Will you side with the Naturals, or join the forces of ZAFT?
Gundam Versus is now available both in the West and in Japan! Bandai Namco continues to showcase the mobile suits and pilots featured in the game; this time, they’re showing off the Strike, Blitz, Duel, and iconic Freedom Gundams, and their respective pilots — as well as the menacing Forbidden and Providence suits — from the Cosmic Era epic Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. They are all available to play right now in the team arena fighter, so check it out:
After an infinite involving the Reality Stone’s Infinity Surge and Spider-Man’s HP Web Ball was recently discovered in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, many players were concerned about it’s potential negative impact on the game’s overall competitive longevity. Misfit Gaming’s Angelic began immediately calling for a ban on the loop, going so far as to preemptively ban it from next year’s Undefeated if it wasn’t removed by then. Fortunately, the Capcom Fighters Twitter account has been quick to respond, noting that the developers are currently aware of the loop and are in the midst of looking into some possible solutions on how to remove it, likely without having to weaken the Reality Stone or Spider-Man too significantly.
Some players, like James Chen, have suggested a fix of capping the Reality Stone’s Infinity Surge to only be able to be used twice in a single combo — after which the opponent will flip out, ending the combo, similarly to the Power Surge.
This is definitely good news for the MvC:I community, and hopefully Capcom will respond with more information soon. You can see the tweets below.
We're aware of the Spider-Man infinite loop in #MVCI. The team is looking into it and will share more information as soon as it’s available.
Are you a brand new player to fighting games looking to get started? Do you have a friend who mashes their way into oblivion every time they play, but yet wishes they could improve? Are you that friend, and just creating a hypothetical friend to protect your own ego? If you said “yes,” to any of those three questions, this video is for you!
Gootecks has started a new series with Cross Counter Training that starts at the very core of learning Street Fighter V. Taking someone of very little experience in the game, he begins to break down the game in very basic concepts before diving into everything else. In this video, he talks about how to use Training Mode efficiently, and also uses Gerald Lee’s Sweeps & Throws concept to teach.
Strap in folks, as we’ve got tons of Dragon Ball FighterZ info coming down the pipe over the next month. Announced today as the cover game for this month’s issue of Game Informer, the magazine is diving deep into DBFZ — complete with developer interviews, new gameplay footage and hopefully, more information on new characters joining the roster.
In this first teaser video for this month of Dragon Ball FighterZ, we’ve got a glimpse of two new stages. One of them is a ruined version of West City, while the other looks to be Amenbo Island. Dragon Ball Z fans will recognize the ruined West City from the History of Trunks movie, while Amenbo Island was where the Z-Fighters first encountered Dr. Gero and Android 19 during the Android Saga.
With those two stages revealed, it brings the overall stage count to 10:
Planet Namek
World Tournament Arena
Cell Games Arena
Rocky Field (Noon/Dusk)
West City
Ruined West City
Amenbo Island
Sacred World of the Kais
Outer Space
I’m personally holding out for a Kame House stage, along with either Kami’s Lookout or the Hyperbolic Time Chamber being DBFZ’s training stage. The Game Informer teaser also promises footage of Yamcha, Tien and both SSB Goku and Vegeta, so keep your eyes peeled for more footage coming later this month.
Versus games are like buses — you wait for one and then several coming along at once. While many FGC members are deep in the lab with Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, another multi-franchise (or at least multi-timeline) crossover game has finally come to the West. As the first Vs. game designed exclusively for consoles, Gundam Versus will be many people’s introduction to this style of fighting game. While impenetrable at first, Gundam Versus promises a highly engaging arena fighter once players wrap their heads around its combat system.
If you’ve never played a game in the Gundam Vs. game series, it’s tennis doubles, a third person action game and a 3D fighter all rolled into one, with a bit of resource management thrown in for good measure. Gundam Versus can be played in either 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 modes, with 2v2 being where the game really shines. 1v1 duels are fun for learning the specific quirks of your Gundam, but the large maps means that you spend most of the battle chasing down your opponent. 3v3 are a little too hectic at times and prone to turning into a slideshow, should one player have a bad connection. Whether you’re playing 2v2 or 3v3, being a lone wolf is a recipe for disaster, as gung-ho players will be quickly gunned down in a hail of multi-colored projectiles. Movement, footsies, and teamwork are the name of the game — and it can take some time to get used to its unique take on the Versus fighter.
As each Mobile Suit can quickly close distances by boosting or using special movement commands, learning how to evade enemy shots and attacks is the first thing you really need to learn. There is a short tutorial which teaches players the basics of movement and combat, but it will take a fair while before you’ve mastered Boost Hopping, Boost Canceling and the new Boost Dive mechanic. The Boost Dive has Suits dashing back to the ground, giving players another way to mix up their movement and refill their Boost meter. This means that the first few hours of Gundam Versus can feel frustrating if you’re a newcomer, as you have to deal with experienced pilots dashing circles around you and then dicing you up into little metal pieces. Once you have a handle on your jet-powered footsies and are paired with good opponents however, each match feels like a frantic ballet as you and your opponent try to outmaneuver each other to find that one precious opening. When health-bars are low and each team is down to their final respawn, matches become absolute nail-biters. The core combat of Gundam Versus is fantastic once you get the hang of it — just be prepared for that to take a couple of hours.
