With 2018 marking SNK’s 40th anniversary, the company is releasing a special Anniversary Collection that features a stock of their classic titles.
2018 marks a special year for Japanese video game and hardware company SNK. With this year marking its 40th anniversary, SNK is soon releasing a collection of its classic games, as well as a bundle of other gaming goodies. So far, there are two editions of the collection available for preorder: the Limited Edition can be preordered at the SNK Online Store and NIS America for $64.99, while the Standard Edition is available for preorder on Amazonand Gamestop for $39.99.
The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection includes a plethora of well-loved games like Psycho Soldier and Ikari Warriors — the origin games of beloved The King of Fighters characters Athena, Clark, and Ralph — and more, alongside an assortment of other classics for the Nintendo Switch. All games in the collection have likewise been updated to keep up with the times, now available for play in 1080p resolution and featuring modernized control schemes. The collection will also showcase a Museum Mode, bestowing Neo Geo enthusiasts with an assortment of the games’ artwork and promotional assets.
That’s not all: the collection also comes complete with a “Nostalgic Music Collection” soundtrack, a hardcover art book, and a special collector’s box to store these items. This package is set to release on November 13th of this year, so be sure to preorder while you can! Don’t miss out on this collection of classics, artwork, and music spanning SNK’s gaming history.
While Fight Club NRW is going down in Germany, in San José, Costa Rica is Furia Tica 2018. The event is part of the Capcom Pro Tour as a Ranking Event
Tournament Games
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2
The King of Fighters XIV
Street Fighter V Arcade Edition
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Tekken 7
Participants include Gabo, Doomsnake507, KUSANAGI, ViolentKain and RocklandKyo. To watch, check out True Challengers on Twitch, also viewable below. For live brackets, check out Smash.gg.
Evo 2018 presented a unique opportunity to interact with fighting game developers in person. Among them was FGC mainstay Arc System Works, who are obviously well-known for their popular titles like BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and Dragon Ball FighterZ. Their Western-themed booth had more than just casual stations, however; attendees had the chance to play their most recently-announced project, Kill la Kill: The Game.
Based on the 2013 anime, the teasers from Arc System Works certainly caused much excitement, even in the FGC at large. At first, no one was sure whether it would be a competitive fighting game or more of an action title, and it’s rather the latter. Presented in 3D, protagonist Ryuku Matoi and her rival Satsuki Kiryuin were available in the demo. The gameplay feels a bit like the Naruto 3D fighting games, but a little more dynamic and responsive.
The combat feels divided between zoning and close-quarter encounters. At a distance, it feels satisfying to spam meaty projectiles as Satsuki. She could slash up to four times with her sword in a row, with the final hit pinning Ryuku against the wall. Alternatively, she could charge it for a stronger shot. The other player can counter this by rapidly dodging, in a sliding side-step kind of way, which looked especially cool when two players circled each other. I easily executed combos by pressing the Square button multiple times, often ending on cinematic close-ups and taunts (there seemed to be variation if you held a direction with the inputs). Once I gained enough meter, I could execute either short, long, or Break supers, the later aimed at breaking guard. There were no parries or “Instant Blocks.”
“Ketsui” is a unique system in the game. When under attack, pressing L1+R1 executed a Burst of sorts, getting me out of trouble and initating a rock-paper-scissors face off. It’s very cinematic, conveying a lot of drama and passion, like in the show. Each option stood for something like “Taunting” or “Mocking” and gave an advantage if you succeeded. It initiated some dialogue at the cost of a smooth pace, but this will get touched up a bit; also, it will be very exciting to see this happen between more characters, as for now there are only two.
I liked how seamless the fights felt; even though a match was divided into rounds, it used one 180-second timer, and the music swelled in intensity as it approached zero. The graphics resemble Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2‘s 3D anime aesthetic, and every match was filled with the gratuitous shots and cinematic passion that will surely be familiar to fans of the show.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to shoot pictures or take video ourselves. However, I did take the opportunity to speak with Takeshi Yamanaka, a producer at Arc System Works’ fighting game department, to learn more about the game.
