Today Capcom announced that the three Phoenix Wright DS games will arrive on WiiWare next year. January will see the four-chapter “Ace Attorney” for 1000 points, plus you have the option of getting the fifth AA chapter for another 100. “Justice for All” appears in March, and “Trials and Tribulations” is scheduled for May.

We’ve talked about this on the podcast once of twice, about Phoenix Wright being an odd little beast. A tad too trial-and-errory for me; a little too nonsensical for Haygood. But at $10, you could do a whole lot worse. Given that this series is much-loved on DS (and remember that the DS releases were ports of popular Japanese GBA originals), I’d say we’re getting a pretty ripe plum for WiiWare.

CAPCOM® UNVEILS CLASSIC ACE ATTORNEY® SERIES FOR WiiWareTM

The beloved Ace Attorney series featuring the most exciting courtroom dramas of the digital decade are headed to Nintendo’s popular download service in 2010

SAN MATEO, Calif. — November 18, 2009 — Capcom® Entertainment, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that three classic Ace Attorney® games are scheduled for digital release on Nintendo’s WiiWare next year beginning with the one that started it all, Phoenix Wright™: Ace Attorney® followed by Phoenix Wright™ Ace Attorney®: JUSTICE FOR ALL, and Phoenix Wright™ Ace Attorney®: TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS. Gamers can expect the deliberations to begin January 2010. These games will cost 1,000 Wii Points, $10.00 USD.

Ace Attorney’s massive popularity and appeal in Japan has caught on in the West and the franchise has now sold well over 3.7 million units worldwide. For the first time ever, this beloved handheld series is making an appearance on a home console, giving gamers access to three of the classic Ace Attorney adventures from the comfort of their own living rooms. Fans and newcomers alike will have a chance to star as the most popular defense attorney in videogames, Phoenix Wright – a man driven by principles and his ability to separate fact from dubious fiction. Each game in the series presents twisting storylines and intriguing gameplay with comical anime stylings. Players will collect evidence, weed through inconsistent testimonies and overcome corrupt agendas to ensure that justice prevails! Present evidence with the wave of the Wii remote or press suspicious testimonies by wiggling it. These games can be played via single-player and has multiple save slots.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Episode 1 through 4) is the first release hitting in January. The story kicks off with Phoenix Wright defending his childhood friend Larry Butz from a murder charge. But this is only the beginning drama for the tenacious legal eagle as Wright faces unexpected tragedies that will test the limits of his incredible deductive prowess. In May, owners of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney will be able to download the bonus episode that appeared in the original Nintendo DS™ version of the game. It will cost 100 Wii Points.

In March, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: JUSTICE FOR ALL arrives. Phoenix Wright has six months experience and five court victories under his belt. But none of that will do him any good against the ruthless new D.A. in town. Franziska von Karma wants revenge and she’s ready to take Phoenix down at any cost!

In May, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS arrives. Phoenix will face the toughest prosecutor yet as the mysterious hard-boiled “Godot” is gunning for him with extreme prejudice. Get ready for the most intense courtroom standoffs of Phoenix Wright’s career!

For more information, please visit http://press.capcom.com and http://capcom-unity.com

Did you hear the news? Sony’s Ad-hoc Party feature for the PSP is coming to North America this month! This awesome new service allows you to play Monster Hunter Freedom Unite ONLINE by enabling your PSP to play through your PS3. This is HUGE news for Monster Hunter fans as now they can play MHFU with their Monster Hunter buddies around the country! The new feature also allows you to use text or voice chat to communicate with friends, which is critical for coordinating those 4 player hunts and taking out those tougher Monsters.

Granted that Adhoc Party will actually bring lots and lots of OLD PSP games online, going back literally years with no patching needed, but it’s also letting developers off the hook to a certain extent. Keep in mind that your PS3 will have to be dedicated to this to work — no DVD, Blu-ray or Netflix use by someone else in your household while you’re online with the PSP — and that you need a hard-line ethernet connection to it so the PSP can talk to it via the built-in Wi-Fi chipset. It’s a great deal for existing PS3 owners at zero dollars and zero cents and no ongoing online service fee.

All of that said, the technical triumphs of things like the two excellent Syphon Filter PSP games from the Sony Bend Studio that included not just online play for a first-person shooter but also had voice chat proved years ago that it could be done, and done well, without having to fall back to another service. Yes, this is just like having Xbox Live to fall back on if you think about it, and yes, this might help boost sales, but there are side benefits to running your own servers.

