Frosty Faustings VIII Streaming Live from Northbrook, Illinois

The eighth installment of Frosty Faustings is set to once again take the Chicago area by storm this weekend. This regional event regularly features some of the best competition around in Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, and Persona, but also throws a bone to Street Fighter, Marvel, Mortal Kombat, Smash, and more.

Frosty Faustings VIII ups the stakes just a bit more thanks to over $2,000 in pot bonuses, provided by various members of the community. More details on those contributions can be found below.

  • Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- – $500 top 8 bonus
  • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U – $500 top 8 bonus (from GGTV_Nick)
  • Super Smash Bros. Melee – $250 top 3 bonus (from EXP Gaming Lounge)
  • Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 – $250 top 2 bonus (from MohawkMike and Joey D)
  • Persona 4 Arena Ultimax – $250 top 2 bonus
  • BlazBlue: Chronophantasma EXTEND – $150 top 2 bonus (from nobodyexe)
  • Ultra Street Fighter IV – $150 top 2 bonus (from IFD|Humbag)
  • Killer Instinct – $100 top 2 bonus (from TheHadou)
  • Skullgirls 2nd Encore – $100 top 2 bonus (from TheHadou)

All of this will contribute to one of the biggest and most exciting editions of Frosty Faustings yet. If you aren’t able to attend, high-quality streams will be provided by BGCallisto, Team Spooky’s Arturo Sanchez, EXP Gaming, and Event Horizon. You’ll find each broadcast below along with a detailed schedule, but you can also watch all four at once using MultiTwitch.

Streams

Watch live video from bgcallisto on www.twitch.tv

Watch live video from nycfurby on www.twitch.tv

Watch live video from EXPGamingIL on www.twitch.tv

Watch live video from EventHorizon on www.twitch.tv

Schedule

Friday, January 22

Event CST (Local) PST EST GMT Stream
GGXrd Teams Pools 8:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM 2:00 AM (Sat) BGCallisto
GGXXAC+R Pools 8:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM 2:00 AM (Sat) nycfurby
UMvC3 Exhibition 8:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM 2:00 AM (Sat) EXP Gaming
SSB4 Pools 8:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM 2:00 AM (Sat) Event Horizon
GGXrd Teams Top 8 11:00 PM 9:00 PM 12:00 AM (Sat) 5:00 AM (Sat) BGCallisto
GGXXAC+R Top 8 11:00 PM 9:00 PM 12:00 AM (Sat) 5:00 AM (Sat) nycfurby
SSB4 Top 8 11:00 PM 9:00 PM 12:00 AM (Sat) 5:00 AM (Sat) Event Horizon
TvC Top 4 12:00 AM (Sat) 10:00 PM 1:00 AM (Sat) 6:00 AM (Sat) EXP Gaming
USFIV Teams Finals 12:30 AM 10:30 PM 1:30 AM (Sat) 6:30 AM (Sat) BGCallisto

Saturday, January 23

Event CST (Local) PST EST GMT Stream
GGXrd Pools 11:00 AM 9:00 AM 12:00 PM 5:00 PM BGCallisto
USFIV Pools 11:00 AM 9:00 AM 12:00 PM 5:00 PM nycfurby
SSBM Doubles Pools 11:00 AM 9:00 AM 12:00 PM 5:00 PM Event Horizon
Killer Instinct Top 8 1:00 PM 11:00 AM 2:00 PM 7:00 PM BGCallisto
P4U2 Top 8 1:00 PM 11:00 AM 2:00 PM 7:00 PM nycfurby
SSBM Pools 1:00 PM 11:00 AM 2:00 PM 7:00 PM Event Horizon
UMvC3 Pools 3:00 PM 1:00 PM 4:00 PM 9:00 PM EXP Gaming
MKX Top 8 3:00 PM 1:00 PM 4:00 PM 9:00 PM BGCallisto
UNIEL Top 8 3:00 PM 1:00 PM 4:00 PM 9:00 PM nycfurby
SSBM Doubles Top 8 3:00 PM 11:00 AM 4:00 AM 9:00 PM Event Horizon
USFIV Top 8 5:00 PM 3:00 PM 6:00 PM 11:00 PM BGCallisto
BBCPEX Top 8 5:00 PM 3:00 PM 6:00 PM 11:00 PM nycfurby
SSBM Pools 5:00 PM 3:00 PM 6:00 PM 11:00 PM Event Horizon
GGXrd Top 16 7:00 PM 5:00 PM 8:00 PM 1:00 AM (Sun) BGCallisto
UMvC3 Top 8 7:00 PM 5:00 PM 8:00 PM 1:00 AM (Sun) nycfurby
SSBM Top 16 7:00 PM 5:00 PM 8:00 PM 1:00 AM (Sun) Event Horizon
GGXrd Top 8 9:00 PM 7:00 PM 10:00 PM 3:00 AM (Sun) BGCallisto
Skullgirls Top 8 9:00 PM 7:00 PM 10:00 PM 3:00 AM (Sun) nycfurby
SSBM Top 8 9:00 PM 7:00 PM 10:00 PM 3:00 AM (Sun) Event Horizon

