Street Fighter IV System trailer

With E3 occuring this week in Los Angeles, new media from Street Fighter IV has been popping up across the internet. The video I've embedded below comes courtesy of Game videos and while it doesn't showcase anything new, it does at least provide a few seconds of footage for each of the characters in the game. Unfortunately the soundtrack also isn't as inherently cool as the Faith No More Street Fighter IV trailer, but you can't win them all...

Street Fighter IV Guide

Event Hubs, the group responsible for the great Street Fighter III Third Strike guide, has opened their initial strategy pages for Street Fighter IV. Currently the moves lists as well as basic game details have already been updated for the known cast of characters. I'm hoping that as time goes on, the Street Fighter IV guide becomes as all encompassing and visually impressive as the Street Fighter III guide is now. The use of videos in order to demonstrate specific examples really works well, especially with some of the more difficult techniques for new players to master.

Street Fighter IV is being released to arcades this week with the official launch scheduled for the 18th (all stats and data stored before then will be cleared on the day of the launch). Though some early reports are stating that some locations already have the final version of the game, I'm still looking for verification that this is accurate and not just testing versions pulled out prior to the game's release (since the last few test locations were able to keep the machines from my understanding).

Street Fighter IV will be here in the US at E3, ComicCon, and EVO. There's still no word on whether or not it's going to be offered through any sort of official arcade distribution channels however, so these may be some of the only chances US players will have to get their hands on the game prior to the consumer release later this year.

Street Fighter 4 Strategy Guide -- Moves, Hints and Tips

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom video footage...

Even though I have a post going that is updated with all of the new information I stumble across for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (which can be found here), a Gametrailers user earlier today put up a huge selection of videos from the location test that I feel is well worth its own post. There are quite a few shaky cam moments, but overall, this is the most coherent footage we've seen from the location test of Capcom's new vs. fighting game. I've embedded one below, but the rest can be found at the links underneath it.



Alex/Tekkaman vs. Tekkaman/Ken Washio
Tekkaman/Morrigan vs. Hurricane Polymar/Alex
Tekkaman/Alex vs. Soki/Hurricane Polymar
Soki/Yatterman vs. Tekkaman/Chun Li
Ryu/Batsu vs. Ryu/Casshan (this is followed up by the character select screen as well as a short burst of Yatterman/Hurricane Polymer vs. Ryu/Casshan)
Chun li/Alex vs. Soki/Yatterman

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Location Test Information

[Last update - 9:14 am, Saturday July 12th]

With the first location test for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom currently underway in Japan, I've decided to go ahead and post a link thread highlighting some of the random tidbits of information that is coming out of the test. This post will be updated throughout the weekend as new details are provided in regards to Tatsunko vs. Capcom's character roster, game systems, and maybe even the full details on the arcade hardware...

From early details of the event, there are currently only one set of vs. units at the arcade in Akihabara. I'm waiting for a few images of the set up, but once again the no camera policy looks to have been strictly enforced, so images may have to wait for just a bit longer (it seems like it's easier for people to get a few pictures towards the end of the test rather than at its beginning).

Over at Kobayan, the moves list/flyer from the event was scanned and posted online. It's a bit hard to read the moves list, but the four button scheme (weak, medium, heavy, and tag/partner) doesn't seem to be hurting the game much when it comes to their basic move sets. Now whether or not the loss of one attack button will hurt the normal move variety on the other hand is a completely different question...

Based on the list, Gold Lightan was not currently playable at the event. He only served to cap off as the 'boss' of the location test. A shame if you ask me, but I'm guessing Capcom needed a bit more work before they balanced his play type with the rest of the roster... Or perhaps he was never meant to be playable at all?

A few interesting techniques picked up from the flyer found here and here -
Assist - Partner/Tag button

Switch Character - 4 + Tag

Baroque - Tag + Any Attack
If you have any red remaining in your life bar, you are able to sacrifice the rest of the red bar with an attack cancel that will power you up shortly based on the length of the bar you sacrificed.

Aerial Rave - 23 + Strong
Same concept as Marvel, but everyone's Aerial Rave is now performed with Down + Strong.

