For many years now, there has been one unified gripe when it comes to the Xbox 360 controller – the D-Pad.  Ask anyone that has tried to play a fighting game on the 360 with teh D-Pad and they will tell you that it just does not feel right for gaming.  Switching weapons seems to be fine, but when it comes to movement control, the thing just stinks.

Microsoft has finally heard the complaints, and has a new controller that will hit in November, and the controller will use a transforming D-Pad.  Now, before you start putting your wildest Michael Bay fantasies in play, the D-Pad simply swivels in direction.  In one direction, the D-Pad is flush with the support structure, allowing for sweeping movements, similar to how it works now.  However, swivel the D-Pad in the other direction and the four way direction D-Pad becomes far more pronounced, with the surrounding support sinking into the controller.

No word on how well this will change D-Pad response, and we hope to get a review unit to try it out with some Street Fighter IV but if you want to see it in action, head over to www.xbox.com and look at the new controller under the Xbox 360 accessories section.  They have a nice little video that shows how the new system works.  The new controller is shipping with a play and charge kit, so the cost of the new controller will set you back $64.99.

Look for it come November.

The Perils of Summer sale on Steam still continues, now into its sixth day, and along with the continued sales for almost all the items in the store, there are a few doorbusters for 24 hours only, meaning until 10AM PDT, June 30th.

The Day 6 doorbuster deals include:

• ARMA II – $19;99 (50% Off normal price)
• Street Fighter IV – $9.99 (75% off normal price)
• X-COM Complete Pack – $3.74 (75% off normal price)
• Commandos Collection – $3.75 (75% off normal price)
• Team Fortress 2 – $6.79 (66% off normal price)
• Numen: Contest of Heroes – $7.49 (75% off normal price)
• Grand Theft Auto IV – $4.99 (75% off normal price)
• Osmos – $2.49 (75% off normal price)

Okay Fourhman, if you missed out on Team Fortress 2 the first time, here is your chance to get it now, and join us for a Team Fortress 2 Aeropause Game Night.

GAME> Street Fighter IV (2009)
SYSTEM> PS3 / 360
SOURCE> Kmart Entertainment Guide, Fall 2009

Your Blue Light Special: tips to unlock official artwork and bonus characters after the jump!

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.

Our topic this week discussed achievements and why some people feel the need to cheat to get them. While we started there, we also looked at the validation of achievements and trophies and how they tend to shape our gaming habits occasionally.

In the community section we are asked who the mysterious figure is that is Shane Whitehouse by jrittmayer and we pointed out the great reviews and other write ups that we had on the site for the past two weeks. Finally in the news section we look at Street Fighter IV supporting GFW Live, a Mass Effect iPhone preview and Prince giving the thumbs down to Activision on inclusion to Guitar Hero.

Again we want everyone to visit the website at www.aeropause.com, send email to tips@aeropause.com and visit the forums. Also make sure to review or rate us at iTunes using the show links. Music is provided by Revolution Void at revolutionvoid.com and is mixed together my our master of mixology, Stephen Munn.

Download the podcast from here or subscribe to the podcast using one of the services below: Also make sure to review us on iTunes.

To start off with, we will see the release of Street Fighter IV and Bionic Commando on the PC side of the fence.  Street Fighter IV will be the equivalent of the arcade version of the game, as that is running on a PC.  There will also be higher resolutions and a new artistic filter that can be applied to your game.   Previously, Capcom had already announced the support of Games for Windows Live with Street Fighter IV.  Bionic Commando arrives later than its console breathern, coming also in July, but will allow for remapping of controls, higher resolutions and support for the mouse and keyboard.  No word on whether Bionic Commando will support GFW Live.

But the big announcement of the day was Resident Evil 5 being officially announced for the PC.  This is a game that I would have waited for if I knew for sure it was coming to the PC.  That said, I am ready to trade in my 360 version of the game.  Playing Resident Evil 5 with a mouse and keyboard will be awesome.  Capcom is also adding in upgraded graphics and support for Nvidia 3D Vision technology.  Again, no word on if RE5 will support GFW Live on the PC.

