Elphelt Valentine Goes to Town in Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- with Shotgun Loops, Unblockable Rifle Shots, and More

In a game full of unique characters, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-‘s Elphelt Valentine still manages to rise above the crowd thanks to her interesting wedding attire and stance-based gameplay. With players in possession of the Japanese console release, videos have been hitting the internet depicting what she is capable of, so we figured we would compile a few for your convenience.

First up, we have a component of the fighter’s gameplay that may be integral to playing her at a high level: the shotgun loop. Below, you’ll find videos from TSB|Zidane and wauhti showing this technique in action. While the former is performed without the meter, the latter spends some of the resource to extend the combo and up the damage.

Who doesn’t love unblockables? Our next video covers a scary setup discovered by AbelCru that forces the opponent to block an incoming grenade, allowing Elphelt to power up her rifle shot, land the special with its updated unblockable properties, and continue into a full combo.

AbelCru also released a video demonstrating a strong corner combo performed off a grab that incorporates the aforementioned shotgun loop.

And finally, a user by the name of purepure uploaded a nice compilation of combos and okizeme options for those looking to expand their game with Elphelt even further.

Sources: Zidane, wauhti, AbelCru, purepure via Mark of the Gear

Super Arcade Wednesday Weekly feat. Ultra Street Fighter IV, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Streaming Live

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Tonight, Super Arcade will be hosting another installment of the brand new weekly tournament series they created to take over where Level|Up Series’ Wednesday Night Fights left off, continuing their tradition of providing the Southern California area a competitive hub to congregate in. The event (which is without a name as of this writing) will feature brackets for Ultra Street Fighter IV and Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

If you’re interested in watching, be sure to tune in live below or head on over to Twitch to join the chat. Brackets for all the games have been made available through Challonge.

Watch live video from SuperDojo on www.twitch.tv

Source: Super Dojo

Smash @ Xanadu feat. Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. 64 Streaming Live

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The folks over at VG Bootcamp recently went live with another installment of Smash @ Xanadu from Xanadu Games in Baltimore, Maryland. These weekly broadcasts provide a great look at the region’s Smash community, and tonight’s installment will feature competition in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. 64.

If you’re interested in some Smash Bros. action, be sure to tune in. The stream is live below, but you can also head on over to Twitch to join the chat.

Watch live video from VGBootCamp on www.twitch.tv

Source: VG Bootcamp

Display Your Hype for Street Fighter V with Latest Capcom Pro Tour Apparel

With Capcom Cup just a few days away, the tournament organizers are looking to bump the prize pool up just a little bit more with three new tee shirt designs.

Provided through Teespring, these shirts sport widely different designs. One highlights the multiple premier events Capcom has held over the past year, another sees the Capcom Cup participants inserted into the classic Street Fighter II character select screen, and the last is emblazoned with the Street Fighter V logo (not to mention a very intense Ryu).

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Should you be interested in picking any of these up, be sure to visit the official Capcom Pro Tour shop. Each one will run you $25 and, as we mentioned before, part of the proceeds will go towards the monetary awards at Capcom Cup.

Source: Capcom Pro Tour

Next Level Battle Circuit #100 feat. Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Streaming Live

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This week’s installment of Next Level Battle Circuit is now streaming live courtesy of Team Spooky. As always, the event is being broadcast from its namesake, Next Level Arcade, in New York City. Tonight, they’ll be running Ultra Street Fighter IV and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, featuring some of the best players on the east coast.

In addition to the normal tournament action, Spooky will be running a very special exhibition in honor of the event’s 100th installment. Team PIE will be entering the venue in full force to take on a team put together by Spooky himself. The full team listings are as follows:

Team PIE

  • PIE|Smug
  • PIE|Zeus
  • PIE|Sci
  • PIE|Poem
  • PIE|Chin

Team Spooky

  • TS|Arturo Sanchez
  • BIFU|Coach Steve (Insaynne)
  • TSC|Sanford Kelly
  • BIFU|Spab Rog
  • EG|K-Brad

If you would like to check out these weekly tournaments, be sure to head on over to Next Level Arcade and take part every Wednesday. The address has been included below.

4013 8th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11232

The stream is currently live below, but you can also visit Twitch to join the chat. The full bracket will be made available through Challonge.

Watch live video from TeamSp00ky on www.twitch.tv

Sources: Team Spooky

Next Level Battle Circuit #100 feat. Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Streaming Live

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This week’s installment of Next Level Battle Circuit is now streaming live courtesy of Team Spooky. As always, the event is being broadcast from its namesake, Next Level Arcade, in New York City. Tonight, they’ll be running Ultra Street Fighter IV and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, featuring some of the best players on the east coast.

In addition to the normal tournament action, Spooky will be running a very special exhibition in honor of the event’s 100th installment. Team PIE will be entering the venue in full force to take on a team put together by Spooky himself. The full team listings are as follows:

Team PIE

  • PIE|Smug
  • PIE|Zeus
  • PIE|Sci
  • PIE|Poem
  • PIE|Chin

Team Spooky

  • TS|Arturo Sanchez
  • BIFU|Coach Steve (Insaynne)
  • TSC|Sanford Kelly
  • BIFU|Spab Rog
  • EG|K-Brad

If you would like to check out these weekly tournaments, be sure to head on over to Next Level Arcade and take part every Wednesday. The address has been included below.

