Following up on this morning’s announcement of a full-on, cinematic story mode set for release in June, Capcom has revealed (through IGN) that the very first downloadable character will be available in March.
Alex, Guile, Balrog, Ibuki, Juri, and Urien will be joining Street Fighter V after next month’s launch, but there’s still no word on the order of their release. These characters can be earned with in-game currency, but Capcom will also offer a $29.99 (€29.99, £24.99) package that unlocks each one as they appear.
Street Fighter V is set to arrive on PlayStation 4 and PC on February 16.
Today, the folks over at Machinima launched the third season of Chasing the Cup, an online series dedicated to competitive gaming. This time around, however, they’ve shifted their focus from League of Legends to Mortal Kombat X, more specifically the recently concluded ESL Pro League.
Mortal Kombat X: Machinima’s Chasing the Cup follows Razer’s Carl “Perfect Legend” White; Critical Reaction’s Dominique “Sonic Fox” McLean, Timothy “HoneyBee” Commandeur, and Matthew “Biohazard” Commandeur; and Brant “Pig of the Hut” McCaskill as they prepare for the ESL Pro League finals in Burbank, California.
Apart from moving to a fighting game, Machinima has also shaken things up by partnering with television network The CW to bring the series to an even greater number of viewers. The first five episodes (three of which are available as of today) will air on the channel’s online CW Seed platform over the next few weeks, and the finale is set to premiere on national television on February 15. This is the first time the series will move beyond YouTube and Twitch.
The CW, which is owned by Mortal Kombat X publisher Warner Bros., has found success with various DC Comics adaptations, and looks to court the same demographic with competitive gaming. “We’re testing to see if this could be ‘sports for CW,’” said Rick Haskins, the network’s executive vice president of marketing and digital programs.
At the end of the day, this is a huge opportunity for the fighting game community, a great first step in exposing outsiders to the passion and hype our events can generate.
The folks behind the Beast tournament series have released a trailer for this year’s iteration of the Smash-centered event. The video in question highlights some of the top Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U plays that the event has inspired in recent years.
The Gothenburg, Sweden-based tournament has already attracted plenty of attention, and is sure to attract more before it kicks off next month. If you’re planning to be in the area, registration for the event is currently open here.
Beast 6 is set to take place February 19-21. For more information surrounding the event, including a full breakdown of tournament rules, head over to the official site.
While we’ve come to know a fair bit about Street Fighter V thanks to the beta phases, one thing we haven’t heard much about is the game’s story.
In a recent post on Capcom-Unity, associate producer Peter “Combofiend” Rosas explains that there are two main components to Street Fighter V’s story mode. First, each character will have their own storyline that will be told with the help of illustrations by none other than famed Capcom artist Bengus.
Street Fighter V will also have what Capcom is calling a Cinematic Story Expansion, which will be added to the game via free update this June. A series first, this mode will tell an overall narrative, which takes place between Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter III, through rendered cut scenes.
You can catch a brief glimpse of this story in the trailer and screenshots below.
Last, but definitely not least, Capcom will be holding one final beta test, starting on January 30 at 12:01 AM PST (8:01 AM GMT) and ending on January 31 at 7 PM PST (February 1 at 3 AM GMT). This will be open to anyone who participated in previous testing phases as well as those who pre-order before those dates.
Street Fighter V launches on PlayStation 4 and PC on February 16.
Source: Capcom-Unity, tips via NightmareSteam, Tony, and Alain-Christian.
While we’ve come to know a fair bit about Street Fighter V thanks to the beta phases, one thing we haven’t heard much about is the game’s story.
In a recent post on Capcom-Unity, associate producer Peter “Combofiend” Rosas explains that there are two main components to Street Fighter V’s story mode. First, each character will have their own storyline that will be told with the help of illustrations by none other than famed Capcom artist Bengus.
Street Fighter V will also have what Capcom is calling a Cinematic Story Expansion, which will be added to the game via free update this June. A series first, this mode will tell an overall narrative, which takes place between Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter III, through rendered cut scenes.
You can catch a brief glimpse of this story in the trailer and screenshots below.
Last, but definitely not least, Capcom will be holding one final beta test, starting on January 30 at 12:01 AM PST (8:01 AM GMT) and ending on January 31 at 7 PM PST (February 1 at 3 AM GMT). This will be open to anyone who participated in previous testing phases as well as those who pre-order before those dates.
Street Fighter V launches on PlayStation 4 and PC on February 16.
Source: Capcom-Unity, tips via NightmareSteam, Tony, and Alain-Christian.
Today has been a good day for fans of high-level Mortal Kombat X competition thanks to the Season 2 ESL Pro League finals taking place in Burbank, California. But competitive action isn’t the only thing the folks at NetherRealm Studios have in store.
As of this posting, the NRS team has gone live with a special Kombat Kast dedicated to the upcoming character, Tri-Borg. If past Kombat Kasts are any indication of what we can expect from today’s broadcast, viewers will soon learn everything they could want to know about this robotic ninja mashup, including when they can expect to see him hit home consoles.
We’ve embedded the stream below for convenience, or you can head over to Twitch to join the chat. Don’t forget to tune in to the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League Season 2 top 8 after the Kombat Kast concludes, and be sure to check back here for a summary of all things Tri-Borg.
Today has been a good day for fans of high-level Mortal Kombat X competition thanks to the Season 2 ESL Pro League finals taking place in Burbank, California. But competitive action isn’t the only thing the folks at NetherRealm Studios have in store.
As of this posting, the NRS team has gone live with a special Kombat Kast dedicated to the upcoming character, Tri-Borg. If past Kombat Kasts are any indication of what we can expect from today’s broadcast, viewers will soon learn everything they could want to know about this robotic ninja mashup, including when they can expect to see him hit home consoles.
