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Sega's AM2 fighting games arrive on XBLA and PSN next week
The official Sega blog says Fighting Vipers, Sonic the Fighters, and Virtua Fighter 2 (three classic fighting games made by Sega's legendary AM2 team) are all heading to Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network next week. Each games will include Achievements and Trophies, and support online multiplayer.All three games are set to show up on PSN on November 27 in North America for $4.99 each, and on November 28 on Xbox Live for 400 MSP. Then, they'll finally appear on the PSN in Europe on December 5 for €4.49.You'll find screenshots for each game in the gallery below, and hopefully that'll be enough to tide you over until you get to throw down again in these old-school fighters.%Gallery-171485%%Gallery-171487%%Gallery-171488%
Phoenix Wright movie to premiere at AM2 convention this June, no objections
Ace Attorney, feature-length film, is hitting North American shores this June at the AM2 (anime, manga and music) convention in Anaheim, California. Ace Attorney, directed by Ichi the Killer's Takashi Miike, debuted as a feature film in Japan earlier this month.AM2 will hold two exclusive screenings at the Anaheim Convention Center, one for passport holders only and one with pass holders preferred and general audience as seating permits. The AM2 convention runs from June 15-17.While this isn't exactly a widespread theatrical release for Ace Attorney, it does open the doors for US screenings. Keep your eyes on your local independent theaters for a chance to see all the cartoony flair (and hair) of Phoenix Wright in reality.
This Wednesday: After Burner Climax and Puzzle Chronicles on XBLA
After last week's one-two punch of Final Fight: Double Impact (you bought it, right?), another arcade gem will take off on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday in the form of After Burner Climax. It's a port of the 2006 arcade game, which itself is a revival of the classic, late-80s arcade series. Konami's Puzzle Chronicles also arrives on XBLA this week. Lest you've forgotten, this is "that game that looks like a sideways version of Puzzle Quest." If it's anywhere near as good as Puzzle Quest, we'll take it. Both games will be available for 800 ($10) apiece. [Via Major Nelson] Source - Xbox.com -- Puzzle Chronicles Source - Xbox.com -- After Burner Climax
Daytona USA returns to arcades in high-def as 'Sega Racing Classic'
In recent weeks, what appeared to be a promotional flyer for a new Sega AM2 arcade game, Sega Racing Classic, has been making the rounds. Its inclusion of imagery closely matching that of Daytona USA lead many to believe there might finally be a new sequel to the, er, racing classic. As it turns out, coin-op industry site Highway Games has obtained an official rundown on the game, and it's ... an HD remake of the original Daytona USA, sans the name.According to the site -- which also has pictures of the sit-down cabinet -- Sega Racing Classic is "a revamped version of Sega's smash hit Daytona USA, featuring the original tracks and heart pumping action with all new high definition graphics." Specifically, the machine sports a 32" widescreen LCD display and the game runs at 1280x720 (720p) resolution. As suggested by the aforementioned flyer, SRC is powered by Sega's latest arcade hardware, Ringwide.Since Sega no longer has the rights to the "Daytona" name, it's likely that the game's title won't be the only change. There's the little issue of the attract sequence music, with its enchanting repetition of the word "Daytona" along with the lyrics "let's fly away." Still, whatever the name, Sega's classic racer in HD is a welcome surprise. We imagine some of you have already started online petitions to bring the game to PSN and XBLA before even finishing this post.[Via Arcade Heroes]
AMD to bring six-core 'Thuban' processor to the consumer realm
Look out, Intel -- six cores are mightier than four, don'tcha know? Shortly after introducing a six-core processor in the server sector, AMD is reportedly angling to issue a hexa-core chip over on the consumer side. The chip maker has confirmed to Maximum PC that a six-core slab of silicon (codenamed Thuban) will be released in 2010, with the real kicker being that it'll be fully backwards compatible with existing AM3 and AM2+ mainboards. It'll be based on 45nm process technology and will boast an integrated DDR3 controller, 3MB of L2 cache and 6MB of L3 cache, and while the outfit wouldn't confirm, word on the street has it that the final product will sport a Phenom II X6 moniker. So, Core i9 -- what have you to say now?
Virtual On director creating new XBLA game
According to a Gemaga report (translation), Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram director Toru Murayama intimated at the CESA Developer's Conference that he's working on a new Xbox Live Arcade game. According to Murayama, Virtual On was popular, so he's decided to work on another XBLA project. Unfortunately, it seems Murayama didn't provide any further details on the subject. While we're positively giddy at the thought of a new Virtual On game for XBLA, let's all just take a deep breath and not get our hopes up. That said, it sure would be great to have an excuse to dust off our $300 paperweight. [Via andriasang.com]
Yu Suzuki assumes even smaller role at Sega
Yu Suzuki, creator of such renowned gaming franchises as OutRun, Virtua Fighter and Shenmue has been slowly making a move out of Sega's R&D division over the past year, taking on such a limited role that Sega of America's president believed he'd left the company. GameSpot now reports that Suzuki is (officially) stepping down from his post as creative director altogether.But there's a twist. The legendary designer will, in fact, stay on at Sega, limiting his scope to one R&D department, AM Plus. The team he'll be managing created the Japan-only Lindbergh based fighting game Psy-Phi and another arcade title, Sega Race TV. As they say, "You can take the man out of Sega, but not the Sega out of the man" -- but, in Suzuki's case, we doubt the former will fully happen until he's a little older and grayer.
