Check out the trailer, and more, after the jump.

The motion comic (or “animated comic” as the press release calls it) is based on the first Street Fighter comic from our awesome friends at UDON Studios. Naturally this means the original art is beautiful, as you can see from the trailer (to the right, as always).

The plot itself is your classic Street Fighter story. Ryu & Ken are on their path of vengeance (against Akuma fir murdering their master) as are Guile & Chun-Li (against Bison), all headed inevitably to Shadowloo.

In the first episode there’s a run-in with Birdie and the second ep introduces Sakura with appearances by Dan & Honda. All the while, Bison’s operatives — Cammy, Vega & Sagat — have been sent forth to confront our heroes.

Some people have knocked the voice acting, but I honestly think the quality of the voices is pretty good overall. Having watched the two episodes that have aired thus far on Syfy, I think the problem is more that there is a often a disconnect in the setting of the scene and the voices themselves, which are being recorded professionally in a booth or whatever. Sometimes the tone of the voice is wrong for the scene, but more often it feels like the scene is just missing some ambient background sound effects to sell it.

On the other hand, there are a few scenes where the voices and bg match up just right with the art, making for some dramatic scenes. For whatever reason, these are usually darker, more sinister moments. The surprise cliffhanger appearances at the of episodes also cone off well, whetting your appetite for the installment to follow.

My only other experience with motion comics is Marvel’s painstakingly crafted Spider-Woman and it’s the same thing there actually — when these Motion Comics work, it’s all about the MOOD.

I read the original UDON comics when they came out and I find that the format is a fun way to revisit that story. Even if you haven’t read the comics but you’re a SF fan, the motion comic offers a colorful trip through the Street Fighter universe as seen through the eyes of Udon’s fantastic artists. Recommended.

Okay, I’m so serious about Chun-Li. Anyway, here’s the Capcom teaser page…

So Kristin Kruek didn’t do it for you as Chun-Li, how about Olivia Munn?

We sat down with Capcom’s Seth Killian to get some dirt and details on the Xbox 360 version of the title. Enjoy it, a true Street Fighter sequel has been a long time coming…

A NEW GENERATION OF FIGHTERS JOINS UDON’S STREET FIGHTER® COMIC UNIVERSE
Street Fighter® IV Comic Series Launches in February

Toronto, ON – Nov 7, 2008 – Coming from UDON in February 2009, a new cast of World Warriors takes center stage in the Street Fighter® IV comic series. Based on quite possibly the most anticipated fighting game ever, the 4-issue Street Fighter IV mini-series puts the spotlight on hot new characters like the enigmatic Crimson Viper, amnesiac brawler Abel, spicy Mexican wrestler El Fuerte, and chubby kung-fu fighter Rufus.

The series will explore a new mystery, as top fighters from all around the world begin to disappear. With the world’s focus set squarely on the Street Fighter® II Tournament, few have noticed the unexplained disappearances. But when Street Fighter mainstays like Sakura, Dan and more get mixed up in the plot, you can be sure they’ll be busting some kidnapper chops before too long! Plus fans will get an in-depth look at the back-stories of some of the new Street Fighter IV cast, including the brand new boss character Seth and his connections to Street Fighter’s big baddie M.Bison.

Written by Ken Siu-Chong with art by Joe Ng (Soul Calibur IV, Transformers) the new Street Fighter IV mini-series will delay the previously announced Street Fighter® III comic series by the same creative team. But, fans of Alex, Ibuki, Oro and the gang will still be able to get their fix, as future issues of UDON’s core series Street Fighter® II Turbo will include all-new Street Fighter III bonus stories. Turbo issues #8-10 will each feature a 4-page backup about a different Street Fighter III character. These join the already announced Street Fighter IV backup stories in Turbo #2-5.

Street Fighter IV #1 arrives in comic shops February 2009 with 2 covers by Arnold Tsang and by series artist Joe Ng. For more updates stay tuned to capcomcomics.com.

Street Fighter Remix #0

Street Fighter® is back! After a nearly two-year absence from monthly comics, UDON is bringing Capcom®’s Street Fighter video game franchise back to the four-color page. The new Street Fighter comics begin this August with Street Fighter® Remix #0, a one-shot prelude issue featuring three all-new stories, each of which leads into a new UDON comic book series.

The first of these stories is Street Fighter® II Turbo, with art by the ultra-dynamic Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz (Sinbad: Rogue of Mars). Continuing UDON’s core Street Fighter storyline begun in the studio’s previous Street Fighter and Street Fighter II comics, Turbo brings the world’s fiercest fighters together for what might be the most important tournament of their lives. And with M. Bison running the show, you know the stakes will be high!