[The conversation was translated live by an Arc System Works employee. Edited for length and clarity.]
Woocash: How did the collaboration come about?
Takeshi Yamanaka, Producer in the ASW Fighting Game Development Department: I have been received requests from Studio Trigger, the makers of Kill la Kill, for a while. But at the time, we were short-handed, and we couldn’t do it. They kept offering, and initially we declined, saying we couldn’t handle it because of the workload. They were persistent and passionate about doing this, so we decided to do it in the end.
Woocash: Are you a big Kill la Kill fan?
Yamanaka: Yes, I watched the original series, I do love it. What this anime has that others don’t is a burning heat and passion that is portrayed, that’s what I love about Kill la Kill.
Woocash: What was the thought process in making it a 3D fighting game, as opposed to 2D?
Yamanaka: The first reason being, with this being a Kill la Kill title, our target audience is obviously Kill la Kill fans. So we wanted them to enjoy the game. If we had gone with a 2D, anime fighter style, we thought that the hurdle or entry level to that sort of game would be a little bit too high. We wanted to make sure our audience could enjoy it, so we wanted to make it more entry-friendly.
A second reason is that the setting of the battlefield is a very iconic, important part of it. We really wanted to recreate that atmosphere; in 2D, we didn’t feel confident that we could bring out that space, that “spatial impact” that the anime has. That arena, epic battle-feel only comes in 3D.
The third reason is that I feel like as you see all these cute girls, the 3D is definitely the way to go to see them in action, so we went with that.
Woocash: What are some ways the game conveys the feel of the anime? I noticed the music increases tempo as time goes on, there’s the zooming, etc. How does the game’s art lend to that?
Yamanaka: We obviously want to mimic that 2D style shading, bring that atmosphere of the original. In the process of trying to recreate the anime, the original character designer, Sushio, who is very, very particular about how the characters are portrayed, meets with the team every week. We show him what we developed, and he gives his feedback: he jots down many notes and has a lot of requests, and we make those changes very quickly.
Woocash: What can you tell us about the modes in the game? I’m sure there will be a big emphasis on Story Mode.
Yamanaka: It’s going to be kind of like Guilty Gear Xrd’s Story Mode, where it’s an animated tale. As far as the scenario, part of it is written by Kazuki Nakashima, who is the original author of the anime, and he’s also supervising the production of the Story Mode. And this is an original story.
Woocash: Any other modes you can talk about?
Yamanaka: Another mode that you might find interesting is the Digital Figure mode, which you might find familiar from Xrd, where you can set 3D models in a diorama.
Woocash: Can you talk about any characters?
Yamanaka: As the demo stands now, there are only two characters, but it’s not going to be just them. We will be adding more, and I can’t name any fans, but I hope that fans wait in anticipation. We want to keep the fans happy, especially the big ones.
Woocash: When can we expect a reveal or more information?
Yamanaka: We plan on releasing a demo build that will have more characters at Tokyo Game Show, which is in September. The release is planned for 2019.
Woocash: What are the plans for the Western market? Would the release be simultaneous?
Yamanaka: Yes, we’re making many preparations. Our goal is to have a simultaneous, world-wide release.
Woocash: Does ArcSys see this game entering the FGC, appearing at tournaments and such, or not so much?
Yamanaka: We definitely would like this game embraced by the fighting game community; it is a bit on the easier side, but we also would like the fans to enjoy the deep level of reading and interaction in the gameplay, so that even the hardcore fighting game community can enjoy it too. That is the challenge that we’re facing right now.
Woocash: In its current state, is the game complete mechanically?
Yamanaka: In terms of the basic level of gameplay, it’s sort of rock-paper-scissors. The basic low/high, punch/kick, that “circle of carnage” system still needs polishing, but it needs some polishing. As far as the Ketsui demonstrations system is concerned, we want to add a little more of a risk or excitement factor that gets the player going. We want to make it a bit more speedy and not break the tempo as much.
Woocash: Anything else you’d like to add?
