The Good Old Days: Street Fighter 2 Rainbow Edition

In the 1990s, life was good: Fresh of Bel Air and Seinfeld ruled the airwaves, hip-hop music didn't suck yet, and a new Street Fighter update was available every 3-6 months. Some of these updates were of the unofficial variety, which basically meant the arcade owner or some technician tweaked the CPS2 board to "enhance" the game in new ways. Want to throw multiple fireballs at once? Got it. So you want to switch characters during the second round? No problem. You want Zangief to glitch through the screen for no particular reason? Sounds good to me!

You can see plenty of this nonsense in the video above in an unofficial, but popular version of Street Fighter 2 called Rainbow Edition. In Japan, they still have local tournaments for this amazing bootleg. You can find this version in a rom set for MAME if you are curious about it. Sadly, most Westerners can't just walk into an arcade in 2013 and pop a few quarters into some crazy ass hacked game....nope, you could only do that in the good old days.

Old Game Commercial 05: Street Fighter II Champion's Edition

In the 1990s, Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat had quite the rivalry. This commercial highlights the competition between the two games, with Street Fighter 2 trying really hard to look more brutal than a game that allowed players to rip characters' heads off. Note how Blanka's hand comes out of the box to scare the shit out of an elderly patrolman. Pure awesomeness.

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Release Confirmed

The BBFC has confirmed the release of Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition on PS3 and 360 for June 24th in the UK. Earlier this month the game was confirmed for release in South Korea as well. The US release has not been leaked yet, but I am sure it is coming soon. For those not in the know, Arcade Edition is the name for the Japanese arcade cabinet which rebalanced the roster and added four new characters: Yun, Yang, Evil Ryu, and Oni. I'm sure Capcom is waiting for a big unveil, but fans are getting tired of the "run around." Just confirm it on Twitter, Ono!
Link:http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2011/mar/28/bbfc-confirms-ssf4-arcade-edition-uk-release-date-june-24/

A Little Street Fighter Humor

Har har har.

Evil Ryu and Oni Revealed Earlier Than Expected

Hackers have found a way to make Evil Ryu and Oni (a more powerful Akuma) unlock in Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition without Capcom's consent. These characters were not officially announced, but were hinted at a few months prior to SSF AE's release. Now savvy code crackers in China and the US have found a way to get these two new characters without Capcom's approval and they are pretty angry about it. People who have posted videos of the two new characters on Youtube, are having their accounts banned as it is now copyrighted material. This seems pretty unfair since some of these people probably didn't know the characters were hacked out, and more likely assumed they were unlocked legally.

Oni and Evil Ryu look pretty bad ass in action. The character selection screen seems to show a spot for two more characters. I am hoping Rolento and Alex are hacked out next. The AE DLC for consoles has yet to be officially announced by Capcom.

Want to play as Evil Ryu or Oni now? Head to Chinatown Fair in NYC; they seem to be using them without any fear of Capcom reprisal.

Dude Looks Like a Lady: Weird Fan Art from Japan

In Japan, fan art can range from really incredible and official looking to off the wall utter insanity. Today we will take a look at the latter of the two. Fighting game fan art is really popular there, but some folks wanna see their favorite male character as a female for some reason. Enjoy this odd look at gender bender fan art from Pixiv.

Jedah and Terry Bogard

Ragna the Blood Edge

Sol Badguy

Ryu, Ken, and M. Bison

Super Street Fighter IV Dojo Edition Back In Stock

The Capcom store has restocked the Xbox 360 and PS3 Super Street Fighter IV Dojo Edition. This special edition has been sold out for awhile, but now there seems to be more in "limited availability." Grab this up if you didn't have a chance, it is an amazing special edition unlike any this writer has ever seen. Here is what is included:

• Super Street Fighter IV game
• SSF 4 duffel bag
• Dudley t shirt
• Ibuki water bottle
• Juri memory stick with comics, art , and more
• headband

The price is 79.99.

Street Fighter IV: Juri Anime in "Limbo", Capcom Says

After looking all over the net for information on the new Street Fighter IV Juri anime movie, I finally turned to Capcom's own forums to ask about it. On the "Ask Capcom" forum, I learned that only the Asian Xbox 360 special edition came with a download ticket for the movie. No Ps3 release or XBLA marketplace release outside of Asia exist (Japan doesn't fall under Asia BTW.) Do not look for a DVD or Blu-Ray either, it doesn't exist. For the less scrupulous fan don't bother looking for torrents, they don't exist either.
S-Kill, Capcom's resident Street Fighter guru, had this response on the message board:

I wish I had some exciting news, but as far as the west is concerned, the anime seems to be in limbo

We're very aware fans would really like to see it, and it's quite good too. Bleh. Will update everyone immediately should I get any good news about this being available outside of Asia.

