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TGS 11: The state of fighting games

There was a lot of fighting going on at Makuhari Messe as Capcom, Namco Bandai and Arc System Works went head to head.

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If there is one genre where the Japanese still reign supreme and showed a lot of promise at Tokyo Game Show it is the fighting genre.

Both Capcom and Namco Bandai leaned heavily on their fighting games at this year's show. Capcom showed off Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 - the updated and expanded version of the cross over hit, but more prominently they featured Street Fighter X Tekken, a cross over title that will no doubt see fans on both sides scratch their heads at times. The difficulty in transferring the characteristics of the Tekken cast to the 2D plane is obvious, but when we spoke to Ono-san he was also talking about how the rounds play out differently in the two games, where Street Fighter consists of several small battles, while Tekken is often decided by one chained attack. Street Fighter X Tekken does not really feel like a Street Fighter game with Tekken characters in it, so it's hard to peg exactly what we've got here. Regardless of the result it will be very interesting to see what fight fans make of this come release time.

TGS 11: The state of fighting games
Street Fighter X Tekken

Transitioning from Capcom to their rivals and partners - Namco Bandai - they have a lot going on and it's easy to see why Tekken X Street Fighter is going to have to wait. The Tekken team lead by Harada-san released the arcade version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 the same week as Tokyo Game Show, and as you may know we're getting an early taste of the game with the prologue that's packed with Tekken: Blood Vengeance and an updated HD version of the original Playstation 2 offering Tekken Tag Tournament. Harada admitted that the original game was something he thought up in five minutes when the bosses demanded a new game from him, but this time around he has been able to flesh out the concept more and allowing players to actually use to characters on screen rather than just switching. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was not on the actual showfloor at TGS, and neither was Tekken 3D: Prime Edition. The Nintendo 3DS offering has now been confirmed for release in February next year, and looks like a very nice proposition, even if fighting on the go is something that has never really caught on.

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TGS 11: The state of fighting games
Tekken Tag Tournament 2

The main attraction for me personally was the return of the stage of history - Soul Calibur V. It's hard to believe the series that started with Soul Edge / Soul Blade on Playstation has already gotten to its sixth main entry. I recall being mesmerised by Soul Calibur on my Dreamcast, and Soul Calibur V has that familiar feel to it, even if it brings interesting new characters and a couple of gameplay tweaks that will no doubt turn a few things upside down. The quick step dodges seem to encourage a more tactical game, but it's also essential to counter the other major addition - the Critical Edge moves. Anyway, from a casual fans perspective Soul Calibur V looks very nice at this stage and the new characters certainly add something different. We're also dying to find out what guest characters Project Soul are bringing in this time around - according to Tago-san, the game director, the guests will be announced within a couple of months.

TGS 11: The state of fighting games
Soul Calibur V

The most popular fighting corner at TGS? Well, judging by lines and crowds it was without a doubt the Arc System Works booth that attracted the largest number of fans. The booth was dedicated to two games - BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend - on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 as well as the intriguing arcade title Persona 4: The Ultimate. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend was also playable on PS Vita in the Sony booth, and is naturally an updated version of the game that came out last year, with revised systems and some additional characters. Looking over the shoulders of some of the players it was easy to spot veterans of the complicated fighting game wanting to try just how their favourite characters had been tweaked.

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TGS 11: The state of fighting games
Blaz Blue: Continuum Shit Extend

Persona 4: The Ultimate, is a collaboration between Atlus' Team Persona and the fighting folks at Arc System Works. Taking place after the events of Playstation 2's Persona 4, the game revolves around Teddie and his P-1 Grand Prix fighting. Various cast members will engage in the fighting as well. The arcade game is due out in the spring 2012 in Japan, with console versions to follow later in the year.

TGS 11: The state of fighting games
Persona 4: The Ultimate

There was of course other fighting games at Tokyo Game Show, more obscure ones, and games that are simple ports, there was also an tournament raging on in Hall 7 (Arcadia Cup) so fighting fans who made it to Makuhari Messe no doubt had plenty to do.

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