Storm Collectibles has a history of creating top-notch fighting game action figures, and they have delivered the goods once more with their San Diego Comic Con 2017 exclusives. The notorious Hot Ryu ($59.99) and the enigmatic Noob Saibot ($49.99) from Street Fighter V and Mortal Kombat respectively, have been immortalized as 7″ inch figures that will be available only at this year’s SDCC.
The two fighters, as they appear in their toy form, both have origins that are have become as comical as they have memorable in the fighting game community. With replicated detail, interchangeable hands, faces and weapons, it is unlikely that a couple of FGC jokes have ever looked this cool. You can check out the reveal images below, or just stop by Storm’s booth at this year’s SDCC for an even better look.
As you may know, Piccolo and Krillin were recently revealed in the latest issue of V-Jump for Arc System Work’s Dragon Ball FighterZ . Their reveals weren’t the most surprising announcement in the grand scheme of things, but it’s nice to get information on their techniques and attacks. In his most recent video, VesperArcade breaks down what we’ve learned.
Also included in V-Jump were pictures and details on DBFZ’s lobby system. As he notes, the online hubs are similar to what is currently used in Guilty Gear Xrd, and he explains how Dragon Ball’s popularity bodes well for this form of matchmaking.
While we still haven’t seen a reveal trailer for Starfire — who will complete Injustice 2’s Fighter Pack 1 for Digital Deluxe and Ultimate Edition owners — it seems that leaks have already begun to spring for the upcoming Fighter Pack 2.
Earlier today, CabooseXBL, a notable YouTuber who covers NetherRealm Studios’ games, has reported in his latest video that the Xbox Live Marketplace has leaked Black Manta as a future DLC character, with a tab on the Xbox One’s dashboard that simply reads, “Fight as Black Manta in Injustice 2.” Though we’ve seen a very convincing silhouette of Aquaman’s nemesis, who currently only exists in the game as part of the Stage Transition in Atlantis, we’ve yet to hear anything about any of the other 6 DLC characters coming to the game after Red Hood, Sub-Zero, and Starfire have all been released.
Though any big NRS news was absent amidst the tidal wave of announcements on Sunday at the Evo World Finals, Ed Boon Tweeted earlier this month that WB Games will have a presence at the upcoming San Diego Comic Con this weekend, where last year they revealed Wonder Woman and Blue Beetle for the DC brawler. Could we be seeing a gameplay trailer for Starfire, as well as a Fighter Pack 2 reveal in just a few short days? Only time will tell. But for now, fans of Black Manta can rest assured that he will be coming to challenge Arthur Curry for control of Injustice’s seas eventually. You can see the full video — which includes a shot of the dashboard leak — as well as Ed Boon’s Tweet, below.
Pokkén Tournament‘s Burst Mode is designed primarily for momentum stealing; entering Burst, or “Burst Declaring,” is a safe panic button on wake-up, has an invincible 0 damage hitbox that pushes the opponent away on hit, and you get temporary access to the (mostly) safe Burst Attack each character has. Because of all the stuff it does, Nintendo went really out of their way to make sure you couldn’t just immediately combo into a Burst from an non-Burst Mode state.
But they didn’t go far enough.
As Mitchel explains, Phase shift points being reset after Burst Declare, combined with lingering hitboxes and assists means you can declare Burst, then immediately combo into Burst while the opponent is hit by some disjointed attack. How useful this will be in the long run will yet to be seen, but it seems like characters with fast Burst building should be able to make use of this well, such as Shadow Mewtwo.
Though our attention is still focused on Evolution 2017’s grand finals and the winners, as well as some crazy announcements from Arc System Works, there’s a fighting game release creeping up on us this week! While we know that an English translation is coming from Aksys Games, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] is coming July 2oth to PlayStation 4 and 3. It’s likely that the majority of US UNIEL players will want to pick it up anyway, as is typical with Japanese fighting game releases.
The Arc System Works booth at Evolution 2017 granted an opportunity to test-drive the basically-ready consumer build. While I couldn’t spend an extensive time looking through the product, I glanced at the much bigger menu, now featuring extras to make the game more complete. Tutorial and Mission Mode in particular are attractive. UNIEL is accessible, but doing optimal combos is quite challenging. Having more help in the game should make a tangible difference.
Jumping into Versus, which had people lining up to play several games, included the console-exclusive characters: Enkidu and Wagner (Phonon and Mika were also selectable. These two have been playable in arcades). Now, I am not a highly-competitive UNIST player, but I sat down to try both Wagner and Enkidu anyway.