I suppose the exclusive nature of the Asian XBLA download deal is making it difficult, even for Capcom, to secure rights to the film for an all region release. This is very disappoiting to hear, as Mr. Killian himself notes the anime is quite good. Hopefully this gets a legitimate release in the future, or at the very least leaked for eager fans to enjoy.

Source: http://www.capcom-unity.com/ask_capcom/go/thread/view/7371/24838209/Super_Street_Fighter_IV_anime_by_Gonzo?pg=3

Games I am Currently Playing

I haven't made a post in awhile. It is finals time for me, and I have been gaming alot as well. Here are the games that are currently taking away from my study time:

1. Super Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360)- I am already a big fan of this game. The new characters are all cool, except Hakan and the online has been done very well. One really cool addition is the replay channel. It is nice seeing other player's strategies and combos. Bravo, Capcom, bravo. I hope they release a DLC pack with Rolento, Elena, and R. Mika.2. Record of Agarest War (Xbox 360)- I ordered this game simply for the boobie mousepad, however it is actually not a bad game at all. I usually steer clear of Idea Factory, but this game seems to be their crowning achievement. The artwork is nice, battles are fun, and the music is fitting. I also dig the marriage and generation system, it reminds me of Phantasy Star 3.3. Space Adventure Cobra (Sega CD)- This game also seemed to be an oddity to me, so I tracked it down finally. The game is like a poor man's Snatcher. The story is ok, and the character designs look like they are out of an issue of Heavy Metal. I will keep playing this one for the story only.4. Sakura Wars V( Wii)- I am at the end of Sakura Wars, but since I seemed to have ended up with the lamest chick, I've been hesitant to beat it. The game is awesome, and I recommend it to any strategy fan. I hope Sega releases the older titles here at some point. The world could use some more mecha and romance.

Super Street Fighter IV Fanart

Enjoy some fanart from Pixiv to celebrate this week's release of SSF IV.

What Would Super Street Fighter IV Look Like on NES?

I found this awesome 8 bit image today and just had to share it. They all kinda look like Mega Man bosses from the old days. Beware of Ken Man, his power is the mighty Spam Shoryuken Attack!

Best Street Fighter Fanart Ever... Seriously

I just had to give this artist some notice from deviantart. Here are some examples of his fine work:


Here is a link to his page: http://bosslogic.deviantart.com/art/Crimson-V-156061109

Let's Start Fanart Sundays!

So I think I am going to post fan art on Sundays from now on to give some sort of order to the updates. As usual enjoy the art, I think this week's offerings are pretty damn good. On a side note I ordered Live A Live and Secret of Mana 2 reproduction SNES carts. I will make sure to post pictures after I receive them. I am so excited to finally have the chance to own these two classic games.

Capcom Secret Files

Capcom releases books in Japan to celebrate certain game releases. Games like Strider, Street Fighter 3, and Darkstalkers have all received one. These secret files contain parody art, cut material, and more. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom seems to have gotten one, and since I love the game so much, I think it is time to look back at some of the better material from former secret files.



This appears to be some strange Street Fighter 3 concept art. Note Oro being covered by only a paddle, lol. I kinda like the wrestling Sphinx guy.
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Ever wanted to put together a little Zangief made of paper? Well me neither, but I guess someone did , so this was in one of the Street Fighter secret files.

This was the cover of the Street Fighter 3 Giant Attack Secret File. Hugo is King Kong and Elena is his victim, this is a nice homage. Bravo Capcom.

This is from Darkstalkers 3 Secret File. This one is a little...odd. The focus seems to be on characters showing their ass, or flashing undies. The one with Victor is very disturbing.



Tatsunoko vs. Capcom's Secret File showcases cut material. It is comically listed as Frank West's Scoops. Here we can see cut characters like Phoenix Wright and Nurse Witch Komugi. Also note the great looking Ghosts N Goblins stage. I want that stage for DLC :-)

For more secret file information check this link: http://fightingstreet.com/folders/variousinfofolder/secretfilesfolder/secretfilespage.html

Fighting Game Femme Fatales

Here is fanart dedicated to the fighting game genre's hot femme fatales. I know Bridget is a crossdresser, but I liked the picture (plus I couldn't find a nice picture of Baiken.)

Fanart Time with a Hot Bonus

If you have not noticed, I enjoy posting kickass game art. Well here is some more!
Click to Enlarge!

This next pic isn't from a fan. It is from George Kamitani, the head artist at Vanillaware ( famous for Odin Sphere and Muramasa.) He is such an amazing artist, this picture is just incredible.