By now you're probably tired of reading about slick Hollywood-based video game launch parties attended by C-list celebrities and wannabes who probably game about as much as your grandma. Capcom finally got it right by opening up the Street Fighter IV party to the public. The only problem was that so many people showed up for the event that the fire marshal ended up restricting access, and a lot of people went home without getting their game on.

For those of you who didn't make it to the Geffen Museum Street Fighter Takeover in downtown Los Angeles, we offer up the gallery below from the event. There were tons of console stations where you could play the game, imported versions of the SFIV Japanese arcade game, a Street Fighter Club rumble pit, a "museum" full of Street Fighter products from over the years, Street Fighter arcade cabinets painted by different artists, plenty of people in costumes, and of course, game producer Ono-san.

Namco just dropped 16 piping hot screenshots from their upcoming brawler, Tekken 6, into our quivering hands. They're worth checking out in the gallery below -- while they're all pretty gorgeous, one image in particular stuck out in our minds. We are completely ensorceled by the picture you see above. Not only because we can't wait for PETA's imminent protestations to the strong imagery shown in the screenshot, but also because it's given rise to one of our new favorite idioms. Observe:

"Man, I've had one of those days that just make me want to kick a panda in the throat."

Man. Wow. We totally thought this one was going to be a clunker. Seriously, we gave the classic series appropriate fanfare whenever we received any news regarding it, but we were just doing it out of respect. We never thought that the Japanese game consuming populous would snatch up 86,000 copies of Street Fighter IV on its launch day alone. We were thinking it'd be more like a few hundy, maybe a thou by the weekend.

Capcom seems to be just as surprised as we are -- a community manager for the company recently reported that they were "overwhelmed by demand", and that the game had completely sold out in Japan. The only copies within the country's confines rest in a few boxes in Capcom's basement -- they'll apparently be sent out to retailers on Monday, and then snatched up with avarice usually associated with Turboman dolls.

Sony released this new God of War III trailer today, to go alongside our brand new preview. It's an extended version of the one shown during the VGAs in December and features some of Kratos' new abilities and the game's god-sized scale -- the ending camera shot turns Kratos into a flea! The video was rendered in-game, so cross your blades that it keeps on looking this good -- and angry -- as development continues. Okay, we'll stop writing now, so you can get to watching the darned thing already!

Looking for a fight? Well, you won't find one here. You will find a pop'n fresh trailer for Tekken 6, though. Ah, and new high-res screens of the incoming PS3 and Xbox 360 fighter. It ... looks like Tekken all right, although we're still a little underwhelmed by the visuals, especially after months of playing Namco's own Soul Calibur IV. You?

Namco Bandai, er ... we mean Surge rented out the Geisha House in Hollywood last night in order to throw a party for the launch of Afro Samurai, and Joystiq tagged along to check things out. The best thing about the night? Plenty of stations to play the game on both PS3s and Xbox 360s. Sadly, the sound was so loud in the place that you couldn't hear the hacking and slashing from the samurai with the gigantic hairdo.

Also puzzling was the fact that Samuel L. Jackson was listed as a co-host of this party and was a no show. That was a real surprise, since he provides both the voices of Afro Samurai and his sidekick Ninja Ninja and is a co-producer of the series. Either he didn't show at all, or he really does have ninja-esque skills and we just missed him. Update: he actually did show up, we just missed him. Plus he was dressed for freezing weather.

Check out the gallery below, and highlights after the break including a video performance by an afro-bedecked The RZA, who provides music both on the show and in the game.

In "shell-ebration" (it says here in the press release) of the 25th anniversary of the world's most fearsome fighting team, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ubisoft has announced a new four-player fighting game that is "not tied to a TMNT movie, television show or comic book." Instead, as indicated by the incredibly subtle subtitle, TMNT: Smash Up will share ties with Nintendo's absurdly popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In fact, if the staff of Game Arts -- developer of both games -- dress formally at work, the ties shared will be quite literal.

Sensing that a few screenshots depicting the titular turtles (including the one who does machines and the one who is a party dude) may not satiate everybody, Ubisoft encourages interested parties to check out the January issue of Nintendo Power for more information. Meanwhile, look for TMNT: Smash Up to arrive during Fall 2009 and cause fighting purists to complain about "turtling" in a whole new way.