Variable Aerial Rave - 236 + Tag
Switches out a character during an air combo - the light glow that some people may have noticed during the Chun Li switch out portions of the promotional video were probably picking up on the Variable Aerial Raves... It uses up one bar.

Variable Combination - Tag during a Hyper Combo

Variable Counter - 412 + Tag
An Alpha-counter like assist maneuver.

Mega Crush - All 4 attack buttons
A strong attack that uses up two bars and some life...

Delayed Hyper Combo - Any doubts that this is a vs. game now?

Gamespot now has a short preview up from the location test. Though a lot of the information delves into what we already know, there are a couple of good points to pick up on from the preview. The first is that Capcom is currently testing Tatsunoko vs. Capcom in Taito Viewlix cabinets. This doesn't necessarily imply any specific hardware, but it is an interesting note from the location test. The second bit of information that the article brings up is a great breakdown of the characters at the location test. Though it doesn't go too much into details, the summaries posted are enough for fans to sink their teeth in while they wait for a more in depth analysis.

Shoryuken is reporting that Tatsunoko vs. Capcom will be at EVO 2008 for a location test alongside Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter HD Remix. If you haven't booked your flights for the event, now may be the time to do it...

A leaked image of the character select screen has been floating around now... It showcases the wheel system being used for the location test for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. Unfortunately, it doesn't give any sort of hint to the possible number of characters, so I guess we're going to have to keep on guessing. I've heard rumors of around 24-ish, but take those with a grain of salt, as it's anyone's guess right now...

First video from the location test has been posted up on Youtube. With the game being featured on Viewlix cabinets, the monitors are all widescreen displays which is a bit odd considering that every screen shot we've seen so far of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom has had a 4:3 aspect ratio. I'm not sure if the game is being built for a widescreen ratio or if the game at the location test simply had it's display stretched for the Viewlix cabinets...



(New videos will be posted below as I find them.)







Alex/Tekkaman vs. Tekkaman/Ken Washio
Tekkaman/Morrigan vs. Hurricane Polymar/Alex
Tekkaman/Alex vs. Soki/Hurricane Polymar
Soki/Yatterman vs. Tekkaman/Chun Li
Ryu/Batsu vs. Ryu/Casshan (this is followed up by the character select screen as well as a short burst of Yatterman/Hurricane Polymer vs. Ryu/Casshan)
Chun li/Alex vs. Soki/Yatterman

Dance Dance Revolution X Teaser Page

Konami posted teaser sites for the arcade and Playstation 2 versions of Dance Dance Revolution X. Though it may be a while before we get any more information about the release, there does seem to be a slightly different cabinet design on the arcade teaser page. Dance Dance Revolution X represents the game's 10th anniversary (the series originally launched in 1998) and from statements from Konami, will be an evolution of the series that focuses back on what made Dance Dance Revolution a run-a-way success when it was first released. Previous DDR games have been put on test here in the US, so hopefully Dance Dance Revolution X will receive similar treatment. If future tests are announced, I'll be sure to post up the locations and dates as I receive them.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom updates #2 - Release date

The wave of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom updates have been building over the last couple of weeks since the announcement of the game's first location test. In addition to a couple of flyers posted earlier today on the NeoGAF forums, another series of shots have been leaked from 2ch and feature some of the new characters and the game in some pretty detailed action shots. To round off the triumvirate of updates on Tatsunoko vs. Capcom today, AM-net is also revealing that the game is being targeted for a December 2008 release window.

There are a few things that we can gather from all of the information being posted today. In the promotional flyer, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is being featured with a 4 button layout similar in style to the one used in Sengoku Basara X. When this is taken with the relative 4:3 aspect ratio the screens seem to be sporting, it leads me believe that the game is more than likely being developed on the same hardware that Sengoku Basara X is featured on in arcades and will serve as an easy 'update' for arcade owners to switch out the game in the current Basara X cabinets. This is speculation of course, but it would make sense based on what we know so far (and roughly speaking - the game doesn't look like it's that far above what can be expected from the system 246/256's technical power).

