At this time last year, Capcom was thanking Monster Hunter Tri for helping the company boost its 2009 year-end financial results. Today, Capcom heralded the monstrous shipments of Monster Hunter Freedom 3 that closed out 2010 and propelled the publisher's profits up nearly 300 percent in a nine-month period. During the first three quarters of its current fiscal year (which ends March 31, 2011), Capcom netted ¥6.836 billion (nearly $84 million) in profit -- up from just ¥1.731 the same period the year before. Sales of "Consumer Online Games" (what we call "video games," excluding mobile content) were the driving force, totaling ¥54.057 billion ($663.6 million) -- a bit more than 76 percent of total sales for the business, which includes arcade and amusement ("slot machine") operations.
Joining Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (currently only available in Japan), Capcom noted three additional "million-sellers" in the nine-month period (April-December 2010): Dead Rising 2 (with more than 2 million units shipped); Super Street Fighter IV (1.6 million units shipped "mainly to Europe and the United States"); and Lost Planet 2 (1.5 million sold -- "though the figure was less than [the] projected shipment").
During the period, Capcom also worked on "rebuilding the development departments comprising our core competence" in an effort to shift greater resources to its mobile operations, with specific focus on social gaming. Sales of "Mobile Contents" for the three quarters amounted to a modest ¥2.383 billion ($29.25 million), led by a bevy of iPhone releases and some "positive surprises," including the popularity of The Smurfs' Village on Facebook. And Capcom hasn't even accounted for all the MaXplosion press in January yet!
#streetfighteriv
When Street Fighter IV's ultra combos are recreated in the real world, is the result silly looking and totally bad-ass? As "action company" Thousand Pounds, demonstrates, it's somewhere in the middle. More »
Now that Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition is proliferating throughout arcades, players are rapidly unlocking the two new hidden characters, Evil Ryu and "Oni." Both fighters are strong, with reduced vitality to balance them. "Oni" looks significantly different from Akuma, with glowing white flames for hair. And Evil Ryu, as in previous Street Fighter games, is a stronger, faster version of Ryu with some of Akuma's abilities.
IPlayWinner has compiled full move sets for both characters, allowing you to study up before you attempt to take on the denizens of your local game center. Check past the break for video of both characters in action (with some NSFW commentary from players), and find more at Shoryuken.
#nintendo3ds
Nintendo's clumsy method for connecting Wii and Nintendo DS players to others online, the dreaded Friend Code system, may be returning for the Nintendo 3DS if a report from magazine Famitsu is accurate. More »
Fans of downloadable convenience might like to know that Super Street Fighter 4 and Need for Speed Shift are now available via Xbox Live Games on Demand. SSF4 is available for $40, while Shift is a slightly more palatable $30. Oh, Operation Darkness -- the WWII strategy game with vampires and zombies -- is also available today for $40. You know, in case you were waiting for it.
The Evo fighting game championship will be a little different this year. You'll still lose at Super Street Fighter IV a bunch of times if you compete -- so it won't be that different. But the organizers have partnered with fighting game tournaments in the US and elsewhere to create a series of Evo ranking events. There are also online tournaments (the Xbox Live one has passed) for people who can't reach the event locations, including a PSN tournament on Saturday, January 22.
All of these small-time tourneys will lead up to the main event, the Evolution World Finals, at the Rio Casino in Vegas, from July 29 through July 31.
One difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Super Street Fighter IV can be hard to see: Opponents' DLC costumes are invisible to PlayStation Network players who haven't also purchased the outfits. On Xbox Live, there's a simple solution in free "Catalog" add-ons that install the DLC assets on a user's hard drive, in order to show them worn on online opponents who have purchased and dressed up in the alternate costumes. To date, the free updates have not been offered on PSN. They likely never will be -- and Capcom tells us why.
"When you add new data to an existing product, there are significant costs to do so charged by the first parties," Capcom community shepherd Seth Killian explained in a forum post on the topic of the "invisible" PSN costumes. "On XBL, those costs were covered by Microsoft," and thus the Catalog DLC is free to download.
"For Sony, those significant costs are not covered," Killian added. "The story is a bit more complicated because the costs of adding new data vary by region in some cases, and some additions are free, or free within a certain timeframe, etc., but the bottom line in this particular case is that Sony would [have] charged Capcom significant fees for distributing the new costume data to users that hadn't actually bought the DLC."
The story is indeed more complicated: In a sense, the Catalog updates aren't free, since the only Xbox Live users that benefit from them are Gold members who play SSFIV online. And, of course, Gold subscribers pay a fee for that privilege, which in turn allows Microsoft to cover the costs of updates like the costume data. Do we sense a new Plus perk in the making?
It would be juvenile of us to laugh at the typos on the Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition cabinet, so we're reporting about them for the purpose of ... ah, hell, we're laughing at them. "Guird by saving attack," the instructions on the cabinet read. "Chuse and attack." If someone tried to play this game as the first experience with Street Fighter, would he or she know how to "Shoot special comb"?
For that matter, would anyone learn anything useful from "Change power by the time," or "Can cancel attack by saving make your comb!" In the old Street Fighters, at least, only the voices that were totally incomprehensible.
