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Lost Planet 2 adds Gears of War's Marcus and Dom
Capcom announced today that Marcus Fenix and Dom Whatshisface of Gears of War fame will have their grizzly visages added to Lost Planet 2 in the form of bonus costumes. (That's right, their love spans even dimensional rifts.) Romantic, sure, but it's not really much of a stretch, is it? Add a grappling hook to Marcus Fenix or a weirdly sexy lady leader to the Akrid and they're pretty much interchangeable, right? If you'd like to see the gruff duo battling giant bugs -- but different giant bugs than the giant bugs they normally fight -- we've got a trailer for you after the break.
Super Street Fighter IV dated April 27; Lost Planet 2 on May 18
Having pulled some of its heaviest hitters out of the busy Q1 release calendar, Capcom is ready to reassign those titles to an entirely new part of the calendar, one that hasn't been getting nearly as much attention as its numeric predecessor: Q2. Monster Hunter Tri was already announced for April, but now Super Street Fighter IV will join it on April 27th in North America and April 30th in Europe. New characters, new combos, and the return of the smash-a-car bonus stage (see pic!) are highlights of the not-yet-priced though sure-to-be affordable followup. Lost Planet 2 is more "sequel" than Super Street Fighter IV-style expansion. The co-op focused third-person shooter offers "larger-than-life bosses" and four player co-op over Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, and you'll be able to take it up on that offer on May 18th in both North America and Europe. That leaves us some room in the June video game budget, if any publishers are looking to take advantage of the rest of Q2.
No light lost in these Lost Planet 2 screens
Click image for even bigger mechs and explosions Just like Capcom has done for Super Street Fighter IV, the publisher's unloaded a healthy dose of new Lost Planet 2 media during CES 2010. In our gallery below, you'll find we've tactically placed seven new screens to study, each with the requisite number of explosions and gigantic metal killing machines. Oh, and light bloom. There's a lot of that. If moving pictures are more your speed, head past the break to observe a group boss battle against Akrid X, courtesy of GameVideos. %Gallery-82253%
Capcom pulls Super Street Fighter IV, Lost Planet 2, Monster Hunter 3 from Q1 2010
According to an investor document (PDF) posted by Capcom Japan today, several major titles have been moved from the company's fiscal fourth quarter, which ends March 31, 2010. The delays, which appear to be worldwide, include Super Street Fighter IV and Lost Planet 2, in addition to the North American and European release of Monster Hunter 3. The releases of these games and others, including Dead Rising 2, are planned to be "spread across all four quarters" of Capcom's fiscal 2011, which begins April 1, 2010 and ends March 31, 2011. The decision to delay the games was made in order to "avoid competing with the major titles that other companies plan to introduce." Curiously, Dark Void has not been delayed, though Capcom has drastically reduced its sales forecast from 1.3 million units to only 600,000 (the split between Xbox 360 and PS3 copies was not specified). Given the reasons for Capcom's schedule shuffling, we can't help but wonder if other companies will follow suit. When all is said and done, the Great 2009 Holiday Release Migration just might be set to repeat itself. If so, does Yves Guillemot win a prize?
Takeuchi on marketing Lost Planet 2 across our planet
Lost Planet 2 may be produced in Japan by Japanese developers at a Japanese company, but it's rooted in Western design philosophies -- namely, the art of shooting. In a Capcom published developer interview, producer Jun Takeuchi explained the company's marketing strategies in and outside of Japan. "In foreign countries that account for a large share of sales," Takeuchi said, "we are going to rely on the brand recognition of Lost Planet and emphasize the new features in the game, as well as four player co-op mode." To emphasize the parts of the game that Japanese gamers might be more interested in, Takeuchi suggested, "we're going to focus on pushing the concept of 'enjoying four player co-op mode' instead of the fact that this game is an action shooter." In other words, Capcom's hoping to make Lost Planet 2 sound as much like Monster Hunter as possible. Additionally, as part of its "Single Content Multiple Usage" multimedia initiative, Takeuchi said that Capcom may extend Lost Planet to manga as a promotional tool in Japan.
