We already know about more Street Fighter 4 and Dead Rising 2 coming down the pipeline, but those aren’t the only things the house that Mega Man built has in store for the rest of the year.
First off, they’ve got yet another fighting game mash-up happening, this time mixing Ken & Ryu with Kazuya & Nina…
Looks intriguing to say the least. I do love how Street Fighter 4 had this “painterly” quality to the action, and this time we’re getting splashes of water instead of brushstrokes. The one thing everyone wants to know about is how it’ll control, given how both are radically differently in that department. As you might recall, buttons in Tekken are tied to individual limbs and that’s it, whereas in Street Fighter they both determine what kind of strike plus its power. Apparently for Namco’s boys and girls, while the game will adopt Capcom’s traditional 6 button structure, the same “dial a combos” that is usually found in past Tekken titles will still be present. Basically, pretend the weak and medium punch and kick inputs will emulate the usual control scheme. Why Capcom simply didn’t go for four buttons themselves like in most of their other Vs efforts are beyond me. Granted, I might have my facts totally wrong, I’m only going by reports online… needless to say, first chance I get my hands on the game, I will pass along clarification!
Next up is Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D…
It goes without saying that those who rushed out to get their 3DSs on day one have probably not touched the thing in recent days. Of the games everyone is patiently waiting for, this one is easily up there with the Ocarina of Time redux, though Mercenaries 3D looks even better if that can be believed. I have a strong feeling that this might be the next big thing for the platform, especially in Japan, where they absolutely love co-op play via handhelds, as evidenced by the huge success of Monster Hunter on the PSP on those shores (which is basically the only reason why that platform is afloat over there). Speaking of which…
Here’s something different new, so swears Capcom, called Dragon’s Dogma…
After after striking zombie gold with Resident Evil, Capcom figured it might be worth doing something a little different with the undead, and thus Dead Rising was born. So consider Dragon’s Dogma a slightly tweaked version of Monster Hunter. On the surface it appears to be identical; you and a bunch of online buddies get together to tackle large monstrosities (though they’re less dinosaurs-like beings and more dragon-type beings). But this time there’s more of an emphasis on sword and sorcery, as well as story.
And here’s the other new kid in class, aka Asura’s Wraith…
Not much is known about this game, other what the trailer shows, which is some bad-ass (some former god apparently) facing off against one of his presumably former brethren’s finger. Albeit a very large one. I personally am getting a strong vibes that indicate a mix between God of War and God Hand (for the six folks out there that actually played that one). It’s also a collaboration between Capcom and CyberConnect2, which has helmed some pretty phenomenal Naurto fighting titles in the past. Even though I’m not a fan of the anime, even I can’t deny the game has had some truly amazing, fast & furious action. So I’m just glad for the chance to enjoy such action and my character not be some annoying animu dork with spiky yellow hair.
Finally, back to Resident Evil…
Okay, so Operation Raccoon City doesn’t look all that bad, as somewhat initially feared. Turns out, it’s going to a third person team-based shooter and not a first person affair, thank goodness (I’m not opposed to the idea of a RE FPS, but given how touchy the subject matter could potentially be, it’s perhaps best saved for something else). And it seems that you’ll be mowing down zombies as well, along with the law, and as noted, famous faces. I really hope they take the “what if”/fan-fiction route to it’s limit. Meaning, a mini dating sim in which you get to go out with Claire Redfield. Though what I’m most concerned about is how the cast will turn out. Sorry, but the name “Bertha” hardly makes one quakes in their boots.