Capcom’s dropped fighters

I’ve really been enjoying the latest Japanese fighter to hit American shores, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. Of course, with every new fighter, there’s that given moment after its release to lament what could have been.  For a game on such a massive franchise-scale as Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, the number of characters you would want to appear in the game from either side can be staggering, so sadly many don’t make the cut.

In an interview with Dengeki Online, three of TvC’s head honchos, Ryota Nizuma, Mr. Bancho and Ryota Igawa gave some insight into the game’s early stages while they were still deciding which characters to include in the game.  The most interesting of which was the inclusion of the star from the Ace Attorney series, Phoenix Wright.  I remember the days when TvC was just newly announced and Phoenix was a definite hopeful to join the game’s ranks.  To find out that they actually did consider adding him to the game is pretty amazing. Although, what’s more amazing is the way thought up on how Phoenix would actually fight his opponents.

Some difficulties came up while deciding on moves for Phoenix. For one, the only movements he really makes in the game are hand gestures, and not much could have really been made from that.  Secondly, for the most part, you only see Phoenix from the waist up in the games.  This led to the decision to have Phoenix and his desk act as one whole character, with wheels attached to the underside, making him some sort of rolling, justice-bringing tank.  While I think this sounds awesome in theory, it would just end up looking really stupid in-game.  Not to mention I expect his hitbox to just be massive.

Other TvC wannabes were Arthur from Ghosts N’ Goblins fame and Ingrid from Capcom Fighting Jam.  Even though none of these made the cut for the first game, Ryota Nizuma said that if a sequel were ever made, he’d work really hard to get these characters into the game.

More revealed on the 5th generation of Pokémon

Remember that new Pokémon game that was teased about a few days ago? I was under the impression that it was just going to be a Pokémon Crystal remake, but it actually turned out to be a whole new generation Pokémon game. This latest piece of news comes straight from Coro Coro magazine, and though the details are scarce, the rag says that more info will become available in the coming month.

For starters, the silhouetted pokémon was revealed to be Zoroark/Zoroaaku (ゾロアーク). Many people mistook him to be the next evolution step for Lucario (myself included), but who knew it’d end up being a new pokémon entirely? Zoroark also has a pre-evolution by the name of Zorua/Zoroa (ゾロア).  Click the above image for the full picture including Zoroa.  The few details on Zoroark is that he’s a Dark-Type and classified as a Monster Fox.  He will also be playing a major role in the upcoming Pokémon film Phantom Champion Zoroark.

The name for the new region has not yet been revealed, and other gameplay details are incredibly scarce at the moment.  I’m also curious as to what the next set of games will be called. The last two were Diamond and Pearl, so I think it’d be a good guess that the next two games would be named after some precious metal or gem. As with the unveiling of any new Pokémon game, I’m incredibly excited and eagerly anticipating more news from Coro Coro next month!

Sega announces bonuses for Yakuza 3

The wait for Yakuza 3 has been a long time; the fact that it was announced at all for an international release still seems pretty crazy to me. Well, Sega announced this morning that they will be offering up some goodies for those who will be purchasing the game, although the sweetness of the deal depends on where you hail from.

Sega Europe is offering a “battle pack”.  The battle pack includes a 31-track soundtrack, a Yakuza Who’s Who which acts as a dossier for all the characters in the game and 4 separate pieces of DLC:

• Battle Survival: A boss-run mode
• All-Star Tournament: A 7 character tournament
• All-Star Tag Tournament: 8 tag-team tournament
• Haruka’s Request: Missions given by Haruka, where you’ll be made to play mini-games to keep her entertained

European pre-orderers will also get access to alternate costumes and two-player mini-games (pool, golf, darts and bowling). However, if you’re in North America, the deal is a little less sweet as pre-ordering the game will only get you the 4 pieces of DLC.  If your primary place to pre-order from is GameStop, you’ll also get access to the alternate costumes and two-player mini games.

Overall I think this is a good idea on Sega’s part. I know one of the main fears of bringing Yakuza 3 outside Japan was the less than stellar sales of the first two games, so maybe these added bonuses will bring in more buyers.  Hell, if this ends up selling well than we might just have a chance of seeing Kenzan! and Yakuza 4.  I really wish they would go the extra mile for us Americans and give us the Battle Pack.  I’d love to get my hands on that soundtrack and character dossier.

Julius capcom, dlc, japan, nintendo ds, pokémon, ps3, sega 0 comments

Scans of the article concerning Fallout: New Vegas in Playstation Magazine has made its way onto the Internet.  I found these care of Duck and Cover so many thanks to them for getting this out quickly.

