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Capcom's 'Teppen' card game pits Chun-Li against Dante
Capcom clearly couldn't resist the temptation to hop on the card game bandwagon. The gaming giant has teamed up with GungHo to release Teppen (no, not Tekken), a card battler for Android and iOS that revolves around better-known characters from Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, Darkstalkers and other classics. If you've ever wanted to see Chun-Li fight Dante or Morrigan take on Mega Man, you can make it happen.
Darkstalkers art tome sinks its fangs into North America
The monstrous pugilists of the Darkstalkers universe remain entombed in Capcom's fighting character vaults, awaiting the day that they might be revived for a sequel. While that wait seems interminable, fans can now delve into the series' gorgeous artwork thanks to a new release from Udon Entertainment. First revealed at Comic-Con 2013, Darkstalkers: Official Complete Works is a softback, 224-page compendium packed to the gills with official concept art, rare design documents, series' tributes and interviews with the Japanese developers who created the cult-favorite yet largely forgotten fighting game franchise. As with all Udon products, you can likely find Darkstalkers: Official Complete Works at your local comic book shop, though, depending on where you live, it may be easier to simply order the book online. Udon's website lists a $40 price point for Darkstalkers: Official Complete Works, while Amazon has it at just under $29, with free shipping if you're an Amazon Prime member. For more details, and a 10-page, full-color preview, visit the Darkstalkers: Official Complete Works website. [Image: Udon Entertainment]
Watch a live stream of Capcom playing Darkstalkers Resurrection right here [update: it's over!]
Following its reveal yesterday, Capcom is hosting a live gameplay session of Darkstalkers Resurrection from the New York Comic Con, and you can watch it right here. Resurrection is a double-pack of Darkstalkers' Revenge and Darkstalkers 3 in one single downloadable game, and is coming to XBLA and PSN early next year for 1200 MSP/$14.99 respectively. The stream is set to kick off at 10AM ET/7AM PT.Update: Capcom's live gameplay session is over. On a side note, the developers talked plenty about the potential for a future brand new Darkstalkers game, with comparisons to how Marvel vs. Capcom 2 came to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network before MvC 3 came out. If Darkstalkers Resurrection is anything resembling a hit, chances are 'Darkstalkers 4' is on.
Capcom: Ono dreams of revitalizing Darkstalkers, 'wants Darkstalkers 4'
Darkstalkers Resurrection may have only existed officially for a few minutes, but Capcom's fighting game guru Yoshinori Ono has bigger hopes for the franchise as a whole, which until today remained one of the few dormant forces in the modern fighting game renaissance."Ono has a dream of revitalizing the Darkstalkers franchise, and this is the first step to get there," Capcom producer Derek Neal of Capcom told Joystiq at the New York Comic Con. "[Ono] wants Darkstalkers 4."Capcom is using the release of Darkstalkers Resurrection as a litmus test to gauge the strength and fervor of the Darkstalkers community, says Neal. In the past, Ono has taken it upon himself to poll audiences directly, asking for attendees interested in a new Darkstalkers to hold up cash as proof of their commitment.
