Author: Ian "iantothemax" Walker

Those of you eager to get just a little more time with Street Fighter V will be happy to know that the beta client is currently live with another short stress test.

For the next few hours, players will be able to try out Ryu, Ken, M. Bison, and Vega in training, casual, and ranked modes. The test is available on both PlayStation 4 and PC, so jump on and get in as many matches as possible!

Street Fighter V’s third and final beta period will be conducted this weekend, December 18-20.

Source: SFVServer

As the year comes to an end, we have a number of new titles to look forward to in 2016. One of the most unique is Pokkén Tournament, a Pokémon fighter developed by the folks at Bandai Namco Entertainment. New information has emerged for the title as we near it’s Wii U release concerning additional support characters and a fancy controller.

According to new details, the upcoming title will receive two more sets of support Pokémon when it lands on consoles next year. While we still don’t know what they’ll bring to the table, we do know how they’ll be paired up: Rotom will team with Togekiss, and Dragonite will see cooperation from Victini.

A controller similar to Pokkén’s official peripheral will also be available for ¥3,480 (~$28 USD) on the same day the game launches, giving fans the opportunity to play as the developers intended with the arcade release.

Pokkén Tournament for Wii U is set to arrive in Japan on March 18, with a Q2 2016 launch window planned for North America and Europe.

Source: Pokemon via Nintendo Everything, Serebii via Siliconera

In a statement released earlier this morning, the organizers of Australia’s Shadowloo Showdown tournament series announced the annual event will be coming to an end after a six-year run.

After getting their start in 2010, Shadowloo Showdown quickly became the go-to destination for international competition, thanks in part to their proximity to Asian countries but also because of the high production value that became their trademark. Recent years saw them branch out and provide qualifiers in the United States, Kuwait, and Japan in order to expand their reach even further.

“A tournament of this scale and ambition obviously requires a significant devotion in time and resource management. Each year it just becomes increasingly more difficult to support and sustain. There were many challengers and obstacles along the way, but it was overcoming these challenges which made the journey for us ever more satisfying,” the official statement reads. “Running Shadowloo Showdown for 6 years straight is our pride and joy.”

“As the saying goes though all good things must eventually come to an end and for Shadowloo Showdown, It is with a heavy heart what we must announce that time is upon us for reasons unfortunately out of our control.”

We here at Shoryuken want to thank the folks behind Shadowloo Showdown for their work in bringing our community such amazing events for the past six years, and send our love as they move onto future projects.

Source: ShadowLogic via EventHubs

A few weeks ago, Capcom unveiled the exclusive colors that will be included in the Street Fighter V package available from their online store in Japan. The images in question depicted characters like Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Rashid, and Laura showing off alternate color palettes, most of which revolving around a pink and white color scheme that definitely stands out from their default outfits.

One character, however, was obviously missing, but now that F.A.N.G is officially out of the bag, Capcom’s website has been updated with a pair of screenshots highlighting the newcomer’s alternate look.

Click to view slideshow.

While certainly fitting with other characters’ exclusive colors, the muted rose look F.A.N.G’s got going on in the images certainly add to his already weird aesthetics. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Street Fighter V will launch for PlayStation 4 and PC on February 16.

Source: e-Capcom via EventHubs

With a small stress test behind us and the final beta coming this weekend, Street Fighter V fans are eagerly awaiting the chance to try the game one last time before its launch early next year. Fortunately, folks in Japan will have a much easier time jumping into this upcoming testing phase thanks to the removal of many entry barriers.

The only thing Japanese players will need to play Street Fighter V during the next beta phase is an active PlayStation Plus subscription. Before, entries were chosen by lottery, making it much harder to get in when compared to the simple pre-order methods in other regions. Everyone who took part in the previous betas will also receive four invitations to send to PlayStation Network friends.

We’re currently uncertain if this will extend to areas outside of Japan, but we’ll be sure to update this article if we hear back from Capcom themselves on the matter.

Street Fighter V is scheduled to release for PlayStation 4 and PC on February 16. The next beta will be open on both systems December 18-20.

Source: Capcom

While the biggest takeaway from this weekend’s Tekken 7 Fated Retribution announcement was definitely the guest appearance by Street Fighter’s Akuma, the fact that a game as beautiful as Bandai Namco Entertainment’s latest fighter was receiving another layer of polish wasn’t lost on us.

Fortunately, the developers have shared a slew of new screenshots that highlight the level of work they’ve put into updating this title. You’ll find two separate galleries below–one for characters, one for stages–that perfectly detail the visual changes being made in this upcoming game.

Oh, and in case you were wondering about those spiffy new duds sported by Asuka, Bryan, Dragunov, Feng, King, Leo, Lili, and Xiaoyu, producer Katsuhiro Harada mentioned that they represent each character’s new default outfit.

Click to view slideshow.
Click to view slideshow.

Tekken 7 Fated Retribution is currently without a release date, but Harada has promised that the console port will be up to date whenever the title makes its way out of arcades.

Source: Tekken