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Xbox One grabs 360 games 'Halo Wars' and 'Soul Calibur 2 HD'
The Xbox One is beefing up its library via backwards compatibility, allowing players to boot up some of their favorite games from the Xbox 360. This week, Xbox One users get Halo Wars, Soul Calibur 2 HD Online and The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match. It's a fighting game fiasco with a side of real-time alien-shooting strategy.
SNK ditches slot machines to focus more on video games
Call SNK the anti-Konami. Rather than back away from video games, the legendary Japanese studio has announced that it's dropping its pachinko slot machine business to concentrate its efforts on both conventional video games (like the upcoming King of Fighters XIV, above) and mobile titles. There just isn't as much money in those machines as there is consoles and smartphones, SNK says. To that end, it's hiring more staff and planning more titles.
Latest Android Humble Bundle features NeoGeo's best games
If you're prone to throwing your controller when a game gets the best of you, perhaps the latest Humble Bundle isn't quite for you. Maybe. That's because the outfit's offering up a slew of classic NeoGeo games for the very low price of paying however much you want. So, for that very flexible price range you get Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Blazing Star, The King of Fighters '97, Metal Slug 2 (pictured above) and Metal Slug X on Android. Should you pay more than the (current) average price of $4.56 you'll also get access to Fatal Fury Special, Samurai Showdown II, Metal Slug 3 and yet-to-be-announced surprises.
TUAW's Daily iPhone App: The King of Fighters-i 002
SNK's famous King of Fighters series has finally come to iOS with this new app for the iPhone, allowing you to play with 13 different fighters across four singleplayer modes and Bluetooth multiplayer. The setup is very similar to Capcom's Street Fighter, with virtual buttons on the touchscreen, but of course this game has all different fighters to play with, and lots of extras to unlock, from trading cards of the fighters themselves to concept art and even movies from the main console game. The King of Fighters-i 002 is pricey at US$7.99, but all indications are that this is a nice premium game, especially if you're a fan of the KoF series. Plus, while there are only 13 characters right now, more will be available to download for free, which should bring the total to 20 different characters by October, according to SNK. If you're already sold, go grab the game, and even if not, look for this one on sale in the future.
King of Fighters XII at AOU 2008
Some of you might remember our post about King of Fighters XII coming to the PS3 in 2009. That seems like a long time from now, but don't worry old school fighting fans -- 2008 won't be going down without a little SNK love. The SNK-Capcom website tells fans that the AOU 2008 expo in Tokyo's Makuhari Messe convention center will feature King of Fighters XII in video format. Not much else is know about what will be shown at AOU, but we do know that KoF XII will use a whole new game engine and rehashed old character sprites will be a thing of the past. The game is expected to come out first in the arcades by June/July 2008, running on the Taito Type X². A PS3 port (and possibly an Xbox 360 port) will follow in 2009.
SNK revisits well, returns with 16-game compilation for PS2, PSP
We honestly believe that when it comes to SNK, they believe that nostalgia is job one. Why else would the company continue to keep one foot rooted in the past by re-releasing countless compilations of old releases in lieu of anything truly new? Not that there is anything wrong with that. The company has forgotten more about making fun games than most newcomers will ever know, polygons or not. On that note, SNK's latest trip back in time comes care of an impressive collection of 16 different SNK faves, which skirt across the surface of the company's storied history like flat stone. Set for release for both the PlayStation 2 and PSP sometime during the first half of this year, the not-so-creatively dubbed SNK Arcade Classics: Volume 1 will include a bevy of early-gen fighters, such as the first World Heroes, Art of Fighting, and Samurai Shodown titles, as well as Fatal Fury, King of the Monsters, and King of Fighters '94. Beyond fighting games, however, SNK has put together a rather eclectic mix from other genres, with action titles like Top Hunter, Last Resort, Shock Troopers, Sengoku, and Burning Fight, as well as sports entries Baseball Stars 2, Neo Turf Masters, and Super Sidekicks 3. And of course, where would any SNK tribute be without the original Metal Slug and Magician Lord? Nowhere, that's where, so it's a good thing it includes those as well. Not a bad salvo for the first volume, which has us already wondering what games should make the cut for what we hope will be a second collection soon to follow. What SNK greats would you like to see make a return?[Via press release]
SNK keeps 2D alive, classic fighters coming to PS2 this fall
