arc-system-works
Latest
Guilty Gear Isuka downloadable through DotEmu
Grab some friends this weekend, and indulge in a little (virtual) four-player combat on the cheap. Retro game publisher DotEmu -- the company behind the iPad version of Another World -- just added the two-on-two fighter Guilty Gear Isuka to its DRM-free download shop, for $6.
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift patch, new character DLC coming in May
Two updates are coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift in May -- one free (to you), and one paid. A patch is being prepared, intended to alter the game balance of the console versions to be in line with the arcade release of Continuum Shift 2. It will also add new tutorials, new Challenge Mode content for every character, and tweaks and updates to the online mode and its interface. The patch also fixes a problem with Valkenhayn's Achievements in the Xbox 360 version. This won't cost you anything to download, but Aksys will still benefit financially -- the update also puts an ad banner on some in-game screens. The same month, Aksys will release a new DLC character, Platinum the Trinity, who will have new Achievements and Trophies to unlock. This character will cost $7.99 or 560 Microsoft Points.%Gallery-121443%
Blazblue: Continuum Shift 2 coming to PSP and 3DS May 31
Nintendo said that the 3DS version of Blazblue: Continuum Shift 2 would be out in North America on May 24, but publisher Aksys offered a different timetable today, when it officially announced the PSP and 3DS releases of Arc System Works' fighter. The bad news is that CS2 will actually arrive a week later, on May 31. The good news is that it won't have to needlessly compete with Dead or Alive Dimensions by being released on the same day! We have galleries of each version, so the PSP and 3DS releases can battle one-on-one for your fighting game budget. There's also a trailer after the break.%Gallery-121385%%Gallery-121383%
Hard Corps Uprising DLC adds one more soldier to the Corps
The "Leviathan" DLC is now available for the Xbox Live Arcade version of Hard Corps: Uprising, Konami's downloadable run-and-gun whose similarity to Contra is total coincidence, we're sure. The DLC isn't available on PlayStation Network yet because ... the game won't be available on PSN until tomorrow. The 200-point ($2.50) add-on introduces Leviathan, a playable character that has only one weapon slot, but compensates with a back-flip grenade throw move and sliding attack. Two previous DLC characters, Harley and Sayuri, are also available for purchase on the Xbox Marketplace.%Gallery-119029%
Check out BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2 on PSP and 3DS
Arc System Works released a new trailer for the multiplatform handheld release of BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2, allowing us to see what the HD fighter looks like shrunken down onto the 3DS and/or the PSP. We're not entirely clear about which it is, since the trailer doesn't specify which version the footage displays. Whichever one looks pretty nice! Luckily, the official site does include screenshots of both versions, clearly marked. In fact, the 3DS version is presented inside a 3DS, to make absolutely sure you know which one it is. Like every other 3DS fighter, it has a command list on the bottom screen.
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2 shifts to PSP
Arc System Works is preparing another BlazBlue release on PSP, according to a Dengeki report summarized by Andriasang. The new game will be based on BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2, the latest arcade release, which is itself based on the PS3/Xbox 360 game BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. What that means is that the PSP version will have all the new characters that were added in Continuum Shift, including the three DLC characters. It also has new additions to the strategy-game-esque Legion mode introduced in the first BlazBlue Portable, along with a new mode called "Abyss Mode," which Dengeki says will be "full of gameplay." What kind of gameplay? Nobody knows! The magazine speculates that it could be a dungeon RPG. BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2 will be released this spring in Japan. We're checking with Aksys about its plans for North America.
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2 throws down in Japanese arcades this winter
Yo dawg, we made a sequel to your sequel so you could sequel while you sequeled -- ahem, sorry, we couldn't help ourselves. Andriasang reports that Aksys Games has announced the next entry in the BlazBlue series for Japanese arcades, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2. The new arcade game will debut at the Amusement Machine Show on September 9. The game will launch in Japanese arcades this winter and (so far) adds one new character, Valkenhayn R Hellsing. He was recently announced as the second DLC character for the home console versions of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift and has been priced at ¥800 (560 Microsoft Points) in Japan. We suspect his price tag here will be the same, especially since Makoto, the first announced DLC character for CS, is priced accordingly.
DSiWare's Furo Jump: Guilty Gear Gaiden claims the 'weirdest Guilty Gear game' prize
Okay, so it was pretty odd when Guilty Gear 2: Overture turned out not to be a 2D fighter, but a 3D action game with strategy elements. That was nothing compared to Furo Jump!!: Guilty Gear Gaiden!? for DSiWare. Furo Jump (literally Bath Jump) stars Chimaki, a hidden character from Guilty Gear 2, in a quest to visit a hot spring for relief from back pain. To get to his dream bath, Chimaki must spin on a bar of soap and whip a towel at pink elephants. Sounds totally like Guilty Gear to us, right? Furo Jump will make its splash on Japanese DSiWare September 1 for 500 DSi Points. Head past the break for the trailer with the world's most annoying narration. You can also play a Furo Jump Flash minigame here.
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift's second DLC character revealed
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift has already seen one DLC character, Makoto. Arc System Works has announced the second at a Japanese event, and it's a familiar face to series fans. Rachel's butler, Valkenhayn Hellsing, will be joining the fight sometime in the near future. We all should have seen this coming: how can someone named Valkenhayn Hellsing not take part in epic battles? Arc System Works has yet to announce a price or release date for the character, and Aksys Games had no information yet about a stateside release. If the pricing follows Makoto's example, it'll be $7.99, 560 Microsoft Points, or 800 yen.
A big media update for the tiny BlayzBloo
How much cuteness can you handle today? Is it, like, a lot? If not, just pass this post right by. After the break, we have gameplay footage and dozens of screenshots of BlayzBloo: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale, the DSiWare arena fighter starring chibi versions of BlazBlue's characters.
