DmC is.. Hey, Dante has White Hair!

Well there you go, Devil May Cry purists. Ninja Theory must have heard all the complaining that was done about Dante's new look. Actually, I think the whole world heard it, it was as if millions of geeks suddenly cried out in terror. I hope your complaints are suddenly silenced. 

As things look here, DmC manages to hold onto a lot of what the series is about, if a little shaky. I'm not a fan of all the drastic camera movements during the action sequences, but hopefully that's only to make things look a little more dramatic in this trailer. I could see that wearing me very thin if I had to deal with it during every swordplay segment. 

But back to the important matters; the color of Dante's hair. It looks like his punk-styled locks go all albino when he enters some sort of Devil Trigger mode. Not only that, but his jacket also switches from the burgundy color that caused an outrage, to the crimson color that everyone seems to love! Since that has been straightened out, what should we complain about next? 

Eliminate Leon's Nice Hair in Operation Raccoon City

Capcom has released a legit trailer for the upcoming Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. None of that teaser bullshit here! 

The game looks interesting to say the least. It's nice to see the series shift away from the third person shooter which it was rapidly becoming. It will also be pretty dope to play as the vile Umbrella Corporation for once, and possibly even eliminate Leon Kennedy. No, that can't be right. What will the world do without his perfectly parted hair?

On the flip side of things, I hate SOCOM games, so I don't know how well I'd receive SOCOM with a Resident Evil mod on top of it. I can dig the team focused gameplay, and I do like that each character has his or her own class, but what is with all the atrociously fake accents? I guess Capcom is keeping it real, rediscovering Resident Evil's roots. 

Hey, I'll bet you $10 that Vector will be the most played charcater of the Umbrella four. What do ya think?

REVIEW: Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition

It's easy to doubt Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. Longtime veterans of this series know what to expect when a home console game gets ported to handheld. Such titles are normally fraught with all kinds of problems and limitations; there are fewer characters, the control layouts aren't conducive to the gameplay, there aren't enough buttons to map all of the commands, and the overall presentations are watered down at best. The more you play those half-assed renditions, the lower your expectations become. But if you go into 3D Edition assuming that you'll be in for another disappointment, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. This game not only works amazingly well for a handheld fighter, but it gives its predecessors a run for their money.

Click to read more ...

Street Fighter x Tekken, Oil Versus Water

Capcom's Captivate event has also shed a whole lot of light on the latest crossover game, Street Fighter x Tekken. Producer Yoshinori Ono puts it best; "This is not a game about people getting along; this is a game about oil and water trying to mix, this is a game about people kicking each other's asses." And that dynamic is clearly visible, as the Street Fighter x Tekken cinematic trailer even has the appearance of Tekken's oil against Street Fighter's water. 

I could sit here and tell you how the gameplay has changed. How, while it may look like Street Fighter IV, it plays nothing like it. How Capcom characters retain their methods of play -- with certain tweaks, such as charged special moves -- and Tekken characters retain their combo-centric methods. How a seasoned Tekken player, who is accustomed to playing with four buttons, can completely ignore the fierce and roundhouse attacks and still have a fulfilling Tekken experience. I could tell you all that, but why bother? Take a look at batshit videos out of Captivate 2011, and see for yourself just how crazy Street Fighter x Tekken can, and hopefully will be. 

One note though, I really hope they character selection for team Tekken is stepped up. Bob? Come on. Why not throw Rufus in there too? Give me some Raven, baby.

Asura's Wrath Cannot Be Contained by Captivate

Out of Capcom's recent Captivate event comes more news on Asura's Wrath. The blissfully mad action has had me gravitating toward this title since it was first discussed at last year's Tokyo Game Show. Developer CyberConnect2 has experience in frantic anime action, with plenty of Naruto games under their belt, and Asura's Wrath looks to continue that trend. The build at Captivate was not playable by attendees, but developers were showing off their moves to any and all onlookers.

What was seen, according to Destructoid's Nick Chester, was a healthy amount of quick-time events, some light on-rails shooting, and some pre-recorded video of the third-person brawling. Nick says it all looks as ridiculously insane as the initial trailer made it seem, and that excites me. I know a good percentage of gamers will sigh disgustedly at the abundance of quick-time events, but I'm cool with that. Some type of action can only be portrayed a certain way, and while I'm confident in my abilities to play a style-laden game the way it should be played, some people may not be able to pull it off. QTEs makes it so that everyone plays the same. And while that may not seem like a good thing from a gameplay standpoint, it makes sense, at least visually. And for a game like Asura's Wrath, where the visual aspect is an integral part of the experience, QTEs may be the right choice.

While the Captivate trailer for Asura's Wrath isn't as hyper as that shown at TGS, it's got a serving of GALACTIC BUDDHA FINGER, and that's what counts. 

Asura's Wrath Gallery

Sweet, Bloody Nostalgia with Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

Been a while since we visited Raccoon City, hasn't it? As the Resident Evil series has transitioned more from survival horror to the action genre, so has the scene shifted from Ground Zero to more exotic locations such as Europe and Africa. These locales have provided an interesting and perhaps equally creepy backdrop for a tale of zombies and virii, though honestly, there's no place like home.

