Grave Gamer News & Views — namco bandai

Tekken + Pokemon = Pokkén? The Pokemon Company Announces Pokkén Tournament

Have you ever played Pokemon, lamented at the turn-based battles and thought to yourself, “Holy hell, why can’t this just be like Tekken?”

On the reverse spectrum, have you ever listlessly slogged through Tekken’s character select screen and groaned, “I just want to play as fictional, dog-fighting animals whose only attempt at language is shouting their own names!”

Well, good goddamn, do I have a game for you that you’ve always wanted but didn’t know how to ask for. Introducing Pokkén Tournament – a 3D arcade fighter set to the tune of Tekken’s gameplay but featuring Nintendo’s beloved Pocket Monsters.

The game is being developed by Namco Bandai Games with involvement from Soul Calibur producer Masaaki Hoshino and Tekken’s own eccentric producer Katsuhiro Harada. This is far from Namco’s first foray into Nintendo trenches – both Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS are being created by Namco Bandai teams, which is likely how they got this unusual gig (saké probably played a big part too).

Before you mod your fightstick with a custom Pikachu inlay, keep note that no North American release has been announced. Nor is there any info on Pokkén making it to home consoles. So far, the fighter is only slated for Japanese arcades in 2015.

Watch the official teaser hereabouts.

What’s Up With Tekken X Street Fighter?

We’re approaching the year mark since the Capcom developed Street Fighter X Tekken released unto the fighting game scene.  Critics loved it, I was quite fond of it, but the community itself chewed it up and spit it out like spoiled milk.  More than a bit of that could’ve been inspired by Capcom’s eyebrow suspending business practices, but you’ll find most serious fighting players simply dismiss SFxT as “broken.”

Namco faired better in the FGC last year, however, having released the universally praised Tekken Tag Tournament 2.  Its success left many wondering what’s shaking on the other side of the crossover fence, Tekken X Street Fighter – where Capcom’s champs would fight Namco’s regulars on Tekken’s groundwork.

Well, the advent of next-gen consoles just may have pushed Tekken X Street Fighter back some until Namco can figure out whether or not the title should be multi-generational.  Longtime Tekken producer and face of the franchise, Katsuhiro Harada, took to Twitter to enlighten a fan on the game’s progress, saying it was still “under development” and that his team was “changing [and] considering platform strategy.”

The news is slighter than the sound of a quarter rattling in an arcade cabinet, yet it’s the most we’ve heard regarding Tekken X Street Fighter in months.  The original Tekken Tag Tournament was a flagship launch title for the PlayStation 2 over a decade ago, so it isn’t hard to imagine Namco would want the same for its crossover fighter during the PS4’s launch window.  Hopefully that means we’ll actually get to see footage of the illustrious title sooner rather than never.

Project X Zone Heading West This Summer

Given its severely niche nature, I almost gave up hope on seeing this Namco/Capcom/Sega mashup grace Western shores.  But low and behold, Namco Bandai has announced it would be localizing the 3DS’ Project X Zone for release in the U.S. and European markets this very summer.

The spiritual successor to Namco X Capcom, a PS2 crossover oddity that remained only in Japan, Project X Zone (wherein the “X” means “Cross” somehow) carries on the tactical RPG gameplay and 2D sprite visuals found in that title, but adds a little dimension to the affair thanks to the 3DS’ functionality.  Combining over 200 characters from each publishers’ library of franchises (over 50 of which are playable), players will participate in teams of two paired heroes fighting freely on battle grids based on recognizable gaming locales.

Basically, you get into ludicrously awesome encounters like Space Channel 5’s Ulala cracking knuckle against Nemesis’ face.  If that isn’t worth wiping the dust off my 3DS, nothing in this world is.

Star Trek (PC/PS3/X360 - April 23rd, 2013)

As you can see, the Namco Bandai published bro-op shooter based around J.J. Abram’s updated revival of the Star Trek universe has received an official date.  Whew.  It took almost everything I fucking had not to write “is phasing into stores this Spring."  Literally everything.

Usually, a game adapted from a movie license would earn a hearty shrug from me (especially when its box art is this grotesquely hard on the eyes), but I can’t deny I’m interested to see what developer Digital Extremes manages to do with the property.  Their work on The Darkness II, which released all the way back in February, resonated strongly enough to slip into the number ten slot on my Top Picks of 2012 list.

If Digital Extremes can muster up as much devotion and creativity as they put forth into adapting The Darkness comics, then Star Trek is going to turn some heads when it drops next year, abysmal box art and all (look at this two-toned Photoshop nightmare again; if Kirk isn’t channeling Zoolander here than I’m changing my prescription).

“I still have some characters left to be revealed that comply with some of your requests, even ‘bringing back’ several others. Even so, none of them are paid DLC. I will continue to sincerely comply with fan requests. However, I can’t continue to engage the negative ones that, without knowing what you are talking about, or even thinking about what you are saying, blindly repeat 'bring back, bring back, bring back…’ After this lengthy explanation, I will be quite surprised if there are still people who still don’t get [the game].

Thanks for understanding or not understanding. Whatever.”

Tekken Tag Tournament 2’s chief producer, Katsuhiro Harada, at the tail end of a rather long Twitter diatribe telling fans to shut the hell up about bringing back original voice actors and characters.

If you hop to his open letter, it’s an unpleasant, crabby read that’ll be sure to sour Tekken fans whose only crime was being annoyingly passionate about their beloved fighter.  I still feel absolutely justified in Tweet-bombing him about bringing back Alex.  Harada, you can’t just lash out at your fans unless you’re able to back up your talk with a boxing fucking raptor.

[By the way, if you seriously think I’ve ever gone as far as to bother Harada online about the inclusion of a boxing fucking raptor, I really don’t know how to help you.]