Category: Fighting Games

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Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces the 2018 Injustice 2 Pro Series; Includes a stop at Evo 2018

Amateurs and pros alike from all over the world can fight for the title of World Champion.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced 2018’s Injustice 2 Pro Series, the second season of the global esports circuit for the popular NetherRealm Studios fighter Injustice 2.

From the WBIE press release:

The 2018 series sees Intersport a leader in sports, entertainment and lifestyle based media and marketing platforms, teaming up with Samsung, SIMPLE Mobile, GameStop, Northern Arena, Gamelta and a to be named European program to offer players of all ranks across the globe a chance to compete in different programs for a slice of the $150,000 USD prize pool. The best performers from the various programs will have the chance to qualify for the 2018 Injustice 2 Pro Series Grand Finals Presented by Samsung and SIMPLE Mobile taking place this fall.

The 2018 Injustice 2 Pro Series Presented by Samsung and SIMPLE Mobile will feature five live competitions throughout North America and Europe, in addition to three online cups where competitors can earn points to qualify for 12 spots in the Injustice 2 Pro Series Grand Finals. Four spots in the grand finals will be reserved for winners of different programs: Canada’s Northern Arena Injustice 2 Elite Circuit, Latin America’s Liga Latina, a European program with more details to come, and a last chance qualifier spot.

The Injustice 2 Pro Series circuit will include the tournament to be held at Evo 2018!

Sources: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment [press release]; Evo (Twitter)

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Capcom Pro Tour 2018 Online Ranking events start on April 14th for LATAM North, other regions to follow!

Your chance to compete in the CPT from the comfort of your home has arrived — or will be coming soon, at least!

Capcom has opened registration for the first of 2018’s Capcom Pro Tour Online qualifiers with LATAM North #1 this weekend, on April 14th. LATAM North includes Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Republic of Panama, and Puerto Rico. Head over to smash.gg to register if you’re in one of these regions!

Capcom promises more online Ranking events to follow; we should see some information on those very soon!

SFV AE Splash Art

Source: smash.gg

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BornFree interviews Infiltration, talks about Street Fighter V balance and physical well-being

BornFree continues his series of interviews from NorCal Regionals 2018. We get to spend some quality-camera time with one of the most famous personalities in Street Fighter V, the Korean pro player Infiltration. Having recently joined Panda Global, he has once again sprung onto the world stage, especially because of his latest triumph at Final Round 2018.

The extended interview (conducted before the latest SFV patch landed) covers why PG|Infiltration decided to go with Menat. He mentions how her toolset is a unique asset in the game, and that she plays a little outside the lines. However, he notes that the character still has some bad match-ups and needs someone to cover those, so that’s why he still plays Juri, his favorite character. He extensively talks about character balance in the game — mentioning Sagat, Ed, and Abigail.

Unrelated to the game, Infiltration also talks a lot about staying fit and working out, to be a more appealing esports figure. He both wants to attract more female players to the genre, as well as be mentally and physically strong to handle the challenges as they come.

For more on the player, check out a recent Infiltration Q&A session.

Source: BornFree

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BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle will be playable at Next Level Battle Circuit on Wednesday, April 11th

The Next Impact begins in NYC as Fates Intersect!

We’re officially less than two months away from the collision and conflict between four different universes in the upcoming BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. The next impact will take place in Brooklyn, New York at Next Level Battle Circuit this Wednesday night, April 11th, courtesy of Arc System Works America. A tournament will be held at 6:00 p.m. ET, with special giveaways also being promised.

New York City is known for their powerful ASW community, with a number of players proficient in most — if not all — of their titles, virtually guaranteeing us some high-level action for the unreleased tag team crossover title. As always, the festivities will be streamed on twitch.tv/teamsp00ky. You can see ASW America’s announcement tweet below. As a reminder, the winner of the night’s Dragon Ball FighterZ tournament will also become the East Coast qualifier for June’s Summit of Power.

For more BBTAG action, you can check out the 2V2 tournament at Anime Ascension, player impressions, as well as two rounds of English team-specific pre-match intros.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle will be released for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC on Thursday, May 31st in Japan, with a North American release on the same platforms following on Tuesday, June 5th. A European release for PS4 and Switch is scheduled for Summer 2018. An online beta for Japan will take place sometime this May, though an English one has also been teased.

Sources: ArcSystemWorksU (Twitter); teamspooky (Twitter)

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VesperArcade’s Mir asks if Abigail was nerfed too harshly in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Season 3.5

With the initial launch of Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition and the Season 3 balance patch in mid-January, there was one character who seemed to draw much more attention and scrutiny from the community following the release of the patch notes: the monstrous Mad Gear auto enthusiast Abigail. Receiving easily the largest number of changes of any of the 28 veteran cast members — most notably including faster Light attacks — the giant gearhead appeared to be vroom-vrooming himself straight into the fast lane of competitive play, even if his trophy case at the Metro City Bay Area wasn’t full yet.

With the surprising arrival of the Season 3.5 rebalance, Abi has been given massive lumps on the head by the nerf bat: seeing reduced health, his Light attack speed reverted to Season 2.5, removing his new combos, a massive reduction in his overall damage and stun output across the board, and increased pushback on moves (rendering throw loops and previous oki situations obsolete). Though, he was compensated with an increase in his already high stun value, as well as notable improvements to his V-Trigger II’s additional attack Hybrid Charge.

