Marketing 101: "Tatsunoko VS. Capcom" Commercial

I absolutely love the new American "Tatsunoko VS. Capcom" commercial. It is marketing like this that I feel does service, to not necessarily always showing gameplay footage. Whereas some past Capcom commercials felt uninspired (like the Resident Evil 5 campaign) for not showing gameplay footage, this on the other hand substitutes a "Robot Chicken" - esque live action segment. Which so perfect because they know exactly what kind of TV the major demographic for a game such as this would appeal. While doing a good job of capturing the kind of high energy, wackness the Capcom "Versus" series are known for. I had some time to play the Japanese arcade release while at Arcade UFO in Austin and that is exactly what consumers should expect if the pick up this Wii exclusive.

The fighting engine is reminiscent to past installments and the graphics look quite good on the Wii. It is rare for the Wii to be launch such a fantastic fighting franchise exclusively. Along with the usual banner ads, magazine prints, and commercial; Capcom has partnered with Madcatz to make an exclusive fight stick for the Wii as well. Essentially it is a re-skinned version of the stick developed for Street Fighter 4 and should feed the need for most of the "hardcore" wanting an arcade feel. Although, many would note the lack of the stick containing any authentic "Sanwa" parts. The picture was courtesy of 1up.com. I hope that the efforts being made by Capcom are enough to succeed, as the sales of this game may influence the future of a new Capcom Versus property. In a recent interview with Kotaku (here), Tatsunoko vs. Capcom producer Ryota Niitsuma was quoted as saying:

"If sales are really good (for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars) then you can see an announcement within this year,"

Hopefully, this will lead to a new Versus titled being developed in their 2.5D engine which was used for Street Fighter 4. Please bring me a Darkstalkers Versus title or even Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. And if you are at all unfamiliar with the Versus franchise, please consider getting your hands on some of the following games below.

Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000

Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001

Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter

Marvel vs. Capcom

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

X-Men vs. Street Fighter

You can also pickup a copy of  Tatsunoko VS. Capcom on 01/26/10