During SDCC we began taking pre-orders for a life-size, wearable, light-up Mega Man helmet . Today we have a few additional shots that should give you a even better look at the remarkable headpiece and how it functions.

The helmet can open up and then close again for a snug fit, while two layers of internal padding keep things comfortable. One layer is removable, however, to accomodate bigger noggins.

Pre-orders are moving along quickly but will end in the next few weeks, so if you’re thinking about picking one up, head over the Capcom Store before orders end! After that they go into production for a holiday / end of year release!

Just wish I had one of these back in 1990…

Number: DWN-020

Weapon: Hard Knuckle

Weakness: Magnet Missile

He has a special body reinforced with ceratanium. He weighs three tons. Dodge his Hard Knuckle at the edge of the arena.

Large and in charge, Hard Man throws his weight around big time. First he’ll fire his entire fist at you, then hurl his massive chassis your way with a screen-shaking thud. This impact will stun Mega Man in a manner similar to Guts Man , only this time you freeze even if you’re in the air!

Hard Man’s size also makes him an easy target for the Magnet Missile, which homes in and deals substantial damage. Despite his girth and imposing appearance, Hard Man falls with ease.

You’re then treated to the Hard Knuckle, which fires a floating fist across the screen. You can somewhat guide its path, although its initial slow firing speed makes it a difficult weapon to use outside of Top Man’s fight.

While he’s not a construction robot per se, his stage is reminiscent of Guts Man’s and you get a solid “excavation” feeling from the design. It’s been said Hard Man enjoys sumo wrestling, which makes me want to see him & Guts Man go at it!

The  Resident Evil 0 T-Shirt Contest wages on into Round 3 today, and we still want your designs and your votes! If you’re late to the party on this, be sure to read our initial blog post on the contest.

TL;DR? Design a T-shirt for Rebecca to sport in  RE0 as FREE-LC. Anyone who votes will receive a free download code for the shirt once it is available. But first we gotta figure out together what shirt it will be! Go participate !

The Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition Style Tournamentis off to a healthy start with Round 1 —the Nero round! We received a hearty helping of submissions, with so many good ones that it was a true Judges Must Die-level challenge narrowing down the list to a Top Five. Arguments were had. Tears shed. Colleagues launched, juggled, and taunted. But in the end, we prevailed with what we feel is a very solid list of contenders. Hit the jump to vote!

Voting Deadline: Friday, July 24th at noon (PT).

• Serj Angelo
• GamerIzzy42
• Dre
• DelusionaryKiller
• GarudaPSN

Number: DWN-019

Weapon: Gemini Laser

Weakness: Search Snake

His weapon is the Gemini Laser, which reacts according to the enemy’s intentions. Watch his movements carefully before attacking.

Up to this point, the purpose behind a given Robot Master was fairly clear. Cut Man chops wood, Air Man creates gusts of wind, Quick Man moves… quickly… and so on. But Gemini Man is potentially the first “…what?” boss that makes you question the thought behind him.

But after a little inspection, it’s actually a cool concept for a battle robot – Gemini Man creates a holographic copy of himself to confuse foes and sneak in a shot of his Gemini Laser.

Speaking of the Gemini Laser, it bounces around the screen in search of a target. If you fire it at a wall, for instance, it’ll bounce off at an angle until it collides with an enemy or eventually fizzles out. Too bad Gemini Man doesn’t give up his holographic powers, huh?

The copying ability is perhaps better conveyed with his updated art – here we see him up front and his duplicate running right behind him.

The slight confusion I felt when seeing him back in 1990 was partly due to his stage. It starts out on a crystalline surface, or maybe lunar surface, but at the very least something that gels with the reflective crystals on Gemini Man’s body. But then you go in deeper and the stage becomes some kind of tadpole-choked breeding ground, complete with robot penguins and dragonflies!

Didn’t question it then, not gonna start now 😛

On July 17th, the long awaited  Star Knight armor series was finally made available for every  Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate player worldwide! Here’s a quick video by Gaijinhunter highlighting why everyone’s been so hyped for it – and why you should be too!