Phenom upgrade poses problems for AM2 motherboard users
It looks like AMD users hoping to pop one of those speedy new Phenom processors into their old AM2 motherboard for a bit of a boost could be in for some trouble, at least according to the folks at Tom's Hardware, who recently put the processor to the test with ten different mobos. After their usual thorough testing, they found that the processor didn't work well at all with eight out of the ten motherboards, despite earlier promises by AMD to the contrary, and the other two had problems of their own even after a BIOS update. That left them with no other recommendation than to tell folks to hold on to their good 'ol Athlon 64 X2, at least until AMD lets loose the so-called Phenom B3 stepping processor in the second quarter of next year, which should iron out all the bugs, and give motherboard manufacturers time to get their act together as well. [Thanks, Mack Swift]
X3F hands-on: Virtua Fighter 5
We spent the better part of this morning wrapping our fingers around the new Virtua Fighter 5 demo on Xbox Live Marketplace. If you're familiar with the series, you can probably stop reading this right now. You know what to expect, and you know that you'll love it. For all the other fighting game fans out there, as well as fans of pretty games in general, go ahead and read our thoughts on the demo. You can find them after the break.
VF5 may not hit (or kick) Japanese 360s
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at Leipzig last week, Tohru Murayama, lead designer for Virtua Fighter 5, intimated that the game may not see the light of day on Japanese 360s. According to Murayama (and everybody else for that matter), the Xbox 360 has not done well in Japan. As a result, the install base of just under 400,000 units may not justify the release of Virtua Fighter 5 in Japan. It's a shame really, considering the features of Virtua Fighter 5 360 that aren't offered on the PS3, chiefly online play. Our condolences to Japanese gamers, the prognosis isn't looking good.The rest of us can look forward to fighting bliss come October 30th.
First Virtua Fighter 5 360 online play video
While Virtua Fighter 5 is a damned fine fighting game in its own right, there can be no doubt that its biggest boon on Xbox 360 is the inclusion of online play. As the first in the Virtua Fighter series to include the feature, much attention is being paid by fans. Dead or Alive 4 currently stands as the only Xbox 360 fighting game to utilize online play, and many players find it less than satisfactory. Without a miracle of a connection, fights often turn into lag-filled nightmares where victory has little to do with skill. The Gamersyde video above shows off Virtua Fighter 5's online system as displayed in Leipzig. The lobby system appears to be a no frills affair, though it looks like it gets the job done. The play looks solid, and any slowdown could be attributed to the video quality. Still, we're sure that Sega went out of its way to set up a smooth match for the convention, so we'll have to reserve final judgment for the retail version.[Via Joystiq]
Fighting fans take note: VF 5 on October 30
If you like fighting games, you'd best mark your calendar, because Sega has confirmed with GameSpot that Virtua Fighter 5 for the Xbox 360 will ship October 30. As we've reported before, the 360 version includes several new features beyond those found in the PS3 version. The biggest of these is undoubtedly online play. Other changes include smoother graphics, leaderboards, downloadable content, a deeper quest mode, and gameplay based off of the latest arcade revision. Now, if you'll excuse us, it's time to go place a pre-order.[Via Joystiq]
360 Virtua Fighter 5 has online play!
Yeah, you read that right. Despite all the cries that it would ruin game balance, and that Virtua Fighter just wouldn't work online, there it is. Sega has officially announced that Virtua Fighter 5 for the Xbox 360 will feature online versus multiplayer. Given that this was one of our personal predictions for E3, we couldn't be happier. Online play in Virtua Fighter 5 will allow players to take on opponents in 1-on-1 matches over Xbox Live. The 360 version is based on the latest arcade revision and features new additions to the Quest and DOJO modes. Of course, Online play stands out as a particularly ostentatious feather in the 360 version's cap, as the PS3 version is an offline-only affair.
