Category: News

With much anticipated June Update on the horizon, the Street Fighter V development has taken some time to release early designs for SFV that were omitted from the final version of the game. Sketches of eight characters and a number of prototype V-Triggers were included in the activity reports on Capcom’s CFN Portal along with some passed over stage effects.

While some of the designs led to new characters like Laura and F.A.N.G there were a few interesting concepts left on the table. The blog offers a brief description of the rejected fighters, ranging from a fighting politician (like Guilty Gear’s Chipp/Leo?) to a tool-using “cutie” who’s clothes fall off while you fight (wonder why that didn’t make it…)

To read a short description of each fighter, visit the CFN Portal.

Click to view slideshow.

Among the V-Trigger ideas that didn’t make the cut were “Grab Anything” for Zangief, which would have allowed the Russian Brawler to activate a grab from any normal attack on the ground or in the air. “Sadistic Chamber” would let Vega to call down a steel cage and return to his Street Fighter II and Street Fighter Alpha 3 days of wall climbing.

Developer Takayuki Nakayama also wrote about several stage “gimmicks” that were omitted as well. Most of them are pretty silly, but I have to admit that I’m sad there’s no Haggar stuck in an elevator at the Kanzuki Estate.

Which of the forgotten designs would you have liked to see in Street Fighter V? Let us know in the comments!

Source: CFN Portal

Following up on announcements from Aksys Games regarding BlazBlue: Central Fiction’s console release in North America, it turns out that European fans will also get the game by the end of 2016. Publisher PQube, who has taken care of other ArcSystem Works titles like Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, is carrying out the release of the latest in the BlazBlue fighting game series.

The newest iteration expands the cast to over 30 with newcomers like Hibiki Kohaku, Naoto Kurogane, Nine, Es, and Izanami. New system mechanics include an Active Flow which buffs damage and burst regeneration, and a character-specific Exceed Accel attack.

This release will include the new Speed Star and Alliance modes, as well as an expansive, approximately 40-hour long story mode with adventure game components.

Check out the announcement trailer below.

Source: Gematsu, with a tip from Tony

For those looking for more fighting games to play on their PCs, here’s something for you: French Bread and Ecole Software’s hit fighting game, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late, is finally making its way to PC.

Arc System Works will be bringing Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late, or UNIEL for short, to PC via Valve’s Steam service on July 12.

The game, which hit arcades back in 2012 and PlayStation 3 in 2014 is an expansion to the original Under Night In-Birth and features 16 unique characters as well as accessible controls for newer players. Its most unique feature, however, is the Grind Grid, a meter that’s used to encourage certain aggressive playstyles. Proper use of this allows players to enter Vorpal State and use Chain Shifts.

In time with the announcement, Arc System Works has released the following trailer.

As for the series latest installment, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st], no word has yet been given on when it’ll hit home consoles, let alone PC.

Source: Arc System Works via Gematsu

Street Fighter V’s Story Update, which will add Ibuki and Balrog to the playable cast,  is now available for download on PlayStation 4. Downloading the 8GB update won’t make the content available right away, but those who want to update as soon as possible can do themselves a favor by preloading.

As of this writing, the Steam version of the game has yet to receive the ability to preload the patch.

SFV’s Story Update is available for free in the PSN Store and is expected to go live on Friday, July 1.

Source: PSN, with tips via Gigglepies, Paul and Siegfried1

Capcom has updated the official CFN portal with full move sets for both Balrog and Ibuki. Though we learned the details on Ibuki last week, Balrog’s move set had not yet been released to the public.

The Shadaloo boxer will remain a charge character in Street Fighter V but has fewer special moves overall. They are replaced by a bevy of target combos that will help keep Balrog swinging when fighting in close range. Buffalo Headbutt, which has typically been Balrog’s go-to invincible reversal attack, will now function as his V-Reversal. Balrog’s only down charge move is his Screw Smash, which has been said to function as an anti-air.

Balrog will also be able to cancel his Dash Straight and Dash Grand Blow into KKB, allowing him to dodge projectiles and certain special moves as he rushes towards his opponent. From KKB, Balrog can use two command skills, Buffalo Swing and Buffalo Pressure, which resemble his Dash Swing Blow (charge B, DF+P) and Dash Upper (Charge B, F+K) from Street Fighter IV.

After activating his V-Trigger, Crazy Rush, Balrog will be able to cancel his special attacks into one another without charge. After using the first special, Balrog can press Foward+P or Forward+K to execute a followup. When used during V-Trigger those moves are called Charging Buffalo and Bursting Buffalo, respectively. Furthermore, they too can be cancelled into KKB for even more complex combinations.

Balrog’s turn punch now only require a single button to be held, and will gain invincibility and damage the longer the button is held. In Street Fighter IV the turn punch required all three punches or kicks to be held, meaning that Balrog couldn’t break throws. Additionally, the move would actually become less safe the longer it was charged but retained the same invincibility, making anything more than a few seconds of charge impractical.

Finally, Balrog’s super, Gigaton Blow returns from Alpha 3 (after a brief cameo in USF4’s Omega mode) and can be executed without charge, making confirms possible from his forward charging moves.

Without further adieu here is Balrog’s full move list, just in time for his release this Friday.