Marvel at Lost Planet 2's enormous bosses in these new screens
We imagine it'll be somewhat strange the first time we watch Resident Evil's Albert Wesker being eaten by Lost Planet 2's giant salamander boss, now named "Gordiant". And watching the helmet-less antagonist desperately struggling to keep his hair just so while battling the third level's boss, "Red Eye," should prove comedic if nothing else. We just couldn't help but put two and two together when looking at the new screens the game's publisher released recently of three new bosses (including the eloquently named "Akrid X"), especially with the knowledge that we can play through the entirety of Lost Planet 2 as Resident Evil's recurring villain still so fresh in our minds. Sure, finding out that the ginormous monster that we battled in the demo is named "Gordiant" is just about as exciting as meeting Michael Bublé (swoon), but it doesn't have quite the same charm as finally watching Wesker perish. The demo experience has certainly changed for us, though – now we have a name to direct all these profanities at while being repeatedly murdalized. Source 1 - Capcom Unity Source 2 - Capcom Unity Source 3 - Capcom Unity %Gallery-79321%
Pre-order Lost Planet 2 at GameStop, get Wesker
Blast your way into our gallery Wesker and his comically large hand and gun can be yours if you choose to pre-order Lost Planet 2 at GameStop, Capcom announced today. The publisher also tossed some screens our way depicting the Resident Evil antagonist with more believable body proportions -- specifically, a body structure that doesn't look like someone who was sipping Dr. Jekyll's favorite beverage or shooting up with Chris Redfield's "special" juice. Well, except for this image, which makes us feel kinda weird. %Gallery-78382%
Capcom expects Lost Planet 2 to sell 3.7 million units in second half of fiscal year
Capcom's recently published financial report for the first half of the current fiscal year contains some fairly gutsy estimates for sales expectations of the developer's upcoming titles -- for instance, the report anticipates selling 300,000 copies of Resident Evil 5 Alternative Edition by March 31, 2010. However, the company expects one game to be its biggest blockbuster by a fairly enormous sales margin: Lost Planet 2, which, according to the report, will sell 3.7 million copies in the second half of FY 2010. That's a fairly monumental increase compared to the sales statistics for the original Lost Planet, which has sold 2.28 million units life-to-date according to VGChartz. Don't get us wrong -- we've enjoyed what we've seen from the game thus far. However, if Capcom's hoping to approach that target, it may want to consider tossing some Pokémon in there. Perhaps a cameo by Master Chief, too, for good measure. Read: Capcom Results of Operations and Strategies report (.PDF)
TGS 2009: The Recap Post
Last week, the Tokyo Game Show brought in over 100 posts worth of news, previews, interviews, galleries, and videos. Clearly, a lot happened. If you're looking for a comprehensive list of all the goings-on during TGS 2009, Joystiq has you covered -- and organized! Click on a platform below to scan the highlights: (On the far right: that's "News" and "Culture" on the top and bottom, respectively)
European PSN releases for September 24
There's some nice content in this week's PSN update -- namely, the demo for Lost Planet 2 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and a whole slew of discounted tracks for Guitar Hero: World Tour. Still, we can't shake the feeling that we've somehow been cheated. Maybe it's because Japan got another Square Enix-developed PSOne Original last night, while the rest of the world got Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Here's a hint: There's a pretty high chance of sour grapes as well. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
TGS 2009: Watch four minutes of Lost Planet 2
If there was ever any doubt in your mind that the enemies in upcoming third person planet finder shooter Lost Planet 2 are on the plus-size of things, the flood of assets coming out of the Tokyo Game Show should assure you of their huge-itude. Though we're only treated to a few scant glimpses in the trailer above, some of the beasts on display in the screens Capcom released are large-building-sized. The kind of big where you get that falling feeling in your stomach just from looking at them. Add to that the whole ongoing war thing and we're pretty glad to not be living on Capcom's now tropical planet.%Gallery-73847%
Capcom launches multistage assault on TGS attendees' wallets
While we're sure there will be plenty of video games and stuff to cover, it's going to be difficult for us to spend our time at Tokyo Game Show doing anything but documenting Capcom's wonderful shop offerings. In addition to the tiny Chibiterasu paw screen cleaning straps seen here, Capcom is offering a shirt with Okamiden art.There's also the requisite pile of Monster Hunter and Sengoku Basara gear, as well as Resident Evil (the zombie shirt!) and Lost Planet 2 stuff. The real big-ticket item for us (in terms of both interest and, unfortunately, price) is the Ace Attorney jacket, featuring a Blue Badger graphic.[Via Andriasang]
Lost Planet film will have 'completely different' story, Inafune on board
It's been a while since we last heard about the Lost Planet movie, but G4 managed to get a couple of words about the flick out of Capcom's Jun Takeuchi back at Gamescom. The film likely won't reference Lost Planet 2, according to Takeuchi, who also noted that "as the story line goes, the movie is completely different from the game." Well, as long as they don't turn it into something about a planet that everyone knows intimately, we won't mind (and neither will EA's Alain Tascan). Takeuchi also confirmed the involvement of Capcom veteran and Mega Man creator, Keiji Inafune. The extent of his role in the production is still unknown, but we'll sleep a bit easier knowing that Inafune is there to help make sure none of that 200 million goes to waste.
Lost Planet 2 co-op demo coming to PSN Sept. 24
Nearly a month after making its way to the Xbox Live Marketplace, the four-player co-op demo for Lost Planet 2 will hit the PlayStation Network next Thursday, September 24. Don't let your indignation over this shameful injustice keep you from checking the demo out -- it's the same gameplay segment we saw (and loved) at E3 earlier this year, plus a couple PS3-exclusive bonus mini-missions. We promise that playing it will be more fun than working on that "Boycott Capcom" petition.
