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According to a Capcom release that surfaced yesterday, there might be some bad news for gamers anxious for the Street Fighter IV facelift.  G4tv pointed out that Super Street Fighter IV, Lost Planet 2, Monster Hunter 3, and Dead Rising 2 might be subject to a delayed release for “strategic reasons”.  This delay would mean that the aforementioned titles could now fit into the window of Capcom’s fiscal 2011, or April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011.

Much like the movie industry rearranges releases in order to avoid stiff competition, Capcom proves that the video game industry displays similar tactics.  Don’t be surprised if Capcom sends out most of its heavy hitters a little later than expected.  Sadly, the waiting game is all-too-familiar to gamers.

Slated for a March 23rd release and $40 price tag, Super Street Fighter IV has been a game that has stirred up many speculations and rumors since this year’s Tokyo Game Show. A recent scan of Youtube, however, reveals a bit more substance for the upcoming fighter. Four new game modes will make their appearance in the new chapter of Street Fighter IV…and the term “new” is used loosely:

Team Battle
Replay Channel
Endless Battle
Bonus Stages

Team Battle presents the opportunity for 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 matchups, a mode made popular in the recent Versus crossover fighters. The Replay Channel allows players to record, watch, save matches or watch matches of their own or from other players around the world. Endless Battle pits one player versus another, with the loser rotating to the end of line while the winner stays to play the next up. Bonus Stages present the successful return of a Street Fighter 2 fan favorite, bringing back the destroy-the-car/barrels-before-time-expires intermissions.

As the video points out, players waiting for their turn in online multiplayer will be able to watch the active players duke it out, bestowing the option to either strategize accordingly or take a bathroom break.

Things are heating up on Xbox LIVE® Arcade – The 2nd Annual Summer of Arcade kicks off on July 22!

Mark your calendars: Xbox LIVE Arcade is once again bringing you the hottest and biggest downloadable blockbusters!

Last year, Xbox LIVE Arcade marked a new era of quality downloadable games during the first annual Summer of Arcade program with “Castle Crashers,” which was voted Best Game of the Year in the 2008 Xbox LIVE Arcade Awards and has generated more than $10 million in revenue to date. The imaginative and innovative “Braid” peaked as one of the top five selling Xbox LIVE Arcade titles of 2008 and boasts the highest Metacritic rating of all Xbox LIVE Arcade games to date, proving that Xbox LIVE Arcade is home to the best and brightest digitally distributed games available.

This year, Xbox LIVE Arcade is at it again. No matter what kind of games you enjoy, the second annual Summer of Arcade turns up the dial with original Xbox 360 exclusives like the award-winning “Shadow Complex,” the fresh and ridiculously funny award-winner “Splosion Man,” and remade classics like “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled.”

“The second annual Summer of Arcade continues our legacy of delivering the most popular downloadable games right to your Xbox 360,” said Scott Austin, director of digitally distributed games at Microsoft. “Last year’s program introduced blockbusters that changed the face of Xbox LIVE Arcade. This year, we’re excited to take Arcade to a whole new level and deliver on our promise of quality yet again with all-new smash hits like the highly-anticipated ‘Shadow Complex’ and ‘Trials HD.’”

The second annual Summer of Arcade begins July 22.

July 22: Splosion Man™ | 800 Microsoft Points

(Twisted Pixel Games/Microsoft): Fools they were, to tread where knowledge should stay forbidden.  For what emerged was not a man - it was a Splosion Man. ”And all who saw him were sploded, for he was the fire and they were but meat.” Able to splode himself at will, the Splosion Man launches his way through levels as an uncontainable force.  From Twisted Pixel Games, developer of the award winning The Maw™, Splosion Man will keep you on your toes as you play through more than 50 single-player levels and 50 multiplayer levels. Nominated by GameSpy, Gamespot, IGN, and 411mania, this meat-riddled splosion-fest took several Best of E3 awards including Best Platformer and Best Downloadable Game.

July 29: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 | 1200 Microsoft Points

(Backbone Entertainment/Capcom): One of the most popular fighting games of all time, “Marvel vs. Capcom 2,” arrives worldwide on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Choose from 56 legendary characters from Marvel Comics and Capcom history, including Ryu and Wolverine. With online multiplayer over Xbox LIVE and enhanced HD graphics, decide your own dream team in the ultimate tag-team fighting experience.

August 5: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™: Turtles in Time Re-shelled | 1200 Microsoft Points

(Ubisoft Singapore®/Ubisoft®): Cowabunga dude!  Marking the franchise’s 25 anniversary, everyone’s favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is back with a brand new look in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled.” The arcade classic has been revamped with all new 3D graphics, but the same classic beat ‘em up gameplay.

