PSP gets first DLC-only Capcom game

When it was finally revealed that Patapon 2 would be available only via digital distribution, Sony was careful to refer to this release as a "test-case scenario" and "a one-time thing." Now, Capcom is joining the PSP downloadable-content experiment by releasing a new game solely through the PlayStation Store, which can send games directly to the portable or to a PC where it can be transferred.

The game is Fate/Unlimited Codes, a fighting game based on a 2008 Japanese arcade and PlayStation 2 game of the same name. Those games were themselves inspired by Fate/Stay Night, the 2006 visual novel, or interactive anime, for the PC and PS2. Like most members of the fighting oeuvre, the game will feature a tournamentlike structure, set in a small town in Japan. There, seven pairs of "masters" and "servants" duke it out using a variety of weapons for an all-powerful, wish-granting artifact.

The original Fate/Unlimited Codes' combat system has been tweaked for the PSP's control layout, making attacks "easier" with the "most basic fighting controls" in the portable version, according to Capcom. It will support local ad-hoc multiplayer for up to two people, and will also feature more than 250 missions and minigames in single-player mode, as well dozens of unlockable items such as costumes.

Developed by Eighting (Tatsunoko vs. Capcom), Fate/Unlimited Codes will be available this winter for $29.99 in the US and Canada. It is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.