4 more characters have also been confirmed. Though early speculation was spot on with the revelation that Morrigan and Hurrican Polymer were set to be featured in the game, the other two recently revealed characters (and part of the silhouettes featured on the game's official site) were a bit harder to guess. However they were confirmed with today's updates - Soki from Onimusha (Capcom) and Gold Lightan (Tatsunoko) will both be playable characters in the game.

The first location test for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom will begin this weekend. The game's official website has been updated pretty quickly after character reveals, so hopefully the profiles for the new fighters will show up online prior to the location test.


With it being so early in the game's development cycle and so many characters already shown off, I'm beginning to wonder if the cast of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom may end up rivaling Marvel vs. Capcom 2...

Global VR brings the Justice League to arcades

Arcade Heroes posted a press release today showcasing Global VR's announcement that they have acquired the DC Comic's license to create arcade and amusement games based on the Justice League characters. According to the information provided to Arcade Heroes, the development on the title is already well underway and will be showcased at the San Diego Comic Con later this month. (Which is kind of neat in its own right since Street Fighter IV will also be making one of its 'North American debuts' at Comic Con as well...)

Though the details about the game are pretty scarce right now, from the information provided in the press release it sounds like Global VR has a co-op beat 'em up in the works (Arcade Heroes mentions that the game's development is being handled by Signature Devices). Considering how rare it is for this style of game to be released by an American arcade developer, it should be interesting to watch and see what happens. With Global VR's current reach and popularity with their racing and light gun releases, a Justice League release by the company should provide a good 'anchor' for some of the non-traditional arcades that Global VR targets.

In addition to the release of the Justice League arcade game, Warner Brothers and Global VR also mentioned in the press release that the licensing agreement also includes the creation of redemption games. Arcade Heroes states that they already have an upcoming post planned to detail the redemption game, including screens and additional information, so hopefully we'll be able to get a good look at that pretty soon.

The only downside to the news of the upcoming game is that after the Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis completely destroyed what was left of my beloved Super buddies, the chances of Ted Kord appearing are slim to none...

Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu updated to 1.5

I must have overlooked this last week, but Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu has been updated with a new version to fix the counter stop issue and a few other bugs that have popped up with the earlier version. Cave has updated the game's site with some brief information about the update as well as the general redemption policy on how to get the latest update through AMI.

As an apology to fans for the previous issues with the game, Cave is also including a new ship (the green helicopter makes a comeback!), some balance adjustments (from the reports, these include eliminating a few of the safe spots some of the bosses suffered from as well as some tweaks to the bomb stocks), and a new scoring limit. A few videos of the latest update have been posted online either through Nicovideo or Youtube. I've embedded one of the YouTube videos below, which is actually a pretty decent quality with all things considered.

Street Fighter IV's alternative looks

Famitsu posted a short article today on the NESYS card system featured in Street Fighter IV. While it has been known for a while now that Street Fighter IV would be featuring stat tracking and alternative colors, the Famitsu article also showcases the first look at one of the new 'alternative costumes' that can be purchased via the mobile zeny shop with the currency awarded for fighting. For more information on some of the other items that will be available through the mobile shop, including ring tones and wallpaper, I recommend checking out the Street Fighter IV mobile site here.

Outside of the Chun Li costume, Famitsu's print magazine had a blurry image of Blanka's alternative costume. It's a bit hard to make out any details of it, so I'm waiting for a cleaner shot before I post it. Hopefully the Famitsu site will be updated with that as well in the next few days (if I haven't already missed it)...

Even though I do like the look of Chun Li, I can't help but think that the costume looks a little too familiar...


Mai - is that you?

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom updates - First location test and more new characters [Updated]

Over at Game Watch, the first location tests have been announced for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. On the weekend of July 10th - July 13th, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom will be in Tokyo at the Akibahara Hey and Ikebukuro GIGO arcades. On July 25th - July 27th, Capcom will then move the tests to Osaka at the Sega Avion center.