Xbox Live Top 10 dominated by Shadow Complex, CoD: World at War
Major Nelson has revealed the latest figures for Xbox Live activity, which once again sees Call of Duty: World at War being the most played Xbox 360 Live title. That's not to say it's all business as usual, as the Lost Planet 2 co-op demo managed to claw its way onto the list, along with a new Xbox Live Arcade pair, Shadow Complex and Trials HD.Both titles made it onto the top two spots on XBLA's most played list, with Chair's Metroid-inspired adventure making its debut in first place. The remainder is comprised of usual suspects Battlefield 1943, Marvel vs Capcom 2 and 'Splosion Man.
Takeuchi: Lost Planet 2 team 'working on' couch co-op
Do you like the idea of playing Lost Planet 2 with a friend, in the same room? You'll be pleased to know that, according to producer Jun Takeuchi, the team is doing its best to make that happen. Well, the game part. You supply your own friend."We are actually working on two-player splitscreen," Takeuchi told Joystiq at GamesCom. "It's not easy, but if we are confident that we can do it, we'll let you know." When asked if the Lost Planet 2 solution would be similar to the staggered picture-in-picture-style display in Resident Evil 5, Takeuchi said that the issue wasn't so much the aspect ratio of split screens, but rather hardware. "Technically, cycling between two split screens, you can actually say it took visual RAM," he said. "You still have to work with two sets of AI and physics and so forth at the same time."So, while Takeuchi "can't guarantee yet" the existence of splitscreen in the final game, don't lose hope. Or any planets -- we've lost enough of those already.%Gallery-45837%
Demos for NHL 10 and DiRT 2 join Lost Planet 2 and Mini Ninjas on Live
Need something to chew up your free time between constant attempts to sequence break Shadow Complex? Xbox Live Marketplace has been invaded by a slew of new game demos -- currently available to Gold members -- to help combat your boredom. With four demos hitting the Marketplace in the last two days, Xbox users are treated to a collection of completely different gaming experiences. Strap into the Mitsubishi Eclipse GT and race the Trailblazer event in DiRT 2, lace up your skates and hit the ice in the NHL 10 demo, show off your ninja skills in Mini Ninjas or jump online with up to four players and attack the evil Akrid in the Lost Planet 2 Co-op demo. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a diverse selection of video game demos. Queue up the DiRT 2 demo Queue up the NHL 10 demo (and check out Xbox Canada's exclusive Q&A) Queue up the Mini Ninjas demo Queue up the Lost Planet 2 Co-op demo
Lost Planet 2 online co-op demo coming next week to Xbox Live
We're finally approaching that point when things we got our hands on at E3 are making their way into the general populous, giving us and you, our readers, topics of conversation with which to break the awkward silence. For instance, we got to play the surprisingly thrilling four-player co-op demo from Lost Planet 2 at Capcom's E3 2009 booth. Next week -- on Wednesday, August 19 (August 26 for Silver subscribers), to be precise -- you'll be able to download and play the demo yourselves.If you're trying to get pumped up for the demo's release, check out our write-up from our brief time with the demo. Or, if you want to be surprised, then ... don't read that post, we guess. Go read something else, instead. Maybe those Twilight books. The kids seem to love those.
Capcom reveals GamesCom 2009 lineup, safety hazard
Capcom has dropped word on the titles it plans to feature at the GamesCom Conference in Cologne later this month, and (for the most part) the games feature a hearty scoop of violence. Kicking things off with the oft-delayed Dark Void, Capcom will feature Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars, Monster Hunter Tri and Spyborgs for the Wii, along with Lost Planet 2 and MotoGP 09/10 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. To promote the Rocketeer/alien battle simulator Dark Void, Capcom is hosting an event in which attendees can take flight in the Dark Void Body Flying Machine, a rigged, vertically-oriented airstream shooting gamers into the air at speeds of up to 180km/h. Luckily, Capcom is also sponsoring taxis throughout Cologne, so if something goes wrong during its "sounds like a tremendous idea on paper" gamer cannon event, attendees can make their way safely to the emergency room. GamesCom runs from August 19-23 in Cologne, Germany.
That's a wrap: Comic-Con 2009
Last week's San Diego Comic-Con was one crazy ride. The Joystiq representatives in attendance were trained in advanced interrogation tactics and managed to extract information on a variety of subjects. We've got an update from Peter Jackson himself on the Halo happenings, first footage of South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! and a new game mode for Uncharted 2! Friend, you missed one heck of a week.But, that's okay! You can get caught up right here, right now. Simply head past the break for a complete summary of all the headlines. [image] %Gallery-68768%
