"WHAT? DAIGO LOST?"

Rare footage of Daigo actually losing...and not so rare footage of Daigo beasting!

A handful of videos popped up recently from the Arcadia Magazine Umehara Kumite among some others from Daigo's random visits to arcades in Japan. Most of the videos he is doing what he does best but Sagat player Mago shows how powerful Sagat can be and another Akuma Player, Momochi takes Daigo to the cleaners in the other matches. You can see the Arcadia matches on lordaborigine's YouTube Channel and the other assorted matches on AHOJagi's channel.

Be sure to check out JOE's C.Viper in the Arcadia matches. A true testament to the fact that every character is a viable choice to play in SFIV. Also, I'd be sure to check all of these out as soon as possible. I would not be surprised to see the Arcadia Matches taken down shortly due to copyright issues.

CAPCOM: STREET FIGHTER IV CE UPDATE

CAPCOM posted up photos of the redesigned Street Fighter IV Collectors Edition. The original art (which I think is still present for the standard versions) I feel does not capture the feel of the game like the Japanese box art, so I must say I am very happy about their decision. All the content is the same, so no news there!

With this, the 1up Show and new images of Cammy and Rose it's a good day to be a Street Fighter IV fan!

1UP SHOW: KEYSTONE II, STREET FIGHTER IV PREVIEW

1UP makes it down to KEYSTONE II and interviews Albert, Seth Killian, Tony Cannon among others. There is also a lot of great SFIV footage here showing a bit more in depth some of the game mechanics and combos that are present in Street Fighter IV. Oh yeah, there is some sweet footage of Cammy's Ultra in this one.. I wonder who pulled that one off? Hmmm...

1UP Show: Street Fighter 4 Preview/Pro Player Matchup

FAMITSU: NEW IMAGES OF CAMMY IN STREET FIGHTER IV

Just a day or two ago a couple scans showed up from Famitsu magazine of Rose and Cammy in Street Fighter IV but they were so small it was virtually impossible to make out anything in the pictures. Well, today Famitsu updated their site today with new images of Cammy where you can actually see what's going on... but no sign of Rose yet! You have to check out Cammy's Ultra sequence where she snaps the opponents neck! Brutal!

Update on Friday, December 19, 2008 at 8:59AM by haunts

That was quick.. Kotaku updated their site with images of Rose, so there you go!

NEW TEKKEN 6: BLOODLINE REBELLION IMAGES

The official Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion site has been updated with some new images of the game. There are also PDF's for each character that lists all their moves.  The inputs are easy enough to understand but any notes and move names are in Japanese so you may have to wait it out a bit for a translation.

SUPER STREET FIGHTER II: HD REMIX BREAKS SALES RECORDS

After being RickRoll'd by reading this article on the CAPCOM blog I was a little hesitant to post this, but since then I've calmed down a bit and feel this is something everyone should know about. SSF2T:HD Remix has sold 250,000 units so far breaking all kinds of records, and at this point could possibly become the best selling digital title of all time.

This is great news taking into account how many people said they would "pass on this title because it's taken too long to come out" or that "unless its $5 I wont buy it". Just goes to show that unlike most other games out there, people simply can't resist SFII gameplay even after all these years.

FAMITSU: NEW IMAGES OF ROSE IN STREET FIGHTER IV

So it appears the newest issue of Famitsu has some screen shots and character art of Rose. This scan was pulled off of the Shoryuken.com forums earlier today and it's pretty hard to make out much besides the character art. I'll post more once I find larger scans. Still, better than a profile shot on the character select screen right?

There is also another page that shows some new shots of Gen which I'll post when I find a high quality version as well.

STREETFIGHTER.COM: VIEW YOUR XBL HD REMIX STATS ONLINE!

The online leader board is now up and running on StreetFighter.com where you can view your Xbox Live stats for each character you play. You just punch your gamertag and it will give you your win/loss record and over all rank. You can also load up a friends gamer tag and compare your rank to theirs.  I am not too sure how to access the PSN stats as of yet but I am sure they are working on getting that live as well.

I first thought this would be all text based but it appears to be all flash at this point. Pretty nice interface but I guess this means you cant access your stats from your iPhone just yet!

Somewhat related, there has been a lot of debate over whether or not the rankings are any indication of true skill. I am sure some of the people at the top are not the absolute best in the community, but right off the bat you can see David Sirlin and Paul Lee right there in the top 10. I'd say that is a pretty good indication that if you are within the top 50 you probably know how to play the game on a competitive level.

With that being said I am ranked some where in the 3000's! Hah! If I only had more time to play maybe I'd be ranked in the low 2000's. Speaking of which, if you want to play me, you can add me to your friends list under "hauntsxl" on XBL and "haunts" on PSN.

FATE/UNLIMITED CODES AVAILABLE THIS WEEK

Fate/Unlimited Codes is an extremely popular fighting game in Japanese arcades and is coming to PlayStation 2 this week!