Take Sega and what they’re planning for Phantasy Star Portable 2. The first game was adhoc only, but the sequel is adding online play. Why is this a big deal? Why not just use Adhoc Party? Maybe because they might use it to reduce used game sales by requiring you enter a code from your manual into the game to register it with their servers before you can play it online.

In the end, though, I can’t help but think this is a net positive for the little handheld that is still alive and kicking up against Nintendo’s incredible DS juggernaut. What older games do you have that you want to play online?

The first of those titles is Sengoku BASARA Samurai Heroes.  Sengoku BASARA has players fighting as a dozen different samurai heroes, as they battle their way through 16th century feudal Japan, trying to re-write history as they become the one leader of the country.  The game is being designed by Hiroyuki Kobayashi, the producer of the Devil May Cry series.  The two release platforms will be a similar game, but the Playstation 3 version will offer online play.

The other title from Capcom is tenitively called Ghost Trick, and will be coming to the Nintendo DS platform.  Ghost Trick will have you playing as Sissel, a amnesiac ghost who goes around solving puzzles and sorting out his memory.  You can also intereact with people in the environment, including things like shocking a lightswitch, or floating a household item through the air to startle someone.  Ghost Trick is being worked on by the same development team behind the Ace Attorney series.

I do find it interesting that after making a huge plunge to get multiplatform development at Capcom, they are releasing Sengoku BASARA as a Wii/Playstation 3 title, with no Xbox 360 release in sight.  It could just be that the game does not fit the gamer that uses the Xbox 360.  I am a bit meh on the Ghost Trick title, as it seems like several other games on the platform already.

If “number of marketing-related emails to gaming journalists” is any indicator of quality, Capcom’s Spyborgs is going to one hell of a game. The Wii exclusive is available now, featuring two-player co-op across 35 levels of smashing and bashing. The bullet points read like a list of classic beat-’em-up must-haves: giant boss fights, finisher moves, upgradeable attacks, etc. Bit of a yawn, but the screenshots look really, really nice, and I often find myself in the position of desiring a straight-forward, well-done linear brawler. And it’s only $40… so is that a sign that third parties can field good Wii games for a budget price? You make the call. The Spyborgs call.

Press release and screens after the jump.

SAN MATEO, CA — September 22, 2009 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Spyborgs™ has shipped to retail exclusively for Wii™. Spyborgs, Capcom’s hottest new thrill ride, combines an extraordinary sci-fi world with action-packed 2-player co-op, epic multi-stage bosses, and the old-school beat em’ up feel that will satisfy fans of the genre and fans of robot destruction alike.

Spyborgs is rated by the ESRB as Teen and will be available this week on store shelves in North America for $39.99 or available now through online retailers and the Capcom E-store at shop.capcom.com.

In Spyborgs, a cybernetically-enhanced group of superheroes is set-up to be destroyed by a former team member. When players take control of the weapon-enhanced cyborgs in their pursuit of the traitor, they will come together in 2-player co-op to face over 35 stages of mind-blowing challenges packed with epic boss battles and swarms of enemies that only a team of two can defeat!

Players select two of the three Spyborg characters and use the Wii Remote™ to shoot, slash and pummel their way through hordes of mechanized enemies. Designed around a team experience, in single-player mode, players will be able to strategically jump back and forth from one member of the team to the other, rapidly tackling different challenges with their unique abilities.

Features:

• Stunning Graphics: Pushing the graphics capabilities of Wii, Spyborgs will offer a variety of vibrant environments and detailed character models alongside action-packed gameplay.

• Extreme Co-Op: Although designed as a 2-player co-op experience, Spyborgs can be enjoyed whether playing alone or with friends, as single players can jump seamlessly between characters at any time to take advantage of their unique weapons and skills while friends can tag-team it to create crazy combos and finisher moves for the ultimate brawl.

• Brawler-style Gameplay: Action-packed, intuitive gameplay for all skill-levels.

• Robust Attack System: Players can combo their attacks and increase their Power meters to unleash devastating “Finisher” and “Co-Op Finisher” moves.

• Upgradeable Attack System: Power-up by collecting “crimson spark” currency from defeated enemies, destructible environments and weapons crates to purchase upgrades.

• Instant Character Swap: Single-player games allow players to instantly switch between two characters mid-combat to utilize each character’s strengths.

• Cinematic Boss Battles: Epic, action-packed and absolutely thrilling battles featuring full-screen, dynamic and wickedly challenging bosses.

