Martial Arts: Capoeira strikes out on DS and PSP

We've only ever seen people practising capoeira in our local park, and it always seemed like such a gentle, fluid pastime. So we were quite surprised at the news Italian developer Twelve Interactive is in the process of making a Martial Arts: Capoeira game for DS and PSP. Exactly what would it involve? Making a few flowing movements in time to the beat of the bongos?

It seems we were wrong, though: capoeira can actually be quite brutal. You can basically head butt an opponent to the floor and elbow them in the face. Martial Arts: Capoeira's press release reads like something from Fight Club: "Train until you sweat blood… then take part in underground street fights for cold, hard cash".

We're not entirely sure that our local capoeira club is doing things right.

The game is described as part sport and part RPG. So you'll spend time training your character and building their endurance before unleashing them in the ring (or roda, to be accurate).

There are 12 fighters to choose from and ten customisable fight skills you can specialise in. Your goal is to win fights to earn money, then spend it on more training sessions to increase your skills further.

Several different play modes are promised, as well as hundreds of real motion-captured capoeira moves.

It's certainly a change from your average fighting game. Martial Arts: Capoeira is currently scheduled for release in late 2008.