We’ve embedded the stream below for convenience, or you can head over to Twitch to join the chat. Don’t forget to tune in to the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League Season 2 top 8 after the Kombat Kast concludes, and be sure to check back here for a summary of all things Tri-Borg.
The second season of ESL Gaming’s Mortal Kombat X Pro League reaches its conclusion to day with the Season 2 Finals. Sixteen players –including Season 1 champion SonicFox– representing North America, Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will be competing against each other for piece of the $100,000 prize pool for the season.
In addition the tournament itself, another part of the event is the Mortal Kombat Festival, which will including gameplay from the upcoming Kombat Pack 2, exhibition matches, interviews with ESL and NetherRealm members and special announcements from Warner Bros. If you’re an MKX fan, you won’t want to miss a second! Check out the action on NetherRealm’s Twitch channel.
Mortal Kombat X – ESL MKX Pro League Season 2 Finals
First Round
cR|SonicFox (Kobu Jutsu Tanya) vs. Undeadjim (Heavy Weapons Jax) – 3-0 RZR|Perfect Legend (Hat Trick Kung Lao, Tempest Kung Lao) vs. Sakr0n (Royal Storm Kitana, Bojutsu Kung Jin) – 3-2
Viennality|st9rm (Shirai Ryu Takeda) vs. Noble Dab (Kobu Jutsu Tanya) – 0-3 cR|Biohazard (Ruthless Ferra/Torr) vs. cR|Xarakamaka (Dragon’s Fire Liu Kang) – 3-0 cR|WoundCowboy (Impostor Shinnok) vs. LLL|Taco (Grandmaster Sub-Zero) – 3-0
Pig of the Hut vs. PND|Madzin
UA|Scar vs. Lar
Crawlingshadow vs. PXP|A F0xy Grampa
Back in 2011, the fighting game community nearly imploded when confronted with the possibility of a brand new Darkstalkers installment. While we would eventually be graced with HD remaster Darkstalkers Resurrection, the interest generated by the updated ports wasn’t enough for Capcom to pull the trigger.
But what of sequels for other popular but slightly niche franchises? Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono recently peeled back the veil on this topic during a discussion with Playboy.
“People are asking for new Rival Schools or Capcom vs. SNK 3 and these people have a very loud voice. I would do the exact same thing again to gauge interest to see whether or not people actually care,” Ono explained. “Are they passionate? Do they really want a new title? At the end of the day, we want to make sure we have a robust community.”
Though this is far from a definite answer, it does raise certain hypotheticals in our mind. Is it possible that Capcom will release remastered version of Capcom vs. SNK 2 and Project Justice, just like Darkstalkers Resurrection was used to test the waters for Darkstalkers 4?
“Secretly, we believed that a silent majority wanted a Darkstalkers sequel,” Ono said of the shelved project, implying that fans will need to put their money where their mouths are if they hope to see these niche titles make a resurgence.
That being said, hope is not completely lost, and pieces have been put into play over the past few years that could certainly kickstart development should Capcom see the levels of community interest they desire.
The revival of SNK Playmore’s gaming division has given rise to even greater speculation about Capcom vs. SNK’s future. Although gaming division chief Yutaka Noguchi was hesitant to speculate on the franchise, the company is prepared to license out characters should the need arise. And back in 2013, Rival Schools director Hideaki Itsuno expressed his desire to develop a third installment, a statement that he backed up just last year at Niconico Chokaigi.
For more of Playboy’s discussion with Ono, which also reiterates on his history with Street Fighter IV and Capcom’s overall design philosophies, follow the link below. It’s safe for work, we promise.
When it comes to bridging gaps both cultural and age-related to unite individuals sharing a common passion, competitive gaming communities shine. But even with all the diversity these communities bring about, we still see a distinct lack of female representation at large gaming gatherings. That’s not to say females have no representation at all–they do–but one can’t deny that major gaming events tend to draw a predominantly male crowd, spectator and competitor alike.
This topic isn’t easy to address. Often, those within a given scene who wish to welcome everyone may not know where to begin when it comes to opening the appropriate doors to do so; conversely, those working to keep such doors closed may be doing so without realizing the effects of their actions. With this in mind, Lil “milktea” Chen, who has discussed this topic at length, recently teamed up with Emily “EmilyWaves” Sun to open some of those doors.
Super Smash Sisters, which took place last weekend during Genesis 3, consisted of two sets of crew battles–one casual, one competitive–pitting all-female teams against one another in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Not only did the event produce an impressive turnout, it also caught the attention of the Genesis tournament organizers and the streaming team at Big Blue eSports, all of whom, according to a recent interview with Red Bull eSports, were more than happy to do whatever they could to help Super Smash Sisters succeed.
The event drew undeniably skilled competitors who had obviously spent hundreds of hours gripping GameCube controllers and throwing down on Final Destination and Battlefield. But, perhaps more importantly, it also attracted the attention of players with markedly less experience, helping to solidify the importance of gatherings like these.
Not only do such events encourage female players to get out there and compete, they do so by offering an environment ready to welcome and encourage those of all skill levels. It’s imperative for the health and growth of all gaming scenes to be able to provide such players with a positive, safe environment in which they can learn while engaging with others who share common interests.
In the video below, the final two crews from the competitive side of the event–East Coast and NorCal–do battle to determine which region fielded the best players in this milestone tournament. The replays come complete with commentary from EmilyWave and Panda Global’s Robert “Wobbles” Wright, though it may be a bit hard to hear due to the overflow of vocal support from onlookers.
With Genesis 3 merely a week behind us, it’s too soon to say what sort of impact the Super Smash Sisters crew battles have had on competitive gaming, but we can say for sure that the interest in such events exists, and this certainly won’t be the last of its kind.
