Author: USD

A rush of Street Fighter V information on the newly revealed Ken Masters has been steadily pouring in since his announcement earlier today. How does Ken’s trademark flashy, fiery style fit into Street Fighter V? While you might have picked up a bit more on Ken’s moves from the trailer and early play videos, here’s a further introduction into Ken and his techniques from Japanese site Gamer.

“Rush & Blaze” Ken

Profile

Height: 175 cm
Weight: 83 kg
Occupation: Head of the Masters family, martial artist
Likes: His family, pasta

Ryu’s fellow pupil, friend and greatest rival. A foundation representing America and son of the distinguished Masters family.

V-Reversal: Senpu Nata Otoshi

After blocking, Ken counter attacks with a flaming kick. With the abundant number of kick moves at his disposal in Street Fighter V, it’s a fitting V-Reversal.

V-Trigger: Heat Rush

Ken’s special moves gain flaming properties and increased forward movement. Also notice the fire visual effects that wrap his body.

V-Skill: Quick Step (Funjinkyaku)

Cancel normal attacks into this special forward dash! He the dash has follow-up moves into attacks, making it quite useful for closing distance and surprise attacks.

Special Move: Shoryuken

The well-known Shoryuken of the Street Fighter series is of course still strong in SFV. During V-Trigger, its damage and appearance change.

Special Move: Tatsumaki Senpukyaku

The number of kicks and trajectory change with different button strengths. It also has can be performed on the ground and in the air, giving the attack a number of variations.

Critical Art: Guren Enjinkyaku

Ken kicks the opponent upward into the air with a series of flaming kick moves. The camera angle shifts for a final kick to the face.

Source: Gamer

After the successful release of Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late for PlayStation 3, French-Bread and Arc System Works have teamed up again for the latest entry in the series, the aptly named Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st].

Today, Arc System Works announced that the new title will be launching in Japanese arcades on July 23. Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] adds a few new elements to the previous game, including the all-new character Phonon, the system mechanic Cross Cast Veil Off, and game balance tuning for the existing characters.

Below, you’ll find the title’s intro movie as well as details on new game features and the whip-wielding newcomer.

Phonon

“This power, it’s like the protagonist in a manga finally awakening. It would be a waste to not be stylish with it.”

Voice: Saori Onishi

Profile

Admiring ability and seeking to use her own freely, she leaves the strict student vigilante group EFG. She’s a sensitive girl who has grown tired of ordinary student life and has long been searching for her “true self”. Unable to stop believing that with her powers as an Inverse, she’s “awakened to her true self”, she walks under the night as she pleases in order to demonstrate to others the power she’s been granted. Of those who gather under the night, there is someone who knows of Phonon’s “false self”, before her awakening…

Phonon’s Battle Style

Special Move: Kassou Afflict

Phonon swings her whip downward, and with additional inputs she can beat up the floated opponent even further!

Infinite Worth: Bousoku Beatitude

Thoroughly lash the restrained opponent with the Queen’s whip!

Phonon’s Scenario

Intoxicated with her powers as an Inverse, Phonon uses her abilities as the self-proclaimed “Slicing Gale Cemeti”. But someone in the void night knows of her past…

New System: Cross Cast Veil Off

The new system Cross Cast Veil Off makes its entrance! This activates Veil Off from a Vorpal state and knocks the opponent vertically for additional. Since while Veil Off is active, you can freely use moves that cost meter like EX special moves and Infinite Worth, after starting a combo you can go for an overwhelmingly damaging follow-up. Since it greatly increases the damage you can get off a single opportunity, it has great strategical merit for clinching the match!

Game Balance Refinement

In Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late, all existing characters have been tuned to refine the game balance. With the birth of new tactics, enjoy the thrill and excitement of mind games that weren’t possible before.

Source: 4Gamer, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late official site

It might be the 4th of July, but some players will be getting their game on via today’s HADOCON VII. Going down at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront and featuring Mortal Kombat X, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Ultra Street Fighter IV, this year’s HADOCON will be NorCal’s chance to get in some play before Evo 2015 in two weeks.

The team of Team Spooky and IPLAYWINNER will be providing a stream for the event, so if you would like to watch, head over to Twitch now or check out the stream now.

