Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 Preview

Best of, or second best?



The first Capcom Classics Collection should have been a near-definitive retro package. Capcom's '80s and '90s arcade output was second only to that of Konami, and the disc was packed with well-known classics. Featuring the whole Ghosts and Goblins series, the whole series, 1941Gun.Smoke, Legendary Wings, and even the first three versions of Street Fighter 2, its game list was untouchable by any other compilation on the market.

Unfortunately, the presentation just wasn't up to scratch. Instead of properly converting the games to run on the PS2, for the most part Capcom simply dumped the PS1 versions of its Capcom Generations series from the mid-'90s onto a DVD, meaning the games featured many of the drawbacks of mid-'90s hardware, and had already seen better ports on the Sega Saturn. The Street Fighter games suffered most, with ludicrous loading times given their age, and the same non-arcade perfect gameplay of the earlier ports. On top of all this, the PAL version was missing a 60Hz option, inexcusable in this day and age for native 60Hz 2D games. And while the content was technically great, we'd seen almost all of it a little too much since the arcade releases – Ghouls and Ghosts and Street Fighter II being the biggest examples.

However, the soon-to-be-released Capcom Classics Collection Vol.2 has a chance to be different. Much like Taito Legends 2, its prequel has used up most of the obvious titles, but as we know from the music world's 'best of' cds, this follow-up can go either way in terms of quality. 'Best of Ricky Martin Vol 2' really means '2nd Best of Ricky Martin' (kinda like 'the 3rd level of hell'). But it can also lead to some lesser known gems surfacing, especially if the list is expansive. Taito Legends 2 went the right way, so where will Capcom Classics Collection Vol.2
sit? Probably somewhere in the middle. Its game list varies from unplayable history piece to true old-school gem, but is at least less tired than the original release's list. The full list of games on the disc is as follows:

• 1941: Counter Attack
  
• Avengers
  
• Black Tiger
  
• Block Block
  
• Captain Commando
  
• Eco Fighters
  
• The King of Dragons
  
• Knights of the Round
  
• Last Duel
  
• Magic Sword
  
• Mega Twins
  
• Quiz & Dragons
  
• Side Arms: Hyper Dyne
  
• Street Fighter
  
• Strider
  
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo
  
• The Speed Rumbler
  
• Three Wonders
  
• Tiger Road
  
• Varth

The programming of this compilation was handled by Digital Eclipse, and this time it appears every game has been emulated, rather then ported, with all the positives and negatives that come with that. On the positive side, it means most of the original code is running away in there somewhere, although under different conditions. On the negative, it means that, like most old 2D on the PS2, the visual quality takes a hit, making the games look either washed out or pixely, or both. Most games seem to run fine, and the visual quality isn't the worst, but we'll have to see a completed copy to make a full judgment. There is currently no word on whether the PAL version will have a 60Hz mode, so all we can do is keep our fingers crossed.

As for the games themselves, it's a pretty beat-em-up heavy list. Strider, Knights of the Round, Captain Commando and The King of Dragons are probably the highlights along with what's supposed to be the best ever home port of Super Street Fighter II Turbo (we'll check out that claim in our review). Other games that may stand the test of time include the Alex Kidd-esque Mega Twins, the crazy quiz show Quiz & Dragons, and the shooter Side Arms. If you remember any of the others from your local arcade then that's another plus, but not many others jump out of our memory.

On the other hand, Varth and Last Duel should probably have remained buried, and the original Street Fighter will remind you why Capcom has kept it hidden for years. At home Street Fighter is even less impressive since it's missing the arcade's crazy hydraulic button gimmick. It's hard to believe they didn't start a new series for its infinitely superior sequel, and totally understandable that they re-wrote the cannon with the Street Fighter Zero series.

The presentation seems nice enough, and from a quick glance it appeared there were a few extras to be unlocked. Overall, Capcom Classics Collection Vol.2 looks like it will sit somewhere in the middle off the 'retro collection' spectrum - check back for our full verdict shortly.

palgn.com

Xbox Live now six million users strong...