And a quick summary for those that didn’t get to watch the video, or simply need/love bullet point lists (like I do):

• +5 points of resistence against each Element
• Challenger +2
• Rodeo God
• Steady Hand (Mind’s Eye + Razor Sharp)
• 4 points of Handicraft (Shaprness +1)
• 11 open slots (3 being 3-slot combo)
• Stunning looks

Now if you’re already thinking this is an overpowered set, “easy mode”, or not worth your time, I recommend this very thoughtful thread on the  Monster Hunter Sub Reddit. In it, dragonbornrito highlights a number of pros and cons for this set, which to me only brings home how carefully balanced  Monster Hunter games – and I love it. I encourage participating in that discussion, or starting one below in the comments or on our own MH forums . =)

Oh! And let’s not forget about the  Star Knight Sword , sporting a whooping 392 raw attack, 160 Water damage and 3 open slots! But if Sword & Shield is not your jam, the same quest (USJ: Tigrex 3D) gets this magical Palico set:

So how hyped are you now? Are you making the Star Knight gear? Have you done so arleady? If so, what’s your set up like?

^{Here’s mine, btw =)}

Hey! It’s Monday, and I’m in the office, for once! No, I haven’t been at home slacking off on Mondays… it’s just the day that we usually travel back from events, such as SDCC and Anime Expo.

So let’s embrace this wonderful coincidence (more like normal schedule) and go back to streaming  MH4U ! As usual, we’ll be live at 4pm (Pacific Time) on twitch.tv/capcomunity. And if you want to catch up on our previous live streams, we have recorded version after the jump:

See you soon!

Number: DWN-018

Weapon: Magnet Missile

Weakness: Spark Shock

Draws in enemies with his strong magnetic power. Dodge his homing Magnet Missiles by sliding.

Slapping a giant magnet on a robot’s head isn’t the first thing I’d do when designing combat machines, but it actually works out pretty well for Magnet Man. His control over magnetic forces allows him pull Mega Man against his will, as well as fire homing missiles can turn on a dime.

With a fair bit of speed and two different methods of attack, Magnet Man is a solid addition to the Mega Man 3 roster.

When you defeat him and gain the Magnet Missile, you’ll be able to fire your own homing magnets that can turn 90 degrees and collide with your target. They don’t truly track your enemies, but it’s still a handy weapon to have.

Magnet Man isn’t just my favorite MM3 boss – he’s my favorite Robot Master period . For some reason his look really spoke to me as a kid, which is a little odd since I wasn’t into magnets or science per se, and a boss like Shadow Man certainly seems “cooler.” But the way he leaps around the stage, and the cool magnetic effects of his stage, made him a standout character. He also gives me a supervillain vibe similar to Elec Man … hm, if the latter reminds me of Electro and was a MM1 favorite, then perhaps part of my Magnet Man affinity is due to his Magneto-like power set?

Ryuji Higurashi (Mega Man series illlustrator)

“Using Mega Man’s new slide move feels so good in the battle with Magnet Man, making him a really fun character from a gameplay standpoint. His design is also very simple and easy to understand. I’m pretty sure you could show him to anyone and ‘Magnet Man’ is what they’d call him.”

Hey everyone!

Big news coming from EVO 2015! We are pleased to announce the first brand new character for Street Fighter V; meet Necalli!

Hailing from a mysterious background, Necalli utilizes a wild, animalistic fighting style to brutalize his opponents. There’s no finesse here as all of his attacks have been forged through the heat of battle to inflict maximum pain upon his opponents. However, beneath the surface of the crazed warrior lies a hidden genius that is unleashed upon V-Trigger activation. Players who enjoy a straight forward,  hard hitting character will feel right at home with Necalli, as he possesses a wide variety of savage, close range attacks, as well as a command grab, all with the goal of demolishing his foes.

V-Skill: Culminated Power

_{Necalli pounds the ground with both fists, creating an explosion from the ground that damages the opponent. By holding the joystick left, right or leaving it at neutral, players can control the distance the explosion travels, allowing him to pressure opponents from afar.}

V-Trigger: Torrent of Power

_{Necalli channels a mysterious energy that warps his hair color and completely changes his personality for a short period of time. While in his powered up state, he gains access to new combos, new frame data, and even a new Critical Art!}

The many mysteries surrounding the character’s origin and storyline will be revealed in due time, so stay tuned for more information! We also revealed a lot of details at EVO regarding Street Fighter V’s brand new approach to post-launch content, so be sure to give it a read here   in case you missed it.

Finally, the first online beta program for Street Fighter V is nearly upon us! Running for 5 days next week, starting on July 23rd (18:00 PT)/July 24th (03:00 CEST/10:00 JST), the first online beta will be exclusive to PS4 users and initially feature four playable characters (Ryu, Chun-Li, Nash, M. Bison), with an additional two (Cammy and Birdie) being rolled out on July 25 ^th.