Capcom announces Darkstalkers Resurrection at NYCC [Update: Now with trailer and screenshots]
Capcom has just announced Darkstalkers Resurrection, an PSN/XBLA Darkstalkers collection expected to release early next year at $14.99/1,600 1,200 MS Points. The game, announced during a Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Panel at New York Comic Con, is under development at Iron Galaxy Studios and will bundle the arcade versions of Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge and Darkstalkers 3 together as a single downloadable title, ala Marvel vs. Capcom Origins.Both games will run on GGPO and will include the standard Ranked Match/Player Match online setup standard to Capcom re-releases. Replay sharing and YouTube functionality are also present, as are HD filters and a gallery of unlockable art assets and bonuses, including the work of Udon and custom artwork by Stanley Lao.When the time came to choose which Darkstalkers game would receive the HD treatment, the decision to release two games as a bundle was one of necessity, according to Capcom producer Derek Neal."We were agonizing over which to release," Neal told us shortly after the game's announcement. "They're the two most popular, fan-favorite games of the people who have played Darkstalkers way back when and loved it. There's a group that loves Darkstalkers 2 and a group that loves Darkstalkers 3."Eventually, Capcom concluded that the only way to keep everyone happy was to release both games as a double-pack.Update: Capcom has informed us that the XBLA price point of 1,600 MS Points listed in the press release after the break is incorrect, and that the game will in fact be available for 1,200 MS Points.%Gallery-168192%
Rumor: Darkstalkers 4 in the works, Yoshinori Ono presiding
Capcom is reviving, revamping and repackaging fighting games almost faster than we can keep track of them but, if the latest rumor is correct, yet another series is set for a comeback. Specifically, DarkStalkers 4 is allegedly in the works, with Capcom's fighting guru Yoshinori Ono heading up the proceedings, according to a source at GamesBeat. The game will reportedly run on a modified version of the Street Fighter X Tekken engine.Capcom has been quietly pushing the Darkstalkers series back into the public consciousness recently, having released the original Darkstalkers on PSN late last year, and a recent ESRB rating points to the possible PSN release of Darkstalkers 3 as well. The company also recently registered a new Darkstalkers trademark in Europe. For what it's worth, Capcom has been teasing the possibility of a return to Darkstalkers for several years now.
ESRB rating for Darkstalkers 3 points to PSN release
Capcom's classic Darkstalkers 3 will soon save vampires via the PlayStation Network, assuming that we're correctly inferring the ESRB's recently administered Teen rating for PlayStation 3 and Vita versions of the title. We suppose it's not a physical impossibility that Capcom would rerelease boxed versions of a 14 year old fighter, but we're hedging our bets on digital distribution.Originally released in 1998, Darkstalkers 3 (or Vampire Savior: EX Edition in Japan) is the third title in the Darkstalkers series, after Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors (also available on PSN) and Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge. While it may not be the contemporary series reboot we pray for every night, we suppose a PSN rerelease is better than no brand movement at all. Still, we can't help but sigh wistfully whenever we see Morrigan in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. So close, and yet, so far.
Capcom registers new Darkstalkers trademark in Europe
Capcom's only been teasing a re-release or remake of its cult classic 2D fighter Darkstalkers for, oh, three years or so at this point, so we wouldn't call our reaction to this morning's discovery of a European trademark filing for Darkstalkers one of "surprise," exactly. Instead, the reaction was that of expectancy, as we're taking a wild guess that this isn't a registration for a brand new Darkstalkers game as much as it is for an updated port, as Capcom is fond to do with its previously released fighting games (Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online and Marvel vs Capcom 2 spring to mind).Furthermore, Street Fighter x Tekken producer Yoshinori Ono has gone out of his way to repeatedly remind fans to push Capcom on the Darkstalkers franchise. "This is all up to the readers. They have to create the buzz. They have to tell us. They have to write the condition. They have to send in all these letters of plead," Ono said back in October 2010. He once again asked fans to voice their opinion in a New York Comic Con panel this past October, which was met with raucous support from showgoers.Capcom had yet to return our request for comment as of publishing, nor do we expect to hear much until the publisher is good and ready to talk Darkstalkers. Our bet would be in March at GDC or PAX East in April, but we've got our tendrils crossed that we'll hear something sooner. Should you need some Darkstalkers action in the meantime, might we suggest this PSone classics version that's currently available?Update: Capcom has responded to our request for comment with a one line answer: "We have not made any announcements."
PSN Tuesday: The Sly Collection, De Blob 2, Modern Warfare 2, Voltron
The Sly Collection arrives on PSN this week, available either in individual $9.99 downloads or as a three-game bundle for $29.99. Other full retail games available for download on PS3 this week include Modern Warfare 2 and De Blob 2. Tak 2: Staff of Dreams has been added to the PS2 Classics series, and Darkstalkers arrives as a PSOne Classic. In new-for-PSN content, you can indulge your movie fandom with Scene It? Movie Night, or your TV fandom with Voltron: Defender of the Universe.
Lord Raptor approves: Darkstalkers coming to PSN this month
As prognosticated by the ESRB, Darkstalkers is indeed headed to PlayStation Network. Capcom has confirmed that its monster-infused fighter should arrive on PSN later this month, with the release currently slated for November 29. Readers may remember that the road to Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was paved with downloadable releases of Marvel vs. Capcom 2. We've said before that this PSN release probably doesn't mark the beginning of a Darkstalkers revival, but there's always hope.
