Author: Ian "iantothemax" Walker

As I’m sure most of you know, Ultra Street Fighter IV is now available for PlayStation 4, courtesy of work by third-party studio Other Ocean Interactive. Unfortunately, it appears as if its launch has been less-than-stellar.

According to multiple reports from notable community members like Maximilian, Alex Valle, and Damien “Damdai” Dailidenas, the title is plagued with a variety of issues, including massive slowdown during menu navigation, random stuttering during gameplay, and input delay even in offline settings.

Ultra Street Fighter IV is the latest third-party port to experience a shaky launch. Mortal Kombat X, which was developed for PC by High Voltage Software, went through weeks of patching before becoming playable.

With the possibility of the PlayStation 4 port becoming the tournament standard at Capcom Pro Tour events, this rough start will definitely make the fighting game scene wary of embracing it immediately even if patches are released to rectify the current problems.

It’s also worth noting that Community Effort Orlando 2015, which has pledged to utilize the PlayStation 4 version, is rapidly approaching, not to mention Evo 2015 is set to be played on the current-generation console as well.

We are currently in the process of reaching out to the developers for their input on this matter, and will be sure to update this article should we hear back. Until then, feel free to let us know if you’ve experienced any problems with Ultra Street Fighter IV in the comments below.

Sources: Maximilian, Alex Valle, Damdai

The stage of battle is set!

Players eagerly awaiting Ultra Street Fighter IV’s arrival on PlayStation 4 can now let out the breath they’ve been holding for months, because it’s now available on the PlayStation Network.

Featuring upgraded graphics, all currently available downloadable content, and even the removal of lag issues that plagued the PlayStation 3 release, this port might just be the best thing to tide fans over until the launch of Street Fighter V.

And those of you with older arcade sticks needn’t fear, because the game includes support for those peripherals as well, though some extra steps are necessary.

Source: PlayStation Network

When Ultra Street Fighter IV launches on PlayStation 4 later today, players who have yet to pick up an arcade stick for Sony’s latest console can rest easy knowing their old PlayStation 3 peripherals will be compatible with the game thanks to Capcom’s licensing of Lab Zero Games’ driver. Unfortunately, this key piece of code will work similarly to its implementation in Mortal Kombat X rather than Skullgirls 2nd Encore.

While legacy sticks are certainly usable with Mortal Kombat X and, now, Ultra Street Fighter IV, a DualShock 4 needs to be active the entire time, making things a bit trickier than just plugging in your Tournament Edition and getting to work. This also provides some logistical problems for tournament organizers, as they need to be sure a pair of native controllers are available at each station in the event two players with older arcade sticks are matched up.

Little concrete information has been provided by either company as to why this is the case, but Lab Zero’s Peter Bartholow and Mike Zaimont posited back during Mortal Kombat X’s that it has something to do with the way developers handled profiles and trophies.

That said, the fact that NetherRealm and Capcom both included this driver in their titles is definitely a step in the right direction, and should help out folks who don’t have the cash for a brand new arcade stick.

Capcom community manager Peter “Combofiend” Rosas has provided a helpful rundown of the steps players will need to take in order to use PlayStation 3 arcade sticks, so be sure to check it out.

Source: Capcom-Unity

Near the end of April, Square-Enix held a series of location tests for Dissidia Final Fantasy’s upcoming arcade debut. While not a fighter in the most traditional sense, this uniquely competitive franchise laid down roots in the handheld market before Team NINJA was tapped to bring it to game centers across Japan.

The fine folks over at 4Gamer captured a decent chunk of gameplay footage during their visit to the public demonstrations, and were also able to gather further information concerning the title’s system mechanics.

While the original PlayStation Portable installments focused mainly on single competition, Dissidia Final Fantasy for arcades will pit two teams of three players against each other in similar arena combat. However, each cast member will now occupy one of three classes–Heavy, Speed, or Shoot–according to translated details from Siliconera.

That being said, there’s still a bit of deviation within each class. For instance, the original Final Fantasy’s Warrior of Light and Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII have been designated as Heavy characters, but the former will play more as a balanced character capable of fighting at both short- and mid-range while the latter looks quite a bit slower thanks to his humongous Buster Sword.

4Gamer’s footage also provides us with our very first in-game look at newcomer, who first appeared in Final Fantasy XIV. As a member of the Shoot class, the Miqo’te conjurer has a number of magical attacks at her disposal, making her a great asset at longer ranges. Her real strength though seems to be in support magic, giving her the ability to buff allies and debuff opponents, quickly turning the tide of battle.

For more details on characters like Final Fantasy VI’s Terra Branford, Lightning of Final Fantasy XIII, and more, be sure to check out the rest of Siliconera’s translations here.

Source: 4Gamer via Siliconera

Sega has revealed that they will be releasing another installment in their relatively new Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX series sometime this summer. Developed by French-Bread and Ecole Software of Melty Blood fame, this unique fighter gives players the opportunity to face off with a handful of notable characters from Dengeki’s light novel imprint.

The sequel, as you would expect, will include a number of updates to the core gameplay mechanics as well as balance changes for the existing cast. Furthermore, Emi Yusa from The Devil is a Part-Timer! (pictured below) has been revealed as the very first addition to the playable roster.

This announcement comes at a rather odd time, as North America and Europe have yet to see the inaugural installment land on home consoles, meaning that, barring any updates, the version that arrives on PlayStation 3 later this year will already be obsolete.

Degenki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX’s follow-up is currently being developed exclusively for arcades, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated as more details become available.

Source: Dengeki Online via Gematsu

As the largest fighting game tournament in the world, it’s become something of tradition for Evolution to post bigger and bigger registration figures for every installment, but some new details concerning this year’s event prove that even the most experienced among us can still be surprised every now and then.

With just under two months left to register, Ultra Street Fighter IV has met or possibly even surpassed the numbers from Evo 2014, an event that saw 1979 players make the trip to Las Vegas to compete. Not to be outdone, both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U are sitting at over 1500 participants apiece, the former roundly beating out last year’s brackets.

These numbers, combined with a guaranteed Capcom Cup 2015 qualification on the line, Mortal Kombat X’s first showing, and pot bonuses galore, Evo 2015 is shaping up to be an awe-inspiring event, even for a tournament series as storied as this one.

Evo 2015 is scheduled for July 17-19. If you’ve yet to register, be sure to visit the official website for more details.

Source: Evo