Author: Ian "iantothemax" Walker

Over the next few days, three very different tournaments will grace the fighting game community. The first, Combo Breaker, is making its debut as the spiritual successor of Ultimate Fighting Game Tournament; the second, Battle Arena Melbourne, has set its sights on Australia’s southeastern coast for a seventh outing; and the third, Stunfest 2015, will once more show the prowess of the French scene.

If you’re interested in checking out what they have to offer but can’t make the respective trips to check them out in person, don’t fret! Like many other events, they will both feature a bevy of live content and excitement for you to partake in throughout the weekend. Keep reading for further details.

Combo Breaker

Taking place in Chicago, Illinois, Combo Breaker is looking to fill the void Ultimate Fighting Game Tournament’s departure left behind. With a ton of the same organizing talent behind the scenes and a unique personality rarely seen in the fighting game community, its primed to have a great first showing.

Combo Breaker will feature a lineup consisting of 20 (yes, two-zero) games, from current powerhouses like Ultra Street Fighter IV and Mortal Kombat X to old-school favorites Vampire Savior and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Hell, they’ve even sprinkled in a fair share of indie goodness as well with appearances by Skullgirls Encore, Divekick, and Lethal League. With so much love being spread around, it should be pretty easy to find something to enjoy.

The excitement will also be kicked up a notch thanks to the variety of pot bonuses being offered. Mortal Kombat X and Killer Instinct have both received an added $10,000, Skullgirls Encore players can look forward to another $2,000 in their prize pool, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will see a cool bonus of $1,000, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- has been given $750, and, last but not least, Divekick’s payouts will see an upgrade to the tune of $250.

And, lest we forget, Combo Breaker is also serving as a ranking event on the Capcom Pro Tour, meaning the top sixteen finalists in Ultra Street Fighter IV will be rewarded with qualifying points based on their placing. These will go a long way to securing a spot in the Capcom Cup 2015 bracket later this year, so expect more than a few fierce matchups.

It probably goes without saying, but there will be a ridiculous amount of talent in Chicago this weekend. A quick perusal of the pool assignments show a ton of notable competitors, including folks like EG|Ricki Ortiz, BT|Viscant, Wolfkrone, l|Nuckledu, EG|Justin Wong, CCG|Air, TS|NerdJosh, cR|Sonic Fox, GGA|Dizzy, YOMI|Michaelangelo, TS|Arturo Sanchez, REO, CORN|Footwurk, HB|Tyrant, GS|gllty, FightingGM, CORN|AXIS, BananaKen, and many, many more.

You’ll find links to every stream as well as adjusted schedules below, so be sure to tune in!

Team Spooky

Friday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
Mystery Tournament	1:00 PM	11:00 AM	2:00 PM	6:00 PM
UMvC3 Auction	1:30 PM	11:30 AM	2:30 PM	6:30 PM
Killer Instinct	5:00 PM	3:00 PM	6:00 PM	10:00 PM
MKX	7:00 PM	5:00 PM	8:00 PM	12:00 AM
USFIV Auction	11:00 PM	9:00 PM	12:00 AM	4:00 AM

Saturday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
MKX	10:00 AM	8:00 AM	11:00 AM	3:00 PM
USFIV	12:00 PM	10:00 AM	1:00 PM	5:00 PM
TTT2 Top 8	4:00 PM	2:00 PM	5:00 PM	9:00 PM
UMvC3 Top 8	6:00 PM	4:00 PM	7:00 PM	11:00 PM
Skullgirls Top 8	8:00 PM	6:00 PM	9:00 PM	1:00 AM
MKX Auction	10:00 PM	8:00 PM	11:00 PM	3:00 AM
Killer Instinct Saucey Suite	12:00 AM	10:00 PM	1:00 AM	5:00 AM

Sunday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
Mystery Semifinals	10:00 AM	8:00 AM	11:00 AM	3:00 PM
GGXrd Top 8	11:00 AM	9:00 AM	12:00 PM	4:00 PM
Mystery Semifinals	1:00 PM	11:00 AM	2:00 PM	6:00 PM
Killer Instinct Top 8	2:00 PM	12:00 PM	3:00 PM	7:00 PM
Announcements	4:00 PM	2:00 PM	5:00 PM	9:00 PM
Mystery Finals	4:30 PM	2:30 PM	5:30 PM	9:30 PM
USFIV Top 8	5:30 PM	3:30 PM	6:30 PM	10:30 PM
MKX Top 8	7:30 PM	5:30 PM	8:30 PM	12:30 AM

