Rumble Fish
Image: Dimps

Update #3 - [Thu 10th Nov, 2022 13:15 GMT]: Japanese video game publisher 3goo and the Dimps Corporation have announced that digital pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch version Rumble Fish 2 are now live. The digital version of the game on Nintendo Switch will cost £26.99 GBP / $29.99 USD / €29.99 Euro, but you can spend a little more to unlock the additional character 'Greed'.

You will also now be able to wishlist the game on Steam and PS4 ahead of its December 8th release.

The pages for the collector's edition are now up on Limited Run Games for the Nintendo Switch Collector's Edition and the PS4 Collector's Edition. These are both retailing for $69.99 and include the features listed previously.

Update #2 - [Wed 14th Sep, 2022 11:55 BST]: The Rumble Fish 2 will be released on consoles on December 8th, according to a new press release, with a physical collector's edition launching at a later date.

Controversially, this collector's edition appears to feature the original arcade game The Rumble Fish, which many, including ourselves, had expected to get its own individual release. You can view a list of the contents of this collector's edition below:

  • The Rumble Fish 2 game
  • The Rumble Fish 2 Strategy Guide-Book
  • Three additional DLC in The Rumble Fish 2: Greed, Beatrice, Hazama
  • Command Cards in The Rumble Fish 2
  • The Rumble Fish Original Arcade game
  • The Rumble Fish Original Arcade game OST CD
  • The Rumble Fish Original Arcade game Art Book
Rumble Fish 2 Collector's Edition
Image: Dimps

Update #1 - [Thu 4th Aug, 2022 14:00 BST]: We can now reveal that The Rumble Fish 2 will be coming to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (via Steam). We've also enquired about the status of the original game, and if it too will see a release for these platforms this Winter, but have heard nothing back as of yet.

Original Article - [Thu 14th Jul, 2022 14:25 GMT]:

Diehard fighting game fans got some great news recently, as Japanese developer Dimps and the international publisher 3goo announced they were partnering to bring the Rumble Fish series to consoles.

This marks the first time the fighting games have ever been made available outside of Japan (at least officially), and the first time The Rumble Fish 2 has ever been ported to console.

The Rumble Fish was originally released on the Atomiswave arcade platform all the way back in 2004 in Japanese arcades, the product of a team of former SNK and Capcom employees. A port of the game came out on PlayStation 2 in 2005, the same year as its sequel The Rumble Fish 2 entered the arcades.

One of the unique features of the series was its two gauge system, for offence and defence. This allowed fighters to perform special offensive and defensive moves. When both gauges maxed out, you could then perform a critical art. This was a special super that deals a significant amount of damage compared to regular attacks.

In a press statement, Takashi Nishiyama, Dimps President, says the following about this new release:

The Rumble Fish is a very memorable game for us at Dimps. We developed it as a 2D fighting game compatible with the Atomiswave arcade system board developed by Sammy Corporation. It may have a classic feel compared to current fighting games, but it was an ambitious project that employed a variety of visual expressions within the limitations of a system board that is now almost 20 years old. I'm proud of what we accomplished. And now, 3goo is once again shining the spotlight on The Rumble Fish series and I'm excited for the renewed potential for the series to grow.

For those unfamiliar, The Rumble Fish games take place at the dawn of the 21st century after a large-scale natural disaster strikes the eastern part of an unnamed country. A wealthy company named PROBE-NEXUS enters the area and begins to rebuild, creating a wealthy city named Zone Prime. However, in the underground of Zone Prime, PROBE-NEXUS is up-to-no good, gathering contestants from the nearby slums to compete in a deadly tournament for sport.

As things currently stand, we still don't know exactly what consoles these new rereleases will come out on, but we will strive to keep you updated as we learn more.