When picking your Mobile Suit, they generally fall into three categories: Shooting, Fighting, or Various. If you prefer zoning and frustrating your opponent from a distance, Shooting-class Gundam are the way to go, while Fighting-class Gundam are all about getting in your opponent’s face and making them panic. Various suits are usually jacks-of-all-trades, with some being classed as Various-S or Various-F if they use more projectile or melee attacks. You’ll also need to factor in the cost of each Gundam, as players sacrifice Cost Points whenever they respawn during a match. You’ve only 1000 Cost Points to use in a standard match, with suits ranging from 200 to 500 Cost. While you may want to pilot that super cool 500 Cost suit as soon as you boot up Gundam Versus, you’ll end up losing the entire match if you die twice.
Picking a Gundam is half the struggle though, as there are over 90 playable Mobile Suits in Gundam Versus. You also need to pick a Striker – Gundam Versus’ version of Assists – from a list of over 100. Not only that, you have to unlock every Striker by playing as certain Mobile Suits, meaning you may be searching for hours before you find the Striker that’s right for you. With Bandai Namco adding more Suits via DLC, you’ll never be short on new characters to try out, but the overwhelming number of characters means that you’ll be stuck on who to start learning the game with. Personally, I found Freedom Gundam, Gundam Barbatos, and the original Gundam to be good suits to start off with. Certain series like Mobile Fighter G Gundam, SEED Destiny and Gundam 00 Season 2 have been cut from the initial roster, but it’s more than likely that fan-favorite Suits will be added back in with future DLC.
Rather than opting for a bonkers cinematic story where all the pilots from each Gundam series crossover a la Super Robot Wars, Gundam Versus keeps it simple with its single-player modes. Ultimate Battle is your standard Survival mode, where players battle wave after wave of enemy Gundam while upgrading their suit with stat bonus. Trial Battle on the other is akin to Arcade Mode, as pilots fight through a gauntlet of combatants, complete with the occasional branching path. Each trial is dedicated to a specific series from the Gundam multiverse, just to add some variation. A little bit of story or inter-character dialogue would have added some flair to this mode, but you do see a special CGI intro for each individual series which is kind of cool. Besides that, Free Battle gives you the ability to create custom matches to test certain Suit combinations. With no bespoke Training Mode to speak of, you’ll have to cope with setting your Free Battle opponent to stop in order to learn new Suits.
This guide from UnlimitedBrettWorks should help ease you in during those first few hours of play.
Most of your time with Gundam Versus will be spent fighting online, and the netcode is hit and miss. Unlike most fighting games where you only have to worry about one dodgy connection, you can be facing down three rubbish connections if you’ve got particularly bad luck. If you have good connections all round, it can play like a dream, but all it takes is one person’s spotty WiFi to bring a match to a grinding halt. As I’m playing in Europe, the small player base for Gundam Versus means I had to turn regional filtering off in order to get matches. US players should be fine keeping the regional filter on, but continental players may struggle.
Along with Casual matches and player lobbies, Gundam Versus does come with a Ranked mode where you can better control connection quality. Greenhorn pilots are weeded out straight away, as you complete 50 Casual matches to even play Ranked. From there, you have a variety of settings which allow you to avoid bad connections and select specific teammates. One setting auto-rejects opponents with less than a three bar connection and you can set it so you only get grouped with teammates running a specific cost Gundam. Having played with my fair share of 500 Cost teammates who just loved dying within 20 seconds of the match starting, you’ll be happy to have that second filtering option. For the best experience with Gundam Versus, play with a static teammate. You’ll save yourself a lot of hassle.
Despite the lackluster single-player modes and the absence of certain series from Gundam Versus’ line-up, it oozes with a reverence for Gundam. From the fully-voiced cast, to the authentic hit sounds and music straight from the show; it’s clear that the developers love them some Gundam. All of the models are faithfully recreated from the show — but the lighting can sometimes make them look less like giant mechanical war machines, and more like Gunpla kits. The actual arenas are a bit bland in comparison to the highly detailed models, and the camera does have a tendency to go ballistic whenever you and an opponent are in close range. As good as some of the show OSTs are, I will go mad if I hear the original Mobile Suit Gundam theme again.
For diehard fans of the show or the other Gundam Vs. games, you’ll be in robo-heaven with Gundam Versus. Some will be put off by the exclusion of series like G Gundam and SEED Destiny, but the introduction of mechanics like Boost Dive add another layer of complexity to its already rich combat system. If you’re new to the series, soldier through the initial difficulty curve and you’ll find a rewarding fighting game that will keep you engaged for hours.