VGBootCamp

Friday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
SSBM Doubles	3:00 PM	1:00 PM	4:00 PM	8:00 PM
SSB4 Auction	9:00 PM	7:00 PM	10:00 PM	2:00 AM

Saturday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
SSB4	10:00 AM	8:00 AM	11:00 AM	3:00 PM
SSBM	2:00 PM	12:00 PM	3:00 PM	7:00 PM
USFIV Top 32	8:00 PM	6:00 PM	9:00 PM	1:00 AM

Sunday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
Lethal League Top 4	10:00 AM	8:00 AM	11:00 AM	3:00 PM
USFIV Top 16	11:00 AM	9:00 AM	12:00 PM	4:00 PM
SSBM Top 8	1:00 PM	11:00 AM	2:00 PM	6:00 PM
SSB4 Top 16	3:00 PM	1:00 PM	4:00 PM	8:00 PM

Callisto

Friday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
UMvC3	5:00 PM	3:00 PM	6:00 PM	10:00 PM
Skullgirls	7:00 PM	5:00 AM	8:00 PM	12:00 AM

Saturday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
GGXrd	10:00 AM	8:00 AM	11:00 AM	3:00 PM
Skullgirls Top 16	2:00 PM	1:00 PM	4:00 PM	8:00 PM
Injustice Top 4	4:00 PM	2:00 PM	5:00 PM	9:00 PM
MKX Top 32	6:00 PM	4:00 PM	7:00 PM	11:00 PM
GGXrd Top 16	8:00 PM	6:00 PM	9:00 PM	1:00 AM
P4U2 Top 4	10:00 PM	8:00 PM	11:00 PM	3:00 AM
Skullgirls Saturday Night Salt	11:00 PM	9:00 PM	12:00 AM	4:00 AM

Sunday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
KOFXIII Top 4	10:00 AM	8:00 AM	11:00 AM	3:00 PM
Killer Instinct Top 16	11:00 AM	9:00 AM	12:00 PM	4:00 PM
MKX Top 16	1:00 PM	11:00 AM	2:00 PM	6:00 PM
UNIEL Top 8	2:00 PM	12:00 PM	3:00 PM	7:00 PM
Divekick Top 8	4:00 PM	2:00 PM	5:00 PM	9:00 PM

Galloping Ghost Arcade

Friday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
UMK3	5:00 PM	3:00 PM	6:00 PM	10:00 PM
Garou: MOTW	9:00 PM	7:00 PM	10:00 PM	2:00 AM

Saturday

Event	CDT (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
MvC2	12:00 PM	10:00 AM	1:00 PM	5:00 PM
Vampire Savior	6:00 PM	4:00 PM	7:00 PM	11:00 PM

Battle Arena Melbourne 7

While Combo Breaker is popping off in Chicago, the folks behind Couch Warriors will be hosting the seventh installment of Battle Arena Melbourne in Australia.

Much like the American event, Battle Arena Melbourne 7 is set to feature an impressive collection of titles for competition, stretching all the way back to games like Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Super Smash Bros. 64. Pot bonuses also abound here, with an additional $1,000 provided to Mortal Kombat X by Warner Bros. Games Australia, $750 for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U from BenQ, and $500 apiece to Ultra Street Fighter IV and Super Smash Bros. Melee from Couch Warriors themselves.

Additionally, Battle Arena Melbourne will serve as the third qualifier for the Mortal Kombat X Asia Pacific Championships, the winner of which will earn a spot in the finals event at South East Asia Major 2015 later this year.

But it won’t be just Australian talent in attendance. Three-time Evo champion Carl “RZR|Perfect Legend” White has made the trip to compete in a variety of games, as has a group of nine international Smash players made up of players like Adam “a|Armada” Lindgren, Joseph “C9|Mango” Marquez, William “TSM|Leffen” Hjelte, and more.

We’ve included a converted finals schedule below for folks living outside of Australia; check it out and adjust your clocks accordingly. As the organizers have yet to release a concrete stream schedule, we can’t guarantee anything below will be broadcast, so be sure to keep your eyes on New Game Plus TV and Melbourne Melee.

