The Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter knows how to deliver virtual punches in the Tekken and Street Fighter games.

Shaffer Chimere Smith is best known by R&B fans as Ne-Yo. And to gamers, he may be their worst enemy if they happen upon him online in a game of Capcom’s Street Fighter X Tekken. The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter recently took to the real gridiron to play flag football in the EA Sports Madden NFL 13 Pigskin Pro-Am alongside Brett Favre and other football legends on NBC. The singer loves to play games when he’s not writing music or singing. He talks about his gaming prowess in the exclusive interview below.
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The Hollywood Reporter: What was it like for you to be part of the NBC EA Sports Madden Pigskin Pro Am?
Ne-Yo: It was exciting. We had NFL Hall of Famers out there. The fact that I shared the field with them was super exciting.
THR: How big a Madden video game player are you?
Ne-Yo: I’m good, but not great at Madden. I have friends that their whole life is based around this video game. A shout out to them; they’re extremely jealous that I played in this game and they didn’t. I’m good at the game, but I’m more of a fighting and adventure games type guy.
THR: So what do you normally play?
Ne-Yo: I’m heavy into Max Payne 3. That’s a good one. I like any of the fighting games and all of the Tekken and Street Fighter series. They just did Street Fighter X Tekken, and I’m huge on that one right now. Undefeated, currently.
THR: Who’s your go to fighter?
Ne-Yo: Ryu for Street Fighter, and for Tekken probably Paul Phoenix.
THR: And they’re coming out with Tekken Tag Tournament 2 this year, too.
Ne-Yo: I heard. I’m looking forward to that. I’m sitting in front of the store with everybody else waiting on that game. Oh, yeah. Um-hum.
THR: When you do play Madden, who’s your “go to” team?
Ne-Yo: Let me see; I normally go with the Falcons.
THR: Do you have a secret strategy that you like to use?
Ne-Yo: Not necessarily, which is probably why I’m not as good as the other guys at the game. I just go in and go for it, pass the ball, and pray that the guy I’m passing to catches it. That’s pretty much it.
THR: Do you use the video game as preparation at all for the Pro Am game?
Ne-Yo: No. Actually, I went hard for a few weeks getting my knees right, and making sure that I can still catch and pass, and all that. I hadn’t played football in a few years. I’m pretty quick. I think I was one of the quickest on the field, so my plan was to just outrun everybody. High knees; that’s what it’s all about.
THR: At what point did you feel like Madden went beyond being a video game and became part of pop culture?
Ne-Yo: You know what? Madden is the closest thing to actually being on the field yourself. It’s so ridiculously realistic. Before I play it, I honestly didn’t understand. “What’s all the hype? It’s a video game.” Then I sat down and played it, and you feel like you’re on the field. It’s that incredible. Kudos to the designers and programmers, because they did the most with this one. Absolutely.
THR: When it comes to looking back when you were playing as a kid, do you have a favorite Madden memory you can share with us?
Ne-Yo: No, a lot of losses. As I said, I have friends whose lives are dedicated to Madden. I play them in their game and let them beat the hell out of me, and then we play one of my games, and I win.
THR: What role do you feel video games play in music these days?
Ne-Yo: I feel like the two are starting to go hand-in-hand. The right song in the game might just make you play a little bit better; you never know.
THR: Would you like your music to be in any of the Street Fighter or Tekken games?
Ne-Yo: Come on, man, I’ll write a song specifically for it.  Let me know. Just make me a character in the game; the strongest character. Make me one of the bosses in the game, and I’ll write a song for the series. I’ll do it.
THR: That’s a message straight to Capcom and Namco.
Ne-Yo: If you’re reading this, come on, I know what I’m doing. Trust me.

Mad Catz this morning announced that they are teaming up with Namco Bandai once again, this time to produce an officially licensed Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Arcade Fightstick. Sure, by itself, that’s not a bad announcement.

The real exciting part though is that Mad Catz has confirmed that they will be bringing the TTT2 Arcade Fightstick to the Wii U along with the PS3 and Xbox 360. So, as of now, this will be the first Wii U fight stick announced for the console.

A release date or pricing has yet to be revealed.

Read on for the announcement.

"Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. announced today its agreement with Namco Bandai Games Inc, to produce the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Arcade FightStick, a Tournament Edition fighting game controller for use with the upcoming Tekken Tag Tournament 2 videogame.

The agreement gives Mad Catz worldwide rights to ship products for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system from Sony and the forthcoming Wii U console from Nintendo."

Lee Abrahams over at Xbox 360 Achievements wrote up a great Tekken Tag Tournament 2 preview from Gamescom 2012. In this article Abrahams recaps a presentation given by Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada at the event and provides details on such topics as the Tekken Tunes feature, World Tekken Federation, Fight Lab and more.

Below is a bit from the article.


Each time you clear certain stages in the Fight Lab you will be assigned a ranking, which in turn will unlock new moves to purchase and also mean that you have a bevy of points to spend on said moves. The idea being that players can constantly challenge themselves and always have a new goal, or series of unlocks, to strive for. “So it’s not like you can just play through once and be done with it,” Harada states, “As there is a lot on offer here so you can continue to play through this mode to unlock all of the content.” It’s clear that the focus is on creating an array of modes and content to keep hardcore players happy while also appealing to relative newcomers.

