If you’ve been tuning into our weekly Friday Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen livestream series, “‘Tis Weak to Fridays,” then you know how much zany fun I’ve been having with my Mystic Knight Arisen on Bitterblack Isle.

Tune into Twitch again today at 4pm PT for the continuation. Read on for my sentiments on the experience to date. And yes–we will have another art book to give away!

The playthrough’s really been a great opportunity for me to get more deeply familiar with the tremendous amount of content newly added in Dark Arisen–a luxury unfortunately not afforded during the game’s relatively short and crowded launch campaign, much to my shame.

I’ve been having so much fun playing through this game with you guys, and on my own at home, that I’d like to begin regularly blogging about my experiences. Yep: Dragon’s Blogma is back.

Dragon’s Blogma: Affinity and Romance
Dragon’s Blogma: A Touch of Class
Dragon’s Blogma: The Capcom Unity Pawn
Dragon’s Blogma: Community Screenshots
Dragon’s Blogma: Dragonforging

I guess the thing that’s surprised me the most about Bitterblack is how genuinely scary the place is. Weaned from a too-early age on the likes of Evil Dead, I’m not particularly easy to disturb. At no point during DDDA’s campaign did I suspect that a fantasy action game in which you are at all times accompanied by a crew of talkative and capable—let’s face it—superheroes, would prove to have some of the most unsettling moments I’d ever experienced in games. But it does! I may be all chuckles and one-liners during these livestreams, but during my lone, nightly sessions, I’m a nail-biting wreck! I’m down to the cuticles here.

Specifically it’s those Necrophagous Beasts. Unless you’re a biologist or super, super creepy (I kid, I kid), you’ve probably never heard the word necrophagous outside this game, but evidently it’s a synonym for “attracted to horrid carcass meat.” If you’re a fan of gefilte fish, I include you in this category.

In the context of Dark Arisen, though, Necrophagous Beasts are giant, deadly monsters like the Garm and the Cursed Dragon that appear at random, attracted to the rotting meat of other defeated monsters. It’s a new mechanic with a prominent role on Bitterblack Isle, and it effectively turns every ostensible victory on Bitterblack into a high-stakes dice roll. Thinking of celebrating after a hard-won battle with a Gore Cyclops? Think again. Now you’ve got a Cockatrice to deal with. You fool. They can turn man into stone.

The black-and-white-slow-motion-dreadful-sound thing that happens each time one of these guys appears really helps create a horrific and desperate atmosphere that takes me all the way back to the classic Resident Evil days.  

↑ Necrophagous Beasts variety showcase

When I’m not trembling in terror, though, the game has been downright delightful, and chock full of that emergent storytelling I love so well. I love all the little spontaneous moments of discovery and mayhem. 

First of all, the Mystic Knight Skill “Abyssal Anguish” is ridiculous. That thing could end World War III. 

↑ Abyssal combined with the Burst Strike skill managed to get this Prisoner Cyclops in a seemingly unbreakable damage loop. 

↑ The Dark Bishop will pass out for upwards of a minute if you knock out his pet dragon while he’s possessing it. This can completely turn the tides of battle, as we discovered in literally the last minute of this stream. 

Then there was this dramatic moment turned nutty. In the land of non-mystic knights, Mystic Knight is king. 

The above may look pretty silly, but ultimately I think it’s a great example of the freedom that lies at the core of Dragon’s Dogma. No rule in the game is so strict that you can’t try and find a way to personalize your experience. It’s silly to end a dramatic duel between two key characters by popping one of them into the air like a bottle rocket–but that’s what I wanted to do, and the game didn’t stand in my way. In these modern days of overly guided gaming experiences, that’s a pretty special thing. Think about it.

More DD fun to come! 

Earlier today I was able to give you all a date on when you can expect to get Ultra SFIV into your hands . Since there’s still a little time before Ultra’s release, I’ve decided to provide you all with some entertaining, yet informative Ultra Street Fighter IV Change Videos! Yes, much like we did with the S treet Fighter X Tekken change videos , we will be looking at the changes of each of the characters in Ultra Street Fighter IV and breaking down how they will affect them moving forward.