Sunday

Event	AEST (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
SSB4 Doubles	9:00 AM	4:00 PM (Sat.)	7:00 PM (Sat.)	11:00 PM (Sat.)
SSBM Doubles	12:00 PM	7:00 PM (Sat.)	10:00 PM (Sat.)	2:00 AM
SSB4	12:00 PM	7:00 PM (Sat.)	10:00 PM (Sat.)	2:00 AM
UMvC3	12:00 PM	7:00 PM (Sat.)	10:00 PM (Sat.)	2:00 AM
USFIV Teams	1:00 PM	8:00 PM (Sat.)	11:00 PM (Sat.)	3:00 AM
DOA5LR	2:00 PM	9:00 PM (Sat.)	12:00 AM	4:00 AM
MKX	6:00 PM	12:00 AM	3:00 AM	7:00 AM
SSBM	7:00 PM	1:00 AM	4:00 AM	8:00 AM
USFIV	8:00 PM	2:00 AM	5:00 AM	9:00 AM

Stunfest 2015

And last but certainly not least, we have Stunfest 2015, the latest edition of the French tournament series that began just two years ago. As this weekend’s only Capcom Pro Tour premier event, you can expect a ton of talent to make their way to Rennes and compete.

Some of the top players in France this weekend include YBK|SuperSantarouMan, RF, BAS, EBI, Poongko, MCZ|Daigo Umehara, RZR|Xian, EG|Momochi, and MCZ|Tokido, but you can expect the local population to put up a hell of a fight to defend their turf.

As a premier event, Stunfest’s champion will be awarded automatic entry to Capcom Cup’s finals bracket later this year, with the rest of top sixteen awarded additional points towards their overall ranking. If you’re a fan of Ultra Street Fighter IV, this will certainly be the tournament to keep your eye on over the next few days.

A rough schedule of start times for each game has been included below, and all three streams can be found through Stunfest TV.

Friday

Event	CEST (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
Breakers Revenge	2:00 PM	5:00 AM	8:00 AM	12:00 PM
CvS2	2:00 PM	5:00 AM	8:00 AM	12:00 PM
SCV	3:00 PM	6:00 AM	9:00 AM	1:00 PM

Saturday

Event	CEST (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
GGXrd	2:00 PM	5:00 AM	8:00 AM	12:00 PM
SFIII:3S Teams	2:00 PM	5:00 AM	8:00 AM	12:00 PM
SSFIIT Teams	2:00 PM	5:00 AM	8:00 AM	12:00 PM
KOFXIII	2:00 PM	5:00 AM	8:00 AM	12:00 PM
USFIV Teams	2:00 PM	5:00 AM	8:00 AM	12:00 PM
UMvC3	2:00 PM	5:00 AM	8:00 AM	12:00 PM
MKX	3:00 PM	6:00 AM	9:00 AM	1:00 PM

Sunday

Event	CEST (Local)	PDT	EDT	GMT
USFIV	10:00 AM	1:00 AM	4:00 AM	8:00 AM
SSB4	1:00 PM	4:00 AM	7:00 AM	11:00 AM
SSFIIT	1:00 PM	4:00 AM	7:00 AM	11:00 AM
TTT2	1:00 PM	4:00 AM	7:00 AM	11:00 AM
BBCPEX	1:00 PM	4:00 AM	7:00 AM	11:00 AM

All in all, this weekend will provide another few days of fantastic competition, so don’t miss out!

Sources: Combo Breaker, Couch Warriors, Stunfest

Among the current crop of fighting games, Under Night In-Birth has always stood out (at least personally) as the one with the most interesting cast. Sure, games can rarely stand up to Guilty Gear in terms of character diversity, but as a look at a brand new universe, the French-Bread title carries its own unique qualities that definitely set it apart in the genre.

That being said, there are still a lot of characters that have yet to appear in playable or even secondary roles. In order to address this, Arc System Works recently put out a special survey for participants of the current Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] location tests asking, among other things, which characters they would like to see join the main cast in the update.

As many of these background figures are relatively obscure, even to Under Night fans, we thought it would be fun to talk about their place in the story and possible gameplay mechanics they may bring to the table if they were to join the playable cast.

To note, much of the information provided below has been pulled from the Under Night wiki, which is a fantastic resource for folks looking to learn more about the story.

Since the location test poll is only available to those who took part, we’ve created our own poll for folks outside of Japan to take part in. Feel free to read the character descriptions below and then cast your vote for who you like best.

Adelheit

Many of the possible characters belong to the franchise’s Licht Kreis organization, which Orie currently belongs to and Waldstein left sometime before the events of Under Night In-Birth.

Adelheit is Licht Kreis’ current leader. An immortal who has been described as one of the most powerful figures throughout the story, she wears extravagant clothing befitting a person of her status. While little is known of her fighting abilities, her stature within the organization is definitely a testament to her strength.