I played Wagner first. She reminds me a little of Sophitia from Soul Calibur in her design — short sword and shield, and she also backs up her move set with kicks. Clearly, her attack range is very short. She does have fast pokes, and while I couldn’t find an optimal pressure route that fast, I enjoyed 6C a lot. It’s a relatively quick overhead. She’s fast-paced and didn’t feel complicated to use at all. It’s surprising how easy UNIEL makes their characters to pick up, but obviously, mastering them and their intricate combos is a big challenge.
As for her special moves, she has a shield charge, a “drill” move that can move her diagonally upwards, a solid Dragon Punch, and an “enchanter” move. Pressing 22A or B would enhance either the shield or the sword. The shield version would power up the attack where she charges forward, while the sword type would make the drill move jump-cancelable. That second buff maybe sounds insignificant, but it not only lets her extend the combo, but also do really quick, crazy-looking cross-ups on pressure. The C version of the enchanting move, which costs meter, gives her both at the same time, as well as a pillar of flame on activation, so she can do this mid-combos as well. Her special move set is also rounded out by an air 2C divekick and a stomp on the ground ‘a la Soul Calibur’s Ivy.
Enkidu, on the other hand, took me off guard with how fun he felt to play. I’m not normally into hand-to-hand combatants, and yet, he doesn’t feel like a typical one, with his imposing figure and shadow-powered attacks. He doesn’t have a projectile, and that’s okay, because he can deal with any thrown at him thanks to his parry. The parry will grab the opponent if they are close enough, and the C version costs meter even if it didn’t catch any attacks. Another enjoyable attack is the air divekick, which also has several versions. It will obviously be used in combos, but I’m not sure how it works when the opponent is blocking.
Enkidu also has a “magic series” of attack strings, namely an easy B B B into C C C. His main special moves are rekka-oriented, so he tends to chain several specials. They felt punishing and impactful on the opponent, ending with a strong punch or powerful kick. I also checked out his “pillar” special, the Infinite Worth move, and it looked scarily good. Overall, Enkidu felt even more fun than Wagner, though at first look I didn’t think I would enjoy him. He also felt very easy to pick-up, and his parry will make knowledgeable difficult to approach. There’s also a unique “Havoc” mechanic whenver he scores a counter-hit, which power-ups his moves, but I’m not certain on specifics.
The new guys are great additions to the cast. I also tried out my main briefly, Yuzuriha. Most of the changes for her are not as noticeable, there are some improvements to her frame data, like faster air and ground normals. She now has a “D” slot for her stance, but that’s mostly just for “sliding” as in, storing an extra slash, not an actual D move. She can also use her “Force Function” move in the air (a.k.a. a Crush Trigger of sorts). A big system change everyone was trying out was using is activating Veil Off mid-combo.
I hope you got something out of my quick impressions, and you’ll be able to try out both Enkidu and Wagner yourself if you buy Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] from the Japanese PlayStation store on July 20th.
Catch up a little more by reading the 3.20 patch notes for UNIST, which detail some system changes and rebalancing for the cast.
With Abigail, Street Fighter V‘s fourth Season 2 character, set to release next Tuesday, Capcom UK’s Matt Edwards gives us an in-depth introduction to Mad Gear’s gear-head in the latest Character Introduction Series video. Towering over the competition — as the tallest character in the SF universe — at a massive 8-feet tall, along with being in a class of his own when it comes to health, boasting a whopping 1100, his counter V-Skill and armored Nitro Run will no doubt make him a dangerous opponent. His V-Trigger grants him the ability to charge a variety of punch attacks to provide them with armor, and even the ability to guard break his foes when held fully. He will no doubt satisfy fans of Hugo from previous titles, as well as players who like to strike fear in the hearts of their opponents by harassing them at all ranges — as he searches to find who stole his beloved monster truck.
For those concerned that his stature may make him immune to being crossed-up or thrown like other characters, have no fear: no special exceptions will be made for the Mad Gear lieutenant, as seen in this Tweet by Edwards.
For those who've asked, Abigail can be crossed-up and thrown like the other characters. No special rules for him in that respect pic.twitter.com/z7SCRUVDHR
Edwards also confirmed that we’ll get our first look at Abigail in full action tomorrow, during a WinnerStaysOn stream, after the UK regulars return from Evo.
Yes, we'll be doing a @WinnerStaysOn with Logan & the regulars, tomorrow evening. Can't do one tonight as some of us are still in Vegas! https://t.co/6tINDQEfNu
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has not been updated for over a year now. Its last patch, version 1.1.6, hit the Wii U on May 19, 2016. However, a new update has now arrived for the game.
For those wondering if this update for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (and 3DS) changes anything significant about the game’s balance — well, it doesn’t. The 1.1.7 update for the game does not bring any balance updates that we know of, whatsoever. All the update adds is compatibility for the last three amiibo needed to complete the game’s cast — Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta, arriving in stores this Friday.
