We were delighted (and frightened) when we heard casting details for the new Street Fighter flick, but we're a little less eager to learn the stars of a Tekken movie. We guess it's largely because we have a harder time keeping the Tekken stable straight (it's the one with Pepsiman, right?). Regardless, Kung Fu Cinema says they've obtained a slew of casting details.

The site lists Kelly Overton as Christie, Luke Goss as Steve Fox (we knew that one), Gary Daniels as Bryan Fury, Candice Hillebrand as Nina Williams, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Mishima, Darrin Henson as Raven, Ian Anthony Dale as Kazuya, Cung Le as Marshall Law, Marian Zapico as Anna Williams, and the UFC's Roger "Matador" Huerta plays Miguel Rojas.

Like Street Fighter, a movie based on Tekken is a terrible, terrible idea. But if we have to watch a movie filled with SF's C-listers or Tekken's several martial artists, we're leaning towards column B.

English pop star turned Hollywood hottie Luke Goss has signed on to play a role in the upcoming Tekken film. According to his official web site, the English actor will portray Steve Fox, the British boxer first seen in Tekken 4.

Goss first made a name for himself in the boy band Bros (that's right, "Bros"), which he formed with his twin brother in the 1980s. Once the band broke up in the early 90s, Goss made the smooth transition over to actor, appearing in such films as Blade II and Hellboy 2. Filming for Tekken begins this month in Shreveport, Louisiana, under the direction of Dwight Little.

A film based on Tekken has been in development limbo for a while now, presumably for other reasons besides the fact that a movie based on Tekken is a very bad idea. Now it seems that the project is gaining significant momentum with the announcement of a director, shooting schedule and even a few plot details.

Variety reports that the film will be helmed by Dwight Little, who you might know from his work on the sequel to Anacondas, Murder at 1600 or Steven Segal's Marked For Death. He's also got some video game experience after serving as the director for Ground Zero Texas (wait, that had a director?).

Little says he'll begin shooting on Feb. 4 in Shreveport, La. from a script by frequent collaborator Alan McElroy (no relation) about "a rebel who rises up against the Tekken Corp. to seize freedom for his people." So, yeah, it's picking up steam. We're just not sure yet if the train is hurtling toward a brick wall.

After the Great Terror Wars, governments fell ... Seven corporations rose from the ashes to rule all men ... Together they were known as The Iron Fist ... The mightiest of which was ... Tekken

That's the tag line featured above a metallic, bloody capital 'T' for the Tekken movie, revealed via ComingSoon.Net. Can't you just feel the drama building through the indulgent use of ellipses?

The film news site also revealed that production on the Onimusha adaptation is expected to begin in April 2008, with Silent Hill director Christophe Gans at the helm. Despite a bashing from critics, the Silent Hill film managed to gross $97 million worldwide. Will Gans be able to attract that big of an audience again? He might need a helping hand from the writers who developed the seminal Tekken movie poster ...

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!

The Japanese version of Tekken 5: Dark Ressurection for PlayStation 3 will soon have online multiplayer, but it's going to cost you a bit extra. The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu reports that T5: DR Online will feature free online multiplayer with a ranking system, practice mode and survival mode.

The game will cost 2,800 yen (about US $23), or 1,000 yen (US $8) for current owners of the game to upgrade. Since the game initially came out for 2,000 yen, early adopters are paying 200 yen extra for the time they've had with the offline title since its release in late December. No release date has been decided for the upgrade, and no word at all on a release outside of Japan.

Just a few days ago we said hello to Miguel the matador, one of the new fighters in the upcoming Tekken 6. Now a whole host of screenshots have been released, showing both in-game stills and CG artwork, including a few gratuitous female underthings images! The first 17 pics in the gallery below are from the new batch of screens, while more can be found by clicking the "read" links below.

Three new characters have been confirmed for Tekken 6 along with a host of returning fighters, making this cast the largest in the series' history. Tekken 6 is heading to PS3 and arcade by the end of the year, and rumors say it will be released for Xbox 360 as well.

Gallery: Tekken 6

The price of a PSP in Europe is set to be violently assaulted with a sharp object next month, when Sony plans to slash at it wildly in the hopes of trimming a few pounds. And Euros, obviously, but as with the US price drop earlier this month, that particular currency simply doesn't suit the rapid weight loss imagery we're going for.

A report on GamesIndustry.Biz indicates that the retail price of the PlayStation puny will drop by £20 in the UK to £129.99 on 4 May. The rest of the continent will pay €169.99 following a drop of €30. The change in price will be accompanied by a cheaper £14.99 tag for Platinum titles, with Ridge Racer 2, Tekken: Dark Resurrection, Killzone: Liberation, LocoRoco and Moto GP all being included in the range and fighting against the argument that the system doesn't have any games.

Tekken Dark Resurrection plops down in North America's PlayStation Store later this month, following its debut in Asia. Namco Bandai's downloadable fighter joins Sega's disc-based Virtua Fighter 5 in the waning weeks of February, as two high-profile franchises battle for PS3 owners' idle attention. While unconfirmed, expect Tekken to be offered in the $15-20 range; VF5's gonna go for the standard $60.

