Category: News

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VesperArcade explains Urien’s upcoming nerfs in Street Fighter V’s April balance update

VesperArcade continues his series looking at the changes that will be coming to members of the Street Fighter V cast in the upcoming balance update–set to be released in late April–by turning his focus to the final Season 1 DLC character, Urien.

The “Dominating Light” is currently seen as one of the most powerful characters in Season 2 of SFV, having received a large amount of buffs, with nary a nerf in sight. He made quite the splash when Alienware’s Nemo won TOPANGA League 7 with him, in appropriately dominant fashion. According to Capcom’s CFN website, he also has the highest online win rate of the entire cast for February 2017, and was the 4th-most-used character behind the Shotokan trio of Ken, Akuma and Ryu, with him being selected in 5.208% of February’s bouts.

Unfortunately for his plans for global conquest, Urien will be receiving some nerfs in this forthcoming patch, such as his crouching medium kick going from +2 to -2 on block.

This normal was initially changed in Season 2, it went from +1 on hit to +4. It means he’s now able to convert off of it. You can easily confirm into a crouching light punch, for example. You can even do better if he gets a counter hit, he can go into a medium for more damage. But that’s not the main reason why it was crazy. They also made it +2 on block from -2. This was one of the most requested changes for Urien, especially since there are so many long-range normals that were made minus on block in Season 2, like Karin’s st.MK, Rashid’s st.HK. I’m sure Capcom wanted Urien to have a threatening, long-range low that could convert when the opponent’s stuck in Aegis Reflector. I’m glad Capcom kept the +4 intact and just went after the block advantage.

Urien will also be getting a single buff in this update, as the hitbox of his jumping light kick has been expanded downward–it was reduced in Season 2.

Urien was given a cross-up in Season 2 with jumping light kick , but like most cross-up light attacks, the range is quite poor. So if I’m not jumping at the right angle, it’ll just miss entirely. But at the same time, I have to jump-in really deep as well, because the hitstun on light attacks is very low as well. But by expanding the hitbox downward, Urien doesn’t have to jump-in as deep as he does right now, which means I can hit the button earlier and get the hit, so it’s a better cross-up overall.

Urien’s final change is that EX Chariot Tackle will go from 0 to -2 on block, with reduced pushback.

This is a pretty bad number for Urien to be at in general, since he doesn’t have a 3-frame light attack. Urien’s fastest normal is 4 frames, so being -2 is worst than most characters. If he tries to challenge with a light attack, Urien can be beat by nearly anything from the opponent. If EX Tackle is blocked, Urien is on the defensive now and he has to be guessing what the opponent will do next.

In closing, VesperArcade gives his final thoughts on Urien:

My final verdict on Urien is, overall, nerfed. Even though Urien is definitely the hardest-nerfed character in all of the April patch notes, his V-Trigger, combo potential and damage output remains unchanged. He still has all of his previous setups, his combo potential is still much better than Season 1. I feel Urien still remains a top tier character and Capcom did a good job of keeping his core character intact and fun to play.

You can see the full Urien video above, as well as his prior coverage of the patch notes so far in the links below:

Sources: VesperArcade; CFN Portal

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PQube announces Fight of the Gods, a new mythological fighting game

Bringing together gods from the pantheons of various world mythologies, PQube and Taiwanese developer Game Crafter have announced a new fighting game titled Fight of the Gods. Set for release on Steam this summer, this mythological fighter has figures like Zeus and Odin battling it out for the fate of the world.

So far, only Zeus and Odin have been shown off, but silhouettes in the announcement trailer hint at figures like Medusa and Athena also joining this clash of the titans. According to Fight of the Gods’ Steam page, it will be “a four-button fighting system with tremendous depth,” with players fighting in locations like the slopes of Mount Olympus, or the Garden of Eden.

From first glance, the art style is divisive–with Odin looking more like a generic beefy evil villain, instead of the knowledgeable and mysterious All-Father. The graphics also aren’t going to set the world on fire, currently looking more like an up-rezzed mobile game than something specifically designed for PCs. Hopefully, this is still alpha and Digital Crafter have some time to give these gods more of a polish befitting their divinity.

For more details, check out the Fight of the Gods Steam page.

Sources: PQube; Steam

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Mr. Wizard reveals even more Pokkén Tournament events sharing in Evo’s promised pot bonuses

First NorCal Regionals–now, eight more happy recipients revealed!

As promised, Evo is offering a $1000 pot bonus to ten different Pokkén Tournament events this year, in recognition of the Pokkén community’s fierce devotion to their game–and the money they helped raise for Make-a-Wish International as part of the Evo 2017 Player’s Choice donation drive. NorCal Regionals was the first to be announced as a recipient; now, Joey “Mr. Wizard” Cuellar has revealed eight more events that can expect the $1K Pokkén bonus. The list so far:

  • NorCal Regionals
  • Summer Jam
  • The Fall Classic
  • NEC
  • DreamHack Austin
  • DreamHack Atlanta
  • DreamHack Denver
  • Momocon 2017
  • Defend the North

As mentioned before, the tenth event will be determined by a fan vote:

Support for Pokkén Tournament remains strong, despite the ongoing wait for arcade-parity DLC characters and balancing for the Wii U version; here’s hoping for a year full of great Pokkén action wherever it gets played!

