Author: Austyn "Lazybones2020" Roney

Another day, another “sparking” Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 trailer! This one in particular highlights the heroes and villains doing what they do best, along with the new custom character transformations. The footage from this English trailer should seem familiar however, as it is mainly taken from a Japanese trailer released in July.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is focusing on “expanding the experience” with each of the playable races, and these new transformations are bound to make custom characters more enjoyable to play with.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is releasing on current generation consoles and PC, as Namco Bandai plans to create the “largest and most detailed Dragon Ball world ever developed.”

Players will take the role of a Time Patroller, a time-traveling defender of history, similar to in the original title. This time however, the past is meant to be changed.

The title is set to release in North America on October 25 and in Europe on October 28, on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Steam users will have to wait just a little bit longer when the game releases on PC internationally on October 28.

Source: Namco Bandai Entertainment America

Players looking to catch a glimpse of all 33 characters announced so far in Blazblue: Central Fiction will be able to see them in action on the Japanese website. All you need to do is scroll down and select the character of your choice.

The videos are brief but give a good idea of what each character offers when it comes to their unique gameplay style.

There is even a combo video of the recently announced, Es, from Xblaze: Code Embryo.

BlazBlue: Central Fiction is set to release in North America on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 sometime this winter.

Sources: Gematsu, Arc System Works

Blade Arcus from Shining: Battle Arena is heading to PC via Steam on July 28, 2016. The game’s Steam version will be published by Studio Saisenzen.

The game features characters from the Shining role playing game series. Players will compete against one another through the game’s “Tag Battle” combat system with 16 playable characters. There will be four main game modes including its fully voiced Story Mode. Online play was created specifically for the Steam release.

Blade Arcus from Shining: Battle Arena was originally released on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on November 26, 2015. One can hope for a similar release after the game comes stateside.

The announcement trailer is available below!

Source: Gematsu, Steam

The seemingly unstoppable force of Dead or Alive 5 Last Round costume crossovers continues with a brand new set based upon the outfits worn by characters from the hit anime and manga series Attack on Titan.

The costumes are currently available on the PlayStation Network, the Xbox Games Store, and the Steam Store. Players can purchase the costumes for $2.99 per character. All 30 costumes can be purchased in a bundle for $39.49 on the PSN and the Xbox Games Store. Interestingly, the pack costs a little more on Steam. It will run at $39.99

There is also a new stage available for purchase as well that is based upon the iconic set of the anime. The stage will cost $4.99.

Check out the new costumes below!

Click to view slideshow.

Sources: DualShockers, PlayStation Network, Xbox Games Store, Steam

Gio Corsi of Sony Computer Entertainment America announced that Garou: Mark of the Wolves is coming soon to the PS4 and PS Vita systems at the SNK panel at EVO 2016 in Las Vegas.

Sony released an official statement about the game via the PlayStation Blog. The title received the highest number of votes to be the next SNK game with a re-release. The PlayStation Blog also announced that the game will include a Gallery Mode and Sound Test Features.

Garou: Mark of the Wolves is the eight installment of the Fatal Fury franchise and was first playable in Japanese arcades in 1999.

The game is currently playable on the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Marketplace and iOS through the App Store.

Source: Destructoid, PlayStation Blog

Last night, just before the commencement of the Killer Instinct grand finals for Evo 2016, Microsoft announced the final boss of the original Killer Instinct, Eyedol, to be the final character included in the current game’s third season of content.

Owners of Killer Instinct Season Three Ultra Edition will be able to play as the fighter on July 22. For folks who own the Combo Breaker Edition of the game, you will only have to wait a week longer for the returning character to become available.

Check out the character’s introduction trailer below!

Killer Instinct is currently available on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.

Microsoft also recently announced the Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition, which will include all 26 characters from the passed three seasons along with bonuses like a soundtrack and exclusive Gold Gargos character skin.