SmashPad Offers Encyclopedic Super Smash Bros. Knowledge On the Go

In December of 2014, Chris “Praxis” Hardin set out to offer Super Smash Bros. players a means for accessing any and all Smash-related information through an app he dubbed “SmashPad.” The wildly successful Kickstarter campaign for the project hit its first funding goal within seven hours, and has since met the necessary goals to get the app into the hands of as many users as possible, regardless of favored mobile platform.

As you can see in the app’s launch trailer below, SmashPad packs in exhaustive information for every game in the Super Smash Bros. series. Whether you’re a casual fan looking to unlock all of the playable characters or a competitive player studying frame data and hitboxes, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for without having to dig through YouTube or various forums. The app also includes combo and strategy videos, tournament replays, documentaries, player ranking information, tournament results, and much, much more.

For more information, check out the app’s official site. SmashPad is set to hit iOS on January 28, with an Android version coming in the near future.

Source: SmashPad

Bafael Shows Off Birdie and Rashid’s Combo Potential in Street Fighter V

If you’re looking to be at the top of your game when Street Fighter V releases next month, Bafael’s series of videos dedicated to bread and butter combos will get you where you need to be. His latest releases–covering Birdie and Rashid–can be found below.

Through these videos, you’ll learn various hit-confirm options, punish combos, how to apply V-Skills and V-Triggers under certain circumstances, and lots more. The information provided comes from the third beta phase, so please keep in mind that what’s presented in the videos may not remain exactly the same upon release.

Looking for more practical Street Fighter V information? Bafael has previously shared similar videos for Vega, Ken, Nash, Cammy, Rainbow Mika, and Necalli.

Source: Bafael

The Pit Will Be Added to Mortal Kombat X for Free

NetherRealm Studios’ recent announcement of Mortal Kombat XL had a lot to offer, from gameplay footage of the upcoming Kombat Pack 2 characters to brief glimpses of brand new digs for the existing cast. But one teaser in particular was near and dear to the hearts of longtime Mortal Kombat fans.

The Pit has long served as a battleground in the fighting franchise, with renovations and meteor storms appearing from time to time. It’s precarious positioning above a bed of spikes has proven deadly for many a fighter, and this danger is set to return in Mortal Kombat X’s next batch of downloadable content for the entirely fair price of…free.

NetherRealm Studios creative director jumped on Twitter earlier today to say The Pit and its gruesome stage fatality will be added to Mortal Kombat X free of charge when the game transitions to Kombat Pack 2. All players will have to do is download the mandatory compatibility patch, and they’ll be uppercutting their opponents to its dangerous depths in no time.

Kombat Pack 2 is scheduled to launch alongside Mortal Kombat XL on March 1.

Source: Ed Boon, tip via NightmareSteam

Xian, Alioune Latest to Join Red Bull Kumite 2016 Lineup

Razer’s Ho Kun Xian and Alioune Camera have been invited to participate in Red Bull Kumite 2016, an official statement announced this morning. They will join previous invitees like Evil Geniuses’ Justin Wong and Yusuke Momochi, AVerMedia’s Bruce “GamerBee” Hsiang, and Lee “Poongko” Chung-gon at the Street Fighter V-focused event in April.

More than any player invited thus far, both Xian and Alioune have been on the forefront of developing Street Fighter V strategies before its official release next month. Combined with their status on the competitive circuit, those contributions will certainly make for an exciting competition.

Red Bull Kumite 2016 is scheduled for April 23-24 in Paris, France. More details can be found here.

Source: Red Bull

Tekken 7 Fated Retribution’s Akuma Crossover Was Four Years in the Making

Although Street Fighter x Tekken and Akuma’s arrival in Tekken 7 Fated Retribution may have seemingly come out of left field, the chief developers behind both franchises have been eyeing these collaborations for some time. In a recent interview with Famitsu, Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono and Bandai Namco Entertainment’s Katsuhiro Harada sat down to discuss the past, present, and future of their working relationship.

After taking note of the work the other was doing at their respective company, Harada and Ono began talking seriously around 2007.