Capcom, we need to talk -- or rather, you need to talk less. You see, we were watching the new Street Fighter IV trailer and, beautiful though it may be, we had to mute it halfway through. The video, which highlights each of the game's characters, has some pretty cornball material -- we're talking laughing at, not laughing with.

... Then again, once we get our hands on the game, we'll probably be too enthralled to notice. SFIV is set to punch you in the face on February 17.

We salute you, PSP. Much like a brave (or fatally clumsy) soldier collapsing on a grenade before shrapnel pierces the entire squad's fleshy bits, Sony's portable platform has kept the latest licensed game all to itself. Based on the upcoming Dragonball: Evolution, which critics are optimistically calling "a film," this online-capable fighter comes to us courtesy of Namco Bandai.

Featuring all the characters that fans will insist were ruined by the movie, Dragonball: Evolution promises explosive punches, unreasonably high kicks and Chow Yun Fat in surprisingly casual garb. Look for the manga-to-movie-to-game transition in stores this April.

There was one gaming title at CES that wasn't produced by Sony, Capcom, Microsoft or Activision, that was Paleo Entertainment's Merchants of Brooklyn. Here's an excerpt from their presser: "You take the role of an elite neanderthal fighter with a taste for blood. Having had your arm unwillingly detached from your body courtesy of a chainsaw, your new prototype biomechanical arm transforms into different twisted and brutal weaponry to aid you in the slaughter." So, does this sound like Bionic Commando meets The Flintstones?

There's not much to see right now, but the level we played was pretty fragtastic and it's rendered in a cell-shaded art style that we don't see enough of. It's running on Crytek's CryEngine 2, and should be out for the PC/Xbox 360/PS3 set later this year. There wasn't enough of the game in the demo to get a feeling for what it'll become, but being able to pick up your enemies body parts and charge them up to toss grenade-style was fun. If a caveman merged with tech is your dream come true, you won't have to wait much longer. In fact, you can check out the trailer after the break!

With a little more than a month left before Street Fighter IV hurricane kicks its way to retail, the peripheral mystics at Mad Catz have announced a bevy of SFIV-themed accessories. Now, even if you don't know your sonic boom from your yoga flame you'll at least look like you do.

Set for release alongside the anticipated fighter's February debut, the lineup includes an official Street Fighter IV controller and arcade stick for the Xbox 360 and PS3, each adorned with the game's unique art style. Additionally, those pining for a more authentic arcade experience can pick up the stick's 'Tournament Edition,' which will feature "arcade quality" components and a design overseen by SFIV producer Yoshinori Ono. Not enough? A wall scroll, console stickies and faceplates are also on the way, though we expect true fans to dye their skin green or comb their blond hair to preposterous heights before they stand a chance to defeat Sheng Long.

"Zangief battled many enemies in his life before Street Fighter II. All have fallen beneath lumbering boots of Zangief at one time or another. But sometimes, there is battle that even Zangief cannot win. One that doesn't take place in frozen tundras against polar bears. Zangief speak of greater struggle. A struggle that lives not in physical world, but in human heart. This is Zangief Chronicles."

We don't know why Zangief Chronicles exists, but we're glad it does. Sent to Capcom as a New Year's gift, this video series reveals some juicy details on the life (and loves!) of everyone's favorite shirtless Russian Street Fighter. You can catch all the episodes here.

[Via Capcom-Unity]

We're as tired as you are of getting missives from the front lines of the console wars, so we're relieved to hear that they'll finally be behind us after this week's Consumer Electronics Show. Capcom will settle the fight once and for all on Saturday in Las Vegas, pitting the best Microsoft rep against Sony's pick in a battle for Street Fighter IV supremacy. The loser has agreed to stop making their console forever and ever, so the stakes are pretty high.

... Yes, we made that last part up, but we're going to keep our fingers crossed.

Proving that if you slap "Final Fantasy" on anything it'll sell, PSP-exclusive Dissidia took the top sales spot in Japan for the week ending Dec. 21. The "Smash Bros. of Final Fantasy characters" sold an impressive 489,126 copies in its debut week, topping the first-week sales of Final Fantasy Crisis Core by 3,000 units, according to PSPHyper.

Dissidia also translated into hardware sales for the PSP, summoning the masses to purchase 145,957 units -- a 104% increase from the prior week. Check out the top 10 selling games in Japan for the week ending Dec. 21 after the break.

[Via PSP Fanboy]