Comes with a hanging plaque. Yours for US$229.95.

Capcom US [Capcom vis Capcom Unity]

Like he asked for an ice cream, and his mother said "no".

Made by Yamato, you can import it when it's released in December for just over $100.

Devil May Cry 4 Nero (Majin Nero) [Hobby Search, via Tomopop]

Coming September 8th, the Platinum Hits Triple Pack takes the three Platinum Hits titles and squishes them together into one piece of confused game box art. Devil May Cry 4, Dead Rising, and Lost Planet: Extreme Condition - Colonies Edition are then packed into a DVD case affixed with said art, making for one lovely bundle of three games, at least two of which you've already played. Even at the bargain price of $39.99, this bundle probably isn't for you. I would imagine that a parent purchasing a first Xbox 360 for their teenager this holiday season will find the lure of three acclaimed titles in one package extremely alluring. If my mother rolled up Christmas morning with a new 360 and the Platinum Hits Triple Pack, I would feel horrible for only printing her out a card on my inkjet again this year.

Like this replica of "Red Queen", from Devil May Cry 4. It's 42 inches long, and has real steel, and real leather. Crazy. It'll only be available through Capcom as a Comic-Con exclusive, and should be a limited run, so get on it.

If, that is, giant video game swords are your thing. If not, admire the craftsmanship then keep on movin'.

United Cutlery forges Devil May Cry 4's Red Queen! Plus details on early auction [Capcom]

Army of Two, Battlefield: Bad Company, Devil May Cry 4, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction all get the price drop and new packaging effective June 16.

"Games deemed ‘Greatest Hits' have reached a significant sales threshold. This latest selection features several critically acclaimed titles, including Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and Metal Gear Solid 4, which represent the high caliber of quality software that is available on the PS3 system," said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA. "We're looking forward to making this group of best sellers even more accessible to consumers, while we continue to deliver more value to the overall PS3 platform."

With retail chains increasingly limiting their shelf space for PC games, and most mainstream media coverage of gaming directed at the splashier Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 multimedia consoles and family-centric Wii, PC gaming finds itself in a fight for the hearts and minds of gamers.

Leading the charge in that fight is the recently formed PC Gaming Alliance, a consortium of computer manufacturers, parts makers, retailers and game developers.

Christian Svensson, an executive at game developer Capcom and member of the alliance board of directors says that the purpose of the alliance, which was formed early last year, is to pin down hard numbers for game developers. How many people play games on their PC? What sort of PC do they have? What are the current trends?

"I joined to get a better understanding about the market and what's working for people," Svensson said. "The low hanging fruit for (Capcom) is to take our content and our brands and bring them to another platform."

Capcom, traditionally a developer with a focus on consoles, has recently started to bring more of their games like Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter IV to the PC.

"We feel we can create an incredible and perhaps different experience than the PC has had before," he said. "The PC versions of Street Fighter IV and Devil May Cry 4 will be the definitive versions of the game."

But often the PC version of a game comes out after the console versions hit, something that in the long run can impact sales. That's because unlike with consoles, there is no single standard for the PCs that games may run on. It's the same issue that has for so long hampered mobile game sales.

"The beautiful thing about the PC is that it's a completely open platform," Svensson said. "Anyone can get any game to market. There are no boundaries.

"But that same thing cuts the other way, no guidance means no oversight."

So developers need to make sure that when they make a game it can play on a wide range of computers, from a high-end desktop to a cheap laptop, so they can sell to the larger chunk of that 300 million gamer market. And unlike with consoles, technology for PC gaming jumps forward every 12 to 18 months or so, making the sweet spot for game development a moving target.

Drew Johnston, Microsoft's group program manager for Windows gaming, says that another similarity between computers and cell phones is how prevalent they are.

"Most people in the U.S. and many other parts of the world have both a phone and a computer, so they're instantly part of those demographics, and an audience for developers," he said.

The key, both Johnston and Svensson agree, is to make it easier for gamers to get their games on PC.

That's what Microsoft tried to do when they launched Games for Windows – Live with the rollout of Windows Vista. But initially the program stalled.

