TGS 2010: Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, Light Controls

See that monstrosity in the header image? You remember it, don't you? That is an actual control, for an actual game. Steel Battalion for the original Xbox cost a shitload of money, but for the price you pay, you get a piece of gaming history. One of the most complex pieces of game hardware ever made, next to the Atari Jaguar controller. 

A hardcore game needs a hardcore controller, and that's exactly what you got in Steel Battalion. A game so gangsta, that as your mech was about to explode, if you didn't flip the safety glass and slam on the flashing red eject button on your control's dashboard, your save file was permanently deleted. Gangsta. 

Now that Capcom has announced a sequel, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, we're all awaiting the needlessly complex control scheme. Except we're not getting one. I am disappoint. Heavy Armor will function solely with the Kinect system. So, the most complex control scheme ever created becomes the most simplistic in one fell swoop. How do they plan to market the hardcore mech action to the casual gamer Kinect focuses on? Who knows man, who knows.

Rest in peace, Steel Batallion controller. We hardly knew ye.

TGS 2010: Devil May Cry Shoots, Slashes, Changes Hair

Capcom Japan has enlisted the help of Capcom USA and developers Ninja Theory (Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Heavenly Sword) to reboot one of their classic series, Devil May Cry. 

Devil May Cry's attitude-having star, Dante, has undergone some serious changes from when we last saw him. Notably younger, thinner, a whole lot more beat up, and he seems to have lost his signature white hair. This new Dante, with his shoddy European/Japanese punk influenced attire, badly abused face, and emo flop hair looks to be more suited for a supporting role in Trainspotting than Devil May Cry, but don't let looks deceive you. He kicks ass just like the Leon Kennedy-haired Dante of old, so there should be no real reason for concern. Fanboys, however, will always find something to bitch about.

Change it seems is hardly ever welcome in gaming, so it's no surprise that the new look has DMC supporters taken aback. Who knew the white mop top was such a hit with kids these days? Dante's makeover might not be familiar territory, but come on, it doesn't look bad. Besides, he's much younger than he was in previous titles, so who's to say there won't be storyline to describe why, if his hair turns white?

The bottom line, before all else, should be that Dante plays like Dante. And if the trailer is any indication, it looks like he will. My problem with Heavenly Sword was that it played a bit too wonky and unrefined. It looks like Ninja Theory fixed that problem with Enslaved, but they screwed up the character designs. With Capcom and key members from the original DMC games closely involved in the reboot, I think gamers should feel comfortable knowing that this title will deliver. 

Devil May Cry Gallery (7 images)

TGS 2010: Asura's Wrath, or God Hand of War

You know how much I love games that blend religious themes with eight ounces of mindfuck to create something unique, right? That's exactly why Asura's Wrath is giving me goosebumps. 

Capcom has collaborated with CyberConnect2 (developers of .hack and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja) to develop the third-person action title which looks to be loosely based on the ultra-violent past times of Buddhist deities, you know, when they're not busy being in Nirvana. Nice!

The action is as we like it: flashy, ridiculous and overdone, with the seemingly immortal protagonist running through a torrential downpour of spears to unleash divine justice on anything standing between him and his bearded counterpart. And then something amazing happens. Galactic Buddha Finger. Oh, my, GOD. This could be one of gaming's greatest moments, no lie. 

Asura's Wrath looks like a mix of God of War and God Hand. God Hand of War?! Hell yeah. CyberConnect2's influence is clearly visible throughout, and it's nice to see their hyper-stylized action sequences in something aside from a Naruto game for once. I am eagerly anticipating updates for this title, and I'll post 'em as I get 'em.

