Everyone has a fighting chance
PlayStation 4 players can now log into the PS Store to download and check out My.com’s free-to-play team-based shooter, Warface. Players can face off across a number of game modes either in cooperative groups against AI-controlled enemies or in full-blown PvP combat against other players.
From September 20th through September 23rd, players on XBox One, PC and PlayStation 4 can try out Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands for free. The game can be downloaded through console stores, Steam or via the UPlay game platform. All progress will be saved and the game will be available for 60% off for the duration of the event. That equates to a sweet $20 price tag for the Standard Edition on PC.
Bandai Namco Entertainment has caught up to their accidental reveal and given us all the official trailer for Raphael in SoulCalibur VI. In this “Prelude to Madness” the rapier-wielding fencer brings his classy sword skills into the game, appearing once again as an arrogant nobleman — before his character took a darker turn later along SoulCalibur’s timeline.
SoulCalibur VI arrives on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam on October 19, 2018.
Sources: Bandai Namco US (Twitter); Bandai Namco Entertainment America
Leaked images from Melbourne eSports Open show Cervantes and Raphael in SoulCalibur VI
A new character is being created for SoulCalibur VI — with the community’s help
The Immortal Pirate Cervantes officially joins SoulCalibur VI’s Stage of History in newest trailer
As previously reported, Fighting EX Layer is getting a physical disc release in Japan. Now, we know exactly when the physical version of ARIKA’s excellent fighting game will arrive.
Fighting EX Layer‘s physical edition will be available in Japan on December 6 for ¥6,960. As a special bonus, first print copies will also come with free DLC. What exactly this DLC is has not yet been confirmed. ARIKA has so far only released 1 paid DLC character (Hokuto) and a number of paid Gougi decks. However, these are only DLC for the “Lite” version of the game, and come with the “Standard” version.
That said, the trailer they showed at Evo 2018 hinted at more DLC characters, including SNK’s Terry Bogard. It could be possible that one or all of these character will be included with physical release, if they come out in time for it.
Source: Amiami
Pullum Purna, Vulcano Rosso, and a plethora of changes are now live for Fighting EX Layer
Terry Bogard, Sharon, Arcade Version, and more announcements for Fighting EX Layer
According to Newsweek (via BlueTurtle13), it appears that Bethesda has filed for a trademark called “Redfall” that may finally provide a hint to Elder Scrolls 6, the sequel to the much loved Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The trademark was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the only thing that we can glean from the paperwork is that it is for “computer game software” and “entertainment services, namely, providing on-line interactive computer games”.
The game’s official account released the news in a tweet, which revealed that the character would be created through a series of polls via Straw Poll.
For the 1st time ever, we'll be creating an epic #SOULCALIBURVI warrior with the help of the community! After a series of polls, we'll put together the character & show them off in battle! Vote in our 1st poll for character race NOW @ https://t.co/bj13fLCJgf (ends 9/19 @ 9AM PDT) pic.twitter.com/ZdBXlOltNa
— SOULCALIBUR (@soulcalibur) September 18, 2018
The community can vote on a collection of attributes for the character, the first of which is race. Available races include everything from humans, Winged Lost Souls, Shapeshifters, Colossi, and more. So far, it appears that the playerbase has expressed an overwhelming preference for Lizardmen, which sit at over 20% of total votes.
Revenants take precedence just under this choice, with 16% of votes, after which sits the Hidden Village Clan and Automatons.
The poll began at 9:00 AM PT on September 18, and will end at the same time on September 19. Fans can get a look at what the character will might look like through the tweet’s character selection screen, although other attributes have yet to be officially announced.
Along with the game’s Create-a-Soul feature and guest characters, SoulCalibur VI is looking to have a very colorful roster of fighters. SoulCalibur fans should keep their eyes peeled for another poll, which could very well take place tomorrow!
Source: SoulCalibur (Twitter )
Yet another esports organization has picked up a fighting game player: Crescent Esports has announced that they have signed Carlos “FGC_Carlos” Bailey.