ESRB: Darkstalkers stalking PSOne Classics release
Here's some super spooky pre-Halloween news for you: a (haunted?) ESRB rating reveals plans to re-release the monster-mash fighting game, Darkstalkers: The Night Warrior, on PS3 and PSP, as a PSOne Classic. Unfortunately, there's no way the game will hit in time for our scariest holiday, as there's no announced release date and the next PSN update will occur after Halloween. Not that there's anything wrong with playing this game for its own merits instead of its seasonality. If you've never played it before, this will be an excellent (cheap) opportunity to check out one of Capcom's lost fighting game series. A $6 emulated version isn't exactly a "revival" of the series that has been mostly absent from Capcom's renewed fighter output, but might lead to one. Oh, who are we kidding -- Capcom released Cyberbots on PSN too.
SOTA's new Darksiders, Darkstalkers and Okamiden toys go to Comic-Con
Toymaker SOTA has announced that it's prepping a trio of exclusive, licensed video game-based items for this year's San Diego Comic-Con International, which runs July 21-24. The biggie (and by that we mean nearly a foot tall) is a statue ($160) of Morrigan and Lilith from the gothic fighter Darkstalkers, which depicts the two as they "fall, together, in a loose embrace, unaware of how much longer they have together" and "freezes in time a moment that Morrigan and Lilith wish to last forever." SOTA's words, not ours. Smaller and fluffier, a keychain-sized Okamiden plush will be included as part of a "San Diego Comic-Con Impulse Pak" ($40) that features three of SOTA's non-game-related Bobble Budds. Finally, there's our favorite of the bunch: Darksiders' War astride his horse, Ruin, in an LED-lit statue (above, $250) that looks as hot as the flames erupting from the Apocalypse rider's steed. All three items will be available at the show and through SOTA's online store. You can view more pictures and details at the source link.
Darkstalkers Lord Raptor statue is worth an ugly penny
In life, sometimes you have to pay a little bit extra for beauty. Or, in the case of Pop Culture Shock's 19-inch, 11-pound statue of Darkstalkers brawler Lord Raptor, you have to pay $310 or $320 for one of two equally hideous pieces of game memorabilia. Check it out below!
Only 995,000 more requests before Capcom's Inafune considers a new Darkstalkers game
Fighting games have made a strong resurgence over the years, bringing back classic franchises like Marvel vs Capcom, Street Fighter and Tekken. But, what about Darkstalkers, Capcom's long-dormant 2D fighting series? While Capcom's Christian Svensson never dismissed the possibility, it seems as though the chances of a new iteration in the franchise are rather low. Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono told Eurogamer that making another game in the series would be his "ultimate dream." However, he says that only fan demand will cause it to happen. "This is all up to the readers," Ono said. "They have to create the buzz. They have to tell us. They have to write the condition. They have to send in all these letters of plead. That is the only thing that will make Inafune-san nod." According to Ono, it will take one million requests before Inafune says yes. Unfortunately, not much progress has been made. When asked how many requests they've received so far, he said "we've got 5000." You all have work to do.
