During today’s Hi-Rez Expo, the company announced its entry into the collectible card game genre by naming SMITE Rivals. SMITE Rivals will feature deities and characters from SMITE and will be free to play on both PC and mobile devices. Matches are 1v1 across three lanes with players sending units in each to take the enemy’s tower.
– Razer Reveals Project Valerie, a 3 Monitor Laptop
Razer has taken the Consumer Electronics Show by storm with its revelation of Project Valerie, a three-monitor laptop. Project Valerie features three 17.3″ monitors encased in a 1.5″ thick, 12 pound laptop. Opening the laptop sees each of the side displays automatically and mechanically slide out of the main screen and then adjust to the proper place.
– Zelda: Breath of the Wild to Launch in March 2017
According to Eurogamer, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is on track for a March 2017 release date for Japan and North America. Europe’s release is in flux at the current time. In the waning days of 2016, Nintendo sources revealed that the game was content complete but still needed four to six months of QA testing before being ready to launch. Sources further indicated that Nintendo’s Switch console needs a strong launch and that Zelda will help facilitate that.
Frosty Faustings IX Announces Two Community Provided Pot Bonuses, for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 & Tatsunoko vs. capcom
Frosty Faustings IX, which will occur on January 27th through the 28th in Elmhurst, Illinois, has been shaping up to be their biggest event to date. With already $5400 in pot bonuses, this event is drawing out a lot of players already.
Another two pot bonuses have recently been announced from their camp. Creative Flame Designs and Midwest mainstays Joey D and MohawkMike have provided a $1,000 pot bonus for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. To further things, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom now has a $100 pot bonus by Chicago Tatsunoko player Bill Akin. If you’re looking to join this amazing tournament, visit their website!
Source: Michael Hionis
A New Trailer for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 “Road to Boruto” Is Here!
Naruto is back! Believe it!
Bandai Namco released a new trailer today showcasing some of the new content players can expect from the upcoming Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 expansion: Road to Boruto.
Arriving nearly a year after the main title’s initial release, Road to Boruto follows the adventures of Naruto’s son, Boruto, and his friends in the new ninja world. The additional story is filled with familiar faces and newcomers alike. The highly cinematic experience will feature brand new battles to win and areas to explore.
The original Naruto manga ended on November 10, 2014. Since that time, the story has continued through its anime, feature films, and sequel manga titled Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. The monthly syndicated Boruto manga will soon receive an anime adaptation planned to release in April.
Owners of the main game can purchase the additional content for $19.99 on PSN, XBL, and Steam. Bandai Namco is also offering a bundled physical release, containing the original game, its season pass content, and the new expansion for $49.99.
Check out all of the high-flying ninja action in the new trailer and image gallery below!
Sources: Bandai Namco, Viz Media, Crunchyroll
At Ease, Loser! More Meaty Setups & Mixups for Alex in Street Fighter V Season 2
The Sleeping Lion wakes into Season 2, ready with powerful techniques!
Did you play Alex in Street Fighter V’s first season, and are on the lookout for updated tech? Or are you on the hunt for a new main after your last choice got nerfed into the ground? In the video below, NurseLee turns their attention back to the popular SFIII grappler Alex, providing more meaty setups and mixups to take advantage of his Season 2 build. Check them out in the video below!
Source: NurseLee
The Moon and Arturo Sanchez to Appear in CBS Drama “Elementary” [EDIT]
Edit: Just as this story went live, another Smasher was announced as a cameo, with fellow New Yorker DJ Nintendo joining Arturo and The Moon as extras in this Elementary episode.
Last one! We're excited to announce that professional Smash Brothers player @DJNintendo17 will appear in episode #514 of Elementary! pic.twitter.com/m4SfPLvEcG
— Elementary Writers (@ELEMENTARYStaff) January 5, 2017
Original story: Forget your ESPN, esports players are branching out into acting. As part of the CBS drama series Elementary, Super Smash Bros. Melee player MSF|The Moon and Street Fighter player TS|Arturo “Sabin” Sanchez are set to feature in an upcoming episode in February. Now I know what you are thinking, what does a modern day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes set in New York have to do with fighting games?
Dear Smash Brothers Enthusiasts,
I am going to put @TheMoon112 on network TV in February.
Kisses,
Jeff https://t.co/rRnRpjierA— Jeffrey Paul King (@JeffreyPaulKing) January 4, 2017
More news! We're excited to announce that professional fighting game player @nycfurby will appear in Episode #514 of Elementary! Boom! pic.twitter.com/MhVPjkizQS
— Elementary Writers (@ELEMENTARYStaff) January 4, 2017
Talking to theScore eSports, writer and producer on Elementary Jeffrey Paul King stated that the episode in question involves a streamer being murdered during one of his streams. As the case continues, Holmes and Watson eventually end up at a gaming house, where The Moon, Arturo and other esports players will cameo as the duo investigate. Let’s hope neither of them are involved in plotting the murder.
With King being a big Melee fan and the two players being New York natives, the planets have perfectly aligned for these cameos. While this may be the first time esports players have appeared on network TV, it is not the first time that fighting games have appeared on Elementary. King previously inserted an Smash Bros. related Easter egg into an episode of Elementary back in November, with “Silent Wolf” and “Hungrybox” being two Post-It notes on a wall of potential evidence. The Elementary episode is set to air on CBS at 10pm on February 19th, so set your recorders for then and look out for the highly improbable buddy cop spin-off, starring Arturo and The Moon sometime in 20XX.
