Author: Franz "d3v" Co

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Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 & Killer Instinct Added to SoCal Regionals 2016

When SoCal Regionals 2016’s lineup was first announced, there was some disappointment at the exclusion of certain games; well, fans of those games can now rest easy, thanks to this latest announcement from the organizers.

In a recent tweet, Level Up’s Alex Valle announced that both Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Killer Instinct have been added to the tournament lineup for SoCal Regionals 2016.

While KI and UMvC3 aren’t exactly the most popular games at the moment, both have strong and dedicated competitive followings. The UMvC3 community in particular has been reinvigorated–thanks in part to the game’s strong showing at Evo 2016.

SoCal Regionals 2016 takes place from October 14 to 16 at the Esports Arena in Orange County, CA.

Source: LU|Alex Valle (Twitter)

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Capcom Hasn’t Forgotten about Street Fighter V’s Daily Challenges, Update Coming Soon

While Street Fighter V has seen a lot of new content added over the past few months, the one feature that has yet to appear are the daily “Targets”: challenges for players to earn additional precious Fight Money. Capcom will be giving an update on this soon.

In reply to a question on the r/StreetFighter subreddit, Capcom’s Neidel “Haunts” Crisan stated that they will be addressing the daily challenges in an upcoming blog update. According to Haunts, they haven’t been able to offer any new information on them because they’ve been focused on the Capcom Pro Tour DLC, as well as working on a general FAQ for the game. Have a look at his original reply here.

With the number of things Fight Money is needed to purchase in the Street Fighter V Shop, any feature that allows players to earn more would be welcome. Here’s hoping that we get to see this promised blog update about the daily challenges soon.

Source: r/StreetFighter

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Capcom’s Hideaki Itsuno Talks about the Possibility of a Rival Schools 3

Aside from Street Fighter, Capcom created a number of fighting game series back in the late ’90s: one of the most popular was Rival Schools, a unique take on the genre that mixed 3D movement with high flying air combos similar to the Versus series. Combine this with the unique cast of high school students–guest-starring Sakura Kasugano–and you have one of Capcom’s most memorable entries from the era.

Now, it seems that there’s at least one person at Capcom interested in bringing Rival Schools back. Hideaki Itsuno, who directed the original games before moving on to titles such as Devil May Cry 3 and Dragon’s Dogma, has been talking a lot about reviving the series over at the CFN Portal.

The interview itself goes over a lot of topics concerning the series creation, such as how they originally came up with the concept, and the actual designs of the characters. One thing that’s clear is how much Itsuno loves the series.

Itsuno concludes the interview by stating that he’s been wanting to continue the series for the longest time now, and states that the story of the main characters (Batsu, Hinata, and Kyosuke) isn’t finished. He encourages fans who want to show support to tweet him with the hashtag #RivalSchools3.

Source: CFN Portal

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Capcom’s Hideaki Itsuno Talks about the Possibility of a Rival Schools 3

Aside from Street Fighter, Capcom created a number of fighting game series back in the late ’90s: one of the most popular was Rival Schools, a unique take on the genre that mixed 3D movement with high flying air combos similar to the Versus series. Combine this with the unique cast of high school students–guest-starring Sakura Kasugano–and you have one of Capcom’s most memorable entries from the era.

Now, it seems that there’s at least one person at Capcom interested in bringing Rival Schools back. Hideaki Itsuno, who directed the original games before moving on to titles such as Devil May Cry 3 and Dragon’s Dogma, has been talking a lot about reviving the series over at the CFN Portal.

The interview itself goes over a lot of topics concerning the series creation, such as how they originally came up with the concept, and the actual designs of the characters. One thing that’s clear is how much Itsuno loves the series.

Itsuno concludes the interview by stating that he’s been wanting to continue the series for the longest time now, and states that the story of the main characters (Batsu, Hinata, and Kyosuke) isn’t finished. He encourages fans who want to show support to tweet him with the hashtag #RivalSchools3.

Source: CFN Portal

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The Answer Lies in the Heart of Battle: Daigo and Tokido Duke It Out in This Street Fighter V Online Set

When it comes to Street Fighter V’s Ryu, there are likely only two players who can rightfully claim to be the best in the planet. These are none other than Daigo “The Beast” Umehara and his former teammate, the “Murderface” himelf, Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi.

Recently, these two titans clashed in an online set post-Evo 2016. The result is a breathtaking mirror match where both players have to dig deep and rely on pure skill to win. YogaFlame24 has recorded and uploaded the replay of the match on to YouTube. Check it out below, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Source: YogaFlame24

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Get Tricky with These Bomb Setups and Resets for Street Fighter V’s Ibuki

With all the attention being poured on Street Fighter V’s newest character Juri, some may have forgotten about Ibuki. Hiding in the shadows may suit a ninja for a while–but the plucky kunoichi still has a few tricks up her sleeve.

With its ability to extend combos and create mix-up situations afterwards, Ibuki’s bomb is arguably one of the best V-Triggers in the game. The Rush ‘n Kill Clan has put together this new video, showcasing some tricky setups that further reinforce this.

