Fuel to beat up Family Guy, American Dad, Capcom's Ryu...

Fuel Industries on Thursday announced the release of a brand new fighting game that features characters from Fox's American Dad and Family Guy shows, and Capcom's Street Fighter series.
Fuel Industries partnered with Fox and Capcom to create the game as a promotion for the American Dad Volume One DVD Collection.

The game, American Dad vs. Family Guy Kung Fu, is a new internet game that allows users to play as key series characters. In addition, the final boss of the game is the iconic Ryu from Capcom's Street Fighter games.

"When we first started conceptualizing this, we started from an idea that we all loved, and basically tried to push it as far as we could," says Mike Burns, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Fuel Industries.

"When the idea of making Ryu the big boss came up, we were on the phone with Capcom within about five minutes."

Key characters include Family Guy's Peter Griffin and baby Stewie Griffin, and American Dad's Stan Smith and alocoholic extra-terrestrial Roger.

Fans can play the game at: http://www.americandadvsfamilyguy.com/

by Punch Jump Crew

Capcom unveils E3 lineup...

Street Fighter, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Monster Hunter, Mega Man lead slew of recognizable franchises being showcased at event; more to be announced later.
Today Capcom announced its lineup of games for this year's E3 trade show, which takes place May 10 through May 12 in Los Angeles. The lineup features both familiar faces and new IP, as well as their first entries into the next generation.

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Okami
Platform: PS2
Publisher: Capcom
Release: September 2006 Capcom also promised more to come--in addition to the playable demos announced today, the company also has new games it will announce at E3.

The list of Capcom games playable at E3 is as follows:

PlayStation 2
-Okami
-God Hand
-Street Fighter Alpha Anthology


Xbox 360
-Lost Planet
-Dead Rising


PSP
-Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins
-Monster Hunter Freedom


Nintendo DS
-Mega Man ZX


Gameboy Advance
-Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Gregar, Cybeast Falzar


By Dan Tochen -- GameSpot

PSP goes retro with Capcom Classics Reloaded...

Most kids growing up in the 80s and early 90s probably would have spent a pretty penny at the local arcade, dropping countless quarters on those coin-op cabinets in a heartbeat, drawn in by the intense action, captivated by the challenging gameplay. You can now relive your youth wherever you go, because "Street Fighter 2", "Knights of the Round" and several other timeless titles are hitting your PSP via Capcom Classics Reloaded.

They're saying that there will be over 15 "arcade perfect classics on a single UMD" to be found here, with titles ranging from "Commando" and "Ghouls n' Ghosts" to "Eco Fighter" and "King of Dragons." Best of all, you can challenge (or team up with) your friends in all of these games, thanks to the multiplayer capabilities via wireless ad hoc mode.

Expected to ship in Q4 2006, Capcom Classics Reloaded has yet to receive a definite MSRP, though if previous compilations are any indication, don't be surprised to find a $40-ish price tag attached.

Street Fighter II On XBLA Priced, Dated...

According to VGM's latest podcast, Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting will be released for the Xbox Live Arcade by the end of April. VGM reports that the game will cost between $10–15 (800 to 1,200 points).

New Items To My Collection...

Thanks to Sota Toys, and Cornerstorecomics!

Cool Street Fighter Display At X-Treme Toys...

While shopping at the Montebello Town Center (Mall) in California today,X-Treme Toys has a very cool display with a huge Sota Toys Sagat statue.

The guy working there told me its on loan from Sota since X-Treme Toys is Sota's biggest Street Fighter toyline seller right now in the U.S. They will have it on loan till this years SDCC.

Its very cool! Here are some pics I took:

SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 14

Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.

Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:

Whew.. lets see how much I have time to answer..

- I dont know the color of Round 5 cards yet..

- I like two packs so yeah..there will be more

- I like Darkstalkers but I really hadnt played it much until we got the license. I like it much more now - SF 5 will be at SDCC

- We will make a Shadaloo Cammy at some point

- You might see a Mech Zangief and theres a chance he might come w a cloak

- Im not even thinking about DS 2 voting so I cant answer anything about it

- Your campaigning does matter..almost everyone at SOTA looks at the boards even if they dont post anything.

- No chance for any more Ibuki variants...or anything before Round 5 as with us leaving the 'old' factory we no longer have access to the molds for anyone rounds 1-4.

- There will be new versions of Ken and Ryu at some point

- Round 5 SF will have about as many variants as Round 4

- No plans for Sheng Long or Goutetsu... you might see a Gouken at some point

- How do we pick SF variant colors ? We do use Jigsaws SF sprite site for reference ( thanks Jigsaw !). Basically everyone at SOTA makes their picks and we compare them w what we see requested on this board.

