In addition to Sakura and Akuma getting new outfits as part of the Capcom Pro Tour 2018 DLC content for Street Fighter V, we’ve been waiting for Capcom to reveal the Champion’s Choice costume for Birdie, designed by 2017 Capcom Cup Champion RISE|MenaRD for his main. After a slight tease, we can now see the costume revealed in full — and unlike previous designs for Necalli and Guile from former champs, this one is essentially a tribute to the Champion himself, full of personal touches to transform Birdie into sort of a Mena-avatar, channeling the Champion into the game itself.
No date of availability has been confirmed yet, only that we’ll gain access to the costume “soon”. You can pick up the outfit as part of the Capcom Pro Tour 2018 Premier Pass, or on its own once it’s been released.
In addition to Sakura and Akuma getting new outfits as part of the Capcom Pro Tour 2018 DLC content for Street Fighter V, we’ve been waiting for Capcom to reveal the Champion’s Choice costume for Birdie, designed by 2017 Capcom Cup Champion RISE|MenaRD for his main. After a slight tease, we can now see the costume revealed in full — and unlike previous designs for Necalli and Guile from former champs, this one is essentially a tribute to the Champion himself, full of personal touches to transform Birdie into sort of a Mena-avatar, channeling the Champion into the game itself.
No date of availability has been confirmed yet, only that we’ll gain access to the costume “soon”. You can pick up the outfit as part of the Capcom Pro Tour 2018 Premier Pass, or on its own once it’s been released.
As a combination of Goku and Vegeta, Vegito is one of the more popular fusion characters Dragon Ball franchise. That said, this hasn’t really translated into him being used a lot in Dragon Ball FighterZ.
That’s not to say that Vegito (SSGSS) isn’t able to pull his own weight in this game. For any players looking to try out this fusion in Dragon Ball FighterZ, combo genius Final Showdown has shared a video exploring the maximum amount of damage that Vegito can pull off using his bread-and-butter combos. The combos here are practical ones that are meant to be used in a real match; as such, Final Showdown shows multiple ways that these combos can be started, and how much damage each starter gains or loses.
With all eyes turning towards Las Vegas for Evo 2018, fighting game companies have no better time to show off what sort of magic their games are capable of. It’s no surprise, then, that the following titles have gone free-to-play for Evo weekend:
Street Fighter V
Tekken 7
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
In addition to that, Steam is running a Evo 2018 sale for the main stage titles — some of the markdowns are quite significant, such as Tekken 7‘s 60% reduced price. This sale, and the free-to-play states of the games above, lasts until the 6th.
While the massive Super Smash Bros. for Wii U community is eagerly awaiting the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate this December, Evo 2018 will still be the game’s fifth largest tournament ever as it returns to the Evolution Championship Series for its fourth consecutive year.
In the time since its debut Smash 4 has fostered international competition and developed a sustainable community that is independent from the larger FGC and even its sister title, Super Smash Bros. Melee. With Panda Global Stats maintaining a seasonal power ranking and keeping meticulous stats it’s easy to see how fast the game and its players have progressed.
With a sequel on the way, this will almost certainly be Super Smash Bros. for Wii U’s last year at Evo. Previous years have produced three different Evo champions, ZeRo, Ally and Liquid|Salem. After finishing first on the PGRv4 ranking in January, ZeRo announced that he would no longer be competing, opening the door for a new player to claim the title of best in the world for the first time since the ranking system was introduced in Summer 2016.
The heir apparent to the throne is Echo Fox|MKLeo from Mexico. Primarily playing Marth with Cloud as a secondary, MKLeo has finished no worse than seventh in tournaments since the start of 2018. Though he has been the most consistent Smash for Wii U player of the last year, MKLeo suffered a pair of major upsets at Evo 2017, finishing in 65th place. This weekend could have been a shot at redemption and solidifying his place as the world’s best, but the #1 seed was forced to withdraw due to illness.
