Author: Ian "iantothemax" Walker

In the past, we’ve reported on Infil’s “Killer Instinct Guide for Street Fighter IV Players” quite a few times, but the latest addition to their website is probably the coolest yet, as it allows you to practice breaking Shadow Linkers without even booting up your game.

Similar to Teyah’s overhead trainer or Level Up Your Game’s throw break practice, Infil’s new program gives player the opportunity to try their hand at countering each character’s Shadow Linkers, complete with actual gameplay footage and a handy diagram of their specific breaker windows. Some, like Kan-Ra’s Whirl or Glacius’ Cold Shoulder, don’t require anything other than mashing, but a few have a distinct rhythm that definitely needs studying. And, if that’s not enough, you can visit the individual character pages for specific strategies on how to break their Shadow Linkers.

This is an amazing resource for both Killer Instinct newcomers and those who have been competing for some time, so be sure to check out Infil’s hard work, no matter which end of the spectrum you fall on, by following the link below.

Source: Infil, tips via Keits and Terry King Jr.

When we received our first hint at Pokkén Tournament’s existence back in 2013, the brief footage teased at an impending battle between Lucario and Blaziken. While the former Fighting-type was one of the earliest Pokémon to be revealed for the upcoming title, the latter has yet to make an official appearance outside of the Pokémon Game Show video.

Fortunately for fans of the fiery avian, Bandai Namco and The Pokémon Company have finally made the official announcement that Blaziken will be playable in Pokkén Tournament after the title’s scheduled update in August.

This news comes courtesy of the latest issue of Famitsu. According to translations from Gematsu, Blaziken will employ a variety of offensive techniques to overwhelm opponents. Flare Drive (known as Flare Blitz in North America) is specifically mentioned, though it’s unknown how the attack has transitioned from the original RPG series.

Pokkén Tournament is scheduled to launch in Japanese arcades on July 16.

Source: Famitsu via Siliconera, Gematsu, All Games Beta

Ever since its name change in 2002, the Evolution Championship Series has featured a constantly transforming lineup of official titles. While many have carried over from year to year, the organizers of the largest fighting game tournament in the world have continued to adapt to prevailing trends and keep competition fresh by introducing new titles on a regular basis and replacing veterans should the necessity arise.

That’s why, with Street Fighter V’s spring 2016 release on the horizon, many have been eyeing Street Fighter IV like an out of date smartphone in need of upgrading. There’s no doubt that it had quite the showing at both E3 and San Diego Comic-Con, and fans are chomping at the bit for the ability to get their hands on the upcoming game. And thanks this week’s edition of Capcom Pro Talk (subscription required for archives), we may have had our first hint at what the Evo organizers plan to do with Street Fighter IV next year.

During a discussion with Mike Ross and Zhi Liang Chew, this very predicament was put forth to Evo co-founder Joey “Mr. Wizard” Cuellar. Decisions like this are obviously a ways off, but he had some interesting things to say regarding how he sees registration numbers playing out for the two titles.

“I don’t know if Evo has the capacity to hold a 2200 man tournament and then, on top of that, if Street Fighter V gets, like, 3000 people, I don’t think anyone in their right mind can expect Evo to pull that off. That’s just ridiculous,” Cuellar explained. “We’ll definitely think about it next year, but I think everyone likes to drop the old game and play the new, fresh hotness. I think with Street Fighter V being as good as it is right now, players won’t have a problem switching over.”

While previous Evo installments saw a title like Super Street Fighter II Turbo carry on despite the release of a follow-up, the exceptional growth the fighting game community has witnessed over the past few years brings a few different factors into the equation, namely the tournament’s ability to handle the influx of players the newer game will likely bring in. And let’s not forget that Street Fighter IV, which is coming up on its seventh appearance across numerous updates, ranks among some of the most frequently selected heavy-hitters, including Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and the aforementioned Super Turbo.

Has Street Fighter IV had a good enough run to let it out to pasture? That’s entirely subjective, of course, but it’s something the majority of Capcom competitors are going to have to come to grips with as we enter what may be their very first transitional period as part of the scene. Let’s hope the changing of the guard is as smooth as possible.

Source: Capcom Fighters

I recently grabbed a PlayStation 4, and the very first game I picked up to go along with it was Mortal Kombat X. Throughout my early forays into training mode, I noticed an interesting way to go variationless within the training options, but without any real use outside of practice I figured it wasn’t much of a story. Today, however, frequent tipster NightmareSteam provided us with a video that shows how players can forgo choosing a variation within the rest of the game’s modes.

This trick is made possible by Mortal Kombat X allowing competitors to hide their cursor when choosing a variation. For some reason, when blind picks are enabled, pressing the Settings button (Triangle on PlayStation 4, Y on Xbox One, or P on PC) and entering the match gives players the ability to play without a variation and everything that comes with them.

While the above video only shows this technique being used in a random match against the computer, I can personally confirm this works throughout all other modes, including online.

NetherRealm Studios’ Ed Boon previously noted that they were toying around with the idea of including a fourth, barebones variation, so it’s possible this is a holdover from development that’s only now come to light.

Of course, this isn’t of much use unless you want to handicap yourself or perhaps get down to the core basics of a character you plan to play with multiple variations, but it could definitely provide some laughs if busted out during your next session.

Source: NightmareSteam

Every year, the organizers behind the Evolution Championship Series help a member of the community achieve their dreams with a scholarship to the Tisch School of the Arts’ Game Center at New York University. Funded by proceeds collected from online subscriptions to the tournament’s live stream, this scholarship has been awarded to numerous students over the past three years, allowing them to study game design in the accredited program.

With Evo 2015 rapidly approaching, NYU Game Center has announced this year’s recipient, and it’s someone many of you are likely familiar with. skisonic (pictured above) has dedicated tons of his time to the fighting game community. While he now spends tournaments commentating live matches, he’s a previous Evo finalist who broke into the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom top eight in 2010.

“I’m excited to come to New York and be inspired by a place that is constantly in motion,” ski said of receiving the scholarship. “I hope to bring the hardcore, passionate spirit of competitive fighting gamers to the program, and I’m anxious to learn from people who may not even know how to throw a Hadouken but whose unique experiences might offer me a fresh perspective.”

This is the latest development in NYU Game Center’s recent collaborative history with the fighting game community. The school has played host to Spring Fighter tournaments since 2010 as well as insightful Seth Killian interviews with players like Daigo Umehara and Alex Valle.

“We’re excited to provide someone from the fighting game community an opportunity to develop their skills and express their talent as a game designer,” NYU Game Center director Frank Lantz explained. “This scholarship is a truly unique initiative to explore, discover and innovate in the world of competitive game design.”

We here at Shoryuken would like to congratulate Sutton for this remarkable award, and we can’t wait to see what he produces during his time in the game design program.

Source: NYU Game Center, image courtesy of Robert Paul

Fighters are regularly put on sale in ones or twos on the PlayStation Network, but the service’s latest round of discounts focus entirely on our preferred video game genre. Starting today, fans of these brawlers can save quite a bit of money on titles ranging from classics like Soulcalibur II and Street Fighter Alpha to relative newcomers Mortal Komat X and Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, and everything in-between.

The full list of deals can be found below. They’ll likely only last a a week, so be sure to take advantage as soon as possible.

Source: PlayStation Network, tip via cinnamonpirate