Dracula – Castlevania 3

Shapeshifting has always been Dracula’s thing, at least in the Castlevania games, and Castlevania 3 is no exception. Starting out in typical teleporting, fire column-summoning fashion, Dracula eventually transforms into a multi-headed thing that floats around spewing gunk. The final phase is a doozy as he transforms into a large winged beast that fires lasers. Certain sections of the floor disappear and act as floating platforms which you must hop on to hit Dracula in the head and win.

Pokemon – Self-Destruct, Hyper Beam, Etc.

Anyone who’s played Pokemon, even the first generation, will be familiar with attacks like Self-Destruct. You know, the one where your Pokemon explodes to damage and/or kill the enemy? It’s pretty metal but how in the world do the Pokemon just faint? Even if there is some logical explanation, how do all of these cataclysmic beam attacks result in Pokemon? Given how Gary’s Raticate died, we’re motivated to think that some of these attacks are killing Pokemon (even if that particular theory involves the Raticate not receiving medial attention in time).

A pair of listings from the retailer, Gamestop, has divulged that the company is going to be bringing fans of the Marvel vs Capcom series a special treat in the near future. It appears the retailer is going to be providing a physical release of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 on the PS4 and Xbox One in March.

This will apparently be the only place where gamers will be able to get a physical version of the game. The game is available now digitally on the PS4 as that was announced at the recent PlayStation Experience. A digital version of the title is going to be coming to the Xbox One and PC in March of next year.

When the game does get released on those  platforms digitally, it will also have a boxed version at Gamestop. This news follows the earlier big announcement that a brand new title, Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite is coming to the PS4, Xbox One and PC in late 2017.

Capcom has announced it will be releasing a new Capcom vs Marvel game, titled Infinite in late 2017. Along with the announcement that the game is coming, the company appears to have put an end to rumors that it was going to be available on the PS4 exclusively.

Capcom vs Marvel: Infinite is going to be launching on all three platforms at the same time sometime in late 2017. The company issued the following statement about the game.

“For the last two decades, Marvel vs. Capcom has been one of the most celebrated franchises among fans,” Mike Jones, Executive Producer, for Marvel Entertainment said in the statement. “To deliver on that legacy, we’ve worked closely with Capcom to create a game that honors the heritage of the series and combines Marvel’s unique brand of storytelling with Capcom’s world-class gameplay. We’re raising the bar with Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite and are excited for players to get their hands on it next year.”

In the wake of the announcement of a fourth Marvel vs Capcom game, Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, as well as the port of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 for current generation systems, Capcom have gone ahead and shared sales numbers for the entire series, which demonstrate just why Capcom are keeping the series alive, in spite of the licensing issues involved.

Capcom have confirmed that Marvel vs Capcom games have sold 7 million copies worldwide, which is an excellent number for a traditional fighting game series. Fighting games usually sell fairly low, unless they are Smash Bros. or Mortal Kombat, and Capcom are undoubtedly happy with the result- which would also explain them making a new one.

Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite is slated for next year for Xbox One, PS4, and PC; meanwhile, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 is available for PS4 right now, and it will be coming to Xbox One and PC early next year.

[Capcom Financials via NeoGAF]

Yoshinori Ono is doing the lord’s work. The last remaining producer at Capcom who still has a clue, and who still manages to command respect and a following from fans, he is getting ready to launch Street Fighter 5, the new entry in Capcom’s flagship fighting game franchise.

Of course, in the past, a new Street Fighter game was always the herald for more Capcom fighters through the generation, the most popular of which was always Marvel vs Capcom. However, with Capcom’s license for the brand having run out, a new one seems increasingly unlikely- something that Ono confirmed on his Twitter in response to a fan question.

So that’s a bummer- but it’s not all bad news, because he also confirmed that he is trying very hard to get a new Darkstalkers game happen. And generally, when Ono wants something to happen, it happens.

Which means we can probably expect a new Darkstalkers game too. It’s not as good as a new Marvel vs Capcom, but hey, I’ll take it.

Let’s be very clear, just because they are unfairly stacked against you- and they would be, don’t forget that these games come from the arcade era, designed to keep sucking away your quarters- doesn’t mean they aren’t fun. On the contrary, the sheer demanding nature of this game should have you returning to at least the single player portion again and again, as you make it a matter of pride and ego, unable to accept that an ancient game from the 90s could have defeated you.

Of course, the character balance isn’t perfect, and Wolverine is still as overpowered now as he was back then. No, they didn’t address the balance issues. They didn’t even touch up the graphics at all, outside of adding some filters (which you can optionally select), and the games are pretty much here in their original forms, unaltered, exactly as they were in arcades back in the day.

So yes, the same hand drawn graphics from before are back. The beautiful pixel art holds up wonderfully well, and you’d be hard pressed to tell the age of these games visually at all. Mechanically, of course, the game demands precision and technique, as it pits you against one of the harder single player modes in a fighting game in recent memory. All the old cries and taunts, grunts, flashy attacks, the game breaking elements like Red Venom and regenerating health, the Infinity Gems and the secret characters, everything is back here, exactly as you remembered it. It’s all untouched, outside of a few visual options to make sure that the game looks how you remember it looking, not how it actually looked.

