Following this morning's news that the recently announced home versions of Street Fighter IV would come packing the extra punch of online play and an expanded cast, a new report confirms two familiar fighters who will be added to the game's hurricane kick beyond the arcade.

According to IGN, Japanese publication Famitsu Xbox released concept art illustrating Bruce Lee-inspired Fei Long and Alpha vet Dan Hibiki, adding that both fighters will be home version exclusives. While Fei Long certainly makes sense, the laughably weak Dan has always served more as comic relief, though we look forward to the hilariously drawn out Dan vs. Dan online throw downs to come when the game is eventually released.

Since announcing Street Fighter IV, Capcom has given us a number of things to ponder about the upcoming sequel, from 3D graphics to giant thumbs, but one thing the company hasn't given us is a release date, not to mention where exactly we'll be able to play the game once it finally makes its way to retail. However this may be about to change, as according to French blog Jeuxvideo, Capcom recently made mention on a press site that the fighter is headed to the PS3, Xbox 360, and -- surprisingly -- the PC as well, with all three versions slated to hurricane kick retail shelves this winter.

Unfortunately, the site neglected to link to the press site in question, and Joystiq ninjas have since returned from Capcom's press tower with nothing to show for their trouble, leaving us to flag this particular morsel of information as a rumor, albeit one we'd very much like to come true.

[Via Big Download]

If there's one thing we enjoy as much as playing games, it's collecting various odds and ends that reflect our passion for the hobby. Whether it's a Lunar Ghaleon puppet on the mantel or the Varia Suit statue on the coffee table, there is never any question where our loyalties lie. Now UDON Entertainment has added another collectible to our radar in the form of a limited edition art book dedicated to the numerous brawlers who have thrown down in Capcom's storied Street Fighter franchise. The hardcover will feature the artistic styling of such artists as Penny Arcade's Gabe and pin-up style comic cover artist Adam Hughes, among several others. The book is available for pre-order now, with orders placed today dropping you in the running for Capcom's IGN-branded Okami for the Wii. At $80, the book isn't cheap, but really, when it comes to the things we adore, what price can do love justice?

And while we have Street Fighter on the brain, we'd be remiss not to mention an interesting blog post over at Camp Capcom, as the company is apparently entertaining the idea of creating a collection of figurines based on the upcoming Street Fighter IV, and as such are looking for input on which characters deserve to make the cut. So, of the faces we know, both old and new, who would we most like to see make the leap from polygons to plastic? E. Honda? Vega? El Fuerte? Hit up the poll on Capcom's blog and let your voice, albeit anonymously, be heard.

While Capcom's Street Fighter IV wowed us in February with its new fangled graphics and animation, it was the game's decidedly retro feel that grabbed us by the neck and assaulted our head like a barrage of Yoga Noogies. As it turned out, for all its 3D charm the fighter played like a sexed up Street Fighter II, which to be fair is just fine by us.

Now Capcom has released screenshots of Street Fighter II's bad guy quartet, Balrog, Bison, Sagat and Vega, all of whom make a return in the upcoming sequel. We can hardly wait to face down Vega's (or M. Bison for those of you with a name hang up) ever-annoying Psycho Crusher, something judging by the above pic has Ryu equally enthused.

If you read our hands-on impressions of Street Fighter IV from GDC, you know the game bears more than a passing resemblance to Capcom's classic Street Fighter II (with admittedly updated graphics). Well, the folks at GamesRadar wanted to see just how far that similarity went, and found that many classic combos from the original game work exactly the same way in the new one.

The video evidence (also available below the jump) highlights the cosmetic differences in the two games while at the same time showing how seemingly identical the basic gameplay is. We can't say this is necessarily a bad thing -- Street Fighter II is a classic for a reason -- but that classic is already available as a Virtual Console download, an upcoming HD remix, and even a PS2 Anniversary collection. Why are we supposed to trudge out to the arcade for a dressed up version of a 15-year-old experience that we can get at home?