SEGA: VF5 will be a summer release
It seems there's some confusion surrounding the release date of Virtua Fighter 5 according to Eurogamer. It seems that several online retailers, including GameStop, Amazon, and Play.com, are listing the game as a fall or even winter release. SEGA begs to differ and has confirmed with Eurogamer that Virtua Fighter 5 is still planned as a summer release. Eurogamer also notes that we still don't know exactly what will be different between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the title, especially given recent revisions to the arcade game. Of course, we're all still hoping for online multiplayer, but we're not hoping too hard.%Gallery-3554%
AMD Phenom FX, X4, X2 Stars to shine in Q3 / Q4
When it's been nearly six months since we've seen an elusive PowerPoint slide pointing to future AMD processors, it's been far too long, but it looks like the forecasting can begin again thanks to information about AMD's star-packed Q3. According to a roadmap slide charting out the future of AMD's "Stars" family of processors, a number of dual- and quad-core processor options will be headed to the desktop market sometime in the third and fourth quarters, and while the firm's "value" Athlon 64 X2 and Sempron chips will also see minor overhauls headed into Q1 of 2008, the focus seems to be on the Phenoms in the crew. The flagship quad-core Phenom FX (dubbed Agena FX) will clock in from 2.2GHz to 2.6GHz, sport 4 x 512KB of L2 cache, 2MB of L3 cache, and sport bus speeds of 3,200MHz or 3,600MHz. The X4 chips ratchet down in speed a bit, and only handle the AM2+ socket while the top-end FX plays nice with the 1207+. The X2 CPUs go the dual-core route, top out at 2.8GHz, but won't be ready for ordering until Q4 of this year. Be sure to hit the read link for a (larger) peek at the chart -- unless you just completed an order for a current-generation chip, that is.[Via RegHardware]
A fistful of new Virtua Fighter 5 screens
Frankly, we're still miffed that SEGA refuses to add online play to its flagship fighting title, Virtua Fighter 5. Of course, that doesn't mean we won't ravenously devour every scrap of information about the game that comes our way. Today's latest on Virtua Fighter 5 comes to us from Gamertag Radio in the form of three new screenshots. Yeah, it's not exactly earth-shattering (like, say, announcing fully integrated online play), but it's better than nothing. Besides, the game is just damned pretty.VF5 hits (and kicks) the Xbox 360 this summer. Anyone out there plan on picking it up?
Albatron showcasing Nano Abox V2.0 Mini-PC at CeBIT
It looks like Asus' LED-backlit laptop and NVIDIA's three-way SLI will have to share the limelight with someone else at CeBIT, as Albatron is planning to showcase its wee Nano Abox V2.0 Mini-PC for literal computing on the go. While not quite a laptop per se, this miniature PC has a 6.1- x 3.4-inch LCD screen flanking the top, and while a brief glance may bring back delightful memories of the Wii laptop design, this multimedia-centric device isn't just fun and games. Aside from boasting Viiv certification, it packs an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, integrated graphics, DVI output, eight-channel audio, USB 2.0, FireFire, and gigabit Ethernet. Of course, no pricing or availability details have yet been divulged, but if you're looking for an average HTPC that can hit the road without taking up too much space, Albatron's got you covered.[Via 64-Bit-Computers]
Virtua Fighter 5: a primer
GameTrailers has released a video preview of Virtua Fighter 5. While the preview is for the PS3 version of the game, most of it should hold true for the 360 release. Specifically, it should give those unfamiliar with the game some idea of why hardcore fighting fans are nuts about it. One thing severely lacking from the PS3 version (as mentioned in the video) is that it has no form of online support whatsoever. We already knew it had no online vs. play, but the PS3 version even lacks something as basic as online leaderboards and the ability to trade saved videos. We can't imagine Microsoft would allow a 360 game to ship without at least having leaderboards, but we'll have to wait and see. Check out the video after the break.
Virtua Fighter 5, gameplay videos galore
Virtua Fighter is not for everyone. Outside of Japan, it's never gotten the attention of a Tekken or a Soul Calibur or, to a lesser extent, a Dead or Alive. Some will argue that it's a critical darling, but critical success doesn't necessarily translate to high sales numbers. As old school SEGA fans, we have a soft spot for the series (in fact, I prefer it to Tekken or DOA), so we're going to pimp it all we can. GameTrailers has unleashed several new videos of the game in action (PS3 version). Two things are evident from these videos. One, it's real purdy. Two, it's painful to watch people that don't really know how to play (something that's true of all fighting games). Still, these videos should give hopeful fans an idea of what to expect when the game hits the Xbox 360 this summer. Check out three more videos after the break.
Virtua Fighter 5 is coming to 360, booyah!
Our fanboy fingers are shaking as we type this, but we'll try to remain strong. SEGA has officially announced that Virtua Fighter 5 (AKA the mother of all Japanese exclusives) is coming to the Xbox 360 -- despite SEGA's claims otherwise. The game is expected to ship in Summer 2007, some months after the February release of the PS3 version. While this is great news for fighting fans, it's even better news for Microsoft's hopes in Japan. Virtua Fighter is huge in Japan, much bigger than it's ever been in North America or Europe. VF5 could very easily move some 360s in Japan, especially given that VF fans can pick up the 360 for much less than a PS3. Before we get too excited, we should point out that VF5 does not feature online play, an expected feature for 360 titles. Even including that caveat, this is an overwhelmingly positive outcome for Microsoft and 360 owners in general. Now if they'd just release a 360 compatible Virtua Stick .... Alright, let's make some bets. Which exclusive will make it to the 360 next? MGS4, perhaps?[Thanks to Xboxygen for tipping us off.]
