Fighting

Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada has admitted that he misses the outspoken Dead Or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki, who left Team Ninja last year and is now working on Devil's Third, an action-adventure for publisher THQ. "In the past, Itagaki always mentioned various things about Tekken," Harada told 1UP, a reference to a feature the site ran in 2005 in which Itagaki listed his five most-loved and most-hated games, with his hate-list entirely comprised of Tekken games More >

Warner Bros has announced plans to launch a new Mortal Kombat film in 2013, potentially alongside a tenth game in the long-running fighting franchise. More >

UPDATE: It was a hoax. Hudson revealed its intention to capitalise on the rebirth of the fighting game with the announcement this weekend of Bloody Roar 5. In a brief message on Twitter, the developer said: "New Bloody Roar sequel is in production! We'll post more soon," with hashtags implying that the game is planned for release next year. More >

UPDATE: Sony confirms promotion is US-only but "the majority of the content" will be released in Europe. A selection of "rare classic games" will be made available on the US PlayStation Store this week, according to Industry Gamers. The move is part of Only On PlayStation Network, Sony's bid to draw attention to the range of exclusive games available from its PlayStation 3 download store. On October 4, PS2 classics including Capcom's high-camp brawler God Hand and hack-and-slash title Maximo: Ghosts To Glory, Konami's strategy game Ring Of Red, and Vanillaware titles Odin Sphere and GrimGrimoire will be released. More >

3DS and PSP fighting game BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2 will be released on November 4, publisher Arc System Works Europe has announced. The game is the third revision of Arc's stylish anime fighter, and the handheld releases will include two new story modes, all DLC from 2010 console release Continuum Shift, and a brand new Abyss mode. More >

Skullgirls, the 2D indie fighting game that was due for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network this year, has been delayed until early 2012. In a post on the game's official blog, lead designer Peter Bartholow explains that the addition of several new features means Skullgirls will not be released until the first three months of next year. More >

Here's a gallery of screenshots for Soul Calibur V, the Namco Bandai fighter that's due for Xbox 360 and PS3 early next year. More >

Capcom has confirmed that Street Fighter IV - which made its arcade debut back in 2008, and was released for iOS early last year - is headed to Android devices. More >

This latest look at Platinum Games' online brawler comes from the Tokyo Game Show. While we're still concerned that latency may mean it turns out to be a button-masher rather than the multiplayer Bayonetta of our dreams, it's shaping up nicely, and the wide range of styles on show from the game's broad cast suggest there's significant depth beneath that veneer of basic brutality.

Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono and Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada have amused us already this year: the two took to the stage at Gamescom last month to complete a series of challenges while wearing lederhosen. In this trailer for Namco's upcoming Tekken Prime 3D Edition for 3DS, Ono seems unimpressed by Harada's claim that Prime will, unlike Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, be playable at 60 frames per second even in 3D. Then...well, we won't spoil it.

Warner Bros Interactive has announced that Netherrealm Studios' Mortal Kombat reboot has sold three million copies since its release in April, which makes it the biggest-selling fighting game of the year. Creative director Ed Boon said: "All of us at Netherrealm Studios are very excited that players have embraced Mortal Kombat. The game was a labour of love for us and we could not be more pleased with its performance."

Speaking to Eurogamer, Treasure's Hiroto Matsuura revealed that the upcoming HD re-release of Saturn brawler Guardian Heroes began life as a sequel. "The project started as Guardian Heroes 2, but the publisher [Sega] said in order to create a sequel, they wanted us to revitalise the IP. So instead of starting on the sequel we made a remake." Should said remake - which will be released on Xbox Live Arcade on October 12 - prove successful, a sequel could yet see the light of day. "The original core game mechanic is a 2D, layer-based game, and that's what we like about it," Matsuura said. "We may create characters and backgrounds in 3D, but the core mechanics will be the same."

The smart money was always on another Dead Or Alive title when news broke last week that Tecmo Koei was to announce a new game at the Tokyo Game Show, and so it proved: Dead Or Alive 5 is in development for Xbox 360 and PS3. Attendees of the publisher's TGS event today were shown a teaser trailer of a pre-alpha build showing Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa battling Hayate. Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi hinted at a departure for the series, describing it as "fighting entertainment" instead of "just a fighting game."

One thing Street Fighter X Tekken was missing was a comeback mechanic, an equivalent of Street Fighter IV's Ultra combo and Marvel Vs Capcom 3's X-Factor, which gives inexperienced players a leg up while adding a further layer of complexity for the hardcore. This new trailer reveals Pandora mode, in which one fighter is sacrificed to give the other a power boost, though in a game in which success appears to be hugely dependent on tag combos it may be as much of a hindrance as a help. Also confirmed are four-player online battles, an online training mode, and new characters Zangief, Rolento, Heihachi and Lili. Meanwhile, Andriasang reports that as well as Infamous protagonist Cole McGrath, the PS3 and Vita releases of the game will also include Sony mascots Toro and Kuro.

This is the first footage of Arc System Works' Persona fighting game, Persona 4 The Ultimate In Mayonaka Arena, and it's shaping up nicely. Given Arc's recent past it's little surprise that Arena bears more than a passing resemblance to its anime-themed fighter BlazBlue, an accessible and welcoming game that deserved a wider audience. Here's hoping the more recognisable Persona cast gives Arena a leg up when it's released in arcades next spring, and consoles next summer.

Sega has just announced that the HD remaster of Treasure's classic Sega Saturn brawler will be released on Xbox Live Arcade on October 12. Supporting online play for up to 12 players, it will cost 800 Microsoft Points.

Atlus has put development duties into the capable hands of Arc System Works, an appropriate choice given its pedigree of anime-styled fighting games such as Guilty Gear and BlazBlue. Set two months after Persona 4, The Ultimate will feature characters from that game as well as Persona 3. It's due in Japanese arcades next spring, and on PS3 and Xbox 360 next summer.