According to the flyer posted, a new character will also be shown off at the event, but astute gamers will probably already recognize that the latest issue of Arcadia Magazine (scans can be found over at Kobayan) have shown that the two characters announced for the game yet not appearing in the flyer are Yatterman Gou and Alex. (Pics can be found here and here). With the two new additions, the character roster now features Alex, Ryu, Batsu, Chun Li, Tekkaman, Ken Washio, Casshan, and Yatterman Gou.

Over at the game's official website, a new update was made to the comic style information pages, including a brief blurb on the location test. On the page opposite of the one that showcases the location test's information, a series of characters are shown in silhouette with the only detail focused on the bottom half of Alex. While it's not clear who the other characters on the page are, it doesn't hurt to speculate...

Based on what I can see, the first silhouette from the left is Yatterman Gou. The second silhouette from the left appears to have bat wings coming from her head, so the basic assumption would lead me to believe it's either Morrigan or Lilith from Darkstalkers. As for the rest of the characters it's a bit hard to say. I can easily see Dante from Devil May Cry being the character just to the right of Alex that looks like he's holding a sword, but that may be stretching it a bit without any more detail.

If I'm right about these two characters, in order to even out the number of Tatsunoko and Capcom characters left in the image the last two characters on the page would have to be Tatsunoko properties.

Anyone have any ideas?

The silhouette in the background looks like it has to be robotic at the very least... I've also heard that the other character that is crouching in the lower right may be Hurricane Polymer...

(Location test information on Game Watch via Kotaku)

(Update - Dengeki Online has some clean images of Alex and Yatterman Gou in game here)

Arcade Finder launched

One of the things I've been planning on doing over the next year is working on a Wiki that helps gamers in the US find and locate active arcades/arcade games based on user submissions. Though there have been sites in the past that have tried to do this, most have been limited by infrequent updates and a difficult user submission process. I thought that the open nature of a Wiki would help solve that problem and perhaps offer a great resource for those wanting to find arcades in the US.

Even though my Wiki idea is still a little ways off, another site has launched a new user-based online arcade game locater aptly called Arcade Finder. The site currently is being updated by individuals in charge of specific regions. Included in the listings is the ability to search by game, location, or even manufacturer. It's a little empty now, but it shows a lot of promise and should be a great bookmark for arcade fans. I've went ahead and added it to my link list, and will keep it bookmarked myself for future reference. Hopefully it will begin to be able to make some segue-ways where other similar sites have failed.

Virtua Fighter 5R location test video

A direct feed video from this week's Virtua Fighter 5R location test has already shown up online. Since Sega has enabled their match replay system for this test, more than likely this is just the start of quite a few more that we should be seeing over the course of this next weekend. If any show up somewhere other than YouTube in a higher quality, I'll be sure to post them. Otherwise enjoy the one I've found so far... (and let me know if you see any others)

US BlazBlue location test at Los Angeles Anime Expo

MarkMan over at NeoGaf picked up on a great press release sent out from Aksys and the Los Angeles Anime Expo revealing that Arc System Works upcoming 2D fighting game, BlazBlue, will be having its first US location test July 3rd - 6th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Aksys Games will be handling the location test at the event, which should drive some interest for the fighting game (and perhaps promises for an actual US arcade release considering that Arc System Works has already launched an official US website for the game...).

BlazBlue has been going through the testing cycles in Japan quite a bit over the last few months. So far the reception has been well received, despite some early criticisms that the game didn't seem to differentiate itself enough from Guilty Gear. I've heard that it's truly beautiful to see in motion, which isn't hard to believe considering the media we've seen so far. It'll be interesting to follow its successes when it finally launches later this year based on the on-going performance of Guilty Gear Accent Core in Japanese arcades and on the Arcadia charts.

The official website for the Anime Expo can be found here. I'm trying to convince myself I can attend the event, but it's probably not going to work into my budget this time around... If anyone's in the local area and is attending, I would love to hear how it turns out.

