Author: Luke "Woocash" Siuty

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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)

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First US tournament in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle provides thrills at Anime Ascension 2018

The time has come to see how BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle fares in a tournament setting. Anime Ascension provided an open weekend for players to try out the upcoming game. Even more attractive for some is the fact that it’s the English version of the game, with new English voice dubbing.

Level Up Live streamed the action, and the below clip has close to two hours of the tournament that took place during the event. Several players have already found their way in the game, figuring out the general flow of assist combos and neutral. There’s a good variety of characters as well. This was a tag, single-elimination tournament, so it actually consisted of pairs of players. Team Big Bois stood out in particular, and one of the members who figured out some really good synergy between his characters. Who knew that two huge grapplers, Tager and Waldstein, would be a good combo?! Go figure.

Enjoy the action below, and check out our Anime Ascension 2018 results page for more details on how the tournament went.

Watch Anime Ascension 2018 Day 2 from leveluplive on www.twitch.tv

Source: Level Up Live

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Dragon Ball FighterZ has a “big lead” in registration numbers over the other titles at Evolution 2018

The time for Evolution 2018 is slowly drawing near… Early-bird registration time has passed, and with that, Joey “Mr. Wizard” Cuellar has taken the time to provide us with a little bit of a glimpse into the numbers. Mr. Wizard tweeted out an updated list that shows which of the Evolution 2018 main stage games have the highest number of registrants, and the results may — or may not — be surprising to you.

Though we don’t have specific numbers yet, and the results are far from final, it looks like Dragon Ball FighterZ is still paving the way to the lead — beating Capcom’s Street Fighter V, which had over 5,000 entrants in 2016, and about half as many in 2017. According to the tweet, the current ranking is as following:

  1. Dragon Ball FighterZ
  2. Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
  3. Tekken 7
  4. Super Smash Bros. Melee
  5. Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U
  6. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
  7. Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2
  8. Injustice 2

It’s worth noting this ranking is the same as the first update on registration Mr. Wizard provided, aside from the note on DBFZ’s larger lead. What do you think? Is this order lining up with your predictions? Let us know in the comments. And if you haven’t yet, you can impact these standings further by registering for Evo 2018!

Evo 2018 will be at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on August 3-5.

evo 2018 logo (trailer)

Source: @MrWiz 

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Nakkiel joins Panda Global and completes a trio of anime pro players

Panda Global is gathering power!

Looks like anime is back in style, more than ever before. On the esports side, anime games are gathering powerful representatives on professional teams. Panda Global is on a streak; after attracting Street Fighter V‘s pro player Infiltration to their team, the organization is now increasing their anime coverage with Nakkiel.

Though PG|Nakkiel covers multiple Arc System Works titles, most recently he has gained a lot of traction through Dragon Ball FighterZ. With this, Panda Global has created a trio covering each of the major ASW games: PG|MarlinPie for Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, PG|SKD for BlazBlue, and PG|Nakkiel for DBFZ.

PG|Nakkiel just attended NorCal Regionals 2018, where he placed 7th in DBFZ. To learn more about him, check out a recent Nakkiel interview with BornFree!

Source: Panda Global Twitter

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BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle overview video shows off Story and Online Lobby modes

The time to intersect is nigh!

We’re getting closer and closer to the release of BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. The Japanese side of Arc System Works released a product overview video that showcases the nameplate modes, as well as a refresher on the base cast that comes included with the game.

The video below features every non-DLC character getting their moment in the spotlight and showcasing their abilities. After that,we get a peak at its Episode Mode, which looks to divide the story by each franchise before thier inevitable collision. We also get a quick look at the Tutorial and Challenge Modes to get a better grasp on the fighting mechanics. Finally, the video showcases the online lobbies, which look like the usual Arc System Works fare: customizable chibi avatars running around a lobby, interacting with emotes, and joining matches.

At the end, there’s information about the various purchasing options, but we have no details yet about the US or EU side of things.

Arc System Works will reveal the next Character Pack on April 19th.

Source: Arc System Works

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Special SoulCalibur VI event “Ring Out” VOD showcases top-tier game play from Kayane, Xephukai, and more!

Bandai Namco recently concluded a special SoulCalibur VI event in San Francisco, where players got to try their hands at “The Stage of History.” The Ring Out event invited not only Average Joes, but also several fighting game specialists.

Before the swords clash in the VOD below, special guests Markman, Maximilian Dood, and Kayane give their thoughts on the game. The bracket starts around the 24:00-minute mark in the video below, and includes several high level players such as Kayane (Xianghua), Yellowtail (Grøh), Xephukai (Mitsurugi), and Ceirnian (Nightmare).

