Straight out of EGM, 1up have posted an interesting interview with Long Vo - Sprite Designer and Lead Artist of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix - about the difficulties of bringing new graphics to such a classic game. Here is a quick excerpt:EGM: Which character presented the biggest challenge when it came time to redraw their sprites? Were you worried about pissing off all of the Chun-Li fans? They're notoriously hard to please....Read the entire interview below.
LV: Surprisingly enough, Chun-Li turns out not to be as difficult as some of the other characters. Once we had decided to base the look off of [Capcom artist] Edayan's Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo Revival designs, Chun-Li's design pretty much stayed really true to the original sprites. The more difficult characters to tackle were the ones who underwent proportional changes like Sagat, T. Hawk, Zangief, and Dhalsim.
In the latest episode of Top Secret: The Bionic Commando Podcast, Ben Judd discussed the impending release of Bionic Commando Rearmed.... we are going to tie-in in some other secrets into it, there are going to be some more tie-ins with magazines in the future...What could it possible mean? Could be nothing more than a reprinting of the Bionic Commando comic book currently on the site - or perhaps there will be some secret code that unlocks some extra goodies, a code you can only get in a magazine?
Top Secret File 016: The Top Secret TeamDownload the podcast here or join the RSS feed.
The Top Secret team arrange a hastily-convened podcast, where matters such as sex in games, gaming violence, and the release date of Bionic Commando Rearmed are laid bare. Who needs guests with this level of discussion?!
Unfortunately, Bionic Commando Rearmed was delayed a little bit before being released. To ease the pain, Capcom have released the official Bionic Commando Rearmed Soundtrack, available via iTunes or Sumthing Digital!I know that once something hits the net it can be pirated very easily but I hope you can see the amount of time and money we have put forth to make this a reality. Just so that you don't see us as the evil corporation that is rolling in money and sticking it to the end-user, let me break down some costs:So what are you waiting for? Go buy and download them here.
We are charging 99 cents per song of which we usually make about 60% or so. That's 60 cents. Additionally there are server management fees, the internal staff hours it took to get the contract up and running, and of course a license fee to create the initial contract. All in all, it probably costs us around 10K just to get the product up and running. We would need to sell 15,000 songs to break even and when it comes to game soundtracks that just isn't a number that you can easily hit.
Today Xbox UK released their monthly newsletter to subscribers - with an extra little tidbit - Commando 3: ETA May 28th!
Capcom have released 3 new images of Street Fighter II HD Remix - all featuring everyones favorite nut case - Akuma!
Top Secret File 015: Lars Bonde, Lead AnimatorDownload the podcast here or join the RSS feed.
We talk animation and Danish bacon with Lars Bonde, the lead animator at Grin. Find out what turns a mass of polygons into a living character and how cut scenes get made - and in a special update, we'll tell you when you can expect to be playing BCR.
Assault Heroes 2
Rocketmen: It came from Uranus Expansion Pack
Despite Ticket to Ride not being officially announced, it looks like they've just skipped it over and gone to the previews! Team Xbox has a new preview of Ticket to Ride!Ticket to Ride is one of those games that's pretty simple to get the hang of, but requires a lot of strategy to excel at. While the game is certainly fun on its own merits, the competitive nature of the game lends an extra level of excitement. Working against others to build the best and most expansive railway while trying to head others off at the pass, all while trying to connect your Destination goals is a thrill.Check out the whole preview here!
And while the game's AI proves a good challenge for any skill level, the real fun comes in taking on live opponents in full five player multiplayer games over Xbox LIVE. Games are quick to set up and jump into, and seem to play without ever getting derailed by lag issues. As an added bonus, Playful Entertainment and Days of Wonder have plans to release additional maps and expansions to the game via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
Commando 3 takes the gameplay formula from the previous Commando games and translates in such a way as to make the most of home consoles. Players move around the screen with the left thumbstick and fire by using the right thumbstick, reminiscent of games like Galaxy Wars or (for you older gamers out there) Smash TV. Using either the right trigger or the right bumper, the player can aim and toss grenades, perfect for taking out enemy vehicles, bunkers, or soldiers ducking behind barricades.Check out the whole preview here!
