A few weeks back, Bandai Namco revealed the characters Gran Torino and Muscular for My Hero One’s Justice. Now, they’ve dropped a couple of trailers showing them off.
Gran Torino is an older “retired” hero who takes the main character under his wing. He possesses both increased strength and speed — which he wields in the video below, despite his old age.
Muscular, as his name implies, can increase his muscle mass, using his muscle fibers to cover his body.
My Hero One’s Justice is set to launch on PlayStation 4, XBox One, and PC on October 26.
Also, re-releases of older figures are coming soon!
With Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Nintendo launched amiibo, their interactive figurine line that represented every single character from the crossover brawler. Now that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is being released, with every character from past titlesand new additions, Nintendo is releasing more figures for the complete roster.
The next three figures in the Super Smash Bros. line, which you can see below, are for Ridley, Inkling, and Wolf. The first two are new playable characters for the series, while Wolf, on the other hand, was playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but wasn’t in the succeeding game Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
All three new amiibo figures will be arriving on December 7, 2018 — the same day that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate arrives on the Switch — and will retail for $15.99.
In addition to this, Nintendo has also announced that many of the older figures from the Super Smash Bros. series will be getting re-releases. Specifics as to which figures will be sold or when they will be available have yet to be announced. Each re-released figure will be going for its original $12.99 price tag.
With his return to Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, Cody also brings with him a new take on his classic theme. This new theme was the work of Daniel Lindholm, who also did a few other songs for the game — including those for other DLC characters such as Ed, Menat, Zeku, and Sakura.
GINX Esports recently had an interview with Lindholm where the latter got a chance to talk about the creative process behind these themes.
First up, to get it out of the way, Ed theme was loosely based on Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” as some have speculated. In fact, the similarity was enough that Capcom actually had them change it up a bit. “They said, ‘You managed to replicate that song, now please change it so we don’t get sued,” he states.
He ended up changing the bassline, this time taking inspiration from another well-known artist: Tupac Shakur. He took inspiration from “The Humpty Dance”, a song that Tupac did while as part of the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground.
Among the themes that Lindholm has worked on, Zeku’s theme has become a fan-favorite. For the aged Bushinryu master’s theme, he decided to go with genres that today’s generation may not be listening to. Hence, we hear a lot of ’70s disco — something he felt went with the Zeku’s outfits. Said since Zeku does come from Japan, he eventually decided to substitute in a flute instead of the saxophone you’d usually hear in funk music. However, the unreleased Saxophone versions of the theme can be listened to on his YouTube channel:
Meanwhile, Sakura’s may be at the opposite end of the spectrum, with some players preferring the more classic sounding “Kasugano residence” stage theme. Lindholm explains that he wanted Sakura’s theme to reflect that she had grown up.
“I think the character resembles her growth from fanhood to womanhood,” he states. “Her character needs to be more mature, and that’s why we settled on this… not club-house, but straight-house music for her.”
As for Cody’s theme, Lindholm refers to the now iconic voice line from his Street Fighter IV theme – “Turn the beat back.” For Street Fighter V, he sampled this and cut it up, word for word. He also added in elements of New York hip-hop to bring life to the sound of Metro City. Interestingly enough, the initial versions sounded a bit darker.
“It ended up as more of the Bronx, as a darker hip hop. The brass section has been the same, but the bassline was darker in that part. It didn’t sound positive for Cody’s new perspective on life.” Lindholm continues saying, “He’s had this nihilistic view, but now that he has a purpose in life, I wanted to make it lighter. The intro was a small inspiration from SFIV.”
Of course, that’s just part of the interview, you can read the rest, including tidbits on his work on the music from the game’s story modes over at GINX Esports.
The times they are a-changin’ and the Raiden is de-aging.
In this day and age where old film franchises are getting rebooted, and video game movies aren’t as bad as they used to be, it should come as no surprise that Mortal Kombat is getting reimagined. However, it seems that the upcoming reboot, produced by James Wan and directed by Simon McQuoid, is making some significant changes to the franchise’s cast.
