Author: Zavian "mushin_Z" Sildra

The English edition of the famous Daigo Umehara manga is about to arrive!

A fitting follow-up to last Evo’s offer of Twitch.Hx.CYG BST|Daigo Umehara’s book The Will to Keep Willing, this year we’ll see the premiere of the English edition of Daigo the Beast: Umehara Fighting Gamers! at Evo 2017, brought to us by UDON Entertainment! From the press release:

He is the most dominant fighting game champion in the world. But before he was Japan’s first pro gamer, Daigo was one of many players battling their way through Japanese arcades during the golden age of fighting games. Now, North American fans can learn how the player became the legend as UDON Entertainment prepares to publish the DAIGO THE BEAST: UMEHARA FIGHTING GAMERS! manga series.

Daigo Umehara is best known for his aggressive play and nearly psychic ability to predict and counter his opponent’s next move. This power not only paralyzes world-class opponents, but has also led to many unforgettable comebacks from the brink of defeat. His many victories and bloodthirsty style have earned him the nickname “The Beast.”

The DAIGO THE BEAST manga explores the real-life events that built the fighting game community, and the strategies and play styles developed by Daigo and his fellow gamers. In Volume 1, Shinya Ohnuki, a gamer with prodigious talent, is drawn into the wild and wonderful world of fighting games after a chance meeting with Daigo. As they face off in iconic games like Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, and Darkstalkers, an enduring rivalry between Daigo and “Nuki” is born!

The first volume of the manga in English will be hitting stores in December 2017, but Evo attendees can grab a copy early if they head over to the UDON/NSURGO booth at the event! The new BEAST x NSURGO apparel will be available there as well. In the meantime, check out these preview pages:

Click to view slideshow.

DAIGO THE BEAST: UMEHARA FIGHTING GAMERS! (Volume 1)
386 pages, 5.75″ x 8.25″, $19.99 USD, coming December 2017
ISBN: 978-1-77294-057-2

Evo 2017 takes place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 14-16, 2017.

Source: press release

Some interesting aspects of the players and the event are revealed.

SRK Stats has crunched the Evo 2017 registration numbers, and thus revealed some interesting statistics about what people are playing, and the event itself. To start, here’s a look at how registrants across the multiple games overlap in the games they entered:

For example, you can see in the breakdown above that more than 40% of Tekken 7, UMvC3, KOFXIV, and Injustice 2 players — and 38% of REV 2 players — are also playing SFV. 16-17% of Smash competitors are playing both games in the franchise. 46% of BlazBlue players are also competing in Guilty Gear — but only 28% of Guilty Gear players are in both ASW titles!

How many games has each fighter taken on? Have a look:

How many #Evo2017 games players are entering.
8 games: Dohskeez, Solokazuto
9 games: Timtastic, ItchyMifen, One_be_lo#srkstats #evostats pic.twitter.com/EixsGfHCZf

— SRK Stats (@SRKRanking) July 4, 2017

We also get a look at the development of the event over past years — factoring out the massive 2016 spike, the event is still showing slight growth:

Stats can be deceiving! Here is the #Evo2017 graph if 2016 (SF5 release year) did NOT happen. Slight growth trajectory#srkstats #evostats pic.twitter.com/MdutIDFu14

— SRK Stats (@SRKRanking) July 4, 2017

Source: SRK Stats (Twitter)

If you’re signed up for any games at Evolution 2017, go check them out!

The preliminary brackets for all main games at Evo 2017 have been posted on smash.gg! This is your chance to not only scope out your competition (and make sure you know when and where you’ll be playing!), but to ensure there are not any problems or conflicts with your event(s). So head over to your own tournament listing and check it out! There’s also a handy player finder to search for your favorite competitors, or rivals.

Evo Brackets are up! https://t.co/eaNuIRLNJM #Evo2017

— Joey Cuellar (@MrWiz) July 4, 2017

Source: Joey Cuellar (Twitter)

Get some fights in before the big battle at Mandalay Bay!

