Author: Ian "iantothemax" Walker

While Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX IGNITION is set to arrive in Japanese arcades sometime this summer, North America finally has a concrete date to look forward to when it comes to the unfortunately soon-to-be-obsolete console release. According to new details released by Sega, the original version is scheduled to arrive in the west on October 6.

Developed by French-Bread and Ecole Software of Melty Blood and Under Night In-Birth fame, FIGHTING CLIMAX brings together a large roster of characters from the Dengeki Bunko light novel imprint, allowing players to pair up main and support characters like Sword Art Online’s Asuna, Shizuo Heiwajima from Durarara!!, and Accel World’s Haruyuki Arita.

Launch copies will be bundled with a special soundtrack that features contributions a variety of Sega composers, including Teruhiko Nakagawa (Shinobi), Naofumi Hataya (NiGHTS into Dreams…), Jun Senoue (Sonic Adventure series, Sonic Heroes), and more.

Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX will be available for both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

Source: Sega via NeoGAF

Right before Evo 2015, a mysterious blog post from the one and only Mark “MarkMan” Julio appeared online that had us scrambling. In it, the Mad Catz community manager mentioned that he was ready to part ways with the company.

“This is probably going to be my last Evo with Mad Catz,” the short message explained. “After I complete the Street Fighter V range of products and help launch them to market, I will be taking a seat back from gaming and focusing on other passions.”

Julio recently went public with this blog post, saying yesterday that he told the folks at Mad Catz of his future plans. But don’t fret, this isn’t the last you’ll see of the arcade stick aficionado; he promises to remain a part of the fighting game community for the foreseeable future.

As for why he’s making this change, Julio mentions his daughter’s impending graduation to high school and his desire to become a full-time father as his main priorities. With such a busy, globe-trotting work schedule, it isn’t hard to understand why he came to this decision.

It’s currently unknown what the future holds for this integral part of the fighting game community, but we’re sure he’ll still support the scene for years to come. Thanks Mark!

Source: MarkMan, image courtesy of Mad Catz

After opening public demonstrations just last month, Arc System Works is set to host the final round of Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- location tests this week.

As the first major revision to 2014’s popular Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, this follow-up adds two playable characters in series veteran Johnny and newcomer Jack-O (pictured above), updated gameplay mechanics, and more.

Starting tomorrow, July 30, and running through to next week, these tests will allow players to check out -REVELATOR- one final time before its official release, which is scheduled for sometime this summer. Arcades chosen for this last outing include Sega buildings located in three separate Tokyo locations: Akihabara, Kagurazaka, and Shinjuku.

Arc System Works also took the time to announce the voice actors who will be bringing the aforementioned characters to life. Norio Wakamoto, who previously voiced Johnny in earlier installments of the franchise, is set to return alongside Hiromi Igarashi (Fire Emblem Awakening, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom) in the role of Jack-O. And finally, Iemasa Kayumi, who sadly passed away late last year, has been replaced by Takaya Hashi as the voice of Slayer.

The entire cast will again be playable at these final location tests, so stay tuned for more details and footage as we head into the later parts of this week.

Source: Arc System Works

According to The Daily Dot, sources close to Team SoloMid have confirmed that the team will soon be adding Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios to their formidable ranks.

Barrios is widely considered one of the strongest Super Smash Bros. for Wii U players in the world, if not the best the young game has seen in its half-year of existence. He recently took home the gold at Evo 2015 without dropping a single game, another notch in the belt of a career that includes a ridiculous string of first-place finishes stretching back to last November.

Though typically known for their competent League of Legends play, this isn’t SoloMid’s first foray into the world of Smash. Back in March, the competitive gaming organization picked up Swedish god-killer William “Leffen” Hjelte, who also managed to make top eight at this year’s Evo in his game of choice, Super Smash Bros. Melee.

The Daily Dot’s sources have confirmed that the first event to see Barrios sport the TSM tag will be Super Smash Con, scheduled for August 6-9, so keep an eye out to see if their spiffy jackets pair well with his trademark scarf next month.

Source: The Daily Dot

According to The Daily Dot, sources close to Team SoloMid have confirmed that the team will soon be adding Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios to their formidable ranks.

Barrios is widely considered one of the strongest Super Smash Bros. for Wii U players in the world, if not the best the young game has seen in its half-year of existence. He recently took home the gold at Evo 2015 without dropping a single game, another notch in the belt of a career that includes a ridiculous string of first-place finishes stretching back to last November.

Though typically known for their competent League of Legends play, this isn’t SoloMid’s first foray into the world of Smash. Back in March, the competitive gaming organization picked up Swedish god-killer William “Leffen” Hjelte, who also managed to make top eight at this year’s Evo in his game of choice, Super Smash Bros. Melee.

The Daily Dot’s sources have confirmed that the first event to see Barrios sport the TSM tag will be Super Smash Con, scheduled for August 6-9, so keep an eye out to see if their spiffy jackets pair well with his trademark scarf next month.

Source: The Daily Dot

While many were kept from participating in Street Fighter V’s first beta session due to server errors, Pandora House’s LPN was able to jump into the testing session for some brief practice. During his time with the game, he was able to work out a couple of fairly damaging combos for rivals M. Bison and Charlie Nash.

As you’ll see below, these previews make use of a variety of Street Fighter V’s new mechanics, namely the V-Trigger and Crush Counter systems, providing an early idea of how they can be used to extend combos and the hurt they deal out.

Additionally, LPN recorded a decent chunk of online footage before being booted. While it’s hard for a viewer to get a sense of how Street Fighter V functions in netplay just by watching, he had some rather nice things to say about his experience, mentioning that he encountered very little lag in the matches below.

Street Fighter V is scheduled to launch for PlayStation 4 and PC sometime in spring 2016. The first beta session has been postponed indefinitely.

Source: Pandora House