Taking all of these factors — and a discussion about what made him so powerful previously — into consideration, VesperArcade’s Mir ponders if the gargantuan brawler (who just got third at Brussels Challenge: Major Edition, in the hands of Problem X) is still viable enough to be a contender in SFV’s new climate. You can hear his full arguments in the video below.

You can also check out Vesper’s thoughts on the surprising Cammy buffs, as well as SonicSol’s overiew of Nash’s changes if you’re looking for further character analysis.

What are your thoughts on the current standing of Abigail? Do you believe Capcom went a bit overboard in toning him down, or do you believe his nerfs were completely justified and handled extremely well? Provide your own perspective in the comments section below.

Source: VesperArcade

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VesperArcade’s Mir asks if Abigail was nerfed too harshly in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Season 3.5

With the initial launch of Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition and the Season 3 balance patch in mid-January, there was one character who seemed to draw much more attention and scrutiny from the community following the release of the patch notes: the monstrous Mad Gear auto enthusiast Abigail. Receiving easily the largest number of changes of any of the 28 veteran cast members — most notably including faster Light attacks — the giant gearhead appeared to be vroom-vrooming himself straight into the fast lane of competitive play, even if his trophy case at the Metro City Bay Area wasn’t full yet.

With the surprising arrival of the Season 3.5 rebalance, Abi has been given massive lumps on the head by the nerf bat: seeing reduced health, his Light attack speed reverted to Season 2.5, removing his new combos, a massive reduction in his overall damage and stun output across the board, and increased pushback on moves (rendering throw loops and previous oki situations obsolete). Though, he was compensated with an increase in his already high stun value, as well as notable improvements to his V-Trigger II’s additional attack Hybrid Charge.

Taking all of these factors — and a discussion about what made him so powerful previously — into consideration, VesperArcade’s Mir ponders if the gargantuan brawler (who just got third at Brussels Challenge: Major Edition, in the hands of Problem X) is still viable enough to be a contender in SFV’s new climate. You can hear his full arguments in the video below.

You can also check out Vesper’s thoughts on the surprising Cammy buffs, as well as SonicSol’s overiew of Nash’s changes if you’re looking for further character analysis.

What are your thoughts on the current standing of Abigail? Do you believe Capcom went a bit overboard in toning him down, or do you believe his nerfs were completely justified and handled extremely well? Provide your own perspective in the comments section below.

Source: VesperArcade

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Barnard’s Loop analyzes Cloud’s unprecedented dominance in the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U doubles format

While Bayonetta may typically be the favorite punching bag of the competitive Smash community, there’s another character currently drawing major heat: Cloud Strife. Specifically: Dual-Cloud in doubles play is earning bans at multiple major events, such as Get On My Level 2018.

To lay out the case against Cloud in as objective and analytical a way as possible, Smash player Barnard’s Loop has put together two years worth of data and tournament results, and compiled the data into this comprehensive breakdown. LoopBarnard’s results are pretty staggering, revealing that Doubles-Cloud isn’t just the most dominate Smash character in his format, but arguably the strongest Smash character of all time, with results sailing above the likes of the infamous Super Smash Bros. Brawl version of Meta Knight.

Sources: LoopBarnard (Twitter); GOML_Smash

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Barnard’s Loop analyzes Cloud’s unprecedented dominance in the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U doubles format

While Bayonetta may typically be the favorite punching bag of the competitive Smash community, there’s another character currently drawing major heat: Cloud Strife. Specifically: Dual-Cloud in doubles play is earning bans at multiple major events, such as Get On My Level 2018.

To lay out the case against Cloud in as objective and analytical a way as possible, Smash player Barnard’s Loop has put together two years worth of data and tournament results, and compiled the data into this comprehensive breakdown. LoopBarnard’s results are pretty staggering, revealing that Doubles-Cloud isn’t just the most dominate Smash character in his format, but arguably the strongest Smash character of all time, with results sailing above the likes of the infamous Super Smash Bros. Brawl version of Meta Knight.

Sources: LoopBarnard (Twitter); GOML_Smash

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Koei Tecmo will continue to focus on Dead or Alive as a fighting game in the West

With Koei Tecmo and Team NINJA having officially ended support (and DLC development) for Dead or Alive 5 Last Round last December, some fans may be wondering what their future plans are for the series. This is in light of the game having a new installment of their beach-based spin-off series Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 out in Asian markets.

A new interview with Koei Tecmo America’s Senior Vice President Amos Ip by Siliconera may shed light on their future plans for the series. In the interview, Ip confirms that Koei Tecmo wants to continue focusing on the Dead or Alive series as fighting game in the West. Specifically, Ip mentioned Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, referencing their Battle Royal tournament series — the last installment of which they wrapped up last year.

Of course, nothing specific was stated regarding either a new installment of the Dead or Alive 5 Battle Royal, or a possible sequel.

Source: Siliconera

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Bandai Namco drops their first Japanese TV spot for My Hero Academia: One’s Justice

As some of you may know, Bandai Namco is hard at work at on their new shonen anime arena fighter My Hero Academia: One’s Justice. Based on the My Hero Academia manga and anime, the game is the first ever fighter for said series.

The company has now dropped the first Japanese television commercial for the game. While this television spot is pretty short — only 15 seconds, in fact — it’s still able to give us glimpses of all the characters that have been revealed so far.

My Hero Academia: One’s Justice is set to hit PlayStation 4 and Switch sometime later this year. For more on this game, check out our existing coverage.

Source: 876TV