Yamanaka: As soon as we announced Kill la Kill: The Game, we received a lot international feedback on YouTube and streams, commenting. We realized that Kill la Kill is kind of an old anime, it aired five years ago, but we still have a lot of fans out there. I think that the fans are really excited; this is what they were waiting for. In that regard, it’s put a pressure on us in a good way. We want to do our best to meet those expectations and maybe even exceed them.
The Injustice 2 Pro Series has finally uncovered the destination for its Last-Chance Qualifier event — Taking place on October 20th-21st, the LCQ will go down at East Coast Throwdown in Fairfield, New Jersey. The LCQ will follow qualifying events at SoCal Regionals on September 14th-16th and its Online NA West tournament on September 9th-11th, as well as an upcoming, online tournament for the EU.
There are three ways for competitors to earn a spot in the Series’ Final: 16 Players will make their mark through accruing points by placing in qualifying tournaments, by winning the Series’ Regional Finals, or by taking the Last-Chance Qualifier. Players placing in the Top 12 of the leaderboard, as well as winners of the Regional finals and LCQ, will earn their way to the Series Final. With a $150,000 prize pool on the line, fans can expect some intense competition between the games’ top talent, including players like Echo Fox | Sonic Fox, Noble | Tweedy, and Foreverking.
While the Finals event has yet to be released, fans can keep track of the ensuing action through Netherrealm’s Twitch channel. With the EU Online event and SoCal Regionals coming up next, there’s no telling who will come out on top.
Body Count Fighting returns tonight for more exciting matches!
BCF7 is bringing you another night of fierce title and feature matches from Machinima Studios in Burbank, CA tonight, showcasing the skills of some of the best players in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and Tekken 7!
On the fight card tonight:
Title Matches
Dragon Ball FighterZ Title Match: NRG|HookGangGod vs. Echo Fox|dekillsage (Champion)
Tekken 7 Title Match: WayGamble vs. Circa|Joey Fury (Champion)
Feature Matches
Dragon Ball FighterZ Feature Match: PG|Nakkiel vs. Tatsunical
Dragon Ball FighterZ Feature Match: brkrdave vs. Reynald
Dragon Ball FighterZ Feature Match: Dadpool vs. CLN|Yohosie
Street Fighter V Feature Match: Echo Fox|Punk vs. Echo Fox|Justin Wong
Street Fighter V Feature Match: CYG BST|Chris Tatarian vs. 801 Strider
Street Fighter V Feature Match: UYU|Brian F vs. Tempo|Alex Myers
Street Fighter V Feature Match: EliTheCurry vs. Mike L Na
Tekken 7 Feature Match: Jaguar Jerry vs. FGCTim
The battles begin at 5:00 PM PT tonight (August 11); watch the action unfold below on SRKLive, or on the BCF Twitch channel!
This weekend hadoken.eu is hosting the 9th Fight Club NRW. Consisting of four games (Dragon Ball FighterZ, The King of Fighters XIV, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, and Street Fighter V Arcade Edition), the tournament is a Capcom Pro Tour Ranking Event and DBFZ World Tour Dragon Radar Event.
Some of Europe’s finest will be competing over the weekend including Evo 2018 champion Problem-X, Luffy, Phenom, Akainu, Shakz, Packz, Prodigal Son (Ryan Hart) and more. To watch the event live, tune into Fight Club NRW’s Twitch channel. Brackets can be found on Smash.gg.
Two of Tekken 7‘s most misunderstood properties are its vulnerable back-turned states, and the ability to cross-up grounded opponents. There’s a point where these two situations combine into a single moment in high-level Tekken 7 — the Jump-Over Tech Punish at the end of wall combos.
For an idea of just how powerful this is, check out BoxeR-King’s most recent video on the subject above. With King as the primary example, a single tech punish results in 128 cumulative damage — that’s 75% of your opponent’s lifebar for just one juggle and one impatient wake-up guess.
With Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition receiving its final two Season 3 roster additions — the President of Earth, G, and the returning King of Muay Thai, Sagat — earlier this week, it’s time for another installment of Woshige’s Corner.