We can't help but love SNK. Like that girl in the back of the class who refuses to accept that big hair and jelly bracelets have long since gone out of style, SNK continues to hold onto the the idea that 2D is where it's at. While the company has already committed to supporting both the Virtual Console and XBLA with its back catalog of sprite-based games, SNK today announced plans to bring two of its more recent PS2 fighters to the U.S. as well, namely The King of Fighters XI and NeoGeo Battle Coliseum.While the eleventh installment of anything boggles the mind, SNK promises that King of Fighters XI will see a return to the series' classic gameplay, with added refinement and a few new bells and whistles like the 'match-deciding' Judgment Indicator and Dream Cancel (aka 'the wake-up call'). In addition, the PS2 version will also include new features not found in the arcade original, including new characters, music, and bonus stages.That's all well and good, but SNK's promise to bring 'fan-service megamix' NeoGeo Battle Coliseum to the U.S. is what seals the deal. The tag team fighter features a roster packed full of 40 characters from across SNK's catalog of favorites, including Metal Slug's Marco, Samurai Shodown's Hoahmaru, and even King of the Monsters' Cyber Woo. Maybe that girl in the back of the class is onto something.[Via press release]
Today's most competitive videos: Super Battle Opera Finals
Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Arcadia's annual fighting game tournament has begun. Tougeki -- better known as Super Battle Opera -- can easily be considered the world cup of fighting games, drawing competitors from all over the world and for a variety of different titles. This years line-up consists of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Hyper Anniversary, King of Fighters 98, Melty Blood: Act Cadenza, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, Arcana Heart, Virtua Fighter 5, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection and Soul Calibur III: Arcade Edition."Competitive gaming" may be a dirty word to some, but unlike the spoiled brats that make up the "professional" scene, the players of the fighting game community tend to keep it real with no sponsors to foot their bills or debatable endorsements to pimp out. The players that make up Team USA are the winners of this years EVO regional tournaments. Their reward? A trip to Japan to compete in SBO and a chance to bring it to them before they bring it back to us later this month at the EVO world finals. We're rooting for you, boys.Today's videos are the 2006 finals for some of the returning Super Battle Opera games. Enjoy!
Massive SNK-themed PS1 update hits the Japanese PSN today
Sony continues to taunt North American and European PS3 owners today by releasing a huge amount of PS1 titles for play on the PSP or PS3. Weighing in at a staggering 13 titles, this batch has a heavy emphasis on fighting games -- especially the King of Fighters series which has three new games alone! Here's the full list:Guilty GearKing of Fighters '95King of Fighters '96King of Fighters '97Little Princess: Maru Oukoku no Ningyou Hime 2Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special: Dominated MindSamurai Spirits: Kenkaku Yubinan PackSeptentrionSpectral Force 2Spectral TowerSuna no Embrace In addition to the huge list of PS1 titles above, Sony is also releasing a free demo of a XI, also known as Devil Dice. Meanwhile, we get Championship Sprint -- joy. For North American and European users desperate for new content, Guilty Gear in particular looks like a nice purchase. It was kind of hard to find back in the day in America and it should be fairly easy to play for those of us not fluent in Japanese. The King of Fighter's games come heavily recommended too ... if only for Mai Shiranui. Double-sided tape FTW![Via PSP Fanboy]
SNK to wait until 2009 to develop for PS3
According to Yoshihito Koyama, overseas marketing manager of SNK (King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, Metal Slug), is hesitant to support the PlayStation 3 from day one. Koyama gives his perspective to Kotaku's Brian Ashcraft: "My first impression is that it's expensive. The PlayStation 2 is good enough. It's small and cheap. For us, for manufacturers, we have to invest in a new system, and the PlayStation 3 is a risk. There won't be enough consoles at launch. Few consoles mean few software sales. We need to wait three or four years. Maybe 2009-2010 is a good time to release a game for the PS3." SNK is still supporting the PlayStation 2, whose titles are backwards compatible on the PS3, and the PSP. The Metal Slug anthology coming to the PSP will probably arrive for $39 or $49, according to Koyama's statements. The Nintendo Wii's Metal Slug anthology will have the same graphics as the PSP version, and is expected to arrive at launch, although Koyama admits he isn't sure when that is. His best guess is "sometime in the middle of November, just before Thanksgiving." Atari also recently revealed that they would be holding off until 2007 to release a PlayStation 3 title.[via PS3 Fanboy; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Oops! SNK steers clear of the PS3 'til 2009
Expensive, risk, risky, pricey, expensive, risk... we've heard all of this nonsense before! SNK, you are crazy. Yet, wise. SNK's marketing manager Yoshihito Koyama has gone on record with Kotaku saying, "My first impression is that it's expensive ... the PlayStation 3 is a risk." We can't blame SNK for being cautious -- they're not a very large firm and developing for the PS3 may indeed be a very dangerous risk.However, SNK is eager to embrace the Nintendo Wii. They wish to use the Wiimote to incorporate a new dimension of play into their planned Metal Slug Anthology release. Also of note is that SNK still plans to release some games on the PS2, such as King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2. Fighting games get such long titles! Anyway, SNK is waiting until 2009 to get cracking on the PS3. By then, development costs may decrease, more hardware in more homes (making for more software sales) and of course, the ulterior motive: making sure the PS3 doesn't crash and burn. We certainly hope that's not the case. Since the PS3 can neither drive nor fly.
