Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

Tatsunoko? Like myself, I'm pretty sure many a regular gamer will find themselves stumped by the name but however, if you happened to also be a longtime hardcore Anime freak (and when I mean "longtime hardcore", I meant being one ever since the 80s), then you probably stands a good chance knowing what it is. Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. (株式会社竜の子プロダクション or 株式会社タツノコプロダクション ,Kabushiki gaisha Tatsunoko Purodakushon?), often shortened to Tatsunoko Pro. (竜の子プロ or タツノコプロ ,Tatsunoko Puro?), is a Japanese animation company founded in 1962 by acclaimed anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida along with his brothers Kenji and Toyoharu (Toyoharu adopted the pen name Ippei Kuri to distinguish himself from his brothers). Enough rambling. A look at its portfolio of Anime series speaks best. Okay, Gatchaman anyone? Problem connecting that name? How about Battle of the Planets? For those not so nostalgic, you might be aware of the recent Anime series, "Casshern Sins", a remake of 1973's Neo-Human Casshern (新造人間キャシャーン ,Shinzō Ningen Kyashān?), which incidentally was adapted into a movie in 2004. But either way, you must have heard of Karas, a brilliant groundbreaking sixth part animation produced to commemorate the company's 40th anniversary of anime production. (The titular character's dark origin kicks the collective asses of all the billionaire orphan's clones out there) Well, it seems that Capcom are indeed getting a little carried away with their "Versus" series of crossover games as the latest title in their long-running crossover series, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes, turned out to be a genuine genre crossover. Available at Arcades and Wii exclusive, platform-wise, this can be quite a monster to market given its source material's longstanding (albeit diverse)credentials. Apparently, Capcom USA is working to resolve Tatsunoko's licensing issues outside of Japan in order for an international release.

Predator X VS The Monster

The title of A C-Grade Monster Flick? Not by a long shot. At times I really wonder how scientists tweak their brain juices to come out with names like this? Especially when even such lame name had already been taken by a C-Grade X-Men villain. Anyway, this is not an ad of the upcoming History Channel Feature that will unveiled the prehistoric creature, though I do find both the Predator X and "The Monster" relatively intriguing creatures. A marine monster described as the most fearsome animal ever to swim in the oceans boasted a bite up to 11 times as strong as that of Tyrannosaurus rex. The fossil remains of the huge pliosaur were dug up last summer from the permafrost on Svalbard, a Norwegian island close to the North Pole. Analysis revealed that it was a turbo-charged swimmer. Its front flippers allowed the creature, dubbed Predator X, to cruise along comfortably but when prey came into range the power of its hind flippers kicked in to provide extra acceleration. Measurements of its jaw and the killing power of its dagger-like teeth have shown that it could bite down with a force of 33,000lb per square inch compared with T. rex’s 3,000lb per square inch. Alligators have the strongest bite today with about 2,500lb per square inch. Researchers have been astonished by the size of the reptile, which exceeded even that of another pliosaur, called The Monster, which was found at the same site a year earlier. Predator X is thought to have been at least 50 feet long, perhaps more, and measurements of its bulk suggest that it would have weighed in at 45 tonnes. Its discovery was announced yesterday in Oslo by Jørn Hurum, of the University of Oslo, who led the expedition to dig up the remains. At least 20,000 fragments have been recovered including most of the jaws, which were 10 feet long. Dr Hurum said: “It was the most ferocious hunter ever. It’s like a turbo-charged predator. This is a very, very large carnivore.” He added that Predator X was smaller than the biggest marine reptile yet known, a 75ft ichthyosaur from 210 million years ago, and was about the same length as the largest fossil shark to have been identified by palaeontologists. Predator X, however, was armed with much bigger teeth and, with its ability to close in at enormous speed, would have been much faster and deadlier than either of them. Dr Hurum believes that Predator X and The Monster are likely to represent the same species of pliosaur. “Its anatomy, physiology and hunting strategy all point to it being the ultimate predator — the most dangerous creature to patrol the Earth’s oceans.”

Capcom VS Jin Yong

Ryu versus Linghu Chong(令狐沖 Reikochū)? Vega versus He Tieshou(何鐵手 Teiran)?? Ken versus Hu Fei (胡斐 Hiko)??? Eat yer heart out, Jin Yong just got "Capcomed" in the upcoming Online game that feature one bold step away from the Fighting Game Genre. Mouse. The action will be purely controlled via mouse, thus the namesake, Street Fighter Online: Mouse Generation. Talk about bizarre crossover. The preview ain't too warm, though. Check out more of the character design with all the close-up shots here.