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Lost Planet patch defrosted March 9th
DCEmu sends word that a patch for Lost Planet is scheduled to hit Xbox Live "on or about" March 9th. The patch includes several fixes for the lobbies and the multiplayer game itself. Some of these "fixes" are actually oversights that should have been in the game from the beginning -- a practice that is becoming more and more common these days. We find it somewhat shocking that the game shipped without an icon that lets players know who's talking in the post-game lobby. Still, while many of these fixes are basic things that should have been there in the first place, it's nice to see that Capcom is making an effort. See a list of updates and bug fixes after the break.
Capcom demos playable Flash version of Phoenix Wright 4
Capcom has come up with a great lunchtime distraction for the bored-at-work: a playable preview version of Gyakuten Saiban 4 in Flash. The DS version of what we'd call Phoenix Wright 4 is still a couple of months away from its Japanese release, so we can only applaud Capcom's generosity here. GUILTY: the dialogue in this demo will be largely incomprehensible to most Western players, as its script is written entirely in Japanese. NOT GUILTY: the music is sublime and manages to convey (without lyrics) how the trial is progressing; this is also the first time we've seen Odoroki-kun (captured here) at the bar. Cheers!
Dev tells all: Street Fighter The Movie (The Game)
Over on the Shoryuken forums, Alan Noon, who contributed various elements to Street Fighter: The Movie (the arcade game), has been posting an entertaining tell-all about the ill-fated project, while graciously fielding any and all questions. He writes, "It's true. I am certainly not proud of this fact, but I am one of the people responsible for one of the most loathed games in fighting game history. I apologize."Noon's recollections of the forgettable fighter offer a little seen glimpse into game development and reveal some titillating insider lore: "We were to pull out all of the stops and make the greatest Street Fighter ever. More characters! Digitized graphics! New combo system! The works! We set about writing up all kinds of great stuff to include in the final product. One of those things was even Sheng Long." Indeed, the infamous EGM creation was to appear in SF:TM. Noon even helped to digitize and design the character's animations, which are supposedly floating around on a misplaced CD...[Via Press The Buttons]
Rumor: Next-gen N-Gage garners interest
Remember the N-Gage? Some of you may even have one in a dusty drawer, yearning for some love. Handheld website Pocket Gamers claims that Nokia held a two-day "top-secret workshop" in Santa Monica so that publishers and developers could have a look-see at the next-generation version of N-Gage.The list of companies present include Square Enix, Capcom, Sega and Sony Online Entertainment, among others. However, how Pocket Gamers managed to obtain "top secret" information makes this very suspect, not to mention SOE's presence, who would likely only show up as reconnaissance for Sony's own handheld, the PSP. The article further claims that another two-day workshop is being planned in Madrid to show the new N-Gage to European companies and that Nokia will publicly unveil the new handheld at this year's Game Developer's Conference.Noting that Nokia had an E3 2006 booth showing off some N-Gage titles, despite abysmal sales, it is plausible that the phone company is working on N-Gage 2.0 and is looking to garner some third-party interest; however, we don't want N-Gage fanboys (population: 3 or 4, maybe) to look at this story as definitive lore. We'll see if anything new comes our way leading up to GDC.[Via Eurogamer]
Capcom snubbed by AIAS awards
Capcom was passed over for awards by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences again this year. Granted, they didn't have any stellar outings in 2006 like they did with 2005's Resident Evil 4, but that didn't stop Gamespot from poking Capcom and pouring lemon juice on their paper-cut. As Gamespot puts it, "This year, when the nominations for the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards were announced, two titles that gamers noticed were missing were a critically-lauded pair from Capcom -- Okami and Dead Rising." You know, Okami, the Zelda-like game about a wolf that Capcom supported so much they shut down the studio that created it. And the "criticially-lauded" Dead Rising? Gamers may have been critical of Dead Rising, but the lauded portion is a stretch. For every good thing (and the good was amazing!), Dead Rising compensated by giving us two bad.Anyway, when all is said and done, Capcom is not a member of the AIAS and needs to pay its dues to be nominated. AIAS confirmed to Gamespot that publishers Tecmo, Majesco and Eidos are also not members, accordingly they did not get nominations. This issue should be pretty cut and dry for Capcom, just pay the AIAS if you want a chance at a trophy to place on the mantel for polishing between Mega Man releases.