- I dont think we're announcing round 6 until SDCC

- Im not going to get into the 'multiple vote' lynching thats going on.

- Puprle Shin Akuma is the only SOTA exclusive in Round 4 ..nothing secret planned.

- Akumas Gi is softer than Ken/Ryu but same material.

- We dont have a case packout for Darkstalkers yet.. DS isnt hitting until Jan 07

- Anyone requesting small missing bits ( like Sodoms crescent) email Jed@sotatoys.com..he might have some laying around

- Morrigan should be the correct size. The Ibuki thing was just an error that no one caught.

- I still want to do accessory packs for SF... ive just been really busy with other stuff.

- Mortal Kombat... Jazzwares owns the rights to that. We cant do it. Its a legal thang

- Regular versions of SF Round 4 should be in Tower in a week or two. Those were the last ones to ship from China

- Q_Destroys... how do we get Q on the next ballot ? Hes tough because of the jacket... maybe ..maybe not..its a ways off..

- Dolls will be sold as separate figures in small blister cards

- Do I vote in all the polls on this forum.. most of em yeah..i do :)

- SF , while popular, doesnt have the kind of mass appeal that Marvel does. Im unsure if 12" or 4" would sell enough to work..and I cant take the risk right now . I think we'd need to be in TRU or Walmart and that isnt going to happen unless Capcom puts out a new game

- Prototypes are generally done at 2X and then laser scanned down to the actual figures size. Theres also a cheaper version than the laser scanner called a panograph that we use on some figures that arent really detailed.

- I never say who I voted for ( other than ORO!)

- I dont hate Karin.. but no one at SOTA ever seems to vote to put her in the vote ( see we all vote here first)

- SF ROund 5 will have a lot of variants

- The Sagat from the 2 pack was SUPPOSED to be the SF 2 color...but no more Sagats anymore...

- We wotn vote on Darkstalkers series 2 until end of the year

- Demitris head has been modified..and no you cant see it yet..lol

-I think Red Ken is going to be most valuable with White Ryu being released in the 2 packs. Bison is also very very hard to find in his regular color.

- No comment on who I hope is in Round 6...

- No Haggar...Cody will only be SF version

- Forbidden Planet has all variants...

- I dont think there are any plans to do a Zeku head with Guy...

- I dont have any plans for SOTA to become more mainstream. If anything we're moving the other direction and becoming more specialized. You have to understand I created SOTA to have fun with...mainstream means 'big business' gets involved..walmart, toys r us, etc.. I have no interest in running a big business.

- Even Im not sure what the exclusives are for SDCC yet... its difficult because now that we're out of the old factory they arent going to want to make a small run of convention exclusives for us and the new factory is calling it real close to get anything out in time for SDCC.

- Why no Pink Ibuki,,,retailers didnt want it...they thought it wasnt going to sell.

- Geki was added because Adam and Rene , who both work for me, insisted...lol.

- Rose will probably be in the next round of voting.

- If Hugo wins it is likely you willl see Poison in some form. Shes not on the ballot because shes an accessory as far as my thinking goes.

- Can we make a tshirt and jeans Cody..good question..I dont know the answer

- Maki probably isnt going to pull this one off...but she deserves her chance so shes there.

- SF 4 figures should be hitting UK this month ( actually they should hit everywhere this month) I know they are already starting to clear customs in some countries.

- I think the current retail outlets that already carry SF will continue to carry it for the time being. That being said I expect them to take less and less and online stores to take more and more. I think Round 4 is going to sell fast and that will help kick start the line again as Round 3 was over-ordered and sat on some shelves.

- If Geki wins our starting point will be Udon artwork

- You can redeem a SOTA coin for future products if you want.. but its just as easy to hold onto it until what you want comes out I think.

- Alright heres the ugly truth of SF round 5... We have a new big license thats not action figures ( some of you have already heard what it is) and everyone got so busy sculpting it to get it out in time we sort of didnt finish sculpting SF 5. Will is just getting back into SF 5 in a couple weeks and wont have the sculpts done until early June. So its gonna be awhile before you see them.

- Hagar..I have never even asked Capcom about it..theres just too many real SF characters to get to first.

- Replacement figures.. Jed knows the rules better than I do. If it was up to me it would be free figures for everyone muahhhahhah ! Oh and his email should work just fine..I use it daily.

- I would like to do the 'generic warrior' action figure thing but its just too risky for a small company like us

- The mythical Street Fighter 4 game... if it comes out someday I hope we do figures.

- Darkstalkers will probably be 4 figs per wave to help us get through it quicker

- If Geki wins I dont see a SF1 category BUT I do see us considering SF1 characters more seriously.

- If E Honda wins in R 6 I think its easy to figure out who will headline SF 7...

- Why did we lock Dhalsim ? Surely you jest ? Hes a rubber man with a string of skulls !

