Category: Fighting Games

Ever since it was announced a couple of weeks back, people have been wondering just exactly how Kill La Kill the Game: IF will play. While the game is an arena fighter, the involvement of Arc System Works has left more than a few fighting game aficionados curious about it. In a recent interview with Siliconera, APlus Games’ director Hideaki Mizota, Arc System Works producer Toshimichi Mori, and Studio Trigger producer Hiromi Wakabayashi got to talk a bit about the game, including its gameplay.

Director Mizota compared the gameplay to other arena fighters, specifically mentioning the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series. In addition to this, however, he stated that with Arc System Works overseeing development, one important keyword for them is “fun”.  As part of this, he states that while they were concerned about character balance, ArcSys told them to pull back and look at the bigger picture. “The game needs to be fun even if you’re playing it by yourself first,”  says Mizota, “and then we can think about balance.”

ArcSys’s Mori talks more about this and the idea of the game “feeling good” the moment a player picks it up. “I think in the world of video games the distinction is made in the first 30 to 60 seconds when picking up the controller,” he states. “It’s really important to get the feeling right.”

Of course, this isn’t the only thing they discuss. They also talk about other things, such as the game’s story and setting, how it won’t have RPG elements (unlike some other arena fighters), as well as how Studio Trigger may be even more strict in terms of visuals than ArcSys. You can read the entire interview over at Siliconera.

Kill La Kill the Game: IF is set to launch on PlayStation 4 and PC in 2019.

Source: Siliconera

If you’re a fan of HORI controllers and have the Street Fighter V skills, you could leave Evo with some extra cash in hand.

If a HORI Real Arcade Pro or Fighting Edge is your weapon of choice for Street Fighter, HORI is offering a chance to represent the company — and pick up some extra cash, if you make the top 100 — for Street Fighter V competitors at Evo 2018.

You need to be registered to compete in Street Fighter V at Evo 2018 to sign up. Use the registration form here. Rules are as follows.

HORI will award from a bonus prize pool pre-selected players who represent HORI and place in the top 100 in Street Fighter V at Evo 2018 to be held in Las Vegas, NV from August 3-5, 2018

Qualifications:
・You are registered for Street Fighter V at Evo 2018
・You are at least 18 years of age
・You reside in the United States and have a valid SSN
・You submit a completed application to HORI by July 20th, 2018

Terms & Conditions:
・Player uses a HORI Fight Stick or game pad for the duration of all Official Evo 2018 Street Fighter V matches (players are to provide their own controller for use in the tournament)
・Player wears a HORI branded shirt (provided by HORI) when competing in any official matches during Evo 2018
・Player adds “HORI” to their Evo 2018 gamertag for the duration of Evo 2018
・Post at least ONE (1) photo of you using a HORI controller during an Official Evo 2018 Match during Evo 2018 (August 3-5, 2018) on one or more of your social media channels tagging #HORI #TeamHORI #Gearforbattle (if you do not have a social media channel, photo must be provided to HORI during the event for use at HORI’s discretion)

Bonus Prize Pool: (USD)

Qualifying players will be awarded the associated monetary bonus if you place in respective tiers for Street Fighter V at Evo 2018:
※You must be pre-selected by HORI and meet ALL of the Qualification and Terms & Conditions listed above to qualify.

TOP 8: $3,000.00
TOP 16: $700.00
TOP 32: $500.00
33rd -64th Place: $300.00
65th – 96th Place: $100.00
※Applicable taxes and fees may apply

【EVO2018出場者応援キャンペーン】
ラスベガスで開催されるEVO2018のストⅤAE部門に出場される選手を
対象に応援キャンペーンを実施します！
上位に入賞した場合は賞金をご用意しております！
詳細はURLよりご確認ください！URL：https://goo.gl/forms/lzqIHotz0WPcuqrv2
US在住の方はこちらへhttps://goo.gl/forms/RDAJGwTarc9lk6U33

See the registration form for full terms and conditions.

Source: HORI USA; HORI (Facebook)

A new way to support your locals appears!

The Street Fighter subreddit has launched an initiative to expand worldwide results-tracking to include FGC locals: they have launched the beginning stages of the Local Fighter’s Network, a new global stat-tracking system for any and all local events. Here’s the breakdown from r/SF:

If you run a local tournament or take part in local events we want to give you the ability to report and compare your results on a global scale. Just follow the link below, fill out basic information about your event, then check out the results.

Use this link to report the results of your local tournament.

