Those who have been forced to choose between the Street Fighter and Tekken franchises over the years don’t have much longer to wait until both sides will come together. First announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010, Street Fighter X Tekken is set for a 2012 release and will bring together the two largest fighting franchises of the past 20 years.  This version of the crossover game is being developed by Capcom, while Namco is developing the other half:  Tekken X Street Fighter.

Capcom has released new gameplay screenshots and videos showing off Street Fighter X Tekken. Seeing the screenshots, the art direction looks very in line with that of Street Fighter 4 (3-D character models with a hint of cell shading).

The gameplay trailer shows some of the ‘tag team’ combos that players will be able to pull off with their chosen duo. The play style looks like a cross between Tekken Tag Team and the recent Marvel vs. Capcom 3; players can tag in their partner while continuing combos and air juggles.

In terms of graphics, the game looks phenomenal. Character models look crisp and the backgrounds are incredibly detailed and animated. One of the arenas looks like it may be based on the classic Capcom game Dino Crisis, which is a fun little showcase of an often forgotten Capcom classic (or possibly a clue to an unlockable character?).

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSKidYxGzcQ

The videos and screenshots also show the first 10 playable characters. Tekken fans will have the options of Kazuya, Nina, Bob, King and Marduk. Street Fighter alumni will choose from Ken, Abel,  Ryu, Chun-Li and Guile. No big surprises in the character listings thus far - they’re all either classic or popular characters from both franchises. Capcom isn’t releasing the full character list yet, but they promise the final number will be “in the dozens.” No doubt that fighting fans will be following this game closely. You can see all the released screenshots over at the Capcom community website.

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The game looks like it’s come a long way since the first teaser trailer from last year's San Diego Comic-Con. Which side of the fighting world do you fall on: Tekken or Street Fighter?

Street Fighter X Tekken is scheduled for a 2012 release on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

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Sources: Capcom-Unity & IGN