While he may not be as big a name as some other signed players, FGC_Carlos is a longtime player and veteran of various games. These days, the Orlando native (but currently based in Atlanta, GA) focuses mostly on Street Fighter V and Dragon Ball FighterZ, having achieved good placings in them in various tournaments.
Crescent Esports is a New Orleans-based team that sponsors a number of players in multiple games. In addition to this, the organization has a heavy community focus, hosting a number of monthly events.
We here at Shoryuken wish the best for both FGC_Carlos and Crescent Esports in their new relationship.
Source: Crescent Esports
SherryJenix joins cryptocurrency developer eSports Ecosystem
One of the inevitable facts about assist-based team fighters is that there’s so many combo possibilities that something, at some point, is going to break. It’s a feature of the sub-genre to be able to find crazy, game-breaking bugs — which is why Pen7Ninja‘s glitch discovery with Hit’s Level 3 in Dragon Ball FighterZ is awesome.
For some reason after Hit lvl 3 you can do this #PS4sharehttps://t.co/wKT4AmoSWn pic.twitter.com/y9Ud5jw5VI
— Pen Ninja/Best Krillin AU (@Pen7Ninja) September 17, 2018
After landing Hit’s Level 3 super, you can break the rules of combos by quick tagging in during moments where you previously couldn’t.
So many of these are amazing #PS4sharehttps://t.co/wKT4AmoSWn pic.twitter.com/KURT6UotZX
— Pen Ninja/Best Krillin AU (@Pen7Ninja) September 17, 2018
Needless to say, the game doesn’t quite know what to do with some of these.
なーんにもみえんwwww #PS4sharehttps://t.co/NvWtnDO4p9 pic.twitter.com/XxBH54NOEj
— DNG |Tachikawa 立川 (@TachikawaBR) September 18, 2018
This will almost certainly get patched out in the future, which is a shame: it’s not terribly practical, you’re only limited to one quick tag once the glitch is applied, it requires Hit to be on your team, and it makes for amazing combo footage.
If you’re still a little unsure on what’s going on, rooflemonger has put together a detailed breakdown on everything known thus far about the way the glitch works. Get to work, DBFZ fans, and show the world how messed up your combos can get with this!
Sources: TachikawaBR; Pen7Ninja; rooflemonger
The Nintendo Switch console has an ever-increasing library of fighting game titles, and while there are a number of control alternatives while your system is docked, the lack of a real directional pad on the left Joy-Con — designed for the mini-controller functionality while disconnected, since those directional buttons become the face buttons when the Joy-Con is held horizontally — seriously impairs the playability of most fighters. Without a solid d-pad, quick diagonal inputs — not to mention special move commands — are uncomfortable and unnecessarily difficult. The Nintendo Pro Controller, the HORI Pokkén pad, and even arcade sticks solve this problem completely when you’re playing at home. But if you want to play some Street Fighter in handheld mode, you are stuck either wrangling those four little buttons or using the finicky analog stick.
HORI has created another option: the “Switch D-Pad Controller (L)” is a substitute for the left Joy-Con that snaps into its place, replacing those directional buttons with a classic d-pad. HORI provided us with a couple to try for ourselves — and put simply, these controllers do exactly what they’re meant for, and quite well.
These Joy-Con substitutes basically provide a working d-pad while in handheld mode — and almost nothing else. There are no extra bells or whistles here, and in fact these controllers sacrifice a number of Joy-Con functions for the sake of getting a good, low-cost d-pad onto your machine. This device can’t be used wirelessly (it has no battery of its own), and drops the HD Rumble function as well. Since it’s not usable as its own disconnected pad, there are no SL/SR buttons, either. There is no motion-control functionality either, of course. Otherwise, aside from replacing the directional button with the d-pad, the other controller functions remain: the L/ZL triggers are kept of course, as well as the “-” button and the screen capture button under the d-pad. The analog stick and its corresponding clickable button are also still here.