For those wondering, these videos won’t be explaining Red Focus, Ultra Combo Double or Delayed Wake-up. No, these videos will be looking at some of the more important changes for your favorite characters as well as show you an idea of how they can be applied in battle. After watching these videos, Ultra will definitely feel natural once you get your hands on it! These video also don’t contain ALL the changes for the characters, we’ll be releasing a list with all of those closer to release.

For today’s batch, we will be looking at Ryu, Blanka, Cammy, M.Bison, Evil Ryu and Gouken.   

RYU ULTRA SFIV CHANGE VIDEO

BLANKA ULTRA SFIV CHANGE VIDEO

CAMMY ULTRA SFIV CHANGE VIDEO

M.BISON ULTRA SFIV CHANGE VIDEO

EVIL RYU ULTRA SFIV CHANGE VIDEO

GOUKEN ULTRA SFIV CHANGE VIDEO

So until Ultra comes out, just sit back, relax, and imagine the new ways to beat down the competition with what you’ve seen in the videos. Be sure to check back here at Capcom Unity for new videos next week.

So you see, we’re trying to do this new MWF raffle schedule (that’s Monday, Wednesday, Friday to be perfectly clear) here… and so far I’ve missed 2 days (oops!), but please look at today’s raffle as sort of an apology:

Since I missed yesterday because I was busy with  MH4U stuff, here’s an item coming from that same universe: a blind box featuring monsters present in  Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate !

And the second part of today’s special deal, raffle tickets are ONLY 40 Unity Points each!!! You know, MH 4 –>   4 0… get it?

You only have until tomorrow to enter, but I figure you gotta have at least enough for 1 raffle ticket, or should be able to gather enough points by tomorrow…

Good luck!

Tune into Twitch today at 4pm PT for a live celebration of today’s rerelease of the Gameboy classic, Mega Man IV  on the 3DS eShop!  

I’ll admit I missed this one when it was new, but as an avid fan of  Mega Man 4 on the NES, I’m excited to sink my teeth in. In fact, I’ve already bought it on my personal 3DS. It’s only $2.99!

Oh yes, the answer to everyone’s question of “When’s Ultra?” is finally upon us! For those who are looking to digitally upgrade to Ultra Street Fighter IV from Super Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, you will be able to do so on June 3 ^rd (June 4th in Europe) via PSN and June 4^th (NA and EU) via XBLA for a mere $14.99 (€14.99 / £11.99).

For those interested in the disc version or full digital download version, those will be hitting both physical and digital retailers on August 5 ^th for $39.99 (29.99/£19.99). For our PC users, both the digital upgrade (available for $14.99/€14.99/£11.99 and full digital version will be available on August 8^th for $29.99 (€29.99/£19.99).

Oh, and if you’re wondering about how to get those nifty costumes you saw in the trailer there; they’re yours if you pre-order Ultra Street Fighter IV. Be sure to check both the Street Fighter website as well as Capcom-Unity for more information in the upcoming weeks.

So don’t just get hype, GET ULTRA!

Capcom’s London office recently held a press event to give UK journalists a solid look at the upcoming Ultra Street Fighter IV. The event was graced by some darling cosplayers–including a spot-on Decapre–as well as some of the guys behind the upcoming Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist series.

Unity’s UK liaison Neil had the scoop, and you can check out his video below. 

We are excited to confirm that Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition will be included in the June edition of Microsoft’s Games with Gold program.  That means if you have an Xbox Live Gold membership, you will be able to download Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition for free to your Xbox 360 between June 16 ^th – June 30 ^th .  So if you are anyone you know is still waiting to try Street Fighter IV, help spread the word, because this is their chance to get the game for free!

Ready for some more Dustforce? Today we’ll be cleaning up some of the custom levels that came with the  Alpha Pack – the first of our free DLC map packs!

So tune in to  twitch.tv/capcomunity at  4pm PT to watch me try out these brutal levels to the sound of delightful music! =)

And just a little secret between us, I have some giveaway codes for the full game (PSV, PS3 and X360)… now tell EVERYONE!