- Rose was left out because she is going to be the most problematic SF figure ever techincally. Sculptors just didnt want to have to deal with her on this round.

- Yun/Yang are wildcards in the vote..I dont expect them to win but what it does is helps me to see what kind of popularity they really have. Understand that seeing how many people vote for the 'loser's is sometimes just as important as who wins.

- I think its really cool how people put their selections in their signatures...Im diggin that.

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

Its really an amazing feeling to have friends around the world who appreciate what we are trying to accomplish wiith Street Fighter.

It really would be amazing if years from now this line is looked upon as something special in the history of action figures.

Guess what.. I got a yellow/blue Sagat today ! I didnt have one in my own collection..I know lol...thats strange but somehow we never saved any. But today SHT's gave me one as a gift..thank you SHT !

So the only figure I am still missing is Black Gen... if anyone has an extra that wouldnt mind parting with I'll gladly pay whatever the going EBay price is. Or I might have something for trade ?

LMK

And thanks again !

My Cell Phone Street Fighter Tribute...

My Cell Phone has Street Fighter in mind, from the classic Street Fighter original theme song Ringtone, to the very cool Street Fighter wallpaper' that I made myself!

Here are some pics:




Hey I'm sick, I need help. :D

PSP Review: Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max

By: Matt Paprocki

Lost in the luster of Street Fighter III, Street Fighter Alpha 3 is severely under-appreciated. The moves, game play tweaks, tremendous roster, and presentation are arguably the best in the franchise. It shines on every system it's released for, unless that system isn't capable of handling the controls.

Like Darkstalkers, this PSP port is butchered by the console's limitations. Anything other than charge moves and the occasional quarter-circle fireball motion are useless. The analog stick can now be used, though its effectiveness isn't good enough to avoid questions either. Finally, the third attempts at making this game work are the easy controls, which only require one direction, and the appropriate button to perform the move. There are two problems here: it takes away a lot of the skill, and it's easy to pull off moves you didn't want.

If it weren't for that critical issue, this would be the best version of this game available. It's nice to know a wider audience can experience this intact on something other than the Dreamcast and get extras too. Four characters are new to the game, their sprites taken from Capcom vs. SNK 2 and Capcom Fighting Evolution. Eagle, Maki, Ingrid, and Yun join the game, all significant additions. Their styles blend perfectly with the already massive roster.

This port is otherwise completely intact, with new modes (100 Kumite, Reversed Dramatic Battle, and a character-swapping mode called Variable Battle). The World Tour is here, where the player selects a fighter and builds them up RPG style. It's this game's strongest style of play for solo players.

Sadly, solo will be the way most people will be experiencing this. There is no Infrastructure online play, only local Ad Hoc. The amount of extras doesn't make this a worthwhile experience for single players either, since one trip through the arcade mode with Evil Ryu unlocks everything. New modes of play are fun, but it's unforgivable to not have any extras or online battles.

Still, the solid game play is enough to make this a purchase. The three "-isms" (or fighting styles) radically alter the characters and the way they're used, effectively tripling the roster. This is definitely a game that has taken a slightly wilder turn, with air blocks, counters, and air projectiles. It's more controlled than Marvel vs. Capcom, but when compared to the first two games in the Alpha series, it's an obvious departure.

Fans don't need to be told all of that, however. They're well aware of what they are getting into. The PSP extras are miniscule and offer nothing in the way of extra content once conquered. The screen stretch into widescreen is handled smoothly.

Finally, it's one of the best fighting games ever made on a system not made to handle fighting games. It's a judgment call as to whether or not this is worth $40.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max is a rated T (Teen) by the ESRB for Violence.

Play TV Legends: Sega Genesis Street Fighter II Special Champions Edition...

Play TV Legends: Sega Genesis Street Fighter II Special Champions Edition

One of the greatest fighting games ever is now available in two authentic six-button Sega Genesis controllers! Gamers can play as all the original Street Fighter characters, plus the grand masters!
There’s also a special bonus game, Ghouls and Ghosts! Players or Enthusiast can play alone or with a friend. Simply plug the controllers into a TV or VCR and prepare for the ultimate match up! Requires four "AA" batteries, not included.

Street Fighter II Cell Phone?

Yes, Capcom is talented enough to squeeze SFII into a phone. But should they?
by Levi Buchanan IGN.com

March 8, 2006 - The divide between can and should is often wider than the Grand Canyon and Euphrates combined. For example, can today's newer handset play a reasonable facsimile of Capcom's classic Street Fighter II, recreating the general appearance of the brawler as well as some of the trademark fan-favorite moves? Absolutely, and I have a version of it running on an LG VX8000 to prove it. However, should Capcom have even tried, since it had to cut corners with control -- arguably the most important aspect of a fighting game?