Team Spooky

Watch live video from TeamSp00ky on www.twitch.tv

IPLAYWINNER

Watch live video from IPLAYWINNER on www.twitch.tv

Source: Facebook, Team Spooky, IPLAYWINNER

The arcade Pokémon battle is just two weeks away! On today’s pre-release special, Bandai Namco announced that their collaboration fighter with Nintendo, Pokkén Tournament, will be hitting Japanese arcades on Thursday, July 16. Along with the release date, two new Pokémon were revealed to be joining the fray: the claw-slashing Dark/Ice-type Weavile and the familiar Fire/Flying-type Charizard.

After the launch of the game, a bonus special event will run in arcades until the end of the month. Players who play using their BanaPassport card during this time period will receive the Jirachi/Whimsicott Support Pokémon set.

Weavile, Charizard, and the previously announced Gengar were each shown in playable form for the first time. Below is a brief breakdown of each character.

Gengar

Gengar is tricky Pokémon with moves that make it difficult to read what it will do next. Shadow Punch (Back + Pokémon Move) summons two fists in the air that slam the opponent. Hypnosis (Forward + Pokémon Move) is a close-range move that puts the opponent in a trance as Gengar appears behind them and attacks, opening a chance for a combo. Pressing Guard while jumping briefly turns the Pokémon invisible, after which it can attack for some deceptive tactics. Gengar is completely invincible any time it disappears from screen, allowing you to frustrate your opponent with confusing attacks.

Gengar’s Burst transforms the Pokemon into Mega Gengar. Its Burst Attack is a throw attack that can be avoided by jumping.

Charizard

Charizard uses its power and flame attacks to overwhelm the opponent. Flame Punch (Forward + Pokémon Move) is a powerful rush move with armor to withstand enemy attacks. Charizard also has a number of fire-breathing attacks, including Flamethrower (Neutral + Pokémon Move), which aptly launches flames from the ground, and Inferno (Back + Pokémon Move), which does so from the air. With Flare Dive (Jump + Pokémon Move) Charizard quickly charges at the opponent from the sky, sending them flying into the sky.

Activating Burst Mega Evolves the Pokémon into Mega Charizard X. With its Burst Attack, Charizard flies into the air and blazes the opponent with a devastating beam of fire.

Weavile

Weavile is a quick character with slashing attacks. Agility (Pokémon Move repeatedly) is a dash move that can be used to close in on the opponent. With Knock Off, Weavile leaps into the air and slashes, knocking the opponent into the air. Weavile’s other moves include Ice Punch, which can only be performed in Duel Phase.

Though Weavile doesn’t have a Mega Evolution, as usual activating Burst cause the Pokémon to enter a powered-up form. Its Burst Attack launches the opponent before finishing them with a flying slash attack.

What do you think of the new Pokémon? Tell us in the comments below!

While the United States will be celebrating its Independence Day on July 4, TOPANGA of Japan is set to host one of the largest fighting game charity events in history. Continuing since its inception in 2011 in response to the Tohoku earthquake, the 5th TOPANGA Charity CUP is an Ultra Street Fighter IV 5-on-5 team tournament focused on giving back to society. The full sum of entry fees and contributions will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

And this tournament will be huge. Over 150 full teams are currently registered, packed with familiar names like Mad Catz’ Daigo Umehara, HORI’s sako, and Kazunoko, along with a few international stars such as Evil Geniuses’ Justin Wong, Falcon Arena’s Ryan Hart, and INFILTRATION. Below is the current team entry list, with notable teams listed in bold.

Tune into both Niconico Live channels this Saturday (or Friday evening, depending on your time zone) for one of the biggest Street Fighter team events ever.

Start Times

Team List

Source: TOPANGA

This weekend, Sega is holding a series of location tests for Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX IGNITION, the follow-up to their light novel fighter developed by French-Bread and Ecole Software. As such, we’ve finally been given our first look at the characters and mechanics making their debut in this sequel.

In addition to The Devil is a Part-Timer! receiving another representative in Emi Yusa, Heavy Object is set to make the scene with the arrival of playable character Qwenthur Barbotage (accompanied by Heivia Winchell and Milinda Brantini) and assist Major Frolaytia Capistrano. Each of these fighters can be seen in the footage below.

Japanese publication Gamer has also released an extensive look at IGNITION, the aforementioned newcomers, and some fresh gameplay mechanics. Check out our translations below.

Emi Yusa

Emi Yusa (Voice: Yoko Hikasa) joins the cast from The Devil Is a Part-Timer! as the Hero who chased the Demon King from the parallel world Ente Isla to Japan… and gets a job as call center agent to cover her living expenses. To find out why, check the original light novel and the TV anime.

