It’s my pleasure to announce that the next installment of the canonical Resident Evil series, Resident Evil 6, returns on November 20, 2012. That gives you a whole month to enjoy the game (enjoy life really) before the end of the Mayan calendar when the real zombie apocalypse happens. We figure you might need some practice killing the infected to prepare yourself. Oops. Did I say zombies? Resident Evil 6 has zombies?

Watch the trailer and find out.

WHAAAAATTTTT??? Man, when I had hair in the 90’s, it looked exactly like Leon’s. I seriously think there’s No Hope Left for his doo. He needs a fade or something.

Anyway, comment below and tell me what you think. Oh. It might be a day before I get around to answering your questions. I’m at the Mezzanine San Francisco (444 Jesse St.) setting up for our Fright Club: The Resident Evil Experience where we’re showcasing Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (available 3.20.12) and other RE titles.

If you’re in the area and over 21+, I invite you to come by tonight and celebrate with us. Our musical line-up includes Murs, David Banner, Del tha Funkee Homosapien with Dan the Automator, The Alchemist and Oh No, DJ Qbert and Domino. Doors open at 8:00pm, but you need to come real early since admission is free!

Street Fighter X Tekken
First, we sat down with Capcom’s resident fighting expert Seth Killian to discuss the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken, which blends the fluid 2D elegance of Street Fighter with the rough-and-tumble brawling of Tekken. We were particularly curious to learn about Gems, which work as customizable loadouts for your fighters, and how inFAMOUS 2’s Cole McGrath will stack up in battle. Watch the video for more on this eagerly anticipated PS3 and PS Vita fighter.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
SID: With Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Capcom and Slant Six seek to unite the suspense of the genre-defining Resident Evil series with contemporary squad-based military shooting and a healthy dose of online co-op for up to four players. The narrative fills in the story gaps between the first three Resident Evil titles, so you’ll explore settings and sequences from an entirely different perspective while guiding USS Delta Team “Wolfpack” on its grim mission to destroy all evidence of Umbrella’s nefarious deeds — up to and including the assassination of Resident Evil 2 protagonists Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. As you carve through zombies, clueless security guards, and the odd Super Tyrant, you’ll collect VHS tapes and Zip drives (how quaint!) to fill in the backstory and accumulate XP towards unlocking new weapons and special abilities.

JEFF: It’s amazing how a change of setting can completely alter the otherwise familiar feel of a tactical third-person shooter. However, if you thought RE5 messed with the Resident Evil formula, Raccoon City throws it out completely – not a criticism, but know what you’re getting into here. You’ll be controlling the bad guys (Umbrella) and they’re much better funded than S.T.A.R.S. You won’t be scraping by with puny 9mm bullets, but rather blowing apart anything that moves with a wealth of weapons at your disposal. The most interesting thing to me was the unusual variety of character types. I demoed “Four Eyes,” a scientist with the ability to manipulate the infected. Using the Triangle button, I switched to the control dart, fired into a crowd of zombies, then used R3 to send my now highly suggestible friend off to fight my battles for me. When it finished off the room, I repaid my minion with a face full of shotgun scatter. Sometimes, life just isn’t fair.

A shame we weren’t able to demo the game with full four-player co-op – I think that’s where Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City will reach its full potential.

Asura’s Wrath
JEFF: Do you find the wrathful, rage-filled Kratos to be a bit too… mellow? Or perhaps you wonder why boss characters aren’t bigger. Like… bigger than the Earth. Asura’s Wrath was made with you in mind. The four chapters we experienced were filled with incredible hyperbole; punching missiles back at a giant starship, fighting a demigod equipped with a 30,000 mile long katana… on the moon. And then there’s Wyzen, the boss demigod who eventually dwarfs you by such a massive scale that you can only attack his thumb. Asura’s Wrath makes even over-the-top games like God of War and Bayonetta seem restrained by comparison.

