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Balrog: Behind the Glory is a fan-made Street Fighter masterpiece
Street Fighter has a surprisingly rich, complex, and storied mythos surrounding its characters, especially considering the fact that it's a game about beating people unconscious. Balrog: Behind the Glory takes that history and puts it in a format we can all understand: the mockumentary.
Relive all the punches with these EVO 2011 finals videos
EVO Championship Series, the largest fighting-game tournament in America and one of the largest world-wide, is like most other professional sporting events: watching it live is a big part of what makes it so entertaining. Unlike other pro-sports however, fighting-game tournaments take a heck of a lot of time, and not everyone has a whole weekend to spend watching dudes punch dudes. For those of you that missed the epic, surprising finals at this year's competition, IGN has made catching up incredibly easy. Hit the source link for videos of each Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 battle in the Grand Finals; we recommend Justin Wong vs. PR Balrog and Daigo vs. Latif for being the two most wager-destroying fights of the tournament. If you listen closely, you can hear someone losing the deed to their house as PR Balrog perfects Justin Wong.
Over 2 million watched EVO 2011 tourney online
Judging by readers' warm reception of the EVO 2011 Championship Series livestream we published during the event last weekend, the number of pro fighting game spectators is rapidly expanding. According to a press release distributed by the event's organizers, a record-breaking two million-plus viewers tuned into the different brawls therein over the weekend. Perhaps more impressive is how these two million souls took to Twitter with their enthusiasm for the participants, making the names of top-tier fighters four out of ten worldwide trending topics on the social networking platform. This might be the tournament's most impressive feat of all: For one evening, EVO 2011 managed to confuse the living hell out of everyone else on Twitter.
EVO 2011 Results Roundup
This year's EVO Championship Series was bonkers, you guys. Not only did MVC legend Justin Wong get perfected into third place during the Marvel vs Capcom 3 grand finals, but The Beast took a bewildering fourth place in Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition, ending two consecutive years of first-place victories. This was also the first EVO ever to feature a Mortal Kombat game, which is a major victory for both NetherRealm Studios and the MK kommunity. Historically, Mortal Kombat titles have never been considered balanced or polished enough to participate in high-level tournaments, and EVO's seal of approval goes a long way in legitimizing Mortal Kombat in the eyes of the fighting community. Check out the highlights reel above for some incredible displays of skill, dedication, and heart, and be sure to peep the full list of winners and finalists after the break.
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition 'Ver. 2012' patch fixes balance this fall/winter
Capcom fighting game ambassador Seth Killian brought news out of the EVO tournament that Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition will be rebalanced. A patch for the notoriously uneven game will be released in fall or winter, for free. That means that all the people who just competed in EVO are going to have to learn the game again! The official website is now updated to show the title: Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Ver. 2012. During a panel at EVO, producer Yoshinoro Ono said that the new game would be location tested in Japan this summer. Later, in a tweet, he confirmed that "Version 2012" refers just to the updated game and not an entirely new one. So right now it doesn't seem like you'll have to buy SF4 again.
Watch EVO 2011 Championship Series live on Joystiq, see dudes get punched hundreds of times
Tonight truly is the final fight, as warriors from around the globe prepare to punch-or-be-punched in the EVO 2011 Championship Series finals! Mortal Kombat, Marvel VS. Capcom 3, and Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition finals comprise tonight's action, with special exhibition matches adding flavor to this already delicious knuckle-sandwich. Check out the schedule after the break, and let us know how you feel about competitive-gaming coverage on Joystiq, either in the poll or the comments!
Watch EVO fights from within PlayStation Home this weekend
PlayStation Home is quickly becoming the destination for pretending you're in a room watching an event. After the popular E3 viewing, Home is now hosting live streaming footage from the EVO fighting tournament in Los Angeles. Through Sunday, you'll be able to watch the world's best players compete in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Tekken 6, Mortal Kombat, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2, and Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition from within the PlayStation Home Theater. You'll get some pointers about how to play fighting games, and you'll get free junk for your Avatar, including an EVO shirt on Friday, a fighting stick item Saturday, and an EVO trophy on Sunday.