Microsoft has divulged some interesting facts regarding the Xbox Live service today, with the benchmark of 6 million subscribers leading the charge. Having previously promised to reach the 6 million member mark by June this year, Microsoft has met their goal with time to spare.

The details include various other stats about the service and its users. Over 2.3 billion hours of online fragging, racing, fighting, and more have been spent since Xbox Live first launched some 5 years ago. The users of the service have managed to average 2,000,000 voice and text messages per day. The average gold subscriber has 22 friends on his or her friends list. The most downloaded arcade game is Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting and the most popular disc game is Halo 2.

With this success, Microsoft continues to prove that they are the leader in the online console gaming market. And yet, I can't help but be disappointed with these statistics. I sure don't have 22 friends on my friends list.

By Frank Caron

Street Fighter II- Xbox Live Article

Remember this scenario?......go to the arcade.......walk up to the hottest game Street Fighter II....drop in your quarter and start your game.

Wait about 40 seconds....and then some kid half your age drops in a quarter and begins to OWN you in less than 2-3 minutes.

Guess what?....you can now relive the memories again via Xbox 360 Live!

Street Fighter II has been optimized and slightly updated for on line head to head game play as per this neat little interview article over at Xbox.com.

If you're ready to get your butt kicked again by a stranger (or if you're good get revenge!)......CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE HERE.

Posted by: Mitch Gerson

STREET FIGHTER MANGA ARE COMING TO NORTH AMERICA

by CBR News Team.




Official Press Release

Toronto, ON � Hot off the success of ONIMUSHA: NIGHT OF GENESIS, Udon is kicking its Capcom Manga line into high gear with three new STREET FIGHTER manga series!



First up, April sees the release of the STREET FIGHTER ALPHA Vol.1(of 2) Manga, an eagerly anticipated manga series finally adapted for the English audience. Fan-favorite characters Like Ryu, Chun-Li and Akuma are brought to life through the explosive story and art of popular manga creator Masahiko Nakamura (Anime: Sadamitsu the Destroyer). Prepare for all-out martial arts action as Street Fighter heroes battle against the forces of the evil Shadaloo crime lord M.Bison.

Next, in June, Udon brings you the STREET FIGHTER II Vol.1(of 3) Manga by popular Japanese artist Masaomi Kanzaki (Xenon, Gun Crisis). For the first time, fans can enjoy this classic manga faithfully adapted, uncut and unedited. See the best fighters from around the world face off in the ultimate martial arts tournament. But behind the scenes, an evil crime boss has a hidden agenda�to use the world�s greatest warrior as his next living weapon!

Then in July, the spotlight falls on one of Capcom�s loveliest ladies in SAKURA GUNBARU! Vol.1(of 2), a high school action-comedy sure knock your socks off! See how Sakura established herself as one of the most valuable players in the Street Fighter universe. Beautifully illustrated by artist Masahiko Kanzaki, this series also features the introduction of the popular SF Alpha character Karin, Sakura�s archrival!

And there are even more new Capcom Manga series just around the corner! Stay tuned to www.CapcomComics.com for the latest news on Udon�s Capcom Manga line, as well as previews of each upcoming volume.

STREET FIGHTER ALPHA Vol.1(of 2) Manga (ISBN: 978-1-897376-50-8)

STREET FIGHTER II Vol.1(of 3) Manga (ISBN: 978-0-9781386-1-5)

SAKURA GUNBARU! Vol.1(of 2) Manga (ISBN: 978-1-897376-52-2)

Street Fighter heads up solid UK VC update

Today's Virtual Console updates brings two Super NES classics to Wii

Only two games are available for the European Virtual Console arm of the Wii Shop today, but when those titles are Street Fighter II: The World Warrior and Super Probotector: Aliens Rebels you can't complain.

Street Fighter needs no intro, but for those of you who haven't heard of Super Probotector (also known as Contra 3: The Alien Wars in the US) it's a fantastic, ultra-challenging 2D platform shooter with some of the most jaw-dropping, screen-filling bosses you've ever seen. It's also one of our all-time favourite Super NES games.