SID: Asura’s Wrath is an intriguing blend of sweet and savory tastes, not unlike hot and sour soup or kombucha. It’s got bombastic beat ‘em up sequences, massive boss encounters, and quick time events reminiscent of God of War, but the action is coupled with a hyperkinetic visual style inspired by anime bruisers Dragonball Z and Fist of the North Star. The action evolves rapidly and seamlessly, and one battle may shift from an on-rails shooting sequence to a chase scene to a conversation to a crowd beatdown before it finally ends in an over-the-top boss battle. The pace is blistering, the scale is sprawling, and the villains long-winded. What’s not to like? Asura’s Wrath lands on PS3 this February 21st. Hey, that’s one day before PS Vita!

Dragon’s Dogma
SID: The very first point on my notepad reads “the character creator is scarily in-depth.” Dragon’s Dogma has the most extensive character creator I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot. In this open-world fantasy RPG, you can forge a hero of almost any size, shape, and color and then festoon him or her with all manner of scars, wrinkles, and physical attributes. I appreciated how the physical size of your hero defines their combat prowess. Creating a huge, musclebound character will automatically bestow him with the ability to wield oversized swords and hammers, while a smaller character will receive bonuses in agility and speed. As for me, I’ll be creating a seven foot-tall lady barbarian with a pendulous gut and embark on a fantastic quest. It’s been my lifelong dream!

JEFF: No, your lifelong dream was eating the world’s biggest hoagie. What’s interesting is that you don’t just create your own character, but that you put an equal amount of effort into your NPC companion, the “Main Pawn.” There’s a story behind all that which has yet to come to light, and some of it is hinted at in the new trailer seen here. Consider my interest piqued.

The concept of an open-world RPG with prominent dragons immediately had me thinking of Skyrim, but after seeing Dragon’s Dogma in action, I don’t think the comparison is apt. In our demo, we encountered a golem, which became an optional sidequest. The stone creature was quite large, and with his super-long life bar, I was reminded more of Monster Hunter than anything. Our character at this point was in command of three NPC pawns which filled various roles during the battle. For instance, we were able to request a healing spell with a tap on the d-pad. While the golem was engaged with our teammates, our player was able to traverse the environment, climbing up a rock formation to an arrow turret, which greatly weakened the creature. We were also able to clamber up onto the golem itself, Shadow of the Colossus-style, to wail on a weak point and finish it off. The whole encounter lasted over 10 minutes – now I know why the game made that quest optional.

More classic Resident Evil horror is heading to the PlayStation Network next week with Resident Evil: Code Veronica X HD! Claire Redfield, after narrowly escaping Raccoon City, is searching for her brother Chris. Captured while sneaking around an Umbrella facility and snooping for leads, Claire is hauled off to a maximum security prison installation on Rockfort Island. While making her escape, she realizes the island is being overrun by zombies and Bio-Organic Weapons. Claire meets another prisoner, Steve Burnside, who is also looking to escape … but will they be able to work together to make it out alive? The island is veiled in secrets and the family behind the Umbrella Corporation has a deadly agenda of their own. Relive the survival horror classic available via PlayStation Network on Tuesday, Sept. 27th.

As we mentioned last week, we’ve got even more RE deals for PlayStation fans to help celebrate Resident Evil’s 15th anniversary. For PlayStation Plus members, we’re offering the same 50-percent-off promotion for Resident Evil Code Veronica X HD that you enjoyed for Resident Evil 4 HD last week. That means you can score both games for under $20! To top it off, anyone who purchases Resident Evil Code Veronica X HD will receive five free PSN avatars. Happy zombie slaying!

Now’s your chance to relive one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. Resident Evil 4 HD will be released via PlayStation Network on Tuesday, September 20th. Five years after the Raccoon City outbreak, Leon S. Kennedy is back in action and on a new assignment. The President’s daughter has been kidnapped by a mysterious cult in Europe and it’s your mission to rescue her and make it out alive. The entire Resident Evil 4 experience (including all bonus content from previous versions) has been remastered in high definition and will be a treat for both new fans and RE veterans.