Wielding the sword Better Half, Emi is a standard type character with strong reach and priority in her moves, flashy light- and lightning-based attacks and an air dash like Shana and Kirino. Equipped with a number of easy-to-use moves like a projectile attack, rush attack, mid-air combo finisher, surprise attack, she’s truly a heroic character.

With her Trump Card, Emi takes a Holy Vitamin β, providing a temporary power-up. While active her hair color changes. In her Climax Art see awakens as the hero Emilia and strikes her with a single powerful blow. Current players should be able to grasp Emi’s abilities with a single play, but she’s also a recommendable character for those starting from IGNITION.

Command List Selection

Move Name	Command	Notes
Special Move 1	236 + Attack button	Projectile
Special Move 2	214 + Attack button	Rush attack
Special Move 3	Air 236 + Attack button	Similar to Mikoto’s Air Charge C
Special Move 4	Air 214 + Attack button	Surprise attack similar to Selvaria’s
Air Dash	In air 66	Similar to Shana’s

Qwenthur Barbotage

Qwenthur Barbotage (Voice: Natsuki Hanae) from Heavy Object is a member of the 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion. Qwenthur is a technical character who fights with the assistance of comrades Heivia on firearms support and Milinda piloting the Object Baby Magnum.

Qwenthur himself is lacking in reach, but with grenade tosses, covering fire from Heivia and the inclusion of Supports, he excels at restricting the opponent’s movements similar to Mikoto. Particularly, Heivia’s fire support heavily limits the opponents attack, so you should think about when to use it.

His Trump Card triggers a broad range of explosions centering on himself and shines in a variety of situations, from reversals to ground-to-air. His Impact Skill are unique, especially 2+A+B, where Qwenthur plants a mine in front of him, Heivia fires a rocket diagonally upward and Qwenthur retreats about 1.5-2 character lengths. This allows him to cover both the ground and air and attack while retreating. With proper timing, he can recreate space without being punished.

When connecting with an EX special move, pressing A+B will expend one bar of the Climax Gauge as Milinda releases a follow-up attack. This is useful as a simple damage booster. EX special move → additional attack → Climax Art is also a reliable option. Of course if you’re sloppy with meter management you’ll find yourself in a spot, so it’s a question of what finisher you want to use.

Command List Selection

Move Name	Command	Notes
Special Move 1	236 + Attack button	Heivia appears in front and fires a machine gun in the air
Special Move 2	214 + Attack button	Throws a grenade forward, trajectory changes with button
Special Move 3	Air 236 + Attack button	Similar to Rentaro’s air Gunfire
Additional Attack	(After hitting anEX special move) A+B	Costs one bar of the Climax Gauge

Support – Frolaytia Capistrano

In addition, joining as a Support character from Heavy Object is Frolaytia Capistrano, commander of the 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion to which Qwenthur and the others belongs. As a Support her moves have an abundant attack range. With S she attacks the area in front, and with 4 or 6 + S she release a large number of missiles from behind the character. Her attacks take a bit of time to reach start-up, so you can say she’s a type you should Support cancel one step before the move you want to link.

Three New Systems to Superheat the Meta Game

Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX IGNITION introduces three new systems. The first is Blast Characters. This is an additional character chosen at character select, separate from the actual Support you use.

When selected, each Support character has a Blast type listed, Powerup, Combo or Escape, and the selected Blast “expands range the shockwave”. In this way, you can increase the span of a Powerup Blast and reduce risk , or connect a Combo Blast from a distance that was once too far.

The difference is in the three Blast types there are no individual differences from the character side. There might be differences from the player side.

The second, Ignition is a system in which you select one person from your Player Character, Support Character and Blast Character at the end of the round, unrelated to results of the round.

Selecting Player Character increases attack power and raises the Trump Card limit by one (doesn’t increase the number of icons), selecting Support Character increases the recovery rate of the Support Gauge, and selecting Blast Character recovers 50% of the Blast Gauge.

In addition, after the second round, selecting the same character in Ignition activates Double Ignition, a system that strengthens your Climax Art based on the three character types. This an equivalent function of a standard Climax Art + Trump Card. When activating a Climax Art, Inputting the following additional inputs will increase the damage.