Players also have at their disposal a limited number of special "M-Crash" attacks. These powerful moves unleash the player's full destructive potential, instantly clearing the screen of enemy troops and causing massive damage to nearby structures and vehicles.
CVG: What was the hardest decision you had to make on the project?He goes on to discuss the rating of BC: Rearmed, Wiiware, discussing how developing on 3 platforms has been and more. He also would like to remake the NES classic Blaster Master.
Viklund: That was to determine what was really bad in the original and how these things should be amended.
Well, the truth is it wasn't really that hard to determine - because I always had a very clear idea of what I thought was good and bad about the original game - but it was hard to take the ultimate decision to cut or replace these elements because I didn't know how the Bionic Commando fans out there would react.
It was kind of nerve-wrecking to release that announcement trailer back in January and wait for people's responses. I'm glad that the decisions I made seem to have been well received.
For the ninth installment in our Game Club series we set our electromechanical limbs on one of the NES era's greatest action games: Capcom's Bionic Commando. Join us in the second (well, third really) segment where we talk all about it. Also: GTA IV, Mario Kart, and a very special audio unboxing. It's powerful enough to make your head explode!Download the podcast here or join the RSS feed!
3 New WeaponsThe article STILL says It came from YOUR Uranus, as well as in the Trailer, which is completely incorrect going by the logo:
- Blobber: Shoots blobs of goo at enemies, does damage over time in the part of the ground that it covers.
- Beamer: Shoots lighting at enemies, does high intensity damage.
- Bomber: Shoots grenades instead of bullets; grenades explode on impact doing damage.
2 New Secondary Weapons
- Falcon: Robotic falcon that attacks enemies automatically will disappear over time.
- Screw bomb: Rocket that turns into a proximity mine on impact
3 New Levels
- Level 11 - Finding Jane: The player must escape the Saturnian prison mine and reclaim Nick’s ship, the Icarus Jane.
- Level 12 - Clear the Asteroids: The player must clear a path for the ship through Saturn’s rings
- Level 13 - The Plan: The player must make his way through the Saturnian palace and convince Angelica, leader of the Saturnians, to join the Alliance.
New Enemies
- Saturnian Marine
- Saturnian Elite
- Heavy Mining Terra Scientists
- Terra Rocket Marines
- Saturnian Pit Boss
- Saturnian Asteroid Demolition Machine
- Lord Angelica
I'll call out Team Xbox, IGN and Shacknews too for repeating the same mistake. Tsk tsk!
Oh Feedreader, I love you and your Intelliupdates, keeping copies of blog posts before spelling mistakes are corrected (I'm looking at you Kotaku and.. well, me), but best of all - keeping backups of blog posts which are then deleted!The next chapter of Capcom’s Rocketmen: Axis of Evil is coming! Rocketmen: It Came from Your Uranus, an expansion to the original digitally-distributed title, will be available through Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PlayStation Network Store on Wednesday, May 14 and Thursday, May 15 respectively.Now this date may be incorrect, which could be the reason it was taken down, the PSN is notorious for being a lot more difficult to get what you want them to do - see Capcom's other title Super Puzzle Fighter II HD for example, which has still not been released in Europe.
For 400 points on Xbox LIVE or $4.95 on Playstation Network, Rocketmen fans will have access to 3 new maps, 3 new main and 2 new secondary weapons, and or course new enemies.
With Namco announcing they'll be releasing the original Soul Calibur to the Xbox Live Arcade - lets have a small trip down memory lane - back to the Dreamcast. Last time we discussed Chu Chu Rocket, now lets discuss the crazy Capcom multiplayer fighter knows as Power Stone!
The games namesake however is the Power Stones. During a battle, pieces of the power stone can be picked up by the player. Pick up 3, and your character will transform into a super form and be able to blow your opponent away very easily. If someone has one of the gems - beat it out of them!
The original game only supported 2 players, but the sequel upped the ante with 4 player mode. Power Stone 2 also brought in dynamic levels, where levels could fall apart, revealing a new level or setup. You could fight on a collapsing airship, or on two submarines that crash into icebergs!