Source: Killer Instinct, with a tip from NightmareSteam

The upcoming platform fighter by Angry Mob Games, Brawlout, combines the “platforming and win conditions” of Super Smash Bros. with the “various combat moves and ground combos” from more traditional fighting games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.

Players will be able to compete locally or online in a handful of different modes supporting up to 8 characters at once. These characters begin with “accessible attacks” that are enhanced with special moves and combos.

If you’re interested in taking an early look at the game, head on over to The MIX: Evo Indie Showcase which is set to take place on July 15 and 16 during–you guessed it–Evo.

You can find more information on Brawlout and The Mix: Evo Indie Showcase by following their respective links. The Mix: Evo Indie Showcase head on over to The MIX’s Evo 2016 webpage.

Sources: Angry Mob Games, The MIX via Gematsu

 

Sony recently added eight more fighting games to their subscription-based streaming service as a part of the recent “FIGHT!” PlayStation Now update.

Highlights from the update include BlazBlue: Chronophantasma EXTEND, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, and the recent Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-. These titles add even more value to the already vast library of available titles, including Ultra Street Fighter IV, Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition, and Injustice: Gods Among Us.

PlayStation Now can be accessed on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and select televisions and Blu-ray players. The service currently only offers PS3 titles, but Sony plans to extend their library to include games from the original PlayStation and the PlayStation 2.

You can view the entire list of available games here.

Sources: PlayStation, DualShockers

E3 may have come and gone, but the hype for Tekken 7 remains strong long after the convention doors have closed.

As proof of this, Bandai Namco just released a video of Tekken reactions throughout E3 2016. The video follows the game’s journey from the Xbox conference stage to the hands of the players themselves.

Community personalities like Xavier Woods, Maximilian, and Kenny give their impressions about Tekken 7, its Cinematic Story Mode, and the inclusion of Akuma from Street Fighter.

While we do not currently have an exact release date, Bandai Namco has confirmed that the title will release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in early 2017.

Source: Bandai Namco

Longtime gamer and professional photographer, Bartosz Hołoszkiewicz, aka Renton Holmes, has been working on quite a few projects surrounding the Street Fighter community. Over the last year, Holmes has been working with writer and fighting game player Nicholas “Majin Tenshinhan” Taylor to create a story surrounding the FGC.

With Holmes from Poland and Taylor from Sweden, the tag team duo has begun their work in Europe with hopes of reaching Asia and the United States. “We want to cover not only competitions but also more private lives of players,” said Holmes.

Holmes has created two stories already in Japan, one of which was published in 2014 by Technology-based magazine and website, Wired Japan. The second story is waiting to be published. Most recently, Mr. Holmes began a portrait series as a side project while at Capcom Pro Tour Premier, DreamHack Summer 2016. Videogame website Kotaku wrote an article about the photographer and his stellar photos.

We reached out to Holmes to have him describe his experience shooting photographs of the event and the players themselves.

“Even though it was a Premier event, it felt very intimate,” said Holmes. “No huge stage, everyone was sitting together, playing together, with no visible boundary between pros and casuals in the audience.”

Holmes appreciated the atmosphere provided at the tournament and felt it created a strong sense of unity within the community. “You could walk to Phenom, Tokido, well anyone, and ask for a game if they weren’t waiting for their match. I loved it.”

Holmes feels that the fighting game community offers something truly unique in the world of competitive gaming.

“…In my opinion, the fighting game scene is very different when compared to other big eSport games. You get big events but they are still much more open to everyone. Most competitions are open, even the biggest ones, anyone can sign up.”

Holmes attributed his success in creating his portraits to the openness and the welcoming nature of the fighting game community itself. “That’s what I like and want to show. That’s why I was able to do these portraits.” The longtime gamer and professional photographer continues to show his passion for the industry and community through his works.

For more on Mr. Hołoszkiewicz’ works, here’s a link to his professional website.

Click to view slideshow.

Sources: Renton Holmes, WIRED Japan, Kotaku,