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Dress like a Street Fighter with Triumvir's Shadaloo Psycho Brigade clothing

Alright, well, maybe not quite like a street fighter per se, so much as like a member of Street Fighter antagonist M. Bison's Shadaloo Psycho Brigade. From the $38 cap you see above (not to be confused with a Harry Potter mark) to the unbelievably priced $200 "M-65" jacket, Triumvir is offering everything you could ever want in the way of SF offshoot gear.

Though the prices are a bit on the high side, the clothing certainly appears to be of high quality. And considering that tough guys may very well punch out anyone manufacturing their attire at a less than satisfactory level, we're thinking that might have been a smart move. Good on you, Triumvir!

[Via GameSetWatch]

Capcom may shift established franchise development overseas, Q1 delays 'strategic'

Capcom will apparently focus original IP development in its Japan-based studios and outsource established franchises to other lands, according to a Question and Answer session (warning: PDF link) posted on the company's investor relations site. No executives are named in the Q&A brief, but the transcript is of a phone meeting with analysts. In it, a Capcom representative states that the reboot of Bionic Commando, developed by the late GRIN, "demonstrated the difficulty of outsourcing the development of [a] new title to overseas companies."

The document adds that the company is "considering ways to separate the roles of activities in Japan and overseas." International companies may be used to develop existing games series with "well-established characters and universal themes." A little less clear is this note: "Overseas companies will also handle certain parts and/or lineups of such games."

Also mentioned is the "strategic decision" which prompted the recent Q1 2010 delays of major franchises, making for a rocky financial quarter. Capcom allegedly "combines management and development to reach various decisions ... [it] would not decide to postpone the launch of a title" purely for development reasons.

Source -- Q&A Summary [PDF Link]

Resident Evil: The Discount Chronicles

We're beyond last-minute gift recommendations at this point, so we'll just assume selfish motivations behind any desire to purchase Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles today. The good news is that if you'd like to indulge that selfish desire, it'll only run you $29.77 today.

Amazon knocked about $20 off the price of the Wii rail shooter, which features settings and characters from Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica, as its Deal of the Day. The game just came out in November! We're tempted to call it a Christmas miracle -- though maybe we'll save that declaration for when something is discounted to $20.

XBLM holiday deal of the day: Marvel vs Capcom 2 for $7

Now this, this is a deal. This isn't Avatar glasses or an episode of Stargate (seriously, that was yesterday's deal). No, this is a very good game at a very good price. Today, and today only, you can pick up Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for only 560, that's seven bucks. That's slightly more than fifty percent off the usual $15 price. So yeah, good luck resisting that.

Shortcut: Add Marvel vs Capcom 2 to your 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]

[Via @majornelson]

Wait outside the Monster Hunter Tri site

The new Monster Hunter Tri site isn't quite open yet, with the full contents of the digital lodge kept locked down by an outrageous voice actor. But even without access to whatever's in there, there's some interesting stuff to be found outside the virtual barrier (navigate over to the door knocker twice to find it).

The site features screenshots, the North American announcement trailer, weapon descriptions, and, perhaps most useful for us, a short listing of monsters -- maybe now we won't catch so much flak for referring to one of the game's trademark creatures as "like a dragon or something." It's like a Monster Hunter University for everyone!

In the announcement, Capcom still referred to the game's release date as "Spring 2010," so we expect it to be one of the less delayed titles in Capcom's lineup.

DMC4 and Lost Planet now Games on Demand

It's Tuesday, and that means some new Xbox Live Games on Demand. This week we get a double dose of Capcom goodness, with both Devil May Cry 4 and Lost Planet: Colonies hitting the service. Whether you'd like to blast giant alien bugs in the frozen wastes of a distant planet or, alternatively, slay demons with crazy stylish movies, well, that's up to you.

Should you decide that either game is for you, each costs $19.99 in the US. As usual, pricing varies by region, so be sure to check first.

Shortcut: Add Lost Planet: Colonies to your 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]
Shortcut: Add Devil May Cry 4 to your 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]

Capcom game delays cause lowered 2009 sales forecast

Unsurprisingly, in the announcement of delays of several games out of Q1 2010, Capcom also lowered its financial forecast for that period (which is its fiscal Q4), and for the fiscal year as a whole. The publisher adjusted its expected net sales for the year from ¥95 billion ($1.04 billion) to ¥65 billion ($711.62 million) as a result.

In addition, the company is posting a "special loss" of 4.5 billion yen, associated with the costs of restructuring its businesses -- a move that mostly involved changes in the company's pachinko operations in Japan. Capcom closed two arcades, and plans to downsize its pachinko and arcade businesses to put more resources into home video games.

Source - Presentation Material of Forecast Revisions and Plan for the Next Fiscal Year (PDF link)
Source - Capcom Announces Special Loss and Forecast Revision

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?

8-bit Dark Void Zero rocketing to DSiWare in January

Mega Man 10 isn't the only pseudo-NES game coming out of Capcom in early 2010. Capcom is expanding Airtight Games' jetpack adventure, Dark Void, with side-scrolling DSiWare game Dark Void Zero.