Source: Joey Cuellar (Twitter)

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Next Injustice 2 character reveal scheduled for tomorrow, March 30; cover of Injustice 2 #1 revealed by IGN

After the electrifying return of Black Adam last week as part of the “Shattered Alliances” Part 3 trailer–which focused on Supergirl’s role in the Injustice 2 storyline–we already know when the next challenger is going to step into the ring. Injustice.com was recently updated, revealing that we’ll see another new character reveal tomorrow: Thursday, March 30th. Perhaps we’ll get Shattered Alliances Part 4, focusing on the Society and fully revealing Captain Cold, who we caught a glimpse of in Part 2…? Could Scarecrow fill our hearts with his fear toxin, or will The Joker finally put a smile on our faces? Either way–we’ll find out tomorrow.

Yesterday, IGN also revealed the first cover of Injustice 2 #1, by Jim Lee. The sequel game will also be receiving a prequel comic book series like its predecessor, covering the five-year time gap between the two games. The cover features a unified Justice League, consisting of the Insurgency’s Batman and Green Lantern, the Regime’s Superman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg, as well as the currently-unaffiliated Supergirl and Aquaman, facing off against the new threat of Brainiac. The cover’s inks are by Scott Williams and the colors by Alex Sinclair. The digital-first comic will be written by Tom Taylor, with art provided by Bruno Redondo.

“I’m a big fan of Injustice and thrilled to be part of the Injustice 2 comic launch,” artist and DC Co-publisher Jim Lee told IGN. “Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo have an exciting story in the works that will only add to the massive anticipation around the upcoming game.”

IGN will also feature an exclusive interview with Taylor, who is returning to Injustice after working on several chapters for Years 1-3 of the original book, in addition to the first and fourth Annuals.

You can see the cover below:

Injustice 2 #1 cover by Jim Lee

Injustice 2 will be released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 16th, 2017!

Sources: Injustice.com; IGN

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Street Fighter V’s PC CFN beta test: new moves & new breakable stage elements

Here’s a glimpse of some of the new things surfacing in the Capcom Fighters Network PC beta test.

Capcom is currently running the PC beta test for the new CFN build, planned for a late April release for Street Fighter V. This beta test is also running on the game version that we’ll see in the next balance patch, so PC players have been getting a chance to try out the upcoming changes a bit ahead of schedule–and some interesting things are being discovered.

Zangief’s new leg-grabbing counter–Tundra Storm–is an unusual move; it causes high damage but has limited utility. Here’s what it looks like:

The move can only counter horizontal kicking moves at a certain height, making it extremely specialized. Finrod Inglorion compiled this list detailing exactly what Zangief’s new counter works against:

Cammy’s new air throw, while sure to prove somewhat useful, is getting some criticism for its… interesting animation:

The move’s side-switching property does provide a good corner escape.

VesperArcade breaks down the new moves appearing in the CFN PC beta in this video; in addition to the moves above, he discusses Dhalsim’s new Thrust Kick low attack (that grants Dhalsim a non-sliding low attack, handy for combos), Ryu’s new standing hard punch (new animation, but functionally the same), and Zangief’s new stun-heavy Flying Headbutt and anti-crouching Harasho Choke Slam throw:

DNG|Itazan and hameko show off how powerful the new aerial headbutt can be in this nasty stun combo:

But new moves aren’t the only thing showing up in the beta–Capcom snuck in some changes to at least one of the new stages, too–there’s a lot more going on in the background of the Air Force Base now, and the crates on the sides now break when a fighter is thrown into them. Check out the details in the video below:

The discussion as to how well CFN itself works in the beta has been mixed on social media, with some praise for the new features but also complaints of frequent disconnections. Hopefully the beta will serve its purpose of ironing out the bugs before the new CFN is officially introduced.

Sources: Bear (Twitter); Finrod Inglorion (Twitter); Phoxx (Twitter); ハメコ。(Twitter); VesperArcade

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Sanwa Denshi 3rd generation silent joystick available for pre-order soon from Arcade Shock

A new version of Sanwa Denshi’s silent joystick is on the way!

The third generation of Sanwa Denshi’s silent joystick is almost upon us. The second generation of stick was not only quiet, but too smooth–offering not enough resistance “feedback” as the microswitches were hit, making it more difficult for some players that are used to the feel of the standard stick. The third version of Sanwa’s silent joystick addresses this concern by using microswitches that offer the resistance players are used to, but is still as quiet as a “silent” stick should be.silent_stickcomparison

The new switches are the only difference between the 3rd and 2nd generations of the silent joystick, and the 2nd generation version will remain available for those that prefer its smoothness. For those that want to try the new version, Arcade Shock will be opening pre-orders for the new joystick at 8:00 AM PDT on April 9, 2017.