Let there be no doubt that Street Fighter II looks and sounds the part. Some of the themes are long gone, but the effects sound reasonably the same -- including the good ol' "Hadoken!" This is now the second time this has happened, but while playing a game, my wife has been able to ID a game by its production values. By only hearing that telltale "Hadoken," she asked me, "Are you playing Street Fighter II on a phone?" Nicely played, Capcom.The mobile edition of Street Fighter II is modeled on the original arcade release -- not any of the 30-bazillion updates that followed. The original cast of characters is entirely present, including Ryu, Ken, E. Honda, Chun Li, etc. All of the characters have the proper animations for their moves, like Blanka's electric force attack or Guile's swift jabs. And on that level, Street Fighter II impresses again.

It is a real testament to both Capcom's programming prowess and the evolution of handsets, that Street Fighter II on the smallest screen can visually and aurally evoke the feelings that legions of gamers associate with the name. (Trust me, you remember the first time you played the game. For me? Junior year of high school at a university arcade while on a debate team field trip. Shut up.)However, as alluded to in my introduction, even if Capcom can create a solid mobile version of Street Fighter II from a production standpoint -- should it have since the game's controls cannot be faithfully translated to a handsets admittedly limited input scheme?

Doing those quart-circles is impossible on a d-pad, so Capcom didn't even try. The button inputs have been simplified, with controls running down the right-side of the number pad. Punch is 3, kick is 6, etc. The degrees of those attacks have been stripped away.In fact, move libraries have been slightly trimmed back, since stuffing them all in is just not an option for a reasonably-sized download. For a hardcore fan, this is a major disappointment, because even though it's certainly cool to have Street Fighter II on a phone, playing a watered down version of it is not. And, let's face it, hardcore fans are who would pay a few bucks to download this classic fighter. Why set your target audience up for disappointment?

Closing CommentsStreet Fighter II is a great production and the uninitiated will likely have a pretty good time with it. However, speaking as a long-time fan, I cannot choke down my disappointment -- it can look like Street Fighter II all it wants, but if it doesn't play like it, I'm not going to be satisfied. But here's the wrinkle: I never expected it to, because I know how mobile gaming works. I know that pulling off all the moves how I normally would with an arcade stick would be impossible on a handset. But that's where can and should come back into play.

I know it can be done, but since it stands to disappoint the fan base, should it have been done?

Voting Is Now Over...

Go here:
http://www.action-figure.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=19158

Voting ended on April 2nd.

Sota's Street Fighter Round 6 Voting has began!!

Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.

You've been screaming your heads off in the forums and now your time has come. Get ready to vote in the ultimate battle we've come to know almost simplistically as Street Fighter...

The battle will be fierce this time as SOTA puts together some match ups that will leave you crying in the night, having to choose between your favorite fighters! One on one? Three way battle? Kids stuff! This battle is a 4 fighter brawl, winner finally becomes a reality!! Dig the choices...

LOCKED Dhalsim!! The stretching, fire breathing, relatively peaceful man of India finally gets his due. This is the one I've been waiting for!

----------------------------------------

Category 1
E.Honda- E. Honda trained his entire life to become the greatest sumo wrestler of all time. Honda became upset that the rest of the world does not take sumo seriously, and vowed to prove that sumo wrestlers are the greatest fighters in the world.

Hugo- Hugo was a former member of the Mad Gear gang. When it was destroyed by Cody, Guy and Hagger he hears about a Street Fighting tournament. He joins it, along with his manager and former Mad Gear member Poison, to prove to the world he is a worthy fighter.

Alex- Alex entered the third World Warrior tournament because its sponsor, Gill, had seriously injured his best friend and father figure Tom, even though Tom had told him Gill had won fairly. Alex won every match and then faced Gill. Although he defeated Gill, Alex did not have a chance to kill him, and he went home, to find Tom fully recovered. Thoughts of revenge no longer clouding his mind, Alex encountered Ryu, who defeats Alex in battle but encourages him to become a better fighter.

Yun/Yang- Twin brothers entered the third World Warrior tournament to show their skills. They later found and fought Gill, who appreciated their effort and granted them leadership of their town. They passionately turned down his offer, since they only fought him to stop his maniacal plans.

----------------------------------------

Category 2
Cody- In the original Final Fight, Cody teams up with Guy and The Mayor of Metro City, Mike Haggar to save Jessica (Cody's girlfriend and Haggar's daughter) from the leader of the Mad Gear gang. Later, Cody is set up for the crimes of Mad Gear member Poison and the many street fights he was taking part in. In Street Figher Alpha 3, Cody broke out of prison after a riot ensued and eventually crosses paths with Guy again. Cody insists he is no hero and lives for fighting and goes on his own way.

