Kitana’s Updated Mortal Kombat X Design Has Already Inspired the Cosplay Community

It’s interesting to watch how character designs change from one version of a game to the next. Over time, as technology advances, characters naturally gain higher resolution models, but they often pick up plenty of small changes along the way that help them stand out from their peers.

This sort of evolution may be most apparent in the case of Mortal Kombat’s male ninja cadre. What began as a group of fighters who differed only by way of special attacks and the color of their garb have become a variety of drastically different entities who, while still associated with their trademark colors, could easily be told apart if they were to show up side-by-side.

We’ve watched a similar change occur in the series’ female ninjas over the years, with Mileena, Kitana, Jade, and others all receiving tweaks to make them more than just recolored sprites that happen to wield different weapons. These differences have become even more pronounced in Mortal Kombat X, with Kitana and Millena taking on rather drastic design overhauls and Jade out of the picture completely.

While Kitana’s design in the 2011 version of the game was easily her most distinct up until that point, her latest update goes even further, allowing her to come off as both more elegant and deadlier than ever before.

As characters evolve, so too does the world of cosplay, which brings them outside of the game world and into our own. Even though we won’t be getting our hands on Mortal Kombat X for another full month, fans of the series are already bringing some of these new character designs to life.

Brazilian cosplayer Ju Tsukino reently put together an impressive take on Kitana’s new look, which she showed off earlier this week on Instagram. Though she has only posted a couple of pictures of the final result, it looks to be incredibly accurate. Check out her work below and let us know what you think.

Source: Ju Tsukino

Artsy Omni’s Smashified Series Unearths Shovel Knight

(Editor’s note: This is not a Super Smash Bros. for Wii U character reveal.)

Not long ago, an artist named Artsy Omni had everyone convinced that Rayman would soon be joining the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U roster. With complete in-game images that showed his face on the character select screen as well as his own, personalized “joins the battle” effect, it’s easy to see why a large number of Smash players–myself included–expected to see the limbless hero among the rest of the game’s cast. Once everything blew over, Omni released a couple of videos that walked viewers through the process of creating this fake character reveal.

It looks like Rayman was only the first of many similar character “reveals” to come. This time around, however, Omni hasn’t tried to fool anyone with a fake leak of the character because, let’s be honest, that sort of thing will probably only fly once. With that said, the newest addition to his Smashified video series is Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight.

Below, you’ll find a speed painting video (complete with commentary) that shows the process of bringing this indie platforming hero to life in the same artistic style as the current iteration of Smash. The video culminates in an animation showing us that Shovel Knight is, indeed, ready to dig in.

For the sake of clarity, I would like to reiterate that Shovel Knight is not actually going to be in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U; this is merely an excellent example of an artist flexing his abilities. Check out the video below and let us know what you think!

Source: Artsy Omni via SmashBoards

Mileena and Johnny Cage Are Definitely Playable in Mortal Kombat X

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Just in case a prominent showing in the story trailer or word from a producer directly involved with the project wasn’t enough for you, we now have further confirmation that both Mileena and Johnny Cage will be playable in Mortal Kombat X.

This latest round of information comes courtesy of the title’s listing on Amazon, which includes renders for the two characters (included above) and partial pieces of background information alongside other cast members like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Kotal Kahn.

So, yeah, it’s safe to say these veterans are part of the playable roster.

Mortal Kombat X is scheduled to launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on April 14.

Source: Amazon via Test Your Might

Kotobukiya Releases New Images of Upcoming Bishoujo Sakura Figure

Some time ago, we reported that Sakura would be the next Street Fighter character to join Kotobukiya’s Bishouho figure line. Now, we finally have a chance to see how the eternal schoolgirl will look in sculpted form thanks to some images from Famitsu.

As with all Bishoujo figures, this one features a sculpt based on the artwork of artist Shunya Yamashita. First shown at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the artwork highlights Sakura in a dynamic, mid-jump pose as she cheers for victory.

Those interested in the figure will have to wait until August of this year when it goes on sale for ¥7,200 (~$59 USD). In the meantime, check out the images in the gallery below and let us know what you think.

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Source: Famitsu

Mad Catz Announces Partnership with Capcom for Street Fighter V

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Back when the game first launched on consoles in 2009, Capcom partnered with Mad Catz to release official controllers for Street Fighter IV. This turned out to be a fruitful relationship, allowing the peripheral developer the opportunity to focus on high-end, professional arcade sticks and eventually sponsor a good number of top players from all over the world.

With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the two companies will be collaborating on Street Fighter V. It was recently announced that Mad Catz will be creating a new range of controllers, including updated FightPads for players that prefer them alongside the usual standard and Tournament Edition arcade sticks.

And that’s not all. As part of the partnership, Mad Catz has also become a premier sponsor for the Capcom Pro Tour, making them the exclusive controller provider for the next three years.

With this, it seems that Mad Catz’ relationship with the fighting game community will continue for years to come.

Source: Mad Catz

Would Fans Be Satisfied If Tekken Featured Over 100 Playable Characters?

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Like many other fighting game figures, Bandai Namco Games director Katsuhiro Harada frequently engages with fans on Twitter. While this connection to Tekken’s chief developer is awesome for the community, it can be an understandably frustrating task when you imagine the huge number of requests he must receive on a daily basis (especially if they’re less than polite).