Is it true? Devil May Cry 4 coming to the 360
digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Devil_May_Cry_4_coming_to_the_360'; Jonah tipped us off on the contents of his official Playstation Magazine (yes, the same one with the Gears ad). Inside, there is an article discussing the future of Devil May Cry 4 and whether it will remain a PS3 exclusive. PSM is reporting that Capcom will be showing some more Microsoft love and will be bringing the series to the Xbox 360. We've all heard this rumor before, but we're starting to feel a little more giddy by the day. Are you guys interested in Devil May Cry 4 coming to the 360 and do you think it'll help with console sales?[Thanks, Jonah]
Dream Games: Okami
Dream Games is a new weekly column where we explore a game we'd love to see on the PSP. Feel free to check in, and comment, every week. Okami Clover Studios' last masterpiece before they were shut down (God Hand doesn't count) didn't earn the sales that it deserved. The cel-shaded adventure game shared many similarities with Zelda (including the ability to play as a wolf), but had enough quirky Japanese originality to set it apart from the rest of the pack. It recently won IGN's Game of the Year award (to much controversy). Whether or not it deserved such a high accolade can be debated, but it's impossible to deny that Okami was still one of PS2's greatest. Why PSP? More people need to play Okami, and the PSP is the only handheld system capable of doing the series justice. Although the Celestial Brush would be incredible on the Nintendo DS' touch screens, the gorgeous animated scenery in Okami would end up being little more than a pixelated mess on the underpowered competition. Like the other Dream Games, Okami doesn't really require complex button combinations. The PSP is sorely missing a truly great adventure game: Okami would be a perfect fit. Is it possible? No. With Clover Studios dismantled, the chances of us ever seeing a portable version of Okami seems slim. And besides, shouldn't Capcom be working on a portable Resident Evil? Pretty please?
Keep warm with a Monster Hunter scarf [Update 1]
As you may know, Japan loves Monster Hunter. And, Capcom is quickly trying to capitalize on its popularity. As if having over 400,000 pre-orders wasn't enough, Game Watch reports that Capcom will offer this chic Monster Hunter scarf for Japanese customers that pre-order the game at Capcom's electronic store.Why a scarf? Why not? You know, I try to look as fashionable as I can while slaying demons.See also:PSP Fanart Fridays: Monster Hunter[Update 1: Language Police caught me red-handed. Thanks for the correction!]
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters suddenly less exciting
We've got some bad news for the 31 folks who listed SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters as their most-wanted game. Siliconera is reporting that the AI is hopeless in the card battler, and they're not the first to take the position that the game is inherently flawed (IGN said much the same last month). The issue? The computer only blindly attacks and blocks, ignoring the more sophisticated techniques such as healing cards in play, shuffling the deck, and counter attacks. In fact, once you learn the computer's simple strategy, it becomes increasingly easy to win within a single round.The flaws with the AI beg (on hands and knees) the question of why so many games that are absolutely crying out for WiFi multiplayer don't include it. A game like this is made to play against others, and not everyone has the luxury of best-good-friends who come equipped with a DS.
Mega 64 takes on Dead Rising
Once again landing in the gap between video games and reality, the Mega 64 boys find themselves covering a zombie outbreak in a mall. Follow the real Frank West as he takes "FANTASTIC!" photos, protects those with poor pathfinding abilities and deals with annoying security guards. He's covered wars, you know. [Thanks Jay & Braith. More Mega 64 hilarity can be found here.]
Capcom Rumor Round-Up: SFII on PS3, Dead Rising 2 on 360
As the prettiest girl at the gossip ball, Capcom has been making quite a few headlines recently for actions they may or may not be considering. In light of the particularly bogus rumors floating concerning Microsoft buying out Capcom, lets take a look at some of the more substantiated rumors involving your favorite Mega Man sweatshop. For your consideration, three rumors from the February issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (#112). For those who still believe in the aforementioned rumor, you may as well tear down those tin foil barriers around your room as Capcom "looks to be making several interesting games for the PS3's (network) service." The two titles mentioned being a remake of Street Fighter II with brand new sprites and an "updated NES classic."
Real life Dead Rising: "Fantastic!"
The boys at Mega64 are at it again, this time with a real life version of Dead Rising. For those of you unfamiliar with Mega64, we have only one question: how's the view? You know, like, how's the view from underneath the rock that you live under. We keed, we keed. Seriously, Mega64 goes around harassing people performing skits based off their favorite video games. Some of their works include skits based off Resident Evil 4 (one of our favorites), Paperboy, and Katamari Damacy. Check out the above video, and when you're done with that, hit their website for more hilarity. Because watching funny videos is always better than working, right? [Thanks, Braith]
Lost Planet San Fran launch event recap
Last week those happy folks over at Capcom held a launch party for Lost Planet in San Francisco. Over 1,000 people showed up for the fun to play some multiplayer, get their drink on, eat a little, and just have a blast. Over at Brian Dunn's blog he posted a nice recap of the event including photos and an analysis of the multiplayer tournament. All in all it looked like a blast and we wish we could have attended (ice sculptures are our weakness). We posted some of our favorite photos after the break and you'll find lots more after the jump. Nice launch event Capcom, now don't forget to throw a similar party when Dead Rising 2 comes out.
