Category: Fighting Games

The folks over at the PlayStation Blog just released a full list of games they’re going to be bringing to PAX East 2016 for attendees to try out. That list includes plenty of big names like Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted 4, as well as some VR titles. But, let’s be honest, the most exciting game to make the list is The King of Fighters XIV.

Since the information provided by PlayStation comes in the form of a simple list, we can’t currently say which version of the game will be playable, but since it has been so long since folks in the states have had a chance to get their hands on the game, any version will be exciting to see.

PAX East 2016 is set to take place April 22-24 in Boston, MA. For more information, head over to the event’s official site.

Source: PlayStation via The Mad Man’s Cafe

The 1990s were a fertile time for fighting games, and almost every developer out there was scrambling to make what they hoped would be the next big title in the budding genre. As such, it’s no surprise that unfinished games from the period surface from time to time.

One such prototype was recently unearthed by Neo-Geo.com forum regular Brian Hargrove, aka NeoTurfMasta. First shown at the Midwest Gaming Classic, the prototype in question has no known name or even developer, as that information was lost due to data corruption on the board. However, signs point to it being developed by Technos Japan, and it may, in fact, be Death Match, a game scheduled for 1994 that never quite saw the light of day. The fact that the board carries the label of another Technos game, Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer, only strengthens this argument.

The game itself features a fantasy aesthetic that seems to be heavily influenced by Dungeons and Dragons, with the character falling into tropes from the tabletop RPG. As an extension of this, each character can switch between Lawful, Neutral and Evil stances in the game. Each stance comes with its own set of (incomplete) sprites, at least for the characters that have sprites.

Hargrove is hard at work at creating a playable ROM dump of the game for MAME, hoping to eventually be able to release it to the public. You can see the results of his efforts in the videos below.

Source: USGamers, tip from Glottis

Pokkén Tournament’s version 1.2 update went live earlier today, bringing with it a fix for Shadow Mewtwo’s notorious blockstring infinite, as well as a reduction in the damage tied to Reshiram’s assist. Of course, a Nintendo patch just wouldn’t feel the same without some clandestine fixes to “various bugs,” too. Here’s the full patch breakdown, small though it may be:

• A fix for Shadow Mewtwo where it can cause an infinite combo that cannot be stopped
• Reduced the damage inflicted by Reshiram
• Various bug fixes

But the patch has not necessarily been well-received by the community just yet. Some folks chatting on Twitter and elsewhere have suggested that the American version of the game received a slightly different patch than other regions, potentially resulting in a sort of region lock.

While we’ve not yet heard official word regarding the topic, it’s easy to wonder if a change like this was intentional. We can hope not, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Sources: Serebii, Pokkén Arena via D1

Early this year, peripheral maker Mad Catz announced that they would be letting go of 37% of their staff. Ever since that announcement, more than a few folks have been wondering about the status of the company’s team of sponsored players. After the recent Street Fighter V Crash tournament in Korea, the folks at Team Spiritzero got a chance to talk to Team Topanga, including two players potentially affected by the current Mad Catz situation: Kenryo “Mago” Hayashi and Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi.

Their statements on the topic–which were transcribed by Chigesoku and translated by EventHubs, then later verified by Shoryuken’s staff–were quite surprising, indicating that both of their contracts expired back in March. Both were also quick to clarify that the contracts in question were only for a one year period. Tokido then postulated that the folks at Mad Catz may still be discussing whether or not to renew their contracts moving forward.

As for fellow Mad Catz teammate Daigo Umehara, Tokido stated that they couldn’t speak for him, so whether or not he’s in the same situation remains unknown.

Both Mago and Tokido aren’t just professional players, but they’re also longtime members of the fighting game community who have contributed a lot to it. We here at Shoryuken wish them the best in their future endeavors, be it with Mad Catz or otherwise.

Source: Team Spiritzero, via Chigesoku, Eventhubs, feature images courtesy of Mad Catz

Atlus U.S.A. has officially announced that they will be publishing SNK Playmore’s upcoming fighter, the King of Fighters XIV in North America.

The company has had a history of bringing multiple fighting game franchises, such as Guilty Gear, Persona 4 Arena, as well as previous titles in the King of Fighters series–going as far back as the EX series for the Game Boy Advance–to western audiences. More recently, they handled the western console release of the King of Fighters XIII.

As part of their announcement, Atlus listed a rundown of the game’s features, which you can read below.

• 3D Evolution: All 50 fighters, movesets and more are rendered in full 3D graphics that preserves the essence of King of Fighters‘s visual style but updates it with a whole new dimension.
• The Best Refinement since The King of Fighters ’98: Through extensive playtesting and balancing, the controls have been streamlined, and the Combo and Max Mode mechanics have been overhauled to create the most competitive fighter in SNK’s history.
• The The King of Fighters Saga Continues: There’s a robust single-player storyline where several years have passed since the previous The King of Fighters tournament. Now a worldwide business, the global The King of Fighters will decide who is the strongest as both individuals and companies with their own ambitions have come to compete. Players compete against CPU-controlled opponents to unlock the storyline.
• The Best Roster Yet: There are 50 fighters total, with 31 returning from previous entries into the The King of Fighters series, and 19 brand new characters. All 50 characters will be available at the game’s launch.
• Revamped Online Experience: The King of Fighters XIV has devoted a lot of development time to improving the game’s netcode for vastly improved online gameplay. The King of Fighters XIV uses the PS4’s online architecture to have a whole host of online conveniences, from spectating to saving replay/battle data, and having a single online The King of Fighters XIV profile to connect with friends.

The last on the list is probably the most exciting bit about this announcement, as the console release of the King of Fighters XIII wasn’t exactly known for having good netcode.

The King of Fighters XIV will launch on PlayStation 4 sometime later this year.

Source: Atlus, via Gematsu, thanks to JohnXuandou and Dave for the tips