Category: Fighting Games

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Gravity Breakers’ latest build brings zero-gravity fighting to Evo 2018

Hot of the heels of the incredible announcement of collaboration with legendary composer Shinji Hosoe, developers Gremlin ENT has another, more immediately tangible announcement for the FGC:

The free-flying sci-fi fighter Gravity Breakers will be playable at Evo 2018. For those that have followed the game, this is a logical progression– as it’s development has been uniquely tied to feedback from demo play at FGC events like Wednesday Night Fights. Make sure you find your way to the Gremlin ENT booth at Mandala Bay this August 3rd-5th!

Source: Gremlin_ent 

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The U.S. Army is hosting its own Street Fighter V tournament circuit

Teaming up with MGM Resorts International, the U.S. Army is set to host a Street Fighter tournament circuit on military bases worldwide.

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Did you know that the U.S. Army has a Twitch channel? Neither did we, until they announced a collaboration with MGM Resorts International to bring their very own Street Fighter tournament series to the streaming platform. Brought to us by Army Entertainment, an official agency of the U.S. Department of Defense that provides entertainment to overseas troops, the circuit will take place in eight garrisons around the globe.

The tournament will be streamed on Army Entertainment’s newly-created Twitch channel, and will broadcast four of their eight events. Unstreamed garrisons participating in the series include Fort Riley, USAG Humphreys, USAG Bavaria, and Fort Knox; those being streamed are Fort Bliss on July 28th, Fort Gordon on August 11th, Joint Base Lewis-McChord on August 18th, and Fort Wainwright on August 25th. Each tournament will be held on the bases’ Army Welfare and Recreation Warrior Zones, with randomly-seeded brackets in the traditional double-elimination style.

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Soldier vs. soldier.

This competition isn’t open to just anyone, either: only active-duty military personnel across the United States, Germany, and South Korea are qualified to compete in the circuit. This includes shoutcasters and commentators, one of which was announced as Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Jones. Cited by the Army’s statement as “an avid gamer and fellow soldier,” Jones is part of the Military Police, as well as being the Hammond La. Station Commander for the United States Army Recruiting Command.

Much like the Red Bull Conquest series, the champion of each garrison will move on to a finals evet at PAX West in Seattle, Washington, and will be streamed through Army Entertainment’s Twitch channel on September 1st. The champion will receive a slew of winnings, including exclusive Twitch gear and an Army Entertainment esports jersey, a unique tournament coin, a gift card worth $500, and a complimentary, two-day stay at the Mandalay Bay MGM Resort. Not shabby!

Digital warfare.

The Army’s statement divulged that the goal for this tournament series is to “develop Soldiers’ outlook and overall fitness using current technology.” As participants will train using hand-eye coordination, mental focus, and swift reaction time, the Army feels that their overall readiness to help with normal job duties will be improved. An online giveaway will also take place up until the Final, with winners receiving a two-day stay at the Mandalay Bay MGM Resort, a copy of SFV, an Army Entertainment esports jersey, a tournament coin, and a $250 gift card.

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With the United States Air Force recently sponsoring TBS’s 2018 ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational, it comes as no surprise that the Army would further delve into Street Fighter. As two of the game’s staple characters hail from the U.S. Air Force, this tournament series couldn’t be more applicable. You can find out more about the giveaway, and subsequent tournament finals, on the Ft. Wainwright webpage. Don’t kid yourself — we know this was all your idea, Guile!

Source: U.S. Army

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Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode — Rose & Sagat analysis videos

In light of Ultra Street Fighter IV‘s inclusion in digital pre-orders of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, I’ve decided to dedicate some time to examining the most slept-on online-capable Street Fighter title: Street Fighter IV: Omega Mode. Packaged as a free alternate version within the edition select of USFIV, Omega uses leftover game files, recycled taunts, and repurposed animations to completely change each character’s toolset; it’s essentially a completely new and unique Street Fighter title built within SFIV’s engine, with an entirely different balance philosophy than Ultra.