These three amiibo were the last three from the game’s cast that had yet to be supported. Previously, we had reported on rumors that these were delayed to coincide with a Switch release for the game. However, with this patch, we’re now getting support for the amiibo (and their player 2 variant versions) without any official confirmation of a Smash game for the Switch.
Given that I was at Evolution 2017 during the Jubei announcement, I didn’t properly get to gush on SRK over the news, but hell really did freeze over for the cat sensei, didn’t it? We’ve found out now that alongside a BlazBlue: Central Fiction 2.0 patch, Jubei will arrive in arcades on August 3rd — which is quite soon!
We’ve confirmed that the patch is only for arcades first, so the console update is slated for sometime later this summer. Famitsu has a story coming out on Jubei, and the magazine scans confirm another important detail: the patch will be free. We can’t confirm the same about Jubei, but one could safely assume he will have a pricetag.
HiagoXYZ has translated the scans, giving us some insight into how the cat sensei fights:
“Described as a speedy fighter with a low jump, fast dash and a special kind of movement where he can sidestep behind people. Also, because of his install-type Distortion Drive, his Drive and Special moves change, and that lets him play a different neutral game.
Drive: Shiranui
Not many details but a successful hit applies a “black mark” on your opponent, similarly to Azrael. The mark will disappear after a while, and it’s suggested you should end combos with it to keep your opponent under pressure. For reference: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DFG5S-WVwAA8JuY.jpg
Pics with Drive/Specials/OD/EA for reference: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DFG5S-UUQAACXpx.jpg
1) Picture shows a Drive move powered up with Fudou Sharenjin, the install super. You enter a stance with the D button and press different buttons to decide which directions you’ll move to.
2) One of his Special moves, Rekkouzan. Jubei fiercely slashes the opponent with sharp claws. When Fudou Sharenjin is activated you unlock its follow-ups, which include an overhead and a low.
3) Another one of his Special moves, Gishoukyuu. A quick projectile, which you can use to cover your approaches.
4) One of Rekkouzan’s follow-ups, Ichi no Kata – Kagerou. Can only be blocked low.
5) Overdrive: Rakan Gorinkou. Powers up his Drive moves as well. Using his OD and Fudou Sharenjin at the same time will let you rush your opponent down with extreme speed.
6) His Exceed Accel, Miroku Rinshunrou.
Distortion Drives
Fudou Sharenjin: An install-type move that powers up your Drive into “Shiranui – Hagane” and Special moves for the rest of the round.
Niou Kigantotsu: Jubei strikes the opponent from the air to the ground. Using this DD right after a Drive mode will increase its damage and Jubei will teleport behind the opponent before attacking. Moreover, using this DD from a high position will further increase its damage.
Following the reveal that Jedah would be joining the cast of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Marvel Games has confirmed that we will be getting another character reveal during the Marvel Games panel at San Diego Comic Con.
With Firebrand and Dormammu featured in some of the special MVC:I comic book variant covers, as well as various leaked lists seemingly coming closer and closer to fruition, it will be interesting to see which iconic fighters will be joining the fray next. Perhaps we’ll get more trailers and an updated playable build with the New Challengers on the show floor? Only time will tell — but you can see the announcement from Marvel Games below.
San Diego Comic Con takes place from July 20-23rd at the San Diego Convention Center. The Marvel Games panel is scheduled for the 20th at 1:00 PM PDT in Room 6BCF, for those attending in person. Who do you hope to see join the cast of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite? Give us your predictions in the comments below.
This year marked Evo’s second year on ESPN2, as the Street Fighter V finals on Sunday were once again broadcasted on the network. So, the question now is, how did it do in terms of viewership?
ESPN2’s Evo 2017 Street Fighter V finals broadcast on Sunday pulled in an average of 180,000 viewers over the course of the event. Of this, approximately 136,900 were from the key 18 to 49-year-old range, covering ESPN’s target demographic. This is comparable to the viewership numbers on the simulcast on Twitch, which pulled in 179,200 on the main channel, and 219,568 on Twitch in total.
What’s interesting is the fact that the ESPN2 ratings are slightly down compared to last year’s broadcast, which peaked at 201,000 viewers. While this is somewhat disappointing, it’s not unexpected — given the growing number of viewers opting to cut their cable service in favor of internet-based streaming.
More importantly, ESPN2 wasn’t the only channel broadcasting the Street Fighter V finals at Evo this year. Sister channel DisneyXD also broadcast the event (alongside the finals for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U), though the numbers for those aren’t yet listed.