Zero follows Rusty, one of the first humans to land in Dark Void's world, as he fights the Witchers with Nikola Tesla's help. Like Will from the next-gen games, Rusty has a jetpack, which can be used to hover in place or fly upward. Unlike the next-gen adventure, Rusty's fight is presented as a somewhat Metroidvania-style NES game, with graphics reminiscent of Capcom games like Strider and Bionic Commando.

Rather than making a quick promotional game, Capcom seems to have gone all out for Dark Void Zero, recruiting Dark Void composer Bear McCreary to create an authentic NES soundtrack for the game. Capcom has also invented a fiction not just for the game, but about the game, portraying it as a lost dual-screen PlayChoice-10 project. See a trailer and some thrilling in-game footage after the break. According to GameSpot, Dark Void Zero will be available in January for 500 DSi Points.

Continued →

Rumor: Super Street Fighter IV getting 10 new characters in total

Every Street Fighter fan site ever perked up its ears late last week when Famitsu held a live streaming demo of Super Street Fighter IV. The administrators and visitors of said sites immediately began to pick the bones of the demo clean of important gameplay details -- the most fascinating of which comes from the above still image of the game's character select screen. The alleyway brawling enthusiasts of EventHubs.com discerned from said image that SSF IV will add 10 new characters to the game's roster -- four of which are still unannounced.

You can watch a brief YouTube clip of the Famitsu stream after the jump -- it definitely contains the menu seen above. We've contacted Capcom to find out if these fans' assumptions are accurate.

Continued →

Dark Void dev diary introduces us to 'Teslapunk' technology

Quick question: In a hypothetical war between inventor extraordinaire Nikola Tesla and an advanced race of robots, who would win? The answer is, of course, entirely dependent on the version of Tesla we're talking about. Real-life Tesla stands a pretty good chance -- after all, that debonaire mustache is probably capable of disabling most electronic devices. The safe money's on The Prestige's Tesla, who was played by David Bowie, who can disintegrate any synthetic material using nothing but the power of his rocking.

The Tesla in Dark Void looks like he'd stand a fair chance as well. Check out the above dev diary to see the warring factions of technology present in the game, and to get a few more sweet, sweet glimpses of the title's jetpack-based combat.

Resident Evil 5's 'Desperate Escape' episode detailed

Yesterday, we learned about the cast swap that would take place in Resident Evil 5 Alternative Edition's second downloadable episode, Desperate Escape. However, we had no context in which to put Jill Valentine and Josh Stone in cahoots, nor did we know what they'd be doing while cahooted. Now, thanks to an announcement from Capcom, we know: They'll be escaping. Desperately.

We'll try to share these details without dropping any spoilers: Josh encounters Jill, who has collapsed after that one fight. Together, they have to escape from the Tricell facility, pushing through wave after wave of faux-zombies in the middle of the night. They'll need to do so quickly, as they need to fulfill their important, life-saving duties to Chris and Sheva, who are simultaneously locked in battle with that one guy.

Additionally, Capcom has released some screens of the new episode, which we've posted in the gallery below. Also, the developer revealed two new costumes for Chris and Sheva in the game's Mercenaries Reunion mode: Chris gets "Heavy Metal" duds, while Sheva gets somewhat classier "Business" attire. Check them out in the videos after the jump!

Continued →

Mega Man 10: First trailer and screens

The first trailer for Capcom's multiplatform retro revival, Mega Man 10, has given us a glimpse at all the evil, robotic things we'll be killed by over, and over, and over again. Evil robot castles! Evil robot light bulbs! Also, delightfully, the trailer includes a bit of the new soundtrack, which is as catchy and series-appropriate as that of its predecessor.

The last part of the clip gives us an idea of the scope of the new Easy Mode, which is quite a bit easier than we expected. We anticipated reduced numbers of enemies and a greater supply of health powerups, but Easy Mode actually makes the levels less complicated!

In our gallery, you can see new screenshots that hint at many of the stages we'll be challenging. There's an ice stage, a sand stage, a computery stage, a fire stage, and a ... truck stage?

Second Resident Evil 5 episode has playable Jill and Josh

Are you bored with the unspoken, yet powerful sexual tension between Resident Evil 5's protagonists, Chris and Sheva? Yeah, we are too -- that's why we're so excited about these scans from the latest issue of Famitsu (as uncovered by Siliconera), which reveal that the second chapter in the game's Alternative Edition DLC, titled Desperate Escape, will let you play as Jill Valentine and Josh Stone. In case you didn't recognize that last name, Josh Stone is actually a pretty popular British female soul singer. Seems like a weird choice, but what-evs.

Okay, Josh Stone is actually the BSAA member who helps out Chris and Sheva throughout the game -- mostly through the deus ex machina helicopter rescues for which the series is well-known. But wait -- if you're playing as Josh Stone, who's going to come rescue you at the end of the game in a helicopter? This could be bad, folks.

Famitsu: Mega Man 10 coming to Xbox 360 and PS3

Like its predecessor, the upcoming retro-inspired Mega Man 10 appears to be destined for a multiplatfom release. Although originally discovered on Nintendo's WiiWare release calendar, the latest issue of Famitsu lists the upcoming Capcom downloadable on Sony's PlayStation Network and Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade.

The news is rather unsurprising, but any excuse to use this exquisite Sheep Man fan art is good to us!

[Thanks, sacra!]

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