Slayer is a pretty scary opponent to face in Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2. The teleporting vampire hits hard, and on top of that, he has a confusing moving pattern that can easily catch the victim off guard. Don’t carry a stake — rather than panic, study up a little so you know what to do against this match-up.
daymendou posted several videos on Twitter to guide players to better responses to Slayer. With each Tweet, he explains each situation so that you know how to counter his approach. He starts out by talking about possible follow-ups after the K version of Mappa (BDC stands for backdash cancel):
Bite reaches after K Mappa hits, but not on block or FD. Standing or crouching doesn't seem to matter. pic.twitter.com/al9XGt5iUs
You can jump or backdash and possibly get a big punish on Bite (42F recovery). However, this can be hard to do because of cS (see below) pic.twitter.com/xDURSOXlSA
Slayer is always in cS range after K Mappa, except after FD. While FD can avoid both BDC Bite and cS, Slayer may react with 5K, etc. instead pic.twitter.com/EO61IbVb4e
Jumping doesn't seem to be an option on hit, but it seems possible to superjump FD to avoid cS on block (likely character dependent). pic.twitter.com/7TUrB8Tn2g
Slayer's cS is active enough to catch most backdashes unless they are delayed. Backdash > Throw in corner is probably character dependent pic.twitter.com/dzast3IiOt
Here they are — that’s just one segment that daymendou covered. Don’t hesitate to ask him more questions on Twitter or follow him to stay updated on more tech that he might explain.
While The King of Fighters series is SNK’s main crossover fighting game series, it also has another series that brings even more franchises together — NEO GEO Battle Coliseum. Released in 2005, NGBC brought together numerous characters from various NEO GEO games — some that wouldn’t necessarily fit within The King of Fighters series — in a tag team fighting game.
Now, if rumors are correct, SNK may be set to revisit NEO GEO Battle Coliseum. In story by KoF World — based on a rumor first posted on our own forums — it has been reported that SNK’s next fighting game project is NEO GEO Battle Coliseum2. The details are based on a series of photos shared online, which provide some details on the game.
If the rumors are correct, then NEO GEO Battle Coliseum 2 will use cel-shading, similar to Arc System Works’ recent efforts. Certain characters, such as Geese Howard, Nakoruru, and Iori will supposedly have activation supers that will transform them into their alternate incarnations (Nightmare Geese, Rera, and Riot of Blood Iori respectively). Meanwhile, certain other characters such as Ralph, Clark, and Athena will appear wearing costumes based on their original games, instead of their modern KoF designs.
Of course, this is all just a rumor at this point. With the little that has been shown, there’s still some doubt on whether this is a legitimate leak, or just a hoax by an overzealous fan. Stay locked on to Shoryuken for more on this story as it develops.
For Arcana Heart fans looking for a way to officially pick up the game’s latest installment, the wait is almost over. Arc System Works and Examu have announced that Arcana Heart 3: Love Max Six Stars!!!!!! will be launching on PC via Steam this December.
Originally available only in Japanese arcades, a crowdfunding campaign via Kickstarter and Backerkit was launched for a PC port of Arcana Heart 3: Love Max Six Stars!!!!!! earlier this year. The success of this campaign has led to this upcoming PC release.
Arcana Heart 3: Love Max Six Stars!!!!!! introduces new character Minoru Amanohara, and the new arcana the “Ichor of Blood.” In addition to this, the stretch goals to add another character, Shark-Girl and another arcana, “Paraclesia” have also been reached. Those who’ve backed the game — or who pre-order it via Backetkit — will receive these two when development on them is complete.
In addition to these, Arcana Heart 3: Love Max Six Stars!!!!!! will also come with the usual expected modes such as Story, After-Story, Survival Score Attack, Trial, Time Attack, Versus, Trainin” and Replay Theater modes.
As promised, Square Enix have revealed a new character for the arcade version of Dissidia Final Fantasy. Joining the game’s cast of characters is the Cloud of Darkness.
For those not familiar with Final Fantasy history, Cloud of Darkness is not an alternate version of Final Fantasy VII’s hair gel-loving protagonist. Rather, she’s the final boss of the original Final Fantasy III which was not initially released outside of Japan — though a 3D remake for Nintendo DS did eventually follow.
In game, the Cloud of Darkness will be a heavy-type character designed to attract the most attention from the opposing team, trading movement speed in favor of massive range on her spells. You can see her in action in the trailer below.
Cloud of Darkness will be coming with Dissidia Final Fantasy‘s October arcade update. Meanwhile, the home version, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT will hit PlayStation 4 on January 30. 2018.
The matriarch of the Mishima clan genuinely doesn’t care what stage you pick against her. Get an infinite stage and she can zone with running 2 without fear of getting cornered. If she gets a walled stage, her incredible wall carry comes into play in her juggles.
And if she lands those juggle starters while she’s in Rage? Then you should get ready for a world of hurt. As BloodHawkTR demonstrates here, Kazumi has wall-to-wall, 70%+ combos off of her ff+4, which is a safe 20 frame mid. The crux of the damage comes from the Rage Drive ender at the wall, which has the unusual property of giving a second wall-splat.