Omega was not popular at release due to some easy infinite combos — not to mention players’ interest in Ultra as a more serious, competitive game. I personally think Omega went woefully unexplored for being an extremely interesting venture, and I’ve started a series where I document each character’s Omega changes, and then show off some basic optimal combos.

This week I’m looking at Rose and Sagat. Rose’s defensive options were overhauled, with a new counter and invincible reversal, but a significantly nerfed backdash. She has a new special move that works something like a single-hit Aegis Reflector also gained the ability to combo Super into Ultra, giving her powerful burst damage. Sagat has a new special move based on his Tiger Raid from the Street Fighter Alpha series, and his combo routes have almost totally changed due to significant buffs to his normals, including a new target combo. It seems more emphasis has been placed on his elbow and knee-based normals, giving him a bit more of a Muay Thai flair. Both characters feel very similar in spirit to their Ultra versions, though they offer new bells and whistles through their gameplay.

Click here for a playlist of all Street Fighter IV: Omega videos I’ve released thus far. I’ll add future videos to this playlist as I finish them.

I plan to go through the entire roster over time, so subscribe to the ShoryukenTube YouTube channel if you don’t want to miss out!

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Arc System Works celebrates 30 years with a rocking new music video

Arc System Works is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Originally founded in 1988, the company has made a name for itself producing a number of iconic fighting games over the years.

One common thread among most of ArcSys’s games is the music, particularly the heavy metal-inspired soundtrack of the Guilty Gear series. As such, it should come as no surprise that as part of their 30th anniversary celebration they’ve released a special music video as a thank you to their fans.

The music video, which you can see below, shows various ArcSys employees in a series of scenes in and around their offices. You can check out both Japanese and English versions below, alongside as a special message from them.

Special message from Arc System Works
Arc System Works has somehow managed to stay in the industry and celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. So, we would like to thank all the fans who have supported us throughout the years, as well as various business partners and freelancers who helped us along the way with developing and publishing games.

We thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts.

In order to commemorate the 30th anniversary, we created something that will find a home in the hall of fame and peoples’ hearts. While our main business is in developing games, we hope this video may put a smile on some faces.

It’s time for all that hard work to pay off!

Source: Arc System Works

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Media Indie Exchange reveals the Evo 2018 MIX Indie Game Developer Showcase

Sometimes, it’s difficult to keep track of — much less get the time to try out — all the exciting and promising FGC-leaning projects in the indie gaming world. If you’re going to Evo 2018 this year, you have perhaps the greatest chance you’ll ever have to see the world of Indie Fighting Game Development — and its all thanks to Media Indie Exchange:

Media Indie Exchange is an organization dedicated to promoting developers of indie games, and their presence at Evo 2018 will help raise awareness of some 20+ titles, fighter or otherwise. If you see something that strikes your fancy in the trailer above, make sure you find your way to the MIX showcase at this year’s Evo!

Source: indieexchange

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WWE Superstar Xavier Woods has a $150 Windjammers bracket bounty at AnimEVO 2018

AnimEvo 2018 will be the site of the culmination of the Windjammers Flying Power League, the world’s most unlikely esports tournament circuit announced at the end of last year for Windjammers. It has been a wild ride for the 20+ year old NEO GEO title, which has seen unprecedented new life thanks to the league and to DotEmu’s PlayStation 4 port in August of ’17.

The free entry 150+ bracket was already set to be historic for no other reason the largest Windjammers bracket ever. (The extra $3000 in pot bonuses certainly help, too.) But WWE, DotEmu, and Franke Sisto have worked together to raise the ante by putting a $150 bracket-bounty on WWE superstar and host of popular gaming channel UpUpDownDown, Xavier Woods.

It’s no coincidence that the electrifying Xavier Woods will serve as a moving target in the tournament — he’s been a vocal advocate for the game on his channel, and Windjammers top 16 will be streamed on his channel UpUpDownDown. After that, top 4 will be streamed on the Evo side stage Twitch stream — and considering the best Windjammers players in the world will be converging on Evo 2018 to claim its top prize, you won’t want to miss this ’90s neon-colored spectacle.