Both of these classics will set you back 800 Wii Points each (roughly £5), as do all Super NES games. Enjoy.

CVG Online

Street Fighter II and Super Probotector on Virtual Console

Two SNES games make an appearance.



Two SNES games make an appearance.
Super Probotectorand Street Fighter II: The World Warrior were both released on the Virtual Console this morning. Both games originally debuted in 1992 and were on the Super Nintendo, so they will set you back 800 points a piece.

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior focuses on Ryu and Ken as they face M. Bison. Super Probotector (aka Contra III: The Alien Wars) was developed by Konami and is an action title. The game has six levels and features multiplayer support.

palgn.com

Capcom seeks more playtime in Hollywood

Dec 29, 2006
Japanese video game publisher Capcom, which has licensed its original franchise "Resident Evil" to Impact Pictures and Sony Pictures, recently stepped into the movie production game with an original "Street Fighter" movie due in 2008. It is partnering with Hyde Park Entertainment on a new film that focuses on Chung Li, one of the most popular fighters from the game franchise.

Capcom is exploring the other end of convergence as well. After decades of creating such original game franchises as "Devil May Cry," "Lost Planet," "Dead Rising" and "Onimusha" (which has a film in development at Davis Films), it has hired Germaine Gioia to serve in the newly created post of senior vp licensing in its Los Angeles office. She will liaison with Hollywood to find properties that can work as Capcom games.

Gioia spent 13 years at THQ, where she helped build that game publisher from a small Nintendo Game Boy software maker into a heavyweight in the industry through strong children's licenses from Nickelodeon ("SpongeBob SquarePants," "Rugrats," "Fairly OddParents"), Disney/Pixar ("Cars," "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles") and 20th Century Fox/MGA ("Bratz").

At THQ, Gioia worked with Nickelodeon to form a partnership that allowed games like "Tak and the Power of JuJu" to cross over to TV shows and hit shows like "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" to succeed in the interactive space.

"It began a tradition of looking at mass-market and mainstream licenses that could appropriately target a really broad audience, not only in North America but in Europe," Gioia said. "As game development became more expensive, it really, clearly became important."

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During the past few years, such Japanese game publishers as Sega, Konami, Namco Bandai and now Capcom have targeted Hollywood licenses to gain a foothold in the U.S.

"I think it is becoming clear that the very largest successful publishers are delivering more and more of a balance to the marketplace," Gioia said. "They need (not only) their own intellectual property and good solid original development but (also) licensed product that can reach across cultures."

Gioia said that with next-generation gaming development costs reaching peaks of $10 million-$12 million to develop a game for a single platform, Hollywood licenses become important to reach a broad enough audience to have sales of close to a million units at launch.

Capcom has a rich history of games aimed at the older gaming audience, especially with such Mature-rated franchises as "Resident Evil," "Dead Rising" and "Devil May Cry." But Gioia said she's looking at a broad range of Hollywood licenses to incorporate into the Capcom catalog.

Gioia said that given Capcom's strong internal development studios, a marriage between the makers of these hit originals with strong Hollywood properties backed by solid marketing support should bode well for the company.

"I think it could be a fairly important and successful combination," she said. "Capcom believes that it's something that they are very interested in trying."

The "Resident Evil" movie franchise, with a third film in production, is the second-most-successful franchise for Sony Pictures behind "Spider-Man." With the film rights to "Onimusha" and "Devil May Cry" already purchased, Gioia believes Capcom could work more closely with Hollywood to release new games in these franchises around the launch of theatrical or DVD releases of the films.

Gioia said that while in the past all Hollywood producers had to travel to Japan to talk to Capcom about licensing games for the big screen, she believes some employees from Japan will move to the Los Angeles office to make this door more accessible.

Hardcore gamers won't have to worry about Capcom abandoning its core franchises. Gioia said the company will remain focused on developing existing franchises and introducing games targeted at Capcom's core gamer. She said the Hollywood licenses that Capcom does create will be made by the same creators that make the original franchises.