Source: Rush ‘n Kill Clan

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Despite Some Missteps, Street Fighter V’s Capcom Pro Tour DLC Is a Step Forward for the Scene

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not reflect Shoryuken.com as a whole.

At Evo 2016, one of Capcom’s biggest announcements was the new DLC set for Street Fighter V that’s supposed to help crowdfund the Capcom Pro Tour. Reaction to this announcement, and Haunts’ further clarifications on it, has been somewhat mixed. Many fans have criticized the price, while some are wondering why Capcom needs money to fund the CPT. As a tournament organizer who actually runs a CPT event (Manila Cup), I’d like to share my own take on this: Capcom’s efforts to crowdfund the Capcom Pro Tour are a good step forward, despite these issues.

Now, let me get this out of the way first–as a tournament organizer, I have benefited a lot from the Capcom Pro Tour. Manila Cup doesn’t get a prize pool bonus from Capcom itself. However, more than a few companies have stepped forward to provide support. This is thanks to the event being part of the CPT. Manila Cup itself isn’t the only event that benefits from this; the Capcom Pro Tour has over 70 events this season. You can be sure that many of the less established events on the calendar have benefited in the same manner.

The tournament organizers aren’t the only ones who benefit–the players do too. These events allow many players the chance to meet and fight other players who they might never have if not for the fact that these were CPT events. With this in mind, any way for the CPT to be able to raise money for itself is generally a good thing, as it allows it to continue to exist. This in turn means that the events that benefit from the CPT–and by extension, the players who benefit from these events–can also continue to do so.

Of course, this isn’t the only way for Capcom to try to raise money for the Capcom Pro Tour. Many of you are probably wondering why Capcom doesn’t just find more sponsors and partners for the tour. After all, this is what the events that are partnered with it are doing.

Capcom does of course have sponsors for the Capcom Pro Tour. However, Capcom needs to invest more of their money if they want to grow the CPT, and it’s not as simple as just asking for more money from their sponsors–they need to show the initiative and invest more of their own first. By doing so, it makes it easier to justify asking for more from the sponsors.

The other issue with sponsors on a Tour-wide level is one of control. As a sponsor’s financial stake in the Tour grows, so does their voice in the running of the Tour. The danger in this lies when a sponsor or partner asks for something that may end up being to the detriment of the game and the community. We’ve already seen something like this, when the glitchy, unpatched PlayStation 4 version of Ultra Street Fighter IV was almost run at Evo 2015.

Now, this isn’t to say that there aren’t things that Capcom could improve on with their crowdfunding efforts. The biggest issue that many fans seem to have with the Capcom Pro Tour DLC at the moment seems to be the price: many find that the cost of the content to be a bit high. This is on top of the fact that Street Fighter V’s regular DLC items are already quite pricey when purchased with real money. While many would like to see the prices reduced, in my opinion the real issue here is transparency. If Capcom were to show us how much from the DLC is going towards the CPT, and how much was raised so far, then there would likely be less objection to the cost.

Another issue is that the DLC isn’t part of the Season Pass. For the next season, they should make it clear that there would be a separate crowdfunding effort with content outside the Season Pass–or better yet, they could integrate the crowd funding into the Season Pass itself.

Meanwhile, some have complained that new colors, costumes, and an extra stage aren’t enough as an incentive to support the tour; many will point to Valve’s yearly Compendiums for DOTA 2’s The International tournament. These self-updating digital booklets provide fans with a way to keep track of the statistics of teams and players, and players can also win cosmetic items by using them to make accurate predictions on tournament results. Perhaps Capcom can learn a thing or two from this, especially since this is likely what inspired their efforts in the first place.

Whatever happens though, it’s clear that we’ve taken a step forward in ensuring the future of the Capcom Pro Tour. Doors have opened for tournament organizers and players alike, and Capcom is now trying to find ways to ensure they stay open. What needs to happen now is for both Capcom and the community to push forward, and work together toward improving on what the former has laid out here.

Posted on

Despite Some Missteps, Street Fighter V’s Capcom Pro Tour DLC Is a Step Forward for the Scene

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not reflect Shoryuken.com as a whole.

At Evo 2016, one of Capcom’s biggest announcements was the new DLC set for Street Fighter V that’s supposed to help crowdfund the Capcom Pro Tour. Reaction to this announcement, and Haunts’ further clarifications on it, has been somewhat mixed. Many fans have criticized the price, while some are wondering why Capcom needs money to fund the CPT. As a tournament organizer who actually runs a CPT event (Manila Cup), I’d like to share my own take on this: Capcom’s efforts to crowdfund the Capcom Pro Tour are a good step forward, despite these issues.

Now, let me get this out of the way first–as a tournament organizer, I have benefited a lot from the Capcom Pro Tour. Manila Cup doesn’t get a prize pool bonus from Capcom itself. However, more than a few companies have stepped forward to provide support. This is thanks to the event being part of the CPT. Manila Cup itself isn’t the only event that benefits from this; the Capcom Pro Tour has over 70 events this season. You can be sure that many of the less established events on the calendar have benefited in the same manner.

