On Friday, Capcom invited GamingAngels to check out three of their upcoming titles, Dark Void, MotoGP 09/10 and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. What better way to end the week than to preview and play games? Many thanks to Capcom and here is my preview:

MotoGP 09/10

The first game I played was MotoGP 09/10 which is coming out in March 2010 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Moto GP09/10 is actually more like two games in one. The title will include the 09 season with a free upgrade for the 2010 season. I’m not very familiar with motorcycle racing, but the title will use the real people and tracks that are involved in the races. Adding to the realism, weather conditions will vary and affect the physics of the game.

In career mode, players will earn money that they will use to hire pit staff, but not only the typical stuff like bikes or bike parts, but players will also have to make choices about PR staff and other things that are all about promoting image.

A cool feature in MotoGP 09/10 is the use of dotted lines that trace the best path to take. The patch changes from red to green to let the player know when they should slow down or accelerate. Players will be able to download the dotted lines from players that are in the leaderboards to learn what they did to win.

For my hands-on I raced on two tracks. I was surprised that I was able to handle the bike well. I watched two other journalists previously wipe out consistently but I was able to keep the bike on the track. My strategy was to make sure I followed the dotted lines. The controls felt good, but I definitely never really got enough speed to be competitive. On the second track I held in there in 19th place (out of 20) but I also knocked computer player number 20 on the ground when I passed him.

Players that love motorcycle racing games are going to enjoy the features in MotoGP 09/10 and will be competitive. I definitely feel that this title could appeal to people that aren’t familiar with motorcycle racing games, but they will need to be patient as they take the time to learn controls and get familiar with the gameplay. I’m not sure if there are any females in professional motorcycle sports racing, but Brian from Capcom was unsure if any would be included in MotoGP 09/10.

Dark Void

We’ve seen Dark Void a few times at this point and I am incredibly happy to report that it just keeps getting better each time. Dark Void is being developed by Airtight Games for Capcom and is set for a January 19 release. Morgan Gray is the lead producer on the project and lead the demo.

In Dark Void, players go through the game as Will who crashes in the Bermuda Triangle. He then joins the Survivors in this world to beat the aliens. Nikola Tesla assists through the game to help with weapons to beat the aliens. Will is also equipped with a jet pack which means plenty of flight combat.

It’s obvious to use the jet pack for air combat, but players will also find using the jet pack useful for ground combat as well. Hovering above your enemy can result in a quick takeout rather than shooting from cover. Morgan did suggest that there might be achievements or trophies in the game that will encourage the player to use the jet pack or certain weapons throughout the game.

Dark Void composer Bear McCreary was at the demo to talk about his experience on the project. Mr. McCreary previously worked on Battlestar Galactica which Capcom felt was the exact feeling in the music that they were looking for. This is the first game that Mr. McCreary has worked on and because of this he threw tons of ideas at Airtight Games. Some were more possible than others. The music deliberately never repeats.

At the end of the demo, I was able to try out the flying controls for myself. In my previous two hands-on appointments flying left me dizzy and was almost impossible to control. I’m happy to say that the team definitely improved the flight controls. It still is true to flight sims so if you aren’t used to those you will definitely have to pay attention to the tutorial. But Airtight Games has done a great job fixing the controls.

TATSUNOKO VS. CAPCOM: ULTIMATE ALL-STARS

Seth Killian took me through a demo of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars for the Nintendo Wii. I was not about to show my lack of skills in front of Seth, so we mostly spoke about the title. Tatsunoki vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is created out of fan demand to see these characters in one game. Humor is definitely a major part of the title as many of the special moves are a mix of comical and serious.

The lineup from the Capcom side is made up half of fighting characters and half from other Capcom titles. While they had an awesome prototype fighting stick that players could play with, Seth let us know that players could use the Wii-mote and nunchuk and be just as affective.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars will also have online features on the Wii. There are ranked matches or you can play friends with an abbreviated friend code. Let’s hope it’s easy to remember and that way this may be the first Wii title that you can actually play online with friends.

Overall a great day, getting some early looks at upcoming Capcom titles.