It was a message like this that drove him to make a rather outrageous claim earlier today.

Upon being asked to include Lee Chaolan in Tekken 7, Harada jokingly stated that a future installment (set for release in 2020, apparently) will need to include at least 130 characters to satisfy the fanbase’s needs. Just as reference, the title with the largest cast is Tekken Tag Tournament 2 at 59 playable fighters.

That got me thinking–just how many characters has Bandai Namco actually introduced? Would it be able to meet this lofty goal? Luckily, finding this out proved to be rather easy.

Similar to other video games (as well as movies, television shows, etc.), the Tekken franchise has its very own version of Wikipedia, maintained and updated by folks who love its universe. According to this resource, a grand total of 107 people can be found throughout the series, taking into account alternate forms, background characters, and even fighters that have yet to be made playable, like the other candidates of the poll that saw narcoleptic vampire Eliza added to Tekken Revolution.

Though the total is probably off by a few cast members, that number leaves us with 23 spots to fill in this upcoming (and completely hypothetical) Tekken dream match. What’s two dozen new characters in a game that already includes over 100?

Sure, this is sort of a silly way to tackle this discussion, but it really drives home the fact that fighting game developers have an incredibly difficult time appeasing their fanbases whenever a new installment rolls around. While some could say this shows a bit of petulance on the part of the players, I like to think this is just a by-product of the amazing worlds the folks at Bandai Namco, Arc System Works, Capcom, NetherRealm Studios, Sega, and other studios have created over the years.

Let us know some of your most beloved characters from fighting game franchises past and present in the comments below.

Source: Katsuhiro Harada

RZR|Xian Teases Participation in Unannounced Ultra Street Fighter IV Invitational

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In his latest blog post, Evolution 2013 champion Ho Kun Xian discusses his current slate of tournament appearances, which includes Red Bull Kumite, SXSW Gaming’s Fighters Invitational, Hypespotting 4, and Final Round 18. Apart from those, however, the Team Razer competitor teases his participation in an as of yet unannounced invitational.

The only details about this mystery event that we can glean from Xian’s post are that it features a “very strong” lineup and will take place some time after Hypespotting in April. Unfortunately, aside from these small tidbits, there isn’t much to speculate about.

With the incredible amount of invitationals cropping up over the past few months, it’s exciting to hear that there may be one more to add to the docket. What do you think this mysterious tournament has in store?

Keep locked onto Shoryuken’s front page for more as this story develops.

Source: Xian via NeoGAF, image courtesy of Red Bull

UltraChen TV Streaming Live – Cannes Winter Clash, Abuget Cup 2015, Red Bull Kumite, and More

UltraChen TV is back with yet another broadcast, and a whole new slate of topics to discuss. Tonight, UltraDavid and James Chen will be discussing a variety of topics, including Cannes Winter Clash, Abuget Cup 2015, SXSW Gaming’s Fighters Invitational, Red Bull Kumite, Mortal Kombat X, upcoming Killer Instinct character Hisako, and more.

The stream will be live in this article, but you can also visit Twitch to join the chat.

Watch live video from ultrachentv on www.twitch.tv

Source: UltraChen TV, featured image courtesy of Kara “Karaface” Leung

That’s a Wrap! Useful Sakura Setup Teaches Balrog to Fear Schoolgirls in Ultra Street Fighter IV

Normally, you’d expect a seasoned boxer to handle a schoolgirl quite easily in a fight, but the world of Street Fighter is a miraculous place.

Long known for his helpful Sakura tips and tricks, BGCallisto recently released a brand new video demonstrating a setup she can pull out of her bag of tricks against Balrog in Ultra Street Fighter IV. After launching the Shadaloo associate with her EX Shunpukyaku, the young fighter can create a useful setup by landing a sweep and then immediately using her jab Shouoken to cross over the downed opponent.

Apart from erasing Balrog’s charge, doing this also gives Sakura enough time to recover and block an EX Headbutt as well as stuff other versions of the upward attack with a meaty crouching short.

For a much better explanation of this tactic as well as visual demonstrations, check out BGCallisto’s video below and see what you can pick up.

Source: BGCallisto

New York City, Florida, California, and More Invited to Curleh Mustache Battle Royale 5

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Another major tournament means another installment of Michael “TSC|IFC Yipes” Mendoza’s Curleh Mustache invitational series, which is scheduled to make an appearance at Final Round 18 later this month. This time around, however, the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 competition will forgo one-on-one matchups and return to the team-based Battle Royale format.

While team compositions have yet to be decided, Mendoza recently shared the regions to whom he has offered spots in the bracket. Frequent finalists like New York City, Northern California, and Southern California will of course make appearances, but Curleh Mustache Battle Royale 5 will also see squads from Atlanta, Florida, and Texas as well as teams representing Control Gaming and BROKENTIER.

With two more teams to be decided, not to mention the ambiguous lineups of those listed above, there’s still a ton to speculate regarding how this event will turn out. Feel free to let us know what you think of the chosen group and what individual players may make them up in the comments below.

Source: IFC Yipes