However, I can't see Capcom getting together with Backbone to do it - it has a very Japanese style to it, and would be the perfect type of game for Capcom Japan to use to get off their arses and to start supporting the downloadable game initiative. The unfortunate thing is that games like Powerstone isn't considered 'meaty' enough for a disc release - similar upcoming games like Hail the Chimp - despite probably being a good game in that genre, doesn't "feel" like a 50-60 dollar game, or even the $40 price point it's being released at. It's too "arcadey" now, which is a damn shame. 
The Bionic Commando Crew over at Capcom have recently hosted a little get together of Game Journalists to have a go at a complete (or near complete) version of Bionic Commando Rearmed. In the first of 3 updates over the weekend, Capcom has announced the final mode for Rearmed - a 4 player Multiplayer mode!Q: If you succeed, what are some of the next titles that are in the back of your mind?You can read the entire Q&A here.
Judd: Let's just say that I'm a huge Capcom fan. I like Ghost and Goblins, the Mega Man series, Strider, D&D... I like a lot of the games. Let's just say that if this works out, there's a very good chance that there may be another similar title in the future. We'll see.
Q: We're hoping for Strider.
Judd: Strider was a good game. Anytime you fight a gigantic robotic ape and then a bunch of senators that turn into a worm, that's kinda cool.
But, to be honest, none of our 2.5D games have worked out. None. Mega Man Powered Up -- nope. Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins -- nope. Again, I'm probably fighting a fool's task here. For something that cheap, something that already has failed three times, and in a genre, 2.5D, that has never been successful. But that's what I like about Capcom. They're willing to give a crazy foreigner like me the chance to try.
When updating the game for Rearmed we didn't want to go with the standard, "lazy" approach to difficulty tweaking -- i.e., we didn't want to make the game artificially more difficult by just giving the enemies a longer life bar and the ability to do more damage.Read the entire blog post here.
Additionally, rather than making the game harder, we needed to find a way to make it easier without totally redesigning the classic level design that fans would demand.
Fortunately, the BCR team has got some really creative people on board and they developed the concept of "Assist Blocks" for Easy mode. For example, look at the screenshot to the right. Fans of the original might recognize this location as being underneath the first "big swing" of the game from building to building. In the original, if you missed when trying to hook on to the spotlight, it usually meant you fell to your death.
There are four levels of difficulty with descriptors ranging from cake walk to suicide mission. We went all in to see how far our skills could take us. The first level starts out on a beach and isn't much of a suicide, but things quickly ramped up once you take down the first tank boss. The second level is a prison breakout several years later, and then it was on to the mountain stage before our legs finally gave out. The endless onslaught of enemies was too much even for us -- particularly the backdoor bros that kept creeping up from the rear as we plowed ahead.Check it all out below.
5 brand new shots of Capcom's 1942: Joint Strike surfaced over the weekend, showing off some new Boss screenshots, including the giant plane above, as well as a huge, flamethrower-toting tank on train tracks.
360Sync have done a little bit of Achievement digging and found that 3 additional achievements have popped up on the official list at Xbox.com.
With the announcement of 1942: Joint Strike coming to the Xbox Live Arcade, some younger readers may not even know of this classic Capcom franchise that essentially launched Capcom into the giant they are today.
Curse all this news, it's very hard to keep up!The game started with our squad being dropped off on a string of small islands that quickly revealed themselves as being under enemy control. It wasn't long before we found ourselves under fire from all directions. The game's simple controls made fighting back a breeze. The right analog stick was used to fire our guns, while pulling the right trigger would toss a grenade. The longer you hold the trigger, the further your grenade will go.It's sounding very nice - though I'm a bit worried with the lack of media push for the game compared to Bionic Commando and Street Fighter II HD - lets hope it starts getting more publicity.
This made it much easier to take out soldiers hiding behind sandbags as well as to destroy vehicles. When the going got really tough, one of us would hit the left trigger to unleash an m-crash--an attack that, after a quick animated scene with the soldier who activated it, cleared all the enemies right off the screen.