• Robust Achievement System: Similar to Xbox Live and PSN, players are rewarded with an Achievement Title signifying their accomplishment. Taking it one step further, these Achievements also unlock bonus videos, concept art and new challenges in the game.

For more information, visit http://www.spyborgs.com.

Not enough Okami out there for you to not get around to buying yet? Take heart, because Capcom’s moderate seller rolls on, as this newly introduced footage of an upcoming Okami game for Nintendo DS has appeared. Don’t you just want to pick that puppy up and give her a hug? I know I do.

Note that the music in this trailer was added by a user after the fact. The actual footage released seems to have no audio.

What’s amusing about this is that everybody knew, even in 2006, that this game had the mechanics of a Nintendo DS title. What I don’t know is if the almost certain non-involvement of Platinum Games, the studio which know holds all the raw talent involved in the creation of the orginal shockingly long PS2 RPG, dooms this title from the start.

Source: Capcom via MTV Multiplayer Blog

Those of you who, like me, enjoy busting zombie ass, may be interested to know that Capcom have finally confirmed when Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles will be hitting store shelves.

Much like how 2007’s Umbrella Chronicles recapped the plot from RE 0, 1 and 3, Darkside recalls the story from the acclaimed Resident Evil 2 and once again stars Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy. You good souls in North America can get your grubby paws on the game from 17 November, whereas myself and my European colleagues have to wait it out an extra ten days. The pay off for our patience? The “Zapper Bundle”, baby.

(An aside: for the life of me I can’t get to the bottom of whether the Bundles is an European-exclusive – which I’m led to believe – or if it will be also available in the States (different sites are reporting different things). If you think you know, by all means do let us know in the comments.)

The Press Release confirming the release date came with a crapload of additional info, including Twitter feeds and news on that highly awesome RE T-shirt pre-order offer. Therefore, I recommend that you hit the jump to read the press release in full …

Today Capcom announced that Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles would be available exclusively for Nintendo Wii, November 17, 2009 for $49.99 in North America. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles features an intense horror experience with arcade style zombie shooting gameplay that one or two players can enjoy simultaneously.

A few weeks ago, we gave you a heads up on the limited edition “Let Your Darkside Out” T-shirt, which transforms you into a zombie when lifted over your head, available at Comic-Con. For anyone who wasn’t at Comic-Con that wants to get the shirt – which doubles as a Halloween costume – there are a few ways you can get one.

How to get a Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles zombie T-shirt:
Pre-order the game now at GameStop and get the T-shirt for free! http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=74658
Win one! Check out select websites including G4, USA Today Game Hunters, CrunchGear, AOL GameDaily, Escapist, Destructiod, Ars Technica and others for your chance to win.

Buy the shirt on the Capcom Store for $24.95 (S – XXL available) here: http://shop.capcom.com/store/capcomus/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.155623300

With the game’s launch less than three months away, there are many sources for more information and artwork for the game, including a fresh trailer now available on the Capcom press center at http://press.capcom.com/. In addition, check out the official game website, Leon and Claire on Twitter, and the Resident Evil Nostalgia Diaries online.

The first phase of the official website has launched at www.residentevil.com/darkside. There, players get a small taste of the Resident Evil 2 section of the gameplay experience on the web, as well as information, videos and other downloads.

The game will be available on November 17th, but right now Leon and Claire are living the experience and tweeting to the public. Follow them to get some insight on the game and storyline, as well as a chance to win some free Darkside Chronicles goodies.

Follow Leon and Claire on Twitter:
Leon : http://twitter.com/leon_darkside
Claire: http://twitter.com/claire_darkside

And be sure to check out the latest chapter of the Resident Evil Nostalgia Diaries to take a look back at Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Code Veronica, two games that have been meticulously recreated in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.
http://www.capcom-unity.com/mikeeb13/blog/2009/08/25/resident_evil_2_the_nostalgia_diaries_ch_3

Thanks,
Capcom PR Team

Will I buy the game? Probably – I love killing stuff so much I even enjoy the really bad RE games. Will I buy the bundle? Meh. Depends upon the price. As for will I buy the t-shirt? Hell, yes!

How about you?

After a delay of a few months, Bionic Commando finally comes to the PC .  The specs for the game are pretty balanced, but you will obviously see better perfomance the farther you move into the “recommended” specs.  As for the game itself on the other platforms?  Well, I am thinking that Capcom would rather you not look to those platforms for guidance as it had a very average to poor lifecycle. 