Battle of Destiny: Road to Evo hosting 2 Street Fighter IV cabinets in London

Neo Empire has teamed up with Capcom in order to offer UK gamers one of the first opportunities to get some hands on time with the final build of Street Fighter IV at the tournament promoter's Battle of Destiny event in London on July 26th and 27th. Featured at the event will be two linked arcade cabinets set on free play for heads up gaming. Perhaps with enough demand, this can be used as a signal to Capcom to just how desireable a Street Fighter IV arcade cabinet could be outside of the Japanese market...

The latest playable build of Super Street Fighter 2 HD Remix will also be shown off at the event (running on an Xbox 360). No word yet on just how much more progress the game has made since last being seen, but presumably more than just the Shotos and Dee Jay should be available for play (I would think).


Being hyped as a prelude to EVO 2K8 (which is being held in August), Battle of Destiny has players vying for both a plane ticket and paid entry into the EVO tournament series. Slots are being held for Capcom vs. SNK 2, Street Fighter 3 Third Strike, Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection, and Hyper Street Fighter 2 Anniversary Edition. For more information on the event, check out the official Battle of Destiny website.

New King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Promotional Video

The official SNK Playmore website for King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match has a new promotional video posted. The quality isn't the greatest (about the same as the older video that was first released a few months ago), but it is at least some more footage of the game in action prior to its upcoming PS2 release later this month.

The video briefly goes over some of the new additions that Ultimate Match brings to King of Fighters '98, showing you step by step what the new modes open up for your characters. I do have the game currently on pre-order and since King of Fighters '98 is one of my favorite NEO GEO titles, I'll be sure to post a review of it once it comes in. Whether or not that will be a video review, I haven't decided yet...

For those interested in the game, I've been a little lax on my updates about it, but the official website has finally been fully fleshed out. All of the character profiles have been posted, the system details have been updated, and a new screenshot section shows some bite-sized views of the game.

The game has done well in arcades since it's release, actually raking up the number 5 spot on the Arcadia listing in the July issue of the magazine. Not bad for a slightly tweaked upgrade to a ten year old game.

No love for a US Street Fighter IV arcade release?

Yesterday Capcom issued a press release revealing that Street Fighter IV would be coming to the PS3, Xbox 360 and PCs. Though this wasn't a huge revelation, what was notable in its absence was any mention of an arcade release for the game.

I would've written this off as Capcom USA catering their press releases for their target audience (the console gaming crowd in this respect), but after thinking on it for a day, I can't help but get the nagging feeling that we are looking at how the whole Tekken 6 US arcade release situation began; a complete antipathy towards any potential the US arcade industry may have on the part of the developers (or in this case rights holders) of the game.

I'm willing to accept certain realitites about the US industry.

I'm willing to accept that the market for a Street Fighter IV arcade release in the US is not near the market that once saw its predecessors being bought and played in droves. I'm willing to accept that there may be additional difficulties in providing a US release by way of hardware and standard operations. I'm even willing to accept that the number of arcades that would be able to sustain a Street Fighter IV cabinet may not necessarily seem 'worth the trouble' on the part of Capcom USA. But with all this in mind, I wonder how much effort is really being made to provide the option for arcade owners in the US to purchase the game without going through importing middle-men that end up raising the prices for their own 'cut'.

At the very least, a simple acknowledgement of the arcade version of Street Fighter IV in the press release would've been nice. I'm not giving up hope yet, but I think any chance of Street Fighter IV coming to US arcades will once again rely on importers. Perhaps when the embargo on Capcom's Captivate event lifts there may be some good news in regards to the game's future status...

Rambo UK Location test - and another small Rambo preview

Earlier this week Arcade Heroes put up a hands on report of a recent location test of Sega's new arcade shooter, Rambo. Included with their report was a short video of the game in action as well as a handful of pictures of the cabinet (which apparently for the UK test is near identical to the Ghost Squad cabinets).

Overall, the report is positive (it is Rambo and an arcade shooter, how couldn't it be?), but there does seem to be some issues that Sega could address with the game prior to its full release. Rambo is apparently a bit of a step backwards in some regards from House of the Dead 4 and suffers from being a bit too similar to the aforementioned Ghost Squad series (funky guns and all). In addition, there are also some software slowdown issues that are noticeable in game but should be corrected somewhat when the final code is optimized. It also doesn't help matters much that graphically the game isn't necessarily utilizing its hardware to its fullest advantage (makes me wonder if Sega already has a console port in mind).

