RUMOR MILL: SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL… NOW WITH R.O.B.?!

Okay, I'll freely admit that I haven't been following all the supposed leaks surrounding Super Smash Bros. Brawl as closely as I should, but one thing I saw over at Joystiq today certainly caught my attention… R.O.B..

For those of you who may be too young to remember R.O.B., back when the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) launched in the United States, it included R.O.B., your Robotic Operating Buddy, a little robot who would play along with you in one of the included games. The initial idea was to use R.O.B. to help differentiate the NES from other gaming systems in an attempt to get retailers and customers to accept it in a post-console crash world. 

In reality, R.O.B. was a dismal failure. Only two games were ever released that made use of him (including the pack-in) and in truth, even those games played better without R.O.B. than they did with him. At his best, R.O.B. was a trojan horse that got the NES onto retailers shelves in those early test markets, but one that soon found himself on the outside looking in on the NES' success. Discontinued and alone, it seemed R.O.B.'s glory days had passed – at least until today…

If the screenshots over at Joystiq are real, it would appear that R.O.B. (along with many other borderline Nintendo stars) has found his way into Nintendo's highly anticipated Wii title Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I've always held a soft spot in my heart for the little guy, and the fact that he may finally be seeing the light of day once more is more than enough to pique my interest in the title.

Check out all the latest details at the below links – Good luck little buddy, I'm pulling for you. 

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Official website
• Super Spoiler Bros. Brawl: Major leaked roster update, videos & more – Joystiq
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Wikipedia entry
• R.O.B. – Wikipedia entry

LAZY DAY TRAILERS: STREET FIGHTER IV GAMEPLAY FOOTAGE

Hey gang, it’s time for another edition of Lazy Day Trailers – today we’ve got some gameplay footage from Street Fighter IV. While I know it’s early in the game’s development, there’s just something that feels "wrong" about how the game looks. While I have every confidence that Capcom isn’t going to let the game be anything other than stellar, it’s enough for me to start keeping tabs on the title.

Check it out below courtesy of GameTrailers.com;

No information regarding a release date or platform availability for Street Fighter IV has been made at this time.

• Street Fighter IV – Official website
• Capcom – Official company website
• Street Fighter IV Gameplay – GameTrailers

LAZY DAY TRAILERS: STREET FIGHTER IV

As you may have guessed from the title, Capcom has confirmed that Street Fighter IV, the next installment in their classic brawling series is finally in development. While Capcom didn’t divulge what systems the game will appear on or give a firm release date, they did manage to get the first teaser trailer for the game out the door.

Normally, I’d pass on putting up a trailer that doesn’t include any gameplay footage, but because of Street Fighter IV just being confirmed, all the hours of enjoyment the Street Fighter series has brought me, and the rampant speculation that the game’s art style may mimic the stylized look of the teaser, I figured it was at least a bit newsworthy. Okay, it probably didn’t hurt that I fell asleep at my desk (again) and as such still didn’t finish editing my hands-on look at Sony’s The Eye of Judgment. Yeah, I know, I suck.

Let the internet rumor-mongering commence!

• Street Fighter IV – Official website
• Street Fighter IV Debut Trailer – GameTrailers.com

XBOX 360 VIRTUA FIGHTER 5 DEMO NOW AVAILABLE

A demo of Sega’s Virtua Fighter 5 for the Xbox 360 is now available for download in all regions via the Xbox Live Marketplace. Download size is approximately 674.39MB.

• Virtua Fighter 5 – Official website

PLAYSTATION STORE: TEKKEN 5 DARK RESURRECTION ONLINE PACK

Namco Bandai has released an online multiplayer expansion pack for it’s downloadable PlayStation 3 fighter Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection. The pack, priced at $9.99 for the expansion alone or bundled with the full game for $29.99, naturally adds online versus multiplayer via the PlayStation Network and is available for purchase via the PlayStation Store.

"The hugely popular arcade and console fighting game, Tekken®5 Dark Resurrection™ is now available with an all-new ONLINE BATTLE feature! Take on other players from around the country, in full HD running at a smooth 60 frames per second! Prove who the real King of the Iron Fist Tournament is by checking the online rankings. Experience the pinnacle of fighting games as Tekken reaches into the “Online Vs.” world for the first time ever!

The online features of Tekken®5 Dark Resurrection™ ONLINE make use of the PLAYSTATION®Network. All terms of use of the PLAYSTATION®Network apply. Online game play of Tekken®5 Dark Resurrection™ may be adversely affected by network conditions. As such, instances in which the game may not be playable online or the game play conditions suffer may occur." – PlayStation Store

While some may gripe that Namco is nickle and diming gamers to death for an expansion that should be free, it is worth mentioning that Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection was not priced as a full release – even as a downloadable title – so the option of adding multiplayer if you wish for a small price isn’t completely unreasonable in my opinion.