Review: BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
It's hard to avoid comparing BlazBlue: Continuum Shift with Super Street Fighter IV. Both are budget-priced updates that add new characters and modes to existing fighting games. But where Capcom's offering improves on its predecessor by expanding the character roster and retooling the online experience, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift's biggest selling point is that it makes it surprisingly easy for newcomers to get in on the action. %Gallery-88603%
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger throws down on PC August 26
Arc System Works has finally revealed a launch date for the PC port of the first entry in its budding new fighting series, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger. Japanese gaming site 4Gamer reports Aksys Games is priming the Games For Windows Live version of the frenetic fighter for an August 26 PC release in Japan, for a suggested retail price of ¥5,040 ($58). Consider us thoroughly shocked. We've contacted Aksys Games for word on whether the PC version will be coming to our neck of the woods. We'll be sure to update you as soon as we hear back. For the console gamers out there, the sequel, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, is set to launch in North America next week.
See Makoto's combos in this BlazBlue: Continuum Shift trailer
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift is set to launch on July 27 and, soon thereafter, fight fans will be able to download an additional character, Makoto. Rather than provide you with some hum-drum stills of the new character, we've got the next best thing: actual gameplay footage. Peep it past the break. %Gallery-96331%
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 'Makoto' DLC aims for August release
Although BlazBlue: Continuum Shift won't be out in America until July 27th, Aksys has unveiled its DLC plans. Makoto Nanaya will be available as a playable premium DLC character in August. Makoto is fast, but has a short reach, making her ideally suited for aggressive players that play a more offensive game. The DLC pack will not only add Makoto as a playable character, but it will also add a strategy guide in the Tutorial Mode, and a Challenge Mode, which will include high-level combos. Finally, there will be additional trophies and achievements unique for the DLC. According to Aksys, players that don't buy the Makoto DLC will still be able to fight against her in online matches; they simply won't be able to play as her.%Gallery-96331%
Hard Corps: Uprising is Contra in all but name
I played through the brief demo level of Hard Corps: Uprising during E3 and ... it was definitely a Contra game. (Well, apart from being able to take more than one hit before dying.) The game, which is a pseudo-sequel to Contra: Hard Corps, looked gorgeous, and, once I'd gotten used to the new dash mechanic, went from feeling a little too slow to blisteringly fast and stylish. There were countless nods to Contras past, such as flying weapon-upgrade pods, laying prone to duck under enemy fire and an end-of-level fortress spewing scatter shots and unleashing a massive energy blast to repel attackers. I only caught bits of the soundtrack on the show floor, but the iconic "level complete" tune was definitely in there. The kiosk noted that Hard Corps: Uprising is a "working title," so I really hope Konami works the Contra name in there before the game's expected launch on XBLA and PSN later this year -- so far, the game certainly seems deserving of it. Check out the first screenshots in the gallery below. %Gallery-95869%
Hard Corps: Uprising videos show the value of friendship
GameVideos recently got its hands on a pair of video demonstrations of Arc System Works and Konami's spiritual Contra successor, Hard Corps: Uprising. One features a single-player run-through of the game's opening level, while the other fills us with the capacity to love again.
Hard Corps: Uprising is new Contra for XBLA and PSN
It's Contra in all but name. That's what IGN asserts about Hard Corps: Uprising, a new PSN and XBLA run-and-gun expected for release this year. Despite the fact that the side-scrolling shooting gameplay we expect from a traditional Contra is present, and despite the fact that this is actually a sequel to the Genesis Contra: Hard Corps (starring the villain!), Konami has chosen to excise the series name from this digital release. That's not the strangest thing about this game. Development is being handled by Arc System Works, the developer and publisher of the Guilty Gear games and BlazBlue. We'll withhold judgment; after all, it turned out okay when Konami handed the license to the Ping Pals developer. At least with Arc (like with WayForward), we know we're in for great 2D art.
ESRB rates BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger for PC
With BlazBlue: Continuum Shift set to fight its way to the Xbox 360 and PS3 this summer, a cuter spin-off called BlazBlue: Battle x Battle coming to DSiWare and a PSP port of the original fighter due soon, no platform is safe from Arc System Works' sprite-fueled fighter. Not even the PC, according to an ESRB listing. The certificate makes no mention of when BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger will launch on PC, but it does remind us just how raunchy that game was: "includes still images of female characters -- in provocative poses -- wearing outfits that expose deep cleavage or barely cover their breasts." Remember when fighting games were just, you know, fighting games?
BlazBlue delayed one week in UK
Once scheduled for release in Q1 2010, or, more specifically, March 26, the UK version of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger has been pushed back to April 2. Retailer GAME posted an updated listing for the game, and publisher Zen United confirmed the date in response to an enquiry by Joystiq. According to Zen, the UK release of both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the fighter has been moved to April 2. In addition, the PS3 version of the game will hit stores elsewhere in Europe on that day, with the Xbox 360 version still scheduled for March 26. [Thanks, Shadowman!]
Aksys announces North American release, hype train for BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
It's official: Aksys Games is localizing BlazBlue: Continuum Shift for North America. Continuum Shift, the sequel to Arc System Works' high-resolution 2D fighting game, will be released on Xbox 360 and PS3 this summer. Like the Japanese release, this updated version adds new characters. It also adds new modes, including a Beginner Mode, which simplifies the control scheme, a Challenge Mode with specific missions for each character, and Legion Mode, a mini-strategy game in which players fight enemies to gain control of a map. "If you're not on the hype train this time, you're missing out on the latest greatest 2D game from Arc", Aksys marketing director Gail Salamanca said in a quote we can't help but pass along, "GET HYPE, CHOO CHOO!" %Gallery-88603%