Sadly i wont be able to go to EVO due that i got chickenpox a week ago, i thought i still had a chance to go cuz i feel better now but this is contagious so i cant even leave home I will be ready and fine next week for SSC hopefully! Sorry if you wanted to see me win… Have fun
Though the front-runner is now out of the picture, a strong field of challengers remains ready to fight for the the Evo crown. Though he had beaten ZeRo in the past, Salem’s reset and victory in the Grand Finals of Evo 2017 was considered one of the biggest upsets of the year. In the time since, Salem has solidified his return as one of the best players in North America with multiple top 8 finishes at major events. Salem, Ally and NRG|Nairo have been at the top players since the days of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and their years of tournament experience make them perennial contenders at Evo.
Tweek, who entered the scene with Smash for Wii U, has slowly but surely fought his way up the ladder to earn the second seed at Evo 2018. Once known for his unique Bowser Jr., Tweek made the transition to Bayonetta and Cloud to give himself the best chance at winning. Since the start of the year he’s earned two major wins at 2GG: Hyrule Saga and Momocon as well as two second place finishes at FrostByte and CEO.
GRV|Dabuz is one of two players to have made the Evo finals all three years, the other being ZeRo. While still considered strong, his character Rosalina employs a much more defensive, “lame” style than the game’s other top tiers, often polarizing fans. Earning major wins at Frostbyte 2018 and The Big House 7 in the past year, Dabuz has proven that he can beat the best when he’s at the top of his game.
Though the Japanese scene has gained more attention in recent years, the players do not have as many opportunities to compete at the major level. At Evo 2016 three Japanese players made their way into the top 8 playing characters that are considered mid-tier at best. While Kamemushi’s Mega Man fell to Zero in the Grand Finals, it showed that Japan could not ignored on the international stage and encouraged new communication between the Eastern and Western Super Smash Bros. for Wii U communities. Look for Abadango (Bayonetta/Mewtwo), Choco (Zero Suit Samus), and Komorikiri (Cloud/Sonic) to help carry the flag for Japan at Evo 2018.
The best characters in Smash 4 have always been pretty clearly defined, but as the level of competition increases more and more characters have been proven to be viable. Bayonetta and Cloud, both DLC characters, are the game’s “problem” characters, employing unique mechanics that defy the normal pace of the game. Diddy Kong, Shiek, Zero Suit Samus, and Fox remain common picks from the game’s earliest days, though balance patches have brought them closer in line with the rest of the cast.
Of course there are still some character specialists out there; Elegant earned the 14th spot on the PGR using Luigi, Japan’s Raito is in 23rd using exclusively Duck Hunt, and former Evo finalist ESAM is still pushing Pikachu to the top.
With Smash 4 entering its final months, Evo 2018 will be the first step in a grand send-off for the game. You can catch pools for Smash for Wii U starting at 8:00 a.m. PT/11:00 a.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 3 on Twitch.tv/Evo3. Semifinals will begin on Saturday, Aug. 4 at 4:00 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. ET on Twitch.tv/Evo3 and continue into the top 8 Finals at 8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET on Twitch.tv/Evo.
Capcom gives Street Fighter fans a history lesson, describing the inspiration for 2018’s Capcom Pro Tour stage.
The latest Capcom Pro Tour stage for Street Fighter V shows off the grandeur of M. Bison’s famed battle arena for the World Warrior Tournament. While it might be brand new to SFV, the stage actually has a rich and illustrated history. Capcom artist Shoei Okano took fans behind the scenes of its creation in a recent YouTube video, where he revealed that the stage’s design was taken from a 1992 art book titled Complete File.
This art book served as the inspiration for quite a few of Street Fighter V’s visual aspects, including Ryu and Chun-Li’s default designs. Created to accompany SFII’s soundtrack, it featured sketch illustrations for the game’s stages, character concept designs, and even a massive poster map of Shadaloo HQ. Conceptualized by famed Capcom artist Akiman, the poster served as the inspiration for the new Ring of Power stage — although it wasn’t originally planned for.