XBOX LIVE ARCADE WEDNESDAYS – STREETS OF RAGE 2

I guess the folks at Microsoft decided to sneak a second Xbox Live Arcade game in at the last moment… The classic Sega Genesis brawler Streets of Rage 2 has made it’s Xbox 360 debut – with online co-op play.

While I may not have been that excited about Super Puzzle Fighter II, this is one game that I’ll most assuredly be grabbing – so long as it was emulated properly. The game plays in much the same fashion as Capcom’s Final Fight as you take the role of one of four characters who must fight their way through a city gone bad in search of a kidnapped friend. This one is definitely a classic, so I’d at least suggest you download the demo and give it a whirl.

One word of caution: word around the old internet water-cooler is that there are some issues with co-op play over Live right now. If that feature is a deciding factor in your purchase decision, you may want to hold off and make sure the game gets patched before you buy it.

Title: Streets of Rage 2
Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Sega of America
Genre: Xbox Live Arcade
Release Date: 8/29/07
Console: Xbox 360
Players: 1-2
Full Game: 400 points ($5)
Rating: E (Everyone) – Animated Violence
Demo?: Yes

From the Xbox.com product description;

"The classic arcade fighting game Streets of Rage 2™ comes to Xbox LIVE® Arcade. Play as Blaze, Skate, Max, or Axel as you attempt to save Adam from the evil clutches of Dr. X. Special fighting moves for characters and unique weapons add to the excitement as you fight your way to the Syndicate’s stronghold.

• Classic arcade fighting action: Each character has special abilities. Learn to use their moves to defeat the enemies and the bosses.
• Unique weapons: Katanas, shuriken, knives, and more are available for the player. Weapons can even be thrown for ranged damage.
• Stellar soundtrack: The music for the arcade version of Streets of Rage 2 by Yuzo Koshiro is widely considered as some of the finest music ever made for an arcade game.
• Achievements: All new achievements to master and improve your Gamerscore. Control the Streets of Rage!" – Xbox.com

Now if only someone would tell Microsoft’s marketing group that Streets of Rage 2 was never released in the arcades.

XBOX LIVE ARCADE WEDNESDAYS – SUPER PUZZLE FIGHTER II TURBO REMIX HD

This week only sees one Xbox Live Arcade release, but it’s one of the games that many people have been waiting for – Capcom’s Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo Remix HD has arrived in the Xbox Live Arcade with several new features to set it apart from it’s predecessors and an 800 Microsoft point ($10) price tag.

I’ve never been a fan of the Puzzle Fighter series, so I really don’t have much enthusiasm for this release, but I’m sure the series has enough fans who are willing to shell out ten dollars for the game. For those unfamiliar with the series, it’s a cross between a puzzle game and a fighter. Players use different combinations of gems to perform attack moves against their opponents. It’s by far more interesting than your standard puzzler, but it’s no Puzzle Quest if that’s they type of experience you’re expecting.

Title: Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Xbox Live Arcade
Release Date: 8/29/07
Console: Xbox 360
Players: 1-4
Full Game: 800 points ($10)
Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Violence
Demo?: Yes

From the Xbox.com product description;

"One of the most popular puzzle games of all time is back with high-definition graphics, dazzling elemental effects and a new rebalanced X’ game mode! Super Puzzle Fighter™ II Turbo HD Remix brings together Capcom’s coolest fighting characters to provide extremely addictive puzzle mayhem. Enjoy single-player, local and online versus play, and spectator modes!

• Classic arcade play: The game features all the classic elements from the original arcade game, including traditional X Mode. Think fast on your feet as gems fall into your character’s playfield. Don’t let the stack get too high.
• New X’ Mode: The new X’ Mode has been rebalanced with adjusted drop patterns and damage to level the playing field.
• Y and Z Modes: Y Mode challenges players to connect three or more gems horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Z Mode has you group four adjacent gems and rotate them to join to other same-colored gems.
• Stunning new graphics: Beautifully detailed high-definition backgrounds and character art come from the talented artists of Udon Comics.
• New elemental effects: Gems and Crash Gems interact with dazzling new effects.
• Hidden characters: There’s Akuma, Dan, and more.
• Online play: Get online with Xbox LIVE® and challenge other players to Ranked and Player Matches. Follow your progress on the leaderboards, and try to score the twelve all-new achievements!" – Xbox.com

While I passed on Street Trace: NYC last week, I did pick up Space Giraffe. The best way to look at Space Giraffe is to consider it an advanced version of Tempest mixed with some form of hallucinogen. It’s the type of game you definitely need to play a few times to get a feel for and I’d highly suggest you try the demo to see whether it’s going to be the kind of game you’ll enjoy.