According to a report by That Hashtag Show, New Line Cinema is in the process of casting for a new live-action Mortal Kombat film. What’s interesting however are the details revealed by the casting call, including the identity of a new main character.
The biggest change from previous Mortal Kombat media is the addition of a new character, Cole Turner. This new character is a widowed boxer in his 30s who cares about his estranged daughter, currently in the custody of his late wife’s mother and sister.
A new main character is a pretty big change on its own, but some of the other changes to the cast are almost equally as shocking.
The casting sheet reveals that Raiden in this reboot will now be a 14-year-old boy, quite a drastic change from the elder god we know from the series. Additionally, Sub-Zero and Scorpion are nowhere on the list, which may be an even more shocking change, considering that they’re arguably the faces of the franchise.
You can learn more about the casting call for the new Mortal Kombat reboot film from That Hasgtag Show.
This extraordinary game is getting expanded with some extra characters and an arcade mode.
During the development of Fighting EX Layer, ARIKA mentioned that it would love to expand the roster of the game with more classic Street Fighter EX characters if the game sold well enough. Now, it seems that the game has found more than enough success to warrant additional content.
ARIKA announced that both Vulcano Rosso and Pullum Purna will be coming to Fighting EX Layer. The fact that these two were chosen should come as no surprise as ARIKA has previously teased them, rendered in Unreal Engine 4. Perhaps even more exciting is the price, both characters will be available for Fighting EX Players to download at the extraordinary price of $0 — yes, both will be coming to the game for free.
Additional details on Pullum and Vulcano Rosso’s release are set to be announced at Evo 2018. In the meantime, ARIKA has shared these images and backstories for the two extra fighters.
Vulcano Rosso
-After graduating from the Organization, Rosso began his new life as the “Narcissist Detective”.
-Although initially, he didn’t intend on taking a request from a certain rich princess, once he heard the target was Jack he changed his mind.
-Besides, he has to collect the money Jack owes him from their Poker games!
Pullum Purna
-After her father’s disappearance, Purna rose up and governed her country in his stead.
-While trying to figure out a way to escape from the boredom of her daily life, Purna discovered a clue about her father’s disappearance.
-After sharing this information with her people, Purna declared that she herself would go out in search for him.
-Noticing her attendant Darun was also missing, she resolved to search for him as well.
Exude exceedingly exquisite expressions of excellence, thanks to these new features.
In addition to these two excellent additions to the cast, ARIKA has also confirmed that a proper Arcade Mode is also coming to Fighting EX Layer. This is set to arrive in an update planned for the end of July which should also bring the ability to return to Training Mode after an online match.
These are definitely steps in the right direction and a pleasant surprise for those who are already enjoying the title. While waiting for the new characters and features to release, check out Shoryuken’s review for a detailed look at Fighting EX Layer.
Fighting EX Layer is currently available for purchase exclusively on PlayStation 4.
One of the most interesting controller projects in the works for Super Smash Bros. is Alt Lab Controllers’ Smash Stick. As you may know from our previouscoverage, the Smash Stick eschews the all-button layout of other alternate Super Smash Bros. controllers and instead uses an analog arcade lever.
At the recently-concluded CEO 2018, Alt Lab Controllers brought the prototype of the Smash Stick to let players have a go at it. As part of this, they captured video of some players trying it out on both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, as well as their impressions of the new controller.
You can check out this video below.
Alt Lab Controllers’s Smash Stick is set to open its crowdfunding campaign this coming October.
Ever since it was announced a couple of weeks back, people have been wondering just exactly how Kill La Kill the Game: IF will play. While the game is an arena fighter, the involvement of Arc System Works has left more than a few fighting game aficionados curious about it. In a recent interview with Siliconera, APlus Games’ director Hideaki Mizota, Arc System Works producer Toshimichi Mori, and Studio Trigger producer Hiromi Wakabayashi got to talk a bit about the game, including its gameplay.