Published by Capcom and based on the anime series Fate/Stay Night, the game is rendered in 3D but played on a 2D plane. Outside of your standard attacks found in any other fighting game, characters also have weapon based attack which lead to pretty lengthy juggle combos.

There will be a Special Edition available at the same time of the regular version that includes the game and a figure. Both are available through Play-Asia.com!

Fate/Unlimited Codes

Fate/Unlimited Codes [SP Box]

The fight for the holy grail spreads over from the arcades to your home. Drawn by Type Moon, and with a script written by Natsu Kinoko, the game spots an original storyline and is acted out by the star studded cast of voice actors.

All characters are rendered in 3D but the system maintained the speed factor of 2D fighting games. Besides punches and kicks, the servant's sure kill attacks and their special weapons are all included in this fighter. Harness their power and fight for your dearest wish.

In addition to the existing elements in the arcade version, the PS2 edition comes with more scenes, player characters to the roster and many other goodies.

G4 X-PLAY: STREET FIGHTER IV PREVIEW

G4 recently interviewed Seth Killian on Street Fighter IV. Nothing too new in this interview but he does cover the Focus Attack system and how it is more accessible than Street Fighter III's parries which is interesting. The video also contains a lot of gameplay footage and a brief look at the new MadCatz Street Fighter sticks in action!

STREET FIGHTER X TRIUMVIR TOURNAMENTS

Triumvir is gearing up a series of Super Street Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix tournaments in California and Florida. The flyer you see to the left has all the details and locations for the different tournaments.

They mentioned there are prizes from Triumvir (Clothes!), Capcom (Ryu Headband?) and MadCatz (Joysticks!?). You also get 15% of your next online purchase from Triumvir just for pre-registering!

Update on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 1:48PM by haunts

More information on the tournaments strait from TRIUMVIR:

2 8-Man brackets per store. Meaning 2 final contenders per shop will compete with the 3 other shops via X-Box Live.

Prize breakdown:


All 16 competitors will receive a Triumvir goodie bag.

Top 2 contenders of each shop will ALSO receive:
Goodies from Capcom, including an Udon comic book.
$100 Gift certificate for Triumvir.
X-Box Live SF2HD Remix Download Code

The Grand Prize winner (final winner of X-Box Live) will ALSO receive:
HD Remix Special Edition Pack courtesy of Capcom
Chun-Li 9" Figurine (Only 700 made)
Another $200 Gift Certificate from Triumvir


There's more prizes depending on the respective shop and Mad Catz! Stay tuned. >:(

Highly recommended to pre-register, certain shops are already/near full.

THE REST OF THE DETAILS WILL FOLLOW IN THE TRIUMVIR NEWSLETTER AND RESPECTIVE SHOP WEBSITES.

FINAL FANTASY DISSIDIA AVAILABLE THIS WEEK FOR PSP

So this game kind of flew under the radar for me since after playing a bit of Crisis Core I've avoided anything Final Fantasy related for quite sometime. I suppose I am just growing out of RPGs and have for quite some time but this game is a little different. After checking out a couple videos I'd say it actually looks pretty interesting. Final Fantasy Dissidia is a fighting game based on the Final Fantasy universe with some RPG elements involved with it. As expected from SQUARE, the graphics look top notch and the game play looks like it will allow you to heavily customize your character.

The game comes out the end of this week and is region free so go ahead and pick up a copy from PlayAsia.com!

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy's debut, Square Enix round up the heroes and anti-heroes from their star RPG series and have them participate in a battle royale. Belonging to the camp of the god of peace Cosmos and the god of struggles Chaos, the 20 characters are pit against each other in fighting tournaments.

The concept of winning a fight is simple, unleash a string of attacks and deplete the HP bar of your opponent. The higher your hit rate is, the more brave points you store and the more special attacks you can launch. What sure kill attacks you can employ depend on your characters.

Pit your favourites against generations of FF characters and find out who the strongest is amongst you.

PLAY-ASIA: PRE-ORDER HORI STREET FIGHTER IV STICKS

Wow, so many sticks coming out in the coming months! There is a Street Fighter IV set being released in Japan by HORI that are now up for pre-order on Play-Asia. They come out February 12th, same day that Street Fighter IV drops in Japan.

What is strange is that the 360 version is essentially a Fighting Stick EX 2 while the PS3 version is a HORI Real Arcade Pro. What that means really is that the 360 stick has a stock HORI stick and buttons and the PS3 version has a Sanwa stick and Hori buttons. So the joystick is much better in the PS3 version and over all the build quality of the HRAPs are much better than the Fighting Stick EX2. I suppose it is because there are less 360 owners in Japan but I am still surprised they do not give people an option for both systems.

Anyway, both sticks to my knowledge are good candidates for modding and they both have Street Fighter IV art on the tops so if that is your thing you should check them out!

Street Fighter IV Fighting Stick for Xbox 360

Street Fighter IV Fighting Stick for Playstation 3

Consistency in Game play (Part One)

Anyone who has been playing for years and years, attending many tournaments, gatherings and events at the arcade can safely say they have had good days and bad days. Over the years I've talked with a lot of different players about their experiences with fighting games and it seems like one of the hardest things to achieve is that certain level of consistency.

