In news completely out of left field, THQ Nordic has announced a brand new expansion for Titan Quest Anniversary Edition. Called Ragnarok, the expansion continues the storyline from the lands of antiquity to Northern Europe with new enemies, powers and treasures. This is the fifth act of the critically acclaimed game.
– Titan Quest – THQ Nordic Announces Expansion Called Ragnarok
In news completely out of left field, THQ Nordic has announced a brand new expansion for Titan Quest Anniversary Edition. Called Ragnarok, the expansion continues the storyline from the lands of antiquity to Northern Europe with new enemies, powers and treasures. This is the fifth act of the critically acclaimed game.
Gordeau, Yukiko Amagi, and Azrael rip into BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle
After teasing a new Persona 4 Arena combatant entering the fray earlier this week, Arc System Works has revealed the latest trio of fighters heading to the upcoming BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. Ragna’s officially got some competition for his “Grim Reaper” title — as the scythe-wielding Greedy Harvester Gordeau, has entered the fray, alongside Sector Seven’s “Mad Dog” Azrael and — as expected — the Investigation Team’s Yukiko Amagi. A trio of reveals highly anticipated by yours truly.
The former Amnesia member brings his signature large normals, along with his Assimilation (which seems to just function as a regular command grab with the absence of GRD and is also one of his Assists), Grim Reaper, Shade Harvest and Mortal Slide special moves. As with all other Under Night In-Birth characters, his sole Distortion Skill will be his Infinite Worth, Turbulence. The “Unconquerable Snow Black,” alongside her Persona, Konohana-Sakuya, will undoubtedly one of the game’s stronger zoners; boasting her signature fans, along with her Fire Boost mechanic. Finally, the newly-christened “Deathbringer” showcases all of his raw strength for the ultimate feast. His Sentinel Dump, current 2C and Rekkas have returned, along with his Exceed Accel, Full Spartan, now serving as a Distortion Skill. However, most interesting is the seemingly complete absence of his Drive ability — The Terror — as his 5C, the game’s Universal Overhead attack that uses his 5D animation, does not leave a weak point on Chie’s body when it connects.
There are also some noticeable HUD improvements, with Distortion Skills and Crash Assaults now turning the stage backgrounds a bright red, as well as a bright “CHANGE!” icon that seems to appear when switching characters. When entering a lower health threshold, character’s portraits will begin to glow red with a “Danger!” message.
Lastly, we’re not given any indication of when the next set of reveals will be — but the final line from Noel implies that Tsubaki, Makoto or even Mai, may be coming to us soon. You can view the full trailer below.
BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle will be released for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam PC sometime in 2018. You can find the other reveal trailers at the links below.
Source: Arc System Works
The second season of Stream.Me’s War of the Gods for Injustice 2 starts this Sunday
For any online warriors looking to get into some Injustice 2 tournament action, here’s some great news. Stream.Me’s War of the Gods online tournament series returns this Sunday, November 19.
Season two of War of the Gods for Injustice 2 will run from November 19, 2017 to March 25, 2018. This schedule includes a 12 week season and a season finale. Each week will have a double-elimination bracket that’s open to all residents of the United States and Canada. The brackets will be broadcast every Sunday, with the top 8 players meeting again on Wednesday for a chance to earn more points towards the finale.
For those interested, the prize structure is as follows:
WEEKLY PRIZES
- First Place: $200 and 150 points
- Second Place: $100 and 125 points
- Third Place: $75 and 100 points
- Fourth Place: $50 and 75 points
- Fifth through Eighth Place: 50 points
- Ninth through Sixteenth Place: 30 points
- Seventh through Thirty-Second Place: 15 points
SEASON FINALE PRIZES
- First Place: $3,000
- Second Place: $2,000
- Third Place: $1,500
- Fourth Place: $1,000
- Fifth Place: $750
- Seventh Place: $500
In addition to this, some new rules have been added from last season. Players will automatically be disqualified after 10 minutes if they don’t show up. More importantly, wi-fi is now banned — all players should use wired connections.
Additional details about the tournament can be found here. In the meantime, here’s a trailer from Stream.Me.
#WarOfTheGods is coming this Sunday! Click here for more details: https://t.co/gTCVKN4Exs pic.twitter.com/iFtQuFd3Y9
— StreamMe (@StreamMe) November 13, 2017
Source: Stream.Me
Hiromi Tsuru, Bulma’s voice actress, has passed away
In the wake of other sad news, it seems that Dragon Ball fans have just been hit with even more tragic news. Hiromi Tsuru, the voice actress behind the voice of Bulma for the show’s entire run, has pass away.
Tsuru, age 57, was found unconscious inside her car along the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo. The car was stopped, and the actress was found strapped in with her seatbelt on. She was immediately brought to the hospital, however she was eventually pronounced dead.
No external wounds or signs of trauma were found on her. The official cause of death is said have been an aortic rupture — a rare occurrence, but lethal nonetheless.
As the voice of Bulma, Tsuru was involved in Bandai Namco’s upcoming fighting game Dragon Ball FighterZ, which — unless she has already recorded some lines for later episodes of the TV show Dragon Ball Super, now seems to be her last work. Interestingly enough, this isn’t her first fighting game with Namco, back in the ’90s, she also voiced Julia Chang in Tekken 3 and Tekken Tag Tournament. Her other fighting game work includes voicing Ukyo Kuonji in Ranma: Bakuretsu Rantō-Hen and Ranma 1/2: Chougi Rambuhen for the Super Famicom in Japan.