ARCADESHOCK-2017-3-BANNER-3RDSILENTSANWA

Sanwa Denshi’s Japanese promotional information for the new silent joystick, featuring MOV and M’:

sanwa 3rd gen silent joystick flyer

Source: Arcade Shock

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Team NINJA opens its Halloween costume design contest for Dead or Alive 5: Last Round

Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is known for its selection of alternate costumes, as much as it is for its gameplay–perhaps more so. Team NINJA continues to release a generous number of costume packs for the game, even to this day. Now, while most of those costumes are either their own designs, or crossovers with other franchises, they occasionally open the door for fans to get their designs in as well.

For any fans looking to get their own designs into the game, Team NINJA is once again hosting its Halloween Designer’s Challenge. Fans can submit their designs for their favorite characters (with the exception of Christie, and KOF crossover DLC character Mai Shiranui) to Team NINJA on or before May 7, 2017. Out of all the submissions, select designs will be added into the game–with 10 designers receiving special prizes from Team NINJA and Koei Tecmo Games.

Source: Team NINJA via Free Step Dodge

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Evo 2017 early-bird registration closes April 2nd; artist alley applications open until April 7th

Act fast to save some money on Evo sign-ups–or get your name in for the artist alley!

If you’re planning to head into Las Vegas this July to attend Evolution 2017, but haven’t signed up yet, you’ll want to make sure you do before April 2–early bird registration pricing ends that day, and the cost will jump up from $55 USD to $75. Head over to smash.gg and register now!

Also, if you’re thinking of showing off your art at Evo 2017’s artist alley, make sure to get your application in before the April 7 deadline!

Evo 2017 is July 14-16 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Source: Evo (Twitter)

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Get ready to Rock (Howard) with the last of King of Fighters XIV’s DLC announcements

It seems the rumors were true, as King of Fighters XIV producer Yasuyuki Oda has today announced on the Playstation Blog that the fourth and final DLC character for KOF XIV would indeed be Rock Howard. A fan favorite and lead character in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Rock’s appearance in KOF XIV will be his first visit to the main King of Fighters series. That’s not to say that he is going to feel out of place though–apparently the team has made a big effort to make sure that he feels like a good fit for KOF XIV’s engine.

There’s other good news for fans of Geese’s estranged son: Oda is adamant that he is not going to be among the weaker members of the case, as he was in Garou.

Rock Howard was actually fairly weak and considered low-tier in Garou: Mark Of The Wolves. I can say with all confidence that is not the case with his appearance in KOF XIV!

Rock is joined by Whip, Yamazaki and Vanessa, all of whom will be available on April 5. And even if you don’t pick up the DLC characters, you’ll get free stages and background music on April 5 too!

For a glimpse of Terry Bogart’s adopted son in action, and to see some of how his style draws from both his adoptive and biological fathers, check out the reveal trailer below.

Source: Playstation Blog

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LiangHuBBB reaches a milestone with episode 100 of “Funny & Cool Moments”

After going for nearly seven years, LiangHuBBB has finally reached episode 100 of his “Funny & Cool Moments” series, which compiles a variety of hilarious and awesome clips from different fighting games for your enjoyment. The titles featured in this most recent collection are Street Fighter V, Mortal Kombat XL, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Ultra Street Fighter IV, For Honor, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, the Injustice 2 online beta, Killer Instinct, The King of Fighters XIV, Soul Calibur V, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift and more.

We start things off with MDZ_Jimmy recreating Evo Moment #37 in Street Fighter V, Urien showing off some of his vice-president swag in both SFV and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, some interesting Brutality sequences in Mortal Kombat XL, and Bison sending Chun-Li airborne with his Ultimate Psycho Crusher. Imstilldadaddy makes an incredible read with Kolin’s Frost Touch on Ryu’s wakeup Shoryuken, Cammy “dying 1,000 deaths” when she Cross Stinger Assaults into a Raging Demon, a hilarious exchange between PND|Ketchup and Mustard, Natsu Ringing herself out while attempting a Brave Edge, and CYG BST|PR Balrog obliterating the life bar of Homura’s Dhalsim with a Turn Punch read for 80%.

Other highlights include a nasty Arakune combo that may bring back bad memories for BlazBlue: Continuum Shift players, PurePure crushing DSmoove’s Sho with a Labrys Red Axe combo in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax at Evo 2016, Ken literally sliding away after a Super Turbo victory, Twitch.Hx.CYG BST|Daigo Umehara’s Guile teabagging Echo Fox|Justin Wong’s Rainbow Mika during their recent “Clash of the Masters” Netflix exhibition, Canton getting some love from a Leona Heidern cosplayer after a big play, F.A.N.G flying away from R. Mika with Shishiruirui–only to kill her with the dropped poison balls from behind, a hilarious exchange from Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire: Jackie Chan Densetsu, and Ramlethal and Necalli having Super fails.

Finally, the video closes with a compilation of Sonic Move fails from Liang’s own online Nash play, along with a rap about the current power of SFV Season 2 Guile.

You can see the full video below–and can also catch Episode 99 here!

What are some of your favorite moments from the first 100 episodes? How long have you watched the series? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: LiangHuBBB