Asura's Wrath Gallery (6 images)

TGS 2010: Dead Rising 2: Case West

I can see it now. Mr. Greene meets Mr. West in a locked room. They shake hands and exchange summarized stories of zombie debauchery. Suddenly, zombies start to pound the door down. Chuck gets to the workbench with duct tape and the nearest household items to create something ludicrous yet deadly. Frank slots a fresh memory card into his camera and adjusts the shutter speed. The zombies burst into the confined safe room, screaming bloody murder. Chuck Greene unleashes just that on the mindless horde with Frank West watching his back, and shooting the whole scene to get bonus dramatic PP. Awesome.

Last week, Capcom teased us with some evidence of Frank fighting along side Chuck in a tale recounted by fictional denizen of Fortune City, Johnny Pipes. Now in the midst of a loaded first day at Tokyo Game Show, Capcom shows us their hand with Dead Rising 2: Case West. 

The downloadable 360 exclusive, Case West takes place after the events of Dead Rising 2. Capcom is totally getting ahead of themselves here, talking about a DLC epilogue before the actual game has even released. Talk about being proactive, I love it! 

I've yet to hear whether or not Frank West will be playable via co-op (keep your fingers crossed) but hopefully Capcom will allow the players to control the much requested star of the original Dead Rising.

In related news, Capcom has announced they have purchased Blue Castle Studios, the development team behind Dead Rising 2, and they will now be known as Capcom Games Studio Vancouver. I guess that means they did a helluva job on the upcoming zombiefest. Congrats on your assimilation, Blue Castle! 

Samurai Dead Rising Features Zombies, Katana, LSD

Capcom's incredible juggernaut push for Dead Rising 2 continues. Most companies would probably cut back the marketing after the incredibly well received Dead Rising: Case 0 broke Xbox Live's week one sales records. Capcom on the other hand seems only to intensify things, now with a tie in called Samurai Dead Rising.

Heavy hitting artist and animator Norio Shioyama, whose massive body of work includes such classics as InuYasha, Armored Trooper Votoms, and The Centurions lends his talents to the psychedelic katana brandishing action of our nameless hero as he mows down the undead in stylistic monochrome. The tripped out visuals are accompanied by a slamming drum and bass selection that fits the art style perfectly. And though the thought provoking clip comes in just a shade under three minutes, it seems that there will be more Samurai Dead Rising shorts in the future. Awesome.

With Dead Rising 2 already cemented as one of Fall's hot releases, the timing of Capcom's zombie slicing samurai skits makes me wonder if there are greater forces at work here. A tease of taking Dead Rising 3 to the feudal period, or maybe samurai DLC? We already know Chuck Greene has proficiency with a katana, as preordering  from Gamestop nets you a ninja gi and blade, unlocking a whole new set of assassin moves and animations. Maybe we can expect some samurai garb and a zombie infested bamboo forest sometime down the line. 

Whatever the case may be, this Samurai Dead Rising thing has the opportunity to be something epic. Make it hap-pon, Capcom.

Review: Dead Rising: Case 0

Capcom's quirky zombie apocalypse series, Dead Rising, is known for it's happy-go-lucky take on slaughtering the undead, and using anything as a weapon. The first entry in the series was well enough received to warrant a sequel. And while Dead Rising 2 is a little under a month away, Capcom offers fans a chance to whet their necromorph killing whistle with the downloadable prequel, Dead Rising: Case 0. Is the rending of rotting flesh worth five dollars?

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Rockman Online Blows Minds, Cities

South Korean exclusive Rockman Online has released an animated teaser trailer that is chock-full of amazing. I was overcome with feelings of nostalgia, euphoria, and childish glee that I had not experienced since the first time I loaded up Rockman 8.

As with any good Rockman/Megaman title, there's a lot to process in this clip. Characters from the original series are present and looking good; the first game's robot masters, Protoman in traditional anti-hero fashion, my personal favorite Bass, and of course Megaman himself. Then we're thrown a curve when we see some of Mega Man X's supporting cast urgently working the consoles in a command center. Whaaaat ?! Can we expect to see Sigma? Zero? VILE?!