Charlie- A member of a secret elite military team, Charlie co-piloted a special mission into Thailand along with his long-time friend Guile. The mission backfired, and Charlie and Guile were captured. After escaping the jungle prison, Charlie now seeks the force behind the unrest in Thailand.

Dan- Dan's father, Go Hibiki, was a rival of Sagat. Go put out Sagat's eye and Sagat killed him in retaliation. Because of this, Dan sought revenge on Sagat, training to become a fighter, but was expelled from Gouken's dojo when his motivations were learned. Dan thus developed his own style called Saikyou-ryuu, or, ironically, "The Strongest Style", despite the weakness of his techniques. Dan believed he had achieved his revenge by defeating Sagat (who had actually thrown the fight), and turned his attention to promoting his school, even to the point of offering exercise videos and correspondence courses.

Sean- The events of how Sean became Ken's student are somewhat unclear, but what is known is that Sean's main reason for entering the third World Warrior tournament was to prove to Ken that he had become a much greater student then he had been the previous year. Although skilled in his fighting style, Sean lacked the discipline and experience to make it too far as a fighter in the U.S. championship tournament, being knocked out in the preliminaries.

----------------------------------------

Category 3
R. Mika- Mika's main goal is for her to be "Star of the Ring". To try to accomplish this, Mika decided she would travel abroad and battle famous street fighters even before she made her official debut. During that time she met Zangief, a wrestler she is a huge fan of. Zangief inspired her as a pro wrestler to train hard for the next time they meet.

Elena- Elena is a princess in an African tribe that has a cultural tradition of fighting. Her fighting style is Capoeira. Elena hates fighting, but continues competing to please her father. She wants to travel around the world, meeting new friends along the way.

Maki- In Final Fight 2, a new version of the Mad Gear gang kidnapped the 37th Bushin Master and his daughter, (Maki's father and sister respectively). With the help of professional wrestler and then mayor of Metro City, Mike Haggar and Carlos (a sword-wielding boarder that stayed with Haggar), she traveled around the world and defeated the group's leader, Retu. Maki takes on Guy in SF Alpha 3 with hope to become the 40th Bushin master.

Alpha Chun Li- Secretly pursuing the movements of Shadowloo, the international smuggling operation, Chun Li fights bravely, unmindful of personal danger. The trail of the criminal organization has lead her to the tournament and she now believes that one of the Grand Masters may have been responsible for the death of her father.

----------------------------------------

Category 4
Street Fighter II M.Bison- Ever since he emerged to lead the internal criminal organization Shadowloo, the world has been awed by the incredible power at his command. Seen as the master of evil, Bison rules over his empire with an iron fist. Preferring to let his underlings do most of the dirty work, Bison only unleashes his powerful psychic ability when absolutely necessary.

Urien/Gill- Urien is the inferior brother of Gill and tried to claim the leadership of his organization, the Illuminati. When he finally succeeded, he learned that there was an Emperor outranking him, his brother Gill. Now Urien still longs to overthrow Gill by creating his own army with the G Project. He kidnapped one of the children Chun-Li looks after so she could get back in shape. While his brother wields fire and ice, he can wield lightning and make his skin metal.

Geki- Geki, who was born in Japan, is a ninja that enters the first World Warrior tournament to test his skill. He is a master of Ninjitsu that uses shurikens, teleportation and a claw on his left hand to defeat his opponents.

Oro- Oro believes he is the world's strongest fighter. He is mysterious, very old and fights with only one free arm for fear that his power will kill his opponents. Oro is searching out a warrior worthy to receive the secret of his power so it does not die with him.

------------------------------------------

Now just like last time, there are going to be people trying to work the system..and folks, that system is me. I AM UNWORKABLE!! WE KNOW WHEN YOU'VE VOTED MORE THAN ONCE and when we see it, we do not count your vote at all. It's just annoying, so please don't do it. It's ONE vote per person. Email streetfighter@action-figure.com and pick ONE fighter from each category and only one from each. DO NOT vote for someone not on the list..you'll be wasting your vote and our time. Also, we know you are enthusiastic about the line, but please don't add comments on anything. We just want to know who you are voting for. You should be writing...name email address1: your vote2: your vote.. and so on in a line down the page. This task is a biggie every time we do it so please make it as easy as possible for us. Voting will end on April 2nd so go out and spread the word. Make sure every Street Fighter board knows to join in. Also, don't be shy about rallying people to vote for your choices!

Have fun!!Special thanks to Wikipedia for the wordage above and SOTA for once again letting the fans have the final word!

SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 13

Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.

Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:

Whew..never ceases to amaze me how many questions you all can come up with :shock:

- SF4 variants just happened to get finished first so instead of waiting for the regular figures to be finished we decided to ship the variants first. So ive been told they should arrive in a couple weeks.