August 12: Trials HD | 1200 Microsoft Points

(RedLynx/Microsoft): Nominated for GameSpy’s Best Downloadable Game of E3 award, “Trials HD” is guaranteed to get our heart racing.” Put on your helmet, and rev your way through “Trials HD,” a full-featured, physics-based motorcycle racing platformer in stunning HD graphics. Tear up more than 50 tracks and test your metal in two unique game modes: Race and Skill. Create, share and download an unlimited number of free tracks with the level editor, and customize your rider to fit your personality.

August 19: Shadow Complex | 1200 Microsoft Points

(Chair Entertainment and Epic Games/Microsoft): Winner of numerous Best of E3 awards including Best Downloadable Game from 1UP, IGN, GameTrailers and G4TV, “Shadow Complex” is the next evolution in downloadable games. “Shadow Complex” marries the quality and depth of a full retail title with the stunning visuals of Epic Games’ industry-leading Unreal Engine 3, and a classic side-scroller. Set in the world of Orson Scott Card’s best-selling novel, “Empire,” Shadow Complex provides more than 10 hours of in-depth gameplay and introduces a compelling universe in which you collect items and power-ups, and evolve your character into a force of destruction.”

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™: Turtles in Time Re-shelled” is available worldwide, excluding Japan and Korea. All other games will be available worldwide.  More detailed information about Summer of Arcade can be found by visiting here.

*This is the current release schedule. As with everything game release related, dates are subject to change.

Game on!

Capcom has just released a new trailer for their upcoming title, Resident Evil 5.  The more I see about this one, the more I’m looking forward to it. 

To view the trailer, click HERE (R-Click & Save Target As - 497MB High Def .mov file.)

The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player’s spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures. Chris must take on the challenge of discovering the truth behind this evil plot. In Resident Evil 5, Capcom will teach players to fear the daylight as much as they have feared shadow in previous games.

Co-producer and series veterans Jun Takeuchi (Lost Planet) and Masachicka Kawata (Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles) unleashes an unprecedented level of fear for the next generation in Resident Evil 5, the sequel to one of the highest-rated videogames in history, according to Metacritic.com and Gamerankings.com. Promising to revolutionize the series by delivering an unbelievable level of detail, realism and control, Resident Evil 5 is certain to bring new fans to the series. New technology developed specifically for the game, as well as incredible changes to both the gameplay and world of Resident Evil will make this a must-have game for gamers across the globe.

The latest in the Resident Evil series, which has sold over 34 million units since the original game was released in 1996, as well as spawned a multi-million dollar trilogy of films from Sony Pictures. Resident Evil 5 will revolutionize the Resident Evil series, just as Resident Evil 4 did.

Key features
• Chris Redfield, protagonist of the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, returns
• New environments and a diverse assortment of locations
• New enemies bring new challenges: speed and intelligence make adversaries as dangerous singly as they are in groups.
• An arsenal of weapons at the players command to keep the evil at bay, including knives, pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles and more.
• Lighting effects provide a new level of suspense in both harsh light and deepest shadow
• True high definition gaming on multiple game platforms, using an advanced version of Capcom’s proprietary game engine, MT Framework, which powered the next-gen, million-plus hit titles Devil May Cry 4, Lost Planet and Dead Rising.

Game on!

Capcom has released a great behind-thescenes trailer, to give us an in-depth look at the upcoming Live Arcade title: Bionic Commando Rearmed.

Right click HERE (and ‘Save Target As’) to download the trailer (247MB MOV - High quality - 6.5 minutes).  Enjoy - and watch for part 2 here on 360 Rant Rave when it becomes available. 

Game on!

1942: Joint Strike takes inspiration and influence from the ‘80s 194X series of World War II-themed vertical arcade shooters. The art, sound and gameplay of the new game take cues from the original 194X games, but will stand out as its own unique entry. Gameplay will resemble the classic 2D style that gamers expect, but the game utilizes a fully 3D engine. Set in a World War II-themed locale, stages, vehicles and weapons have the look and feel of WWII with some stylistic differences.

The new 1942: Joint Strike features 2-player online cooperative play. Graphics and music have been similarly updated by Backbone Entertainment, the developers of this latest entry into the 194X series. There’s also a brand new score for the game created by Norihiko Hibino, an international composer well-known for his work creating music for the Metal Gear series.

Screenshots:

Shot 1

Shot 2

Shot 3

Shot 4

Shot 5

Game on!

Good news Street Fighter fans.  The Super Street Fighter II Turbo High Definition Remix (whew!) Beta will be available to download on Xbox LIVE Arcade tomorrow, Wednesday, June 25. SSFIITHDR Beta will be available for all of those who have purchased Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 on LIVE Arcade. 