Next up, UDON makes its first venture into the world of Street Fighter® III in a story drawn by Joe Ng (Transformers, Red Sonja). Featuring a whole new cast of characters including burly pro-wrestler Alex, the towering giant Hugo, and sexy she-ninja Ibuki, Street Fighter III fast-forwards to several years after the Street Fighter tournament. Plus, alongside the original Street Fighter III cast, you’ll also find out what some classic Street Fighter characters are up to in this new Street Fighter era.

The final Remix story is a lead-in to the 4-issue Street Fighter Legends: Chun-Li mini-series, focusing on the early exploits of Street Fighter’s loveliest female fighter. Long time UDON artist Omar Dogan (Street Fighter Legends: Sakura, Robotech) brings to life the adventures of a young Chun-Li, freshly recruited into the ranks of Interpol. The series will reveal for the first time the tragic events that sent Chun-Li on a collision course with the evil Shadaloo organization, as well as fill in the histories of several other important Street Fighter characters.

Between the upcoming live-action Street Fighter™: Legend of Chun-Li film and the new Street Fighter® IV and Super Street Fighter® II Turbo HD Remix video games, this fan-favorite fighting game property has never been hotter. Street Fighter’s 20th anniversary begins with the comics, as Street Fighter Remix #0 arrives at comic shops everywhere August 27, 2008.

STREET FIGHTER REMIX #0
Release Date: August 27, 2008
32pp Full Colour $3.95 US
Diamond #: JUN084287

(I can’t really call this a “Hands On Impression” as that might make it sound like I got to play it a few times, when in fact I only played it *once* the whole night).

By the time I got there after work (around 6:30) there were so many people lined up and crowded around the machine that you couldn’t even see the machine. Compacting this, the game is set up in two side-by-side Japanese-style sit-down “cabinets” which is cool when you’re playing, but not so much for spectating.

I’d say for the first couple hours I didn’t get to play, or even witness, the game. Most of the guys around the machine had been there since before Henry (CF tech) had even set the machines up. I put my name on the list and was #40 lol.

Eventually I finally got my turn and picked Zangief. My opponent had Ryu and zoned me pretty well. I walked into an embarrassing number of fireballs getting used to the jumps and general feel of the game. I experimented with the lariat and banishing hand (pretty effective!), managing to get in and piledrive him a few times, and I even got a super SPD on him once which especially rewarding. Sadly I didn’t get to land my Ultra (your level 3 super where the game dramatically pauses and you get the cut scene animation before it activates) and the one time I tried to use the new Focus Attack it didn’t work too well for me heh. I ended up only winning the one round and had to go to the back of the line. So I just watched the rest of the time.

I got to ask questions about the gameplay from the other guys who had played more. Despite being someone who is at the arcade playing MVC2 & CVS2 like 3 times a week, I just didn’t have much interest in SF4. Honestly up until I heard CF was getting the game I hadn’t even read any articles or watched any videos about SF4 beyond the first one they released. The graphics are decent, but they sure aren’t the game’s selling point. (There’s some serious ugly IMO). As always with SF it’s the gameplay. I agree with the assessment that the gameplay feels like a mix between 3rd Strike and Super Turbo. The new Focus Attack system seems to add a nice layer of strategy but because it takes meter it’s not something you can do over and over like parrying.

Character-wise, people were mostly picking the usual standbys from the original cast while they tried to get used to the system. A couple people picked La Fuerte and lost badly, not helping the Mexcian wrestler’s rep as lowest of low tier. No one picked Rufus (thankfully?) or Viper. Justin Wong had six wins with Abel. Justin had six wins with everyone he played. The machine is currently set so 6 is the most wins you can get, and after that your game ends — which might sound like a ripoff at first, especially when you consider the game costs $1 to play!

($1.00 a game is a lot! But I think it’s fair when you consider CF must’ve shelled out a good chunk of dough for this game/setup. And also, the machine has a built-in in dollar slot, so that pretty much sets the price…)

The win-streak cap is actually a good thing, at least for now — because the alternative is for the top players like Justin to have 20 or 30 plus wins in a row, and everyone just waiting in line to play him. Later they’ll change it, but for now everybody gets to play the new game more this way.

Like I said, I wasn’t excited about SF4, but after last night I definitely got interested and am looking forward to trying it more. Only thing is, the SF4 machine at CF is like the hottest movie right now — there’s going to be lines til it cools off. So to anyone thinking about checking it out, you’ve been warned :)

The film will be distributed by 20th Century Fox and is currently scheduled for a 2009 worldwide release.