Check out the official word after the jump, but the Resident Evil 5 PC announcement really made my day.

CAPCOM® PREPS A TRIPLE THREAT OF GAMING EXCELLENCE FOR WINDOWS®-BASED PERSONAL COMPUTERS
Resident Evil® 5, Street Fighter® IV and Bionic Commando® Coming to PC Starting This July

SAN MATEO, CA – May 1, 2009 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that three of its blockbuster hit console games of 2009 will be coming to the PC beginning this summer. Bionic Commando®, Street Fighter® IV and Resident Evil® 5 will all be coming to the PC, beginning in July with Street Fighter IV and Bionic Commando, while Resident Evil 5 comes later in the year. All three games will be optimized for the PC platform and will have new PC-specific features added to the already great games. Street Fighter IV has been rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), while Bionic Commando and Resident Evil 5 are both rated M for Mature. All three games will be available both at retail and via various digital distribution methods, including Capcom’s own e-store.

Street Fighter IV features a mix of returning favorites such as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Guile along with new characters created for this game, such as Crimson Viper, Abel, El Fuerte, and Rufus. Characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D, while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter® 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. Instantly familiar six-button controls are the hallmark of the game, with a host of new special moves and features. Mixing classic genre-defining game mechanics the franchise is known and loved for with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter IV brings a brand new fighting experience to fans the world over. The PC version of Street Fighter IV will feature online play, higher screen resolutions and three new shaders based on three of the “artistic” trailers released in 2008 that will change the visual appearance of the game: “watercolor,” “posterization” and “sumi-e ink” styles.

The first true sequel to the classic 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System® original, Bionic Commando sees the return of the bionically-enhanced Nathan “Rad” Spencer. Time has not been kind to Spencer: 10 years after his heroic defeat of the Imperials, he has been betrayed by the government he swore to serve, imprisoned for crimes he didn’t commit, and sentenced to death. Bionic Commando transposes the swing-and-shoot gameplay of the 8-bit original onto a stunning 3D environment of towering buildings, suspended roadways and monorails, deep canyons and sheer rock faces, where every environment is scalable using swinging, scaling, climbing and wall-walking techniques. The PC version of Bionic Commando will support higher resolutions than the console version, remappable controls including mouse and keyboard support, support for both DirectX®9 and DirectX® 10 and online connectivity for multiplayer sessions.

In Resident Evil 5, returning hero Chris Redfield is sent to Africa to investigate a biological weapon that is transforming the populace into aggressive and disturbing creatures. Joined by another local BSAA agent, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to solve the truth behind the frightening 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. The PC version of Resident Evil 5 will feature online play for co-operative play sessions over the internet and will also take advantage of NVIDIA®’s new GeForce® 3D Vision technology (wireless 3D Vision glasses sold separately).

Gamespot had a chance to look at the upcoming PC release of Street Fighter IV at the Capcom event in Europe.  It looks like Capcom is putting a lot of effort into making this a great release on the PC, and they also announced that the game is fully Games for Windows LIVE enabled, allowing users to get achievements, and matchmaking similar to the Xbox LIVE experience (this might be a bad thing considering the complaints about SFIV online play).  With this announcement, it also looks like Capcom will be releasing the same DLC from the console versions on the PC, via the Games for Windows LIVE Marketplace.

Head over to Gamespot for a full rundown on their thoughts.  As for me, I am ready to get this on the PC day one and probably an Xbox fighting stick as well.

Capcom has sent word that the first update for Street Fighter IV will hit next Friday, April 24. This patch adds a Championship mode that allows players to compete in tournaments, as well as video replay of matches from the tournaments. By competing in said tournaments, players can win “Championship Points” which are supposed to be akin to ‘prize money’. No word, yet on whether these will be redeemable for anything tangible, or digital.

While this is a highly welcomed add-on, how about a patch to improve the multiplayer experience in terms of lag, dropped connections, and capabilities. SFIV is still lacking in its multiplayer areas when compared to Super Street Fighter II HD Remix. Hopefully this will lay some of the ground work to tighten it up.

More information at the Capcom-Unity blog.