#screengrab
Here's hoping you don't rely on the printed instructions next time you slip some Yen into the arcade edition of Super Street Fighter IV. As seen on EventHubs. More »
#arcade
Pick your favorite Street Fighter competition moment - like this - and most likely it stars Daigo Umehara, as Ryu. That's coming to an end, the world champ said, after getting a look at Super Street Fighter IV's arcade edition. More »
Without a thorough understanding of the mechanics, meta-mechanics and super secret meta-meta-mechanics of Super Street Fighter IV, this video clip might not seem like a big deal. Trust us, though -- this guy's 149-hit Chun-Li barrage might just be the most impressive combo we've ever seen.
The Hit Box, a stick-less alternative to the classic arcade setup, represents an unusual form of input for fighting game enthusiasts. Essentially, the device takes the knobby portion of the controller and turns it into four buttons. Playing a fighting game just became more akin to using a funky keyboard!
The device is the brainchild of the Husser Brothers (Brian and Dustin). If you're interested in the extreme details of its design, you should check out a lengthy post on Shoryuken. If you're interested in purchasing one, you can contact Dustin directly at Hitboxes[at]gmail[dawt]com. We've posted the Hit Box basics video and an AngryBananas.com interview with the brothers after the break.
A trailer for the arcade version of Super Street Fighter IV has revealed two additional characters: Evil Ryu, the "what-if" version of the hero first seen in Street Fighter Alpha 2, and Oni Akuma, who resembles the "Shin Akuma" variant of the already-evil fighter. Check out the trailer after the break.
Images that seem to depict these two characters appear in the same leaked Xbox 360 Achievement image that showed Yun and Yang. So it would appear that all four of these characters are headed to the console game as well -- either that Achievement image is accurate, or a really clever (and prescient) fake.
#pressplay
It was already known that Yun and Yang were heading to the arcade version of Super Street Fighter IV. That's not who I'm talking about. More »
EventHubs has posted alleged screens of eight new Super Street Fighter IV Achievements supposedly tied to an unannounced DLC add-on. While the images do reflect updates to the game featured in this month's Arcade Edition release for Japanese arcades, they remain unverified by Capcom -- even if the new content is expected as DLC for the console version.
SSFIV producer Yoshinori Ono responded to tweets about the possible leak without authenticating the images, though he offered a "wink" in one tweet and a seemingly joking reference to checking with the R&D department in another. We've put in word to Capcom and will let you know what we hear back. In the meantime, anybody know a good way to counter Seiei Enbu?
#ssfiv
Capcom's official Japanese-language blog posted a few screens of new characters Yun and Yang in their Arrange Costumes, where they change from a mere skateboarder and rollerblader into a skateboarder chef and a rollerblader waiter. More »
Today Amazon.com has Enslaved on sale for $25 all day long, with timed lightning deals for Super Street Fighter IV, Sid Meier's Pirates, and more. More »
#streetfighter
Over the weekend at the SoCal Regionals fighting tournament, Street Fighter player Tokido duked it out for top spot in the losers' bracket. And then won the hearts of everyone in the room. More »
#clips
Kayo Satou made a name for herself as a fashion model. But then, she revealed she was born a man. Forget all that because Kayo is also one of Japan's top Street Fighter players. Watch out, she'll school you proper. More »
Want Super Street Fighter IV for the Xbox 360 for only $25? Amazon is doing video game deals all day long again, and we're passing the savings on to you. More »
It's about time you upgraded that boring ol' Normal Street Fighter IV for its Super counterpart, isn't it? Amazon's current Deal of the Day will let you do so at the significantly reduced price of $25, while the retailer's Lightning Deals are marking down other titles throughout the day.
Let's face it -- once those new Super Street Fighter IV costumes come out, the game's community will be split into two age-old castes: The haves and the have-nots. How will these two groups be able to play against one another, when one sports fancy duds the likes of which the other has never seen? Capcom recently explained that players without the DLC who play against a character using a new costume will still be able to fight against said player, though it will appear as though they're wearing their default costume.
This switcheroo can be prevented by downloading a free "Catalogue" add-on, which will allow players without the DLC to see the new outfits on other players. The Catalogue will come in two chunks, the first half arriving on Oct. 26 -- the same day as the first batch of costumes -- and the second on Dec. 21. This add-on has only been announced for the 360 so far; we've contacted Capcom to see if PS3 players will have access to it as well.
Even before the official December release of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, producer Yoshinori Ono is teasing a console release of all the new content. Of course.
Ono casually mentioned on Twitter yesterday that he was headed to Capcom USA to present "written proposal about DLC for [Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition]'s PSN, XBL." That would mean two new characters, Yun and Yang, could be released for consoles, alongside possible balance alterations. For some reason, we can't imagine Capcom USA declining Ono's proposal for more Street Fighter income, so look forward to some new characters.
Even before the official December release of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, producer Yoshinori Ono is teasing a console release of all the new content. Of course.
Ono casually mentioned on Twitter yesterday that he was headed to Capcom USA to present "written proposal about DLC for [Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition]'s PSN, XBL." That would mean two new characters, Yun and Yang, could be released for consoles, alongside possible balance alterations. For some reason, we can't imagine Capcom USA declining Ono's proposal for more Street Fighter income, so look forward to some new characters.