The biggest criticism I have of the title is that the backgrounds tend to be a bit too over the top and detract from the gameplay experience a bit. It would have been a nice addition to the title if the ability to turn off or tone down the backgrounds had been included. Regardless, odds are that if you’re a huge Tempest fan, you’ll get a real kick out of Space Giraffe.

PLAYSTATION 3 TEKKEN 5 ONLINE MULTIPLAYER COMPONENT PRICED

Just a quick note here – Kotaku is reporting that Sony has announced that there will be an online multiplayer mode for the downloadable PlayStation 3 version of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. The online multiplayer component will be an additional downloadable item and will cost $9.99 on top of Dark Resurrection’s normal cost of $19.99. While that may strike some as unreasonable, $30 isn’t an all-together outrageous price to ask for an online fighter.

That said, I still won’t be picking up this pack, because the fun of playing an online fighter is trash-talking your friends as you play it. Seeing how I’m still pretty much one of the only people I know who actually has bought a PlayStation 3, the add-on just doesn’t hold much interest for me.

• Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection – Product page at PlayStation.com
• Tekken 5 Online Confirmed, Priced For US – Kotaku

LAZY DAY TRAILERS: SOUL CALIBUR IV

Namco Bandai has announced that Soul Calibur IV, the latest installment of the Soul Edge/Blade/Calibur series is now in production and will be appearing on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. While details are sketchy at the moment, they did release a teaser trailer for the game… which you’re about to watch.

No further official information on Soul Calibur IV is available at this time.

• Namco Bandai Games – Company website
• Soul Edge series – Wikipedia entry
• Soul Calibur IV video page – GameTrailers.com

PLAYSTATION 3 DEF JAM ICON DEMO NOW AVAILABLE

While doing my usual check for system software updates or new stuff for the PlayStation 3, I noticed that a demo of Electronic Arts‘ Def Jam Icon is now available for download in the PlayStation Store. The demo weighs in at approximately 380mb and features the same one on one fight found in the Xbox 360 demo.

With a little luck, Sony will soon realize how important demos can be to your service and start actually advertising the fact that new ones have been made available.

TEKKEN 5: DARK RESURRECTION NOW AVAILABLE FOR PLAYSTATION 3

At long last, the PlayStation 3 version of Namco Bandai’s Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection is available for purchase in the PlayStation Store. The download weighs in at approximately 555mb and the price of admission to the fight is $19.99.

GAMESPOT RAINS ON MY SOUL

Gamespot has cast some doubt on the GameDaily report that Soul Calibur IV is now in production. According to Gamespot, they feel that there may have been some errors in translation as far as the comments regarding Soul Calibur IV went;

” Because it’s a paraphrased response in an almost certainly translated interview, it’s impossible to parse words here and see if there might have been some misunderstanding on either Uchiyama’s part or the writer’s. In any case, it just says that a new Soul Calibur was taking up the development team’s time when the Bandai-Namco merger was finalized. Uchiyama doesn’t appear to mention Soul Calibur IV by name, so the new game could be a PSP version of an existing Soul Calibur game, or maybe even a project that was already known about.

The Bandai-Namco merger was finalized in September. Soul Calibur III was released in October, so there’s even a slight chance Uchiyama was referring to that game as the incomplete Soul Calibur project in question. However, that seems unlikely, given how close to completion the game already was. ” – Gamespot

It certainly would be a bit of a downer if it turned out just to be an error in translation. Hopefully Namco Bandai will give some type of official word either way in the coming days in response to the story. You can check out the Gamespot article here and the original GameDaily story here.

THE SOUL STILL BURNS: SOUL CALIBUR IV CONFIRMED

GameDaily recently scored an exclusive interview with Namco Bandai Chief Producer Daisuke Uchiyama. In the course of the interview, Uchiyama let slip that Soul Calibur IV is already in production. GameDaily also added some speculation that the title may go direct to home consoles and may be the rumored Xbox 360 Soul Calibur game that was hinted at back when Soul Calibur III was released exclusively on the Playstation 2. It should be noted that Uchiyama did not give any further details regarding the general release window for the game or what consoles it would be appearing on.

As one of my all time favorite games, and certainly my all time favorite fighting game series, I for one could not be more stoked. Find out more by heading over to GameDaily at this link.