Check out the jump for the full details on this launch, as well as a mention of Bionic Commando Rearmed finally coming to the PC as well.

The wait is over as old-school hero Nathan Spencer gets a 3D makeover with today’s release of Bionic Commando for Windows PCs.

Bionic Commando is rated by the ESRB as Mature and is available now on store shelves in North America for $39.99 for Windows PCs or through various online distribution platforms, including the Capcom e-Store and Steam.

Features:

•Use the bionic arm to swing between towering skyscrapers at breathtaking speed, hook onto distant objects, zip up on hanging girders and choose your own route through the game
•Gameplay that moves through horizontal and vertical environments – a 3D game that truly uses all three dimensions Full multiplayer mode with rich stat-tracking to check whether you’re a true commando or a lowly private
•Use the power of the bionic arm – and of next-gen physics – to realistically throw massive objects, pummel opponents, whip enemies into the air, or pull the landscape apart
•Arm yourself with a variety of weapons worthy of a Bionic Commando
•Starring Mike Patton, the former lead singer of Faith No More, as the voice of Nathan Spencer
•Developed by Swedish studio GRIN, developers of the highly acclaimed Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter series for PC

Meanwhile, Bionic Commando Rearmed became available today via Steam. Regularly $10, Bionic Commando Rearmed can be purchased in a bundle through Steam with Bionic Commando for $44.99.

Good things come to those who wait, or in this case, own the gaming platform that is getting Resident Evil 5 last.  Capcom confirmed September 15th, as the release date for Resident Evil 5 on the PC.  Along with the release date, we also have received word that Resident Evil 5 on PC will ship with new costumes, and an improved Mercenaries mode that adds three times the enemies.

And for those that own the Nvidia Stereoscopic glasses, you will get to play Resident Evil 5 in full 3D.  Check out Nvidia’s site for a full tech demo of Resident Evil 5 in full 3D glory.  Check the jump for the full press release as well as a couple more screenshots.

CAPCOM REVEALS SHIP DATE FOR rESIDENT EVIL 5 FOR THE PC

A Whole New Dimension of Horror Comes to PC Fans

Capcom is pleased to announce that Resident Evil 5 for the PC will release on September 15, 2009 in North America and September 18 th in Europe. PC gamers will get the ultimate Resident Evil package in the new PC version as new features will include NVIDIA®’s new GeForce® 3D Vision technology (wireless 3D Vision glasses sold separately), new costumes and a new and improved mercenaries mode with three times as many enemies.

Fans that pick up the PC version will be the first to experience stereoscopic 3D out of screen effects as their living rooms are transformed into the world of Kijuju. Infected Majini coming at players from every angle, dust flying in and out of screen and the scariest bosses to date are taken up a notch . Resident Evil 5 PC is a whole new level of fear players will never forget. The game also supports Stereoscopic 3D in all of its cut scenes – an industry first.

These groundbreaking stereoscopic 3D effects were developed in close cooperation with NVIDIA, which is why the game is part of NVIDIA’s “The Way It’s Meant To Be Played” partnership program. Resident Evil fans can check out the 3D action for themselves today as a new stereo 3D tech demo with benchmark is available to download today on NVIDIA’s official site at http://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_re5_downloads.html . To find out more info on NVIDIA’s GeForce 3D V ision technology, click on the link here, http://www.nvidia.com/3dvision/ .

If you can ‘ t get enough of RE5 for the PC, it will be making its public debut at Comicon 2009 in Booth #5133 in full 3D . It will also be shown to thousands of gamers at this year ‘ s Penny Arcade Expo in the Fall. More details on the game will be hitting in the upcoming months.

About Resident Evil 5

From the ashes of old conflicts, a new terror arises. The Umbrella Corporation and its crop of lethal viruses have been destroyed and contained. But a new, more dangerous threat has emerged. Years after surviving the events in Raccoon City, Chris Redfield has been fighting the scourge of bio-organic weapons all over the world. Now a member of the Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSSA), Chris is sent to Africa to investigate a biological agent that is transforming the populace into aggressive and disturbing creatures. Joined by another local BSSA agent, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to solve the truth behind the disturbing turn of events. Featuring a revolutionary new co-op mode of gameplay, Resident Evil 5 will let players experience fear together as terror moves out of the shadows and into the light of day.