Though the action returns to the familiar, apocalypse-torn home of the Umbrella Corporation, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is veering off the beaten path to take the Resident Evil franchise in a new direction. For this, Capcom has teamed up with Slant Six Games -- veteran developers of some of the more recent SOCOM series off-shoots -- infusing the current Resident Evil formula with a tactical twist and touch of multiplayer. 

Operation Raccoon City has you -- and possibly three of your friends -- take control of an elite Umbrella Corporation squad tasked to infiltrate the city circa 1998, destroy any evidence of the T-Virus, and eliminate all survivors. As if slaughtering zombies and unwilling survivors wasn't enough, your crew will also have to deal with the unfriendly advances of United States Government special agents and their public funded weaponry.

The third-person, team based shooting action of Operation Raccoon City looks like a mix of SOCOM and Left 4 Dead. No complaints from me! Aside from the cooperative multiplayer campaign, Operation Raccoon City will also feature a number of competitive online multiplayer modes. With so many different sides involved in the battle within Raccoon City, online play could be really fun if done right. Hunk versus Licker versus psychotic armed citizen versus Leon Kennedy's wafting bangs. Let's dance! 

Mega Man Universe Just Got Mega Canned

Goodbye Mega Man Universe, we hardly knew ye! Always a fan of classic Mega Man action, I was looking forward to this one. Not to say I was salivating and fighting back bouts of the shakes though. When I played Mega Man Universe at New York Comic Con 2010, it seemed like a flawed product, but it had promise. The create your own Mega Man angle seemed like a pretty neat idea, especially taking into account the broad range of characters across Capcom's library that could have been added in. 

The official Mega Man Universe site states "various reasons" for cancellation. I wonder if this has anything to do with Capcom's serious lack of Keiji Inafune these days? Mega Man Universe was scheduled for release in Spring 2011 for PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Arcade. I guess Mega Fans will just have to keep their fingers crossed that the demise of Universe opens the door for Mega Man 11.

Eye Up Shuma Gorath and Jill Valentine in Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Waste of flesh, is what you all are. Shuma Gorath's words, not mine. Hard not to love the one-eyed cockiness of a hideous octopoid demon. And if that's not your cup of tea, you can roll with the sleek humanoid curves of Jill Valentine. Marvel vs. Capcom 3's first batch of DLC characters has something for everyone! 

March 15 is the due date for these two, if that digital currency is burning a hole in your console, you'll only have to wait a bit longer.

REVIEW: Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Capcom's Versus series is one of the quirkiest and most respected fighting franchises in the industry today. Its last entry, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom may not have captured a broad audience due to its Wii exclusivity, but Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has charmed both OGs and new gamers alike. Alas, the 11 year old game has shown its age. With the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, fans of the fight have let out a collective sigh of relief, but does the Fate of Two Worlds take us for a ride?

Click to read more ...

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 DLC Shows New Costumes, Teases New Characters

If you have yet to purchase Marvel vs. Capcom 3, I ask you this: what the hell is wrong with you?! While you're busy lollygagging on possibly 2011 most anticipated release, Capcom is making moves on the DLC tip. They got schedules, schedules of DLC that detail what you'll miss if you haven't copped Marvel vs. Capcom 3 yet, and what date you'll miss it. 

Landing on March 1 is the first of many costume packs, which re-outfits 6 of your fighters in stylish new duds. Ryu gets thrown back to his Street Fighter gear, complete with terrible slippers. Dante gets ladies with his fathers features in his Sparda outfit. Chris Redfield gets hooked up in his duds from the original Resident Evil, though unfortunately he doesn't bring his stroke face with him. On the Marvel side of things, Thor rocks his tried and true 80's suit that I grew up with. It's not quite Beta Ray Bill, but it will have to do for now. Iron Man gets all TSA on your ass with his Iron Patriot gear that was worn by Norman Osborn for a hot minute. And saving the best for last, Captain America lets his locks hang, with the maskless Steve Rogers look, complete with the sweet freakin' shield. This pack runs you $5 on PSN, or 400 MS points if you're using funny money.

Also dropping March 1 is the first Shadow Mode DLC pack, which allows you to play against AI controlled characters who are programmed to fight in the style of several notable Capcom staffers; producer Ryota Niitsuma, along with assistant producer Akihito Kadowaki and a namless "QA team leader". Bet he's the worst of the bunch! 

And finally, news from the rumor mill. Everybody who's anybody knows about the first two downloadable characters, Shuma Gorath and Jill Valentine. Now grain of salt, but a eagle-eyed reader of Destructoid did some digging in Marvel vs. Capcom 3's coding and found two things of interest. Namely Frank West and Doctor Octopus, who either will be added as DLC or are left over code as character that didn't make the final cut. It was already said that Frank West was in an early build of the game and cut at the last minute, but fuck it, keep fingers crossed these guys get added in. I would love to whoop some ass with Doc Ock.