This column on the CFN Portal sees two members of the SFVAEdevelopment team, in the guises of the Outdated Shadaloo Soldier and Cowardly Shadaloo Soldier, battle it out with the game’s pair of New Challengers to better demonstrate some of their capabilities and how the designers intend them to be played.
First up, the Outdated Shadaloo Soldier looks to exercise G’s political influence against the Cowardly Shadaloo Soldier’s Cammy, making a point to show off the strength of G’s V-Trigger I, Maximum President (which allows the politician to immediately access Level 3 Presidential move properties, cancel his specials into one another, and use his G Barrier as a projectile).
In the second matchup, the Outdated Solider switches to G’s second V-Trigger, Dangerous President, which provides him with a pair of new attacks: the launching uppercut G Explosion and the command grab G Rage, which boasts a single-hit of armor (though it doesn’t start on frame 1). He now faces the Cowardly Shadaloo Soldier’s Rashid.
Moving on the the King, the Cowardly Soldier switches to Sagat, clad in his original costume — that is currently available through Menat’s Fighting Chance — while the Outdated Soldier pilots Ryu, re-creating the classic match-up from Street Fighter. They also demonstrate how Ryu’s Mind’s Eye V-Skill lets him deal with Tiger Shots.
Finally, we have a Sagat mirror match, as the Shadaloo Soldiers look to prove just which one of them is Muay Thai royalty.
Have you added either of these new fighters to your rotation yet? If so, what are your thoughts on the matches you’ve just seen? Tell us in the comments.
Following the Evolution Championship Series in Las Vegas, winners of each stop on the NEO GEO World Tour will go head-to-head to crown the King of Fighters at Esports Festival Hong Kong.
This year’s NEO GEO World Tour featured eleven stops across Europe, Asia, and America. Winners of each stop have received a paid flight to the Tour’s finals in Hong Kong, coming up on August 25th. Taking place during Esports Festival Hong Kong, the finals will feature intense competition from champions in more than one game; titles within the circuit include the series’ most recent installment, The King of Fighters XIV, as well as the classic KOF ‘98.
While Metal Slug Attack and KOF 2002 followed the Tour as side-tournaments, winners of these titles did not qualify for the upcoming Finals. Tournament organizer Dixonwu stated that, while these tournaments are not part of the World Tour’s end-game, titles like Metal Slug Attack serve an important purpose in introducing newer players to the company’s classic games. “There is a worldwide scoreboard throughout the season,” Dixonwu stated. “Xavier, from the Monaco stop, held the high score record for the longest time, until a few stops later ET finally broke his record in the Taiwan stop. Then, a hardcore NEO GEO fan, Terry, broke ET’s record in the Malaysia stop. It’s a lot of fun to watch, and the game is always a crowd-pleaser at our events. Even people who have never played it will jump in and try. Getting new gamers involved in classic NEO GEO games is exactly what we are doing.”
The Finals is stacked with The King of Fighters’ top talent, featuring competitors like Qanba|Xiaohai, SANWA|M’, and JoJo. Although these fighters have not won a stop on the current Tour, they were selected by organizers as special competitors due to their past achievements. “There were important regions like Japan and China that we weren’t able to include in the first Tour due to scheduling, which we will include in the next Tour,” Dixonwu said. “Therefore, we took the advice of the SNK headquarters and local fighting game communities to choose representatives from these regions based on past tournaments they won, [their] achievements, etc.” The Tour’s latest champion will be in attendance, as well: ET won the most recent stop at this year’s Evolution Championship Series, and will be joining his opponents in Hong Kong later this month.
Another stop is quickly approaching, as well: taking place in Costa Rica, Furica Tica will give Central American players a chance to prove their strength and claim a spot in the Tour’s Finals. Although not listed on the Tour’s website, Dixonwu stated that the Latin American community came together to make the event a special, last-minute stop in the circuit. “The Latin American fighting game community came together to sponsor the winner of the Furia Tica event to come compete in the global finals, representing [their region],” he explained. “Our team is moved by their actions. Furia Tica of Costa Rica was a surprise stop for everyone. I’m glad we worked so hard with the Latin American community to have a stop there. It took a while, but finally we are able to make that event into a stop of the Tour.”