Co-producer and series veterans Jun Takeuchi (Lost Planet) and Masachika Kawata (Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles) unleash an unprecedented level of fear for the new generation in Resident Evil 5, the sequel to one of the highest-rated videogames in history according to Metacritic.com and Gamerankings.com. Promising to revolutionize the series by delivering an unbelievable level of detail, realism and control, Resident Evil 5 is certain to bring new fans to the series. Incredible changes to both the gameplay and world of Resident Evil make this a must-have game for gamers across the globe.

The Resident Evil series has sold over 40 million units since the original game was released in 1996 and has spawned a multi-million dollar trilogy of films from Sony Pictures. The latest installment of the game, Resident Evil 5 promises to revolutionize the series just as Resident Evil 4 did.

Fore more information and the latest assets, check out Capcom’s official press center at www.press.capcom.com

ABOUT CAPCOM

Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including best-selling franchises Resident Evil®, Street Fighter®, Mega Man® and Devil May Cry®. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Korea, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom can be found on the company web site, www.capcom.com .

Street Fighter is a registered trademark of Capcom U.S.A., Inc. Capcom, the Capcom logo, Resident Evil, Mega Man and Devil May Cry are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd., in the U.S. or other countries. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION”, and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox 360, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies . All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Also, our case mod picture this month comes from Geeks3D.com and shows off how I feel about this month’s lack of releases.  Also, make sure to check out our Ones to Watch for Sony Platforms,  Nintendo platforms and the Xbox 360.

Street Fighter IV – After lagging a bit behind its console counterparts, Street Fighter IV has finally come to PC gamers, and had added a few new features for those that have waited.  The biggest change comes in the form of higher resolutions, supporting 1920×1200 and higher.  Also, three new palette styles are here, allowing for PC gamers to change the look of the game.  If you have watched the PC trailer, you can see the watercolor and other themes used to good effect.  Add in full Games for Windows Live support, and you have a solid title at a $20 price break from the console version.  The downside is the control factor, and if you do not have a fight stick, or a gamepad at a minimum, you might lose out on some of the fun of this fighter.  Look for Street Fighter IV on July 7th, 2009.

Trine – Only recently, did Trine piqued my interest, as I did not know what it was about.  But once I heard comparisons to the classic Lost Vikings game, I had to pay attention to Trine.  Trine features 15 levels that play out in a standard platformer fashion.  You can play as one of three characters, each with their own distinct strengths and weaknesses.  Trine boasts some of the best looking platformer backgrounds I have seen in quite some time, as they are filled with numerous little details that add to the quality of the game.  The biggest downside is the price gouging that is happening on the PC side, as Trine is listing at $29.99 on Steam and other retailers, a full $10 more than the Playstation Store price.  Look for Trine on July 7th, 2009.

Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal – Telltale Games has completely cornered the market on episodic content and the new Monkey Island series looks to continue that trend.  Tales of Monkey Island continues the story of Guy Threepwood and the cast of characters from past titles.  It has a great adventure feel, using the same voice cast from previous Monkey Island titles, and some sharp puzzles.  I have yet to find much fault in any title that Telltale Games has put together, and the Tales of Monkey Island series just looks to add to their luster.  Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal hits Steam and Telltale’s website on July 7th, 2009.

And that is about it for the PC games you should be looking at for the month.  There are some other titles that are there like the Bioshock/Oblivion combo pack if you missed it, or G-Force, but the console is the better place to look for that title.  See you next month.

Minimum Specs:

OS: Windows XP
CPU: Intel Pentium4 2.0GHz or higher
RAM: 1GB or higher
HDD: 10GB of free space or more
Video Card: DirectX 9.0c/Shader3.0 or highercompatible, NVIDIA GeForce6600 series, ATI Radeon(TM) X1600 orhigher or higher, VRAM ：256MB orhigher
Sound: DirectSound compatible, DirectX 9.0c (orhigher) compatible
Input Devices: Mouse, Keyboard

Recommended Specs:

OS: Windows Vista
CPU: Intel Core2Duo 2.0GHz or higher
RAM: 2GB or higher
HDD: 10GB of free space or more
Video Card: DirectX 9.0c/Shader3.0 or highercompatible, NVIDIA GeForce8600 series or higher, ATI Radeon(TM) X1900 or higher, VRAM：512MB orhigher
Sound: DirectSound compatible, DirectX 9.0c (orhigher) compatible
Input Devices: Gamepad：Xbox360Controller for Windows

We hope to have a review copy of Street Fighter IV on PC inbound shortly, which should be an interesting experiement.