In addition to this report, Game Watch has also put up a small article on the game's recent debut event. Not any real new information on the part of Game Watch, but it deserves a brief mention none-the-less.

Rambo should see an official release in arcades late summer/early fall.

Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu 2nd Loop video

Exciting, isn't it? A few new videos of Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu have been making their way online this past week following the official Japanese release. Though most of the videos are of a few stages/bosses previously covered in other videos, this is the first one that I've seen that showcases the game's second loop. I still haven't placed an order for Daifukkatsu yet (I'm still working on paying off Death Smiles), but the more I see of the game, the more I'm convinced I'm going to have to order it.

For the original version of the above video (and a couple more including the final stretch on stage 5), check out Grind Storm.

Street Fighter IV boss revealed (home console platforms also announced)

Earlier today Videogamerx uploaded a few new Street Fighter IV scans including one of the new boss character, Seth.

While I'm happy that we are getting an original boss for Street Fighter IV, I'm a little surprised that Capcom has once again decided to opt for the almost nude, buff male character for its 'end game' (I'm already getting flashbacks of Gill). I'm also reminded of Urien, especially with the shoulder charge being pictured in the scan (long lost brother, cousin, uncle's nephew perhaps?).

In addition to the first details of Seth, the link above also provides some concept character pieces of Fei Long and Dan (!!!). I can't make out any of the details, but I'm hoping that this constitutes an announcement of their inclusion into the game. If so, this bodes extremely well for more new (old?) character prospects (I'm holding out hope that Capcom loves Deejay as much as I do).

In other Street Fighter IV news, late yesterday Kotaku broke the first 'official' console announcement for the game that I've seen. Like the leaked rumors revealed earlier last week, Capcom is currently planning Street Fighter IV for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. There were no new or exciting details in the press release, but with the Captivate '08 event starting two days from now, I'm sure there are still a few more surprises in store for Street Fighter fans.

I was a bit surprised at first to see the game listed for PC release, since I didn't feel like Capcom would really offer that direction for fans. I'm pleased though, since it would be my platform preference outside of the actual arcade game, but it makes me wonder if it is going to be a retail release or a digital release or both. Some of Capcom's games are currently available on Steam, so it wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see Street Fighter IV pop up there. I wonder what PC fans would be more eager to accept in the long run?

I'm still looking for any news on a US release of the actual Street Fighter IV arcade game. Desite the early promise being made that the game would make it to US arcades, there seems to be a bit of hesitancy in making that happen right now. I'm a little worried that with the console announcement made so soon Capcom is hoping that any 'hype' of a US arcade release will die down if a port is released prior to this winter (which I believe is the target release date for the console game).

If anyone out there has heard anything or knows of any additional details in regards to Capcom USA's efforts in trying to bring the arcade game stateside, I would love to hear it.

[Update - By the way, did anyone notice the giant countdown on the Capcom's Street Fighter World site?]

Capcom's Street Fighter IV development blog promises big things May 30th

The Street Fighter IV developer's blog was updated today. Based on what was said, this past weekend's location test went well for Capcom, however there are still a few changes in the works for Street Fighter IV before its July/August release date.

According to the developer's blog, some fairly large announcements are being planned for Street Fighter IV later this week. To start with, at Capcom's Captivate '08 event in Las Vegas, Ono (the game's producer) will be on hand to provide attendees with some new information about Street Fighter IV. This will be accompanied with several website updates as well as a Famitsu Weekly article (which may be coming out prior to Captivate if it will be in this week's Famitsu Weekly). I have a feeling part of what we are going to learn is a console platform unless Capcom has found an arcade distribution partner for Street Fighter IV in the US.

Capcom has also stated that they are planning on revealing a new boss for Street Fighter IV. I'm hoping for a new character (it's what the blog hints at), but I wouldn't be surprised if we are simply getting the official 'reveal' of Akuma since we haven't seen him yet and early reports list him as being 'important' to the game's story arc.