Evo 2018 runs August 3rd-5th at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Source: Franke Sisto

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MarkMan to show off SoulCalibur VI on Avoiding The Puddle’s stream at 12:00 PM PT today

If you’ve been clawing at the bit for more in-depth information about SoulCalibur VI, then clear your schedule for noon PT today:

Mark “MarkMan” Julio will be showing off the highly-anticipated 3D fighter with the wildly popular Aris of Avoiding The Puddle. The stream will start at 12:00 p.m. PT on ATP’s Twitch stream. In addition to being the most well-known Voldo player in the world, Aris was the SoulCalibur II world champion — his insight and reaction should prove valuable (and interesting) in ways no one else’s would (or could).

Source: BandaiNamcoUS

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Fighting EX Layer updated to version 1.0.7, adds Arcade Mode and some fixes

Show the CPU the power of your Gougi!

As promised, ARIKA updated Fighting EX Layer to version 1.0.7 last night, bringing an Arcade Mode into the title alongside some system fixes.

FIGHTING EX LAYER arcade mode menu screen

If you were hoping for something that would elaborate on the stories of the FEXL fighters, you’ll be disappointed — this Arcade Mode is a basic series of seven fights without any intro/ending elements. But it does provide a nice way to practice against the CPU in an venue other than the training stage (as opposed to Kumite Mode). Go dust off your favorite Gougi deck and give it a try.

Source: FIGHTING EX LAYER (Twitter)

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will have special exhibition matches at Evo 2018

As previously reported, Nintendo will be bringing their upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to Evo 2018. While the initial report indicated that they would just have a playable build of the game at their booth, now they’ve confirmed that the game will appear on the Evo stage as well.

Nintendo, via their Nintendo Versus Twitter account, have announced that there will be special exhibition matches for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Evo 2018 stage. While they didn’t confirm who would be involved in these matches, they did state that it would feature “notable fighting game personalities”.

For those interested in catching these matches, the action is set to kick off on Friday, August 3 at 6:00 PM Pacific.

Evo 2018 takes place from August 3 to 5, at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, on the other hand, launches on Switch on December 7.

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Source: Nintendo (Twitter)

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New details arise for Arc System Works’ upcoming Kill la Kill the Game: IF

Famitsu’s latest publication reveals a look into ArcSys’s latest title, based on Trigger’s popular Kill la Kill anime.

Kill la Kill the Game: IF is shaping up to be a wacky roller-coaster ride, much like its source material. This week’s issue of Famitsu gave fans of the series a taste of what they can expect upon the title’s release, and the details reveal a fun — albeit simplistic — experience.

The upcoming battle arena title will feature a super-simplistic control scheme, without any command moves; instead, players can use the d-pad and buttons alone to attack their opponents. Players will be able to utilize dashes, steps, and guards, as well as long-distance attacks to damage their opponents. The game’s combo system was described by Famitsu as nothing less than “button-mashing,” with cinematic finishing attacks that can be achieved with a combo’s final d-pad input.

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IF will also feature a rock-paper-scissors battle system, where one action out of three can overpower another action. These actions include “break attacks, blows, guards… read evasion attacks, and evasion actions,” and, much like the game of rock-paper-scissors, are weak against one action in particular out of a set.

The game will also feature a unique “verbal dispute” engagement between players, which can be activated by landing a special attack called a Ketsui Burst. Once the dispute begins, users will be able to use provocation, abuse, and mock actions in another rock-paper-scissors system (We can already hear it: “Kiryuin Satsukiiiii!”). Upon winning these disputes, victors will see an increase in their character’s stats, as well as a rise in their Ketsui (Determination) Levels.

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Although the game is currently only 35% complete, these details make IF out to be as absurd and action-packed as the anime itself. Kill la Kill the Game: IF is set to release in 2019 for PlayStation 4 and PC.

Source: Famitsu, via Gematsu