There’s also some history between her and former Licht Kreis agent Waldstein, and as such she now only recruits women to the organization.

Enkidu

While the Licht Kreis and Hollow Blade seek to control the Hollow Night, a phenomenon that sees an alternate dimension manifest in the world and unleash all kinds of nasty stuff, an opposing team named Amnesia wants to free the anomaly from their control.

Like many of these background characters, Enkidu is a mysterious figure. Though he works for Amnesia, his personal goals are unknown due to his stoic nature. He previously made an appearance in Hilda’s story.

Enkidu is said to be rather old, which could possibly make him a strong opponent in the Under Night universe. The heavy chains attached to his wrist have led folks to believe he uses them in battle, though that remains to be seen.

Erika Wagner

Another member of the Licht Kreis, Erika Wagner retains a high position in the organization as the fourth Executor.

She’s said to be something of a problem child; past incidents have seen Erika kill one of Gordeau’s friends as well as comrades like the previous third Executor. She is currently being pursued by Amnesia’s Hilda and Chaos.

As far as powers go, Erika is regularly referred to as the Void Hunter due to her passion for hunting down the creatures spawned by Hollow Night and dispatching them. She apparently fights with a sword and shield, and can also control fire should the need arise.

Kaguya Seikaiguu, Lex Bartholomeus, and Mika Returna

Kaguya, Lex, and Mika serve as part of Orie’s execution team. They have yet to appear in the story due to staying at the Licht Kreis academy during the events of the game.

Kaguya is described as having the personality of a high-class lady. According to concept art, Kaguya appears to wield a pair of guns, a departure from the series’ normal blades. It’s been said that she can also cast spells.

Lex, however, is skilled in the art of information gathering and has been seen to possess a fair amount of knowledge concerning machinery. She is currently in the process of repairing an Automatic Nerve unit, a robot that was created to monitor the Hollow Night and fight Void.

Mika serves as the group’s brute force, and is apparently rather dim-witted. As you’ve probably noticed, Mika wields a pair of ridiculously huge gauntlets. These give her immense power in terms of general fighting, but likely slow her down somewhat when compared to smaller weapons. She is said to have super-human strength.

Kuon

The main antagonist of the series, Kuon belongs to the exclusive Re-Birth club, an unaffiliated group of immortals whose powers transcend even those that have been bestowed special abilities by the Hollow Night. Much like fellow Re-Birth Adelheit, Kuon is considered one of the strongest entities in the Under Night universe.

Kuon’s chivalry is what ultimately inspired Waldstein to leave Licht Kreis and join Night Blade, but he has since disappeared to work mysterious angles from behind the curtain. His sister, Linne, now leads the organization.

As for Kuon’s fighting style, very little is known. Concept art shows him donning a battle suit reminiscent of a Curse Commandment, a technique that adorns the body with various markings and allows the user to utilize Void powers.

Kuu

Kuu is Linne’s pet, a cross between a dragon and a Void.

Like most Void creatures, Kuu is equipped with a Curse Commandment, though it’s currently unknown what abilities this grants to the small animal.

It’s very likely Kuu was included as a joke choice and, if not, could very well be a very interesting addition to an already unique title.

Radiata and Reflecta

As I mentioned above, the Under Night In-Birth includes units called Automatic Nerves. Created to keep watch on the Hollow Night, these robot-like entities engage Voids who become too strong in order to maintain order. They also happen to wield Curse Commandments, allowing them to use the power of the Void themselves.

Currently, Vatista is the only playable Automatic Nerve in the game, but two others have been shown off by the developers. While similar to her, Radiata and Reflecta feature slightly different outfits. It’s been posited that they possess the same powers as Vatista, though that would obviously be shaken up should they join the main cast.

Tsukuyomi

A young woman currently accompanying Byakuya, Tsukuyomi’s history is filled with intrigue. Bearing a scar on her chest as a reminder of her past betrayal, she has taken part in the Hollow Night multiple times in an effort to find her friend and make amends. She also makes mention of a mysterious wish she hopes to fulfill with these efforts.

Tsukuyomi was once a very powerful figure in the Under Night universe, but is currently affected with Zero Vessel, an affliction that prevents her from using her abilities. Once known by different names, she is said to have done something terrible with her powers before losing them.

Uzuki

Uzuki serves Hilda as a member of Amnesia, and appeared in her story mode alongside Enkidu.