He also mentioned the new Tekken Tunes feature which lets players chop and change the in-game music as they see fit, or even introduce their own music to play over the menus, stages and so on. He immediately brandished a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD with a grin and popped it into the console to import 'Give it Away' over the action. It’s a neat feature and an example of the level of interaction Harada hopes players will come to enjoy. “You can also put your own music and soundtracks in there,” Harada continues, with a glint in his eye, “Or as a parent, you can leave messages to your kids to tell them to stop playing games and do their homework instead. So that when they clear the final stage they get yelled at for playing the game.” A novel approach to selling your game to be sure, but it shows the sense of humour on offer and that Harada is prepared to embrace a variety of ideas to make the game as unique as possible.

A new Street Fighter X Tekken developer blog has been posted on Capcom-Unity today. Ayano mainly focuses on the PS Vita version packaging, giving detailed descriptions and showing images of the proofs.

Ayano also gives a small update about the iPhone version of Street Fighter X Tekken, telling everyone to expect big tings.

"I got word from the mobile development team that the iPhone version of SFXTK is “almost ready to go” -and come to think of it, the mobile team was cheering about something; they must have finished their master submission! Definitely expect big things from SFXTK mobile!"

Fans of the King Of Iron Fist Tournament are looking forward to next month, when the long-awaited console release of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 makes its way to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3!  

The game was originally released in arcades last September 2011, and it’s been a year-long wait for the second installment of this tag team series —and now it’s finally upon us, with more material and updates to please long-time followers. 
 
Based on the engine of the updated arcade port Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Unlimited, the console version of TTT2 will be packed with more extras and additional characters. Among the extras included are new stages and items for customization, as well as returning characters from the Tekkenverse not seen for a while, such as Tiger Jackson, Kunimitsu, Ogre, and Angel. A new Practice Mode called “Fighting Lab” will also be added to satiate the hunger of those looking to test their might and combo skills. 
 
To give players a taste of things to come, Namco Bandai has released the official cinematic intro to Tekken Tag Tournament 2 online: 
 
LINK TO VIDEO

The opening CG sequence shows a regular cab driver listening in to the announcement of the new King Of Iron Fist tag team tournament, while a silent and powerful Jinpachi Mishima broods behind in the passenger’s seat. Later, the action shifts into the tournament arena, where fighters old and new converge to take part in the greatest battle of them all. The ninjitsu tag team duo of Raven and Kunimitsu enter the ring, while sibling rivals Anna and Nina Williams reluctantly join forces to face them. 
 
In the midst of the battle, True Ogre suddenly appears, and to combat the menacing threat is none other than Angel. The opening mixes up the excellent electronic intro music with fantastic visual highlights, setting the stage for the big tag battle to come!
 
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 smashes its way into Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles this September 11. — TJD, GMA News

For  Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and possibly subsequent Tekken games in the franchise. The service is launching for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and will be like a social community for players of the Tekken series.

Players who utilise the service will be able to track their personal statistics, create teams with friends, compete in events and discuss the game and it’s strategies. On the service Namco Bandai had this to say -

“World Tekken Federation is a premium service that aims to connect players to the TEKKEN worldwide community in a way never before seen with a fighting game,” said Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing for NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.  “Being able to unite the entire TEKKEN global community is an incredibly exciting initiative that will help extend the competitive nature of the series well past TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2’s launch date.”

The World Tekken Federation is able to keep players connected to the world of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 as it can be accessed through any online connected device. This means that Tekken players will be able to communicate and look up stats for fighters and other services wherever they are.

The service launches alongside Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on the 9/11/12 – US Date. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will retail for $59.99USD.

Perhaps the biggest reason to own a PS2 at launch? Tekken Tag Tournament. It was quite the phenomenon when it hit Sony’s new console back in 2000; the combination of the already-gigantic Tekken following and the arrival of a new PlayStation made TTT an instant classic. And now, the sequel is finally slated to drop nearly 12 years later, much to the delight of hardcore franchise fans everywhere. And with over 50 characters, one-on-one combat, and the patented tag-team battles, it’s destined to deliver.

You’ve got Pair Play mode, which lets four players into the action; each will control one character and it’s bound to be a hot option for parties. And it’s great to get more people involved because TTT2 is all about personalizing your approach; it’s not about locating the combos that everyone can do, or the cheesy attacks that let even the worst button-mashers win a bunch of matches. This is going to be about engaging in a flexible, continually evolving mechanic that is begging to be explored and experimented with. So what’s your style?

One of the biggest additions is the Fight Lab, which is great for the newbies. This time around, Namco’s goal is to allow for more accessibility, and that will require some training in the Lab. You will control the Combot and Violet will instruct you in the ways of battle; you’ll learn everything from the basics like simple attacks and guarding, to longer chains, juggling, and the intricacies of timing and execution. They’re gonna make this fun, too, as the first enemy you face is a golden knight who drops coins as you land blows, and a successful bound smackdown destroys his armor.