"For the near-term, I'm going to look at the game engines that Capcom has and the capabilities internally at the studios and presumably see if there are things we can take advantage of with properties that might do well with recognizable characters or story lines associated with existing game engines," Gioia said. "But that always doesn't work, so it might be a while before certain licensed properties that have been developed from the ground up are out in the marketplace."

By John Gaudiosi

Streetfighter II the Movie (Uncut)

The ultimate anime fighter, UNCUT & unleashed! All the lightening-fisted thrills of the world's wildest combat video game series explodes onto DVD in this brilliantly animated, sensationally supercharged adventure, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. This all new unedited and uncensored version now boasts a stunning new 5.1 surround sound mix of the equally popular soundtrack. In the not too distant future, civilization is under attack. Leading the forces of darkness is the evil mastermind Bison, who is determined to capture the minds and bodies of the world's greatest fighters for use in his manic plan to conquer the world. The only people on Earth with the potential to stop him are Ken and Ryu, two powerful legendary martial arts warriors. Together they face the fights of all fights. The final battle of good against evil is about to being!



DVD Special Features Animated fighter profiles Reversible clean-art cover Easter eggs Original Movie Trailers Brand new anamorphic master

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology Cheats

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (PS2)

Unlockable: Akuma & Dan

At the character selection screen to choose Dan press right from Ken and to choose Akuma press left from Ryu.

New Street Fighter Movie Planned...

Official Capcom Press Release:

Capcom Co., Ltd, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, announced today the creation of a joint venture company with Hyde Park Entertainment Inc., a leading U.S. movie production and distribution company, to develop and produce a live action tent-pole film entitled "Street Fighter®" and based on one of Capcom's most popular videogame franchises, "Street Fighter®".

The movie features the most popular female fighter from the video game, "Chun Li", and her story. The movie will be released in 2008, the 20th anniversary of the initial release of the "Street Fighter®" video game in the U.S., as a special project. The movie will be distributed as a theatrical film worldwide.

"We look forward to this new joint venture with Hyde Park, an industry leader and innovator in producing quality movies", said Mr. Haruhiro Tsujimoto, Vice President and COO of Capcom. Mr. Ashok Amritraj, Chairman of Hyde Park Entertainment, added, "We are very excited about this joint venture, which we feel illustrates the great fit between Capcom's characters and our movie-making experience, for creating this Street Fighter® movie together".

Capcom is actively pursuing a policy of content multi-use by　expanding its intellectual properties to include televised animation and movies. The overall goal of which is the continuation of profitability through generation of a synergistic effect using the video game aspect of the company.

http://ir.capcom.co.jp/english/news/html/e061031.html

Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival Cheats...

Easy Special Moves
If you are having trouble pulling off your favorite character's special moves on the small GBA controls, this code can help you out a bit.

During a 1p game, tap Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B then A without pausing the game. You need to do it very quickly.

Once the code has been entered you will be able to pull off special moves by simply tapping a direction on the D-pad and the correct button.

Unlock Survival Mode and Time Attack
Two additional modes will appear on the main menu once you have beaten the game a couple times.
The first mode is a Survival mode, and the second is a Time Attack.

Glitch: Charge Abolishment
In arcade mode, select your character with charge moves. When the fight begins, exit the game by pressing SELECT + START. Go to arcade mode again and pick the same character you played the first time. Now all the character's charge moves can be done without charging the 2 seconds. The only drawback is you cannot perform supers. (Unverified)

Submitted by Alvin Apolo

SOTA's Street Fighter Beta...

SOTA returns to their roots in 2007, with this new Street Fighter line called Street Fighter Beta which will feature a new look for the characters from the series...


In 2004, SOTA Toys brought out what are considered one of the great action figure lines - Street Fighter.

In 2007, SOTA Toys will bring you Street Fighter Beta!

Taking what worked in the previous lines and adding a new take on designs, Street Fighter Beta will serve as a glimpse of the new looks to come. The same great sculpture and articulation will be there but the look will go back to the roots of the story, to the "anime" look that fans around the world first fell in love with.

And don't worry - these figures will fit in seamlessly with the previously released figures!