Fans can catch the Finals on the NEO GEO World Tour’s Twitch stream and Facebook page. Although no broadcast time has been set in stone, the Tour’s organizers have stated that the event will go live during Hong Kong’s daytime hours.
From fully modular sticks to classic controllers with modern twists.
Accessory manufacturer HORI had plenty of new peripherals on display on the Evo 2018 show floor for fighting fans of all levels, with a strong emphasis on the Nintendo Switch.
HORI will soon be releasing a fight stick that is completely modular out the gate; simply unfold the device and access to the entire unit becomes available, even with easily swappable artwork. There is also plenty of space inside the unit to use as storage for more parts, and the cable wraps nicely on the internal rack. On top of having a large amount of physical modding potential, the device will also ship with an application for smartphones that can change the inputs for the buttons as well as the color of the LEDs. The stick is currently unnamed with no release date, but be on the lookout for more information coming soon.
SoulCalibur VI Real Arcade Pro.N
HORI is releasing two new Real Arcade Pro fightsticks to commemorate the release of the highly anticipated title, SoulCalibur VI. each with stellar artwork and slick translucent cases. The blue Siegfried and Nightmare stick will release exclusively on the PlayStation 4, while the red lady fighters stick is exclusively made for the Xbox One. Both sticks retain the same features with a headphone jack, touchpad, share, L3, R3, and turbo buttons, and a cover for the start button on the top. The SoulCalibur VI sticks are set to release simultaneously with the title on October 19, 2018.
HORI also sets out to solve one of the major problems for Nintendo Switch with their new D-Pad Joy-Cons. Ordinarily, the left Joy-Con features four buttons instead of a traditional D-pad, in order to match the right for multiplayer use. For those wanting to play fighters on the go, however, the traditional Joy-Con is less than user-friendly with its four button directional layout. The new HORI D-Pad Joy-Cons allow for smoother control in 2D titles. With the ever-growing library of fighting games coming to the Switch, these D-Pad Joy-Cons are essential for any fighting game fan. One caveat for the new Joy-Cons is that they must be used in handheld mode, since they do not have their own power source or wireless functionalities, so there is no functionality with the Joy-Con grip. The new D-Pad Joy-Cons still succeed in what they set out to do by bringing traditional control to the popular hybrid console in its portable configuration. The new Joy-Con are set to release on September 18, 2018.
Nintendo Switch Character-inspired GameCube Controllers
HORI has a new series of GameCube-style controllers heading to the Nintendo Switch just in time for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. These new controllers continue the translucent motif for the most part — not counting Pikachu — and are all stylized to match a particular character or franchise. The controllers will immediately feel familiar to those who have found the GameCube controller to be their smashing weapon of choice, but features a few differences that should make things more efficient for players. The controllers all connect via USB so there is no need for the GameCube controller adapter; the L and R buttons have a much shorter draw distance as opposed to the deep press required for the original accessory; and the C-stick also has a high level of resistance so there is less of an opportunity for the stick to flick in an unwanted direction. There is also a very nice texture on the handles of the controllers similar to the PlayStation 4’s DualShock 4 and the most recent iterations of the Xbox One controller. Another welcome feature for the controllers is that the controllers are compatible with any Nintendo Switch title, thanks to the ZL and ZR buttons.
Nintendo Switch Multiport USB PlayStand
HORI had one last item for their Nintendo Switch lineup, the Multiport USB PlayStand. This accessory allows up to four players to connect their USB controllers while the Nintendo Switch is in tabletop mode. Perfect for fighting game tournaments and conventions, all it needs is to be plugged in via the Nintendo Switch AC adapter (sold separately), and players will be able to compete nearly anywhere without needing a television. Unlike the other items on the list above, the Multiport USB PlayStand is already available now.