Sources: Asahi News; Esuteru via @GHennequin
Today’s the last day to register for Red Bull Battle Grounds!
Don’t miss your chance to attend Red Bull Battle Grounds this weekend!
If you were considering competing or spectating at this weekend’s Capcom Pro Tour NA finals at Red Bull Battle Grounds in Boston, MA, make sure you get your ticket today! There will be a lot more going down than the Street Fighter V CPT finals, too…
NOSTALGIA REIGNS
The Street Fighter franchise will also be celebrated with side tournaments including Ultra Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo, and multiple prize pools are up for grabs.
A GAME-LIKE VENUE
The Capcom Pro Tour North American Finals at Red Bull Battle Grounds will take place at the The Castle in Boston on November 18-19. The historical landmark is reminiscent of the Street Fighter V “Union Station” stage, giving attendees the opportunity to feel like they are in the game. Hundreds of hopeful challengers from around the continent will gather at the two-day spectacular for a 512 player open bracket tournament and a chance at winning a spot at the grand finals on Sunday.
VIRTUAL REALITY
With so many iterations of the game and technology evolving over three decades, it’s finally time to put yourself inside your favorite game. The iconic Street Fighter II bonus stage where your favorite characters beat a car to smithereens will now be able to put you in the driver’s seat — figuratively, not literally. Built using HTC Vive and its innovative Vive Trackers, you can have the most immersive Street Fighter experience ever imagined. The Street Fighter II Bonus Stage Virtual Reality experience is only available at both days of the competition. Dive into your favorite game and take that aggression to the streets! The virtual streets of Street Fighter II that is — retro-style. Destroy a car using your fists and get as many points as possible before the countdown ends. Cheer on your friends as you get their first-person point-of-view displayed for all to see.
INSPIRED ART
In celebration of 30 years of Street Fighter; local Boston artist and game franchise enthusiast, Merk Those, will be creating a 5-piece mural showcasing the creative evolution of the Street Fighter characters since their first introduction in 1987! The piece will be unveiled during the weekend kickoff event at the newly-opened Balance Patch gaming café just steps away from Boston University campus grounds.
The 30th Anniversary of Street Fighter/Red Bull Battle Grounds Kickoff Event will take place at the Balance Patch on November 17th, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
Tickets are $10.00 USD to join the open competition on Saturday, and free for spectators. You can register on smash.gg. For more information head to the official Red Bull Battle Grounds website!
Source: Red Bull Esports [press release]
Nintendo begins official Group Match Leagues for exclusive titles in Pokkén Tournament DX
Buried under the (infinitely more important) news of Pokkén Tournament DX‘s latest Recording Feature update was the addition of official Group Match Leagues run by Nintendo. These global events allow players to compete for exclusive titles that cannot be obtained in any other way.
Now that the patch has dropped, Nintendo is wasting no time in starting their first event: the FSBC Aura Blast Cup. This Lucario-themed event awards the “Aura Blast” title to all participants, with “League Master” titles awarded for various placements. The event will take place this Friday, November 17, and will last until Monday, November 20. Battles will only be ranked between 3:00 AM and 7:00 PM PT each day.
Ranking Prizes
Places 1 – 10: 
Places 11 – 30: 
Places 31 – 60: 
Places 61 – 100: 
Source: PokkénArena
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition and Fighting EX Layer will be playable at the 2017 PlayStation Experience
The Sony PlayStation blog has revealed a long list of developers, publishers, and games to grace their upcoming exhibition, the 2017 PlayStation Experience. The expo takes place in Anaheim, California, over December 9th and 10th.
The company published a blog with a “near-final” list of playable games to hit the floor. From that list, fighting game aficionados can spot a few interesting selections: Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, Fighting EX Layer, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, and Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late[st] (possibly in English?). This will be a great opportunity to get a first taste of SFV’s Arcade Edition and to try Fighting EX Layer.
Rumors floating around are also suggesting there may be a surprise SoulCalibur VI reveal; as Sony mentions, the game list isn’t complete. Check out the PlayStation Blog for the list of games.
Source: PlayStation via Gematsu
Online play is free for PlayStation users in Europe this week
Lucky PlayStation 4 users who have lapsed on their Plus membership can take advantage of the service’s biggest benefit for free — at least in Europe. Sony has announced a limited promotion for European owners: users who don’t have a PS Plus membership will still be able to take advantage of online multiplayer for the next few days.
The multiplayer event started this morning of November 15th and runs until Monday, November 20th, 10:00 AM GMT. There’s no need to sign up for anything or take any action. Note though, this promotion doesn’t come with any other benefits that PS Plus entails — such as cloud saving, free games, or discounts on the PS Store.
If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to challenge some netplay opponents in your favorite fighting game, now’s a great time to get back into the fray.
Source: PlayStation EU Blog
– Embattled Star Wars: Battlefront II Microtransaction System Taken Offline
It appears that big changes are coming to Star Wars: Battlefront II after a very rough week in the press and its community surrounding the loot box and microtransaction systems. In a move signalling potential change, it seems that microtransactions have been removed from the game. You can no longer purchase the premium currency called Crystals. Both PlayStation Network and the PC version have had the ability to buy Crystals removed completely & in game for XBox One they are out as well.