The tournament organizers aren’t the only ones who benefit–the players do too. These events allow many players the chance to meet and fight other players who they might never have if not for the fact that these were CPT events. With this in mind, any way for the CPT to be able to raise money for itself is generally a good thing, as it allows it to continue to exist. This in turn means that the events that benefit from the CPT–and by extension, the players who benefit from these events–can also continue to do so.

Of course, this isn’t the only way for Capcom to try to raise money for the Capcom Pro Tour. Many of you are probably wondering why Capcom doesn’t just find more sponsors and partners for the tour. After all, this is what the events that are partnered with it are doing.

Capcom does of course have sponsors for the Capcom Pro Tour. However, Capcom needs to invest more of their money if they want to grow the CPT, and it’s not as simple as just asking for more money from their sponsors–they need to show the initiative and invest more of their own first. By doing so, it makes it easier to justify asking for more from the sponsors.

The other issue with sponsors on a Tour-wide level is one of control. As a sponsor’s financial stake in the Tour grows, so does their voice in the running of the Tour. The danger in this lies when a sponsor or partner asks for something that may end up being to the detriment of the game and the community. We’ve already seen something like this, when the glitchy, unpatched PlayStation 4 version of Ultra Street Fighter IV was almost run at Evo 2015.

Now, this isn’t to say that there aren’t things that Capcom could improve on with their crowdfunding efforts. The biggest issue that many fans seem to have with the Capcom Pro Tour DLC at the moment seems to be the price: many find that the cost of the content to be a bit high. This is on top of the fact that Street Fighter V’s regular DLC items are already quite pricey when purchased with real money. While many would like to see the prices reduced, in my opinion the real issue here is transparency. If Capcom were to show us how much from the DLC is going towards the CPT, and how much was raised so far, then there would likely be less objection to the cost.

Another issue is that the DLC isn’t part of the Season Pass. For the next season, they should make it clear that there would be a separate crowdfunding effort with content outside the Season Pass–or better yet, they could integrate the crowd funding into the Season Pass itself.

Meanwhile, some have complained that new colors, costumes, and an extra stage aren’t enough as an incentive to support the tour; many will point to Valve’s yearly Compendiums for DOTA 2’s The International tournament. These self-updating digital booklets provide fans with a way to keep track of the statistics of teams and players, and players can also win cosmetic items by using them to make accurate predictions on tournament results. Perhaps Capcom can learn a thing or two from this, especially since this is likely what inspired their efforts in the first place.

Whatever happens though, it’s clear that we’ve taken a step forward in ensuring the future of the Capcom Pro Tour. Doors have opened for tournament organizers and players alike, and Capcom is now trying to find ways to ensure they stay open. What needs to happen now is for both Capcom and the community to push forward, and work together toward improving on what the former has laid out here.

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Lost Atomiswave Arcade Fighter “KenJu” Found by Collector

At the turn of the last millennium, almost every developer was working on some form of arcade fighting game–while many of these eventually saw the light of day, more than a few never made it past the testing stage. One such unfortunate game was KenJu.

Arcade board collector ShouTime was recently able to acquire the prototype board for KenJu, thanks to an unnamed benefactor who sent him the rare item. He’s shared some offscreen video of the game in action on Tumblr.

http://shoutime.tumblr.com/post/148100072700/kenju-ac-uncovered-due-to-a-generous

In development at Dream Factory (of Tobal and Ergheiz fame), KenJu was one of the many fighters being developed for Sammy’s Atomiswave arcade board. The game was to feature cel-shaded 3D graphics and 2d gameplay on a 3D field–similar to Capcom’s popular Rival Schools games. Work on the game seemed to have proceeded as far as location testing outside Japan (with the game being seen in London, of all places) before it was cancelled.

Here are a few more videos of KenJu from accel99.

As for why it was cancelled, no one knows. While arcade games being cancelled–even after testing–isn’t unheard of, KenJu had the additional bad luck of being in development at a time when arcades and arcade fighting games were seen as being in decline.

Did we miss out on what may have been an interesting fighter, or was this just another dud that we would have forgotten anyway? Share your thoughts on this in the comments below.

Sources: ShouTime via Arcade Heroes; accel99

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King of Fighters XIV’s Yasuyuki Oda Talks DLC Characters and More in GAME Watch Interview

SNK recently brought the upcoming King of Fighters XIV to the ChinaJoy expo in Shanghai; during the event, GAME Watch was able to catch up with director Yasuyuki Oda for an interview.

The interview itself was mostly focused on how the game was being received in China–an important market for King of Fighters. That said, they also touched on the game’s downloadable content: according to Oda, they have no plans for DLC characters at the moment. However, he did state that “anything could happen” later down the line. As part of this, Oda also addressed the topic of a crossover between KOF and Dead or Alive (DOA5 Last Round is getting Mai Shiranui as a guest character) stating that there are no plans to add characters from the latter into King of Fighters.

As for the game’s future, Oda stated that they plan to roll out one balance patch per year for King of Fighters XIV, in part because Oda will be focusing on another SNK game after KOFXIV has been released.

Source: GAME Watch