Author: Franz "d3v" Co

As previously reported, The King of Fighters  XIV will be getting a new demo reflecting the graphical updates that are coming to the game with the 1.10 patch in January. While the demo is not yet out in North America, it is already available to download on PlayStation Network in Asia.

The demo features 7 characters: Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Shunei, King of Dinosaurs, Terry Bogard, Yuri Sakazaki, and Leona. The playable modes are the tutorial, versus, and training modes.

For those wondering just how much the graphics have changed, we’ve uploaded some comparison screenshots between it, and the existing retail build of the game (version 1.05).

Click to view slideshow.

As you can see from the screenshots, the characters now have much more prominent self-shadowing. This gives them a sense of “depth” that just wasn’t there before.

In addition to this, Gatoray has also uploaded this video from the demo, showing off the updated graphics in motion, as well as also giving us a glimpse of the new costume colors.

The King of Fighters XIV’s 1.10 patch is set to release on January 10.

Sources: PlayStation Store; Gatoray

It’s once again that time of the year when sleigh bells ring, fallen snow glistens, and massive discounts abound. Yes, Valve’s Steam Winter sale is once again upon us.

With the Steam Winter Sale comes a sleighload of discounts on various fighting games, from big titles such as Street Fighter V and Mortal Kombat XL, to smaller indie games such as Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm, Vanguard Princess, and more.

We here at Shoryuken have tried our best to compile a list of the fighting games on sale as part of the Steam Winter Sale. You can check this list out below, that said–be sure to head on to Steam for any that we may have missed!

Game	Original Price	Sale Price	Discount
Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX!!!!!	$29.99	$9.98	67%
Battle Fantasia	$14.99	$3.74	75%
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger	$9.99	$1.99	80%
BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend	$29.99	$9.98	67%
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend	$14.99	$4.99	75%
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round	$39.99	$19.99	50%
EF-12: Fighting Game Maker	$9.99	$7.99	20%
Eternal Champions	$2.99	$1.49	50%
FrightShow Fighter	$9.99	$2.99	70%
Guilty Geard XX Accent Core +R	$14.99	$4.94	67%
Guilty Geard Xrd -Sign-	$29.99	$14.99	50%
Guilty Geard Xrd -Sign- Big Blast Bundle	$39.99	$19.99	50%
Guilty Geard Xrd Complete (Deluxe)	$104.98	$76.48	27%
Guilty Geard Xrd Complete (Standard)	$79.98	$58.48	27%
Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition	$19.99	$4.99	75%
The King of Fighters XIII Steam Edition	$19.99	$4.99	75%
The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match	$14.99	$4.94	67%
The King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition	$14.99	$4.94	67%
The King of Fighters Triple Pack	$34.99	$17.49	50%
Kings of Kung Fu	$9.99	$1.49	85%
Koihime Enbu	$39.99	$19.99	50%
The Last Blade	$9.99	$4.99	50%
Lethal League	$19.99	$4.19	70%
Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code	$24.99	$14.99	40%
Mortal Kombat X	$19.99	$9.99	50%
Mortal Kombat XL	$39.99	$13.59	66%
Skullgirls	$9.99	$2.99	70%
Skullgirls 2nd Encore Upgrade	$14.99	$7.99	50%
Skullgirls: Beowulf DLC	$1.99	$0.59	70%
Skullgirls: Big Band DLC	$1.99	$0.59	70%
Skullgirls: Eliza DLC	$1.99	$0.59	70%
Skullgirls: Robo-Fortune DLC	$1.99	$0.59	70%
Skullgirls: Squigly DLC	$1.99	$0.59	70%
Skullgirls: Color Palette Bundle	$1.99	$0.59	70%
Street Fighter V	$59.99	$19.79	67%
Street Fighter V Deluxe Edition	$109.97	$47.28	57%
Street Fighter V: Season 1 Character Pass	$19.99	$14.99	25%
UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe:Late	$29.99	$19.79	34%
Vanguard Princess	$4.99	$1.74	65%
Verdict Guilty	$2.99	$1.49	50%
Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm	$14.99	$9.74	35%

Source: Steam

As some of you may know, previously the Japan-only Fu’un Super Combo is now out in the US as a PlayStation 2 Classic on PlayStation 4. However, the fact that the original was a Japanese exclusive may mean that most players are not familiar with the two games included in the Fu’un Super Combo compilation: Savage Reign and Kizuna Encounter.