Johnston says that's because gamers initially thought that Games for Windows – Live only worked on Vista and that initially gamers had to pay a subscription to play multiplayer games, something that Microsoft also requires with Xbox Live.

"What's right for the console isn't always right for the PC," Johnston said Microsoft came to realize.

Last July, Microsoft dropped the subscription fees for the PC version of live. Then, at the end of last year Microsoft revamped the service, tweaking it to work better for PC gamers and adding more robust anti-piracy measures.

Johnston describes the future of PC gaming as "growing and evolving" saying that it is as strong as it has ever been and leading the way in many new ideas, like digital distribution, online services and social gaming.

Perhaps most significantly, the alliance plans to soon announce a new set of PC system requirements that would be used to identify a PC gaming machine.

The idea, Svensson said, is to make PC gaming as seamless an experience as console gaming is.

It could also perhaps lead to a new renaissance in PC game design, reminding all of those millions of PC owners that their machines are just as capable at entertaining as is a console.

Well Played is a weekly opinion column about the big news of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.

The second volume hits retailers this summer on July 1. THORES Shibamoto is handling the book's illustration.

Devil May Cry -Deadly Fortune-1 is available at book retailers across Japan as well as online retailers like Amazon Japan.

-Dead Fortune-1 [Capcom]

From the official statement: "Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Lost Planet 2 is being developed for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, following an exclusive announcement on Xbox LIVE that happened Monday, February 23."

Read that again. Read it carefully.

The game is being developed using Capcom's own in-house development tools, the MT Framework 2. Capcom's MT Framework makes it possible for Capcom to create multi-platform titles like Devil May Cry 4, a title once thought to be a PS3 exclusive.

Timed exclusive anyone?

Oh! If you notice the sign, Hawaiian_spawn and Zaya_Spif are a cosplaying couple. "I thought it would have been better to pose together but she chose separately," he told us. Here is what's going on:

Dress-up like a game character (any game character is okay!) and send along a picture of you holding up a Kotaku sign to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom with the subject line Cosplay Contest. Please do not send photos of Kotaku signs Photoshopped in. The deadline is November 1st. The winner will be selected by Kotakuland and get this helmet. Everyone will get INTERNET FAME.

I'm not sure about how Capcom in general feels but It's not doing as well as I would like in the US at retail. It's such a good version and it really deserves better sales. I know it's getting pirated to hell and back (it was up on torrents literally the day it shipped).

Leading Capcom to throw their hands up and complain about the state of piracy in the PC market, right? Nope! Svensson instead goes on in great detail about the company's big plans for future digital distribution on the platform, which is encouraging reading for the kind of people that think playing DMC4 on a PC is a good idea.

Are Capcom pleased with DMC4's PC sales? [Capcom]

Capcom's console game business was the primary driver behind the company's 11.5 percent net sales gain on the fiscal year, the company announced today, crediting overseas performance of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, Umbrella Chronicles and Devil May Cry 4 in particular.

Shipments of RE4 and Umbrella Chronicles for Wii "greatly exceeded" expectations, with shipments surpassing one million units, Capcom said, while DMC4 brought "record" sales for the company with over 2 million units. Additionally, PSP's Monster Hunter Freedom 2nd G" is off to a "strong start," Capcom said, with nearly one million units sold.

Sales increased to ¥83,097 million ($805.79 million), while the company's operating income saw a 15.7 percent gain on the year to ¥12,267 million ($118.95 million). Net income increased 33.4 percent to ¥7,807 ($75.70).

The company forecasts a 14.7 percent increase in net sales to ¥95,300 million ($924.12 million) in the coming year, alongside 20.6 percent income growth to ¥14,800 million ($145 million) driven by "the steady growth of each segments, which will be the best records of Capcom Co., Ltd."

There's an offer out on the Internets for a swell DVD case for the animated series DVDs included within. You also get $5 off your purchase of Vol. 2 of the anime. The Right Stuf International is taking the orders on behalf of publisher ADV. The site has the details and everything you need to order. It's $3.99, but clearly, this thing pays for itself.