Little is known about the power Uzuki wields, but the nonchalant way in which she chastises Hilda could be a hint to her strength. It’s very possible her witch-like attire means she can wield spells, and she may even utilize her umbrella in some fashion during battle.

Due to her status in Amnesia and previous showings in the game, safe money would be on Uzuki making it into the playable cast eventually.

Zenith

The final member of Licht Kreis, Zenith serves as the second-in-command underneath Adelheit. She is very interested in both Amnesia and its leader, Hilda, and is the one who ordered Orie to begin gathering information on their activities.

Like many of the characters in this list, Zenith’s fighting abilities have yet to be shown in-game, but her status in the organization is likely a fair representation of how strong she is. She uses throwing knives.

Source: Arc System Works via Row, Under Night In-Birth Wiki

Although we’ve only just been introduced to M. Bison in Street Fighter V, troll extraordinaire Yoshinori Ono couldn’t help but jump on Twitter and tease fans about an upcoming character.

According to the Capcom executive, the next character they plan to reveal happens to be someone we haven’t seen for some time. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this automatically rules out anyone who showed up in Street Fighter IV and its subsequent updates, which leaves us with quite a few choices.

An official character popularity poll held back in 2013 may hold the answer to Ono’s hint. In the worldwide results, characters that both ranked high and haven’t been seen in awhile include Karin, Q, R. Mika, Alex, Urien, and Ingrid.

Could Alex finally make his return to the main Street Fighter series? Will players be able to taunt their way to higher defense with Q? As with much of Ono’s teasing, we’ll likely have to wait some time to find out the answer, but feel free to speculate in the comments below.

Source: Yoshinori Ono, translations courtesy of USD, special thanks to Emezie Okorafor for bringing this to our attention.

Although we’ve only just been introduced to M. Bison in Street Fighter V, troll extraordinaire Yoshinori Ono couldn’t help but jump on Twitter and tease fans about an upcoming character.

According to the Capcom executive, the next character they plan to reveal happens to be someone we haven’t seen for some time. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this automatically rules out anyone who showed up in Street Fighter IV and its subsequent updates, which leaves us with quite a few choices.

An official character popularity poll held back in 2013 may hold the answer to Ono’s hint. In the worldwide results, characters that both ranked high and haven’t been seen in awhile include Karin, Q, R. Mika, Alex, Urien, and Ingrid.

Could Alex finally make his return to the main Street Fighter series? Will players be able to taunt their way to higher defense with Q? As with much of Ono’s teasing, we’ll likely have to wait some time to find out the answer, but feel free to speculate in the comments below.

Source: Yoshinori Ono, translations courtesy of USD, special thanks to Emezie Okorafor for bringing this to our attention.

There’s probably only one name that comes to mind when you think of streaming video: Twitch. Despite efforts by other organizations to break into the business, they are rarely able to compete with the remnants of Justin.tv, and this was made all the harder thanks to their recent acquisition by Amazon, which expanded Twitch’s horizons and infused them with a ton of extra cash.

Google-owned YouTube, which was rumored to be in the market to purchase Twitch before the Amazon news was confirmed, has had its own streaming service available since December 2013, but it has more often been used as a way for fans to check out live events instead of watch their favorite games being played.

In a bid to boost their platform’s reputation, YouTube announced earlier this morning that their broadcasting tools now support 60 frames-per-second streaming. The upgrade is currently only available in browsers that support HTML5, fortunately expanding past the Chrome-exclusive feature for their regular video player.

As of now, this is just a preview of these new capabilities, though YouTube’s reaching out to Elgato and XSplit hints that they are poised to become an even bigger player in the broadcasting game. Sure, this is a far cry from the hilarious emotes Twitch users love, but it’s an important early step to boosting their reputation in the streaming market.

For the sake of diversity, let’s hope it works.

Source: YouTube via The Verge and Polygon

In case you’ve been away the past few days, Capcom recently dropped a brand new Street Fighter V trailer on us, showcasing the return of series antagonist M. Bison. Much like Charlie, the dictator was seen sporting a slightly different look, one that indicates some time has passed since his appearance in Street Fighter V.

If you were hoping for a closer look than what the reveal video provided, you’re in luck, because the developers followed the trailer up today with a handful of screenshots. In the gallery below, M. Bison is showcased in all his glory, offering some new perspectives on his apparent aging, the moves he’ll have in the upcoming title, and his renewed rivalry with past victim Charlie Nash.

Give the images some attention and let us know what you think.

Street Fighter V is scheduled to launch on PlayStation 4 and PC.