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 will be released in the first half of 2008 with a selection of solid titles that should satisfy most SNK fans. I am a bit unhappy about how much double dipping is going on with this collection considering the already available SNK compilations (do we really need Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, and Metal slug on this disc for example?), but there are some surprising gems that are finally going to get their time to show off (Sengoku, Shock Troopers, Last Resort, and Baseball Stars 2 are my personal picks).

No pricing has been announced yet, but considering the number of games that will be available on this disc as well as the fact that it's being released on the PS2 and PSP, I can't help but think its not going to be entering at the recent $14.99 SNK Playmore USA pricepoint. I fully expect this to retail at about $29.99.

See below for the full list of games:
* Art of Fighting
* Baseball Stars 2
* Burning Fight
* Fatal Fury
* King of Fighters '94
* King of the Monsters
* Last Resort
* Magician Lord
* Metal Slug
* Neo Turf Masters
* Samurai Shodown
* Sengoku
* Shock Troopers
* Top Hunter
* Super Sidekicks 3
* World Heroes

As a side note, the ESRB recently rated a Wii version of this game as well according to the ratings guide website. There was no mention of the Wii version in the press release from SNK Playmore USA.

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