Headline RePLAY – 7.16.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: Deadpool stars in his own game, analyst Michael Pachter calls the Wii U “gimmicky” and Street Fighter X Tekken’s Mega Man and Pac-Man are forever PS3 exclusives.  

After being overshadowed by other “heroes” like Wolverine, Deadpool, the Merc with a Mouth, is finally getting his own videogame, developed by High Moon Studios—the studio responsible for Transformers: The Fall of Cybertron.

Deadpool: The Game was announced at Comic-Con and is slated for a 2013 release date. No other details were released, although Deadpool seems to be voiced by Nolan North, who also voiced the merc hero in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series.

|Source: IGN

The Wii U “isn’t going to work” says, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter at the Develop Conference in Brighton last week.   

Pachter described the original Wii as “gimmicky” and believes that Nintendo just got “lucky” with its success, but doesn’t think that luck will extend to the Wii U.

“I don’t think they suck—I just think that they really believe that, ‘If we’re still novel, everything we do will work,’” he claims. “This isn’t going to work.

“Hardcore gamers will buy them; hardcore Nintendo fanboys will buy it. They could put out a piece of cardboard and say that it’ll play Mario and they’ll buy it.”

|Source: Edge

Despite the early release of the on-disc Street Fighter X Tekken downloadable characters, Mega Man and Pac-Man will remain as PS3 exclusives, says producer Tomoyaki Ayano.  

“Unfortunately for Xbox 360 users, Mega Man and Pac-Man are exclusive to the PS3 version of the game,” Ayano told Siliconera.

“Every game has data on it that is unused,” he explained. “In this case, Street Fighter X Tekken for the Xbox 360 did have the Mega Man and Pac-Man data on it. But, we never intended to release these characters on the 360. They are PS3 exclusives and that was our intention from the very beginning. They are not going to be timed exclusives either, they’re PS3 exclusives.”

|Source: Siliconera

Headline RePLAY – 4.2.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: Yet more rumors about the next Xbox, Sony wants first dibs on marketing their next-gen console and Capcom responds to Better Business Bureau complaints about Street Fighter X Tekken.

Not to be outdone by the wave of PlayStation 4 (a.k.a. the “Orbis”) news, new but contradictory details about the next Xbox have emerged:

In contradiction to recent reports that Microsoft’s next-gen console is going digital, VG247 claims that it will have a Blu-ray drive. Despite the inclusion of a Blu-ray drive, however, the console will require a constant internet connection.

According to VG247, the specs of the machine include two GPUs. One of VG247’s sources said, “It’s like two PCs taped together.”

Additionally, it will have “four or six” cores to its CPU: one reserved for the built-in Kinect and another for the console’s OS.

*Source: VG247

Hot off the heels of all the PlayStation 4 coverage last week, rumors suggest that Sony is seeking to beat Microsoft to the punch in marketing the next-gen console.

“Sony [is] completely in the belief that they have the jump on Microsoft this time,” sources told VG247. “You should be watching the timing of next year’s E3 keynotes, and who’s going to go first.”

One such source tells VG247 that Sony is “confident” that it “will have the console at market ahead of the next generation Xbox next Christmas.”

*Source: VG247

The Street Fighter X Tekken on-disc DLC drama continues: after receiving complaints from consumers via the Better Business Bureau, Capcom responds that they see little difference in the medium that DLC is delivered.

Capcom recites their official stance that the company believes on-disc DLC provides “more flexible” and “efficient gameplay” for the game’s lifecycle. However, the kicker comes in when Capcom observes there is no distinction between on-disc DLC and DLC delivered later as a download:

“There is effectively no distinction between the DLC being “locked” behind the disc and available for unlocking at a later date, or being available through a full download at a later date, other than delivery mechanism.”

Apparently, to Capcom, completed content that is on disc is equivalent to content released post-launch received through a server, which begs the question: what is legitimate DLC and what was content cut from games to be released at a later date?

*Source: Gaming BLEND

Headline RePLAY – 3.20.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: Blizzard acknowledged that Star Wars: The Old Republic impacted World of Warcraft’s subscription numbers, World of Warcraft may go mobile and Capcom is on the hunt for Street Fighter X Tekken hackers.  

In a rather candid discussion with Eurogamer, Senior World of Warcraft Producer John Lagrave acknowledged that Star Wars: The Old Republic impacted the MMO’s subscription numbers.

“Of course people are trying Star Wars—our development team are trying Star Wars!” Lagrave told Eurogamer. “I’m one of the few people who’s still playing it actually, but yeah we’ve seen a dip in subs. It certainly has to at least be attributable to The Old Republic, but it’s also attributable to people who want to wait and get Mists of Pandaria, so it’s not surprising.

Lagrave dismissed any ideas for World of Warcraft to switch from a subscription business model to free-to-play. However, the senior producer is open to extending the level cap for the free trial, which currently stands at level 20.  