After playing Street Fighter IV on its (fantastically expensive) arcade cabinet at GDC for well over an hour, I can't help but feel like Capcom will soon pull off one of the best cons in gaming history. You see, if you've played Street Fighter II then you've essentially played Street Fighter IV. There are a few differences, of course -- we'll get to those in a minute -- but for the most part it's the same game it was nearly two decades ago. There's a common axiom that states, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," or in Capcom's case, "if it ain't broke, keep repackaging it and selling it to the same people over and over again." That's basically what Street Fighter IV does once again. My would-be journalistic sensibilities tell me I should be angry about that. Honestly though, I was having too much fun to care. Hence, a con.

Shortly before we furiously mashed buttons in an attempt to play Street Fighter IV, Capcom programmer producer Yoshi Ono agreed to have a brief (punchy?) chat with us regarding the franchise's triumphant return to arcades. Be sure to thank the disembodied voice of David Crislip for translating -- without him, the conversation would have been considerably more awkward. We'll have a full report on the gameplay soon.

[Thanks to Veronica Belmont of Mahalo Daily for acting as our inquisitive vector!]

Ryu and Ken have a new sparring partner, as "Crimson Viper" joins the Street Fighter IV cast. The series' newcomer might sound like a character cribbed from Kill Bill's deleted scenes, but her true origin is being kept under wraps. A preview in Famitsu reveals that Viper's fighting style will be completely new to the series; her voluptuous proportions are not.

Famitsu has also confirmed SFIV's first official platform: the arcade. Though long thought to be extinct, these musty dwellings for underdeveloped men and teenage angst still thrive on the islands of Japan. Within such havens, SFIV will make its debut later this year.

As is the case with the upcoming, expansively titled Street Fighter II remake, emotions tend to run high before Capcom's latest franchise additions are seen in motion. If the knowledge drip-feed springing from the Street Fighter I.V. has you in a daze and unable to focus on other things in life, you'd best glance past the break to see footage of the game in action, courtesy of the 1UP Show. You might also find interest in the included developer interview and extraordinary tale of sibling nerd violence.

We'll spare you the suspense: Street Fighter IV will feature fully-3D graphics, but gameplay will be purely 2D, retaining the feel of the classic non-EX Street Fighter titles.

Now that you can breathe again, we'll let you know that 1UP has scored the first exclusive details on Street Fighter IV. The first publicized screenshot (above, and taken from the in-game engine) confirms the unique art direction for the sequel, as first hinted upon in the teaser trailer. 1UP reports that Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Dhalsim are all returning to the series, although a more complete character roster has not yet been revealed.

Gameplay-wise, it's classic Street Fighter, utilizing a six-button control scheme while introducing new moves, features, and locations to the repertoire. No word yet on which platforms the game is headed to, although we can certainly hazard a few guesses. Even more details on Capcom's latest fighter will be revealed in the January 2008 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, so keep your eyes peeled on the news stands.

In case you missed the Street Fighter IV trailer that popped up about a month ago, here's a quick summary: There was much punching, and quite a bit of kicking. Also, an obligatory Hadouken. Boom. We're on the same page -- or so it would seem. According to Capcom bigwig Christian Svennson, there are clues in the trailer revealing certain key aspects of SF4's gameplay (it still isn't known if the fighter will be 2D or 3D) and also, the location of One-Eyed Willie's treasure.

GameTrailers was kind enough to break the trailer down for those of us not well-versed enough in the series' mythos to catch the subtle hints. Watch it a few times, let us know your theories. Let's just pray that it's not secretly a preview for a second live action Street Fighter film starring Jean Claude Van Damme.

This sort of thing doesn't happen very often, you know. According to Games Radar, a Capcom Gamer's Day event in London has revealed a brand new (and not entirely unexpected) entry in the seminal 2D fighting franchise, Street Fighter. Most notably, this new entry increases the numeral at the end of the title as opposed to the number of Super Hyper Ultra adjectives at the start.

Not much is known about Street Fighter IV at present, save for the fact that its release is more than a year away. Other things you can likely expect while we wait for more details and media to arrive: Ken and Ryu in HD, Hadoukens and extremely pithy victory remarks.