This unique Beta version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix will allow players to select from one of two Street Fighter characters, either Ryu or Ken, and battle online. This Beta test will help Capcom stress-test the network code underlying the incredible online features that power the multiplayer modes of the game. Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Beta online modes include Player or “Quarter” Match, Ranked Match, and Tournament Mode, as well as offline, local two-player matches (but that’s much less fun, isn’t it?). The Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Beta will run for approximately eight weeks, ending around August 20 or whenever we decide that we’ve had enough people using cheap moves on us online.
 
To gain access to the Beta:
 
Step 1: Buy Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 for 800 MS Points

Step 2: Select the “SFII HD Remix Beta” option on the main menu of Wolf

Step 3: You will be taken to a download blade where you can confirm your download (this will not be visible until the code is live on Arcade tomorrow)

Step 4: Once the Beta has finished downloading, head to the “Games” blade on your 360

Step 5: Fire up SSFIITHDR in the Demos section on the Games blade and enjoy the online multiplayer goodness!

Game on!

Gametrailers.com has posted a new trailer for the upcoming title, Resident Evil 5. 

It’s lookin’ pretty good!

Game on!

Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that the first television commercial for Street Fighter® IV will debut during the CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights mixed martial arts (MMA) event. The EliteXC bout takes place on CBS on Saturday, May 31 at 9 PM EST. Immediately following the bout, the Street Fighter IV trailer will debut on the newly redesigned StreetFighter.com, along with the first chance for gamers to preorder Street Fighter IV for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system exclusively through GamesStop.

Viewers tuning in to catch the first MMA fight to ever air on US broadcast television featuring internet phenomenon Kimbo Slice battling British fighter James “The Colossus” Thompson, will be treated to the network premiere of a 60 second Street Fighter IV trailer and 30 second Street Fighter IV television spots, which feature a combination of stylized CG animation and game play, ending with a call to action that will drive viewers to the newly designed StreetFighter.com website.

Street Fighter IV brings the legendary fighting series back to its roots by taking the beloved fighting moves and techniques of the original Street Fighter II, and infusing them with Capcom’s latest advancements in next generation technology to create a truly extraordinary experience that will re-introduce the world to the time-honored art of virtual martial arts.

Everything that made the legendary Street Fighter II a hit in the arcades, living rooms and dormitories across the globe has been brought back in Street Fighter IV. Players will be able to play their favorite classic characters, such as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Guile, along with new characters, including Crimson Viper, Abel, El Fuerte, and Rufus. Characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D, while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. Six-button controls for the game return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the gameplay system. Street Fighter IV brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over.

Features:

• 3D environments and characters
• Traditional “2D” Street Fighter six-button gameplay
• Classic Street Fighter characters re-imagined for a new generation of gamers, including the original cast of Street Fighter II
• New brawlers: female super-spy Crimson Viper, lucha libre wrestler El Fuerte, mixed martial artist Abel and more!
• New special moves that go beyond any Street Fighter fan’s wildest imagination, including Focus Attacks, Super Combos, and the revenge-fueled Ultra Combo system.
• Amazing locations never seen before in a Street Fighter game
• New gameplay elements provide challenges for both newcomers as well as the most seasoned Street Fighter pro.

Game on!

The next chapter of Capcom’s Rocketmen: Axis of Evil is coming! Rocketmen: It Came from Your Uranus, an expansion to the original digitally-distributed title, will be available through Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PlayStation Network Store on Wednesday, May 14 and Thursday, May 15 respectively. For 400 points on Xbox LIVE or $4.95 on PlayStation Network, Rocketmen fans will have access to new maps, weapons, and enemies.

Key features
A digitally-distributed add-on to Rocketmen: Axis of Evil

• Players must have already purchased Rocketmen: Axis of Evil in order to play It Came from Uranus
• Continue the Rocketmen saga with your characters from the original game.
• 400 XBLA points / $4.95 PSN Store

3 New Weapons
• Blobber: Shoots blobs of goo at enemies, does damage over time in the part of the ground that it covers.
• Beamer: Shoots lighting at enemies, does high intensity damage.
• Bomber: Shoots grenades instead of bullets; grenades explode on impact doing damage.

2 New Secondary Weapons
• Falcon: Robotic falcon that attacks enemies automatically
• Screw bomb: Rocket that turns into a proximity mine on impact

3 New Levels
• Level 11 - Finding Jane: The player must escape the Saturnian prison mine and reclaim Nick’s ship, the Icarus Jane.
• Level 12 - Clear the Asteroids: The player must clear a path for the ship through Saturn’s rings
• Level 13 - The Plan: The player must make his way through the Saturnian palace and convince Angelica, leader of the Saturnians, to join the Alliance.

New Enemies
• Saturnian Marine
• Saturnian Elite
• Heavy Mining Terra Scientists
• Terra Rocket Marines
• Saturnian Pit Boss
• Saturnian Asteroid Demolition Machine
• Lord Angelica

Game on!