Director Mizota compared the gameplay to other arena fighters, specifically mentioning the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series. In addition to this, however, he stated that with Arc System Works overseeing development, one important keyword for them is “fun”. As part of this, he states that while they were concerned about character balance, ArcSys told them to pull back and look at the bigger picture. “The game needs to be fun even if you’re playing it by yourself first,” says Mizota, “and then we can think about balance.”
ArcSys’s Mori talks more about this and the idea of the game “feeling good” the moment a player picks it up. “I think in the world of video games the distinction is made in the first 30 to 60 seconds when picking up the controller,” he states. “It’s really important to get the feeling right.”
Of course, this isn’t the only thing they discuss. They also talk about other things, such as the game’s story and setting, how it won’t have RPG elements (unlike some other arena fighters), as well as how Studio Trigger may be even more strict in terms of visuals than ArcSys. You can read the entire interview over at Siliconera.
Kill La Kill the Game: IF is set to launch on PlayStation 4 and PC in 2019.
Super Smash Bros. is about the fun, not the glory.
Historically, the relationship between Nintendo and the competitive Super Smash Bros. community has been a tenuous one at best. The Kyoto-based company hasn’t given as much support to the competitive side of things when compared to other companies, despite the series’ large player base.
Talking to The Washington Post, series creator Masahiro Sakurai addressed this issue, and discussed why Nintendo hasn’t really focused as much on the competitive side of things.
According to Sakurai — who is technically not a Nintendo employee, but has worked directly with the company since the original Kirby title on GameBoy — esports do not match the company’s vision for games.
“The philosophy behind them doesn’t go in line with Nintendo’s philosophy in that some of these players are playing for the prize money.” He continues, stating that “it comes to a point where they’re playing the game for the money, and I feel that kind of direction doesn’t coincide with Nintendo’s view of what games should be.”
Additionally, Sakurai also states that he doesn’t want the game to become too difficult for a majority of players by focusing on competitive elements.
“I feel like a game, at the end of the day, is about playing the game. But if we focus too much on the top level players – or the audience – then the game skews a little bit too much on the technical side.”
Part of this involves speeding up the tempo of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, to avoid having to add more advanced mechanics, such as those found in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Sakura does actually address the latter and its popularity.
“I think a lot of Melee players love Melee. But at the same time, I think a lot of players, on the other hand, gave up on Melee because it’s too technical because they can’t keep up with it,” he states. “And I know there were players who got tendinitis from playing and messing with the controller so much… that really is hard on the player. And I feel like a game should really focus on what the target audience is.”
All this being said, Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U are featured in the main tournament for Evo 2018, so Nintendo isn’t entirely against competitive Super Smash Bros., it just isn’t a primary focus.
This past weekend, Lab Zero announced at Anime Expo 2018 that they were bringing Skullgirls 2nd Encore over to the Nintendo Switch. Now, they’re following up on that announcement with a new trailer that details some of the features for the upcoming port.
First and foremost, there will be a physical release for the game (alongside a digital release on the eShop, of course). In addition to this, Skullgirls 2nd Encore will feature both English and Japanese voices, as well as trials, challenges, and survival mode.
Check out the trailer below.
Skullgirls 2nd Encore‘s Switch port is set to arrive later this year. It’s also currently available for PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and PC.
Despite not being a main game at this year’s Evo, Capcom vs. SNK 2 has had a consistent yearly presence thanks to the efforts of Ryo “D44BAS” Yoshida. This year is no exception!
For those interested in joining the Capcom vs. SNK 2 side tournament at Evo 2018, registration for the event is now open over at Smash.gg, for the low entry fee of $10. The side tournament itself will take place at 6:00 PM PT on Friday, August 3 at the “Bring Your Own Console” room.
The tournament will be run on the PlayStation 2 version of the game — For those without the controllers for the console, converters will be made available. As with most of the big side tournaments at Evo 2018, the Capcom vs. SNK 2 tournament’s Top 4 will also be featured on stage.
For those who won’t be able to attend but want in on the action, the tournament will be streamed… though the stream channel has yet to be announced. Keep an eye out here for more information as it becomes available.