- SF6 I know I know... we need to do the vote...alright I PROMISE it will happen next week...hows that ?

- SF5 should hit shelves Oct/Nov..the Musicland bankruptcy combined with Gamestop not carrying figures anymore caused a big problem with the SF line as they were the #2 and #3 largest retailers for us. We're still doing them but we sort of had to adjust a bunch of stuff.

- No KGB Zangief.. :roll:

- If anyone needs to exchange anything just email Jed@sotatoys.com..if you have a legitimate claim he'll hook you up

- The Shin Akumas dont say Shin Akuma :( Truthfully I never realised that would make a difference to anyone. I was very very wrong...

- The Dolls will be released same time as SF 5.. my bad saying they wouldnt

- We didnt make ANY announcements at Toy Fair even though we were going to make two..we stink :lol: we'll make them soon enough

- There was going to be two SOTA exclusives for SF4 but alas we decided to only go with one - By now you all know the Ryu/Sagat 2 pack is out and we did make a few 'dirty' versions with the Ryu translucent hand.

- Resurrecting old characters... not unless they are all new sculpts. i dont want to just re-release stuff with a few small improvements. I onyl did the Ryu/Sagat because it seems like so many people never got them.

- Darkstalkers 2...I'm going to do everything I can to try and make all the DS characters. I think the line will do well..im not really worried about it

- I dont see us ever putting two females in any single round

- No plans for Rival School..dont hate me..

- Would SOTA ever work with DC...Ive talked to them. They dont seem to want to let anyone do anythign cool except themselves.

- its possible to do a FFSW version of Guy...its not planned as of right now though... would anyone else like that?

- SF headliners... I dont think there are any more headliners left. I think now its about making a overall strong line instead of letting one or two characters carry it.

- SF accessory packs,,they WILL happen.

- I know now we havent been on the ball with a lot of things lately...the company got a lil too big for itself and I had to scale it back as its supposed to be about fun. I also run a fx company and I produce movies..I wasnt getting any sleep and was stressed out.I really needed to chill. Having said that we have two great people on staff now ( jed and Adam) who are making a lot of new things happen so I think things will pick up for us again later this year. thats all I have time for tonight....

- International shipping is not something we are very well set up for so yeah its expensive. But we thought giving you the option was better than not giving it at all. As far as i know we dont have a markup on international shipping. Post office, insurance, warehouse people, etc all cost. I dont really know the details on international shipping..you would have to email Jed@sotatoys.com for that info.

- With Musicland filing bankruptcy it causes major problems. They were about 25% of our USA sales and they are not ordering much anymore. SOTA is basically on a hiatus from starting new licenses ( other than what we've already announced)... we're going to see how it goes in the next 4 or 5 months. Then I'll start thinking about new licenses.

- Havent thought about Juni and Julis packaging poses yet..they definately wont be a two pack.

- Darkstalkers accessories..yeah those are decided..I generally dont like to show accessories unutil I have finished figures

- Ibukis hips..keep in mind when these characters were designed it wasnt to be action figures..there are inherrent problems in making them three dimensional. For me it was ultra important Ibuki had the ability to do kicks,etc..that kept us from making her costume connect around the hips. To me the play factor was more important than the look there. She does have a masked head so unclear as to what you are refering to...

- We dont design figures for other companies anymore. We feel we're slightly better than most and thats what gives us an advantage. If we give our abilities to other companies I think it hurts us. If you remember we designed most of Palisades products until a couple years ago.

- Demitri is still sitting in my office and I just keep forgetting to take pics... SF 5 you wont see until they're ready to be seen and Im going to stop guessing as to when that is

- I am a sculptor..thats how I got into the toy biz...I prefer super sculpey or pro-clay for statue style figures and castiline for fully articulated ones and WED clay for large special fx masks and such. Everything has its purpose.

- The info on the cheap cases of Chun Li's is interesting...we never made any cases like that...so yeah its probably a factory selling them without us knowing it thing. Its all too common...file it away with 'Spaderman'..lol

- There will be a locked in character in Round 6

- Violent ken...umm...no plans but since I have the kens molds it wouldnt be that hard at some point.

- Im not answering any more questions about Poison..lol

- I dont think we'll do any online only characters for SF this year..things seem to be fine the way they are.

- I wish I had the time to sculpt Oro...but I dont.

- Darkstalkers 2 is on hold until we see how well series 1 does for the simple fact that the action figure market is in the dumps and no stores want to order a 'series 2' until they see that series 1 did well.

- I image SF will come twice a year..MAYBE three times if the new factory can handle it. I have to be careful to not get into a problem like I previously did with over burdening the factory.