The Resident Evil franchise had its beginnings on PlayStation 15 years ago and to help celebrate we’re offering some sweet Resident Evil deals for PlayStation fans. At launch we’re going to be giving everyone five free RE4 avatars to anyone who purchases Resident Evil 4 HD. On top of that, all PlayStation Plus subscribers will get 50 percent off the price of Resident Evil 4 HD, bringing it down to just $9.99! To help get you caught up on the series leading up to RE4, we’re offering the PSone versions of Resident Evil 1 Director’s Cut, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis at 50 percent off for all PlayStation users and FREE to PlayStation Plus subscribers.

That’s a ton of Resident Evil content coming your way on the cheap, but it doesn’t stop there … check back next week for more details on Resident Evil Code Veronica X HD!

One of the deepest and most sophisticated fighting games of all time, Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition maintains an arcade-perfect experience while including additional features such as updated graphics, a deep online experience, and a new challenge system that encourages players to push themselves and reap rewards for accomplishments that go far beyond mere wins and losses.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition will be available to download later today on PlayStation Network for $14.99. Check out a sampling of reviews Third Strike has been getting:

“The best Street Fighter game to be released on the downloadable market yet. It’s the same game many of you have been playing for the last 12 years, only improved in every area”
IGN – 9/10

“It’s my opinion that this is the single most compelling and well-balanced roster in a Street Fighter title to date”
Destructoid – 9/10

“A fantastic fighting game given new life in an example of a re-release crafted to perfection… it will kick your arse and make your knuckles bleed”
ReadyUp – 9/10

“It’s your duty as a fighting game fan to pay homage to the game that gave us one of the greatest moments in fighting history and showed the masses what makes the genre so special”
1UP – A

“3rd Strike [is] one of the most technical and tactical fighting games ever… you owe it to yourself to play this classic”
NowGamer – 9.2/10

“Few would argue that it’s anything but the pinnacle of 2D competitive Street Fighter design”
EuroGamer – 9/10

Get hyped guys, because it’s time you realize that it’s the Third Strike that counts!

Last year, Capcom and Ninja Theory revealed their re-imagining of Devil May Cry (now known as “DmC”) at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show. The response to Dante’s makeover and new look to the universe was split between adoration and outright confusion, with fans questioning the new look and fighting style of protagonist Dante.

Heading into gamescom, I received word that Creative Director Tameem Antoniades wanted to discuss DmC’s progress and indulge me in Dante’s new found love for aerial combat. After being reunited with Tameem and Dante, I’m left crying for more.

Hey everyone! This is Derek Neal, and I’m the producer on Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition. I’m here to tell you all the things that make this game awesome. You might want to take a seat and get comfortable, because that’s quite a list!

Available August 23rd, Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition takes one of the most revered fighting games in CAPCOM’s history and brings it Online. Quite frankly, the feature set we’ve included in this downloadable is jaw dropping. In addition to upscaled graphics, we have hundreds of trials, dynamic challenges, and a huge Vault full of all kinds of unlockables. We have multiple training modes, integrated Tournament support, and 8 player lobbies (with spectator mode!). We have GGPO for near-lagless online play, a robust replay system, and the ability to upload matches straight to YouTube – from within the game! All of this, and much, much more.

We are also very excited to be the lead title in the brand new PSN PLAY program. Now with PSN PLAY, you’re able to pre-order this game now. This is actually the first time a pre-order program has been offered for a downloadable PSN title, and we couldn’t be happier than to help lead that charge. The pre-order period for the game runs through August 18th, and people who pre-order during this period will receive a special gift: a custom Third Strike theme for their PS3! Here’s a sneak peek of what it will look like:

If that wasn’t enough, we are also announcing that we’ll be giving a free gift to everyone who purchases the game between now and through September 19th: a free key that unlocks the hidden boss character, Gill. This boss character is a ton of fun to play, and can be used in all of our casual game modes, such as Arcade and Player Match. (He is not available in Ranked matches or in Tournaments.)