If you’ve been holding on to your Unity points in hopes of something really cute popping in the raffle section, I’ve got good news for you!

For just 300 points per raffle ticket , you can take home this ridiculously fluffy Chibiterasu plush/key charm from Okamiden! Its divine powers are said to restore the smile of its owner’s face… or something like that…

EDIT: Just wanted to let you guys know the little chain part is easily removable… so for those that just want this for the plush aspect, feel free to go for it!

Good luck!

UPDATE: Recording now on YouTube . 

This week we’re back at  Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate , which is good because it’s been a while since I went for a good swim… or faced that event Ivory Lagi!

If you’re up for the challenge, we’ll meet you  3pm PT  on  twitch.tv/capcomunity and/or Help D Lobby 10 !

As you may have heard, the GameSpy online service will shut down on May 31. This closure affects online functionality for several titles spanning the entire games industry, Capcom included. Today we have updates on our titles, so if you currently own any of the games listed below please take note.

Lost Planet 3 (PC/PS3): Migration to a new service has already begun, so we’re not anticipating any online downtime. However, due to switching servers the leaderboards and current play stats will be reset. We’ll have more information about the reset soon, so please check back. (Note the X360 version is unaffected.)

Age of Booty (All versions): Unfortunately there are no plans to update or migrate this title to a new service. It’s been a great ride (2008/09-2014) and we thank everyone who sailed these seas. You can of course still play the game’s single-player mode.

Flock! (All Versions): Same as Age of Booty; there are no plans to migrate this title. You can still download and play the game, but be aware online features – such as the level editor sharing function – will no longer be active.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition: Already migrated and there are no issues.

Marvel vs Capcom Origins: Already migrated and there are no issues.

We sincerely appreciate the dedication these games have seen over the years and hope you continue to enjoy them after the shutdown.

Remember this amazing piece of fan art? Turns out it’s even more amazing in person!

Turns out the artist, Mav , saw my post here on Unity and contacted me with some info on the creation process of these 3D pop-art pieces. Then he SENT US ONE OF THEM!!!

We immediatelly took the framed Central Highway scene to our lobby to take a picture with our life-size Mega Man statue, so you can see that it was really here, in our hands. And let me tell you, this is one of those things that looks a megazillion times better in person.

So as I said, Mav sent us a few insights on his new hobby, including inspiration, length, tools and a pro-tip; check it out:

Insipiration

Nostalgia plays a big role in the art I put out. More often than not, I’m inspired to create a piece that brings a part of my childhood into existence, and that memory to life. I’m also equally inspired by the content of the game I want to use. A game series like Mega Man has lots of fun vibrant colors that pop out really well, and are enjoyable to look at.

Development length

From start to finish, a completed piece can take about 7-10 hours. Once you’ve found an image you’d like to use, you have to edit the sprites and background with a computer so you can layer them properly. Or, you can always use a spriter’s resource online and simply print out all the sprites/backgrounds you’d like to use. After some printing, careful snipping, gluing, and papercuts (hey, it happens to the best of us) your piece will be ready to be framed!

Tools

I use Aleene’s Super Gel adhesive for the bigger pieces, and Elmer’s glue for the lighter, smaller pieces. I also lacquer my work afterward with Mod Podge Matte glue to ensure the colors won’t fade. I can’t recommend buying precision/crafting scissors at a craft store enough. I use EK Success Cutter Bee scissors, and they’re under $10. I also use EKtools crafting tweezers to handle the smaller items, but household tweezers could do this job as well. Just make sure then aren’t too pointy! I use various widths of balsawood and basswood for depth layering, but you can certainly use any cardboard as well. Lastly, I use Sharpie markers to touch up the edges of the piece’s I’ve cut out to make it more polished.
While all these tools are handy to have, you can certainly finish up a piece using just Elmer’s Glue and scissors!

Pro-tip: a good snack and music will make this journey that much more enjoyable 😉

So there you have it… now you know how it’s done, and can even set out to make your own!

And if you want to see more of Mav ‘s work, just head over to his Tumblr page ! He’s got a number of other 3D pieces, including this other amazing scene from MMX’s Intro Stage: