Category: News

Oh boy, the Smash community sure does love tier lists! In an update to their previous tier list which was released back in February of this year, the Smash 4 backroom has held another vote among their selected panel and decided on a new tier list for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The panel contains both top players, community leaders and tech specialists from all around the world in order to provide a list which accounts for regional metas, not just the one prevalent in the US. You can find all of the reasoning, data and the panel list over on the Smashboards thread but here is the text form of the tier. Note that the tiers are ordered:

————TOP————
S: Diddy Kong, Cloud, Sheik, Rosalina, Mario, Sonic, Fox
A: Zero Suit Samus, Ryu, Mewtwo, Bayonetta

————HIGH————
B: Pikachu, Meta Knight, Villager, Mega Man, Ness
C: Toon Link, Corrin, Marth, Captain Falcon, Greninja, Lucario

————MID————
D: Yoshi, Pit, Donkey Kong, Peach, Dark Pit, R.O.B., Luigi
E: Olimar, Robin, Bowser, Lucas, Wario, Ike, Lucina

————LOW————
F: Mr. Game & Watch, Pac-Man, Little Mac, Palutena, Kirby, Duck Hunt, Link
G: Shulk, Samus, Wii Fit Trainer, Bowser Jr., Dr. Mario, Falco, Roy

————BOTTOM————
H: Charizard, King Dedede, Zelda, Ganondorf, Jigglypuff

Already, Twitter has come alive with people debating the order of the top and high tiers, meaning that we’re still in a position in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U’s meta where there is still no hard and fast top five or top ten. Arguably, Zero Suit Samus, Samus and Duck Hunt are underrated, while Cloud is (yet again) overrated in second place–despite having no major tournament victories to speak of. Debates over the minutiae of tier lists will rage to the end of time among Smashers–so leave your own thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Smashboards

Someone at the CFN Portal must have put out the Hadouken symbol, as the latest offering of concept art shows off various Street Fighter characters dressed up as tokusatsu-style superheroes. These designs look like something out of Viewtiful Joe or the Wonderful 101, with characters sporting colourful spandex and glowing appendages to make them look that little bit more spectacular, compared to the last batch of rejected costumes.

In the gallery below, you’ll see: Ryu wearing special gauntlets and visor, similar to Cyclops from X-Men; Atomic Hurricane Guile, complete with Sonic Boom logo; a hooded R. Mika, complete with bright pink pigtails; Karin wearing a suit similar to that of Iron Man; M. Bison doing his best Black Shadow impression; Star Captain Birdie and finally, Dhalsim wearing a UFO as a skirt, complete with aliens grasping his body.

Click to view slideshow.

You can learn more about each individual costume over on the CFN Portal, with more rejected costumes to be revealed in the near future.

Source: CFN Portal

As previously reported, The King of Fighters XIV will be receiving some balance changes alongside its release day patch. Now, while we don’t exactly know what these changes entail yet, some details have emerged from SNK’s recent “world premiere” events in Japan. A recent post by the Professor over at the MadMan’s Café shares some details regarding the changes to two of the game’s characters: Mai Shiranui and the King of Dinosaurs.

Mai Shiranui in KOFXIV is looking to be one of her strongest incarnations–too strong in fact, based on the changes to her. The nerfs mainly have to do with her fans as they have now been made somewhat easier to jump over. In addition to this, her grounded blowback attack (press C and D together) is now negative on block.

The King of Dinosaurs redesign of Tizoc has always been a popular one among fans of the series. However, some have stated that he felt a bit weak in the preview builds. To help address this, SNK is increasing his walk speed come launch day.

In addition to these, game designer Hidetoshi “Neo_G” Ishizawa addressed comments about other characters (such as Andy) being too strong by stating that the characters in the game have been balanced so that they all feel strong, and that he wants to see them in the hands of players before thinking about making any further balance changes.

Source: the MadMan’s Café via Shoryuken forums

As the wait continues for Power Stone 3, MABManZ may have you covered if you are looking for an arena brawler to fill that hole in your heart. Releasing on Steam Early Access earlier this week, Combat Core is a brawler where up to four players can battle in futuristic arenas, slicing each other up with laser swords or blowing up the environment with grenade launchers – in between throwing energy blasts and slamming people into the ground with a suplex or an Izuna drop.

Customisation is at the heart of Combat Core, as players can equip special Cores which grant characters special bonuses and even new attacks, similar to the Gear system which is in Injustice 2. Players can also create their own fighter, taking normals and specials from pre-existing characters to fit their playstyle. With an Arcade mode, offline and online versus modes and even Oculus Rift support, there is plenty for those looking for a fun party brawler to sink their teeth into. As with any Early Access game, there is likely to be bugs, system changes and new mechanics added as development continues so don’t expect the full package just yet.

Sources: MABManZ, Steam

As the wait continues for Power Stone 3, MABManZ may have you covered if you are looking for an arena brawler to fill that hole in your heart. Releasing on Steam Early Access earlier this week, Combat Core is a brawler where up to four players can battle in futuristic arenas, slicing each other up with laser swords or blowing up the environment with grenade launchers – in between throwing energy blasts and slamming people into the ground with a suplex or an Izuna drop.

Customisation is at the heart of Combat Core, as players can equip special Cores which grant characters special bonuses and even new attacks, similar to the Gear system which is in Injustice 2. Players can also create their own fighter, taking normals and specials from pre-existing characters to fit their playstyle. With an Arcade mode, offline and online versus modes and even Oculus Rift support, there is plenty for those looking for a fun party brawler to sink their teeth into. As with any Early Access game, there is likely to be bugs, system changes and new mechanics added as development continues so don’t expect the full package just yet.

Sources: MABManZ, Steam

Bandai Namco Europe has released a new trailer for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 at this year’s Gamescom. The trailer focuses on a new system mechanic that allows players to fight with up to five other characters to take on massive threats like the Oozaru. This feature will be enabled in the game’s new “Expert Mission” challenges. In the original entry, players could engage in 1-v-1, 2-v-2, and 3-v-3 battles. This addition to the game’s battle structure should allow for some truly epic battles, as seen in the gameplay video.

The trailer also announces the return of Majin Vegeta as a playable character. It won’t be long until Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 arrives in stores as it releases on October 25 in North America for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game will launch in Europe on October 28, along with the international release of the PC version.

Sources: Bandai Namco Europe; DualShockers

We’ve already got console-to-PC crossplay in Street Fighter V and Killer Instinct, but with existing multiplatform titles such as Mortal Kombat XL–and numerous downloadable games–no fighter is yet offering crossplay over that Sony/Microsoft barrier. The prospect has arisen again with Tekken 7: Fated Retribution being bound for Xbox One and PC, as well as PlayStation 4–and it’s been said that the only thing keeping the Tekken from having such a feature is Sony’s unwillingness to allow it.

Maximilion has taken to his YouTube channel to ask fighting game fans to let Sony know that they want full crossplay in existing and upcoming titles, by tweeting at them with the #unitegamers hashtag. In the video below he discusses why keeping these games stuck in their respective sandboxes is detrimental to our community, and needlessly narrows the range of competition available to online fighters.

Source: Maximilion Dood

For those following the ongoing Red Bull Proving Grounds events, Red Bull has uploaded this compilation video showcasing highlights from the Street Fighter V fights at Final Round in Atlanta, and the current top five ranking in the Southeast Battles.

Atlanta’s Capcom Pro Tour qualifying stops for the Proving Grounds are scheduled for August 27 and September 24. Online qualifying events have also recently been announced.

 

The Power Rankings for the Philidelphia Proving Grounds event can be seen here.

Source: Red Bull eSports

The Japanese CFN Portal site has been bringing us lots of character profiles and concept art related to the world of Street Fighter V; the latest offering is a peek at some rejected alternate “secret” costumes for members of the SFV roster, in the same category as the unused zombie costumes revealed previously.

In the gallery below you’ll see: Chun-Li’s panda costume; Nash as a sword-weilding ninja assassin; R. Mika cosplaying Demon Coach Yoko (with her own stolen clothes); Vega in an ultra-stylish suit; Alex ready for the beach; Birdie in his version of Kanzuki-dinner-party-appropriate formal wear; Ken dressed for a safari holiday; Guile ready to defend the frontier as a Old West sheriff; pirate captain M. Bison; F.A.N.G in a kung-fu jumpsuit; and Zangief and Laura sporting their versions of regular streetwear.

Click to view slideshow.

You can find more information about these outfits on the Japanese side of the CFN Portal site. Only just over half of the cast’s rejected “secret” costumes have been revealed, so keep an eye on the CFN Portal and Shoryuken.com for more to come.

Source: CFN Portal