1UP speculates that Namco Bandai could offer additional updates for Tekken -- like online multiplayer -- but the publisher has shot down rumors that the (initial) North American release was delayed to add new content. If you already nabbed the Asian version, no worries, you won't be missing out.

GamersReports has posted a workaround for PlayStation 3 owners eager to download Tekken 5.

Unless you're living in Hong Kong or Japan you're forced to wait until Sony gets around to releasing Tekken 5 in other territories ... or you could cheat the system. This trick is relatively simple, if not inherently dishonest:

• Create a new user (not sub-user)
• When entering the credit card info, pick Hong Kong as country, and then a corresponding city
• After account is created, select 'Add Funds' (a sub-option within 'Account Management')
• Add $40 (Hong Kong dollars) to your 'Wallet' twice (total should now be 80 HKD); never add more than $50 in one transaction, as this will prompt a validation of the address registered with the credit card
  
• Now go to the PlayStation Store and select Tekken 5
• Opt to add more funds (bringing Wallet total to 125 HKD)
• Purchase and download Tekken 5

Sony is no doubt taking measures to lock out this workaround as you read this. Act now if you must. Our advice: sit patient and wait for the official worldwide releases.

Stirred by Sega's announcement of an Xbox 360 version of Virtua Fighter 5, comes rumor that Tekken 6 is also bound for Microsoft's console. The source of the rumor is the same anonymous "IGN insider" who has been apparently credited with breaking the Virtua Fighter 5 news before Sega confirmed it. If his latest spill proves valid, expect Namco Bandai's next Tekken on 360 and PlayStation 3 later this year. There is no indication that this multiplatform initiative would extend to the recently released downloadable version of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, which looks to remain a PS3 exclusive.

While console versions of the Tekken series have traditionally be reserved for Sony platforms, Tekken 3 was eventually released for Dreamcast Tekken 3 was emulated on Dreamcast; and Tekken Advance was specifically designed and released for Game Boy Advance. If Tekken 6 does land on Xbox 360, the move is not unprecedented.

Less than a month after a downloadable version of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection was announced for PlayStation 3, Namco Bandai's fighter has belly-flopped onto PlayStation Store in Japan (¥2000; $16.85) and Hong Kong ($125HK; $16.07). And it's a beast, weighing in at 830MB; well exceeding the arbitrary limit proposed last month.

But Sony's done it, introducing the first full-featured digital distribution title to consoles. Sure, certain Xbox Live games could be just as valuable (if not more so) to the on-demand movement, but let's not downplay Sony's achievement. This is exactly the sort of move that will pressure Microsoft to give up on its enforced 50MB Live Arcade size limit.

The hefty HD version of Tekken 5 includes arcade battle, ghost battle, and offline versus modes, in addition to an artwork and video gallery. Final boss Jinpachi Mishima has also been made playable. No word on the inevitable North American release.

According to GAF, Famistu is reporting that Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection will be offered as a downloadable PlayStation 3 title. The PS3 version will be an arcade port (Dark Resurrection was also released on PSP) with new content, including a playable Jinpachi. The game will also be enhanced for high definition displays.

Release date and cost have not yet been disclosed, though Dark Resurrection will almost certainly exceed Xbox Live Arcade's current peak price ($15). Still, Tekken 5 has a bit more to offer than the likes of Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat 3, no? Should Microsoft be concerned?

McDonald's -- in what must have been pitched in a meeting full of McSynergy -- is sponsoring a series of "midnight" gaming tournaments in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. McDonald's has recently tried to attract gamers through DS Wi-Fi, Happy-Meal giveaways, and an ad campaign that looked a little too familiar to some. Of all of these things, we give McDonalds the most credit for hosting these game nights, speaking to gamers directly through controllers.

Players can register online now to play each Saturday night in Tekken 5, Guitar Hero, and NCAA Football '07. The weekly tournament begins tomorrow and runs through mid-November, with single-elimination play between 9:00PM and 4:00AM. Weekly winners will net McPrizes totaling a few hundred dollars, including Best Buy and McDonald's gift certificates. They will also compete in the November 18 championship, where three players will win a thousand-dollar Best Buy gift certificate, Xbox 360, and more.

Dallas and Ft. Worth gamers, represent Joystiq, and tell us how it goes. Just consider bringing gloves and/or bleach; those guitar controllers are going to be pretty McGreasy by the end.

[Via: Adrants]

It seems like TV viewers across the pond always get cooler commercials than we do here in the States. For instance, take Namco's ad for Tekken: Dark Resurrection on the PSP which manages to be both memorable and funny, despite having less than two seconds of gameplay footage and only two words of dialogue: "You win!"

Hopefully we can expect to see more ads like this one as Sony and Nintendo ramp up for their launch dates, and Microsoft throws something in the mix to keep up. Look for them this holiday season on a TV near you.

Other notable game commercials:
Xbox 360 "Jump In" promo wins Addy
Japanese game commercials: you watched it, you can't unwatch it
Grand Theft Auto: Coca-Cola City
PS-Peeing viral vid for Gangs of London

[Via Digg]