SNK has thus released a trailer for Fu’un Super Combo: the trailer, which you can see below, demonstrates some combos for the characters while at the same time showcasing both games’ excellent sprite work, which has aged quite well.

Fu’un Super Combo is available now on PlayStation 4.

Source: SNK

For those looking to pick up Mortal Kombat XL on PlayStation 4 as either a gift for a friend–or for themselves–now is a great time to do so. NetherRealm’s flagship fighter is on sale as part of PlayStation’s Holiday sale, week 3.

Mortal Kombat XL can currently be purchased on the PlayStation Store for only $19.99. This represents a 50% discount of the game’s regular price of $39.99.

Included in Mortal Kombat XL is all the previously released downloadable content for Mortal Kombat X, including characters in both Kombat Pack 1 and Kombat Pack 2.

The PlayStation Holiday Sale lasts up until 8:00 AM Pacific Time on December 27. Interested players can check out the discounted Mortal Kombat XL as well as other games on sale at the PlayStation Store.

Source: PlayStation Store

Following the costume’s release a couple of days ago in Europe and China, the classic King of Fighters ’98 costume for Athena Asamiya is now out for The King of Fighters XIV owners in North America. While the costume is part of a holiday pack in Europe, the costume comes by itself in North America. While this omission doesn’t really affect the game itself, it does mean that North American players are missing out on a couple of well-made PlayStation 4 themes, complete with custom music and icons.

Athena’s classic KOF ’98 costume is currently available for free for North America for an unspecified amount of time. Interested players should head on over the PlayStation Store to download it.

Source: PlayStation Store

Street Fighter V’s second season is now upon us! With it comes a host of balance changes, and the promise of new characters.

For those now looking to get in on Capcom’s flagship fighter, a new 2017 Deluxe Edition is now available for purchase. This package comes with the character passes for both season one and season two, allowing players access to all the downloadable characters from last season, as well as the ones coming next year.

The Street Fighter V 2017 Deluxe Edition is available for $79.99 on PlayStation 4, and $80.27 on PC via Steam. Both represent a significant discount compared to buying each item separately.

Sources: PlayStation Store; Steam

Despite the base game’s age, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round still has a decent-sized competitive following, as evidenced by last weekend’s Dead or Alive 5 Last Round Battle Royal grand final at NEC 17.  This is helped by Team NINJA’s constant injection of downloadable content into the game. That said, this tidal wave of DLC can make the game financially intimidating to get into.

To help these players out, Team NINJA has put up a limited time Dead or Alive 5 Last Round starter pack for the game on PlayStation 4. This package, the third of its kind that they’ve offered, is available on PSN for $92.99, and comes with a good amount of DLC, including downloadable character Naotora Ii, as well as Season Pass 3. The latter includes 101 costumes, including the Tatsunoko themed costumes and originally retailed for $92.99 on its own. Additionally, Season Pass 3 is itself on sale for only $65.09.

Interested players should get on these soon however, as both the starter pack and the discount on Season Pass 3 will only be available for a limited time.

Source: PlayStation Store

One of the things that Guile players are worried about in Street Fighter V’s second season: the possible closure of his V-Trigger Sonic Boom loop. The official patch notes indicate that the loop was possibly removed, by giving his standing fierce punch and crouching strong punch more pushback. However, it seems that the loop may still be possible, based on this clip from B. Shazz.

As demonstrated in the tweet below, using the beta test of the game on PC, B. Shazz has found that a variation of the loop still works. The main difference is that he substitutes a crouching strong punch with 2 chained crouching jabs instead. Doing so allows Guile to remain close enough for the rest of the loop to still connect.

@NYChrisG there's hope for Huile season 2 loop https://t.co/uxA3LDPA7F

— B. Shazz (@MK_Shazzyam) December 17, 2016

Now whether or not this is still applicable once Season 2 actually goes live, however, is still to be confirmed.

Source: B. Shazz

For those looking forward to the classic Athena costume for The King of Fighters XIV, it seems that you can download it for free right now–if you live in Europe.

The costume is available as part of the so-called Athena Holiday Pack, which can be downloaded for free right now on the European PlayStation Network. In addition to the costume, the comes with two new PlayStation 4 themes, one focused on Athena, and another holiday one featuring Athena, Yuri, and Kula.

The European release of the costume is in line with the release for the traditional Chinese version, which also comes out today. This also likely means that the release for the North American version is coming soon. In the meantime, here’s the official trailer for the pack from SNK.

Sources: PlayStation Store; SNK