Capcom sales fall in 1st fiscal quarter, income rises
Capcom has reported financial results for its first fiscal quarter of 2011, which ended June 30. The company reported sales of ¥11.95 billion ($153.7 million), down from ¥19.04 billion ($244.91 million) during the same period last year -- a 37 percent decrease. Despite the dip in sales, Capcom managed to pull in a net income of ¥338 million ($4.35 million), up by 58 percent from ¥213 million ($2.74 million) during the same period last year. Sales of "consumer online games" fell sharply, with Capcom stating that Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Monster Hunter Freedom 3 and Monster Hunter Frontier Online Forward "basically" met sales projections. Specifically, The Mercenaries 3D – available since June 2 in Japan and since June 28 in the US – moved 400,000 units. Super Street Fighter IV Arcade, only available as DLC for a few days in June, sold 300,000. Monster Hunter Freedom 3 still managed to move 100,000 copies despite being released all the way back in December. Meanwhile, Capcom's arcade sales were up eight percent despite the difficulties faced after Japan's earthquake earlier this year. Social games are also doing quite well for the company, cresting 19 million downloads largely on the back of Smurf's Village.
Hello Kitty X Street Fighter merch in 2012
The Guile theme goes with everything -- including adorable cartoon cats. Capcom and Sanrio have announced a partnership that will result in "Hello Kitty X Street Fighter" merchandise next year. No images or details about specific items have been revealed, but they will all feature "Hello Kitty dressed in the distinct costumes from the Street Fighter series of video games." This is just part of the torrent of Street Fighter news that has come out during Comic-Con, including news about Street Fighter X Tekken, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Is it possible for this collaboration to turn into a game? Considering that the result would be another Street Fighter game, we're guessing yes.
PC Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition costume DLC today, patches soon
Two upgrades for the PC version of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition are coming, one essential for the proper operation of the game, the other essential for, um, making your fighters look their very best. Capcom is working on patches for the PC release of the fighter, fixing three major issues: unrecognized controllers, crashes caused by remapping controls, and the default "Smooth" mode, that drops frames for lag-free online play. The first two issues should be addressed by July 11, while the patch to make smooth mode no longer the default option is expected as a Title Update "on or before July 25." In a more frivolous and costly update, Capcom also announced the release of costume packs for the "non-Steam" version today. Eight different packs are available at prices ranging from $4 to $6, or you can grab them all for $15. If you're playing through Steam, you'll have to wait until July 23.
Extra costumes for SSFIV Arcade Edition hit the streets on July 5
Capcom recently held an event in Japan to celebrate the launch of the Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition DLC pack. There it revealed new costumes for the recently added fighters Yun, Yang, Oni and Evil Ryu, dubbed the Arcade Challengers Pack. These outfits will include each fighter's arranged outfit for the arcades, as well as a custom costume designed specifically for the console DLC. The costume pack will be available on PS3 and Xbox 360 on July 5 for 320 MS Points ($4). On top of that, Capcom talked about an improved version of its iOS port, which is currently on sale for a buck on iTunes. Street Fighter IV Volt: Battle Protocol will release sometime in July -- Volt will sport WiFi multiplayer and three new characters: Balrog, Cody and Vega. A total of 17 characters will be playable in Volt. %Gallery-127046%
Capcom removing DRM character restrictions in PC Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition
After some straight-up outrage from community, Capcom has decided to keep the hostility in Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition contained within the in-game fights, instead of directing it at customers. A title update issued shortly after the launch (or possibly at launch) of the PC version of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition will disable the DRM-imposed restrictions on the roster. In short, you can use all 39 characters while offline, instead of being limited to 15. "As one would logically expect," Capcom's Christian Svensson notes, "to get any of the benefits of the online services (online multiplayer, replay sharing/watching, achievements, etc.) you must be online and logged in." Svensson said that following the response to the DRM announcement, Capcom spoke to fans in the Ask Capcom forum. "The argument that legitimate users would have a worse experience than pirates was the loudest and most convincing," he said. "We certainly don't want that to be the case and that was never our intention." With Capcom having reversed its decision in favor of its own customers, we feel it's important that we all hold up our end of the deal and don't pirate the game.
