More characters join the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom fray! Previously, it was announced that the Capcom side was getting Street Fighter III's Alex and the Tatsunoko side was getting Gan-chan from anime Yatterman. The latest brawlers in this gaming characters versus anime character fight: Darkstalkers' Morrigan Aensland, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams' Soki, Hurricane Polymar and Golden Warrior Gold Lightan. As game site Arcade Renaissance points out, the game's button layout seems similar to the Sengoku Basara X one. Something to keep in mind as Japanese arcade location tests kick off this weekend! That, and the possibility of even more new characters.

Capcom VS Tatsunoko features Gold Lightan [ToyboxDX Thanks, Matt!]

As a wee lad, I thought the Journey arcade game was just shy of the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. Not only did the Midway game feature eye-melting digitized black and white graphics, it had a cassette player inside that played "Separate Ways" when you beat the game's five levels. Plus you were in space. Space! I was pretty easy to please back then.

One individual who didn't think quite so highly of the Journey arcade game was Steve Perry, former vocalist of Journey. He says he was against it from the get go, in a not exactly new interview with GQ magazine.

Happy Fourth of July you American readers you... and anyone else looking for an excuse to get drunk and blow stuff up. Make sure to drink your mojitos responsibly today and at some point sit down and watch this robot arm suck all of the fun out of Air Hockey. Man, I'd pay good money to see this thing score on itself... I'd pay even more for someone to give it a face just to see the expression when it happens.

As foretold, here are the first screens of zombie love, zombie bowling, zombie rock and roll, zombie sumo, zombie apple picking Ai sareru yori ai shitai: House of the Dead EX. The game looks more causal and more crazy. It's jammed pack with mini-games that are controlled by the gun and the foot pedal — mini games, and that's not in a pejorative sense! This series spin-off looks fun and totally fitting for arcade play. We approve, SEGA, we really do.

SEGA PRIVATE SHOW 2008 -SUMMER [IT Media]

Zombie romance, zombie bowling, zombie rock and roll -- all key components of the next The House of the Dead. At least, that's what we can glean from Sega's whacked out promo flyer for The House of the Dead EX, a more comedic, more casual spin-off for the light gun series that brings with a foot pedal a la Time Crisis and a whole mess of crazy. Looks like some of the games in The House of the Dead EX will require just the gun, with others, like bat-thing riding requiring the use of the pedal.

Honestly, we have no idea what's going on here yet, but we like Sega has tossed on an off-kilter anime style to the whole thing. We actually liked the cel-shaded The House of the Dead III and were crushed when Sega nixed it for a more photorealistic look.

Sega is showing off the new arcade light-gun shooter at the Sega Private Show in Japan and we're anxiously awaiting more details.

House of the Dead EX [AM-net]

We're excited about Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. The game seems like a fun arcade cross-over. Sure, there will be Western arcades that import the game, but will it get an official release outside Japan? Capcom USA is looking into it. No doubt the American licensing issues for the Tatsunoko Productions characters is sticky. Capcom USA's Christian Svensson points out:

We haven't discussed any home console plans for the title yet, so platform discussions are a bit premature. All that's been anounced is arcade... There are a lot of licensing issues around the title given that those properties are held by different companies across the West and they vary by territory greatly. It was created as a Japan-only project but we're investigating.

That's sure nice of Capcom.

Quick Question on Capcom vs. Tatsunoko [Capcom via Siliconera]

The recent location test announcement for Capcom arcade game Tatsunoko vs. Capcom hinted at new fighters. Well, impatient people, today we bring you new Tatsunoko vs. Capcom fighters! Pictured is Street Fighter III main character Alex, complete with droopy overalls and everything. Joining wrestler Alex is genius mechanic Gan-chan from Tatsunoko Production anime Yatterman. Check out the screens below.

『タツノコVS. CAPCOM』に「ヤッターマン」が参戦だ、ヤッター！ [Dengeki]

As we previously posted, the Japanese arcade version of Street Fighter IV will feature Taito's NESYS Card System to save and track data — plus a mobile phone site, too. During arcade play, players can win and save "Battle Points" on their NESYS Card. The Battle Points are weighted, so, for example, if you defeat a player with a high ranking, you'll get more Battle Points. Besides BP, players can also earn "zeny" when winning and then take that saved zeny to the SFIV cell phone "Zeny Shop" where players can purchase outfits and different coloured costumes like Chun-Li's new threads (pictured). What's more, players are able to receive a stamp at the mobile phone contents shop (one stamp a day), and those stamps can be traded for ringtones, ring voices and mobile phone pics at the "Stamp Shop".

春麗に待望の新コスチュームが！？ [Famitsu]

Starting July 18th, Street Fighter IV will be playable in Japanese arcades. To save your arcade achievements, the game will use Taito's NESYS Card System. (Makes sense as the game runs on the Taito Type X2 arcade system board!) The NESYS Card will come in four patterns, all of which are pictured. This saved player data contains the player name that appears on-screen in versus mode. The player data can also be accessed individual cell phone SFIV player webpages, which feature stats and ranking as well as news about SFIV events. Via the mobile phone site, it's possible to create and name SFIV guilds. Players can then collect "guild points" and compete with other SFIV guilds to improve their ranking to boot!

Street Figher IV Arcade Data Cards [Famitsu]

After its recent location test, details about SEGA's new arcade racer R-Tuned: Ultimate Street Racing have hit. Before the race starts, players select their car and its neon lights. There are unlimited super boosts -- be careful as using it causes the steering wheel to shake and possibly lose control. Players can win money that's used to buy new cars. Racing locales include New York, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Hong Kong. All this wrapped in the same cabinet AMPlus is using for SEGA Race TV. Kind wish the cabinet's bottom was neon lit!

Hummer Game Looks Cool, Too [Sega Nerds Forums via Sega Nerds]