While we’ve seen a lot of Killer Instinct’s Tusk over the past month, the developers have dropped yet another look at the wandering barbarian in the form of an updated trailer. It’s pretty much the same as the video they shared a couple weeks ago, but with one important difference: a teaser!
If previous leaks weren’t enough proof of Mira’s existence, the above glimpse of her vampiric powers should be. According to Killer Instinct lore, Mira is Maya’s sister, who was believed dead after sacrificing herself to save her sibling. As of now, everything else surrounding this character remains a mystery, so stay tuned for more details.
Killer Instinct Season 3 is set to launch for Xbox One and PC on March 29. It will release with four playable characters–Tusk, Kim Wu, Rash, and the Arbiter–with more to come down the line.
After incredibly hype showings at Cannes Winter Clash and Final Round, the Capcom Pro Tour is ready to set up shop in Sacramento, California this weekend for NorCal Regionals 2016. As the second premier event in as many weeks, this community staple will provide Capcom Cup with another outright qualifier, joining Final Round champion Seon-woo “Infiltration” Lee of Razer in the prestigious year-end event.
With so much on the line, a number of notable faces will be in attendance. Apart from local heroes Pandora House, made up of players like Long “LPN” Nguyen, Nando Tovar, and Hooman “HooDaMan” Ghahremani, competitors from all over the world are set to descend on the United States’ west coast for this high-stakes Street Fighter V tournament. These include Mad Catz’ Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi; Evil Geniuses’ Momochi, Chocoblanka, Justin Wong, Ricki Ortiz, and PR Balrog; QANBA’s Xiaohai and Dakou; Majestic’s Tatsuya Haitani; GODSGARDEN’s Kazunoko; and Infiltration’s Razer teammate Kun Xian Ho.
A full breakdown of each pool’s noteworthy players can be found below.
NorCal Regionals 2016 pools
Pool 1 – MCZ|Tokido, DM|Kurokiba, Super Yan, WFX|801 Strider, Graham Wolfe Pool 2 – RZR|Fuudo, ROG|Kelvin Jeon, Alex Myers Pool 3 – EG|Ricki Ortiz, Keno, Crizzle Pool 4 – GG|Kazunoko, pH|LPN, Luken Pool 5 – EG|PR Balrog, YP|Filipinoman Pool 6 – MJS|Haitani, ROM, afrocole, FourWude, pH|Jame, GS|gllty Pool 7 – RZR|Xian, pH|TZA, Julio Pool 8 – QAN.DOU|Xiaohai Pool 9 – EG|Momochi, XsK_Samurai, TS|NerdJosh Pool 10 – l|Nuckledu, DM|El Cubano Loco, LAMERBOI, EG|Chocoblanka, Nacer Pool 11 – RB|Snake Eyez, NYChrisG, bjUNCHAINED Pool 12 – QAN.PAN|Dakou, pH|Nando Pool 13 – EG|Justin Wong, Pavocado, RB|Bonchan, G Dragon Pool 14 – Crackfiend, PAN|Dark Jiewa, LU|Alex Valle Pool 15 – RZR|Infiltration, gootecks, JoseR, brenttiscool, pH|HooDaMan
You may have noticed the absence of a sixteenth pool. That’s because NorCal Regionals has decided to buck tradition this year by placing every late registrant in their own pool, forcing those who choose to throw their hat into the ring at the door to face a group of their peers to qualify. Did this rule ensure early registration, or will this latecomers pool result in a massive group of killers vying for only two spots in the next round?
Lead organizer John Choi said the pool could reach more than 100 players during an interview with Best of III, and The Daily Dot reports that r/Kappa’s Chung-gon “Poongko” Lee and Panda Global’s Ryan “Filipino Champ” Ramirez will both be trying their luck in the dreaded sixteenth pool. Keep your eyes on this group for what could be the fiercest competition of the early rounds.
Due to its early spot on the Capcom Pro Tour, it’s unlikely any Capcom Cup hopes will be completely dashed at NorCal Regionals, but top performers do have the opportunity to cement their lead on the rankings board or even jump forward more than a few spots.
As of now, the standings are being led by Infiltration (who, you may remember, has already qualified) with 256 points, followed by Cannes Winter Clash champion Nathan “Mister Crimson” Massol and Tokido, both of whom have earned 128 for their efforts. While the next highest, Mad Catz’ Kenryo “Mago” Hayashi and BX3’s Arman “Phenom” Hanjani, won’t be in attendance, the players below them most certainly will be. Be on the look out for Haitani, Brentt “brenttiscool” Franks, Nando, and Ryan “gootecks” Gutierrez as they try to surge ahead.