Source: Capcom CFN Portal

Ever since Freddy Kreuger terrorized last generation’s Mortal Kombat 9, NetherRealm has been including horror-themed guest characters in the Mortal Kombat games; Mortal Kombat X actually has 4. With this in mind, one can’t help but wonder why the company doesn’t make a game dedicated to those characters.

This is the question that Mortal Kombat co-creator and NetherRealm founder Ed Boon addresses in a short interview with Game Informer. When asked about why they don’t just throw all these horror characters together in one game, Boon stated that as they’ve been adding such characters to Mortal Kombat X the idea “has been coming up more and more frequently.” He continues by saying that “maybe one day we’ll do it.”

While this doesn’t necessarily mean that NetherRealm will be making such a game any time soon–they’re currently too busy focusing on Mortal Kombat X and Injustice 2 to dedicate resources to a third fighting game–it does mean that one is within the realm of possibility. At the very least, this interest in making one may finally force Capcom to restart work on Darkstalkers 4.

Source: Game Informer

VFM_Wolfman, a high-ranking Rashid player on Capcom Fighters Network, shared a series of creative applications for Rashid’s V-Reversal in Street Fighter V. In the video below, you can see how Rashid’s evasive V-Reversal can be used to score some big damage against highly active combo strings and special moves in Street Fighter V.

A separate application for this technology is to V-Reversal a blocked fireball to remove some accumulated stun, while closing the distance between you and your opponent. It’s especially useful versus Guile players who enjoy spamming V-Trigger Booms.

Rashid isn’t the only character in the game with an evasive V-Reversal: F.A.N.G and Nash’s function similarly. Which begs the question, are they capable of doing the same?

Sources: VFM_Wolfman

3D arena fighter, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven, was released digitally today in North America for the PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Network.

Those who download the game will also be given access to free downloadable content, including 10 additional missions, 4 customized voices and the playable character, Jotaro Kujo, from Chapter 4 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Diamond is Unbreakable.

Eyes of Heaven features a completely original story supervised by series creator, Hirohiko Araki. The game focuses on 2 vs. 2 combat and brings characters from all throughout the series’ history.

If you’re curious about how the game plays, there was a free demo released back in May.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven will see its digital and physical release in Europe on July 1, 2016.

Bandai Namco Entertainment America also released a trailer highlighting the eighth and most recent chapter in the JoJo saga, JoJolion. The trailer also shows off some of the “Dual Combos” and “Dual Heat Attacks” that are possible in the 2 vs. 2 fighter.

An anime adaptation of the fourth chapter of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Diamond is Unbreakable, is currently being broadcast in Japan weekly and is simulcast on Crunchyroll.

Source: PlayStation Store, Twitter

About a month ago, we reported that the #FreeLeffen petition had reached its target signature count. As promised, an official response was received, though the message was not what was hoped for or expected by petitioners.

The White House essentially declined to act, citing the site’s Terms of Participation in refusing to act against the jurisdictions of existing federal departments. They did, however, advise petitioners on more appropriate avenues to address this and any future similar cases. Check out their full response below:

Thank you for using the We the People platform. On May 23, a petition you signed on eSports reached 100,000 signatures, which is the threshold for receiving a White House response.

 

The P-1 nonimmigrant visa classification allows individuals to come to the United States temporarily to perform at a specific athletic competition as an athlete, individually or as part of a group or team, at an internationally recognized level of performance. You raised questions about a specific Super Smash Bros. Melee player and his P-1 visa application. Consistent with the We the People Terms of Participation, we decline to address such matters that are properly within the jurisdiction of federal departments or agencies — in this case, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

 

However, we do want to provide more information about the broader issue you raised.

 

According to USCIS, the agency responsible for processing P-1 visa applications, there is no current policy categorically precluding an eSport from being recognized as a qualifying athletic competition. In fact, USCIS has approved P-1 visa petitions for athletes seeking to enter the United States to compete in eSport events.

 

It’s important to remember that every case, regardless of what sport it involves, is different and is reviewed on its own merits. USCIS may request additional information when there is not enough documentation or evidence to establish eligibility for the requested classification. Given this case-by-case adjudication, a particular denial or approval does not necessarily represent a broader policy interpretation or change.

 

You can find more information on the P-1 visa process on the USCIS website. Individuals who have issues about particular cases can also contact the DHS Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman. The Ombudsman helps to provide impartial and independent perspectives in an attempt to address issues related to pending cases. Learn more about the Ombudsman.

 

Thanks again for using the We the People platform.
— We the People Team

Source: The White House

 

The most recent U.S. Capcom Pro Tour Premier event for Street Fighter V, CEO 2016, is now in the books. Alex Jebailey’s wrestling-inspired event that took place in Orlando, Florida this past weekend drew some of the highest levels of SFV competition to date from all over the world, including well-known Southern California player, Anton “Filipinoman” Herrera, who placed 25th in the tournament.

Daily Dot’s Steven Jurek interviewed Herrera during the event and asked him about his thoughts on who’s currently the best in SFV, how he feels about going into Evo 2016 in Las Vegas next month and what he thinks about the situation between Team YP and Capcom’s rule changes on banning adult sponsors at their events. Herrera answers these questions and then some in the video below.

Source: Daily Dot Esports, with a tip from npcomplete