As a reminder, North American fans who pre-order the game through select retailers or the PlayStation Store will be granted automatic access to the beta. While signups are closed in Europe and Asia for this beta test, keep an eye out on www.streetfighter.com for announcements of the next one.

See everyone online!

Hey everyone!

We just announced some big Street Fighter V news today at the Capcom panel here at EVO 2015. There is quite a lot of information to take in, so buckle down and read carefully!

First and foremost, Street Fighter V will feature a brand new service-based approach with regards to post-launch content. With this approach come several key changes to our content strategy:

1. The initial release is the only disc you will ever need to own
2. All balance and system adjustments will be available for free
3. All post-launch gameplay related content will be earnable for free by playing the game

That’s right; Street Fighter V will be the first iteration in the franchise where it is possible for dedicated players to earn all gameplay related content (such as characters) for FREE , simply by playing the game.  Long gone are the days of forced Super and Ultra upgrades! Enjoy free balance updates as soon as they become available, and find and choose the post-launch characters that you want to get.

Speaking of characters, Street Fighter V will launch with a core roster of 16 playable characters, with 4 of them being brand new fighters to the Street Fighter universe. Post-launch, we will be adding new characters to the roster on a continuous basis, which will provide new content for players to enjoy. Again, every post-launch character released will be earnable for free through gameplay!

Looking back on the Street Fighter IV series, we had always released bundles of content all at once, like with Super Street Fighter IV and Ultra Street Fighter IV. While these one-time updates did revive interest in the series every few years, it was difficult to keep players engaged for long periods of time unless they were competitive. This also punished players who took a break from playing the game, because if they wanted to start again in a few years, they would be forced to purchase an upgrade to join the existing player pool who had already moved on to a new version. On top of that, this old method also forced players to purchase all of the new content, even if only a few characters may have appealed to them.

With Street Fighter V, we want to change the way that players interact with the series, and create an ever-evolving environment for players to enjoy. By releasing new characters on a regular basis, it will ensure that there is always new content to look forward to in the short term, and it prevents the competitive environment from ever becoming stale.

Players also have more freedom in their decisions, as they only need to purchase or earn the content that appeals to them. This will also create more long-term engagement, because the more you play the game, the more you are rewarded and can earn new content. The player base is never shrunk by requiring a paid update like in years past. Players can take a break from the game, but then come back at any time and continue to play with the characters they already own, with the newest gameplay balance.

We are able to execute this service-based model by introducing an in-game economy to Street Fighter V. There are two types of currency that make the economy go round:

1. Fight Money
   1. This is basic currency that players earn through playing the game. Once players accumulate enough Fight Money, they can use it to earn new post-launch gameplay content, such as characters, for free!
2. Zenny
   1. This is premium currency that players can purchase with real money to immediately gain access to post-launch content.

We will be using later beta phases to test the economy and ensure it works in a fair way for everyone.

Phew! That was a lot of info, so we hope it all makes sense to everyone. We are extremely excited about this new post-launch strategy, and we’ll be talking about more specific details at a later date. For now, we hope everyone is excited to start playing and earning content!

To commemorate this year’s EVO, the world’s largest fighting game open tournament and its feat of having over 2,200 entrants, Steam and Capcom have teamed up to provide USFIV for free this weekend, along with a 66% discount for those who wish to purchase it.

Free play lasts until Sunday, July 19th at 1pm (PDT), while the 66% off lasts until Monday, July 20th at 10am (PDT) with the deal ending Sunday, July 19th at 1pm. After Sunday, July 19th, the game will no longer load if you haven’t purchased it.

Although the EVO matches were quite hype yesterday, we all know nothing is more exciting than defeating opponents with your own two hands. So download USFIV now as there has never been a more perfect time to take the game for a spin.

Hey EVO goers, just wanted to drop a quick message to let you know that Capcom is hosting a Street Fighter V panel tomorrow, July 18th, at 2pm in the Palace 3 room . 

For those wondering about the contents of the panel, we will have important announcements on our long term plans for SFV as well as give insight into the developmental process of SFV.

Don’t worry if you’re not present at EVO however, as we plan on sharing the information announced during the panel here on Unity tomorrow. Be sure to check back tomorrow afternoon for the latest news on SFV.