Month: July 2019

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Area now available as part of Fighting EX Layer’s Version 1.3.0 update

The Genius Inventor finally enters the fray!

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from the ARIKA-developed Fighting EX Layer, but the title’s Version 1.3.0 update was released for Playstation 4 and Steam PC, notably adding Street Fighter EX veteran Area to the playable roster, after she was initally teased with the announcemnt of Sharon and SNK’s Terry Bogard last year at Evo 2018.Unfortunaly, she will not have any Expert Challenges.

In addition to the new fighter, this patch also adds an Online Spectator Mode, allowing players to observe matches they aren’t actively particpating in within Lobbies, as well as some general improvements to the online experience.

The team also fixed a bug where Sharon’s Half Moon attack did not trigger the Critical Gougi, as well as making some minor balance adjustments to Shriase, Sanane, and Hokuto, by standardizing the input of their Ryuusui special move, while also increasing its startup.

The developer is unsure of whether or not they will be adding Area to the game’s Arcade version at this time. You can see the full patch notes, as well as some over three hours of developer gameplay with Area, below:

Ver 1.3.0 Changes

Character Changes

Additional Characters
-> Area
*Area does not have any Expert Mode challenges.

Improvements to Netplay Matches
-> The Netplay has been improved, along with additions and adjustments to the UI.

New Online Mode added for Testing.
-> A mode that allows you to spectate matches (Spectator Mode) has been added
*For PS4 and Steam versions only.

Spectator Mode (In Testing)
This mode allows a Player to create a Lobby and spectate the matches of other Players who join.

*Game Balancing
The input for Shirase, Sanane, and Hokuto’s special move 「Ryuusui」has been standardized, and the startup has increased.

*Bug Fixes and Balancing
Fixed an issue with Sharon where using Half Moon does not trigger the Critical Gougi.

Catch ARIKA’s videos detialing Area and the 1.3.0 update below!

With the last advertised character now being officially released, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for FEXL. Will Area be the last piece of major DLC released for the game, or will ARIKA continue to support the title?

Perhaps we’ll get an answer this August at Evo 2019? What else would you like to see added to Fighting EX Layer in the future? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Source: ARIKA (Facebook) (YouTube)

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Final Evo 2019 registration numbers released, SNK and Athlon Games provide $30,000 pot bonus for Samurai Shodown

This year’s event is shaping up to be one of the biggest in Evo history!

With registration finally closed as of last Sunday, the final numbers have been released for all of the nine main stage titles at Evo 2019, with a myriad of records being broken.

First off, a staggering seven of the nine official titles have gained over 1,000 entrants, with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leading the pack with over 3,000 competitors, making it the largest Smash tournament in Evo’s history, series-wide, if not the largest Smash tourney of all time.

Meanwhile, SNK’s newly-released Samurai Shodown has also become the most-entered SNK game in Evo history, with a whopping 1,719 entrants, shattering KOFXIII‘s previous record of 1,072 in 2012.

To celebrate this feat, SNK and the game’s North American publisher, Athlon Games, are teaming up to add an extra $30,000 to the title’s overall prize pot, in addition to some cool SamSho-themed swag for the trio of player’s fortunate enough to make Top 3.

These players, in addition to embracing death to the fullest, will be rewarded with a limited edition Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Mini console, as well as a very cool Haohmaru/Samurai Spirits jacket, and a signed original sketch of the Ainu priestess Nakoruru by SNK illustrator Yumi Saji.

Click to view slideshow.

Going back to the final entrant counts, we can see that while Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has managed to maintain its massively uncontested lead all the way to the finish line, Super Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition finally eclipsed Tekken 7 for second-place honors, despite the King of Iron Fist Tournament 7 actually being the only returning game to actually grow overall.

SamSho finished in 4th, ahead of fellow popular newcomer Mortal Kombat 11, despite being the newer of the two titles, with Dragon Ball FighterZ maintaining a respectable 5th place, and Dragon Ball FighterZ, SoulCalibur VI, and BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle comprising the Bottom 3 games.

Though it should be noted that the SoulCalibur VI community’s souls still burn brighter than ever, as the newest chapter to take place on the Stage of History gained more entrants than its predecessor, SoulCalibur V, at Evo 2012, which only drew 416 warriors to pursue the cursed swords.

BBTAG brings up the rear after breaking 1,000 entrants in its debut year. The title set a new record for the largest last-place game in Evo history, displacing Killer Instinct’s 546 players from Evo 2014, in addition to being a Sunday Finals title and the tournament is the final chance to qualify for the ARCREVO World Tour Finals.

Additionally, Mr. Wizard and the Evo organizers have released the entire list of 9,193 unique competitors, organized by the games they’re entering, over on smash.gg, so you can see who you’re possibly competing against in your title of choice, or just looking to follow their journey from home.

Finally, Mark “MarkMan” Julio, Head of Business Development at Evo, has teaed some massive reveals and announcements likely set to come during the Sunday finals in the Mandalay Bay Arena. Pointing to last year’s reveals of G and Sagat for Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, Cooler for Dragon Ball FighterZ, and the announcement of Season 2 for Tekken 7, which included the likes of Anna Williams, Lei Wulong and The Walking Dead’s Negan, amongst its lineup.

You can see his Tweet below. With BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Tekken 7, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate set to headline the final day of the event, we’re hopefully in for some massive news on multiple fronts.

Evo 2019 takes place on August 2nd-4th from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Source: MrWiz (Twitter); AceKingOffsuit (Twitter); SNK; MarkMan23 (Twitter)