The Street Fighter fans who were young players when the franchise first launched are now grown up, but their love of the game continues. This high quality art book will showcase a cross section of brand new artistic interpretations of the Street Fighter characters in a series of full size pin-up style illustrations. The book will launch at this year’s Comic-con International: San Diego as part of Capcom®’s Street Fighter Celebration content.

UDON artists and other comic, video game and freelance illustrators have been invited to interpret their favorite Street Fighter characters for inclusion in this special book. Along with these invited artists UDON is sending out a widespread open art submission call to the video game fan artist community to submit artwork for possible inclusion in the tribute volume.

You could be part of Capcom history as part of the Street Fighter Tribute art book and have your artwork showcased alongside top names in the industry! It’s time to show UDON and Capcom your unique vision of Street Fighter!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND FULL CONTEST RULES:
http://www.udonentertainment.com/blog/?page_id=86

ABOUT UDON ENTERTAINMENT
UDON is an award-winning Canadian-based art collective formed in 2000 to provide high-quality creative services to the entertainment industry. Its client list reads like a who’s who of the business and includes Alliance/Atlantis, Capcom, DC Comics, Gamepro, Harmony Gold, Hasbro, Konami, Marvel Comics, Nintendo, Random House, Score, TDK Interactive, ToyBiz, White Wolf, Wizards of the Coast and Wiz Kids amongst others. In addition to client work, UDON also publishes official comics, manga, and artbooks based on Street Fighter®, Darkstalkers™, Rival Schools™ and Exalted. More information about UDON can be found on the company web site, www.udonentertainment.com.

ABOUT CAPCOM
Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including best-selling franchises Resident Evil®, Street Fighter®, Mega Man® and Devil May Cry®. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Tokyo and Hong Kong, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom can be found on the company web site, www.capcom.com.

Street Fighter is a registered trademark of Capcom U.S.A., Inc. Capcom, Darkstalkers, Resident Evil, Rival Schools, Mega Man and Devil May Cry are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd., in the U.S. or other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective holders.

First up, Street Fighter II Turbo will be a 12 issue maxi-series continuing the core story of UDON’s Street Fighter universe. Featuring the dynamic and energetic artwork of Chamba (Sinbad: Rogue of Mars), this latest arc pits the World Warriors against each other in an epic tournament-style slugfest.

Secondly, artist Omar Dogan (Sakura, Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles) follows up his run on the popular Sakura mini-series with Street Fighter Legends: Chun-Li. This new 4 issue mini-series focuses on a young Chun-Li, revealing how she grew up to become the world’s most famous female fighter.

Finally, Joe Ng (Red Sonya: Sonya Goes East, Transformers, G.I. Joe VS Transformers) brings his skilled line work to the pages of Street Fighter III: New Generation. This 6-issue series will not only explore the new characters introduced in the Street Fighter III video games, it will also show fans for the first time what classic characters like Guile, Sakura and others are up to during the SF3 era!

Beyond Street Fighter, UDON is diving back into other publishing projects in 2008. The studio will be expanding their successful Capcom Manga line with several new titles including Onimusha: Twilight of Desire and Devil Kings Basara. Fans can also look forward to more Capcom art books including Onimusha Dawn of Dreams: Official Complete Works and the Darkstalkers Graphic File.

In addition, UDON is also kicking its Korean Manhwa line into high gear with new titles including Daring Students’ Association, Dear Waltz, Reading Club, Evyione and Chronicles of the Grim Peddler.

Release dates and more detailed information will be forthcoming in future press releases, so stay tuned to the blog section of www.udonentertainment.com for all the latest UDON news!

Coming off an eight year hiatus, gamers will be playing Street Fighter IV in the traditional 2D manner of the previous titles with everything including backgrounds, characters and effects rendered in 3D. Camera flourishes will be in 3D as well, so expect to see things get up close and personal when burning a new scar in Sagat’s chest. Speaking of characters, the only four returning characters to be announced so far are fan favorites Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Dhalsim. Although we’re told that ‘classic characters’ will be re-imagined, we don’t know whether those characters will expand beyond the previous four listed.

The classic 6 button fighting system will remain in place along with new special moves and features integrated into the system.

We’ll have more on Street Fighter IV as it’s released. In the meantime, gamers can head on over to http://www.streetfighterworld.com/ in the meantime to see the teaser trailer as well as staying on top of the latest happenings.