Despite not having Final Round’s player count, NorCal Regionals makes up for that with a rather dense field of competitors. Cash, ranking points, and (most importantly) an automatic spot at Capcom Cup are up for grabs, and there’s no telling which way the wind will blow when the tournament gets under way. Don’t miss out!
NorCal Regionals 2016 is scheduled for March 25-27. More details can be found here.
King of Fighters XIV details are dropping faster than ever, and a brand new trailer has revealed three additional characters.
First off, Athena Asamiya returns as part of the Psycho Soldier team, sporting another redesign that’s more akin to her earlier incarnations than her looks in King of Fighters XIII. Despite the constant aesthetic updates, she appears to retain many of the psychic moves she’s become known for over the years.
Two newcomers also make the scene in this King of Fighters XIV teaser: Luong and Nelson. The former is the woman described as either Kim’s wife or the significant other of Kim’s master in the previous leaks, while the latter is a boxer that makes up one-third of the entirely new South American team.
King of Fighters XIV is set to launch on PlayStation 4 sometime this year.
This week’s installment of Next Level Battle Circuit is now streaming live courtesy of Team Spooky’s Arturo Sanchez. While a hardware issue kept this event from being broadcast at its usual time earlier tonight, Arturo is currently sharing prerecorded matches on his personal channel.
Some of the players you can expect to see compete in this Street Fighter V tournament include Rainbow Impact, OG|Shine, TS|Sabin, Tinshi, Glitch, and PIE|Sci, among others.
If you would like to check out these weekly tournaments, you can 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. Full brackets will be made available through Challonge.
Wednesday Night Fights returns to the eSports Arena in Santa Ana, California tonight for the long-awaited first installment of their 2016 season. Street Fighter V has graced the community since their time off, and will join Mortal Kombat X and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as the main titles on display for the next few months.
But that doesn’t mean those are the only games they’ll be featuring. Attendees can also expect community-driven efforts for Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Killer Instinct, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, BlazBlue: Chronophantasma EXTEND, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late.
You can catch all the action by tuning into the live streams below or heading on over to their respective Twitch channels.
The folks over at VGBootCamp 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.
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.
Much like they’ve done with previous character, Ultra-Combo recently released a breakdown of the Arbiter’s vast wardrobe in Killer Instinct. This time around, however, they’ve asked Jeff Easterling of 343 Industries to shine a light on their influences, making for some rather extensive lore mining in the process.
As you can see below, the rich history of the Arbiter’s culture makes for a varied assortment of looks for the guest character, from his default Kaidon (or “clan leader”) set to the retro armor he first donned (along with the Arbiter mantle itself) in Halo 2.
Killer Instinct Season 3 launches on March 29. For more background on the significance of these outfits and a preview of the various accessories that will be available, follow the link below.
Over the past few months, Microsoft has been working towards cultivating a catalog of Xbox 360 games that are compatible on Xbox One. Skullgirls and Soulcalibur were added earlier this year, and now Tekken Tag Tournament 2 has joined its genre siblings in the growing list.
As the first Tekken installment in four years when it launched in 2012, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 shouldered a ton of responsibility. Its whirldwind tour through the fighting game community featured stops at majors across the world, including two impressive showings at the Evolution Championship Series.
A full list of backwards compatible games can be found here, and Microsoft is still looking for feedback from fans on which titles should be added to the catalog on their official forums.
UltraChen TV is back with another installment of their Tuesday talk show. Tonight, James Chen and UltraDavid will be discussing a variety of topics, including the results and fallout from Final Round 19, Street Fighter V, Killer Instinct Season 3, and more.
The stream will be live in this article, but you can also visit Twitch to join the chat.
Every year, the fine folks at NYU Game Center host Spring Fighter, a tournament that pays homage to the rich fighting game history of the New York City area. In addition to providing some of the best competition around, Spring Fighter also regularly features high-profile interviews conducted by fighting game legend Seth Killian.
This year, attendees will be able to take part in tournaments for Street Fighter V, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Perhaps more exciting, however, is the interview portion of the event, which will see Evil Geniuses’ Ricki Ortiz join Killian to discuss her storied career in the community.
What’s more, the Street Fighter V champion will receive a roundtrip flight to Evo 2016 for their efforts. Not too shabby!
Spring Fighter 2016 is scheduled for April 2 at the Metrotech Center in Brooklyn. More information and registration details can be found by following the link below.