If you’re going to be in Las Vegas in the two days before Evo 2017 (that would be Wednesday, July 12 and Thursday, the 13th), you can get some gaming action in at the fourth annual Evo pre-tournament: the PSG Classic, hosted by the Press Start Gaming Center.

Wednesday night will offer Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U events, and Thursday night will have Street Fighter V, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Tekken 7, Injustice 2, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 — and Killer Instinct, for those sad to see it missing from the Evo main stage this year! It’s $10 to get in, plus $10 for event entries. This just might be the warm-up you need before diving into your pools.

The venue is located about three miles from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, and supports about 40 setups. If you need a ride over, new Lyft users can use the code “PSGLV” to get a $20 ride credit. For more information or to pre-register, head over to smash.gg, or visit PSG’s official website.

Evo itself takes place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 14-16, 2017.

[venue images courtesy of Press Start Gaming]

Source: Press Start Gaming

Here’s how the final battles will go down at the Mandalay Bay arena on Sunday, July 16.

While the games that would comprise Sunday’s Evo 2017 World Finals at the Mandalay Bay Events Center were named (except one) in the original lineup announcement, aside from the Player’s Choice selection we didn’t know what order they would appear in. Thanks to an announcement on Twitter, now we do:

1. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
2. BlazBlue: Central Fiction
3. Tekken 7
4. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
5. Street Fighter V

As the Player’s Choice winner, the opening slot was saved for UMvC3, while it comes as no surprise that the event closes with SFV. Stay tuned for a more detailed schedule to come.

Evo 2017 takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 14-16. Online registration for Evo 2017 has closed, and preliminary bracket information should be appearing soon. Spectators can still purchase passes at the door for $40, and tickets are still available for the Sunday finals at AXS.com.

Evo 2017 Sunday Schedule – uMvC3, BBCF, Tekken 7, Smash 4, SFV #Evo2017

— Joey Cuellar (@MrWiz) July 2, 2017

Source: Joey Cuellar (Twitter)

What does it mean… to be a Gundam? Find out on September 29!

Whether you plan to fight to defend the colonies, exterminate the Naturals, or eradicate warfare à la Celestial Being, you’ll be getting your chance soon! Releasing for PlayStation 4 in Japan on July 6, Bandai Namco’s Gundam Versus now has an official launch date for the Americas as well: it will arrive exclusively on PlayStation 4 on September 29, 2017.

Newtypes! #GUNDAMVERSUS will arrive exclusively for the #PS4 on 9/29/17! Preorder now: https://t.co/15Y2TgGBUp #WingGundamZero pic.twitter.com/JqUrLFPOzO

— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) July 1, 2017

A European release is still planned for this fall, but no set date has been revealed yet. If you’re going to Evo 2017 on July 14-16, you can try the game out for free at AnimEVO’s Bandai Namco-sanctioned side tournament!

Sources: Bandai Namco US (Twitter); Gematsu

Now that registration has closed, how many attendees signed up?

Registration for Evo 2017 closed at midnight last night, and we can now see what the total signup numbers look like. Here are the smash.gg registration totals for each game at Evo 2017:

1. Street Fighter V: 2622
2. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: 1515
3. Super Smash Bros. Melee: 1435
4. Tekken 7: 1278
5. Injustice 2: 883
6. Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2: 827
7. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3: 648
8. BlazBlue: Central Fiction: 499
9. The King of Fighters XIV: 375

That makes the 2017’s competitor registration total 10,082! (Note that this does not include spectator-only attendees.)

Evo 2017 Reg Numbers – SFV 2622, Smash4 1515, Melee 1435, T7 1278, Injustice2 883, GG 827, UMVC3 648, BB 499, KOF 375 #Evo2017

— Joey Cuellar (@MrWiz) July 1, 2017

 

Stay locked on to Shoryuken for more Evo news, coming soon! Evo 2017 will be held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 14-16.

Source: Joey Cuellar (Twitter)