Category: Fighting Games

While individual character strengths may differ, the idea of parity for fighting games is very important to the competitive scene. If, say, one platform is given cast members that aren’t available on another, it becomes very hard to make a case for their inclusion in tournaments, often resulting in outright bans (see: Street Fighter x Tekken’s Megaman and Pac-Man on PlayStation 3).

Fortunately, it appears as if that won’t be an issue in Mortal Kombat X.

During their showing at PlayStation Experience, NetherRealm Studios executive producer Shaun Himmerick mentioned that fans won’t have to worry about them repeating a similar move they pulled with 2011’s Mortal Kombat, which saw God of War’s protagonist Kratos join the cast on Sony consoles.

This puts to rest rumors that Mortal Kombat X would include such fighters spread by an article IGN in August, during which creative director Ed Boon supposedly divulged (though he was not quoted as such) that they were developing console-exclusive characters.

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

Source: Hardcore Gamer via Test Your Might

While Killer Instinct has made great strides in the community since launching last year, its exclusivity to Xbox One continues to be a sticking point for folks looking to get into the title. Having to purchase an expensive gaming console and a brand new arcade stick in addition to the game itself is a huge barrier to entry that keeps many from experiencing competition for themselves.

Fortunately, it appears as if the developers are taking note of this issue. Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Isgreen recently took to the official Killer Instinct forums to consolidate a number of threads centered around discussion of a possible PC port, even going as far to put together a poll to gauge the community’s reception to the idea.

In my opinion, the potential boost this could give the competitive scene is priceless, especially if they implement some sort of cross-platform netplay feature that will keep those already playing from dividing.

If you’re interested in having your voice heard, be sure to visit Ultra-Combo by following the link below and take part in the poll.

Source: Ultra-Combo, tip via Tucker W.

Didn’t you learn anything from Capcom, Arc System Works?

Earlier tonight, fans were treated to an early look at some upcoming Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- content by some industrious data miners, including a variety of bonus color palettes as well as Leo Whitefang, the downloadable character who, before now, had yet to be revealed with gameplay footage.

This video comes courtesy of KennethBR, who recently went live on Twitch. They are currently running through the character’s challenge mode trials, but managed to upload some nice footage of his instant kill as well, which we’ve included below.

We are currently in the process of uploading images of the alternate colors, so stay tuned.

Sources: (1)KennethBR via Koogy, (2)KennethBR via Takkuten, 4chan

Now, the community has done its fair share of speculation regarding what Street Fighter V may or may not include, but that’s to be expected. As the follow-up to 2008’s Street Fighter IV, the upcoming installment of Capcom’s flagship fighting franchise is a symbol of the progress our scene has made in the past few years, a dedication that has been noticed by the developers and reciprocated.

We’ve talked about Street Fighter V a great deal in the past few days, whether it be discussions about its place in the franchise’s timeline or gameplay mechanics, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to be found.

One of most noteworthy highlights in the gameplay footage had to be Chun-Li launching Ryu through a doorway and into a different part of the arena, and that got us thinking: could there be other tasty morsels hidden throughout the stage? While not proof positive of anything, here are some details we think may be indicative of a borrowed feature and, possibly, even hints towards two more playable characters.

As many of you probably noticed, Capcom Cup advertisements appears in two specific spots in the unnamed stage. This was first pointed out to us by Marden Blake, a digital artist who had a hand in designing the logo. They can be a little hard to spot, so we’ve included a couple of screenshots below.

Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono mentioned in a recent Famitsu interview that this gameplay footage was originally planned for Capcom Cup, but the accidental release of the teaser trailer forced them to make a last-minute decision to show it during Sony’s press conference. The inclusion of the logo, then, makes complete sense, but it could also be a hint at things to come.

Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, the Arc System Works title that recently made its way to consoles, launched with a very interesting feature that allows tournament organizers to customize a stage background, effectively branding competitive footage with the name of the event.

Our theory is that Street Fighter V may come equipped with a similar feature, giving the figures behind major tournaments like Evo, SoCal Regionals, and Community Effort Orlando the opportunity to insert their own graphics for a bit of added flair.

Now, onto the big stuff: characters. While newer players may not have put two and two together as they watched the first bits of Street Fighter IV gameplay footage, the area in which Ryu and Chun-Li are trading blows is reminiscent of the Chinese stages Yun and Yang call home.

Like the twins, a variety of Street Fighter characters hail from China, including Gen, Fei Long, Dan, and even Chun-Li herself. Only Yun and Yang, however, have had unique stages that include the extensive scaffolding and neon signs seen in the screenshots below.

As a reference, here are the Street Fighter III stages in question.

So, what do you think? Will Capcom include some cool tools for the community to play around with in Street Fighter V? How about the dominant, Chinese twins? Let us know what you think in the comments.

(Street Fighter V images courtesy of Capcom, Street Fighter III images via Street Fighter Wiki)

Now, the community has done its fair share of speculation regarding what Street Fighter V may or may not include, but that’s to be expected. As the follow-up to 2008’s Street Fighter IV, the upcoming installment of Capcom’s flagship fighting franchise is a symbol of the progress our scene has made in the past few years, a dedication that has been noticed by the developers and reciprocated.

We’ve talked about Street Fighter V a great deal in the past few days, whether it be discussions about its place in the franchise’s timeline or gameplay mechanics, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to be found.

One of most noteworthy highlights in the gameplay footage had to be Chun-Li launching Ryu through a doorway and into a different part of the arena, and that got us thinking: could there be other tasty morsels hidden throughout the stage? While not proof positive of anything, here are some details we think may be indicative of a borrowed feature and, possibly, even hints towards two more playable characters.

As many of you probably noticed, Capcom Cup advertisements appears in two specific spots in the unnamed stage. This was first pointed out to us by Marden Blake, a digital artist who had a hand in designing the logo. They can be a little hard to spot, so we’ve included a couple of screenshots below.

Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono mentioned in a recent Famitsu interview that this gameplay footage was originally planned for Capcom Cup, but the accidental release of the teaser trailer forced them to make a last-minute decision to show it during Sony’s press conference. The inclusion of the logo, then, makes complete sense, but it could also be a hint at things to come.

Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, the Arc System Works title that recently made its way to consoles, launched with a very interesting feature that allows tournament organizers to customize a stage background, effectively branding competitive footage with the name of the event.

Our theory is that Street Fighter V may come equipped with a similar feature, giving the figures behind major tournaments like Evo, SoCal Regionals, and Community Effort Orlando the opportunity to insert their own graphics for a bit of added flair.

Now, onto the big stuff: characters. While newer players may not have put two and two together as they watched the first bits of Street Fighter IV gameplay footage, the area in which Ryu and Chun-Li are trading blows is reminiscent of the Chinese stages Yun and Yang call home.

Like the twins, a variety of Street Fighter characters hail from China, including Gen, Fei Long, Dan, and even Chun-Li herself. Only Yun and Yang, however, have had unique stages that include the extensive scaffolding and neon signs seen in the screenshots below.

As a reference, here are the Street Fighter III stages in question.

So, what do you think? Will Capcom include some cool tools for the community to play around with in Street Fighter V? How about the dominant, Chinese twins? Let us know what you think in the comments.

(Street Fighter V images courtesy of Capcom, Street Fighter III images via Street Fighter Wiki)