Rumor squashed, MS not buying Capcom
Yesterday the rumor mill was running at full speed with speculation that Microsoft was to purchase Capcom. But it looks like Capcom was quick to squash those rumors before they got any ground. GameSpot is reporting that a Capcom spokesperson denied the acquisition by Microsoft stating that "it's a 3-year-old rumor, most likely refueled by our recent spate of 360 titles". We too got a little excited at the prospect of Capcom franchises becoming exclusive to our white box. Oh well, we're secure in our knowledge that Capcom has been sleeping with Microsoft. They have been shipping out a few Xbox 360 exclusive titles, but we must accept that the two companies won't be becoming life partners anytime soon.
Lost Planet ships 1 million
Xbox 360 Only is reporting that Capcom's chilly game Lost Planet has sold over 1 million units worldwide. Capcom was hoping to sell 740,000 units for them to consider Lost Planet a success, so they must be smiling ear to ear with these sales numbers. Even though the game has received lukewarm reviews, the marketing and hype surrounding the game must have helped in moving units. We're smelling sequel. Maybe in the next Lost Planet we'll finally get to control an army of killer snowmen that throw ice cube trays at mechs. Now that's entertaining! Patent pending Capcom, but if you like our idea feel free to get in touch with us. English translation of the post after the break.[Thanks, Jonah]
Lost Planet launch event recap
Does Capcom know how to throw a party or what? Trashed cars. Mangled computer parts. Free booze. Some Lost Planets. Ryan Olson has captured images from and insights into the launch event over on his blog Red Herring.Olson's own impressions of the game were mixed (similar to the general consensus). He was turned off by the "lethargic" character movement, but moved by Lost Planet's visuals, particularly the smoke effects. Anyone else in attendance last night? Who's picking up Lost Planet today?
Rumor: Microsoft buys Capcom, Ninty fans weep?
Is Capcom going the way of Rare? That would be a devastating blow to Nintendo fans, who gobble up Capcom's offerings (and those of their subsidiaries) like so much sweet, sweet chocolate. Rumors of Microsoft snatching up Capcom have been rumbling since November, but now we're hearing it a little too frequently for comfort. There are a number of Capcom games already headed toward Nintendo platforms -- for the DS, there are too many to count. But if this excruciatingly tragic rumor is true, what happens after that? Will getting Capcom games on Nintendo systems become a struggle ala Rare? We hope not, but buying up the things that make the competition good has long been a staunch Microsoft strategy ....
Rumor: MS has purchased Capcom
Stick this one under rumor of the day. According to inside sources (speaking to the usually credible Evil Avatar), Microsoft has nearly completed its acquisition of Capcom. Yes, you read that correctly: "nearly completed." Not "Microsoft is considering it," but that they've already done the deed. Frankly, we find it a little suspicious that Capcom would sell just as it's reaping some of the best success it's had in years (Dead Rising, anyone?). Then again, a good chunk of that success can certainly be attributed to Microsoft's platform (Dead Rising again, and Lost Planet). Still, we find it hard to believe that Capcom would give up all the multiplatform cash, but if anyone has enough money to convince them otherwise, it's Microsoft. If true, it would be quite a move by MS, securing them the rights to several of gaming's most popular franchises. The ramifications of having Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil 5, Onimusha, Street Fighter, and Dead Rising exclusive to one console would be staggering, especially for the competition.
Relive Crazy Taxi with PSP rehash
Forget PSone, Sony should have worked out a deal with Sega to emulate Dreamcast on PSP. Instead, we're starting to see some attempts by publishers to revisit some of their Dreamcast titles using the UMD format. First, Capcom did Power Stone Collection, and now, Sega has announced Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars, built from Crazy Taxi 1 & 2.While Fare Wares offers a new *Ad Hoc* multiplayer mode, we'd gladly trade the additional content for straight-up ports; if it meant we'd be downloading the games and playing them via emulation. Is this just wishful thinking?[Via press release]
Joyswag Photochop: Lost Planet, found entries - Day Five
Hats off to everyone who contributed to the Lost Planet photochop contest, in a huge way. We had over 450 total entries for this contest, and there were so many good ones that it was hard to pick just two winners each day. You guys went well above and beyond the call of duty here, and we couldn't be happier with the results. Once we get everything sorted out behind the magic curtain, we'll show you the highlights from the entires that didn't make it to the final ten.On that note, today's first winning entry is from Michael, who drew his inspiration from the comments on the contest. It's easy for us to feel like his winning entry, with Joystiq's little truck being surrounded by angry commenters, rocked from side to side, only ten copies of something to give away, unhelpful phone calls from Otis ... *shudder* it's almost therapy time again.Check out the second winner from today after the jump, and check back soon for the other entries. Everyone that submitted an entry in this contest deserves a prize, that's how good they all were. That is to say, those of you that didn't win actually prizes will win our gratitude, which is worth so much more than a video game, right? Seriously, we received so many entries that were top-notch. A few were a bit NSFW, but your heart was in the right place. A big thank you from Joystiq to all of you.