It slides on and off the Switch console the same way a standard Joy-Con does, including the use of the release button on the back opposite the “-” button. Due to the lack of its own power supply, this controller cannot be used in place of a Joy-Con externally in something like the Joy-Con grip — it needs to be connected to the console, end of story.
The main feature, the d-pad, is your standard design that follows Nintendo’s solid-cross tradition. In HORI’s own description, it is “designed for d-pad intensive titles where lighting accuracy counts,” and it holds its own just fine. It’s got the right shape, size, and responsiveness to meet the needs of playing fighting games on a pad. Any fighter that calls for command inputs (like Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers and everything in the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, not to mention a large selection of arcade classics from the eShop) or requires quick and accurate diagonals (see: Pocket Rumble) becomes a much more enjoyable experience with this D-Pad add-on. I found it especially suitable for Pokkén Tournament DX, too.
I have very few complaints about this device; it’s such a simple concept, it’s hard to get wrong as long as you don’t try anything strange with it — and HORI has indeed kept it simple. In North America, it’s available in two styles: a translucent red Super Mario version, and a translucent green The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild version. I’m presuming that HORI is working with the licenses they have available — and these are officially licensed from Nintendo — but it seems to be an odd branding when Nintendo’s current-gen Mario and Zelda titles don’t benefit from these controllers. Of course, the fighting game market isn’t HORI’s only target, and this old-school d-pad is ideally suited for the swath of NES classics that will be coming up the pipe along with Nintendo’s new subscription system. So odds are pretty good you’ll be playing a Mario or Zelda game with this at some point. A plain blue one has appeared in overseas markets, but HORI claims there is no plan at this time to make it available in North America. Too bad, because I would like to see some more style options for this.
One point to look out for while using this controller in place of the left Joy-Con: if you don’t deliberately desync the left Joy-Con, it will remain connected to the Switch wirelessly even while you connect and use HORI’s D-Pad add-on, and remain able to control the console. Look out for unexpected inputs or surprise vibration! Reportedly, there was a battery-drain complaint when these devices first rolled out in Japan. This issue appears to still be present in our review units, because in testing we noticed a power loss of about 10% per hour while the HORI controller was left connected to the Switch in sleep mode, much more power loss than compared to leaving the system in sleep mode with fully-charged standard Joy-Cons connected. So, this is a concern to watch out for, considering it impedes the portability of the whole setup — but HORI has promised to ensure this is fixed for the retail NA version.
Bottom line: if you play fighting games (or any number of older titles) on the Switch and want to improve your control options while in handheld mode, these D-Pad Controllers are a great option. The reduction of other Switch functions keeps their price in the reasonable area of $24.99 USD each. Today is their official release date; you can find these at GameStop (Super Mario version/The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild version) and at Amazon (Super Mario version/The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild version), though Amazon currently lists an October 2 release.
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Shoryuken at Evo 2018: HORI showcases new controllers and accessories for every kind of fighter
HORI reveals themed GameCube Controllers for the Nintendo Switch
Shoryuken review: HORI Real Arcade Pro V Hayabusa arcade stick for Nintendo Switch
Despite primarily hosting a single-player experience, the versus mode for Catherine has somehow become a fan-favorite among the FGC — side tournaments for the puzzle platformer have become a staple of major fighting game events, garnering serious attention through its well-designed depth. It’s no surprise, then, that the multiplayer experience is being expanded in the PlayStation 4 release of Catherine: Full Body. Details have surfaced on Atlus’ website for the remake, as well as a new trailer:
Translations from SiliconEra show details on expanded mechanics, online multiplayer, and playable characters, all pointing towards a growth in the competitive scene following Full Body‘s release. Though a Western release date has yet to be announced, Catherine: Full Body hits Japanese shelves on February 14, 2019.
Sources: SiliconEra; Atlus
Catherine: Full Body arrives in Japan on February 14
ATLUS is bringing a new version of Catherine to PlayStation 4 and PS Vita: “Catherine: Full Body”
Red Bull eSports talks about the emergence of Catherine’s competitive scene