After the bracket, the stream allowed casual players to join in. Unfortunately, this build did not include any of the newly announced characters (Zasalamel and Ivy), or the newly announced guest character Geralt.

Watch SOULCALIBUR VI – Live from Ring Out S.F. w/ Kayane and Markman from BANDAINAMCOUS on www.twitch.tv

Source: Bandai Namco US Twitch

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Video overview teaches the pros and cons of using Ramlethal in Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2

While Dragon Ball FighterZ is the current Arc System Works game that’s enjoying most of the spotlight, there’s a chance newcomers to their games might be willing to also try picking up Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2. Generally considered rather intimidating, it’s not as easy to pick-up-and-play this game compared to some — but it can be very rewarding anyway.

Apolo Loussalier wants to help out that crowd, and has started posting character introduction videos for the zany Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 cast. The first one features his own main character, Ramlethal Valentine: a setplay-oriented warrior who uses two special swords in battle. The video starts out by listing out Ramlethal’s strong suits. With her sword at her side, she has very good pokes and anti-airs at her disposal, and a quick counter-hit can lead to a full combo. When she places the weapons around the stage, she has access to some slower and faster attacks that cover a large area and are particularly dangerous with a YRC. Ramlethal also has very good corner-carry, and she shines particularly when the opponent’s back is against the wall.

As for the weaknesses, she lacks a reversal move — but she isn’t completely defenseless. She can take advantage of the many system mechanics in the game that helps with defense, like back-dashing, Blitz Shielding, Bursting, and throwing.

Source: Apolo Loussalier

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BornFree interviews Brian F about changes in fighting game design and balance in Street Fighter V

BornFree’s interviews from Final Round 2018 continue, this time with UYU|Brian F. The conversation covers Street Fighter V, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and accessibility of fighting games.

The two open up by talking about how developers want to make their games easier to approach and thus enjoyed by a larger audience. Brian F stresses that this doesn’t make a game necessarily “easier,” but he notes a trend where execution is more streamlined. He also notes that things like auto-combos won’t help players much in the end. “DBFZ is really easy to play,” he says, “but if someone’s better than you, you don’t get to play.” One key factor he points out that’s important to casual players is good matchmaking, which should prevent lower-ranked players from facing opponents with much greater skill level.

Around minute 19:00, the discussion switches to the “Abigail problem” in Street Fighter V: The Arcade Edition. Brian F advises players to just keep playing, and dislikes when people discredit competitors based solely on their character choice.

Enjoy the insightful interview below!

BornFree has also recently interviewed Kazunoko and Nakkiel.

Source: BornFree

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BlazBlue: Central Fiction Es combo video displays the power of the Azure Guardian

Cool combo videos for BlazBlue: Central Fiction aren’t stopping any time soon. This time, Kalibur has released a brand new Es combo video: the Central Fiction newcomer certainly turned out to be a popular character, and definitely became stronger once the 2.0 patch came out.

Kalibur shows off their prowess with Es, making these sequences look easy — though they certainly aren’t. There’s a few unusual routes that result in unexpected resets, which net another combo against an unsuspecting opponent. The video also plays well with those transitions, like in the moment when Noel gets hit by a Fatal Counter attack, ending in a double Distortion Drive.

Enjoy the dynamic combo video below, and if you would like more BlazBlue content, check out Monarch’s Izayoi combo video as well.

Source: Kalibur

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Sonic Fox tries out a PlayStation 4 pad prototype that could be much better for fighting game players

Despite the popularity of the arcade stick for fighting games, there are still plenty of pad warriors out there. While there are some custom offerings out there, many stick to the mainstream products from console providers like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo — but it’s not always a great solution. Some prefer PlayStation 3 pads over its latest generation, and some like even older ones.

Echo Fox|Sonic Fox recently posted a video showcasing a special prototype of an off-brand PS4 pad. He compares it to a Hitbox controller, because every button is actually isolated. He showcases this with the D-pad in particular. On a regular PS4 pad, it’s easy to accidentally get a neighboring input — either up or down — while pressing back. This can’t happen on this special pad from Battle Beaver Customs, and Sonic Fox says it makes his inputs a lot cleaner.

He also posted a video showing how much easier it is to Korean backdash in Tekken 7 with this pad:

This prototype isn’t available to purchase right now, but Battle Beaver Customs definitely feels encouraged by the feedback received from Sonic Fox:

Sources: @SonicFox5000; Battle Beaver Customs