“We both wanted to try a collaboration, all the way back then,” Harada stated, according to translations by Source Gaming. The developers would even go as far as to bring the topic up in interviews of the time and, eventually, Ono would push for a formal collaboration. This would results in the release of Street Fighter x Tekken in 2012, but instead of creating a product that enticed both fanbases, the crossover title ended up spawning an entirely new group of players. “That was unexpected,” Ono confided.

Similarly, Akuma’s surprise debut in Tekken 7 was discussed for at least four years before Fated Retribution came to fruition. But that hasn’t drawn any resources away from Bandai Namco’s complementary Tekken x Street Fighter.

“[I]f I were to have Akuma in a serious fight, a battle that Tekken and Street Fighter fans want to see, then I thought ‘I can’t have it happen in a spinoff,’” Harada explained. “For Street Fighter and Tekken to truly face off, I needed the appropriate structure, and because there’s a lot of focus and attention paid to Tekken’s story, I wanted to incorporate it there.”

The mysterious silhouette in the first Tekken 7 trailer was apparently planned to be Akuma all along.

Funny enough, despite Harada’s grand plans to incorporate Akuma into the Tekken universe, his appearance really just comes down to Street Fighter’s decidedly looser focus on story elements. “Wait, wait. Mr. Harada is saying it in his way, but really, we were at a bar and you definitely said ‘Street Fighter almost doesn’t really have a story, so it’s fine,’” Ono jokingly replied.

In the case of these collaborations, both Harada and Ono have found ways to incorporate elements of the other franchise, highlighting strengths and downplaying weaknesses in the process. Whatever comes of their relationship in the future, it’s sure to be an exciting proposition for fighting game fans.

For more of their conversation, which also touches on similarities between Tekken’s Shaheen and Street Fighter’s Rashid, their thoughts on the future of competitive fighting games, and more, visit Source Gaming by following the link below.

Source: Source Gaming, tip via NightmareSteam

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round Receives Tatsunoko Costumes

Some time ago, we reported that one of Dead or Alive 5 Last Round’s incoming crossover costume packs would feature outfits based on classic Tatsunoko characters, and now we’re finally seeing the results of this crossover in action thanks to this new trailer from Team NINJA.

If these outfits seem familiar, it’s likely thanks to 2010’s Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. While not the characters themselves, the likenesses are accurate enough to make you think that you actually are playing characters like Doronjo, Casshern, Tekkaman, Gold Lightan, and the Yattermen all over again.

Source: Team NINJA, thanks to Great Dark Hero for the tip.

Olympic Gaming Shines a Light on SP Empowerment’s Gouken

Olympic Gaming is back, and this week SP Empowerment takes the stage to show off how their Gouken fares in the world of Ultra Street Fighter IV online competition. As viewers of this long-running series have come to expect, the opponents Empowerment faces are no joke, and that gives Gouken plenty of opportunities to shine.

Look forward to impressive hit-confirms and some serious yomi through successful counters, even at the beginning of the match. And, as always, you can learn more about the highlighted player by checking out the text-based interview in the video’s description.

Source: Olympic Gaming

Europe Gets Its Own Street Fighter V PlayStation 4 Bundle

Recently, we reported that Sony will be releasing a limited edition PlayStation 4 bundle for Street Fighter V, and now word is Europe will receive one as well.

The bundle in question will include an “Ultimate Player” PlayStation 4 with a full terabyte of memory and a physical copy of Street Fighter V. Unlike the Japan exclusive model, however, it retains the normal jet black color scheme without any special artwork.

Launch is scheduled for February 16, the same day Street Fighter V becomes available to the masses. A public price hasn’t been set at this point, though similar bundles have gone for about £329.99 / $399.99 in the past. Stay tuned for more details.

Source: PlayStation Blog Europe via GamesRadar

Chun-Li Lightning Legs Her Way into BigBoysToys’ Street Fighter Line

Over the past year, BigBoysToys has released two figures in a unique Street Fighter line that incorporates lighting and sounds to enhance presentation. Their first offerings focused on friendly rivals Ryu and Ken, but now the strongest woman in the world is ready to make her debut.

Similar to past releases, the Chun-Li figure highlights her most iconic attack in a cute, chibi-like style, with a batter-powered glow that really brings the Lightning Legs (or Hyakuretsukyaku for you purists out there) to life. A button on the base allows you to light up each kick in succession, but you’ll have to rely on mashing instead of piano inputs to get the full effect.

Click to view slideshow.

Chun-Li is currently available for pre-order through Play-Asia. Shipments are expected to begin in February.

Source: Capcom-Unity