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Actor retracts announcement of live-action Tekken prequel
Yesterday we brought you word of a live-action Tekken prequel dubbed Tekken - A Man Called X. Today we've learned that no such film exists. Reports of the film initially stemmed from actor Kane Kosugi. Reportedly, Kosugi was to star in the movie which would have been directed by famed Thai martial arts auteur Prachya Pinkaew. This morning however, a notice appeared on Kosugi's personal site, apologizing for yesterday's announcement and clarifying that Kosugi is instead slated to star in a film provisionally titled "Agent X." Though not explicitly stated, it appears that this new project has no relation to Namco Bandai's 3D fighting game franchise - or, if it does, nobody bothered to inform long-time Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada who has been shooting down reports of the film on Twitter. Kosugi's site "deeply" apologizes for the inconvenience.
Hollywood to explore Tekken's roots in live-action prequel [Update]
Crystal Sky Pictures is once again hoping to bring Tekken to the silver screen with a live-action prequel dubbed Tekken - A Man Called X. According to a Cinema Today report (translated by Kotaku), this new film will be directed by Prachya Pinkaew and star Kane Kosugi. Pinkaew is the auteur responsible for Ong-Bak and Tom Yum Goong, two of the finest Thai martial arts films in recent memory. Kosugi, in turn, is the son of legendary martial artist and actor Sho Kosugi. Tekken - A Man Called X will be Kosugi's first starring role in a Hollywood film, though he's been punching and kicking people in action movies since childhood. There's currently no word on when Tekken - A Man Called X will debut, but filming is scheduled to begin soon. Update: Kane Kosugi's site has retracted the announcement of Tekken - A Man Called X.
Tekken Revolution update tags in Christie, Lee
Christie Monteiro and Lee Chaolan have kicked their way into Tekken Revolution, the PS3 exclusive, free-to-play adaptation of the Tekken series. Both have been added to the game's roster in a free update, which also includes "new premium effects and new costumes." Christie and Lee bring the current playable roster to 24, with the fan-favored Female Vampire character still coming in a future update. Revolution was downloaded over two million times during its first three months, so there should be some decent competition to pit the returning fighters against.
Seen@Namco Bandai HQ: Harada and Hoshino's business tactics
Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada (right) and SoulCalibur series producer Masaaki Hoshino (left) were both heavily armed during our group interview session at Namco Bandai HQ this week. While neither of them explicitly said so, we figure it had something to do with fighting game rival and Street Fighter producer, Yoshinori Ono.
'Tekken Revolution' is PS3 exclusive, free to play, launching this Tuesday
Tekken Revolution was revealed earlier today by a trailer tucked away 19 minutes inside of a video segment on Gamespot. The game, which is both free-to-play and a PlayStation 3 exclusive, will be available this Tuesday, June 11. Aside from the fact that Paul, Bryan, Kazuya and Lars are all featured in the footage shown, little else is known. Tekken ringleader Katsuhiro Harada previously dismissed an Australian Classifications Board listing for the title as being in reference to a new version of Tekken Card Tournament. That, coupled with the fact that no user interface is shown in the Revolution footage, is enough to keep us from assuming that this is a fighting game – it could just as easily be a high-def, ultra-pretty version of Namco Bandai's existing, mobile free-to-play competitive card game set in the Tekken universe. With E3 breathing down our necks, we expect to learn more soon.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U launch trailer powers up
This launch trailer for the Wii U version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 shows some of the humorous Nintendo-themed costumes and items gamers can play around with. The game hits store shelves today next to that brand new Wii U console you've heard so much about.
Cross-link, more alternate costumes announced for Street Fighter X Tekken
Capcom Producer Tomoaki Ayano recapped announcements from New York Comic Con, including "cross-link" features for Street Fighter X Tekken in a Capcom Unity blog. The feature allows players to use their PlayStation Vita consoles as controllers for the PS3 version of the game.Ayano also noted an October 30 release date for alternate costumes for Street Fighter X Tekken and a mid-December release window for the next "hefty" game update. The update will include character balance fixes, such as tweaked anti-air abilities for Tekken characters, in addition to several visual effects changes.
Harada is pretty confident he can get Project X Zone localized
Katsuhiro Harada, producer extraordinaire of the Tekken series, is pressing Namco Bandai to localize Project X Zone, the SRPG 3DS collaboration among Capcom, Sega and Namco Bandai, set to launch in Japan on October 11.Harada is not only pressing Namco Bandai for a localization – he seems to think he can get the deed done."I proposed localization of Project X Zone," Harada tweets. He follows that announcement with, "Not decided yet, but It will be realized if I continue proposing."Everyone likes a man with confidence.