4013 8th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11232

The stream is currently live below, but you can also visit Twitch to join the chat. The full bracket will be made available through Challonge.

Watch live video from TeamSp00ky on www.twitch.tv

Sources: Team Spooky

How I Got Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- a Week Early (and You Can, Too!)

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It would probably be a great disservice to Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- if I didn’t describe it as one of the most anticipated fighters in recent memory. As a continuation of Arc System Works’ beloved franchise, Xrd is the first all-new installment fans have seen since Guilty Gear XX originally launched in 2002 (though there have been quite a few updates, spin-offs, and even a non-fighter in Guilty Gear 2: Overture since then), and the arcade-exclusive launch earlier this year only served to intensify the excitement.

With this kind of status in the fighting game community, many opted to purchase the game as an import (or even with foreign PlayStation Network accounts) in order to take advantage of the 12-day headstart Japan had for the console release. While they’ve been playing it for a few days now–and even uncovering some hidden goodies on the disc–North American fans can actually grab a copy today thanks to GameStop.

Yesterday, GameStop employee Aaron Muhlmeyer (who has previously conducted a few interviews for us) mentioned that his store had received a message from corporate stating that the street date for the title had been lifted. After hearing of this, we attempted to follow up on this news with the company themselves, but to no avail. Muhlmeyer went on to say that his particular store would be receiving copies the next afternoon, and a location in my area confirmed their own shipment was also planned for the same time when reached for details.

Without much else to go on, I decided to simply wait until today, walk into GameStop, and see what happened…

…and that’s pretty much how it went down. Before calling and confirming that, yes, they had copies and, yes, I would be able to purchase one, I drove over, bought my game, and am currently enjoying its metal riffs emanating from my television as I write this.

In his messages, Muhlmeyer stated that the memo that was sent to his store went company-wide, which means every store in the country should (in theory) have copies of Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- in stock and ready to sell. Because GameStop has failed to get back to us, we can’t outright confirm this is the case, but definitely give your local store a ring and see what’s up.

It should also be noted that my location only received one copy of the PlayStation 3 version, so supplies are probably limited if you didn’t pre-order. And, of course, if you are looking to grab a limited edition, you’ll have to wait until December 23 due to recent delays.

No Console-Exclusive Characters Currently in the Works for Mortal Kombat X

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While individual character strengths may differ, the idea of parity for fighting games is very important to the competitive scene. If, say, one platform is given cast members that aren’t available on another, it becomes very hard to make a case for their inclusion in tournaments, often resulting in outright bans (see: Street Fighter x Tekken’s Megaman and Pac-Man on PlayStation 3).

Fortunately, it appears as if that won’t be an issue in Mortal Kombat X.

During their showing at PlayStation Experience, NetherRealm Studios executive producer Shaun Himmerick mentioned that fans won’t have to worry about them repeating a similar move they pulled with 2011’s Mortal Kombat, which saw God of War’s protagonist Kratos join the cast on Sony consoles.

This puts to rest rumors that Mortal Kombat X would include such fighters spread by an article IGN in August, during which creative director Ed Boon supposedly divulged (though he was not quoted as such) that they were developing console-exclusive characters.

Mortal Kombat X is scheduled to release for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC on April 14.

Source: Hardcore Gamer via Test Your Might

Tekken 7 Sure is Coming Along Nicely

This past weekend, Bandai Namco Games held a special event to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Tekken franchise. In addition to a high-level Tekken Tag Tournament 2 invitational and revealing Tekken 7’s Lucky Chloe, the developers provided a look at how development on the series’ next installment has progressed since the location tests held earlier this year.

And progressed it has; while the gameplay still looks familiar, the aesthetics have definitely been kicked up a notch, a change that is much more noticeable if you bump the quality to its 1080p, 60 frames per second maximum.

While lower-quality rips were provided closer to the time of the actual broadcast, Bandai Namco has since released an official version of the trailer, so check it out below and let us know what you think.

Tekken 7 is scheduled to launch in Japanese arcades sometime early next year.

Source: Tekken Channel

Microsoft Gathering Community Opinions on Porting Killer Instinct to PC

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While Killer Instinct has made great strides in the community since launching last year, its exclusivity to Xbox One continues to be a sticking point for folks looking to get into the title. Having to purchase an expensive gaming console and a brand new arcade stick in addition to the game itself is a huge barrier to entry that keeps many from experiencing competition for themselves.

Fortunately, it appears as if the developers are taking note of this issue. Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Isgreen recently took to the official Killer Instinct forums to consolidate a number of threads centered around discussion of a possible PC port, even going as far to put together a poll to gauge the community’s reception to the idea.

In my opinion, the potential boost this could give the competitive scene is priceless, especially if they implement some sort of cross-platform netplay feature that will keep those already playing from dividing.

If you’re interested in having your voice heard, be sure to visit Ultra-Combo by following the link below and take part in the poll.

Source: Ultra-Combo, tip via Tucker W.