SSFIV Arcade Edition PC to discourage piracy (and frustrate buyers) with 'limited' offline mode
Okay, so there is a catch. We figured Capcom had a "solution" in place when it confirmed that Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition was coming to PC. The problem? Piracy -- the threat of which kept Capcom from releasing vanilla SSFIV on PC just a year ago. In a blog post on Capcom-Unity, company VP Christian Svensson has addressed some "Stuff You Want to Know About SSFIV:AE for PC." Scroll down and you'll get to the catch. "SFIV unfortunately was plagued by pirates and hackers that messed up leaderboards," Svensson writes of the original iteration on PC (which still sold well by Capcom's earlier account). "To hopefully remedy that, SSFIV:AE will be making use of what is called SSA technology." While not as random as certain TSA measures -- SSFIV:AE players can still wear shoes and needn't limit their beverages to 3.4-ounce bottles -- the game's Software Security Assurance protocol is no less strict. Players are required to be signed into Games for Windows Live in order to access most of the game's features and content. In offline mode, SSFIV:AE is reduced to a sort of demo, with players limited to local play only (obviously), but also restricted to 15 of the 39 fighters and unable to save settings or challenges progress. DLC is inaccessible when playing offline, as well. Should the GWFL connection be lost mid-game, the player is given a chance to sign back in at a "logical break point" -- but should that fail ... you're in demo mode. And if you don't live in a GFWL-supported region? Svensson calls that a "buyer-beware situation." Prospective purchasers should also be aware that Steam and Impulse will implement their respective "security solutions" (in addition to SSA), and that Steam users won't use GFWL Marketplace to purchase DLC. "We'll provide more details on that wrinkle at a later date," Svensson notes.
Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition coming to Steam
Capcom canned plans to release vanilla Super Street Fighter 4 for PC due to piracy concerns, but then the company announced SSF4: Arcade Edition for the PC back in April. And so Arcade Edition will be released for PC this July, but today we also learn it'll be on Steam. The digital retailer is currently accepting pre-orders for the latest edition of SF4, priced at $40. While it can't be purchased as DLC for the super vanilla Street Fighter 4 (which was released for PC and apparently sold well), Steam owners of the original game will be granted a 10 percent discount on Super Arcade Edition (bringing the price down to $36). Hit the jump for Arcade Edition's system requirements.
Capcom posts Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition FAQ
With the release of the Super Street Fighter 4 "Arcade Edition" DLC upgrade less than a month away -- the retail version will follow on June 28 -- there are some burning questions that must be answered. Capcom has heard the call and clarified several details in a new FAQ. First and foremost, the full Arcade Edition update will comprise several downloads. Beginning on June 7, an an automatic update will be released to prepare your console or PC for the new content. Then, players choose between purchasing the Arcade add-on or installing the free "Update Kit." The Update Kit will allow vanilla SSF4 players to participate in matchmaking with Arcade Edition owners and will also allow them to spectate Arcade Edition matches. However, those using the Update Kit will not be able to play as or against any of the new characters, and all matches played will default to the original SSF4 character balance. Additionally, Arcade Edition purchasers will have the option to play with the original character balance, though doing so will disable the new fighters. Head over to Capcom-Unity for more answers.
Buy Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition from Capcom, get evil Bobble Budds
Capcom is trying to tempt you into a purchase of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition with the seductive power of evil ... Bobble Budds. As a pre-order bonus for purchases of the game from the Capcom Store, the company is offering "Bobble Budd" toys of Oni (above) and Evil Ryu. Like past Bobble Budds, these have awakened evil forces that allow them to pack their bodies into their own spherical heads. Free toys might not be enough to talk you out of just getting the Arcade Edition DLC on June 7; however, if you were already planning to buy the disc, now you can get free toys.
Capcom web show shows off Captivate 2011 titles
Capcom Japan PR and Marketing exec Ryosuke Hagiwara recently used an episode of his web show, Hagi Toko, as a platform to show off some of the company's games demoed at Captivate 2011. Catch a glimpse of SSFIV: Arcade Edition, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D and more in the video posted below!
Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition confirmed June 7 as DLC; retail product June 28 NA, June 24 Europe [update]
Although Capcom "has not made any announcements" regarding Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition for consoles, others seem to be doing the talking for the publisher. A leaked trailer suggested that Arcade Edition would be available as downloadable content -- now mega-retailer Amazon lists a $40 disc as well. It shows a June 28 release date for North America. A couple weeks back the British Board of Film Classification gave the title a June 24 release date for Europe. We expect Capcom to officially announce the title shortly. Update: Capcom has confirmed the Arcade Edition will be available June 7 as DLC on Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows PC for Super Street Fighter IV owners at $14.99 (1200 MSP). The retail version will be available on Xbox 360 and PS3 on June 24 and 28 in Europe and North America, respectively. The PC version will hit the streets in July. %Gallery-119751%
Evil Ryu officially revealed on Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition site
We've known about the inclusion of Evil Ryu and Oni in Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition for some time now (both are hidden unlockable characters), but Capcom's finally acknowledging their presence -- well, okay, Capcom is acknowledging Evil Ryu's presence. A profile for the hate-filled hadoukener has surfaced over on the official Japanese site. The site also revealed some screens and two brief videos highlighting Evil Ryu's Ultra Combos, which you can see in the gallery below and past the break, respectively. %Gallery-119751%