Finally, PlayStation Plus members will be excited to hear that they’re getting a special deal: an additional 20% off on this already great value! So what are you waiting for?! Pre-order now. Buy this game…it’s time you realized that it’s the THIRD STRIKE THAT COUNTS!

With EVO’s popularity soaring in recent years, it’s become common to see legendary figures in fighting game design prowling the demo stations, studying player reactions and answering questions. At EVO I caught up with Katsuhiro Harada, the outgoing game director for Tekken since its inception on the PSone. I particularly wanted to discuss this November’s PS3-exclusive Tekken Hybrid, the upcoming Blu-ray compilation that will include CG film Tekken: Blood Vengeance 3D, an enhanced version of the seminal PS2 fighter Tekken Tag Tournament, and an appetizer in the form of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue.

PlayStation.Blog: How are you managing the creation of producing so many Tekken projects? It seems stressful: You’re working on Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Tekken X Street Fighter, and now Tekken Hybrid which includes a new Tekken CG film and Tekken Tag Tournament HD.
Katsuhiro Harada, Tekken Director: It is tough to manage all of these projects. But rather than having some sort of special method, the secret has more to do with the core team working on Tekken for so long that everyone knows what needs to be done. We’re right on top of things.

PSB: I think a lot of Tekken fans are going to be excited to hear about Tekken Tag Tournament HD, which comes with Tekken Hybrid this November. What has been enhanced?
Harada: We wanted to keep the feeling of the game itself from the PS2, so we haven’t changed a lot there. The graphics aren’t just upscaled or anything, we actually re-created a lot of the in-game textures. A lot of work went into refining the graphics. Another reason we’re doing it now is because a lot of people in Europe played the PAL version, which was a slower version of the game. Now they’ll be able to get the full experience here. There are also younger players out there who never played it, and I think it will appeal to them.

PSB: Tekken Hybrid will also include Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue. How many characters will we be getting, and which ones?
Harada: Ahhh! [laughs knowingly] Well, for Prologue, we’re mainly focusing on the characters lineup that appears in the movie, Tekken Blood Vengeance 3D. We want them to have the spotlight. But we can’t say all of the characters that we have planned yet….but as you’ve seen with Devil and Ling Xiaoyu, we matched their costumes in Prologue to the movie. We also include a 3D model viewer in Tekken Hybrid. It’s a good package.

PSB: Do you plan on supporting stereoscopic 3D in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue?
Harada: Yes, we do. We haven’t really announced a lot about it yet, because we’re still working on it. We weren’t quite sure if it would end up in the final version. But…we’re about 85% sure that 3D will make it into the final version.

PSB: What made you want to add stereoscopic 3D support for Tekken?
Harada: There are several factors. The movie, Blood Vengeance, is also in 3D on Blu-ray. Not only that, but our programmers and core staff were quite interested in 3D as a new challenge to tackle. So it all came together. Since Tekken is a three-dimensional fighter [in terms of fighting and movement style], I think a lot of people will like seeing what 3D adds to our gameplay model.

PSB: I remember Tekken 6 being a bit controversial when it first came out — with walls hits and juggles and bounds, some people were annoyed by how long combos could go on. How will you balance this juggle-heavy gameplay with the addition of a tag partner?
Harada: There are some people who say the combos are too long and that it gets out of hand. The flip-side is, if you’re the person doing the combos, it’s really entertaining and fun. But you have to look at it in a new light with Tekken Tag 2. A lot of tag combos aren’t as long as those in Tekken 6 but they’re of strategic value: they reduce your opponent’s red recovery gauge. So you may wish to play that way. Also, after the bound, you can do a “Tag Assault” where you and your partner pummel the opponent. It looks really over the top, and it does a lot of damage, but the flipside is that you lose your red recovery gauge. So there’s a strategic element to the tag juggles — the goal isn’t to just perform the longest combo possible. You really have to choose the best time and place for each combo that you use.

