Author: Luke "Woocash" Siuty

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BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle will be publicly available to play at GameStop stores next week

Arc System Works certainly has been ramping the marketing for their upcoming title, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. The title has been available for the public to play at various events, such as Anime Ascension and New York’s Next Level Arcade. It turns out that next week, many more players — at least in the United States — will have an opportunity to try out the game: at GameStop stores.

The company tweeted that BBTAG will be available at kiosk stands at GameStop stores sometime next week. Though there aren’t specific details yet, it’s possible that every store in the national chain will have demos available. The newest build includes most of the character cast at this point, except for RWBY‘s Yang and one more character pack. The English dub is also officially confirmed to be part of the game.

This will be a good opportunity to check out the game before thinking about the BBTAG Collector’s Edition, which will include all the DLC and several goodies.

Source: Arc System Works (Twitter)

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Siegfried, the cursed knight, steps into SoulCalibur VI!

“I will not surrender myself to this nightmare!”

This morning, Bandai Namco posted a surprise reveal trailer for the next character coming to SoulCalibur VI. It’s a pretty surprising one, as fans wildly speculated for a while whether Siegfried would make it in — and enthusiasts of big swords and stance-based moves won’t be disappointed.

Lore-wise, Siegfried is the human who picks up Soul Edge at the end of the events of the first game, becoming a vessel for the cursed knight, Nightmare. And yet, he starts to resist the will of the demonic being that’s thirsty for souls. As a playable character separate from Nightmare, it seems this will be important for the story mode in the game.

The German knight battles using his massive Zweihänder with a mixture of faster spins and slower, massive blows. Fans who played him before from SoulCalibur III onward should recognize quite a lot of his moves, which involve many stance changes. The trailer also shows off mechanics new to SoulCalibur VI, giving a taste of a Soul Charge-enhanced combo as well as his cinematic Critical Edge.

Who is a Siegfried past or future main? Let us know in the comments!

Recently, a Ring Out event featured Kayane, among other top SoulCalibur VI players.

Source: Bandai Namco America

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Multi-character combo video for BlazBlue: Central Fiction shows what makes each fighter special

The era of BlazBlue: Central Fiction is far from over, and the community keeps proving that point. XIIIBlades and Tao teamed up to create a new combo video that covers many of the characters on the large cast. Get ready for an eclectic showing with stylish combinations that demonstrate why this game is still worth playing.

Over a catchy remix song, the video starts with the protagonist, Ragna, and turns to a pretty rare character next, Relius, who performs an interesting loop in the corner. XIIIBlades typically plays Jin, so it’s not surprising to see some cool combos with Ice Fang — I had no idea you could follow up the regular Distortion Drive with an Overdrive activation into the stronger version! It feels like the theme of the video is side-switching; there is a lot of good juggling and maneuvering from Relius and Bang, especially when Bang teleports behind Nine. The witch herself also shows off what she can do.

Check out the video below — and if you’re looking for something more individual, check out this BlazBlue Hazama and Terumi combo video.

Source: XIIIBlades

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BornFree interviews Infiltration, talks about Street Fighter V balance and physical well-being

BornFree continues his series of interviews from NorCal Regionals 2018. We get to spend some quality-camera time with one of the most famous personalities in Street Fighter V, the Korean pro player Infiltration. Having recently joined Panda Global, he has once again sprung onto the world stage, especially because of his latest triumph at Final Round 2018.

The extended interview (conducted before the latest SFV patch landed) covers why PG|Infiltration decided to go with Menat. He mentions how her toolset is a unique asset in the game, and that she plays a little outside the lines. However, he notes that the character still has some bad match-ups and needs someone to cover those, so that’s why he still plays Juri, his favorite character. He extensively talks about character balance in the game — mentioning Sagat, Ed, and Abigail.

Unrelated to the game, Infiltration also talks a lot about staying fit and working out, to be a more appealing esports figure. He both wants to attract more female players to the genre, as well as be mentally and physically strong to handle the challenges as they come.

For more on the player, check out a recent Infiltration Q&A session.

Source: BornFree

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Should you play Es? Learn about the pros and cons of the BlazBlue: Central Fiction character

Maybe you’ve had your eyes on BlazBlue: Central Fiction‘s Es for a while, but weren’t really sure about the character’s strengths and weaknesses. Apolo is back with a second video, this time, switching gears to the other Arc System Works fighter (he covered Guilty Gear’s Ramlethal in his previous work).

Es is an intermediate character, friendly to beginners, but with plenty of depth. At the outset, it’s easy to poke with her long sword, so she has an easy time in the mid-range neutral. She has great anti-airs as well, letting her defend against jump-ins easily. Once you land a blow, most of her combos aren’t very difficult, though they are on the lower damage spectrum in BBCF. There is a lot of room for creativity with her Drive, however. The Crest Arts offer a lot of combo flexibility and some advanced okizeme setups.

As for her weaknesses, Apolo mentions the complexity of advanced sequences that are required to truly shine with the character on a competitive level. Her offense actually has some gaps, especially if she goes for her overhead attacks or command grab.

For more on Es, check out a recent BBCF Es combo video.

Source: Apolo Loussalier

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BornFree interviews CLN|Yohosie, the player with all the Dragon Ball FighterZ tech

If you haven’t heard of CLN|Yohosie yet, you’ve been missing out on a key player in the Dragon Ball FighterZ scene. Having made numerous setups and tech videos, Yohosie’s Twitter is a must-follow if you’re looking for some dirty and flashy offense. Arising as one of the strongest players in the scene, Yohosie sat down to talk to BornFree at NorCal Regionals 2018.

