Newsbriefs: Prima/Capcom, ActRaiser Euro VC, Art of Fighting Anthology

Author: by Staff

[UPDATED: 4:30pm PST] Today's regularly updated newsbriefs include news of an exclusive publishing agreement between Prima Games and Capcom, "new" releases over the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe (including SNES classic ActRaiser), and confirmation that Art of Fighting Anthology is coming to North American PS2 owners in May. - Random House division Prima Games has announced that the company has signed an exclusive publishing agreement with Capcom. Under the terms of the new deal, Prima Games will work with other Random House imprints to create a full publishing program based on Capcom’s new and existing franchises. In addition, while strategy guides remain a key component of the deal, officials note that the deal could result in other publications based around Capcom franchises, such as graphic novels, video game novelizations, and calendars. In a statement announcing the new publishing agreement, Prima confirmed that it will be publishing the strategy guide, original graphic novel and video game novelization for Capcom-owned Shade, with noted comic book writer Marv Wolfman (New Teen Titans and Blade) set to pen both the original graphic novel and video game novelization. “Capcom has a great reputation for creating some of the most storied franchises in video game history,” said Debra Kempker, president of Prima Games. “We look forward to brining these franchises to video game fans through guides, comics, and other published works.” - Nintendo has released three “new” games for download over the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe. Purchasable from the Wii's online Wii Shop Channel, the region's Wii owners are able to purchase Super Nintendo action RPG classic ActRaiser for 800 Wii Points (€8). In addition, the service is also adding the NES version of 80s arcade classic Pac-Man for 500 Wii Points (€5) and TurboGrafx mascot-driven action sequel Bonk’s Revenge for 600 Wii Points (€6). These new additions join the region's 73 previously released titles over the Virtual Console, which include such classics as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Sonic Spinball. - SNK Playmore USA has announced plans to release Art of Fighting Anthology for the PlayStation 2 in North America in May. The collection will feature all three Art of Fighting games, a series that has spawned a number of fighters that have appeared in other SNK fighting games series, such as The King of Fighters. The Art of Fighting series originally served as a prequel to the Fatal Fury franchise, and includes 33 different fighters, each with their own unique move sets. Chief innovations introduced by the classic fighting series include a spirit gauge that gave each player the ability to perform special attacks, as well as a graphical-scaling camera system. The release of Art of Fighting Anthology follows SNK's recently shipped Metal Slug Anthology, which saw release on the PlayStation 2, as well as the PSP and Wii. In addition, SNK officials have confirmed to Gamasutra that the company will release Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Volume 1 for the PlayStation 2 this summer as well. - SouthPeak Games has announced the availability of a demo for Artificial Studios' Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia over Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo includes both and offline gameplay content to give players a sampling of the full game, which ships May 15 for the Xbox 360 and PC. The demo include a single player version of the game's first level, Zack's House, as well as the Gym level for both same system and Xbox Live deathmatch. A capture the flag level, Cemetery, is also included as well. The demo is exclusive to Gold Members of the Xbox Live Marketplace for the first week, with Silver Members gaining access to the demo Thursday April 19. - The latest updates on Gamasutra sister alt.gaming weblog GameSetWatch include a look at the expansion of game studies and societies at Harvard, a recent visit to see Mega Man tribute band The Protomen, and a discussion concerning children today, and what sorts of shooters are appropriate for them to play. - Also updated today: the latest Gamasutra job postings, including openings from Destineer, Double Fine Productions, Heavy Iron Studios, Monolith Productions, MumboJumbo, Radical Entertainment, Rainbow Studios, Rocksteady Studios, Sierra Online, Stormfront Studios, and THQ.