Character	Command	Notes
Player Character	A+C	Expends one Trump Card icon
Support Character	S	Expends one Climax Gauge bar and the Support Gauge
Blast Character	A+B+C	Expends the Blast Gauge

Beyond the above, Player Double Ignition allows you to jump cancel normal attacks in normal mode and Support Double Ignition allows you to activate Support during a jump in normal mode, giving you pseudo-Trump Card benefits, significantly changing tactics when a match is carried to a third round or beyond.

Blast Characters, Ignition and Double Ignition are a certain to cause waves in the play environment, not just in the difference in how each player applies tactics, but the focus placed on round-to-round meter management.

The additional merits from Player and Support Double Ignition have a clear attractive points. But when accidentally wasting an Escape Blast, or when you have the confidence to prevent the match being taken to a third round, Blast are now a more direct resource as they can be taken into calculation as simple damage.

Blast Double Ignitions, on the other hand of spending your Blast Gauge to strengthen Climax Arts, free up your Trump Card and Climax Gauge, giving birth to an option for more offensive use of resources. Though the lack of a permanent buff like the other Double Ignitions might make you want to shy away from selecting it, Blast is more of a direct strengthening, making it a good option depending on your play style.

And of course, there’s the option to not use Double Ignition at all and use meter based on the situation.

A Brief Look at Other Changes!

Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX IGNITION also tunes the character balance, shifting around the properties of each character.

Following the positive reception of the home version’s Dream Duel, the story mode has been greatly improved. In IGNITION you now select your opponents, with new conversations added on to the Dream Duel dialogue base.

Ongoing public demonstrations are sure to result in even more information for this upcoming title, so stay tuned for details on additional gameplay changes.

Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX IGNITION is scheduled to launch in Japanese arcades this summer.

Sources: Dengeki via Abelcru, Gamer

This weekend, Sega is holding a series of location tests for Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX IGNITION, the follow-up to their light novel fighter developed by French-Bread and Ecole Software. As such, we’ve finally been given our first look at the characters and mechanics making their debut in this sequel.

In addition to The Devil is a Part-Timer! receiving another representative in Emi Yusa, Heavy Object is set to make the scene with the arrival of playable character Qwenthur Barbotage (accompanied by Heivia Winchell and Milinda Brantini) and assist Major Frolaytia Capistrano. Each of these fighters can be seen in the footage below.

Japanese publication Gamer has also released an extensive look at IGNITION, the aforementioned newcomers, and some fresh gameplay mechanics. Check out our translations below.

Emi Yusa

Emi Yusa (Voice: Yoko Hikasa) joins the cast from The Devil Is a Part-Timer! as the Hero who chased the Demon King from the parallel world Ente Isla to Japan… and gets a job as call center agent to cover her living expenses. To find out why, check the original light novel and the TV anime.

Wielding the sword Better Half, Emi is a standard type character with strong reach and priority in her moves, flashy light- and lightning-based attacks and an air dash like Shana and Kirino. Equipped with a number of easy-to-use moves like a projectile attack, rush attack, mid-air combo finisher, surprise attack, she’s truly a heroic character.

With her Trump Card, Emi takes a Holy Vitamin β, providing a temporary power-up. While active her hair color changes. In her Climax Art see awakens as the hero Emilia and strikes her with a single powerful blow. Current players should be able to grasp Emi’s abilities with a single play, but she’s also a recommendable character for those starting from IGNITION.

Command List Selection

Move Name	Command	Notes
Special Move 1	236 + Attack button	Projectile
Special Move 2	214 + Attack button	Rush attack
Special Move 3	Air 236 + Attack button	Similar to Mikoto’s Air Charge C
Special Move 4	Air 214 + Attack button	Surprise attack similar to Selvaria’s
Air Dash	In air 66	Similar to Shana’s

Qwenthur Barbotage

Qwenthur Barbotage (Voice: Natsuki Hanae) from Heavy Object is a member of the 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion. Qwenthur is a technical character who fights with the assistance of comrades Heivia on firearms support and Milinda piloting the Object Baby Magnum.

Qwenthur himself is lacking in reach, but with grenade tosses, covering fire from Heivia and the inclusion of Supports, he excels at restricting the opponent’s movements similar to Mikoto. Particularly, Heivia’s fire support heavily limits the opponents attack, so you should think about when to use it.