Ryu
One of the original game characters . Raised by his foster father Shotokan master Gouken, Ryu has dedicated his life to being the best fighter in the world. Under Gouken, Ryu trained and grew up with his friend (and rival), Ken Masters . At 18, he went out into the world and began to build his reputation as a fighter. Ryu's skills are tremendous but have made him many enemies including Sagat , M.Bison and Akuma.




Ken
Independently wealthy, Ken Masters travels the world seeking worthy opponents to test his martial arts skill on. While brash and arrogant as a martial artist , Ken has the skills to back his loud mouth. While fighting many opponents, Ken's path has continually crossed and sparred with his best friend
(sometimes rival) Ryu.




Akuma
Akuma and his brother Gouken both followed the path of martial arts lead by Gotetsu. But whiles his brother abandoned the dark arts, Akuma acquired the
deadly and dangerous skills that he desperately to increase his power beyond human capabilities . Akuma eventually faced and murdered his brother Gouken.
This action has set him against Gouken's pupils - Ken and Ryu.

CAPCOM Vs SNK Evil Ryu...

Is now available for pre-order: http://www.high-dream.com/

Master Gouken Color Variant and SDCC Variant Available!

SOTA Toys is happy to announce the arrival of the second Master Gouken exclusive! As a follow up to the SDCC "Battle Cry" Master Gouken SOTA Toys has created a "Battle Cry" Master Gouken color variant. This SOTA exclusive Gouken featuers the Kanji character that is accurate to the Street Fighter Manga on the back of his Gi as well as the translucent "Shoryuken" accessory! The Gouken action figure stands in 7-inch scale with all of the SOTA Street Fighter action figures and features over 30 points of articulation and features some of the best sculpts available in an action figure. There were only 300 of these figures made and they are available exclusively at www.sotatoys.com for $19.99!

As an added bonus SOTA Toys is also offering the SDCC "Battle Cry" Gouken for purchase at www.sotatoys.com. There were only 750 of these figures produced for SDCC. Although SOTA could have sold all 750 at the Con, it was decided that a small number be put aside to be sold on the web-site for fans who could not make it to San Diego. The figure is $19.99 and is in EXTREMLY limited quantity.

Click here to see this exclusive Master Gouken!

Capcom updates XBLA Street Fighter II

Patch fixes "connection and time out issues;" Leaderboards cleared due to instances of cheating. By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot

The highly anticipated arrival of Capcom's Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting on Xbox Live Arcade was quickly followed by a wave of player complaints. Two of the frequently brought-up problems were lag when playing online, and a record-keeping system that didn't punish unscrupulous players for disconnecting from matches when it appeared they were about to be defeated.

It appears Capcom has tried to address those two issues, as there is a new auto-update available to patch the game. Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb posted the following note about what exactly the update does on his blog, Major Nelson:

The title update will address connection and time out issues that have been reported by players. In addition, the Leaderboards will be cleared in order to offset players that have cheated by causing intentional disconnections.

[UPDATE] Capcom has told GameSpot that the "connection issues" addressed by the patch have nothing to do with lag. "This patch actually relates to connection issues which stem from players being disconnected in Quarter Match or not being able to connect to matches due to timeouts and whatnot," a representative of the publisher said. "Regarding latency, SFII is dependant on a low latency environment as players' controller inputs must be synchoronized on both consoles. Thus the gameplay experience is greatly related to a player's Internet connection."

Awesome Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat Vid...

Street Fighter Vs. Mortal Kombat
http://tabmok99.mortalkombatonline.com/mk_vs_sf.html




Street Fighter Vs. Mortal Kombat 2
http://tabmok99.mortalkombatonline.com/mk_vs_sf_2.html



Posted by: Jonathan

How To Avoid Street Fighter II Live Timeouts

It was already bordering on ironic that a $400 gaming system was becoming known as the console to play ports on, but full-blown irony wasn't achieved until those ports starting not working.

Since its launch the Xbox Live Arcade version of Street Fighter II has been having some major issues with online play. So much so, that some people can't play a single match in an evening without a match timing out.

Fortunately, Mookyjooky's CheapAssGamer has come up with a workaround.

