It's launch day for MVC2 on PlayStation Network, which means we're in full-on party mode over here.  First it was 1000+ comments in under an hour for MVC2 vinyl, and now it's time to make it rain with free XBL and PSN download codes on twitter. 

For anyone not already watching, keep your eyes peeled to the official MVC2 twitter and of course the Capcom Unity twitter feeds for a ton of codes, good for free games: 

twitter.com/marvelvscapcom

twitter.com/Capcom_Unity

Good luck to all, and long live MVC2!

One weekend.  6 tournaments.  50,000 matches!

Old rivalries will flare, dreams will be crushed, and champions will emerge.  It's my favorite weekend of the year:  EVO!

I'll see tons of old friends, make some new enemies, and be there to scream my way through the whole show.  Ono-san will be there!  Daigo will be assassinating fools!  Justin Wong, John Choi, Alex Valle!  The best players in the world!

While I'm busy threatening people with disqualification, Kramer, Randy, Gerald, and a few other lucky Capcom staff will be down there to show off Tatsunoko Vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, Fate codes/unlimited, and the first publicly playable Marvel Vs Capcom 2 on X360 and PSN. 

It's free for anybody to come and watch, to by all means GO if you can, but if you can't make it, this year will have a HQ live stream of great matches running ALL WEEKEND, plus commentary to help you make sense of all the action.  The stream will be available RIGHT HERE on Capcom Unity, so stay tuned.

Capcom-flavored version of the press release after the jump, and full info at EVO2K.com!  Countdown clock and bracket assignments for competitors at EVO live broadcast site!  EVOOooo!

On July 17th, the world's largest and longest-running fighting game competition returns to Sin City at the Rio Resort and Casino. The heart, history, and unbelievable skills of the fighting game community will be on display as the planet's top fighting gamers assemble from around the globe to duke it out on today's hottest games, including Street Fighter IV, Marvel Vs Capcom 2, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and Street Fighter III: Third Strike.

EVO 2009 World Finals will feature:

--Special appearance by Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono
--The world's largest live Street Fighter IV competition
--Watch all the action streaming live, for free, featuring top players and expert commentary
--The best players from around the US and the world, including Japan's legendary champion Daigo Umehara
--The newest build of Tatsunoko Vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
--First publicly playable Marvel Vs Capcom 2 for X360 and PSN
--Complete coverage from IGN Insider, recording HQ, direct-feed tournament matches available for download following the event

and more!

Spectators can attend the event for free, and are welcome to play at one of the dozens of freeplay stations.  For those who can't make it to Vegas, EVO 2009 will also be streaming live all weekend.  The live stream will run all day from July 17-19th, and feature non-stop tournament matches between top players, with live crowd audio accompanied by expert commentary to explain all the onscreen action.

The stream can be found at www.evo2k.com/live, www.shoryuken.com and www.capcom-unity.com

The 2009 EVO Championship Series is powered by Capcom, Namco-Bandai, and PlayStation 3

I grew up playing in the arcades, so I have an obvious reason for preferring joysticks, but maybe... just maaaybe there's something to be said for them even if your first experience was on console pads.

If you've ever thought about making the switch, or just investigating what everybody is all excited about, the hardcore over at Eventhubs have put together a great guide for anybody thinking about making the switch to a joystick.

Don't be scared--it's a learning process, but also some real magic. Even Capcom's own Wes P, who has been trying to bone up on his fighters, just stopped by the other day to say what a huge difference moving to a stick had made in his game (*actually happened, not BS).

Although there's a bunch of world-class players who use pads, there's probably SOME good reason that 98% of the players you see competing at events like EVO prefer to use joysticks.  IMO they offer an unmatched level of precision for fighting games, so check out the guide, get inspired, then keep an eye out for some upcoming Capcom joystick news...

In light of the shiny new PS3's that Sony is sending over to help at the upcoming EVO World Finals, Jeff over at the PlayStation blog asked me to write a little something up about the event. 

So I did. 

I know I'll be seeing a lot of you out there already, but there's some good basic background for anybody new to the madness and the hype.

In addition to the best of the best fighting gamers from around the world, Capcom will of course be there in force, showing off Marvel Vs Capcom 2, Fate codes/unlimited, and of course Tatsunoko Vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars!

July 17-19th, Rio Hotel and Resort, be there AND be square--gloriously square!  More details about the special events coming soon over at Evo2k, so stay tuned, and head here in the meantime.

Capcom's own Kramer and Adam stopped by the Giant Bomb HQ to talk it up on the recent Giant BombCast.

They dig into how and why games come back from Capcom's glorious history, and how they set the stage for Capcom's exciting future, and...  Fox Hunt.

Note to the wary:  this is a managably sized podcast--just under 25 minutes, so check it out.