His Trump Card triggers a broad range of explosions centering on himself and shines in a variety of situations, from reversals to ground-to-air. His Impact Skill are unique, especially 2+A+B, where Qwenthur plants a mine in front of him, Heivia fires a rocket diagonally upward and Qwenthur retreats about 1.5-2 character lengths. This allows him to cover both the ground and air and attack while retreating. With proper timing, he can recreate space without being punished.

When connecting with an EX special move, pressing A+B will expend one bar of the Climax Gauge as Milinda releases a follow-up attack. This is useful as a simple damage booster. EX special move → additional attack → Climax Art is also a reliable option. Of course if you’re sloppy with meter management you’ll find yourself in a spot, so it’s a question of what finisher you want to use.

Command List Selection

Move Name	Command	Notes
Special Move 1	236 + Attack button	Heivia appears in front and fires a machine gun in the air
Special Move 2	214 + Attack button	Throws a grenade forward, trajectory changes with button
Special Move 3	Air 236 + Attack button	Similar to Rentaro’s air Gunfire
Additional Attack	(After hitting anEX special move) A+B	Costs one bar of the Climax Gauge

Support – Frolaytia Capistrano

In addition, joining as a Support character from Heavy Object is Frolaytia Capistrano, commander of the 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion to which Qwenthur and the others belongs. As a Support her moves have an abundant attack range. With S she attacks the area in front, and with 4 or 6 + S she release a large number of missiles from behind the character. Her attacks take a bit of time to reach start-up, so you can say she’s a type you should Support cancel one step before the move you want to link.

Three New Systems to Superheat the Meta Game

Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX IGNITION introduces three new systems. The first is Blast Characters. This is an additional character chosen at character select, separate from the actual Support you use.

When selected, each Support character has a Blast type listed, Powerup, Combo or Escape, and the selected Blast “expands range the shockwave”. In this way, you can increase the span of a Powerup Blast and reduce risk , or connect a Combo Blast from a distance that was once too far.

The difference is in the three Blast types there are no individual differences from the character side. There might be differences from the player side.

The second, Ignition is a system in which you select one person from your Player Character, Support Character and Blast Character at the end of the round, unrelated to results of the round.

Selecting Player Character increases attack power and raises the Trump Card limit by one (doesn’t increase the number of icons), selecting Support Character increases the recovery rate of the Support Gauge, and selecting Blast Character recovers 50% of the Blast Gauge.

In addition, after the second round, selecting the same character in Ignition activates Double Ignition, a system that strengthens your Climax Art based on the three character types. This an equivalent function of a standard Climax Art + Trump Card. When activating a Climax Art, Inputting the following additional inputs will increase the damage.

Character	Command	Notes
Player Character	A+C	Expends one Trump Card icon
Support Character	S	Expends one Climax Gauge bar and the Support Gauge
Blast Character	A+B+C	Expends the Blast Gauge

Beyond the above, Player Double Ignition allows you to jump cancel normal attacks in normal mode and Support Double Ignition allows you to activate Support during a jump in normal mode, giving you pseudo-Trump Card benefits, significantly changing tactics when a match is carried to a third round or beyond.

Blast Characters, Ignition and Double Ignition are a certain to cause waves in the play environment, not just in the difference in how each player applies tactics, but the focus placed on round-to-round meter management.

The additional merits from Player and Support Double Ignition have a clear attractive points. But when accidentally wasting an Escape Blast, or when you have the confidence to prevent the match being taken to a third round, Blast are now a more direct resource as they can be taken into calculation as simple damage.

Blast Double Ignitions, on the other hand of spending your Blast Gauge to strengthen Climax Arts, free up your Trump Card and Climax Gauge, giving birth to an option for more offensive use of resources. Though the lack of a permanent buff like the other Double Ignitions might make you want to shy away from selecting it, Blast is more of a direct strengthening, making it a good option depending on your play style.

And of course, there’s the option to not use Double Ignition at all and use meter based on the situation.

A Brief Look at Other Changes!

Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX IGNITION also tunes the character balance, shifting around the properties of each character.

Following the positive reception of the home version’s Dream Duel, the story mode has been greatly improved. In IGNITION you now select your opponents, with new conversations added on to the Dream Duel dialogue base.

Ongoing public demonstrations are sure to result in even more information for this upcoming title, so stay tuned for details on additional gameplay changes.

Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX IGNITION is scheduled to launch in Japanese arcades this summer.

Sources: Dengeki via Abelcru, Gamer