Devil May Cry DVD Case/Insert/Coupon Offer [Anime Superstore]

Turbo mode will turn-up the action to insane speeds, while Legendary Dark Knight Mode will harness advanced PC processing power and fill the screen with an unbelievable number of enemies for extra difficulty. Moreover, familiar enemies from the console versions will show-up in new locations in the PC version.

CAPCOM®'S DEVIL MAY CRY® 4 COMING TO PC THIS SUMMER Demo With System Benchmark Mode Will Be Available Before the Game's Release

SAN MATEO, Calif — April 23, 2008 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that the highly anticipated PC version of Devil May Cry® 4 is locked and loaded for release this summer. Devil May Cry 4 is already a certifiable hit in the console world, having shipped over 2 million units world wide since its release in North America in February. A demo of the game will be released for PC players before the retail version ships, allowing PC gamers to try the game ahead of time, as well as testing their system's prowess with the included benchmark mode. The PC version of Devil May Cry 4 will feature new modes, enhanced graphics options and some additional content. Devil May Cry 4 has been rated M for Mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.

Good things come to those who wait as PC owners will benefit from having more modes and more visual customization options to help enhance their demon-slaying action. Turbo mode will turn-up the action to insane speeds, while Legendary Dark Knight Mode will harness advanced PC processing power and fill the screen with an unbelievable number of enemies for extra difficulty. Moreover, familiar enemies from the console versions will show-up in new locations in the PC version. The high resolution screen settings allow the cut scenes of the game to run at up to 120 frames per second (up from 30 frames per second in the console version of the game). Slider options are available to manage various visual effects seen throughout the game. Devil May Cry 4 for the PC will have both DirectX® 9 and DirectX® 10 modes, and will also be compliant with the Games For Windows® program.

From the producer of the original Devil May Cry® and Resident Evil® 4 comes the next installment in the hugely successful stylized action series that has so far achieved global sales of nearly seven million units. Devil May Cry 4 immerses gamers in a gothic supernatural world, where a new protagonist clashes with a familiar hero. As the new leading man, Nero, players will unleash incredible attacks and non-stop combos using a unique new gameplay mechanic: the powerful "Devil Bringer" on his right arm.

The Xbox 360 and the PC are close in structure, so it was easy to switch over. The PS3, the CPU and the design are unique... our programmer is extremely talented, and was able to figure it out. I think after repeated meetings with Sony that we were able to tap into the PS3.

The month saw some impressive debuts, including strong sales for Lost Odyssey and Turok. Wii Play and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games continue to be lapped up by the masses, with Guitar Hero III and Rock Band taking the open slots on the top ten. Numbers are after this.

01. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) - 296,200
02. Devil May Cry 4 (Xbox 360) - 295,200
03. Wii Play (Wii) - 289,700
04. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) - 233,500
05. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) - 222,900
06. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) - 205,600
07. Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360) - 203,600
08. Turok (Xbox 360) - 197,700
09. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) - 183,800
10. Rock Band (Xbox 360) - 161,800

Total software sales topped a staggering $668 million, up 47% from last year. Just one more record setting month for the video game industry.

Considering the impressive line up of marquee titles released this month—Super Smash Bros. Brawl, God of War: Chains of Olympus, Condemned 2: Bloodshot, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, to name a few—expect March to outperform February's record-breaking take.

Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw and I can agree on one thing. Devil May Cry has long been, in our shared opinion, "as aggressively juvenile as a 12 year old on pixie stix" and suffers from "truly obnoxious level design." But that doesn't mean it's not fun. It just requires the shutting off of a cynical brain, one that's jaded from one too many mid-air dick-waving sword fights, infinite ammo and the constant din of stylized violence to enjoy the demon puppet juggling.

Zero Punctuation: Devil May Cry 4 [The Escapist]

UPDATE - Courtesy of an anonymous tipster, we've got another pic after the jump. This one's rather unsuitable for work, though, so...bear that in mind.

You know, a lot of people ask us if we are going to bring out a Wii version. I simply don't think you can make the game the type of game it is, with the awesome graphics and control — I don't think that would work on the Wii. So, I don't think we're going to bring one out, no.