Author: Zavian "mushin_Z" Sildra

Red Bull Battle Grounds will be a celebration of everything Street Fighter!

Red Bull will be pulling out all the stops as they host the Capcom Pro Tour North American Finals at Red Bull Battle Grounds, in Boston, MA, on November 18 and 19. In addition to completing the North American portion of the CPT competition, they have much, much more planned to help celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Street Fighter:

NOSTALGIA REIGNS

The Street Fighter franchise will also be celebrated with side tournaments including Ultra Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo, and multiple prize pools are up for grabs.

A GAME-LIKE VENUE

The Capcom Pro Tour North American Finals at Red Bull Battle Grounds will take place at the The Castle in Boston on November 18-19. The historical landmark is reminiscent of the Street Fighter V “Union Station” stage, giving attendees the opportunity to feel like they are in the game. Hundreds of hopeful challengers from around the continent will gather at the two-day spectacular for a 512 player open bracket tournament and a chance at winning a spot at the grand finals on Sunday.

VIRTUAL REALITY

With so many iterations of the game and technology evolving over three decades, it’s finally time to put yourself inside your favorite game. The iconic Street Fighter II bonus stage where your favorite characters beat a car to smithereens will now be able to put you in the driver’s seat — figuratively, not literally. Built using HTC Vive and its innovative Vive Trackers, you can have the most immersive Street Fighter experience ever imagined. The Street Fighter II Bonus Stage Virtual Reality experience is only available at both days of the competition. Dive into your favorite game and take that aggression to the streets! The virtual streets of Street Fighter II that is — retro-style. Destroy a car using your fists and get as many points as possible before the countdown ends. Cheer on your friends as you get their first-person point-of-view displayed for all to see.

INSPIRED ART

In celebration of 30 years of Street Fighter; local Boston artist and game franchise enthusiast, Merk Those, will be creating a 5-piece mural showcasing the creative evolution of the Street Fighter characters since their first introduction in 1987! The piece will be unveiled during the weekend kickoff event at the newly-opened Balance Patch gaming café just steps away from Boston University campus grounds.

The 30th Anniversary of Street Fighter/Red Bull Battle Grounds Kickoff Event will take place at the Balance Patch on November 17th, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Tickets are still available for Saturday’s open competition, and for spectators; they cost $10.00 USD, and can be used for both days. For more information and ticket links head to the official Red Bull Battle Grounds website!

Source: Red Bull Esports [press release]

Ghosts, monsters, Kung-Fu and Necalli: yep, it’s more Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers!

The next installment in UDON’s world-bending crossover comic event, Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers, has arrived on store shelves today! Synopsis from UDON:

As Chun-Li and her allies search for a way to escape from the frightening Majigen dimension, Hsien-ko hunts down a feral World Warrior – the power-hungry Necalli! The crossover chaos continues in STREET FIGHTER VS. DARKSTALKERS!

Look for Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers #6 at a comic retailer near you, online at Focus Attack, or digitally on comiXology. While you’re at it, keep your eyes peeled for the Street Fighter: Shadaloo Special, coming in December 6, 2017.

Source: UDON Entertainment

A big sale is planned for this weekend at Arcade Shock.

Arcade Shock opened back in 2003, and used to hold annual sales celebrating its anniversary; the time has come to return to tradition, as Arcade Shock will do so again this year — to offer a “unique sales experience to the customers, with savings that roll back to 2009.”

The sale will run from October 27-30. Over the weekend, you will be able to take advantage of store-wide savings using the code ANNIVERSARY2017, as well as deeper discounts that will apply to key products each day. Friday will see the HORI RAP for Nintendo Switch at $109.99 USD, and the VLX RAP Premium Hayabusa will sell at $249.99 USD on Monday, for a couple of examples.

Additional details will be announced soon; keep an eye on Arcade Shock for updates!

Source: Arcade Shock

What is Zeku’s place in the world — or history — of Strider?

When Zeku’s reveal trailer dropped, there was something very clearly familiar about the long-lost Bushinryu warrior’s appearance and fighting style(s)… it was immediately apparent that Street Fighter V‘s Ever-Changing Ninja has a distinct connection to Strider Hiryu, of classic 2D-action and Marvel Versus fighting lore.

R. Barone has posted this very interesting graphic comparison to Twitter, showing us the close similarity between many of Zeku’s (both old and young) animations, and sprites from older 2D appearances of Strider Hiryu:

Is Capcom suggesting that Zeku is the first Strider, from long before the time of Strider Hiryu? Or is it just a strong visual nod to one of Capcom’s most popular characters? We are currently left to wonder at what exactly the connection between Bushinryu, Zeku, and the Strider universe really is; perhaps Zeku’s Character Story Mode will further solidify this connection… or perhaps not. It’d almost be more tantalizing to leave the lore open to our own interpretation. Regardless: enjoy trying out “Strider Zeku” today, once the SFV servers are back up!

Source: R. Barone (Twitter) via James Chen (Twitter)

A nice bonus for players joining Street Fighter V with Arcade Edition.

For good or bad, Street Fighter V has a lot of premium costumes available; four more are being added today. However, Capcom-Unity has announced a pre-order bonus for Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition that helps mitigate the drain on the DLC wallet, at least for players picking up the game in January: they’re throwing in the 30th Anniversary costumes and most of the Nostalgia costumes, tacking on nine outfits for customers ready to buy early.

So far, this pre-order incentive has been announced to be available on physical copies ordered from GameStop (EB Games in Canada) and Best Buy.

Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition will be available January 18, 2018; existing users will receive the gameplay upgrades and improvements (but not the Season 1 & 2 DLC characters) for free.

Source: Capcom-Unity

Today’s server shutdown paves the way for the arrival of Season 2’s last challenger.

Street Fighter V players know the routine: new content means a shutdown of SFV’s online functions for a good chunk of the day. Today, the servers will be under maintenance between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM PT.

We will perform server maintenance from 11am to 5pm on 10/24 PDT. Thank you for your patience and support.

— SFV Server (@SFVServer) October 23, 2017

Our reward this time, once servers are back up, is the arrival of the final Season 2 DLC character: Zeku. Some new premium sports-themed costumes — for Karin, Zangief, and Kolin — will be made available to purchase as well.

Source: SFV Server (Twitter)