The team rediscovered the Complete File art book years after its publication, and knew that they had something special on their hands. Using the Shadaloo HQ map as reference, they were able to translate the map into the franchise’s newest iteration (with a few changes). The original map gave fans a look into what Capcom’s artists imagined Shadaloo Headquarters would look like, with a complete floor plan and rooms where the Four Kings would train and live out their daily lives.
Shoei hopes fans appreciate the history and artwork used to create the new stage. Players can purchase the stage through the CPT Season 3 Pass for $19.99, alongside Akuma’s, Sakura’s, and the Champion’s Choice costumes (which Capcom has just teased a long-due reveal for, see below), or buy it separately for $9.99. Tremble before the almighty Bison in SFV’s newest locale!
Terry Bogard’s presence in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy had already been discovered in the game’s trophy list, but the form he actually takes in the game was perhaps not quite as SNK fans would have predicted:
The legendary Terry Bogard joins the roster in SNK HEROINES Tag Team Frenzy! Wait a second, THE Terry Bogard? What happened to him!? Well, that's what he'd like to know too. You can check out her(?) official trailer now. (https://t.co/Nv5z8XkN3r) #SNKHEROINESpic.twitter.com/szDRqi4T8P
NIS America has now officially revealed the gender-bent “Fatal Cutie” Terry Bogard to complete the launch roster of SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, complete with repertoire of his — I mean, her — signature attacks. And of course, the new Terry can be customized like any other Heroine in the game.
You can join in the madness that is SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy when the game arrives for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on September 7.
“I’m not interested in (Cody) because I only like top tier characters. That’s why I dropped Necalli… why would I want to struggle?”
In addition to being witty and amusing, UYU|Kami’s is laser-focused on efficiency: that’s the take-away from his entertaining interview with BornFree, at least:
The origin of his focus originates from a much more serious place than his demeanor would lead you to believe, though: Street Fighter locals became a form of escape for a difficult living situation the future UYU pro was in. Humorous and inspirational, Kami’s story is a worthwhile one to listen to, both for for his thoughts on approaching the game, and for an example of giving your all, regardless of your situation.
Did you miss some challenges? You’re getting another chance!
Those that failed to grab all the pieces to complete the Monster Hunter Crossover Costumes for Ken, Ibuki, and R. Mika in Street Fighter V‘s Extra Battle mode will be getting another shot at completing their costume collection when the first challenge appears for Rashid’s Air Man outfit tonight; Capcom is bringing the challenges to obtain the Monster Hunter costumes back as well.
Continue your quest for missing pieces!
Challenges for Crossover Costumes inspired by @MonsterHunter will return to Extra Battle Mode on August 2 at 9pm PT along with Air Man. pic.twitter.com/QTZ7FeOwhM
It’s good to see that these in-game items aren’t going to be offered only a single time; since we’ve seen bosses return to Extra Battle as well (both Shin Akuma and “True Martial Artist” Ryu have passed by more than once so far) hopefully all of the Crossover Costumes get at least a second pass for players to catch up on what they may have missed.
Will we finally learn who “G” actually is at Evo this weekend?
As has become the pre-reveal tradition for Street Fighter V DLC fighters, Capcom is hinting in their not-so-subtle way that this weekend will be the reveal for the next brand new character to join Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition in Season 3: the mysterious “G”.
Cody’s brick-smashing social media avatar has now been replaced by a gilded globe on Street Fighter’s Twitter and Facebook accounts — an image clearly associated with G and his golden world-map body markings, for as little as we know about him.
And what we know is very little — how he fights and his place in the story are all blanks at this point, not to mention his seeming connection to that most-mysterious Street Fighter of all, Street Fighter III‘s fan-favorite Q. (BornFree has explored some of this speculation before.) With this tease, we can definitely expect at least some of this to be cleared up at Evo 2018 this weekend, so keep an eye on Street Fighter V at Evo!
![Shadaloo HQ [concept]](http://i2.wp.com/shoryuken.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/988BD46D-46EF-4399-BBB1-917A0DA86CFA_1000x750.png?fit=622%2C467)
