Author: Luke "Woocash" Siuty

Anime Ascension 2017, organized by Aksys Games this weekend, concluded with a split of a $5000 pot bonuses and some additional prizes (like pro-gaming headsets). Lots of big names attended the California tournament, resulting in memorable top 8 games streamed by Level|Up Series.

Full Stream Archive:

Watch live video from leveluplive on www.twitch.tv

Results

Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-

1. daymendou (Slayer)
2. KidViper (Johnny)
3. BjornSonOfBear (Chipp Zanuff)
4. TFA|KizzieKay (Sin Kiske)
5. Foo (Kum Haehyun)
5. Fadooglee (Slayer)
7. Toki (Axl Low)
7. MC|GcYoshi13 (Bedman)

BlazBlue: Central Fiction

1. BrkrDave (Arakune)
2. BGenio|SKD (Izayoi)
3. Betadood (Ragna the Bloodedge)
4. TFA|KizzieKay (Jin Kisaragi)
5. Jona (Valkenhayn, Mai)
5. DSmoove12 (Celica A. Mercury)
7. Nano (Hades Izanami)
7. LPT (Rachel Alucard)

Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late

1. BrkrDave (Merkava)
2. Bathwater|Squish (Akatsuki)
3. Clim (Merkava, Gordeau)
4. Who’s The Baby? (Gordeau)
5. Tensei (Eltnum)
5. CT_Warrior (Linne)
7. LPT (Byakuya)
7. Lolimaiko (Vatista)

The King of Fighters XIV

1. AS|Reynald (Hein, Luong, Robert | Billy, Luong, Robert)
2. TC|Y05H1 (Benimaru, Mai, Leona | Benimaru, Kula, Leona)
3. Mr. KOF (Mian, Robert, Benimaru | Benimaru, Leona, Robert)
4. ISM|ElRosa (Verse, Leona, Robert)
5. Laban (Iori, Athena, Daimon)
5. Juicebox (King, Hein, Leona)
7. CCT|ShafterFish (Kensou, Chin, Athena)
7. Kiririnshi~ (Yuri, Iori, Benimaru)

Source: Level|Up Series

For Honor launched earlier this week, and the Samurai/Viking/Knight MOBA-like fighting game (maybe) might be getting some traction in the FGC. While time will tell whether the Ubisoft multiplayer game finds some place in online tournaments or events, an observant fan on Reddit spotted a connection between the medieval setting and Mortal Kombat.

Reddit user Lacront uploaded an image with a closeup on a certain element. The bridge in the back features a pair of characters duking it out; any veteran fan of Mortal Kombat will be quick to make the association: it’s most likely a reference to Blaze and Hornbuckle, who can be seen as early as in Mortal Kombat II’s Pit II stage. It’s a nice nod from Ubisoft designers to the venerated series from Midway/NetherRealm Studios. Check it out below, and click the image for a bigger version.

 

Source: Reddit

Two major fighting game publishers and developers, Bandai Namco and Capcom, are listed on Metacritic’s list of major 2016 publisher ranking. The critic score aggregating website took a look at its 2016 data, and ranked the companies by dividing them into smaller and bigger publishers. The list is based on the number of published games last year.

Capcom landed sixth in order of best quality of published games based on Metacritic scoring. The “Best Overall Release” is Monster Hunter Generations on the 3DS, with an 85 overall score. The worst is Umbrella Corps on PC, with a meager 36. The Street Fighter V Metacritic score sits at 77 when it comes to major publications, though the user score is much lower, a 3.4. The company’s composite score is overall a 7.1, a decrease from last year by 5.9, which the site attributes to several “measly” Resident Evil remakes.

Bandai Namco Entertainment is right behind with an overall 70.8 in their franchises. Dark Souls III triumphs with an overall 89, while Lost Reavers on the Wii U scored the lowest, 46. Critics collectively graded Pokkén Tournament and several Naruto in the 80 range.

Take a look at the full list over on the Metacritic 2016 publisher ranking page. Also, check out our Street Fighter V year-in-review feature.

Source: Metacritic

No matter what we do, we can’t stop the clock from running on us–unless you’re Dio Brando, or use Overdrive in a BlazBlue match, but that’s beside the point. Aging affects all of us, and sadly, it has a detrimental effect on certain motor skills, particularly reflex, which is key in fighting games when facing mix-up attacks.

Game Informer delved deeper into the issue, taking a wide approach at how gaming affects the esports industry players at large. The author points out the gravity of this when highlighting notables from the fighting game community. Vasquez talked to Darryl “Snake Eyez” Lewis, Bruce “Gamerbee” Hsiang, Alex Valle, David “Ultradavid” Graham and more. They point out how committing between community organization and training competitively can get in the way, and that the difference from regular sports is that gaming is tied to commercial products and patches. Ultimately, older fighting game players benefit from more experience and a better ability to read the opponent.

Have a full read on this interesting feature over at Game Informer, and read up on how older games can fit into esports. Make sure to share your opinion in the comments below.

Source: Game Informer

If Japanese players can do it, why can’t the rest of the world? US Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- players decided that they won’t always be in Japan’s shadow–who regularly has various exhibitions and leagues. An online league in the first-to-seven format will stream some big names with commentary a few times a month.

The first two, happening on February 24th, are the following:

The first time, it’s a double fight special, but that might not always be the case. Commentary will be provided by BeautifulDude and DaiAndOh. There will be different commentators and players every time, rotating about two-three times a month.

“The series was obviously inspired by the FT10s on Jonio’s stream and the timing feels perfect now that the Steam player base has grown significantly,” Sym, who came up with the idea, told SRK. “Thanks to its lower input delay we can have quality netplay matches across any region in the US and even with Canada. This will help promote Xrd and give players valuable experience in matchups they may not have access to in their local scene. Matchup knowledge is something the US scene has struggled with, we don’t have the same luxury as Japan, but this will definitely help.”

Catch the stream on February 24th at 9 p.m. EST at www.twitch.tv/ssxrdel and stay tuned to it to see who’s coming up next. Follow the two organizers, Sym and Silva, linked below, to keep up to date.

You can also follow the #SSXrdEL hashtag to get into the spirit of competition with some fanart.

did some fanart for @VioletSniper 's Super Steam Xrd League! #SSXrdEL pic.twitter.com/PdWYdTLu42

— Damian (@StuckUpHedonist) February 13, 2017

Sources: @Sym; @Silva

Earlier today, Aksys Games (the US publisher for Arc System Works) made an announcement via Twitter; the official English website for the upcoming Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- expansion, REV 2 has just launched.

As we already know from Arc System Works, REV 2 will be available as either a standalone version or as a DLC pack that upgrades the game. PlayStation 4 users have the option of buying a physical copy, while Steam and PS3 only have a digital option. No price nor date has been yet specified, but Arc System Works stated that the price of the upgrade, which will be less than buying the game standalone, should be around ¥2,000–which is approximately $20 USD.

The Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 official website does not mention the Steam version of the game, because Aksys Games doesn’t handle it–as the company explained in a tweet. The recent PC ports have been handled directly by Arc System Works. The website details what content is included in REV 2:

• Two new characters, Baiken and Answer enter the battle!
• New stages, moves and motions are just the beginning of new content to explore!
• Expanded story and arcade modes shed new light on Jam, Kum, Raven, Dizzy, Answer, and Baiken!
• Complete re-balancing of each fighter means that everything old is new again!

While there isn’t a whole lot of new info on the site, a live website from Aksys Games means that the game is well on its way to getting published on consoles soon.

Stay tuned to SRK for any new developments and read up on our translated patch notes from the second location test for more information about REV 2.

Source: Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 Official Site