"I was playing Street Fighter II earlier tonight and I was getting timeouts after timeouts after timeouts...except this one time, I pressed the "Center Button" (What ever that "X" button is actually called) after it found someone in Quick Match ranked and for the first time in 9-10 timeouts it connected... I tried to quick match afterwards, and got timeouts constantly again...
Then I wondered if I hit the center button, if it would connect again,
and sure enough... it did.

So I played 10 games in a row and not once did it timeout... this is
how I did it. Maybe this works for everyone, but it seems to work for
me.

So click on quick match, and when it finds a person and starts the 5
sec timer, click the center button. Then hit the center button again
when the character select screen pops up. Easy as pie, and I did it 10
times in a row without getting a timeout."

So there you have it, a little button jiggling and the game is as good as new.

-Brian Crecente

Street Fighter II is fastest-selling Live Arcade game yet - Capcom

"Hundreds of matches" taking place every hour...
By Ellie Gibson.

Capcom has announced that Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting has become the fastest-selling Xbox Live Arcade title to date.

The game was released on August 2nd, and earned the title of quickest selling XBL title within just 24 hours. According to Capcom, "hundreds of matches" are taking place between online combatants every hour.

Information on sales of Xbox Live Arcade games is slightly inconsistent. At the turn of the year, Microsoft announced that Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved had been downloaded more than 200,000 times and bought more than 45,000 times.

In June, it subsequently revealed that UNO had the highest daily demo-to-sale conversion rate - between 40 and 45 percent - having eclipsed Geometry Wars' 39 percent rate.

It would easy to infer from the companies' careful use of unrelated stats that Street Fighter II's record is not as impressive as either of those two titles yet. However, it's safe to say that it marks SFII out as the most successful Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays title to date.

Previously released Wednesdays games have included Frogger, Cloning Clyde and Galaga. Pac-Man is due to appear on Live Arcade this Wednesday at 8am GMT.

Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting costs 800 Microsoft points, or GBP 6.80, with a trial version also available.

Street Fighter II hits Xbox 360!

Downloadable "Hyper Fighting" version of arcade fighter arrives on Xbox Live Marketplace for $10.

Few Xbox Live Arcade games have been anticipated as much as Capcom's Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting. That might have something to do with the game being an Xbox 360 conversion of a cherished arcade classic, or it might have something to do with the game being delayed. The wait for Ryu and co. ended early this morning, as Hyper Fighting finally hit the Xbox Live Marketplace with a price tag of 800 Marketplace points ($10).

The game's release is the fourth in Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays program. Last month, in response to complaints about the trickle of new releases on the service in recent months, Microsoft introduced the program and announced prices and release dates for a slate of games to be released on successive Wednesdays. The program has already seen the releases of Frogger, Cloning Clyde, Galaga, and now Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting. Next Wednesday will see the release of the final announced game of the program, Pac-Man.

Check back soon for the full review of Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting. In the meantime, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of the game.

By Brendan Sinclair -- GameSpot

Street Fighter II For XBox...

by Andreea D

And here we are all ears, after Microsoft threw a bash for the San Francisco games press. But of course, what other reason would they have then to "kick off the Summer of Xbox Live" and show off with the Xbox Live Arcade editions of several beloved arcade classics.

And so, from Wednesday the August 9 they will launch Frogger, Digital Eclipse's reworking of the Konami arcade classic and a new Xbox Live Arcade game will debut on the Marketplace.

But what comes next is one of the most anticipated Xbox Live Arcade releases yet. Fans of Street Fighter rejoice. Both Microsoft and Capcom have finally confirmed that Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting will finally be available on the Marketplace starting from August 2.

Initially Capcom said that the game would be out in "early 2006." This a something that will make happy the old-school gamers, because this is the first title from the publisher for Xbox Live Arcade. More this is a reworking of the early '90s arcade classic Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting.

This are another "old-school" games that Xbox will release:

July 12 - Frogger

July 19 - Cloning Clyde

July 26 - Galaga

August 2 - Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting

August 9 - Pac-Man.