With that being said, I've also seen a lot of people come and go in the scene and this is probably somewhat related to the ability to play consistently or lack there of. There is even a  thread on SRK right now labeled "I give up..!" where people are detailing their frustrations with trying to play competitively.  Those of us who stick around have a certain "bounce back" factor that allows us to keep playing all these years regardless of how well we are doing.

Lately I've been looking at my own game, studying videos of myself and just taking mental notes in general on why some days I play well and others I lose to things I shouldn't lose to. I've narrowed it down to a handful of factors although I am sure there a lot more. One of the main things is state of mind, but the mind is a tricky thing that can be hard to predict so all I have to say on that is "expect nothing, be ready for anything."

I'm sure there are a ton of articles and threads detailing similar aspects of playing fighting games but I thought I would give my own take on things. I labeled this as "Part One" in that I may extend this sometime down the line, but these are my initial thoughts.

Click to read more ...

AMAZON.COM: PRE-ORDER HORI REAL ARCADE PRO & EX

A couple new HORI sticks are right around the corner, the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3  (PS3) and the Hori Real Arcade Pro EX (360). Both sticks are fitted with a Sanwa stick but come with stock HORI buttons, so they are not full Sanwa but the buttons can easily be replaced. The actual joystick is what usually has the most impact on gameplay in my opinion anyway.

The two sticks are essentially the same but the 360 stick costs about 30 bucks more than the PS3 one. I think it could be because of Microsoft's licensing fee's or maybe the included headset jack but it's anyone's guess really.

The two sticks are available for pre-order on Amazon and I'm not sure you will be able to pick one up at your local GameStop or similar retailers. The PS3 stick comes out December 29th and the Xbox360 one drops early February!

GAMEWATCH: TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM HOLIDAY CONTEST

Do you live in Japan and want a chance to win a Tatsunoko VS Capcom T-shirt and calendar? GAMEWATCH is in the holiday spirit it seems and is running a contest right now on their site where you can win both. They picture the EXAR joystick as well but I don't think that is part of the contest. What a tease! As mentioned, you have to live in Japan to be eligible so the rest of us who live anywhere else in the world are out of luck!

KING OF FIGHTERS XII LOCATION TEST

I found this on GAMEWATCH a little earlier today. SNK-PLAYMORE posted on their site that there is going to be a KOFXII location test in Osaka on the 20th and 21st of this month. The Premiere Event that went down a week or two ago apparently had the "final version" there so I doubt we will see any new characters but we can always hope. Many people feel that some staple SNK characters are missing but really we may have to wait until the next installment to see more additions to the roster.

STREET FIGHTER IV CHUN-LI COMBO GUIDE FEAT. LIL' SHOTO

When I first approached Street Fighter 4 some months ago, I passed right over Chun-Li thinking "there is no way she is as good in Street Fighter IV as she is in Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, she is way past her prime!" That may be true but that does not mean you can't put the hurt on your opponents with her in this game.

Here in Bay Area we've had a couple Chun-Li players pop up here and there demonstrating how frustrating it can be to play against her and I thought to myself "why not share this knowledge with the rest of the world?" So we're back with another installment of top level "IV" strategy with the only person who can explain Street Fighter in a way that everyone can understand, Lil' Shoto.

Is Lil' Shoto too fresh for you? If that's the case be sure to check out our super white, super tight Street Fighter IV Move List and Strategy section for more ways to beat down with Chun-Li!

NICO VIDEO REDIRECTOR

I've been meaning to post this up for a while since so many fresh videos hit NicoVideo.co.jp, especially fighting game videos. If you don't know already, NicoNico is essentially a Japanese YouTube site. The thing is you have set up an account to watch the videos and if you don't know Japanese then you're pretty much out of luck! Well, there are instructions written up by NeoGAF member sp0rks on how to set up an account if you were so inclined.

Personally, I'd rather not have to log in each time I want to watch a quick Street Fighter IV movie so instead I use a redirector provided by old school fighting game news site, MadMan's Cafe. They also provide links to top videos and latest additions to NicoNico!

PURCHASE TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM TODAY!

Order Today from Play-Asia!After what feels like hundreds of blog posts, watching many many YouTube gameplay videos, and seeing the earliest version of the game at EVO2K8 I almost can't believe the game comes out tomorrow in Japan! Well, according to some people it's already out at certain locations in Japan but as far as I know the "official" release date is tomorrow. Anyway, for those of us who cant just walk into a store and pick this up, I checked play-asia.com and it looks like they are shipping the game as of today. Keep in mind you will need a Japanese Wii to play this or have some other means of playing import games on your Nintendo Wii.

Also, if you're in need of a joystick for the game EXAR has released a joystick also available through play-asia.

As I mentioned earlier it looks like some people have already got their hands on the game so some new videos have surfaced over the past day or two. Below is the intro movie for the game, so don't watch it if you want to save the surprise for when you get your own copy of the game!