Author: Sam "Trilby" Foxall

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Bandai Namco Shows off First Gameplay Footage of Gundam Versus

During the special Gundam Festival livestream, Bandai Namco has shown off live footage of Gundam Versus for the first time. Acting as the first Gundam Vs. title designed for consoles, this livestream acted as a showcase for the closed alpha test that was happened earlier in Japan, which gave a very small number of players the chance to battle it out in super-fast mech fights.

You can watch two of the demonstration matches below, showing off the general pace and direction of combat. Similar to assists you see in something like Marvel, pilots can call in special “Striker” Gundams to attack the enemy or distract them while you focus on another target. There are two new Awakening systems in Gundam Versus; the Blaze and the Lightning Gear. The Blaze Gear is similar to something like X-Factor, where a player gets a short boost of strength upon activation, which can increasing the damage they deal while decreasing the damage they take.

The Lightning Gear is an Awakening whose effects last much longer, but they are not as drastic as the Blaze Gear. If you are looking to act as the support Gundam in your two-person team, it’s best to pick Lightning Gear. While Bandai Namco are keeping tight lipped on a release date, Gundam Versus will have an Asian English version so mech pilots shouldn’t have to wait too long following the Japanese release.

Source: HD Kirin via Gematsu

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The Beefy Smash Doods Dig Into The Facts About Super Smash Bros. for Wii U’s Burrow Mechanic

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, a select few characters can bury opponents in the ground using certain moves. Donkey Kong, Wii Fit Trainer, Zero Suit Samus, Villager and King Dedede all have access to moves that have this “Burrow” mechanic but for the most part, players don’t utilize the properties of this unique state.

To rectify this, the Beefy Smash Doods have grabbed their shovels to dig into the mysteries of the Burrow mechanic. The main thing to note is when a character is buried in the ground, they act similarly as when they are trapped in a Yoshi egg. Much like when you are encased in a Yoshi egg, the time spent stuck depends on your current damage percentage and how hard you mash out.

You will naturally pop out of the ground after a certain amount of time, but mashing buttons can let you escape faster. When you mash, your character judders from side to side when they are buried, meaning your opponent can watch to see if you are desperate to escape. By watching to see how fast the opponent is moving about while buried, clever players can queue up a punish to possibly kill an opponent as soon as they pop up.

Besides Greninja who can Shadow Sneak out of this lock, characters escaping a Burrow cannot jump, air dodge or attack until 11 frames after leaving the buried state. If timed right, you can also guarantee a kill by striking opponents with a hard hitting move within this 11 frame window of opportunity.

Source: Beefy Smash Doods

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NetherRealm Studios Finally Shows Off More Footage of Injustice 2, via IGN First

After almost four months of radio silence from NetherRealm Studios, the developers of Mortal Kombat are finally back to show off some footage of Injustice 2. Shown via IGN’s First initiative, they have chosen to break down Supergirl’s move set, displaying her specials, some of her combos as well as her unique combat trait.

As well as hearing the familiar voice of NetherRealm community specialist Tyler Lansdown, diligent watchers will notice that Supergirl has been to the clinic for some facial reconstruction surgery. With many complaining about the female character models in NetherRealm games, it’s promising to see that the studio has gone back to the drawing board to quiet fan concerns.

With Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite also scheduled for 2017, it’s going to be a the fierce year between comic book fighters.

Source: IGN

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The King of Fighters XIV Version 1.10 to Launch on January 11th, 2017

In conjunction with the release of Athena’s The King of Fighters ’98 retro outfit, Yasukuyi Oda has announced via the PlayStation Blog that version 1.10 of The King of Fighters XIV will launch on January 11th, 2017. If you are not yet aware, this update drastically improves KOFXIV’s visuals, by overhauling the lighting engine and improving the shader quality for all of the cast.

As well as these graphical improvements, version 1.10 of King of Fighters XIV adds two new color palettes to every fighter on the roster, and a special demo ver.2 will be released ahead of the full update for fans to get to grips with this new version. Do be aware that version 1.10 will not contain any balance changes, it will just contain the graphical upgrades.

You’ll be able to see KOFXIV’s new coat of paint in motion at the Four Kings Tournaments for The King of Fighters World Championship in February; expect more big updates from SNK in the new year.

Source: PlayStation Blog via Gematsu

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Immortals Signs DaJuan “Shroomed” McDaniel as Their First Super Smash Bros. Melee Player

Expanding into Super Smash Bros. for Wii U earlier in the year with the signing of Jason “ANTi” Bates, Immortals have made their grand entrance into Super Smash Bros. Melee with the acquisition of notable NorCal Sheik main, DaJuan “Shroomed” McDaniel.

Following his split from Winterfox earlier this month, Shroomed entered a period of free agency as he looked for a new team. With his energetic personality, stellar teams ability and his world class Sheik, the Immortals have picked a fan favorite by signing Shroomed to their growing Smash stable. With top 8 placings at Get on My Level 2016, Smash ‘n’ Splash 2, CEO 2016, and Super Smash Con, Shroomed looks set to hit new heights with Immortals.