 

The conversation starts out with talk about her hometown and nickname (her name is actually Hosie). They transition into DBFZ talk; Yohosie’s team consists of Android 16, Gotenks, and Vegeta. Of the three, the conversation focuses on Gotenks, whom has been a slept on character in the fighting game community. She’s spoken with players like Echo Fox|SonicFox, arguing that Gotenks is stronger than the FGC believes. Yohosie dissects various aspects of DBFZ, sharing her initial impressions and mentioning that she would like to see an additional defensive technique in the game.

Check out the conversation below, and make sure to give Yohosie a follow on Twitter. In case you missed it, read up on NCR 2018 results on Shoryuken.

Source: BornFree; Yohosiefgc (Twitter)

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Maximilian explains what went wrong with Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite

Those who love a franchise can simultaneously be its biggest critics. It’s not always out of malice, though — but out of passion for the game. In what certainly turned out to be a momentous video, Maximilian — who professes his love for Capcom’s Versus games — is laying it all out in his latest: “What Happened? MVCI: A Case Study Of What Not To Do”, regarding Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.

With a heavy heart, Maximilian opens by saying that the launches of Street Fighter V and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite made him lose a lot of faith in Capcom. He launches into describing MvC:I’s timeline, which started with a demo at PlayStation Experience in 2016, as well as a gameplay trailer that looked a little concerning. “I think they’re going to fix it later,” Maximilian retells what many fighting game players thought upon seeing it. Graphics, sadly, dragged down the game a lot, spawning discussions about Chun-Li’s face, among others. In his opinion, the marketing overall focused on the Story Mode — which just wasn’t the strongest point of the game — and the slim initial offering of characters wasn’t a strong incentive for the series’ veterans.

Maxmilian then ventures into the nitty-gritty: talking about some mechanics and features in the game that didn’t mesh well. “I think it’s done. I don’t think Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is going to get any future updates.” What’s your opinion? Is the game finished, or is there still a chance for redemption?

Unfortunately, Maximilian has even received death threats because the opinions expressed in this video. We want to remind everyone that death threats are a serious matter, and they should never be sent to a creator, no matter how controversial their opinions are! Please be civil and respectful to one another.

Source: Maximilian Dood

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Players write out their impressions of BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle — a competitive overview

We’ve enjoyed plenty of fresh BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, since the game has been showcased at several conventions as well as Anime Ascension, Aksys Games’ own tournament. On one hand, it’s easy to ogle the dynamic 2D action — however, in order to get the edge on opponents, it’s time to get studying. A couple of players who attended the Anime Ascension tournament took the time to write out their impressions, including the latest overview of the game’s mechanics.

Method|Flux, who is competitive in BlazBlue: Central Fiction, wrote out a BBTAG system mechanics primer. He goes over basic controls, noting the default stick control layout and explaining normal attacks. Interestingly, it seems like 5C, the Crush attack which is a universal overhead, seems to have some kind of additional input during it with specific timing that increases its damage. Flux goes over the Assist system as well. Another aspect worth pointing out is that Dragon Punch moves are completely unblockable for airborne characters, so such can work well as anti-airs. Pushblock, which is executed during blockstun, is done the same way as the DP.

As for his general opinion on the game, Flux wrote: “Neutral feels fairly grounded and focused on fundamentals/jockeying for screen real estate. It felt like while playing the game that anything I could think of in terms of setups and combos was achievable if I could execute it correctly. Offense feels strong with the potential to be outright cheap. I said to the people I was playing and myself many times: I wonder if I can do this? And the answer was almost always “yes.” I was able to find ways to exploit the games’ lack of cross-up protection fairly easily, but it isn’t without hope!”

If you’re curious about some character-specific impressions, Spectro wrote about playing Weiss and Es. Kuma wrote a detailed overview on Chie Satonaka.

For more on this game, check out BBTAG special intros and match footage from Anime Ascension.

Sources: Evernote (Flux); Spectro (Weiss and Es); Kuma (Chie)

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The BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle English dub version is packed with special intros

English dubbing returns to Arc System Works’ upcoming title, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, something that many fans have been clamoring for since its departure from Central Fiction. Lo and behold, the BBTAG version with dub finally debuted at Anime Ascension this weekend. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s packed with adorable special intros for many of the characters, even if they aren’t from the same franchise.

Pssych kindly compiled the footage from this past weekend to show off just the intros. There are lots of expected pairings, like Ruby and Weiss, as well as Yosuke and Chie. Tager and Waldstein discuss their approach before entering battle. Predictably, Rachel prefers Ragna to do the dirty work for the two of them. Noel considers a peaceful approach, but Hyde doubts that’s going to work. Noel also has a special interaction with Nu-13, which makes sense per BlazBlue‘s lore. Best of all, though, is probably Ruby and Ragna’s intro. Ruby is such a geek over weaponry, she can’t help but go full-fangirl over his sword-scythe.

Check out the compilation below — and if you’re looking for more footage, Anime Ascension’s BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle tournament is worth the watch!

Source: Pssych

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Cristina Vee, Noel Vermillion’s voice actress, is joining the next episode of ArcLive

English-speaking fans are finally getting what they asked for since the release of BlazBlue: Central Fiction. The upcoming Arc System Works title, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, will once again feature English voices during the Episode Mode and battles. For years, Cristina Vee has voiced Noel Vermillion and related characters, like Nu-13, and she’s reprising the role of the NOL lieutenant in BBTAG.

The next episode of the weekly ASW stream will feature Cristina Vee. There’s no mention of other guests, but presumably, the actress will be interviewed about her work on BBTAG. Maybe she will even give the game a shot? The stream will showcase the latest build of the game, which does include English dubbing.

Don’t miss the show; it starts today at 5:oo PM PT/7:00 PM CT/8:00 PM ET on the Arc System Works USA Twitch account. If you’re hungry for some gameplay, check out some BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Anime Ascension tournament footage.

Source: Arc System Works (Twitter)