Smash Fans! I've hidden a #SmashBros easter egg in this Sunday's episode of #Elementary! Come see it for yourself at 10pm on CBS…
pic.twitter.com/aJ202505vA
— Jeffrey Paul King (@JeffreyPaulKing) November 10, 2016
Sources: ElementarySTAFF; theScore eSports; Jeffrey Paul King
Toshimichi Mori, Kyuta Yamada, and Kazuto Sekine Share 2017 Arc System Works Fighting Game Ambitions with 4Gamer
Last week, to celebrate the end of 2016 4Gamer conducted interviews with a total of 146 game creators from various companies, including Sega, Square Enix, Koei Tecmo Games, SNK, Capcom, Sony Computer Entertainment, and Arc System Works, to share their favorite games of 2016 as well as some of their personal ambitions for the new year. While SNK’s Yasyuki Oda was quoted about the upcoming KOF XIV Version 1.10, as well as several other titles they have in the works, a trio from Arc System Works spoke about the future of their latest fighting game release, BlazBlue: Central Fiction.
Director and Producer of the BlazBlue series, Toshimichi Mori had this to say about the future of the franchise:
After a long time working on it, the BlazBlue series has reached a point where it can take a break… is not something I can say completely, as only the scenarios have reached a stopping point. We will still continue to liven up BlazBlue, so everyone please continue to give us your support. However, because I think I want to make things other than fighting games, I would be very happy to receive your support.
Kazuto Sekine, the General Battle Director at Arc System Works, who worked on Guilty Gear Xrd and BlazBlue: Chronophantasma, teased a possible announcement at the Arc System Works Fighting Game Awards 2016, coming up later this month.
I would like to do various new things in 2017, so it would be nice if I can deliver something. First, on January 14th, the Arc System Works Fighting Game Awards 2016 will take place. Fighting games are interesting to watch, but they’re more interesting to play, so please watch the event and try playing if you possess the interest.
Kyuta Yamada, a Director at Arc System Works, also teased the possibility of one of their titles coming to the Nintendo Switch, of which they’ve already been confirmed to be providing third-party support for:
Next, I want to make a game that can be introduced in a Nintendo Direct. I will do my best.
With Es, Mai Natsume, and Susanoo now recently added to the Arcade version of BlazBlue: Central Fiction, could we see more new characters–or perhaps a balance update–headed to the title. Back in October, some sound files for the final member of the Six Heroes, Jubei, were datamined from CF. Could he be finally ready to enter the battle for the Azure? Either way, the Wheel of Fate is turning, and we’ll be sure to keep you informed right here on Shoryuken if any announcements are made about BBCF in the near future!
Source: 4Gamer
New Character Cid Electrifies Her Competition in Latest Punch Planet Reveal Trailer
Upcoming indie titles are a bit of a gamble at times–creating a game is complex. This complexity is compounded with a fighting game, where not only is a game expected to be fun, but it is also expected to be balanced and playable competitively. While we’ve had a few horror stories as far as indie fighters are concerned, today we’re talking about a game that appears to be coming together very nicely.
Punch Planet is the game we’re talking about–if you’d like to know more about them, be sure to check out the interview we did with their team recently. This unique sci-fi fighter just unveiled their next character and her stage, both of which are particularly stunning. Her playstyle revolves around an electrified knife and a grenade, which she seems to be able to setup tricky mixups and confirms with.
Source: PUNCH PLANET
Prima Games Not Planning to Update Street Fighter V Official Frame Data App or eGuide for Season 2
Looks like “official” support isn’t a priority.
Players that purchased the Prima Games Street Fighter V eGuide (or received access to same via the hardcover Collector’s Edition Guide) are left with an outdated reference, as Prima Games has stated plainly that they will not be updating/adding to the guide for SFV’s Season 2 content and changes. They have also stated they will not be updating Prima’s Official Frame Data App for the game, either.
@rskad Sorry, we will not be updating the frame data for SFV Season 2.
— Prima Games (@primagames) January 3, 2017
@Uraniulvl We updated the eGuide for all of Season 1, but will not be updating for Season 2.
— Prima Games (@primagames) January 3, 2017
To be fair, support for the eGuide was only promised for Season 1’s DLC; however an “official” frame data app that is riddled with outdated Season 1 data is very disappointing.
Prima has not offered clarification as to why these tools won’t continue into Season 2–it’s a fairly safe guess, however, that the cost of integrating the significant Season 2 changes is not warranted without additional income from the customers. I would expect to see a new Season 2 SFV eGuide–and possibly a new app–for sale in the near future; but if that’s their plan, Prima’s going to have a hard time convincing buyers to pay for these services again, especially after cutting off support for the originals. Prima is already in a tough position selling guides in this age of free and easy sharing of game data over the internet/social media–and with free fan-built frame data apps like FAT (Frame Assistant Tool) offering more features and support than the “official” SFV app, it’s possible that Prima is deciding to just back out of this particular arena entirely.
Source: Prima Games (Twitter)