As you may notice, the images used in the article are identical to those found in PC Gamer so there is not much new to see.  We do get a better look at the interface for controlling your followers — it appears much more helpful and involved than the system in Fallout 3.  I am hoping the emphasis on followers doesn’t make things too easy.  I actually avoided followers on my second play-through of Fallout 3 for that very reason.

One new feature which caught my eye is that the player can upgrade weapons.  In page 5, the image in the upper right hand corner says the the mini-gun used in the image is upgraded to decrease spook-up, which (I believe) means that the aim is less affected by recoil.  It is also mentioned in page 6 that upgrades increase the value of the weapon.  I wonder what other aspects of weapons can be altered?  Does this also apply for melee weapons?

The game’s new difficulty, “hardcore mode”, is addressed as well.  This time it mentions that healing limbs will now require an additional item aside from just a stimpak.  The item is called a doctor’s bag.  I am not sure if this is a key item or a consumable item.  Since it’s pluralized in the article it sounds like a consumable item, but the way it was going to be utilized in Fallout Tactics suggests a key item.  Either way, I am sure it’s added weight thus hindering the player.

The article is just another take on the same game intro which Obsidian appears to have presented in both publications.  This article does seem to stress that the decisions the player makes have far reaching consequences and play largely into both the different factions in the game and the ending the player receives.  I definitely appreciate the interaction between the player and the game’s story.  Sounds like a great update to the series.

Related Entries:
Fallout New Vegas: Teaser Video
Fallout: New Vegas Details Emerge
Fallout: New Vegas Scans

Roy bethesda, ps3 2 comments

In a recent edition of Dengeki’s Game radio, a member of the show named Eguchi eluded to a sequel of a certain game.  Apparently a friend of Eguchi’s in the developing industry is currently working on this mystery title.  He could obviously not mention the game by name, but gave the following clues:

• If a continuation in the series was released, there would be two parts.
• It’s a sequel to a game that came out last year (Demon’s Souls: February 5th 2009 release in Japan)
• The previous title was very challenging.
• The previous title had a very interesting system.

Naturally most of the Japanese gaming-otaku sites I follow are already calling this as Demon’s Souls II and I can’t say I disagree with them — the clues definitely seem to all point to Demon’s Souls.

Even more exciting is that Eguchi mentioned this title is currently in the works for a release this Fall in Japan.  This means if the game is truly in development, we should be hearing something concerning Demon’s Souls II in the near future!

This was easily my favorite game of 2009 so I am ecstatic to hear that a sequel could be a reality so early.  Here’s hoping this rumor proves to be true!

Roy japan, rumor 4 comments

Nintendo released this teaser image advertising the next issue of CoroCoro Mix, which goes on sale February 15th.  The issue  will reveal both the mystery silhouette-ed pokémon as well as details concerning the next game in the series.  If you look at the image you’ll notice that the games are connected by arrows in order of their release ending in the “?” box at the top.  The image also states that the game is planned to go on sale sometime in 2010 in Japan.

This is truly exciting news for Pokémon fans.  Before the month is through we should have some information regarding this title.  I am interested to see what new features Nintendo will be adding to the mystery game since it seems like they have really pushed the Nintendo DS to its limit.

Personally I am hoping that the Pokéwalker will be compatible with this version.  What are some features you would want to see in the next Pokémon game?  Please avoid mentioning the Pokémon MMO, it’s not happening people!

Roy nintendo ds, pokémon 4 comments

As promised, I managed to track down most (or all?) of the scans for Fallout New Vegas from PC Gamer Magazine.  You can check them out here:

The game’s appearance certainly does not stray far from Fallout 3’s, possibly due in part to both games running on the same engine.  Textures seem a bit improved; I noticed this especially in the image of the bearded man in the straw hat as well as in the title page featuring the NCR member.  Colors also appear more vibrant, which reminds me a bit of Borderlands.  I know some people complained of the monotony in terms of color in Fallout 3, perhaps that is the reason for this change.  The colors also seem like they would accent the Vegas aesthetic well.

You can check out the original scans from the magazine which also feature a writeup on the game below.  There is  a lot of info in these pages which elaborates on much of what I discussed yesterday:

While visually it doesn’t seem like much has changed, I think these scans are really only scratching the surface.  I look forward to seeing more about Fallout New Vegas in the near future.

Related Entries:
Fallout: New Vegas Rumors Emerge
Fallout: New Vegas First Teaser Image… Maybe?
Fallout New Vegas: Teaser Video
Fallout: New Vegas Details Emerge

Roy bethesda, ps3 1 comment