Gallery: The Tokyo Game Show 2012 Square Enix/Play Arts Booth
So, I'm not a professional photographer or a professional action-figure critic or anything, but I am a professional Video Games Person, so I was duty bound by my strict code of VGP ethics to take a lot of pictures of some pretty awesome looking stuff at Square Enix's Play Arts booth during this year's Tokyo Game Show.Prototype figures from upcoming Halo, Batman and Mass Effect figure series can all be seen in the gallery below, as can my inadvertently-captured pasty reflection and a few bonus slimes that were thrown for good measure.%Gallery-166319%
Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition features Nintendo-themed 'Mushroom Battle' mode
During a private pre-Tokyo Game Show event held at Namco Bandai's massive headquarters in the Shinagawa ward of Tokyo, we had a chance to experience a guided tour of the special (and fittingly bizarre) exclusive features coming to Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition.Though there are some ancillary new features that take advantage of the Wii U's hardware, the real meat of Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition's console-specific feature set is its "Mushroom Battle" mode, which incorporates power-ups and music from classic Nintendo games into standard Tekken matches. Mega Mushrooms, Poison Mushrooms and other classics litter the floor of a standard match, each performing their expected function when walked on by a character. The results are, predictably, completely hilarious and wacky.Absorbing mushrooms (or other power-ups like Invincibility Stars) changes the dynamic of the match, as larger characters do more damage and smaller characters move more quickly, for instance. We asked Harada if balance was a consideration while designing Mushroom Battle mode, and he told us that breaking the traditional conventions of Tekken is what makes the mode so entertaining.At present, it is unknown whether the mode will be online-enabled - in fact, Harada was unable to answer any questions regarding the Wii U's online infrastructure - but we're sure to learn more over the coming months.
Touchscreen controls coming to Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition
One of many Wii U port inevitabilities will be coming to the new console's version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Touchscreen controls. Specifically, the WiiPad's screen can be used to map out custom shortcuts to specific abilities, which can then be tapped in succession to perform combos.Series producer Katsuhiro Harada demonstrated the feature during a pre-Tokyo Game Show event at Namco Bandai's headquarters in Shinagawa, Tokyo, wherein banks of on-screen buttons were pressed to activate moves that would normally require directional inputs and/or simultaneous button presses.If this sounds at all familiar, its because a similar system was implemented in Dead or Alive Dimensions on the 3DS, though from everything we saw it did not appear as though TTT2's shortcuts can be used to perform entire combos with one button press, as is possible in DOAD.We asked Harada if WiiPad shortcuts will be available for use while fighting online, and he said that he wants that to be the case. He made it a point to mention, however, that some moves (such as the Electric Wind Godfist) will not be executable as shortcuts, and that a classically-skilled player will still have the advantage.
Heard@ Tokyo Game Show 2012: Harada and Ono can never work together due to 'animal turds'
The friendly rivalry between Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada and former Street Fighter mastermind Yoshinori Ono is a long and storied one, though we've always suspected that, were their powers to ever truly combine, the fighting world would never be the same.As it turns out, it'd likely be the carpet in the Namco Bandai offices that never recovered: "I think he would be a positive asset to the company and on that front we definitely would want to hire him," Harada told us during a pre-Tokyo Game Show event earlier this week, after we asked if Ono would have a future at Namco Bandai, should the need ever arise."But personally working with him, I don't think we'd get very far in our jobs because we'd be too busy playing pranks on each other and putting animal turds around each other's desks. I think work would slow down a great deal if we worked together."
Street Fighter X Tekken Minimates coming this fall
Excellent news for that one guy making a Street Fighter X Tekken stop-motion animation film based on the one fanfic he wrote, as well as regular people with cubicles that need decorating: Diamond Select Toys will be releasing two new series of SFxT Minimates figures, with the first wave arriving in November.Regardless of which wave they're in, characters come in fixed packs of two: Ken vs. Steve, Cammy vs. Nina, Poison vs. Lili and Sagat vs. King (above) make up November's offering. Wave two, said to release sometime in February, pits Chun-Li vs. Hwoarang, Abel vs. Kazuya, Ryu vs. Yoshimitsu and Rufus vs. Julia, all of whom can be seen after the break. No word on pricing, but we do know that some pairs will be more rare than others.
Street Fighter X Tekken hits US Vitas Oct. 23 with Near, AR functionality
The PlayStation Vita version of Street Fighter X Tekken will be punching bears all over North America on October 23, according to Capcom Unity. Purchasing the game unlocks those 12 characters on the PS3 version, and though Japan receives both retail and digital copies on October 25 there has been no confirmation of a PSN release in the US.Street Fighter X Tekken's myriad of Vita-centric capabilities were also expounded upon today by a blitzkrieg of new videos, as seen above and beyond the veil. Near functionality has been added, allowing players to wirelessly trade custom costume color combinations when randomly in proximity. Ad-hoc multiplayer is supported for up to four players at once, and the Vita's camera can even be used to take pictures of characters doing Street Fightery stuff on your kitchen table.%Gallery-160181%
Harada 'pulling back' on idea of Tekken characters in new Smash Bros.
Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada is "not really sure" if Namco Bandai should include Tekken characters in the next Super Smash Bros., he told NowGamer. Namco is co-developing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS with Nintendo, and the title is a "big priority for the company," Harada says.Namco has "a lot of people" from many of its franchises developing Super Smash Bros., but fans have been most curious about Tekken staff involvement in the new game, Harada says."The fans, rather than asking about Tales or Gundam or some of our other franchises, the fans abroad saw Tekken as one of the key words and took off on that," he says. "We're not really sure at this moment but when thinking of the playerbase who is playing Smash Bros., maybe Tekken characters is something they wouldn't want, so I've been pulling back on that a bit. But I don't know."One of Tekken's characters, Heihachi Mishima, has been confirmed for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Sony's take on a Smash Bros.-style game. Namco's main staff is currently focused on finishing Tekken Tag Tournament 2, but it will support Super Smash Bros. in some capacity, Harada says. If any of the Tekken characters do make it into Super Smash Bros., we're personally hoping it's this one.
PlayStation All-Stars joined by Heihachi and Toro
The roster in Sony's mascot mashup, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, has grown by two more fighters. Heihachi Mishima from Namco Bandai's Tekken series, and Toro, cartoonish marketing feline for Sony Japan, have both been confirmed for launch (on October 23) by Sony during an EVO 2012 presentation.In addition to the new characters, a new stage called Dojo has been revealed. Dojo (depicted above) is inspired by Chop Chop Master Onion's stomping/chopping grounds, as seen in Parappa the Rapper.Update: The PlayStation Blog has posted videos of both characters, which we've embedded below the break.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 receiving Snoop Dogg stage [Update: Now with trailer!]
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will receive a new stage featuring the Doggfather of Hip-hop himself, Snoop Dogg, Namco Bandai just announced during a press conference at E3. Players who pre-order the game will receive "early access" to the level, which features Snoop upon a massive throne, surrounded by, uhm, hip-hop females.A video for a new Tekken-themed Snoop Dogg song called "Knock 'em Down" was also debuted, wherein Snoop's Tekken Tag Tournament 2 house party was disrupted by women stripping after lost rounds, as well as choreographed kung-fu fights between Tekken-playing party goers.Update: While it may not be the music video we saw during the event, both Snoop's new song and his stage can be seen in the trailer above.
'Tekken: Rise of the Tournament' coming from Ong-bak director Prachya Pinkaew
A prequel to 2010's straight-to-video/Netflix Tekken film has been announced by Crystal Sky Pictures CEO Steven Paul during this week's Cannes Film Festival in France. Tekken: Rise of the Tournament is set to be directed by Prachya Pinkaew of Ong-bak and Chocolate fame – a martial arts pedigree that bodes better for the franchise than Tekken director Dwight H. Little's resume of slasher flicks and Free Willy sequels.No actors have been signed to the project as of yet, but Crystal Sky will be aiming at finding thespians that look like Tekken's characters, rather than attaching big-name stars. The production company will be aiming for a theatrical release in North America, although nothing has actually been decided in terms of distribution.In addition to Tekken: Rise of the Tournament, Crystal Sky Pictures is in the post-production stages of a Baby Geniuses trilogy and is also set to begin production on Dracula: The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Can't make this stuff up.
Tekken producer Harada: No DLC characters for us
Capcom's been explaining itself over the on-disc DLC that came with Street Fighter x Tekken, but Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada said there will be no such problem with his side of the franchise. Because, you see, he told Edge that no Tekken game will ever have DLC characters at all.That's quite a pronouncement. He clarified that he doesn't have a problem with Capcom doing it, noting that their motives may be different from his. But Harada sees, he said, "the characters and their move sets as chess pieces – they are essential items necessary in the game and we would never sell any of those individually."That doesn't rule out DLC completely, as Harada added that vanity items that might be added to the game after the fact would likely come with a charge. Characters might also be added to a Tekken game in advance as pre-order incentives, as long as they could eventually be unlocked by all players in the game. But as for after-the-fact characters, you won't find any of those in Tekken x Street Fighter if Harada has his way.
SF X Tekken reality show puts the spotlight on fighter fans
Capcom is looking to dip its toes into the reality show game with Cross Assault, which aims to spotlight ten different players vying for Street Fighter X Tekken dominance -- five for Team Street Fighter, five for Team Tekken. Wait a minute, that doesn't sound anything like when Road Rules went up against The Real World. We call shenanigans!If you want to be in Cross Assault, the above video is most likely not the way to do it. Instead we suggest you read the official entry rules a bit more closely, since Capcom is looking for a better representation of the fighting game community. You know, men and women who eat and sleep this stuff -- not dudes who just generally eat and sleep most of the time.
