Round-Up: Tekken PSP, PS3 In 2006, MechAssault DS, Capcom's Future

Author: by Nich Maragos, Frank Cifaldi

Today's wrap-up includes news on the Tekken franchise for the PSP, official confirmation that the PlayStation 3 will see release this year, a new MechAssault game for the DS, and highlights from Capcom's annual press event, as well as the latest GameSetWatch posts, product news, and Gamasutra job postings. - Namco has officially announced Tekken: Dark Resurrection for the PlayStation Portable. The PSP game will feature new characters Lili and Dragunov, as well as rotate back in some fighters who have been absent for a few games. "We are very excited that the action-packed fighting world of Tekken is coming for the first time to the PSP system," said Namco Bandai Games America business unit director Yoshi Niki. "Having the furious fighting action online through the multiplayer wireless connectivity will enhance the Tekken experience and make it the must have PSP system title in Summer 2006." - Sony officials have stated that the PlayStation 3 is still on track to be launched in 2006, despite widespread rumors reported elsewhere that the system would slip back to a 2007 date. The system made another non-playable appearance at the Taipei Game Show, where Sony Computer Entertainment Asia managing director Tetsuhiko Yasuda confirmed that while the system has no set release date or price yet, it will be released later in 2006. One thing that seems nearly certain, however, is that the system will not meet its original plan for a spring 2006 release, given that no playable games have yet surfaced. - Majesco Entertainment has announced MechAssault: Phantom War, an action game based around giant robots, for the Nintendo DS. The game will be developed by Backbone Entertainment, developers of Death Jr. for PSP, and released later in 2006. "MechAssault: Phantom War fuses the best game play elements from the series with new features that take advantage of the unique mechanics of the Nintendo DS," said Majesco VP of marketing Ken Gold. "The touch screen lets players intuitively 'touch' the cockpit controls to hack into giant 'Mechs, eject pilots, switch weapons and check battle techniques." - Capcom yesterday held their annual press event in Las Vegas. Highlights include Clover Studios president Atsushi Inaba discussing the gameplay mechanics of Okami in vague detail; Hironobu Takeshita showing off Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins and the freshly announced Power Stone Collection for the PSP (a compilation of both Power Stone and Power Stone 2, fighting games originally available for the Dreamcast); the localization of Japan's best-selling Monster Hunter Portable, renamed Monster Hunter Freedom, also for the PSP; Street Fighter Alpha Anthology for the PlayStation 2; details on Capcom's next-gen output, including Dead Rising and Lost Planet; and perhaps most surprising of all, the announcement that the lawyer sim/adventure game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney franchise will be seeing a mobile phone incarnation, complete with new case downloads on, they claim, a monthly basis. - The latest posts on Gamasutra sister weblog GameSetWatch include a look at Xbox 360 'official' blogs, Monk's interactive obsessive-compulsive adventure, and the undisputed king of Xbox Live Achievements. - Also updated today: product news on Gnomon Workshop's newest video, and the latest Gamasutra job postings, including openings from Sucker Punch Productions, Rockstar San Diego, LucasArts, and Webzen America, Inc.