While Blizzard has not released any new subscription numbers since The Old Republic’s launch in late December 2011, the company has begun an aggressive campaign to re-enlist former subscribers in the form of a buffed up Scroll of Resurrection program.

*Source: Eurogamer

The full World of Warcraft experience may be coming to an iPhone or mobile devices near you. Already there are some parts of Blizzard’s behemoth MMO on mobile devices like access to character sheets, the Auction House and guilds via the World of Warcraft Armory app.

Except it’s easier said than done, Senior World of Warcraft Producer John Lagrave conceded.

“Here’s your platform [iPhone], you’ve got to put an interface, what do you do? So yes we have [looked into mobile] and we always are,” Lagrave told Eurogamer. “Maybe we’ll stumble on the great way to put WoW on the phone - maybe we won’t, but we're certainly looking into it.

“We won’t do it until we think it's decent,” the senior producer continued. “But it’s interesting and the world is evolving towards that little handheld device—I’d have fun on it, that’s absolutely the case. It would be foolish for any game developer to not be looking at that and we’re not - we don’t think—we’re foolish!”

“When we have an epiphany, everyone will know,” said Lagrave. “But for now, no epiphany!”

*Source: Eurogamer

All forum user Razum wanted was to sit down and play Street Fighter X Tekken online, which was promptly ruined when he encountered Blanka—a DLC character that wasn’t even supposed to be available yet. Apparently, hackers were unlocking DLC characters and using them in online bouts. Capcom is vowing to track down and ban the hackers.

“Yes, we’re seeing news of this. Quite ballsy for folks to be taking hacked Xbox 360s on Live where they are detectable,” confirmed Christian Svensson, Capcom’s senior VP of strategic planning and business development.  

“In any event, we already have opened channels of communication with MS on these issues Friday night,” reported Svensson. “If you can capture screens or video of this in action (as some have already) we're working on bans for boxes and accounts with MS for haxxors.”

When the thread devolved to mockery at Capcom, Svensson closed the thread and resolutely said, “We’ll catch them ourselves.”

*Source: Capcom-Unity

Headline RePLAY – 3.8.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: Valve shoots down rumors about a “Steam Box” console, Street Fighter's Ryu and Ken duke it out with Tekken’s Kazuya in a new live-action short film and an Angry Birds Space PSA from space!

Valve is on the rumor patrol again, this time to shoot down claims that they are working on a “Steam Box” gaming console.

“We’re prepping the Steam Big Picture Mode UI and getting ready to ship that, so we're building boxes to test that on,” Valve marketing director Doug Lombardi told Kotaku. “We’re also doing a bunch of different experiments with biometric feedback and stuff like that, which we've talked about a fair amount. 

“All of that is stuff that we're working on, but it's a long way from Valve shipping any sort of hardware.”

When pressed about the possibility of a Valve console, Lombardi refused to provide any definitive answers.

“What you're saying is, there's definitely nothing coming any time soon, nothing at GDC or E3, but what you’re not ruling out is the possibility that, hey, maybe someday Valve would make hardware,” he said. “I think that's accurate.”

*Source: Kotaku

In tribute to Street Fighter X Tekken’s release this week, Thousand Pounds Action Company published their latest short film titled “Street Fighter: The Devil Within”. The film delves into Ryu’s inner struggle with the “Satsui no Hadō” (“Surge of Murderous Intent”) while Tekken regular Kazuya Mishima attempts to coax it out through brute force.

Thousand Pound Action Company is best known for their anime and videogame inspired martial arts choreography and films.  

*Source: YouTube

Don Petit, a NASA astronaut, stationed 242.5 miles above the surface of the Earth at the International Space Station, is going to give us a physics lesson involving an Angry Bird, a pig, and bungee. It’s almost like a PSA to take our math and physics courses seriously to join him in—spaaacceeee!

The end of the trailer has our first glimpse of Angry Birds Space gameplay which consists of gravity mechanics, planetary orbits and the physics of smashing buildings like a meteor. 

Rovio has additionally revealed that the game will feature 60 levels, new birds, new abilities, and secret bonus levels. Free updates are also included alongside in-app purchases of course.

Angry Birds Space is slated for release on March 22.

*Source: YouTube

Headline RePLAY – 3.5.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: A scandal at the Pokémon Videogame Championships, Capcom responds to the Street Fighter X Tekken DLC controversy and rumors about the return of the Darkstalkers!

While the Pokémon Videogame Championships were underway in Birmingham, UK, a Spanish Team was busy with having a drunken “poo” fight in a hotel corridor. It is exactly unsavory as it sounds: human feces were involved.

PokéChamp21, a competitor, detailed the incident on the Pokémon World forums: “After 30 - 40 min. in my room relaxing with a quick snooze I awoke to the sound of banging coming from down the hall from where the 'Spanish Team' were staying in. It seems that at some point after they had turned up and when we went to Wether Spoons the Spaniards had decided to have a 'Poo' fight in the corridor and this had upset the staff and several guests (naturally) at the hotel enough to call the Police and have them leave.”

The report has been verified by other sources in attendance at the tournament.

*Source: Nintendo Life

When an enterprising hacker discovered that downloadable content already exists on Street Fighter X Tekken’s game disc, a bloc of fans were outraged. In response, Capcom issued a statement to explain the matter:

“The character information and files were intentionally included on retail versions of the PS3 and Xbox 360 game to save hard drive space and to ensure for a smooth transition when the DLC is available, allowing players who choose not to purchase the content the ability to play against players that did,” said Capcom.

“As a reminder, the retail version of the game will be the only disc-based version consumers will need to own and all future upgrades will come from post-launch DLC.”

Capcom Community Manager Brett Elston elaborates: “By including these 12 characters on the disc, the idea was to ensure easy compatibility between players who do and do not choose to download the characters when they arrive as DLC.”

“This move also furthers our desire to avoid a "Super" version of the game down the road,” said Elston. “Everything you need to enjoy this game for months (and years) to come will be accessed by the retail disc available this week.”

“I understand the reaction, but SFxT is a damn fun game with a ton of content right out of the gate and more stuff - all designed to keep this fresh - to come.”

*Source: Capcom-Unity

Rumor has it that Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono, whose credentials include Street Fighter IV and Street Fights X Tekken, is working on a long awaited Darkstalkers 4.

According to a reliable VentureBeat source, the new Darkstalkers game has been in the works since last year and will be operating under a modified version of the Street Fighter X Tekken engine.

Recently, it looks like Capcom has been trying to resurrect Darkstalkers in the public eye by releasing the original Darkstalkers on PSN last year and a recent ESRB rating on Darkstalkers 3 for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. 

Darkstalkers makes vampires, werewolves and even a trigger-happy Little Red Riding Hood look good, but is often eclipsed by Capcom’s Street Fighter. Darkstalkers first made its debut in arcades in 1994 and had its last major release with Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower in 2004.

*Source: VentureBeat

Headline RePLAY – 1.27.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: We have a confirmation of the Wii-U’s launch window and a complete tally of PS3 and PS Vita character exclusives in Street Fighter X Tekken!

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told reporters yesterday that the Wii-U will be launched near the end of the year. Iwata seemed to indicate a simultaneous release when he said the console will be released in the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan for the year-end season.

According to a December report by Inside Games, the launch window was initially narrowed down between June and the end of 2012. Iwata’s news certainly places the launch window at the holiday season of 2012.

*Source: Reuters

When I reported lastweek that Street Fighter X Tekken had Pac-Man as an exclusive, playable character for the PS3 and PS Vita, I wish I was kidding. Apparently, he is confirmed in this gameplay trailer, alongside… Bad Box Art Mega Man?!

Okay, admittedly, after seeing the two characters in action I’m more open to the idea— it actually seems to work!  

The PS3 and PS Vita exclusives now include Cole from inFAMOUS, Pac-Man, Bad Box Art Mega Man, and Sony mascots Kuro and Toro.

*Source: Shoryuken.com

Headline RePLAY – 1.19.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: Resident Evil 6 is announced and Pac-Man in Street Fighter X Tekken?!

Earlier this week, Capcom released a viral website that hinted at the next Resident Evil game. Today, Resident Evil 6 was revealed by a GameStop promotional display. And tonight, Capcom has officially announced the next entry of the series, which is to be produced by Hiroyuki Kobayashi, the producer of Resident Evil 4.

According to the trailer, the game will involve Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield. Capcom describes the story as follows: “It has been ten years since the incident at Raccoon City and the President of the United States has decided to reveal the truth behind what took place. Raccoon City survivor and personal friend of the President, Leon S. Kennedy, arrives to find the President transformed beyond recognition by a bioterrorist attack. Leon is forced to make the hardest decision he has ever made.

At the same, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance Member, Chris Redfield arrives in China, itself under threat of a bioterrorist attack.”

Resident Evil 6 is coming out on November 20^th to both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with a PC version slated for release later.

*Source: IGN

Roster reveals in upcoming fighting games are pretty clockwork, some characters are expected and others fall under the “meh” or “WTF” categories. In this trailer of Street Fighter X Tekken, we get to see a slew of new characters like Juri, Paul, Law, Vega, Balrog, Xiaoyu and… Pac-Man?

And Pac-Man definitely falls under the “WTF” category.

Apparently, Street Fighter X Tekken is throwing out the crossover rulebook and featuring characters not even included in the two franchises. Although, to be fair, a precedent already existed when Capcom announced that Cole from the inFAMOUS series is going to be included for the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions.

Pac-Man is a PlayStation Vita exclusive character in addition to another silhouette that suspiciously looks like Frank West from Dead Rising in a Mega Man outfit.

But seriously, Pac-Man? Really?

*Source: Joystiq