PSB: I understand that you’re veeery early in development for Tekken X Street Fighter (the Namco-produced, Tekken-centric answer to Capcom’s Street Fighter X Tekken). What’s your overall vision? Have you thought about how you might implement fireballs in a Tekken setting?
Harada: [laughs knowingly] Obviously, the Street Fighter characters will have to have their fireballs. Ryu without a fireball just wouldn’t be…right. Obviously we’ll need it. When you look at executing a fireball in a 2D setting, it works almost like a jab. It keeps your opponent where you want them. When we bring fireballs into Tekken X Street Fighter, there are two different ways we could go. It could be used as something similar to keep your opponent in the place you want, or it could be some kind of a special move or powered-up version of their techniques. We’ve not decided on what route we want to take with this yet.

Another element to think about implementing fireballs in Tekken is, how do you avoid them? When you play a 2D game like Street Fighter, you obviously can’t go back and forth in the screen — you usually jump over it. But in three-dimensional fighting games like Tekken you can sidestep. So do we want players to jump over fireballs? Or is it okay to sidestep them? That’s something we’re not decided on, we haven’t had enough time to look into it. We have a lot of staff, myself included, who grew up liking Street Fighter. I’m really confident that we can come to a good balance between the two worlds.

PSB: I work for PlayStation, and I’m a huge Tekken fan, so I have to ask: Are you interested in developing for PS Vita at some point?
Harada: Oh! [laughter] I have to be really careful in how I phrase this so it doesn’t get taken out of context. But since you’re a Tekken fan…you probably know the answer to that, right? [laughs]

In the beginning of Dragon’s Dogma, you are immediately confronted by a dragon that rips out your still-beating heart and flies away. Your quest is to track down the dragon and discover why he stole your heart and why you can still hear his voice echoing in your head.

At PlayStation’s E3 livestream, Product Manager Mike Schmitt gave a live demo of our E3 build of Dragon’s Dogma. The dragon rears its head, breathes a spout of fire and flies off, paving the way for an intense battle with Orcs and Harpies. It also introduces the Chimera, a monstrosity that combines the attributes of a serpent, goat, and lion. The E3 demo introduces the gameplay concept of “pawns,” or computer-controlled companions that aid you in the fight.

Dragon’s Dogma is not an RPG. The development team has previously masterminded the Devil May Cry games, Resident Evil 4, Killer 7, and many more. This team likes action, and that fact shines in Dragon’s Dogma — a game with fast, stylized combat in an open world filled with massive beasts. This is Capcom’s first open-world game and is powered by the powerful in-house engine MTFramework, responsible for other PS3 games including Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2. That allows us to have an open world without sacrificing the graphical quality you expect from Capcom games.

Aside from the fast action, we’re also introducing new mechanic that adds an extra dose of mayhem. At any time in the game, you can grab enemies, large or small, and interact with them. If it’s an Orc, you can grab him and slay him. Once he’s dead, you can pick him up and use him as bait to lure a soaring Griffin to the ground. When the Griffin lands, you’re able to tackle the beast and start stabbing. When it takes off, hold on for dear life. Eventually, you’ll set fire to the Griffin’s wings, sending you and the beast crashing to the ground.

Check out gameplay videos of the Chimera and the Griffin on Capcom-Unity.com, and look forward to more information soon! Dragon’s Dogma releases for the PS3 in early 2012.

Capcom’s own Wes Phillips swung by to do a live demo at PlayStation’s E3 livestream. Wes also discusses special guest Cole from inFAMOUS, our exclusive bonuses for the PS3 and PS Vita versions of Street Fighter X Tekken! During E3, top fighting pros and newcomers alike stormed our E3 booth for hours of furious fights, leading to tons of feedback. It’s a blast to jump right into Street Fighter X Tekken and start exploring, but the mechanics we’ve shown are far from complete. With each new build you can expect to see something different, from mechanics to characters.

Additionally, we made another announcement at E3 for you European fighters. We’re going to be running several fight clubs throughout Europe this summer, giving you a chance to get your hands on the newest builds of the game, meet the legendary team building it, and even stars from the fighting community.

We’ll be pumping out news on Capcom-Unity.com, so be on the lookout in the next few weeks!