- I love udons SF work...I hope we do get to work together on resin stuff..I havent had a chance to discuss with Erik at Udon yet... but soon.

if I didnt get to your q please post it again... J

Update To My SF Collection!

This week I got the cancelled Ryu & Sagat Scarring Blow' 2-Pack, also High-Dream's Gouki figures last week.

Enjoy the pictures...












Thanks to my Bro for the use of his DigiCam. :)

Capcom Vs SNK 2: Series 2 Now In-Stock!

The long-awaited second series of Capcom figures from High-Dream is finally here.

Series 2 set includes: Akuma, Haomaru, Chun Li, and Mai.

CornerStoreComics have the Akuma & Haomaru variants for sale, these are limited to only 500 pieces.

Capcom profits on the rise...

Zombies and monsters mean money as publisher posts improved results for the holiday quarter.
Capcom today announced its financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2005, and the results were looking up over last year's numbers. Revenue was up almost 13 percent to 47.9 billion yen ($404 million), with net profits of 7.4 billion yen ($62 million), more than four times what the company posted for the same quarter last year.

The company cited strong sales of Resident Evil 4 on the PlayStation 2 and Monster Hunter Portable on the PSP (to be released as Monster Hunter Freedom in the US) as main drivers of its game revenue. Capcom went so far as to issue a pair of separate statements touting that it has shipped 3 million copies of its latest zombie shooter for the PS2 and GameCube and 500,000 copies of Monster Hunter Portable. While it didn't divulge any numbers, the company also said Mega Man Battle Network 6 for the Game Boy Advance was selling well.

However, the biggest impact on the company's profits over the same quarter last year was made not by game sales, but by taxes. Instead of paying out 1.7 billion yen ($14 million) in corporate, local, and enterprise taxes, as it did for the previous holiday quarter, this year the company actually added 2.1 billion yen ($17.7 million) to its bottom line in apparent tax breaks. Before taxes are figured in, the company's profits increased a more modest 66 percent from 3.2 billion yen ($27 million) to 5.3 billion yen ($44.7 million).

As for the future, Capcom reiterated its previous projections for its current fiscal year (ending March 31, 2006) but said that its numbers might be affected by "the aggressive action of foreign game manufacturers," an especially severe winter, and even the Torino Olympics. In less-than-shocking news, Capcom also said it would continue its multiplatform strategy and streamline its development efforts to offset the rising cost of making games.

By Brendan Sinclair -- GameSpot

Sotatoys.com Now Has The Option For International Orders...

Source: ToyNewsI.com

For quite a while, Sotatoys.com has only sold their exclusive and limited edition products to collectors inside the USA.

As of today, collectors from around the world are welcome to visit Sotatoys.com and purchase whatever they desire. In an effort to make shipping costs affordable, all rates are based on the US Postal Service's Airmail International rates. SOTA is happy to announce this improvement, as it has always been an issue that we could not get collectibles into the hands of everyone who wanted them.

Capcom Offers Custom D-Pad With Release of Street Fighter Alpha 3 on PSP

As wonderful as the PSP might be for pulling off some swank 2D graphics, fighting game fans have complained since the release of DarkStalkers with the handheld's launch that the D-Pad was no good for pulling off many of the basic moves in a consistent fashion. Capcom has listened to the cries of gamers and is offering up an adhesive D-Pad which sits on top of the existing one (but, reportedly works quite well) if you buy the upcoming port of Street Fighter Alpha 3 from their website. Be warned that the pad is not officially sanctioned by Sony and may void your system warranty, but reports from fighter fans who purchased the attachment with the import version of the game say the difference is like night and day.

SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 12

Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:


Answers

- I never announced we were doing resin SF statues.. I said I would like to and its a possibility...If we did we would be working together w Udon on them

- No pics of the 'dirty' 2 pack yet...

- U will never see two females in a SF line

- I dont know when the line will go online only but not before Round 6

- Darkstalkers will do alright..it wont do what SF did in the begining though.

- Buying the figures is all I can ask anyone to do to support the continuation of the line.. buying them before they go on clearance is good as well ;)

- You wont see final Darkstalkers for a few more months...they shold be out mid late summer

- SF 5 didnt get finished in time for Toy Fair..so no pics ..sorry

- SF 4 is on the water so they should be in stores by end of feb/early mar ( first time we've made it close to announced release date !)

- SF 6 vote..after TF

- Darkstalkers 2 vote...closer to summer

- no plans on getting EX SF characters...I hate to disappoint but its just not worth the dough

ah dont be nervous about us... truthfully SOTA is very lucky we entered the toy biz AFTER the action figure boom. Many of the current companies experienced 'printing money' from 1999-2004 and grew very quickly..so when the market tanked it hurt them much more than SOTA which just started manufacturing in 2004. We never had a chance to grow larger before the bust. We laid a few people off last summer when I saw this coming and now we are back to 4 people in the office.. same as it was when we started.