Gamers with roots in classic gaming will always love Megaman, so logically this trailer has gotten the lot of us piqued. At least until we remember that it's Rockman Online is a South Korean exclusive that currently has no plans to be released elsewhere. Though once Capcom notices the amount of buzz the side-scroller with RPG elements is receiving, they'll be hard pressed to not port it over and give us Mega Man Online.

Spinning Bird Kicks: First Look at Nike vs. Capcom's Chun Li Dunks

It was reported some time back that sneaker heads were getting a pack of Nike Dunks styled after Street Fighter characters, but did any of us know for sure if these kicks were truly inspired by Capcom's opus? Last week, sneaker blog N-SB.org outed some shots of the now confirmed official Nike vs. Capcom Chun Li dunks, and man do they look good. The art on the insole is a great touch. 

At $130 these things ain't cheap, but these are the Euro release. I foresee a price drop when they come stateside, hopefully to no more than $100. Personally, I can't wait to get my feet into the white, red, and black Ryu mids complete with frayed headband Swoosh. Heat? Nah, these are hurricane kicks son. Head past the jump for more pics.

Shout to Geo for the tip (via N-SB.org)

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Street Fighter X Tekken; Capcom Stepping Their Game Up

Capcom is really putting in work lately. The clever way they're handing the Dead Rising 2 demo, the frantic, combo driven pace of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, the head-spinning cross-series gameplay of Mega Man Universe, and the downloadable, online play enabled version of Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Capcom is doing big things! 

Biggest of all may be the Capcom and Namco powered fighter, Street Fighter X Tekken. Many rumors were building toward this, but now we have solid confirmation from Capcom themselves. We've been told that Street Fighter X Tekken will play and look similar to SFIV, and while Capcom works on that title, Namco will be working on the separate title of Tekken X Street Fighter, which will play like the Tekken series. The two developers will NOT work with each other for these titles. I'm sensing there's a bit of a friendly rivalry to see who will make the better game. Which sounds more appealing, the fireballs and over-the-top ultra moves of Street Fighter, or the grounded, combo-heavy realism of Tekken? 

So far we've only seen the respective series' poster boys, Ryu and Kazuya, go at it in the Street Fighter X Tekken engine. And interestingly enough, there seems to be some sort of tag or assist mechanic, with Ryu calling on Chun Li during his super combo, and Kazuya summoning Nina. We're still in the dark about many of the game's details, understandably so, since Capcom states Street Fighter X Tekken is still a good two years from release. Ano who knows when we'll get any solid details or media on Tekken X Street Fighter. In the meantime, enjoy the two videos below; a CG trailer done in SFIV's brush stroke art style, and shaky-cam footage of Ryu vs. Kazuya. Watch 'em! Also here are some dope stills from Capcom-Unity.

Update on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 8:30AM by Ernie

Figures a day after I post a story about how Capcom is doing their thing and other developers need to take notice, Kotaku reports Capcom's profits fell nearly 91% in the last quarter. 

Dead Rising: Case 0 is Raising The Bar on Game Demos

Your typical game demo consists of a section lifted out of the retail copy of whichever game you're being lured into buying. Oft-times this will be one of the earlier stages of the game, so you can get prepped on story without feeling too lost or having any major plot points revealed. And oft-times these demos feel detached and carelessly thrown onto your plate, just to say "Hey! Check it out! Buy, buy, buy!" Dead Rising: Case 0 is different, in that it wants you to feel like it's an investment.

Sure, its a five buck download, but it's not your typical demo either. It's a prequel to the actual game, following protagonist Chuck on his mission to save his freshly bitten and slowly turning daughter from the zombie infection. Not only does this demo set up the story for where the game will initially pick up, but your experience, weapons, and whatever clothing you happen to find will transfer over to the main game. Well done Capcom, not only are you doing something refreshing with the token idea of the game demo, you're also justifying the five dollar entry fee. I'm still unsure if I want to spend $60 for Dead Rising 2, but I'm pretty sure I'll pay the fiver to try out Case 0.