That isn’t to say that there are no changes, of course. No, a fighting game released in today’s day and age without an online mode would be crippled and useless, so, as with many re-releases, this one has been altered to include an online versus mode. Of course, as with the rest of the game, and possibly out of reverence for the source material, the changes are minimal: it’s a basic online matchmaking mode, allowing for 1v1 fights only, and battling online disables the option to choose between Turbo and Normal, relegating fight speed instead to the internet connection. The netcode seems to work fine, and there was rarely much lag.

So outside of some cautious additions to visual options and the multiplayer side of the game, nothing has changed much. Everything is exactly as you remember it, of course.

But what if you don’t remember it? That’s the killer question, see. What if you never had a chance to play these games when they first released?

Well, then it all depends on one factor: did you ever get a chance to play the other 90s era fighters, and just happened to miss out on these two by some unlucky circumstance? Because if that’s the case, then go for it. You’re in for an incredible treat, a blast from the past, the kind of game that you so lovingly remember from your childhood, even as you realize that they just don’t make them like that anymore. However, if you never played any 90s era fighters- and Super Smash Bros. does not count- then stay away from this game. Run away in the opposite direction. This game will reduce you to a heap of sobbing flesh. It’s insane, unbalanced, broken, unfair, hard, stacked against you, too demanding and technical. And you will never be able to appreciate that that is exactly what makes it so wonderful in the first place.

Over time, fighting games got easy. Easier even than these two, which were among the easiest fighting games at the time of their release. But veterans of a bygone era who fondly look back upon a time when games didn’t coddle you, and threw you into the deep end to fend for yourself, those people will find something incredible worth having here. People who remember the golden age of fighters, those people will go starry eyed for Marvel vs Capcom: Origins. People who don’t, because the fighters of that era turned them off, or because they were just too young for games back then, should stay the heck away. The games included in this package are incredible; they are also brutal, and they will hurt if you’ve been too softened by modern games.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Thor, Captain America and Ironman in Costume Pack 1 Cominf March 1st.

It might not be out in the UK until Friday, but here in the US, it’s crazy and it’s Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds!  Check out our review of the game right here.  The game is actually living up to its hype so far which is rare in the gaming industry.  It just needs that good old Spectator Mode in lobbies which blows me away they did not include with the launch of the game.  There are plenty of unlocks in the game including intro movies, directly below is the best of all of them so you can get a peak at it before you unlock it. There will even be a costume pack out on March 1 for $5/800 Microsoft Points on the Playstation Network and the Xbox 360 Marketplace. A new video featuring the final roster can be seen below as well while you can check out all the screens of the gang in there first DLC Costume Pack over at Capcom Unity.  If you just starting off or you think you are a pro, more knowledge is always good, so you can check out one the best fighting game sites out, Shoryuken and learn all the combos among other things right here as well as a basic guide right here.

Head to Head All Dawning The Costume Pack Outfits Coming in March.

The Final Roster

Thanks VG247 and Joystiq.

Alright, you knew it was coming, what would one of the most anticipated fighting games ever, ‘Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds’ be with out it’s own special edition fight stick just for the game bundle in the Tournament Package of the game.  This edition/bundle is not even available yet so don’t to worried, but there are only 5,000 of these Marvel vs Capcom 3 Fight Sticks being produced, which may seem like a lot to some people, but watch as they disappear, especially to the bastards buying them and selling them on e-bay for an outrageous price, which is assumption but you know it happen.  The stick will feature Sanwa Denshi components as well as 30mm action buttons with a Japanese style ball head, all housed in a Vewlix style cabinet to make you feel like your back in the quarter pumping arcade days.

Any die hard fan of the franchise or of fighting games is probably going to want this bad boy and will come with the tournament edition of Marvel vs Capcom 3 that will run you around $159.99 and had not be released for pre-orders yet but we will give you the scoop on the first places to see it pop up for sale on February 15th conveniently the same day of the release of Marvel vs Capcom 3.  Mad Catz is making the fight sticks, so whether you like them or nor not there site is a good bet to grab one on February 15th with their site link right here.  URL:http://store.gameshark.com/

That site is your best bet but you might see the stick or Tournament Edition pop up at other retailers like Game Stop or Best Buy, but with 5,000 units being made, quite frankly I doubt it and personally think that the Mad Catz site will be the only ones to have to, so start saving up or keep you money saved cause if you want this, right here might be your only chance.  Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds will release for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on February 15th.. same days as the Fight Stick Edition.

The newly released trailer given above shows a tonne of Marvel and Capcom characters, like The Hulk, Chris Redfield, Magnetto and a tonne others. It’ll sure as hell get you excited for the game.

Stay tuned for more info.