Capcom doesn't completely dismiss Darkstalkers Remix possibility
We're going to be honest with you here, the real reason this post exists is because we really hope Capcom is considering an HD remix of of the Darkstalkers series (hell, even an SD re-release would be fine). That said, the company didn't actually do anything to suggest that one is in the cards. What did happen was this: Someone over at the Capcom Unity forums posted a thread asking about the likelihood of a Darkstalkers remix.It looks like Capcom actually took notice, with business and strategy VP Christian Svensson joining the conversation and asking, "Is this something people would want to see?" After a rousing chorus "Hell yes," Svennson added, "Thanks for the feedback guys. Appreciate it."Frankly, we don't find it likely that Capcom would go to the trouble of actually remaking a Darkstalkers game. After all, it took serious effort to produce Street Fighter II HD Remix, and Darkstalkers has considerably more frames of animation that would have to be redrawn. However, Capcom has proven that it's not averse to listening to fans and re-releasing ports of older games, as evidenced by Marvel vs Capcom 2.So, how about it, Capcom, can we have a Darkstalkers re-release? An entirely new entry in the series would also be acceptable.[Thanks, Bruce! Image: UDON]
Characters galore appear in this Cross Edge trailer
It's time to get your translating hats on, everyone. A Japanese trailer for Cross Edge has hit the airwaves and we have no idea what it's saying. We see a ton of cast members, from Darkstalkers, Disgaea, the Atelier series (including Mana Khemia) as well as Ar Tonelico, doling out some voice-acting skills and massive damage. We're not quite sure what the game is about or how all these characters end up fighting alongside the main characters of the game, but the battles seem frenetic and entertaining. We're itching to see more because 2D is far from dead. [Via Siliconera]
Cross Edge promotional art reveals more characters
Some promotional art for the PlayStation 3 game Cross Edge has been located -- it's blurry, but we're not picky. This cross-over game features characters from multiple franchises including Darkstalkers and various Nippon Ichi and Gust properties. Compile Heart has slapped up a bunch of characters on said promotional art, but we can't identify them all. SiliconEra has an updated roster from what they could identify, but it's far from complete. If you can name any of the characters on there they haven't, you'll not only get huge props, but a freshly-baked bundle of e-cookies will be shipped to your e-stomach.
Ken and Morrigan shown hitting the links in We Love Golf
If there's one thing to keep us interested in video game golf it's alternate costumes, followed closely by karate masters and top-heavy succubi. Thankfully, however, Capcom is giving us all three in its upcoming Wii exclusive We Love Golf, which will let players dress their golfers as either Street Fighter blondie Ken or Darkstalkers femme fatale Morrigan, among other familiar faces.While the pair's North American-exclusive inclusion in the game was revealed last March following the results of a reader poll, Capcom took time today to send over some screens showing what we can expect when the duo hits the links on July 15. Check out the shots below, including what Capcom calls its "first African-American incarnation of Ken Masters." Shoryuken!%Gallery-23070%
Idea Factory's next title, Cross Edge, houses Nippon Ichi faves
We need to maintain our composure and monitor our excitement on here, or else we'll seem incredibly biased. It's difficult, though, because ever since we heard about Idea Factory's next character crossover title (Chaos Wars was their last one) dubbed Cross Edge, we can't sit still. JRPG's are very slow to hit the PS3, but this title not only brings a PS3 JRPG to the table, but one with characters from cherished franchises to Nippon Ichi loyalists as well as other big titles.You play as the hero, Yuuto and heroine Mikoto and basically free a bunch of girls from other video games. You'll see Dark Stalkers, Atelier game characters, Ar Tonelico characters, Disgaea characters, and more. The game itself plays like a cross between "dress up" and Valkyrie Profile. Depending on the costume your ladies are in, they will have a different attack assigned to the face buttons when in battle. Well, perhaps it's best you check out the screens SiliconEra has put up. Let's hope licensing isn't a big issue and we see this hit outside of Japan.
Capcom lets you choose who loves Golf
As the picture above demonstrates, Camelot's We Love Golf will allow us to play a round as Apollo Justice, while other characters confirmed for the title include Chun Li (Street Fighter), Jill Valentine (Resident Evil 3), and Arthur (Ghouls 'n Ghosts). We can't comprehend how anybody would not want to play golf as Apollo Justice, but if you're not a fan of the bequiffed lawyer (weirdo), then Capcom has set up a poll on its official blog to ask readers which characters they'd most like to see in the U.S and European versions of the game.You can vote for one female and one male character, with Cammy (Street Fighter), Morrigan (Darkstalkers), Rouge (Power Stone), Roll Caskett (Mega Man Legends), and Ashley Graham (Resident Evil) making up the female category.Meanwhile, the male list consists of Frank West (Dead Rising), Balrog (Street Fighter), Guy (Final Fight), Ken (Street Fighter), Dhalsim (Street Fighter), and Captain Commando (from, uh, Captain Commando). And yes, we know of at least one person who will be sorely disappointed with the lack of Zangief in that selection.