Ive seen the changing tides since last spring and we began preparations for it by obtaining a very large licence for high end collectibles which will do very well for us ( announcement soon but its not action figures). Our biggest problem has been the very 'shady' factory we were using ( which Mezco told me NOT to use..lol - so its my own fault). I cant legally go into details but lets just say they ripped us off.

We are getting the new factory up and running which is why you havent seen much from us in the way of news...it takes a while to get their quality up to the standards our fans expect from us. Towards the fall, when the factory is 100% up and running SOTA will be 'back in the game' so to speak.

I consider us very lucky as I know the serious problems many companies are currently having.

P.S. no flame but to everyone who is raggin on McFarlane for moving into Hanna Barbera, Simpsons, etc... thats what they have to do to survive..sales of the 'intense', 'graphic' stuff is in the gutter..thats why NECA is releasing 7000000 products this year.. the profit margin is so low they have to triple output to make the same money they made a year ago. As for us..I've decided to just slow down and keep it simple...I dont want to be a player in what I see to be a no-win game.

So thank you for supporting us and I apologize for the snails pace we are currently going at.

Jerry

- I dont think we'll ever see a 'jerry' head on anything..lol..lets be thankful for that.

- Guilty Gear - no plans right now.

- There are two bodies for the Dolls..'busty' and 'not so busty'. As for which body gets used for which girl..well its a bit premature so we havent had that discussion..but it will probably be Capcom making the decision

- Pricing on Dolls ,etc...havent put much thought into it yet. We will allow certain online stores to carry them in other countries IF they order them...it'll be up to them not me.

- I doubt we'll do variant colors on the dolls. And they will come with accessories

- theres a chance the 'scarring blow' 2 ack will be released but not with blood..with dirt. Capcom is adamant about them not beign bloody. Ive seen the protos..they look cool

- Demitri...Im sorry I havent taken pics yet..Im a bad bad person :(

- No plans for us to be at any cons other than SDCC , NJ Chiller and Fangocon in LA

- I prefer neither Juli or Juni...I like Noembelu cuz I dig tha latin women :)

- Gouken is always a possibility...keep your fingers crossed

- the Ryu/Sagat 2 pack should be hitting Xtreme Toys in the next week or so

- I have some ideas as to who I want to begin the online only figures with..but havent firmed it up

- Dark Sakura was supposed to have her name on it..I think the japanese version does..once again the factory screwed up and we had shipping commitments..lets all be thankful after round 4 they are history

I have to run..if I missed your q post it again...


- no plans for 18" Ryu..

- No plans for the 'old' Resident Evil series. Capcom wouldnt want anyone to do it now anyway as they are concentrating on building off of RE:4

- Kingtigre..answer to your hypothetical question.What happens if 'Dr. Strange' sits on the Walmart shelf and goes to clearance is that Walmart charges ToyBiz the difference between what they paid and what they are now selling it for. Retailers rarely take a loss..they put all the burden on the manufacturer..which is why I always find it so funny that retailers are constantly going out of business...by the way the retailers also lie a lot about how much is left. Back on Tomb Raider, Musicland called to say they had half their inventory still in the warehouse and couldnt sell it...so they wanted to charge us for it. I said I'd fly out to the warehouse and get a truck to bring it back to SOTA.. they never brought the subject up again..why? BECAUSE THEY DIDNT HAVE THEM and were just trying to extort money from us.. They're sneaky and scummy ( except for Tower Records and Hot Topic who are very honest ).

- Red Earth..not likely...Im sorry

- SF 4 is already packed and shipping from China..so we couldnt change the Akuma pack out even if I wanted to.

- I havent thought about who to lock in for SF 6 yet...but it wont be Cody or Oro. It will be the headliner and neither of them are headlining.

- I spoke with Capcom today and we might do some Street Fighter resin...thats a MIGHT...dont jump the gun and say we're doing it yet.

Black Gen update...

i dont have time to explain but Black gen doesnt exist anymore except in Japan... those suckers are goin to be worth big bucks

Factory ( one we're leaving) painted them blue...ugh

so get your Dark Sakura now cuz there aint gonna be a black Gen

Guys 'I' dont even have a black gen....and from what I hear they are all sold out in Japan so I cant get any.

No one is more PO'd than I am.

Did the factory do it on purpose because we're leaving them or are these screw ups why we're leaving them ? Well Its a little of both.

As is usual with these guys they lied to me..they sent me pics showing black gens and then sent blue ones..the pics must have been the japan order. They NEVER told me until we got them in the warehouse and opened a case...

I think ML are good for a mass market line...but if I were doing them I'd make your head spin :)