We are not entirely clear on the best way to present this data back to you but for now we just need to build a database of that raw data. Click here to see all current reports. The more locals who report their results, the more useful the data becomes.

This list will also double as a way for players to see what locals are currently active. It will let players know where you are, when your tournaments take place, and allows you to link any additional information to help players support your scene.

If you have any feedback concerning the Local Fighter’s Network please let us know so we can help craft it to suit your needs.

Help put your locals and your players on the map by participating in this data-gathering project!

Source: r/StreetFighter

Eight characters? Could it be true?

A well-known and notable source of fighting game leaks (or at least: rumors), DasVergeben has now stated on reddit that their sources have leaked to them the characters we can expect to see as Season 4 DLC for Street Fighter V — along with some other intriguing claims.

According to these sources, the Season 4 DLC fighters will be (in no particular order):

Returning characters

• C. Viper
• Makoto
• Necro
• Oro
• Q
• Sodom

New characters

• Phantom
• [another unknown newcomer]

Yep, eight characters. “Phantom” refers to F.A.N.G’s apprentice, referenced in the CFN Side Readers story Toxicity. The other new fighter is apparently yet unknown. The leakers claim that two of these eight characters will be free DLC, but which two is unclear.

Thanks to their involvement in the game’s story sections, Oro and C. Viper seem very likely. Necro has been expected too, and Sodom is a recurring candidate — perhaps mainly due to the game’s lore leaning heavily into Metro City/Mad Gear material. The likelihood of Q may hinge heavily on what’s going on with G — which we should see soon. DasVergeben’s sources also indicate that Street Fighter VI is in the early stages of development (but there are no changes to SFV’s projected support timeline).

Keep that salt shaker handy, because you should take a few grains; DasVergeben has been hit-and-miss with claims like these — having revealed some dead-on (or at least very close) leaks in the past, but has not been 100% accurate. So until we get confirmation from Capcom, this is all pretty much just speculation. We’ll see!

Source: DasVergben via r/Kappa

Are you ready to compete in this classic title?

If you’re heading to Evo 2018 and have the guts and skill to take on the opposition in the most classic of Street Fighters, ST Revival have opened pre-registration for their Super Street Fighter II Turbo side event at Evo! This tournament is a qualifier for the Tournament of Legends III, taking place at Canada Cup 2018 in Toronto in October.

The tournament will be held on August 3rd, with the top 8 finals getting an official Evo side stage from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 4th. You can catch the stream for the rest on twitch.tv/AtariFGC.

Up to the challenge? Pre-register at smash.gg. Evo registration is necessary to compete.

Source: smash.gg

Super Smash Bros. is about the fun, not the glory.

Historically, the relationship between Nintendo and the competitive Super Smash Bros. community has been a tenuous one at best. The Kyoto-based company hasn’t given as much support to the competitive side of things when compared to other companies, despite the series’ large player base.

Talking to The Washington Post, series creator Masahiro Sakurai addressed this issue, and discussed why Nintendo hasn’t really focused as much on the competitive side of things.

According to Sakurai — who is technically not a Nintendo employee, but has worked directly with the company since the original Kirby title on GameBoy —  esports do not match the company’s vision for games.

“The philosophy behind them doesn’t go in line with Nintendo’s philosophy in that some of these players are playing for the prize money.” He continues, stating that “it comes to a point where they’re playing the game for the money, and I feel that kind of direction doesn’t coincide with Nintendo’s view of what games should be.”

Additionally, Sakurai also states that he doesn’t want the game to become too difficult for a majority of players by focusing on competitive elements.

“I feel like a game, at the end of the day, is about playing the game. But if we focus too much on the top level players – or the audience – then the game skews a little bit too much on the technical side.”

Part of this involves speeding up the tempo of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, to avoid having to add more advanced mechanics, such as those found in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Sakura does actually address the latter and its popularity.

“I think a lot of Melee players love Melee. But at the same time, I think a lot of players, on the other hand, gave up on Melee because it’s too technical because they can’t keep up with it,” he states. “And I know there were players who got tendinitis from playing and messing with the controller so much… that really is hard on the player. And I feel like a game should really focus on what the target audience is.”

All this being said, Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U are featured in the main tournament for Evo 2018, so Nintendo isn’t entirely against competitive Super Smash Bros., it just isn’t a primary focus.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate releases on Nintendo Switch on December 7. While waiting for the upcoming brawl, check out Shoryuken’s impressions of the title while at E3 2018.

Source: The Washington Post