“Shroomed isn’t only a skilled competitor, but also a player that consistently reflects the IMT commitment to holistic performance,” says CEO of Immortals, Noah Whinston. “DaJuan’s focus on mental and physical wellness as keys to competitive performance made him an easy choice as Immortals’ SSBM representative.”

Shroomed will be representing Immortals at Genesis 4 in January, so look out for him rocking a new black and green jersey in San Jose next month.

Source: Immortals

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Who is the Superior Skeleton? Spinal Mains from Around the World Take on UA|Bass’ Spinal Gauntlet

Throughout the life-cycle of Killer Instinct, there has been a subset of players who think that skeleton warrior Spinal is overpowered. While his ability to drain an opponent’s Shadow and Instinct meter to replenish his own in Season 2 did make him a real threat, he’s never been as utterly dominating as other members of the KI cast.

To help those who struggle against the cackling corsair and as a challenge to other Spinal players out there,  UA|Bass called on all other Spinals to try and beat him in a first to ten set to claim the crown of the skeleton king. With many fighters answering the call, Bass has collected a large collection of replays, showing him dueling against other would-be claimants to the bone throne.

Bass plays a variety of characters during these sets, ranging from his legendary Spinal, to his Mira, his Cinder, his Shadow and normal Jago. It’s a lot of footage but it acts as a fantastic resource for those struggling to defeat the undead pirate. You can find the playlist of all the matches below so sit back, grab a notepad and prepare to enter the bone zone.

Source: XiBassiX

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Shine 2017 is Coming Back to New England on August 27th-28th

In the briefest of announcements yesterday, Big Blue Esports has announced that Shine will be coming back for 2017, running between August 27th-28th. By the looks of it, it will be returning to Boston, Massachusetts but we have no news on if it will be back at the Seaport World Trade Center or at a different location in the city.

Titled #TheLastDopeTournament, an obvious reference to New England Peach main Mafia, Shine 2017 has quite the reputation to live up to. The previous Shine was not only the largest fighting game event in the whole of New England, but it was lauded by attendees for being one of the most well run and relaxed tournaments that they had ever gone to. With over 2000 entrants across Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. 64, Shine 2017 may be even bigger and act as a suitable closer for next year’s Summer of Smash.

Watch the blink and you’ll miss it teaser below and expect more news on Shine 2017 in the new year.

Source: Big Blue Esports

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desk Unleashes the Master of the Fist in This Street Fighter V Akuma Montage

To kick this new season off properly, desk has put together the first–in what will be many–Season Two combo video for Street Fighter V. Starting off with Akuma, desk runs through some of the wilder combos that the Raging Demon can pull off in SFV.

Many of the combos involve using Akuma’s V-Trigger, which gives him access to advanced specials like the double air fireball and the Shoryuken which slams opponents into the ground after the first punch. Akuma’s launching attacks like his V-Skill kick and back heavy punch give him plenty of opportunities to cancel into V-Trigger and continue a combo.

You can even follow up his Critical Art with a Shoryuken in the corner, giving you yet another chance to activate V-Trigger and tack on that extra bit of damage. Once he gains momentum, there is no stopping the Satsui no Hado.

Source: desk

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James Chen Analyzes All Street Fighter V Season Two Character Changes in These Extensive Breakdown Videos

With Capcom releasing the massive 92-page Season Two change log out into the wild yesterday, it set the Street Fighter world alight with people analyzing, celebrating, and lamenting the character changes coming to Street Fighter V. With so much data to get through, it was quite the herculean task to crunch all the numbers and get some preliminary thoughts about what these changes could mean to the current roster of fighters.

In a mammoth five-hour livestream, commentator James Chen (of UltraChen fame) broke down each character’s balance changes one by one in an effort to see what Capcom has planned to “refresh” Street Fighter V in 2017. These analyses are very well-reasoned, going into the context for specific changes, rather than saying “x” is a buff and “y” is a nerf. If you have the time, I’d recommend watching the whole thing–but if you just want to find your character, click the select videos below to find the information you’re looking for. First up is Street Fighter stalwarts Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li:

Next is M. Bison, Nash and Karin:

Followed by Cammy, Vega, Birdie, Necalli and Rashid:

Third up is F.A.N.G, Dhalsim, Laura, Zangief, and R. Mika:

Then to finish off, it’s all the Season One DLC cast of Alex, Guile, Ibuki, Balrog, Juri, and Urien:

Source: UltraChenTV

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The Japan-Only Fu’un Super Combo Finally Comes to the USA Today, as an Imported PlayStation 2 Classic

SNK and Sony are going all-out with releasing the NEO GEO’s classic fighting game archive to the PlayStation 4, as the Japan-exclusive Fu’un Super Combo makes it way to the US PlayStation Network Store today. A port of the PS2 re-release of Savage Reign and Kizuna Encounter, this collection is part of the Import PS2 Classics series, meaning that the in-game text is only available in Japanese.

For those who aren’t familiar with these NEO GEO fighters, Savage Reign is a weapons fighter where players can jump between two planes of movement, with fighters being able to throw their select armaments at opponents positioned above or below them. Kizuna Encounter drops this plane-switching mechanic in exchange for tag battles, where players can swap in certain assists when positioned at specific places on the screen.

Only available for those on the US PSN Store, Fu’un Super Combo is out now for $14.99.

Source: PlayStation Store